Where in the World – Global Affairs in a Nutshell 23
March 11, 2013:
Uhuru Kenyatta won the Kenyan election and is now the new Kenyan president. He is still facing charges of fuelling violence in the 2007 elections, but charges against co-accused Francis Muthaura have been dropped. There appears to have been a fragmentation of evidence as witnesses were too scared to testify and one witness took back his previous statement. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21742410
Ram Singh, a suspect in the Delhi rape and murder case, died in the Tihar jail in Delhi. The motive behind the death is still unclear – according to police, he hanged himself using a blanket as a make-shift rope, although some say it was murder. The death has created a bit of an uproar, as many criticize it as a major security lapse. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21744999
Last week’s attack on the Syrian convoy that killed 48 Syrians and nine Iraqi guards now has a perpetrator. The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group that includes various terrorists groups such as al-Qaeda, came forward in an online statement that they had planned and executed the attack. There has also been evidence of other massacres throughout Syria. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21738613
March 13, 2013:
Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected Pope Francis I – the first Latin American Jesuit pope, in fact. In a slight break from tradition, he asked the crowd to pray for him before he gave his version of an inaugural speech. A tweet from the official papal account, @pontifex, also appeared, making it the first since Pope Benedict stood down in February. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21777494
On the orders of elders in the Kurram tribal agency, scores of people stoned to death a Pakistani soldier that had been accused of having an affair with a local woman. The relationship was opposed on the grounds that he was a Sunni Muslim while she was a Shia. The execution itself wasn’t necessarily uncommon, seeing as those in illicit relationships face the penalty of being shot. It is unusual that he was stoned to death. The villagers were also indignant that the military refused to hand over another Pakistani soldier accused of helping the couple coordinate a possible elopement. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21770539
A 52 year old man became the fourth Bulgarian to set himself on fire in protest against poverty and corruption in the country. He was extinguished and taken to the hospital, where it was released that his life was in danger. Three other men also set fire to themselves and died in the past few weeks. Read more at:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21771229