World News – Week of Sep 17

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Author: William Stupp

Germany. With one week left before the national election, Angela Merkel’s coalition saw mixed results regarding the state of Bavaria’s regional election. Merkel’s center-right Union parties won a decisive 47.7 percent of the vote to claim a majority in the regional legislature. Her coalition partners in the classically liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) received only 3 percent of votes cast. Unable to reach the 5 percent threshold, the FDP will not be allotted any representatives. The clear victory for the Union parties will help Merkel in the coming week, but if repeated in the national polls, the poor performance of the FDP could spell trouble for the coalition.
Al Jazeera America

Colombia. A Canadian citizen was arrested in Colombia’s capital attempting to leave the country with a false pregnancy suit full of cocaine. A security official at Bogota International Airport was tipped off by the woman’s suspicious behavior when asked how far along she was. A pat-down revealed several ounces of cocaine hidden in the prosthetic belly.
BBC World Service

India. Five men found guilty for the rape and murder of a student on a New Delhi bus in December were sentenced to death this Saturday. The case triggered global media coverage, numerous protests throughout India and national reflection concerning violence towards women. The verdict was met with cheers from the hundreds of protestors waiting outside the court building.
CNN

Cambridge. A team of French and American researchers have been awarded an Ig Nobel prize in psychology for their study proving that people tend to rate themselves as more attractive when they are intoxicated. For proving that beer goggles work on the self as well as others, the scientists were awarded the prize by Nobel laureates at the annual ceremony, held last Thursday at Harvard University.
Associated Press

New York. Having ruled his country for over 25 years and overseen record-breaking inflation, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has racked up another achievement this year. It is not his victory in yet another democratically-suspect election that is notable, but the opening last month of an off-Broadway play featuring the internationally-shunned African leader. British playwright Fraser Grace explores the mind of the long-serving president in his new play “Breakfast Mugabe.” The show has been well-received by the critical community.
The New York Times

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