16 rebels hung in Iran
Iranian authorities hung 16 people they believed to be a part of rebel forces, the irishtimes.com reports. A quote was released by the news agency Far News Agency in which the attorney general for the province of Sistan-Baluchistan Mohammad Marzieh said, the people that were hung were “linked to terrorist and anti-regime groups.” There has been increase in the amount of executions that have been carried out since President Hassan Rouhani was elected. The irishtimes.com reports that some 82 people have been executed.
Saudi Arabia women protest driving ban
Women in Saudi Arabia have taken to demonstration in order to the fight the law which has banned them from being able to drive, according to cnn.com. The women are fighting the ban by ignoring it all together entirely, and are taking to the streets in vehicles. The women are getting behind the wheele in Saudi Arabia and fliming their first drives. They take the videos and then upload them to social media sites such as Youtube. In a statement released by a public official Al-Turki said, “All violations will be dealt with — whether demonstrations or women driving.” He also said, “Not just the 26th. Before and after. At all times.” While there are no direct laws in Saudi Arabia saying women can’t drive. It had been interpreted from their religious writitngs they are not allowed to operate a vehicle, according to cnn.com.
Elderly Australian couple used as “drug mules”
An Australian elderly coupled were used as “drug mules” to move almost seven million dollars worth of methamphetamine nbcnews.com reports. The travel company the couple went through turned out to have much more lucrative side business to their selling of vacation packages.
The elderly couple was told they had won an all expense paid vacation, and the travel company was going to generously throw in a set of free luggage nbc.com reports. The company had apparently laced the lining of the couple’s new luggage with meth in order to move it across the world.
Upon arrival back in Australia, the couple had grown suspicious of the luggage on their return trip. They asked that the luggage be x-rayed at the Perth airport. The result, nearly eight pounds of meth had been hidden in the lining of the suitcase. In a statement released in The Australian Newspaper, the elderly woman said, “I could have ended up in jail for 25 years, and they could have ruined my life.”
According to the nbc.com report, the phony vacation travel agency website AUSCAN Tours is scam targeting elderly Australian couples. While the incident occurred on Oct. 13, the Australian police only just released the details of the scam.
Poor restoration done to Chinese temple frescoes
Chaoyang’s Yunjie Temple’s frescoes receive a facelift. Unfortunately, the frescoes didn’t get quite the facelift they were expecting.
The ancient frescoes, in dire need of restoration, were painted directly over in the process. The end result was clownish paintings only maintaining a very small resemblance to the historic paintings that used to adorn the temple. The end product has produced rage across China and over the Internet, and the officials who okayed the job have been fired from their positions.
According to the nbc.com report, a 23-year-old blogger showed the world the shocking before and after pictures on his blog. The restoration has completely erased all the of the history from the temple.