The world at a glance . . . Europe
Europe
Zurich, Switzerland
Polanski denied bail: Admitted child rapist Roman Polanski was refused bail this week on the grounds that he is a flight risk. Polanski, 76, fled the U.S. more than 30 years ago as he was about to be sentenced for the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. He was arrested on an international warrant last month in Zurich, and he is now fighting his extradition to the U.S. The Swiss court said the usual measures to prevent a suspect’s fleeing—such as revoking his passport and requiring him to report daily to police—were not adequate in Polanski’s case since he has numerous movie-star friends with private jets and helicopters. It also rejected the defense team’s request that Polanski be placed under house arrest at his Swiss chalet.
Rome
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Poaching Anglicans: Pope Benedict XVI is trying to woo traditionalist Anglicans over to the Catholic Church. The Vatican said this week it has created an entirely new church structure for disaffected Anglicans that will allow them to retain their own Anglican rites as long as they recognize the pope as their leader. Vatican officials said they were responding to “many requests” from Anglicans who oppose their own church’s liberal reforms, including the ordination of women and gays as bishops. The Anglican Church was established in 1534, after the pope refused King Henry VIII’s request for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn.

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