DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Zimbabwe voters go to the polls in close presidential election Zimbabweans flocked to the polls in large numbers on Monday, in the first elections since Robert Mugabe was removed from the presidency, a post he had occupied for nearly 40 years. The winner will not be determined for several days, as the results of the presidential, parliamentary and local elections are due by August 4. A candidate must reach the 50 percent vote threshold to win, otherwise the contest will move to a runoff on September 8. Zimbabweʼs electoral commission chair Priscilla Chigumba said there was an estimated voter turnout of 75 percent. The figure would be larger than the last election of 2013. "It is our view that the high voter turnout is indicative of a sound voter education and publicity conducted on a receptive electorate," Chigumba told reporters in Harare. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who had replaced Mugabe and is the presumed front-runner in the race, urged citizens to have patience, as the nation waits anxiously for the preliminary results five days from now.
Viral video of Paris woman assaulted after confronting sexual harassment triggers investigation French prosecutors are investigating after a video went viral, showing a young woman being assaulted for confronting an alleged sexual harasser, local media reported on Monday. Security camera footage shows 22-year-old student Marie Laguerre walking outside a Paris cafe in broad daylight. In a Facebook post she said a man made lewd comments towards her — "not the first time it had happened to me that day."
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Grace Mugabeʼs diplomatic immunity was unconstitutional South African court rules
The former first lady of Zimbabwe was allowed to flee after allegedly beating a young woman with a cable. Lawyers have called for Mugabe to now be extradited.
Berlin sets aside €2.4 billion for national internet boost The German government has approved the creation of a billion euro digital infrastructure fund to help boost internet connectivity throughout the country. Better late than never, critics say. The German Cabinet on Wednesday approved a bill to create a special ʼDigital Infrastructureʼ fund with an initial €2.4 billion ($2.8 billion), financed by the auction of new 5G mobile licenses and an unexpected bump in tax receipts in May. "The draft bill lays the groundwork for making effective digital infrastructure in
schools, living rooms and businesses a reality," the finance ministry said in a statement. Read more: Germany aims for faster internet, digital progress with new digital affairs minister The plan is to use the fund to further broadband expansion and help states and municipalities improve the digital infrastructure in schools. Before becoming law MPs will need to refer to Germanyʼs constitution, which at present stipulates central funds cannot be disbursed to schools, as education is run by the countryʼs 16 states.
Hunting the leopard at the Locarno Film Festival As they do with Cannes, Berlin and Venice, filmmakers and film fans worldwide flock to Locarno every year. In the evenings on the impressive Piazza Grande, the lovely little city in the Italian speaking region of southern Switzerland boasts spectacular open-air screenings with 8,000 spectators watching one of the worldʼs biggest movie screens. This
year 17 films are scheduled at that central square. Nine are world premieres and thus in contention for the prestigious audience prize. Fifteen movies and documentaries from various countries compete for the Golden Leopard, the festivalʼs top prize, whose jury is chaired by Jia Zhangke, director of the film Still Life.
Germanyʼs Social Democrats still struggling after Andrea Nahlesʼ first 100 days Andrea Nahles is spending her 100th day as the head of Germanyʼs Social Democratic Party (SPD) on the campaign stump in Bavaria ahead of regional elections there this October. Itʼs hardly a glamorous gig: a meeting with a mayor in the town of Dietfurt (population 6,100) and then an appointment with regional SPD candidates at a brewery. But itʼs the sort of legwork Nahles will need to stop the rot in the SPD. While never much of a force in traditionally conservative Bavaria, Social Democrats have slipped as low as 12 percent in polls and risk being overtaken by the Greens on the left and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party on the far right.
Munich Airport chaos cost €1 million, airport director says The bill for the consequences of the Munich Airport security breach could total more than €1 million ($1.2 million), the airport chief said on Monday. Passengers suffered from two days of flight cancellations and long delays at the weekend as a result of asecurity scare that forced the evacuation of Terminal 2. About 330 flights were cancelled and more than 32,000 passengers were left stranded from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon after a woman entered the secure area of the airport without going through security. The entire terminal including departure lounges and its satellite terminal were evacuated, leaving thousands of passengers in the lurch. Flights remained grounded for seven hours on Saturday.
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