[eh ... come again] anomalies in europe

A couple of anomalous stories today.

First up, the British photographer whom a French court has ordered to pay damages to Dodi Fayed's father for taking photos of son and girlfiend - Princess Di, just off Italy.

The yacht was off Portofino on the Italian Riviera but proceedings were able to take place in France because the photos were printed in British tabloids on sale in the country and featured in local publications.

Come again?

In a second story, less anomalous but still with question marks against it, is the Pope defending his wartime predecessor, Pius XII, for not speaking out against the treatment of jews. The current Pope says that Pius did indeed intervene on behalf of the jews:

Pope Benedict said the interventions were "made secretly and silently, precisely because, given the concrete situation of that difficult historical moment, only in this way was it possible to avoid the worst and save the greatest number of Jews".

Vaguely related is Stalin's supposed retort, when asked by his officers not to offend the Pope, "Oh yes? And how many divisions has he got?"

Seems to me a bit rich, expecting Pius to have said much. Would Williams or the Chief Rabbi, in turn, speak out about the slaughter of Muslims, if there were a holocaust against them today? On the other hand, secret funding or other aid would seem to be in order.

Can't see this one ever being resolved.