Monday Briefing | November 27
Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa at a funeral in Harare in January | Photo courtesy Jekesai Njikizana – Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Stories to Follow
Zimbabwe moves on: On Nov. 24, Emmerson Mnangagwa took the oath to become the new president of Zimbabwe, capping off 10 days of confusion and mystery in the South African country. Mnangagwa sought to eschew the concerns of the international community, specifically the IMF, by promising to “re-engage” with the world. On Nov. 14, the Zimbabwe Defense Forces executed a coup d’état to remove former president Robert Mugabe from power, he had assumed power in 1980. Many worry that the strongman known as “Crocodile” will resemble the authoritarian streak of his predecessor.
Government, Bollywood, and Death Threats: Bollywood is embroiled in controversy over the release of the upcoming film “Padmavati.” Suraj Pal Amu, chief media coordinator of the Haryana unit for the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, offered 100 million rupees ($1.5 million) to anyone who beheads the lead actress or director from the film. The movie is a modern retelling of a 16th century poem in which a mythical Hindu queen commits suicide to avoid capture at the hands of the Muslim Sultan of Delhi. Right-wing Hindu groups, and Mr. Amu, began protesting due to rumors of a romantic dream scene between the queen and the invading sultan.
Trump responds to Egyptian terror attack: On Friday, a terror attack in the Northern Sinai region of Egypt killed over 300 people, including 27 children. Militants carried out the attack against a mosque full of worshippers from the Sufi sect of Islam; no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. President Donald Trump saw the Egyptian terror attack as another reason to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico tweeting, “We have to get tougher and smarter than ever before and we will. Need the wall, need the ban.”
Happening This Week
Jimi Hendrix 75th Birthday Bash | Monday, November 27, 2017 6:30 p.m.
Café Wha? – 115 McDougal Street
It is not every day that a rock legend turns 75. While the iconic Jimi Hendrix is no longer alive, a touring Hendrix cover band, Kiss the Sky, will be playing at the Café Wha? on Nov. 27 to celebrate the star’s birthday. Café Wha? was where the then-Jimmy James and the Blue Flames would play five sets a night, six nights a week for tips from the bar’s patrons.
Transatlantic Relations in the Trump Age | Wednesday, November 29, 2017 7:00 p.m.
19 University Place, Room 102
Professor Michael J. Williams, head of the International Relations department at NYU, will host a panel to discuss the future of transatlantic relations and maintenance of the liberal world order. The panel will include Amanda Sloat, former Assistant Deputy Secretary of State; Anne-Cécile Robert, Director of International Editions at Le Monde Diplomatique; James Kirchick, author of The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age; and Romuald Sciora, head of Le Monde Diplomatique Debates.
Fans of Edgar Allen Poe Room Event | Thursday, November 30, 2017 6:00 p.m.
245 Sullivan Street, Room 216
The Poe Room at NYU gathers for a biannual celebration of Edgar Allen Poe and his works. RSVP is required.
In Your Free Time
With all of the negative events in the news, sometimes it helps to be reminded of (or see for the first time) a collection of some of the best jokes from the SpongeBob series. Our friends at Buzzfeed have you covered.
This Monday Briefing is brought to you by Grant Smith.
