(KINSHASA, Congo) — Congo’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday began hearing an appeal against the presidential election results lodged by opposition candidate Martin Fayulu.

Lawyers represented both Fayulu and the declared winner Felix Tshisekedi at the court in Kinshasa, the capital. Election commission representatives also attended.

The court must rule on the appeal by Saturday.

Fayulu filed a court challenge over the weekend demanding a recount, claiming that he won the presidential race with 61 percent of the vote, according to results compiled by the influential Catholic Church’s 40,000 election observers.

Fayulu charges that the results were falsified to declare Tshisekedi the winner, although he came in a distant second place according to the Catholic Church’s results.

Congo’s electoral commission has said Tshisekedi won 38 percent of the vote and Fayulu 34 percent.

“The CENI (electoral commission) has published results other than those posted in front of polling stations, s..

For years, there has been no apparent way out of the authoritarian regime that has led Venezuela down a dark path from socialist experiment into humanitarian crisis. That may have changed on Friday when, just one day after President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term, little-known opposition leader Juan Guaidó, announced he was ready to take his job. Now, many in Venezuela and beyond hope Guaidó can revive a deflated opposition movement and restore Venezuela’s democracy.

Who is Juan Guaidó and why does he say he could become president of Venezuela?
An industrial engineer and one-term lawmaker for the Popular Will party, Guaidó became head of the opposition-held parliament, the National Assembly in early January. While Maduro stripped that legislative body of its powers in 2017, it still meets and is recognized by most countries. According to the Venezuelan constitution, the National Assembly leader becomes president whenever there is a “vacuum of power” within the country. ..

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry went back to work on Monday with their first joint royal engagement of 2019. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to Birkenhead, a town near Liverpool in England. According to Hello, the trip was so the charity-minded couple could visit a local school, as well as a few organizations that support the community, including Birkenhead’s Number 7, a community cafe and grocery store that sells discounted foods to those in need, the youth community gathering space, Hive Wirral Youth Zone, which is close to Harry’s heart, and the women’s empowerment group, Tomorrow’s Women Wirral, where Markle gave a heartfelt speech.

Markle, who told one young fan that she was six months pregnant, held her growing baby bump as she talked with the crowd at the town’s Hamilton Square, where the couple took a few minutes to greet the crowd, including some of the local children. The Duke and Duchess spent time doling out hugs and handshakes to the small, well-behaved crowd. Whil..