World News- Week of Oct. 30

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Author: Lucy Feickert

Mexico City. The 17th International Clown Convention was held last week in Mexico City and included brightly dressed clowns and a 15-minute “laugh-a-thon” for peace in Mexico. The recent murder of a former cartel leader in northwestern Mexico by men dressed in clown costumes was one of the issues that came up at the convention. A leader of the clown community denied any clown’s involvement with the killing, saying that clowns are often robbed and their costumes stolen.

BBC News

United States. Florida lawmakers are involved in a decision this year regarding whether to open more resort casinos in the state. The Walt Disney Company, which plays a large role in Florida tourism, is strongly opposed to the expansion of casinos in the state, stating that gambling establishments will tarnish the family-friendly brand of Florida. Opponents have questioned Disney’s ties to the gambling industry, as superheroes Spider-Man and Iron Man from Marvel, a subsidiary of Disney, appear in Florida slot machines and Internet gambling sites. Disney has announced in response that the superhero images will be removed from all gambling sites and machines once current contracts expire.

The New York Times

Brazil. Jeferson Monteiro, a young Brazilian man, met with President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff to help her establish a social media presence during her reelection campaign. After Rousseff’s last election, she abandoned Twitter, which prompted Monteiro to set up an account as the president on the social media site. Over the past two years, Monteiro has sent out tweets from the parody account of the president under the name Dilma Bolada, translated as “Badass Dilma.” Monteiro said that he learned a lot during his time running the Dilma Bolada account and is happy to help the president as she works toward her reelection.
The Los Angeles Times

Vatican City. Pope Francis ordered the indefinite suspension of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst due to allegations of the Bishop’s misuse of church funds to support his personal luxurious lifestyle. Reports show the Bishop used revenue from a religious tax in Germany, where he resides, on expensive travel plans and living quarters. After his appointment earlier this year, Pope Francis put forth a modesty message for members of the church.
Aljazeera America

India. A new Indian law banning sexual harassment aims to protect women in the workplace, homes and farms. The law comes in the wake of the gang rape of a young student last December and is part of a national conversation about violence against women occurring in India. Nacre Software Services, an information technology (IT) company, hosted a workshop discussing what constitutes sexual harassment. The IT business hopes to lead the way in the adaptation of the new law into company policies and practices.
The Washington Post


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