Slain mother remembered

Slain mother remembered
LITTLETON, Colo. -- Donna Humphrey, the slain mother of a federal judge, was remembered at a funeral service Saturday as a bright and inquisitive woman who was active in her church and gave her time to charity.
Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow held back tears as she entered St. James Presbyterian church outside Denver and walked past large photographs of her mother and her husband, Michael, who were killed last month in an apparent attempt to get even with Lefkow.
Although the man apparently responsible for the slayings has committed suicide, at least a dozen U.S. marshals were stationed around the church and a mobile police command center had been set up as precautions.
Humphrey and Michael Lefkow were found by the judge in the basement of her Chicago home Feb. 28. Humphrey had been visiting from her home in suburban Denver.
Inmate to defend himself
PHOENIX -- An inmate charged with taking a prison guard hostage for 15 days plans to defend himself in his trial beginning Monday -- and says he will have the woman he is accused of raping "in shreds" when he questions her on the stand.
Jury selection begins this week for Ricky Wassenaar's trial in the longest U.S. prison hostage situation in decades. Acting as his own attorney will allow Wassenaar, 41, to directly question the woman he allegedly took hostage and raped.
Wassenaar and another inmate, Steven Coy, are accused of taking two guards hostage at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Lewis in Buckeye on Jan. 18, 2004. They released one of the guards after a week but held the female guard until prison officials resolved the standoff by agreeing to transfer the inmates to prisons in other states.
New leader takes office
HONG KONG -- Donald Tsang, a career bureaucrat who rose to the top of Hong Kong's civil service and earned a knighthood under British rule, took office as the territory's interim leader Saturday, even as China and its allies here signaled he did not enjoy their complete support.
Tsang's appointment came as the Chinese government accepted the resignation of his embattled predecessor, Tung Chee-hwa, and rewarded the former shipping magnate with a face-saving promotion to a national advisory body. Citing failing health, Tung resigned Thursday after China appeared to lose confidence in his ability to manage rising public demands for greater democracy.
Frenchmen investigated
PARIS -- Authorities have begun legal action against two Frenchmen for alleged terrorist-related activity following their release from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, judicial officials said Saturday.
Ridouane Khalid, 36, was released under judicial watch, while Khaled ben Mustafa, 33, was being held by authorities, the officials said on condition of anonymity.
The two were placed under investigation Friday -- one step short of being formally charged -- suspected of "criminal association with a terrorist enterprise," the officials said without elaboration.
Protesters arrested
LONDON -- Protesters scaled pillars alongside gates at Buckingham Palace on Saturday, unfurling a banner over the palace railings, police said.
London's Metropolitan Police said two people spent about 90 minutes atop pillars outside Queen Elizabeth II's residence in central London.
They hung a banner saying, "Basque youth defending civil and political rights" between them. The two men came down of their own accord and were taken to a police station, police said. Two other demonstrators who chained themselves to the palace railings were cut free by police and arrested.
None of the protesters entered the palace grounds, and police said they did not know if they had a connection with the Basque separatist group ETA in Spain.
From Vindicator wire reports