Ever wonder what's happening around the world? This weekly column for Storeboard.com will give you a global perspective of interesting, entertaining, and newsworthy happenings around the planet Earth!
The columns focus on what's happening on planet Earth continent by continent during the coming week and also include important events from the previous week. This is the sixth weekly column.
Here's what's happening from Monday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013:
Africa: Nelson Mandela, 95, was one of the 20th century’s most inspirational figures. He fought South Africa’s racist apartheid system for decades, spent 28 years in jail because of his anti-apartheid activities, won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, and was South Africa’s president from 1994 to 1999 after he helped end apartheid. On Wednesday, 79 of Mandela's signed mementos will be auctioned in Johannesburg, South Africa. The mementos include a copy of a 1964 speech he made while on trial, a 1990 photo of him with wife Winnie Mandela right after his release from jail, and a photo of Mandela with boxer Muhammad Ali.
Antarctica: While Mandela fought his homeland’s leaders for decades, Henry Charles Albert David became an heir to the United Kingdom’s leadership the second he was born. On Saturday, Prince Harry -- Prince Charles and Princess Diana‘s unmarried son -- will begin a 200-mile walk in Antarctica that‘s expected to take 16 to 17 days because walking when it’s 40 degrees below zero is difficult. Harry, 29, is walking with four injured British soldiers to raise funds for Walking With The Wounded, a charity that provides rehabilitation services for veterans. Harry himself fought for the Brits in Afghanistan.
Asia: I watched a cricket match while I was in London so I don’t understand how anyone could like the sport, but it’s India’s most popular sport. On Wednesday, India will host the last of a series of matches against the West Indies that began on Nov. 6. I’m writing this item, though, to honor Sachim Tendulkar, who might be cricket’s best-ever player. Tendulkar, 40, played his last game two weeks ago. USA Today and The New York Times had articles on his retirement. He’s “a sporting and cultural hero to millions and tickets for his last game could have been sold ten times over," USA Today reported.
Australia: Singer Justin Bieber begins an eight-show tour of Australia on Tuesday. Bieber, 19, will perform in Brisbane on Tuesday and Wednesday, in Sydney on Friday and Saturday, in Melbourne on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, in Adelaide on Dec. 5, and in Perth on Dec. 8. Apparently, though, ticket sales are very slow with one expert on the music scene in Australia blaming Bieber’s “infamous” trip to a Brazilian brothel (I need to start paying attention to the news more). Maybe, The Rolling Stones is closer to Australians’ cup of tea. They're playing in Adelaide on March 22, 2014, they announced last week. Update: 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi will speak for the first time in Australia on Nov. 27. She will speak at the Sydney Opera House, which is more than an opera house. Next week's article will have more details.
Europe: Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona, “one of Europe’s most well-respected jazz festivals” according to TimeOut magazine, ends on Sunday. It began on Oct. 19. This week's schedule includes a jazz & wine event on Monday, John Grant on Tuesday, the Daniel Humair Quartet on Wednesday, Jamie Cullum on Thursday, The Tallest Man on Earth on Friday, the David Mengual Slow Quartet on Saturday, and big band concerts on Sunday. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I checked. The Tallest Man on Earth is the stage name of Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson. He’s 5-feet, 7-inches tall.
North America: How cosmopolitan Toronto elected someone as buffoonish as Mayor Rob Ford is beyond me, but it’s now time for positive news about Canada’s largest city. On Saturday, the city’s holiday season begins with Cavalcade of Lights. “A hundred thousand lights illuminate the city's central square (Nathan Phillips Square), kicking off a month of skating parties and other events that culminate in a televised New Year's Eve party with top Canadian acts,” according to TimeOut Toronto magazine. The cavalcade begins at 7 p.m. and includes musical performances, a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, and a fireworks show.
South America: Monday is Independence Day in Suriname, which was a Netherlands territory until 1975. Suriname is on the continent’s northeast Atlantic Ocean coast and is north of Brazil, east of Guyana, and west of French Guiana. It’s South America’s smallest nation and the world’s 167th most populous nation with 566,000 people. Suriname‘s democracy was overthrown in 1980. Dictator Desi Bouterse was accused of many human rights violations during his seven-year rule and was convicted of drug trafficking. Today, Suriname is a democracy. Its president is Desi Bouterse. Can’t make that up.
Here are the previous five columns in chronological order. The first one covered Oct. 21 through Oct. 27.
http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/news/whats-happening-around-the-world/222550
http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/news/whats-happening-around-the-world--oct-28-nov-3/233783
http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/news/whats-happening-around-the-world--nov-4-nov-10/236105
http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/news/whats-happening-around-the-world--nov-11-through-nov-17/237804
http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/news/whats-happening-around-the-world--nov-18-through-nov-24/239456
Storeboard.com is a social media site that combines social, marketplace, directory, classified, and image sharing all into one incredible site. Use Storeboard.com to share media and promote whatever you do! It's free and it makes meeting friends, sharing media, and promoting things easier!
|