The humanitarian emergency in the Central African Republic (CAR), a landmass bigger than France where the average male life expectancy is 48, remains a blind spot for most of the international community.

Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, noted recently that the situation in the CAR has been referred to as "the worst crisis most people have never heard of".

One man describes how his four-year-old son's throat was slit, and how he saw a snake swallowing a baby.

A woman explains that she is caring for a young girl because her mother went searching for medicine and was bludgeoned to death with Kalashnikov rifles.

A young man tells how he was bound and thrown to the crocodiles, but managed to swim to safety.

This is the world of horrors that the Central African Republic (CAR) has become. Thousands of people are dying at the hands of soldiers and militia gangs or from untreated diseases such as malaria.

Boys and girls as young as eight are pressganged into fighting between Christians and Muslims. There are reports of beheadings and public execution-style killings. Villages are razed to the ground.

Never much more than a phantom state, the CAR has sucked in thousands of mercenaries from neighbouring countries and, France warned on Thursday, now stands "on the verge of genocide".

Yet many would struggle to find the country on a map, despite the clue in its afterthought name. Continue reading.

Source: The Guardian

Image: Fleeing families arrive at a camp near the cathedral in Bossangoa this month Matthieu Alexandre/AFP/Getty Images

Donated by a priest in northern Italy who used it to visit poor parishioners, Associated Press reports he is going to use the 30 year old, manual shift, four-door car, with 300,000 kms on the clock, painted in papal white, to drive himself around the Vatican.

The donor, 79-year-old Reverend Renzo Zocca, said he was moved to donate the car because he is inspired by Pope Francis' vision.

Fr Zocca said the Holy Father is familiar with the vehicle's features and knows how to drive it because he used to drive one in Argentina.

Reportedly the car has a new engine.

The event has not gone unnoticed on social media with slapstick brothers, Tom and Ray, at CarTalk.com having a field day with the news.

As soon as the now-retired radio hosts heard the news, they went on Facebook and Twitter and the witticisms and quips quickly spread.

Here is a sample of some of the puns and peoples' humour.

• I always thought the Pope would drive a Christ-ler
• "Tu illam inundarunt" (Latin for "You flooded it").
• The pope can easily handle a flooded engine. Even if it's of Biblical proportions.
• He needs one of two bumper stickers. #1, God is my co-pilot. OR #2, My other car is the Pope Mobile.
• I haven't seen car trouble like this since we tried to fit all the Apostles in one Accord.
• It's either burning oil, or you've just been replaced.
• "A little black smoke is fine, just watch out for the white smoke".
• If you see a lot of white smoke, it might mean it's time to elect a new car.
• Look the Vatican acquired a new relic.
• Last Rides, anyone? (Extreme disfUnction)
• 20 years to go 186,000 miles? Light can do that in one second.
• "Well, sir, it keeps overheating because the water in the radiator keeps turning to wine..."
• If they can cram 6 or 7 parishioners in it to drive to St. Peter's on Sunday, is it considered Mass Transit?
• No, no, no. Clearly holy people are Honda lovers. "All these with one Accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers."

Sources

• Catholic News Service
• CathNews
• Car Talk
• Auto Blog
• Image: Yahoo

He already uses a Ford Focus, but was recently gifted by Fr Renzo Zocca, an Italian priest, a 20-year-old white Renault 4.

Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, says Francis accepted the 1984 Renault 4, donated for free by a priest in northern Italy who used it to visit poor parishioners. The four-door car, in papal white, is manual shift and has a new engine.

Source: Associated Press