Random News from the Rest of the World

Italian Village Installs Speed Cameras, Records 58,000 Infractions In 2 Weeks

3 per minute!

UAE Pardons British Man, Days After He Received Life Sentence For Spying

Now for a random news from out of this world:


NASA’s InSight beams back photo of Mars


An InSight selfie, with the Martian horizon in the background.

Ballybrack from the dead.

League of Ireland soccer club Ballybrack FC claimed one of its players was killed in a road accident to avoid playing a league game last Saturday.
The player in question Fernando Lafuente Saiz left the Dublin club in September to live in Galway and is thankfully alive and well.
What eejits!

All other teams in the league sent messages of condolence, held a minutes silence before their Saturday games and wore black armbands as a sign of respect. It was only when the League of Ireland asked for Fernando's family details so they could convey their sympathy that the truth started to come out.
Unbelievable.

https://www.thejournal.ie/ballybrack-fc-dublin-ireland-footballer-fake-death-4364084-Nov2018/



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzxk_ZXI_wk

Ex-diplomat Zurabishvili elected Georgia's first woman president
29 Nov 2018

AFP / Vano SHLAMOVFormer Georgian foreign minister and France's ambassador to Tbilisi in the early 2000s, French-born Salome Zurabishvili is supported by the ruling Georgia Dream party

Georgia has elected ruling party candidate Salome Zurabishvili as its first woman president, final results showed Thursday, but the opposition claimed fraud.

With all votes counted, the French-born ex-diplomat had taken 59.52 percent of the vote in Wednesday's second round run-off, the election commission said.

Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM), won 40.48 percent.

The election was seen as a test of Georgia's democratic credentials as the Caucasus nation seeks European Union and NATO membership.


More:
https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/ex-diplomat-zurabishvili-elected-georgias-first-woman-president-doc-1b719g2

Manhunt Underway For Suspect In Attack On French Christmas Market

From NPR



more...

I was wondering when they'd release the suspect's name. All last night the media just kept mentioning that the authorities knew who the suspect was, but gave no name.

Break Rules, Clean Up Gutters: The To-Do List Of A Rookie Mayor In Sierra Leone

How did the Huthi Rebels manage to resist the Saudi ogre?
Julie KEBBI | l'Orient Le Jour, December 13, 2018

Once a marginalized group, the rebels are now negotiating the conditions for peace on an equal footing with the Yemeni government and its allies .

How does David resist Goliath? How can a small militia, virtually unknown only a few years ago, stand up to a coalition of several regional powers, led by the Saudi ogre and Gulf Sparta, the United Arab Emirates? A marginalized group that has become a key player in the Yemeni conflict, the Huthis are now sitting at the same table as the delegation of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government in Stockholm for peace consultations under the auspices of the UN. Against all odds, these rebel fighters, who number a few thousand according to estimates, have won their wager. In almost four years, the Arab coalition forces led by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which intervened in March 2015 in support of President Hadi, have only succeeded in dislodging the rebels from the provinces of Aden and Marib. Despite their vast fire power and colossal means, they could not radically change the balance of power. The coalition is now mired in a war that has already killed 10,000, according to the UN. [...]

Once confined in the Yemeni highlands, the Hutis' strong position today in the country is the result of long years of preparation and many wars against the regime of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh since the 2000s. "The Huti leaders are very good at organizing military resistance," Charles Schmitz, vice-president of the American Institute of Yemeni Studies and professor at Towson University, told l'Orient Le Jour. Another major asset that allows them to swell their ranks: the rebels are supported by several tribes and forces loyal to ex-president Saleh. "The Huthis have a solid hold on the tribes in the north of the country and in the capital, Sanaa. They also have the approval of those who are not satisfied with the Saudi and UAE intervention, and they bring together a lot of people who are not actively opposed to them," said Schmitz.

https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1148090/comment-les-houthis-ont-reussi-a-resister-a-logre-saoudien.html

'Congo Does Not Take Any Orders From Anybody': Interview With President Joseph Kabila

Alleged claims in the above story about the country running "perfect elections" is basically ruined by the following election story:
Voting Equipment Goes Up In Flames In Congo's Capital As Election Approaches

They still haven't caught the guy... :-(

I saw that. You would think that 10 days before the vote this equipment ought to be dispatched at local level already.

A very convenient fire for Kabila.

The weird thing is... Kabila is presently barred from running for president this time around. I wonder which candidate this engineered catastrophe best works for?

Main suspect in Strasbourg attack killed in gunbattle with police - officials



more...

Kabila annointed Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, former Interior Minister, in a manouver à la Medvedev-Putine. He faces ex-Exxon staff Martin Fayulu chosen as the main candidate for the opposition coalition. There's been heavy policemanship of Fayulu's meetings lately.

Interestingly, Chekatt was armed with this 19th century revolver, a Modèle 1892:


A weapon considered obsolete in terms of fire power and precision. Imagine how many people he could have killed with an M16...

MBS tries to move beyond the journalist butchering thing.


Coptic Bishop Visits Saudi Arabia at Mohammed Bin Salman’s Invitation

After opening movie theaters and allowing women to drive, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues his open policy by promises to open two Coptic churches in Riyadh.

BY HAMZA GUESSOUS, DEC 4, 2018 1:17 PM
Morocco World News

Rabat – Saudi Arabia has allowed the first mass of the Coptic Orthodox community in Riyadh, following Mohammed bin Salman’s invitation of a Coptic Orthodox bishop to Saudi Arabia.

Coptic Orthodox Bishop Anba Marcos of Shobra El-Kheima confirmed that he performed the  first Coptic mass in Riyadh. He also said that a hall was set up in one of the city’s squares, according to Aljazeera.

The Egyptian press quoted Bishop Marcos as saying that on his visit to Saudi Arabia he will meet the Coptic Christians in the kingdom and reassure them of their condition in their second homeland. Saudi Arabia is home to 1.2 million Christians—Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant—according to the US State Department’s religious freedom report.

Read also: Morocco’s Ministry of Interior Rejects Religious Ftour in Rabat Church

Marcos also confirmed that his first visit on Saudi soil came at the invitation of the Saudi Royal Court, and he will stay until December 17.

Bishop Marcos had previously invited Mohammed bin Salman to Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo. The Saudi crown prince visited Saint Mark’s in March 2018.

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/12/259476/coptic-bishop-saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman/amp/

Moroccans Condemn Murder of Scandinavian Tourists in Imlil

Shocked and horrified that the killing happened in their country, Moroccans have poured out messages of sympathy for the victims’ families and friends.

BY AHLAM BEN SAGA, DEC 20, 2018
Morocco World News

Rabat – Moroccans, and people all around the world are mourning the deaths ofLouisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway who were murdered in Morocco’s Imlil near Mount Toubkal.

Many Moroccans on social media are calling on authorities to give the four suspects in the case the death penalty.

Moroccans are also commenting “#sorry” and “#RIP” hashtags on the public Facebook posts of the Danish victim Louisa Vesterager Jespersen.

One statement made by a Moroccan on the incident is also going viral: “As a Moroccan, I’m deeply shocked about the Incident & truly #sorry for what happened in Morocco hope the suspects get what they deserve, we do not tolerate such actions like this in our country #Rest_in_Peace We are so sorry.”

Louisa had written her final public Facebook post about visiting Mount Toubkal.

Louisa and Maren’s bodies were found on Monday, December 17. The two women had been sharing a tent in an isolated area in the High Atlas Mountains.

The women were found near their tent with knife wounds to their necks.

Some sources reported that the women were hiking without a guide and had been stalked.

Police arrested three murder suspects on Thursday in addition to the first suspect who was arrested on Tuesday.

While Moroccan security services have announced that the murder was a potential terror attack, they have not confirmed whether it was ISIS-related.

Read Also: Suspects in Scandinavian Tourists’ Murder Pledge Allegiance to ISIS in Video

Responding to international commenters who began to express doubt about security in Morocco, several Norwegian nationals said that their “love” for Morocco would not stop them from visiting the country.

One Norwegian wrote to MWN:  “This won’t tarnish my love still for Morocco, InshaAllah I return sooner than later I live in Norway, people here love Morocco this won’t stop them from visiting it. They look at it as homicide that could have happened in Norway.”

When some speculated that Morocco’s tourism will suffer following the tragic deaths of the tourists, an anonymous diplomatic source told Morocco World News that “Morocco is generally perceived as a safe country.”

A tour guide in Imlil where the murder took place condemned the murder and confirmed to Morocco World News that tourists are still visiting the region and hiking there.

Denying speculations that fearful tourists have left the area, the tour guide said that tourists are still checking into nearby hotels.

The guide stated that the tourists and visitors were saddened by the incident, but that the atmosphere is currently peaceful.

The area is known for its hospitable, friendly people and scenic views.

A graphic video, allegedly of the murder, began circulating social media Wednesday night.

The video shows Moroccan men slicing the throat of one of the victims. The footage records two voices of the killers, speaking in Darija (Moroccan Arabic). One said: “This is a revenge for our brothers in Hajin,” referring to a small town in eastern Syria that was ISIS’ last holdout.

After international news outlets, including the Guardian and AFP, reported that Denmark confirmed the authenticity of the footage today, Danish security services announced in a statement that they did not authenticate the video.

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/12/261109/moroccans-condemn-murder-scandinavian-tourists-imlil/amp/

Following

DR Congo orders week-long delay in troubled elections
FRIDAY DECEMBER 21 2018, AFP

In Summary

Africa's second biggest country, the Democratic Republic of Congo is also arguably the continent's most volatile.In power since 2001 after succeeding his assassinated father, Kabila, 47, was due to step down after reaching the end of his constitution-limited two terms in office.On December 13, a fire broke out in a Kinshasa warehouse, destroying around 8,000 of some 10,000 machines earmarked for the capital, Kinshasa, according to CENI.



DR Congo's troubled journey to elect a successor to President Joseph Kabila hit a fresh snag Thursday, three days before voting, as electoral supervisors ordered a week-long postponement after a fire destroyed polling equipment.

The delay marks the latest twist in a two-year-old saga that has plunged the central African country into a political crisis and sparked deadly clashes.

The head of the Independent National Election Commission (CENI), Corneille Nangaa, said a warehouse fire on December 13 had destroyed voting machines and ballot papers for the capital Kinshasa.

Attempts are underway to bring replacements, but these will not be available in time for voting on Sunday, he told reporters.

"The presidential, legislative and provincial elections will therefore take place on December 30, 2018," Nangaa said.

"The electoral process continues," he insisted.
But in a climate rich with suspicion, opposition leaders were swift to voice their anger ahead of his announcement, and small groups of protestors gathered.

"No delay can be justified," said Martin Fayulu, one of two opposition frontrunners.
Kabila and Nangaa would bear "full responsibility for this charade," he said.

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/World/DR-Congo-orders-week-long-delay-troubled-elections/688340-4904618-15aq6ig/index.html