News
Rwandan Genocide Suspect Appears In Court Holding Bible After 22 Years On The Run
CONSTANTIA, South Africa — CAPE TOWN On Friday, a man who is a prime suspect in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda entered a trial in South Africa while holding a Bible and another book with the words “Jesus First” written on the cover.
Police inspector Fulgence Kayishema is accused of planning and executing the massacre of almost 2,000 individuals, including children, who sought safety in a church during the earliest days of the genocide.
He had eluded capture for nearly 30 years before his arrest on Wednesday in a wine-producing village some 30 miles east of Cape Village. He was 61 years old, according to South African authorities.
During his brief appearance at the Cape Town Magistrates Court, Kayishema, wearing glasses and a blue winter jacket with a hood, acknowledged his name when asked by a judge. Before the hearing began, he displayed the religious texts for the media and other observers in the courtroom, and he sat through much of the proceedings with his hands clenched in his lap.
In 2001, a tribunal investigating the atrocities of the Rwandan genocide in which over 800,000 people were killed when members of the ethnic Hutu group turned on the minority Tutsis and other Hutus trying to protect them accused him of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The judge ordered that Kayishema remains in detention until the next hearing on Friday at the same courthouse. He will be tried for genocide and other crimes in Rwanda after being deported there.
A tribunal investigating the atrocities of the Rwandan genocide in which over 800,000 people.
The five allegations filed against him by South African prosecutors on Friday all stem from him providing false information on immigration documents 23 years ago to enter and remain in South Africa.
Prosecutors claim that in January of 2000, Kayishema lied to South African authorities by claiming to be a refugee from Burundi under the alias Fulgence Dende-Minani. Prosecutors claim that although he was given refuge in 2004, that status lapsed in 2006. For 17 years, he had reportedly remained in his native South Africa.
His trial on those allegations in South Africa before his extradition to face genocide accusations was uncertain.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, established by the United Nations to investigate the genocide and bring criminals to justice, indicted Kayishema for the crimes in Rwanda more than 20 years ago. Kayishema’s arrest was announced on Thursday by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which has taken over the operations of the original tribunal.
It stated that he was “one of the most wanted suspects” related to the genocide in Rwanda.
Prosecutors in South Africa claim he fled Rwanda at least a year before he was indicted for the murder of two thousand Tutsi refugees.
Kayishema was a leader in the party that attempted to torch the church in the first place. When that failed, he and others allegedly used a bulldozer to destroy the structure, murdering anybody inside.
According to the accusation, he also transferred the victims to a mass grave over the next two days.
Eventually, he was followed to Paarl, a famous old town in South Africa’s Western Cape province, where one of the country’s most prestigious rugby-playing schools is located.
Authorities from Rwanda, South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini, Britain, Canada, and the United States helped the genocide tribunal’s fugitive tracking team and Interpol locate Kayishema, the tribunal said.
SOURCE – (AP)
News
Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.
Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”
The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”
Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.
Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest.
The Prime Minister dances.
This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.
Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved. pic.twitter.com/PVJvR6gtmf
— Don Stewart (@donstewartmp) November 23, 2024
“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”
“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.
On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”
Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.
Pro-Palestinian protests
Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.
Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.
Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.
On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.
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News
Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla
The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.
The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.
The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.
“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”
According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.
Calgary Zoo Questioned
It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.
An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.
Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.
“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.
The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.
“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.
“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.
While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”
Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.
The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.
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News
Canada’s Lotto Max Jackpot Climbs to $80M
Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.
Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.
The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.
According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.
While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.
Lotto Max History
Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.
The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.
Let’s have a look at the rules:
- Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
- Numbers cannot be repeated
- Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
- Each play buys 3 lines
- Each play costs $5
Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)
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