A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Columnist guilty of inciting racial bias
PARIS – A Paris court has found one of France’s best- known political commentators guilty of encouraging racial discrimination, in a case that has exposed raw differences about the role of ethnicity in social problems.
Columnist Eric Zemmour, who has made a career out of testing the limits of political correctness, was fined €2,000 and told to pay damages of €1,000 to anti-racism groups acting as plaintiffs.
Zemmour told a TV show last year that if black and Arab people were stopped by police more often than other ethnic groups, it was because they were more likely to be “dealers”. – (Reuters)
Vatican warns on beatification swindlers
VATICAN CITY – Faithful attending the beatification of Pope John Paul in Rome will be able to pray before his coffin, which will be exhumed for the event, the Vatican has said.
The Vatican has also warned the faithful around the world not to fall prey to fraudsters, particularly on the internet, who are selling tickets to the beatification ceremony on May 1st.
“For the beatification Mass of Pope John Paul II, as made clear from the outset, no tickets are required,” the Vatican said yesterday.
It added that people should also steer clear of tour operators promising to procure tickets as part of their packages. – (Reuters)