Burkina Faso. General Honore Traore announced the creation of a 12-month transitional government in the West African country of Burkina Faso. The interim government was established in response to an incident last week in which thousands of protesters invaded and burned downed the parliament building in the capital city of Ouagadougou. Former President Blaise Compaore agreed to dissolve his government after growing increasingly unpopular during his 27-year presidency. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he will send a representative to Burkina Faso in the coming days to assess the situation.
Los Angeles Times
Uruguay. The Uruguayan government began registering cannabis growers’ clubs with 45 members or less this weekend as part of ongoing efforts to legalize the drug. The newly registered clubs are permitted to grow 99 plants a year, while members can legally produce up to 480 grams of marijuana a year at home. This most recent legislation follows a law the government passed in August, which allows citizens to grow up to six marijuana plants at home. Under this law, citizens must grow their cannabis at least 150 meters away from schools and drug rehabilitation centers. Uruguayan government officials hope to begin selling marijuana in pharmacies by January.
BBC
Vatican City. The Sistine Chapel installed new lighting, heating and cooling systems Friday. The high-tech systems have been carefully assessed so as not to cause heat damage to the delicate frescoes on the ceilings. About 7,000 LED lights were also added to the interior to better illuminate the artwork. Experts insisted on the upgrades to protect the iconic images created by Italian artist Michelangelo around 450 years ago.
CNN
South Korea. The highly-anticipated Korean Baseball Series begins Tuesday. Baseball has grown to become the most popular sport in South Korea since the founding of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in 1946. The final series will be played between the Samsung Lions and the Nexen Heroes. Tickets to the games are priced at $7.50, a fraction of the price of an average World Series ticket. Fans are also allowed to bring their own food and drinks and can cook using grills provided by the stadiums. Korean fans say that they are much more vocal hecklers than Americans. “I come here to scream the stress out of me,” math teacher and baseball fan Ok Hyun-ju said.
New York Times
