In brief: Mladic placed in U.N. prison

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic was placed in a U.N. detention unit Tuesday to await trial on genocide charges, 16 years after he was indicted in the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the worst massacre of civilians in Europe since World War II.

War crimes tribunal spokeswoman Nerma Jelacic said tribunal staff were handing Mladic his indictment and explaining the rules and procedures to him before placing him in an isolation cell for the night. Mladic also was being given a list of defense lawyers who could help him through the initial proceedings of the war crimes court.

It was unclear when Mladic will appear in court for an initial appearance, but it must be within a few days. The chief prosecutor and top tribunal official scheduled a news conference for noon today.

Mladic has said he does not recognize the authority of the U.N. tribunal.

Maid assault cases raise concerns

NEW YORK – As a former chairman of a major Egyptian bank awaited his first court appearance Tuesday on charges he sexually assaulted a maid at a luxury Manhattan hotel, an industry official said more needed to be done to protect hotel workers.

Businessman Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar is accused of sexually assaulting the maid at The Pierre hotel, near Central Park and Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former leader of the International Monetary Fund, is under house arrest as he awaits trial on charges he sexually assaulted a maid at the Sofitel hotel, near Times Square, on May 14. The once-contender to president of France has denied the allegations.

In light of the attacks, Joseph E. Spinnato, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, a trade group, said he was looking into a lawmaker’s proposal to mandate hotel room cleaning staff carry small electronic alarms with buttons that could be pressed to alert security in the event of an emergency.

In the most recent case, police say a maid was called to Omar’s room Sunday evening to drop off tissues. But once inside the room, police said, the 74-year-old Omar would not let her leave and touched her inappropriately.

Omar was arrested on charges of sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, forcible touching and harassment.

Torture evident on reporter’s body

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A Pakistani journalist who investigated al-Qaida’s alleged infiltration of the navy and told a rights activist he’d been threatened by the country’s intelligence agencies was found dead Tuesday. Police said his body showed signs of torture.

Syed Saleem Shahzad’s death underscores the dangers of reporting in Pakistan, which in 2010 was called the deadliest country for journalists. It could also increase scrutiny of Pakistan’s security agencies, already under pressure since the May 2 U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Shahzad went missing Sunday from Islamabad while on his way to appear on a television show.

A senior Pakistani intelligence official denied allegations that the agency had anything to do with Shahzad’s case.