THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court on Tuesday ordered two Sudanese rebels to stand trial on charges they orchestrated the killing of 12 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur in 2007.

The court said there were “substantial grounds” to believe that Abdallah Banda and Saleh Jerbo were responsible for the attack and ordered them to stand trial for war crimes following a confirmation of charges hearing in December.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The international war crimes tribunal said on Thursday it will investigate Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, his sons and members of their inner circle for crimes committed by their security forces.

Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo of the Hague-based International Criminal Court said no one had the authority to massacre civilians after a bloody crackdown on demonstrators against Gaddafi’s rule in which possibly thousands have died.

AMSTERDAM/ZURICH (Reuters) – Roman seems a typical six-year-old boy, smiling shyly next to his younger sister and mother Silvia as they open the door to their Amsterdam home.

But Roman has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disorder that already makes it hard to walk long distances and will probably put him in a wheelchair by his teens. Lung and heart problems mean most DMD patients die aged 25 to 30 years.

AMSTERDAM, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Dutch DSM (DSMN.AS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the
world’s largest vitamins maker, said it would look for more
acquisitions and raise prices in 2011 to offset higher costs
which held its quarterly operating profit growth in check.

DSM, which also makes raw ingredients for drug makers, has
shed low-margin base chemicals assets and is buying Martek
(MATK.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the U.S. baby foods ingredients maker, for $1.1
billion to expand in life sciences. [ID:nLDE6BK04U]

FRANKFURT/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is ready to fight inflation by increasing interest rates when needed, ECB policymakers said on Tuesday, sending the euro higher against the dollar.

Comments by Luxembourg’s Yves Mersch and Nout Wellink of the Netherlands chime with those given recently by other ECB policymakers, including Executive Board members Lorenzo Bini Smaghi and Juergen Stark on Monday.

AMSTERDAM, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Dutch chemical group AkzoNobel
(AKZO.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) said it was optimistic it could raise prices and cut
costs to offset higher oil-based raw materials prices in 2011 as
weaker margins bit into its quarterly core profit.

AkzoNobel Chief Executive Hans Wijers said on Thursday that
the company saw a mid-single digit rise in raw materials prices
in 2010 and that it expects “at least the same” in 2011.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The U.N.-backed Lebanon tribunal handed down a key procedural ruling on Wednesday to settle legal points as it considers whether to confirm a charge sheet over the assassination of former premier Rafik al-Hariri.

The ruling took place with Lebanon still seeking to form a new government after the militant Shi’ite Hezbollah movement and its allies toppled the government of Hariri’s son, Saad al-Hariri, over his refusal to cut links with the tribunal.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Former Liberian president Charles Taylor snubbed his war crimes trial for a second day on Wednesday, prompting judges to adjourn the case as they consider whether to allow a defense appeal over key documentation.

Taylor, the first African ruler to stand trial for war crimes, has denied 11 charges of instigating murder, rape, mutilation, sexual slavery and conscription of child soldiers during a civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Former Liberian president Charles Taylor snubbed his war crimes trial for a second day on Wednesday, prompting judges to adjourn the case as they consider whether to allow a defense appeal over key documentation.

Taylor, the first African ruler to stand trial for war crimes, has denied 11 charges of instigating murder, rape, mutilation, sexual slavery and conscription of child soldiers during a civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – With Dutch biotech Crucell (CRCL.AS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) about to be gobbled up by U.S. giant Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), its chief executive Ronald Brus will need to deliver new vaccines quickly to make a success of the acquisition.

The deal looks in the bag after Crucell shareholders voted through changes to its statutes and approved the nomination of mostly J&J employees to its advisory board earlier on Tuesday.