*** AJC and PBP: Please do note use the Louvre or horse meat briefs. Thanks. ***
FRANCE
Louvre workers walk off job over pickpockets
The Louvre was closed Wednesday after its workers walked off their jobs to protest what is said to be a rising problem of pickpockets haunting the famed Paris museum’s vast galleries. Louvre spokeswoman Sophie Grange was unable to say when the museum, which normally attracts up to 30,000 visitors a day at this time of year, would reopen. Museum staff organized the protest to draw attention to the problem, which they say is hindering their ability to welcome visitors and protect the Louvre’s collections. Crowds of disappointed tourists gathered outside the museum Wednesday.
NETHERLANDS
50,000 tons of meat recalled across Europe
Dutch authorities are recalling 50,000 tons of meat sold as beef across Europe because its exact source cannot be established and it may contain horse meat, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. The announcement was the latest development in a far-reaching scandal that saw horse meat mixed in with other meats and sold as beef across the continent without informing consumers. In all, 370 companies across Europe and 132 more in the Netherlands are affected by the latest recall because they bought meat from two Dutch trading companies. The recall covers meat dating back to Jan. 1, 2011, up until Feb. 15 this year.
UNITED KINGDOM
IVF pioneer Robert Edwards dead at 87
Robert Edwards, a Nobel laureate from Britain whose pioneering in vitro fertilization research led to the first test tube baby and has since brought millions of people into the world, died Wednesday at age 87. The University of Cambridge, where he was a professor, said Edwards passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home just outside Cambridge. Together with Dr. Patrick Steptoe, Edwards developed in vitro fertilization, which resulted in the birth in 1978 of the world’s first test tube baby. Since then, an estimated 5 million babies have been born using the technique, which creates embryos in the laboratory before transferring them into a woman.
FINLAND
Putin on criminal blacklist by ‘mistake’
Vladimir Putin, banned in Finland? Finnish police say the Russian president’s name was mistakenly placed on a secret criminal register that could theoretically have gotten him arrested at the border. A TV station reported Wednesday that Putin was placed there for his contact with Russian motorcycle gang Night Wolves, though he wasn’t suspected of a crime in Finland. Finnish Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen, whose ministry oversees the police, conveyed her “sincerest apologies” to Putin over the mistaken entry.
ISRAEL
Liberal Jews see a victory in prayer area
Israeli authorities have proposed establishing a new section at the Western Wall where men and women can pray together, a groundbreaking initiative that would mark a significant victory by liberal streams of Judaism in their long quest for recognition. The proposal is aimed at ending turmoil surrounding the Orthodox establishment’s monopoly over the site, highlighted by the arrests of female worshippers who prayed while performing religious rituals the Orthodox say are reserved for men. The Western Wall, a retaining wall of the biblical Temple compound, is the holiest site where Jews can pray.
YEMEN
President orders military shakeup
Yemen’s president removed his predecessor’s son and nephews from powerful security posts Wednesday in the most dramatic step yet in sidelining old regime figures, according to the nation’s state-run media. Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down in early 2012 after more than a year of protests against his rule, placed relatives and loyalists in top military and government posts over his 33-year rule. They have been accused of obstructing the U.S.-backed government as it tries to reform and fight an active al-Qaida branch in the impoverished Arab nation.
PAKISTAN
Policemen guarding polio workers attacked
A gunman shot and killed a policeman and wounded another Wednesday as they provided security for a team of polio eradication health workers in northwestern Pakistan, according to government officials. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Pakistani Taliban have repeatedly targeted health workers on anti-polio drives, accusing them of being spies. The violence has seriously hindered the immunization campaign in Pakistan, which is one of three countries where polio remains endemic.
About the Author