The world at a glance ... NEWS^9
KhameneiVolkmarsen, Germany
Car attack: Authorities are investigating
why a man sped his silver Mercedes into
a crowd at a parade in a German town,
injuring 61 people, including 20 children.
Police said Maurice Pahler, 29, lay in wait
in his car for hours and then started the
engine and accelerated only after families
had gathered to watch the festivities. The
suspect is recovering from crash injuries
and is expected to be charged with attempted murder. Described
as a loner, Pahler had past arrests for vandalism but has no known
ties to extremism. One witness, a 16-year-old girl, said that when
the car stopped, she opened the passenger door and tried to snatch
the key out of the ignition. “He grabbed my hair, started choking
me, tried to start the car again and again, but couldn’t,” she said.
“He looked totally empty and dead and so pleased.”Mecca
Woman rapper faces arrest: Saudi Arabian authori-
ties have issued an arrest warrant for a Saudi rap-
per whose new music video celebrates her
pride in hailing from Mecca, Islam’s holiest
city. Asayel Slay is dressed conservatively
in the video for “Mecca Girl,” wearing a
headscarf and sunglasses. “Our respect
to other girls,” she raps, “but the Mecca
girl is sugar candy.” Still, her video shows
young men and women dancing together—
a no-no in strictly sex-segregated Saudi Arabia.
Mecca’s governor, Prince Khalid bin Faisal, said the “insulting”
video “offends the customs and traditions of Mecca and contra-
dicts the identity and traditions of its esteemed population.” Slay
is of Eritrean origin, and critics said that if she were light-skinned,
authorities would be promoting the song.Cairo
Mubarak dies: Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian strongman who was
toppled during the Arab Spring, died this week at age 91. During
his 29 years in power, the autocrat raked in billions of dollars in
U.S. military aid as a secular guardian of Egypt’s peace with Israel.
He survived multiple assassination attempts and put down Islamist
terrorism, but in 2011 protesters fed up with
corruption, economic decay, and a lack of free-
doms took to the streets against him. Mubarak
ordered a brutal crackdown that left at least
840 protesters dead, but after 18 days of dem-
onstrations he was forced from office. He was
sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for ordering
the killing of protesters, but his conviction was
overturned the following year. Mubarak died
at his mansion, a free man, and was buried in
a lavish ceremony with full military honors.Tehran
Virus spreads: Nations across the
Middle East canceled flights to and
from Iran this week as Iranian officials
attempted to downplay the Covid-
outbreak in their country. At a televised
news conference intended to reassure
the public that Iran had the virus under
control, Iraj Harirchi, deputy health
minister and head of Iran’s counter-
coronavirus task force, was sweating
and looking visibly ill; a day later he announced he had tested
positive for Covid-19. Officials said that 15 Iranians have died and
some 95 are infected, but local media reported that hundreds of
hospitals were seeing cases. Schools and cultural centers have been
shuttered, and panicking citizens are holed up at home. Reformist
politician Mahmoud Sadeghi, 57, tweeted this week that he had the
virus and had “very little hope to survive.”Daegu, South Korea
Alarm over Covid-19: South Korean President Moon Jae-in put
his country on the highest state of alert this week over the new
coronavirus. At least 1,300 cases have been reported in South
Korea—the largest outbreak outside China—and 10 people have
died of the virus. The outbreak began in the city of Daegu among
adherents of the secretive Shincheonji Church of Jesus, but it is
spreading rapidly. One American soldier based outside Daegu has
been sickened, and at least 20 South Korean troops are infected;
the U.S. and South Korea will likely cancel upcoming joint mili-
tary exercises. Hospitals have warned that they don’t have enough
doctors to keep up with the influx of patients. “We can’t last long
like this,” said Dr. Nam Sung-il. “All medical staff will burn out.”Tehran
Gloomy public boycotts vote: Hard-liners swept Iran’s parlia-
mentary elections last week after thousands of reformist can-
didates were barred from running and the opposition called
for a boycott. The official voter turnout of 42.5 percent
was the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and
nearly 20 percentage points lower than in the 2016
election, even though authorities kept polling places
open until midnight in an effort to boost the numbers.
In Tehran, turnout was only 25 percent. Iranians have
been hit hard by U.S. sanctions and are furious at the
Iranian military’s accidental downing of a Ukrainian
passenger jet in January. Their only way to show dis-
satisfaction with the regime is to stay home. Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the low turnout on the coronavirus
outbreak and “negative propaganda” by Iran’s enemies.AP, Getty, AP, YouTube, AP
Slay: WantedHarirchi (at left): InfectedAn autocrat and U.S. allyPolice at the attack site