The Eiffel Tower will stay closed for a third day today with staff continuing a strike over wages and pledges of more recruitment that is damaging the Paris tourist industry.
There has been a sharp drop in the number of visitors to Paris since the terrorist attacks in November last year, and the tally of visitors to the tower has fallen from 7 million last year to an estimated 6 million this year.
Anne Yanic, director of SETE, which manages the tower, called the strikers “disconnected from reality” and said there was no chance of extra hiring. Managers apologised to people trying to visit the landmark.
Sweet factory worker’s death by chocolate
A young mother has died after she fell into a vat of molten chocolate while working at the Sergiev-Posad sweet factory in Fedortsovo, near Moscow. Police are investigating reports that Svetlana Roslina, 24, was trying to retrieve her mobile phone from the tank when she slipped, although other accounts suggested she was adding a bag of ingredients to the mix.
Doris the jewel thief strikes again aged 86
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Police near Atlanta said that a notorious 86-year-old jewel thief has struck again. Doris Payne faces shoplifting charges after being arrested on Tuesday at a Von Maur department store after she put a $1,995 diamond necklace in her back pocket and tried to leave the store. She has lifted expensive jewelry around the world in a career spanning 60 years, authorities said. (AP)
Court returns Crimean treasures to Ukraine
A Dutch court has ruled that Crimean art treasures loaned to a museum in Amsterdam must be handed to Ukraine. The artefacts came from four museums in Crimea but Russia annexed the peninsula in March 2014 while they were on display at the Allard Pierson Museum. The judges ruled they could not go to Crimea because it was not a sovereign state. (AFP)
Chinese imperial seal makes €21m at auction
An 18th-century Chinese imperial seal sold at auction for €21 million — more than 20 times its estimate. The stamp, featuring nine dragons and made of red and beige nephrite jade, went to an unnamed Chinese collector after furious bidding at the Drouot auction house in Paris. It belonged to the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796), who was the longest-serving emperor. (AFP)
Tribal king charged with plotting co
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A Ugandan tribal king and 151 others have been charged with treason for allegedly seeking to overthrow the government. Charles Mumbere, king of the Rwenzururu, was arrested last month after government troops raided his palace, leading to the deaths of at least 87 people. He had been accused of commanding a militia. The king denies he was involved in the violence. (AFP)