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Is permit needed for work of art?

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 23, 2007

SPAIN  

Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia church, an unfinished Barcelona landmark that is considered a marvel of modern architecture, has lacked a construction permit for more than a century, city officials said Friday. Gaudi first presented a design for the church in 1883 and two years later suggested changes to the blueprint. Both times he won permission. But planning officials never responded to two later requests to change the construction plans, in 1916 and 1990. The silence amounted to acquiescence, a town hall official said, confirming a report in the newspaper El Pais. More than 2-million tourists flocked to the church last year even as scaffolding obstructed much of the interior and facade.

BRAZIL

Flight delays strand thousands at airports

Flight delays stranded thousands of passengers across South America's biggest country for a fourth straight day Friday. Of the 1, 422 flights scheduled before 6 p.m. Friday, at least 115 were canceled and 461 were delayed at least an hour, according to Brazil's airport authority.

The delays have snowballed since earlier in the week due to technical problems and a slowdown by air controllers alleging malfunctioning equipment and poor working conditions.

Elsewhere

PAKISTAN: Pakistan is building a third plutonium production reactor at a major nuclear weapons center, a sign of plans to increase the nation's nuclear arsenal, said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington group specializing in nuclear issues.

VIETNAM: After no human cases had been reported for a year and a half, bird flu has resurfaced in Vietnam, with five people falling ill in as many weeks.

KENYA: A wave of violence across the Kenyan capital killed 22 people early Friday, and police were investigating whether a shadowy gang that has threatened to launch an uprising against the government was involved.

FRANCE: A Paris court convicted 15 former Eiffel Tower workers of embezzling funds from its ticket office and ordered them Friday to pay $940, 000 in fines.

[Last modified June 22, 2007, 23:48:55]