Pence heading to Latin America

United States Vice-President Mike Pence travels to Colombia tomorrow, the first stop of his five-day swing through Latin America, which also includes Argentina, Chile and Panama. Talks on how to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is battling growing international isolation for seizing the authority of the opposition-controlled Congress, are expected to feature prominently during this trip.

Merkel kick-starts campaign tour

German Chancellor and head of the Christian Democrats Angela Merkel attends an electoral meeting in the western city of Dortmund today, ahead of the Sept 24 parliamentary elections.

The meeting kick-starts a 50-stop campaign tour across the country. Much of the campaign will take her to smaller towns, where she plans to focus on themes that helped her party win three state elections this year: jobs, families and public safety.

NUS Rag Day carnival today

Students of the National University of Singapore will mark its annual Rag Day today, during which a float parade and dance performances will take place in a tradition that dates back to 1957. While it started as part of the Rag and Flag Day to raise funds for the needy, the freshmen orientation event has also since become controversial for the level of competitiveness involved and the amount of money spent on decorating floats.