Shooting At Illinois Bowling Alley Leaves 3 Dead, 3 Injured

Rockford, Ill. (AP) — A gunman opened fire inside an Illinois bowling alley, killing three people and injuring three others Saturday night in what authorities believe was a random attack.

A “person of interest” was taken into custody after the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said during a news conference. He said two of those who were shot were teenagers.

O’Shea did not immediately release additional information about the victims or the person who was taken into custody. He described the scene as contained and said he did not think any officers fired their weapons while apprehending the person of interest.

Rockford is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Chicago.

The Rockford Register Star reported that 2020 has been the city’s deadliest year for homicides, according to records that date back to 1965. Thirty-five people have been killed in the city this year, breaking the previous record of 31 in 1996.

Damac Sees UAE Property Market Recovery In Two Years, Zawya Says

The recovery of the UAE property market to pre-crisis levels could take up to two years, an executive at Dubai-listed developer Damac Properties PJSC said.

The recovery of the real estate market “will be a long one, perhaps 12 to 24 months,” Amira Sajwani, Senior Vice President at Damac, was cited as saying by the Zawya news site. “Property prices have dropped, and we are expecting further declines over the final quarter of 2020 and into 2021.”

The impact of Covid-19 and a likely reduction in the UAE population will hamper the revival, she said.

Read: Dubai Developer Damac Warns Against Property ‘Dumping’ Next Year

Dubai’s property glut has driven home prices down by more than 30% since 2014.

Damac Chairman Hussein Sajwani warned this month against the risk of companies “dumping” property in a market already grappling with excess inventory. The developer is expecting a challenging year in 2021, he said.

Avalanches Kill 10 in Mountainous Area Near Iran’s Capital

Tehran, Iran (AP) — A series of avalanches in Iran killed 10 people in a mountainous area north of the capital, state TV reported Sunday.

The report said rescue teams were searching for a number of missing people after the avalanches struck in four different areas. State TV aired footage of emergency crews using a helicopter to search for those missing and injured.

The incidents happened on Friday following strong winds and snowfall a day earlier. The Alborz mountain range where the avalanches struck is popular on weekends for its hiking and climbing.

Deadly avalanches are a rare phenomenon in Iran. In 2017, two avalanches killed 11 hikers.

Ghana Opposition Party Plans Legal Challenge to Election Results

Ghana’s main opposition leader is planning a legal challenge to his presidential election defeat.

John Dramani Mahama will file a petition to the nation’s supreme court on Dec. 29 seeking a recount, a member of his legal team said by phone. Mahama, the National Democratic Congress candidate, got 47.4% of the vote, compared with 51.6% for incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo, the country’s electoral commission said earlier this month.

Mahama described the result as “illegal” because a voter verification process hadn’t be followed. The NDC will also challenge the outcome of some parliamentary seats at the high court after national elections ended in a hung parliament, according to Abraham Amaliba, the legal team member.

Official parliamentary results show that both the ruling New Patriotic Party and the NDC won 137 seats each, with one independent candidate also elected.

China Approves Heavier Penalties on Capital Market Violations

China will increase penalties for fraudulent issuance of securities and other capital market violations from next year.

The maximum prison sentence will rise to 15 years from five, under an amendment to criminal laws approved in a meeting of Standing Committed of National People’s Congress on Saturday, China’s securities regulator said in a statement. The amendment will take effect from March 1.

For disclosing false information, the maximum sentence will change to 10 years from three, and an upper limit of a 200,000 yuan ($30,572) fine is removed, the China Securities Regulatory Commission said.

China will also impose a maximum 10-year imprisonment on lawyers and accountants for fraud in securities issuance and significant transactions, it said.

— With assistance by John Liu, and Jessica Sui

Oman to Reopen Airport, Borders on Tuesday After Mutation Scare

Oman is reopening its airport and borders to travelers from Dec. 29 after closing them amid concerns over a newly discovered strain of Covid-19.

Travelers to Oman must show a negative virus test conducted within 72 hours before entering the country and must have health insurance, according to the country’s supreme committee. All travelers must submit to a seven-day quarantine and take another test on the eighth day after their arrival.

Countries across the Middle East shuttered borders on Dec. 21 because the new strain is said to be faster-spreading. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman halted international flights and closed borders for a week.