Page 12 - HOH

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 28 January 2020

In this Wednesday, April 9, 2008 file photo, Delphine Boel, left,
poses for photographers with her recently published book,
Travelers from Beijing , wearing masks, arrive at Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, early along with her husband, US citizen from Houston, Texas, James
Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. O'Hare, right, in the Grand Place of Brussels. After years of le-
Associated Press gal fights, a decades-old royal paternity scandal saw a major

Countries evaluate evacuation breakthrough Monday, Jan, 27, 2020. Associated Press

of citizens in virus epicenter Belgian ex-king
Albert concedes

TOKYO (AP) — Countries Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Sri Lankan Airlines plan to be
with citizens in the central said his Cabinet will desig- allowed to land at the Wu- claimant is his daughter
Chinese city that's the epi- nate the new coronavirus han airport to airlift home
center of a viral outbreak as an infectious disease 32 Sri Lankan students and
are planning evacuations subject to forced hospital- their family members. The By RAF CASERT to do so "to end with dig-
as the number of illnesses ization and isolation. Such foreign ministry also said it BRUSSELS (AP) — After nity this painful procedure."
grow and China takes preventative measures ap- was working to bring back years of court battles, Bel- Boel's lawyer, Marc Uyt-
drastic measures to try to pear to be preparation for all other Sri Lankan students gium's former King Albert II tendaele, said on RTBF net-
stop the spread of the virus. the evacuation. throughout China. About is no longer fighting a claim work that "her reaction was
A look at steps being taken: — UNITED STATES: The U.S. 860 Sri Lankan students are that he is the father of artist one of relief, emotion but
— CHINA: The government Consulate in Wuhan plans in China. and sculptor Delphine Boel, also shows a wound that
cut transportation links to a charter flight to Southern — GERMANY: Foreign Min- bringing a major break- will not heal."
and from the city of Wuhan California to for its person- ister Heiko Maas said that through in the decades-old Rumors about Albert and
on Jan. 22 and has since nel and some other Ameri- his country is considering royal paternity scandal. Boel's mother, the aristo-
expanded those controls to cans. The State Depart- evacuating its citizens from A statement delivered by cratic wife of a well-heeled
several nearby cities. Any- ment said the flight will Wuhan, with a government his lawyers to Belgian me- industrialist, had been
one traveling from Wuhan leave Wednesday morn- crisis response committee dia on Monday said that around for years. But the
is required to register and ing for Ontario, California. meeting soon with medi- "scientific conclusions indi- news that the king may
quarantine themselves for The plane will refuel in An- cal experts to evaluate cate that he is the biologi- have had a child with her
14 days — the virus' maxi- chorage, Alaska, where the situation. He said the cal father of Mrs. Delphine broke into the open when
mum incubation period. the passengers will be re- number of German citizens Boël." It came after Albert II a biography of Albert's
Hong Kong barred entry to screened, according to in Wuhan is in the double last year finally agreed to a wife, Queen Paola, was
travelers from Hubei prov- the Alaska Department of digits. The foreign ministry DNA test. published in 1999.
ince and told Hong Kong Health and Social Services. currently advises Germans The royal acknowledge- In his Christmas message to
residents returning from the — FRANCE: Health Minister to refrain from or postpone ment immediately domi- the nation that year, King
area to quarantine them- Agnes Buzyn said French "non-essential travel" to nated the evening news- Albert alluded to a past
selves at home. citizens who want to leave China. casts across the nation. infidelity and said he and
— JAPAN: Chief govern- Wuhan will be taken on a — EUROPEAN UNION: Por- Boel had been trying to es- Queen Paola lived through
ment spokesman Yoshi- direct flight to France in the tugal says it has joined with tablish paternity for years, a "crisis" in the late 1960s
hide Suga said 560 Japa- middle of the week, and other smaller European and Albert never publicly that almost wrecked their
nese citizens are confirmed then held in quarantine for Union countries to organize denied being her father marriage , but that "a long
in Hubei and chartered 14 days.France has some a possible evacuation of but had long refused to while ago" they overcame
evacuation flights are be- 800 citizens in Wuhan. their citizens from Wuhan. provide DNA. their marital problems.
ing prepared to leave "as French automaker PSA, Foreign Minister Augusto King Albert II, who abdi- Six years ago, Boel, who
soon as possible." The Jap- which produces Peugeot Santos Silva said 14 Portu- cated in 2013 for health bears a striking resem-
anese Embassy in Beijing and Citroen cars, said it guese have asked to be reasons, said Monday that blance to some members
said the initial evacuation was evacuating its expa- taken out of the city. Santos even if there were judicial of the royal family, opened
is limited to those in Wuhan. triate employees and their Silva says other EU countries arguments left to pursue, court proceedings to prove
Evacuees are expected families from Wuhan and with low numbers of poten- legal paternity is not neces- that Albert is her father.
to include employees of quarantining them in an- tial evacuees are consider- sarily equal to biological fa- Boel has always said that
Honda Motor Co., Tokyo other city. It didn't elabo- ing a joint operation and therhood. He added that she brought the paternity
Electron, Aeon Co. and rate. have approached Chinese even if the case could be case due to anger since
other Japanese compa- — SRI LANKA: The embassy health authorities about continued on procedural she was being cold-shoul-
nies operating in Wuhan. in Beijing has applied for a gaining clearance for it. q ground s, he decided not dered by the royal family.q