Sheffield, U.K.
Police cover-up: The British government has apologized for blaming the victims in the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium disaster, when 96 fans were crushed to death in a soccer stadium. A report out last week shows that police, who herded hundreds of fans into enclosures that were already full, lied about their actions and altered witness statements. The top officer on duty falsely claimed that drunk Liverpool fans had broken into the stadium and stampeded; other officers fed false stories to The Sun, claiming that hooligans stole from the dead. “This appalling death toll of so many loved ones was compounded by an attempt to blame the victims,” said Prime Minister David Cameron.
Prague
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Ban on booze: The Czech government has temporarily banned all sales of hard liquor after the biggest case of mass alcohol poisoning in decades. At least 20 people died and dozens were blinded or sickened after drinking liquor laced with methanol. Police say the tainted alcohol was sold in bars and shops as vodka and tuzemak, a local spirit. The bottles bore fake labels from at least two Czech liquor-makers. So far, 23 people allegedly involved in the scam have been arrested. The ban has been in place for a week and could hurt the tourism-dependent Czech economy if it goes on much longer.
Rome
Was Jesus married? An American scholar has identified an ancient Coptic text that makes reference to Jesus having a wife. Harvard Divinity School professor Karen King revealed the scrap of papyrus this week in Rome. The fragment, owned by an anonymous collector and authenticated by other scholars, contains the phrases “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife...,’” and “‘she will be able to be my disciple.’” Christian theologians in the 2nd century debated whether Jesus was married, possibly to Mary Magdalene, a theory taken up by the blockbuster novel The Da Vinci Code. But King stressed that her discovery does not settle the question. “Don’t say this proves Dan Brown was right,” she said.
