Paris (AFP) – A controversial sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor on display in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles — and informally dubbed the “queen’s vagina” — was vandalised again on Sunday, this time by anti-Semitic graffiti, officials said. The giant sculpture [pictured above] was attacked in June and then cleaned, but Kapoor said that this time the graffitti would remain on the work, to bear witness to hatred Officially known as “Dirty Corner,” the sculpture comprises a huge steel funnel that the 61-year-old British-Indian artist has described as “very sexual.” It and the rocks around it were sprayed in white paint with phrases such as “SS blood sacrifice,” “Queen sacrificed, twice insulted,” “the second RAPE of the nation by DEVIANT JEWISH activism” and “Christ is king in Versailles,” the palace management said. President Francois Hollande condemned the vandalism as “hateful and anti-Semitic” and Prime Minister Manuel Valls took
Author: AFP
WATCH: European Farmers Block Brussels Streets in Huge Tractor Protest
Thousands of angry European farmers on Monday set off fireworks, blared horns and blocked Brussels streets with tractors as they demanded emergency EU funds to help them cope with plunging food prices. The protest involving mainly Belgian, French and German farmers targeted the heavily-guarded European Union headquarters where agriculture ministers were due to meet to tackle the crisis. A combination of factors, including changing dietary habits, slowing Chinese demand and a Russian embargo on Western products in response to sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, has pushed down prices for beef, pork and milk. “Europe is drowning in milk,” according to banners held aloft by farmers representing the European Milk Board. A group of French milk producers from Calvados said they were demanding a fair price for their produce. In France, the agriculture minister has estimated that around 10 percent of farms — approximately 22,000 sites — are on the brink
WATCH: European Farmers Block Brussels Streets in Huge Tractor Protest
Thousands of angry European farmers on Monday set off fireworks, blared horns and blocked Brussels streets with tractors as they demanded emergency EU funds to help them cope with plunging food prices. The protest involving mainly Belgian, French and German farmers targeted the heavily-guarded European Union headquarters where agriculture ministers were due to meet to tackle the crisis. A combination of factors, including changing dietary habits, slowing Chinese demand and a Russian embargo on Western products in response to sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, has pushed down prices for beef, pork and milk. “Europe is drowning in milk,” according to banners held aloft by farmers representing the European Milk Board. A group of French milk producers from Calvados said they were demanding a fair price for their produce. In France, the agriculture minister has estimated that around 10 percent of farms — approximately 22,000 sites — are on the brink
Wealthy Gulf States Challenged on Lack of Aid to Migrants
Amman (AFP) – As hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees languish in camps or risk their lives to reach Europe, questions are being asked about why wealthy Gulf states have accepted so few.
Putin Orders Snap Military Exercise in Central Russia
Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered snap checks on troop combat readiness in Russia’s central military district, the defence ministry said.
France to Take In 24,000 Refugees Over Two Years
The French president François Hollande announced on Monday that France will take in 24,000 refugees over the next two years, as requested by Brussels. France will open its doors to 24,000 refugees over the next two years, the president announced on Monday. That’s the number the European Commission has asked France to accept under a new plan aimed at easing the refugee crisis. Speaking on Monday French president François Hollande said that France is “willing to play its part”. “We will do it because that is the principles that France is built on,” he told the media. Reports in Le Monde on Monday claim Germany will be asked to take in 31, 000 refugees. Last week Hollande and Germany’s Angela Merkel called for binding quotas to be imposed on EU nations regarding the numbers of refugees they should take in. The French presidency announced the two European powerhouses would send
At Least 30 Migrants Feared Drowned Off Libya
At least 30 migrants are feared to have drowned off Libya after their dinghy began to sink, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said Friday. Some 91 survivors rescued by the Italian coastguard on Thursday said the boat had been carrying between 120 and 140 people when it began to deflate, sparking panic and tipping some people overboard. “As often happens, the dinghy, which had been inflated on the beach (of Misrata) just before departure, quickly began to deflate,” IOM spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo told AFP. “People panicked, they all rushed to one side of the dinghy. Many fell in the water, some drowned while others managed to pull themselves back on board,” he said. Rescuers said they recovered just one body. The survivors, who hail largely from Somalia but also include Sudanese and Nigerian nationals, were taken to a reception centre on the Italian island of Lampedusa. In a
Vladimir Putin Dives in Mini-Sub to Shipwreck off Crimea
Russian President Vladimir Putin burnished his action man image by diving down in a mini-submarine to explore a shipwreck off of Crimea.
British, French Govt Crisis Summit As Migrant Invasion Hits Record Levels
France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and his British counterpart Theresa May will sign a deal this week to try and alleviate the migrant crisis in Calais, the government said Tuesday. The deal — which will be signed in the northern French port — will focus on securing the area where thousands of people desperate to get to Britain have gathered, tackling human trafficking rings and improving humanitarian aid for migrants, France’s interior ministry said. The situation in Calais has hit the headlines in the past weeks as migrants make attempt after attempt to enter the under-Channel Eurotunnel to reach Britain, some paying for it with their lives. Last month, a Sudanese man in his 30s died, apparently crushed to death by a lorry. At least 10 people have been killed since June trying to get to Britain where many already have family and work is perceived as easier to find. Some 3,000
Brazilians Rage Against President, Corruption
Sao Paulo (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s resignation Sunday, blaming her and the leftist Workers’ Party for runaway corruption and looming recession in Latin America’s biggest country.