News of the world

Wherein I discover that the rest of the world is boring and there is no reason to ever leave the glorious United States


South Africa
illegal import of sweets

TheSouth African Revenue Services have embarked on a campaign to stop illegal imports of sweets, which they say could ruin the local sweet industry.

Lackay said it was quite difficult for consumers to tell if the sweets were illegal imports as they were not of an inferior quality.

Netherlands
De getrouwen van topcrimineel Holleeder

De Bosniër Maruf ’Paja’ M. is al vele jaren een vertrouweling van Holleeder. Hij regelt onder meer lijfwachten uit het voormalige Joegoslavië voor kopstukken uit de Amsterdamse onderwereld en was zelf enige tijd verdacht van betrokkenheid bij een mislukte aanslag op Heineken-ontvoerder Cor van Hout in Amstelveen. Paja begon zo’n 25 jaar geleden met het spel balletje-balletje in winkelcentra, maar maakte daarna carrière in de misdaad.

Australia
Chokoes:

Steamed wedges served with a knob of butter and plenty of cracked black pepper is the only way to eat choko, according to my father. He remembers when choko vines grew rampantly over everyone's backyard shed spilling into neighbouring vegetable gardens.

Canada
Judge Fines Butchers:

But prosecutor Robert O'Neill said the public shouldn't feel sorry for Otto Huttman, 70, and wife Phyllis, 72, after the couple, who share a $1,700-a-month pension, pleaded guilty and were given six months to pay.

"He's running a full-blown butcher shop out of his garage, and he knew that was wrong," said O'Neill, outside of court. "The fact he put all these people at risk, and all these customers at risk, all of sudden $30,000 doesn't sound like such a large penalty."