A sculpture of a pig and cow wearing crowns, created by the once secret daughter of the king, has been removed from a town hall during a visit by his “official” daughter to avoid offense, reports said on Saturday. The work by artist Delphine Boel, natural daughter of Albert II, adorns the town hall of the seaside resort of Coxyde. Boel, 40, made headlines on Wednesday with a book entitled Cutting the Cord, in which she settled scores with her father. She once explained she had got rid of her pent-up feelings about her origins by fashioning heads of pigs wearing crowns. Her secret birth in 1968 — the offspring of a liaison between the then Prince Albert and Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps — was revealed only three decades later.
■ MACEDONIA
Early election date set
The speaker of parliament has set an early election date of June 1. It will be the first time the country has held elections early. The ballot had not been expected until 2010. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski called for the snap poll after a name dispute with Greece halted the nation’s bid to join NATO last week. He says he wants to speed up economic reforms and is frustrated with parliamentary squabbles over whether the country should change its name. Greece says the name implies a territorial claim to a Greek province also called Macedonia.
■ SWEDEN
Bus firm pays compensation
A bus company said it would compensate a woman 25,000 kronor (US$4,200) for being refused a bus ride because she was wearing a veil. Arriva Scandinavia spokesman Jan Wildau said the driver of the bus was also fired. The country’s ombudsman against ethnic discrimination said the woman was wearing a burqa when trying to board a bus in Malmo last year. She had paid the full fare, but was told by the driver to get off the bus because he could not identify her. The ombudsman said the incident was “linked to the woman’s religion.” Wildau said on Saturday the bus company offered safe and secure travel “for all people,” and employees should not react to customers’ clothing.
■ TANZANIA
Olympic torch arrives
The mayor of Dar es Salaam received the Olympic torch from a Chinese official and assured him its run through the East African nation would be smooth. Kenyan Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai said, however, she had pulled out of the torch relay to protest China’s human rights record. Journalists and sports officials watched as a Chinese Olympic official stepped off a plane on Saturday evening and handed the torch over to Mayor Adam Kimbisa. “It is a great honor and privilege for Tanzania to host this torch. Don’t worry, all preparations are all set,” Kimbisa said.
■ NORWAY
King opens new opera house
King Harald V officially opened the long-awaited national opera house on the shores of the Oslo Fjord on Saturday, kicking off a gala performance before royalty, national leaders and music lovers. The Nordic nation’s newest landmark, a stunning 4.2 billion kroner (US$840 million) white marble building, fulfills a more than 120-year dream for music fans, used to watching the Norwegian Opera and Ballet in old downtown theaters. The two-and-a-half hour opening performance covered historical highlights of opera and ballet, before an audience that included Queen Sonja, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Danish Queen Margrethe and about 1,350 invited guests.
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