what happened last week

Africa

• Abdi Latif Dahir for The New York Times writes about the first and still the only free ambulance service operating in Mogadishu (a city of over three million people). It's called Aamin Ambulance and was founded by a dentist named Dr. Abdulkadir Abdirahman Adan.
   
• Dahir also writes about the political situation in the country now as 328 lawmakers have just elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (he was president before). But: The Al-Shabab (who are linked to Al Qaeda) already have political power, meaning they collect taxes, decide some court cases and control the streets. Some Somalis fear that a new government might not even matter.

• Quote: "MF, a bisexual mother of two, returned home after her release in 2021 to an angry husband who refused her entry and denied access to her children. Most of her family members disowned her, her husband has closed her shop, and she no longer attends her mosque for fear of judgement and ridicule. Today, she is seeking asylum because life has become unbearable."

• Abortion has been legal since 1997 in South Africa. But it's still not accessible to a lot of women. As a result, more and more women are risking their lives by getting secret affordable but unsafe abortions. Tebadi Mmotla for New Frame asks why in this podcast episode.
   
• Sazi Bongwe and Dennis Webster for New Frame also met some of the 70 survivors of apartheid crimes who have been occupying the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. What they want: To speak with president Cyril Ramaphosa about reparations for crimes that were committed against them during apartheid. For example, meet Joyce Ntoni, a 79-year-old woman, whose daugther died as a result of her role as an activist in the anti-apartheid struggle. Ntoni, like the other survivors, have been sleeping on the floor with no shelter.

Latin America

• Catherine Porter, Constant Méheut, Matt Apuzzo and Selam Gebrekidan for The New York Times write a long-read about Haiti's very complicated and sour historical relationship with France. Did you know that the colonization of Haiti made many French (and European) families super rich today? The New York Times tracked down and spoke to more than 30 descendants of families that received payments under Haiti’s independence debt. (Btw: The New York Times makes it sound like they uncovered this history but that's not true. No more 'Columbus'ing allowed, U.S. media.)
   
• 11 women from Haiti drowned on May 13 after a boat carrying migrants capsized near an island of Puerto Rico. Dozens more are believed missing, 38 people survived because the U.S. Coast Guard rescued them. One of those rescued was arrested on charges of human smuggling. More and more people are fleeing the gang violence and kidnappings in Haiti; it's simply not safe at the moment. Syra Ortiz-Blanes writes about it for Miami Herald.

• Quote: "The state is beginning to repay the historical debt it owes us. For the community it is extremely important, because based on these data it will be possible to develop public policies to get out of invisibility and be able to access basic rights."

Asia

• David Zucchino and Yaqoob Akbary for The New York Times write about the female protesters against the Taliban's decree this month that requires women to cover themselves from head to toe.
  • Quote from one of the protesters: "If we don’t protest, the world won’t know how badly Afghan women are oppressed." 
     
• Mirzahussain Sadid for Alive in Afghanistan speaks to a number of women currently still running their own business in Afghanistan. Like Mahbuba Mohammadi who has been running a store selling women's accessories in Pul-e Surkh for the past five years. She is the sole breadwinner for her family at the moment. 
  • Quote from Mohammadi: "Our sales were consistent before the collapse, we were earning around 1,000 Afghanis per day (currently around $11 USD), but since the restrictions by the Taliban, that has been cut in half."

• Amanda Taub for The New York Times writes about how the decisions of one English man in the 17th-century 'inspires' many abortion laws in the United States, United Kingdom and India today.
   
• Mujib Mashal and Bhadra Sharma (also for NYT) write about how the alcohol ban for 100 million people in one Indian state in 2016 hasn't really fought the alcoholism and domestic problem ever since because, well, people are going to neighbouring Nepal to drink instead.
   
• Also, did you hear about the death of the legend musician Shivkumar Sharma a few weeks ago? If you don't know him, he's made music for many popular movies including Chandhi or Lamhe. Also, look at him perform here.

• The United Nations high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet is under a lot of pressure at the moment. A group of 40 politicians from 18 countries are like, 'don't go to China this week. You'll lose all credibility!'. Why? Bachelet wants to visit Kashgar and Ürümqi in Xinjiang. And, according to many human rights organizations, China has forced an estimated one million or more Uyghur people into prison-like places in the region. A lot of people worry that China might not let her see sh*t.
   
• And then, there is a science news headline that stuck with me last week. Helena Horton for The Guardian writes about a really mysterious discovery last week. Scientists found an ancient forest at the bottom of a giant sinkhole in the Guangxi region (southern China), with trees up to 40 meters tall. 'Omg, we might find plants and animals that we've never seen before!!'

On a funny note