■MEXICO
More police patrol airport
More than 800 federal and local police have been assigned to improve security in and around Mexico City’s international airport after a series of armed robberies against travelers who exchanged money there, authorities announced on Monday. Mexico City Attorney General Miguel Mancera said 460 additional city police officers had been assigned to patrol the areas surrounding the airport. Federal police have added 350 agents to the airport since December, Federal Police Commissioner Rodrigo Esparza said. At least 18 people have been robbed recently outside the airport.
■UNITED STATES
Dartmouth makes history
Dartmouth College on Monday named a South Korean-born health expert as its president, becoming the first Asian-American to head an Ivy League university. Jim Yong Kim, 49, is a former director of the HIV/AIDS department of the WHO, where he was credited with helping expand access to lifesaving treatment in the developing world. “Our goal at the World Health Organization was to raise aspirations about what can be achieved in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, and I see the same vision and sense of purpose at Dartmouth today,” Kim said in a statement. He will take over on July 1.
■FRANCE
Berge may keep bronzes
Pierre Berge, the former personal and business partner of late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, said on Monday that he may keep two controversial Chinese bronzes if the top bidder for them at last week’s auction refuses to pay. “I will keep them at home [if they are not paid for],” he told France Info radio. “They were there, they will return there and we will continue to live together.” Cai Mingchao (蔡銘超) said in Beijing on Monday that he would not pay the US$39.6 million he had bid for the Qing Dynasty rabbit and rat heads. Meanwhile, a senior Chinese culture ministry official told the Beijing Times that Cai’s behavior had not helped his compatriots: “The fact that Cai Mingchao has gone back on his word in reality means he has undermined the credibility enjoyed by Chinese people at large international auctions.”
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