DUBLIN, IRELAND — Queen Elizabeth II will visit the Republic of Ireland for the first time, most likely next year, the Irish president said Wednesday.
Mary McAleese met with the British monarch to discuss the success of power-sharing in Northern Ireland. Both women then attended a ceremony at Queen’s University of Belfast in the British territory.
No British monarch has visited the territory of the Republic of Ireland since 1911, a decade before the island’s partition.
Abbas aide busted with 3,000 cellphones
RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — A top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was caught at a border crossing with 3,000 contraband cellphones in his car, bringing embarrassment for an administration already sagging in popularity because of stalled peace talks with Israel.
The aide, interim Palestinian President Rauhi Fattouh, said Wednesday he was unaware of the illicit phones and cigarettes found by Israeli officials and blamed his driver.
In a statement Wednesday, Abbas’ office said Fattouh had been suspended from his duties.
King pardons imposter
PARIS — Moroccan King Mohammed VI pardoned a 26-year-old man who had been imprisoned for passing himself off as the monarch’s younger brother on Facebook, a Moroccan Justice Ministry official said Wednesday.
Fouad Mourtada was released Tuesday. A court sentenced him last month to three years in prison and fined him $1,300 for “usurping” the identity of Prince Moulay Rachid on the site.
The ministry official said the pardon was one of 566 by the king as part of a tradition of granting royal pardons in honor of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.
Serbia’s neighbors to back Kosovo
BELGRADE, SERBIA — Serbia’s neighbors Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary issued a joint statement on Wednesday saying they would recognize Kosovo’s independence.
Serbia, which says it will never recognize its predominantly Albanian province as an independent state, has repeatedly warned that its relations with countries that recognize Kosovo are bound to be damaged.
Space tourist to give lesson from orbit
MOSCOW — The U.S. space tourist Richard Garriott, scheduled to fly to the international space station this fall, intends to give lessons from orbit, the Space Adventures website said on Wednesday.
Garriott “plans to conduct a series of interactive web casts associated with his spaceflight training in Russia, conduct podcasts discussing activities related to both his training and spaceflight . . . and perform experiments that can be replicated by students using everyday objects to demonstrate important concepts in physics,” the website said.
Games developer Garriott, 46, is the son of former NASA astronaut Owen K. Garriott.
Singer gunned down
ACAPULCO, MEXICO — Gunmen opened fire on a band playing at a dance in the southern state of Guerrero, killing the singer and wounding three band members, in the latest in a series of killings of Mexican musicians, authorities said Wednesday.
The assailants opened fire as the band played Tuesday night in the town of Quechultenango, and then fled.
Nicolas Villanueva, 38, lead vocalist for Brisas del Mar, died from more than 20 bullet wounds, the Guerrero state Public Safety Department said.
