The world at a glance . . . Europe

Lausanne, Switzerland

Double-amputee is eligible for Olympics: The Court of Arbitration for Sport this week ruled that South African runner Oscar Pistorius, whose lower legs have been replaced with high-tech prosthetics, should not be banned from the Beijing Olympics. The decision overturns a January ruling by the International Association of Athletics Foundations. The Lausanne court reviewed the evidence and declared the Cheetah Flex-Foot prosthetics indistinguishable from human legs for the purposes of competition. “I am thrilled with the panel’s findings and hope it silences many of the crazy theories that have circulated about my having an unfair advantage,” said Pistorius. Pistorius, nicknamed “Blade Runner,” was born without fibulas, and had his legs amputated below the knee as an infant. To qualify for the South African Olympic team, he must still shave at least 0.39 seconds off his best 400-meter time.

Amsterdam

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Cartoonist arrested: Dutch police last week arrested a cartoonist known as Gregorius Nekschot for publishing images prosecutors said were “insulting to Muslims.” The cartoons, posted on Nekschot’s website, are intentionally offensive depictions of the Prophet Mohammed as a pedophile with small genitals. Other images satirize Islamic culture and the Dutch government. Nekschot, who was released pending a court date, contrasted his situation with that of the Danish cartoonists whose work set off a firestorm in 2005. “In Denmark they protect cartoonists,” he said. “In the Netherlands police arrest them.” Several government officials protested the arrest and said the anti-discrimination law used against Nekschot should be modified.