Hey, this is Sham, your very own news curator. If you're reading this, I'm probably looking up election results from Guatemala and Ecuador right now.
In issue #345, meet Nigeria's ex-poachers-turned-rangers, read the latest Human Rights Watch report on anti-Black racism in Chinese media and get to know Argentina's 'maybe Donald Trump' for the upcoming general election. Also, a potentially very important fossil was discovered in Brazil, the WHO's first summit on traditional medicine took place, ISIS is still 'alive', mass graves were found in Sudan, a documentary on child sexual abuse in Pakistan, a podcast episode about the Black Panthers in Algeria, an article about rock climbing as a new popular sport in India, an Indonesian hit song, naughty carvings in English churches, and so much more.
If you like this newsletter, yay! These lengthy emails take me hours and hours to write, research and make fun-to-read. You can support my work if you become a paid subscriber or buy me coffee. Or, just forward it to a friend.
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Estimated reading time: 10 min
You have access to all of my sources by clicking on what's underlined.
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Some poachers in Nigeria quit killing animals for a living and became rangers instead
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What happened
Former poachers in Nigeria have become forest rangers to protect a rainforest called Omo Forest Reserve. (Yes, you read that right.)
What is a poacher? Poachers are individuals who illegally hunt, capture, or collect wildlife or plants, for money, meat, traditional medicine, as pets or collectibles, trophy hunting, or sometimes also as retaliation. Poaching poses a significant threat to biodiversity and can lead to the decline or even extinction of many species.
Why this matters: The Omo Forest in southwest Nigeria is pretty special. It is a tropical rainforest and home to threatened species including African elephants, pangolins, white-throated monkeys (how can you not protect them, look), yellow-casqued hornbills (they're so cute), long-crested eagles ('that eagle' energy) and chimpanzees. Plus, it's been protected by UNESCO since 1977. But, there's a problem: people have been hunting too much, cutting down too many trees, and farming where they shouldn't.
Tell me more
In short, an organization protecting the forest changed its approach. Journalist Taiwo Adebayo for AP talked to project manager Emmanuel Olabode of the non-profit NGO Nigerian Conservation Foundation. "We had made efforts over the years to push poachers back through anti-poaching campaigns." When those campaigns didn't quite work, the organization began an experiment in 2017 that involved integrating poachers who had decided to quit killing animals for a living. That was a game changer. Now, said Olabode, three former poachers make up a team of about ten rangers. However, the operation is super-small, as the organization needs more money to recruit more rangers.
Why did the poachers quit?
Sunday Abiodun, one of the ex-poachers in the team of rangers, told AP why he gave up killing animals for a living. "I said to myself: ‘If I continue to kill these animals for money to eat now, my own children will not see them if they also want to learn about them in the future.’" Plus, being a ranger is a steadier job. Before, they might hunt for days and get nothing. Now, they can provide for their families better.
Does it work?
Yes. Since they started this, they see way fewer poachers. It used to be three or four every day, and now it's about one a week. There's still some work to do, but things are looking up. They say the main challenges are now illegal settlements of cocoa farmers and loggers that are growing in the conservation areas.
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New report shows that anti-Black racism is all over the place in Chinese media
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What happened
 Human Rights Watch has found that there is a lot of anti-Black racism on China’s social media platforms, where it is being used to get more clicks and make money.
China's known for keeping a tight grip on its internet. They've got a ton of people checking and controlling what's posted online. Yet, the amount and extremity of racist content on the Chinese internet "suggest that the platforms either are not meeting their own standards banning racist content, or that their policies are inadequate when addressing racist content." Many are worried, 'what if online hate becomes real-world violence?'
Tell me more
The rights group reviewed hundreds of videos and posts from 2021 on platforms including Weibo (kinda like Twitter), and Douyin (China's TikTok), and said it found that content often portrayed Black people through "offensive racial stereotypes". Other platforms like video-sharing platform Bilibili, Livestream and video app Kuaishou, and social media and e-commerce site Xiaohongshu had the same issue, the report said, noting that it seems like the companies aren't doing much about it.
Give me some examples
Some videos were negative about relationships between Black and Chinese people, with some online users claiming Black people were "tainting" the Chinese community. Some suggested that the Chinese authorities ban Black people from becoming permanent residents in China or from marrying Chinese people. Some also adopted racist symbols and language often used in the United States in their online posts attacking Black people. (Black) U.S. singer 6lack even had this happen to him. Chinese people in support of victims of racism also get targeted by hate speech online.
How is this not against community guidelines?
It is. The Chinese social media platforms Bilibili, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Weibo all have published community standards and guidelines banning content promoting racial or ethnic hatred and discrimination, but many do not consistently enforce these standards.
What about the Chinese government?
The Chinese government has at times (not all the time) condemned online racism, especially when it faces international backlash. However, in 2018, 2021 and 2022, blackface was all over the place on state media. "The Chinese government likes to tout China-Africa anti-colonial solidarity and unity, but at the same time, ignores pervasive hate speech against Black people on the Chinese internet," Yaqiu Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch said in a statement, adding that just doing business with Africa doesn't make up for letting racism slide.
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The far-right is knocking on Argentina's doors
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What happened
 In Argentina, a politician named Javier Milei, who has far-right libertarian views, won the country's preliminary election for president. This primary result has turned Argentina's political world upside down.
What are preliminary elections? Think of it like a mini-election before the main one. It's where people vote for their favorite candidate from their party. So, by the end, each party has one main person to run in the big election. Sometimes anyone can vote, and sometimes only party members can.
Why this matters: Argentina's going through a rough patch. Their money's losing value, prices are going up like crazy (highest inflation level since 1991), a lot of people are poor (40 percent), and they owe a lot of money (US$44 billion) to the International Monetary Fund. The current party (center-left) in Argentina has been in charge for most of the last 20 years, and people demand some things to change.
Tell me more
Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian outsider, Patricia Bullrich from the opposition Juntos por el Cambio coalition, and Sergio Massa from the ruling Unión por la Patria coalition are the top contenders for Argentina's presidency. Milei's party, Liberty Advances, got 30% of the votes, beating out the others. This has shaken up the political scene big time, especially since Milei was once seen as just a TV personality. He's been in the news for some scandals, but he's also been very critical of the usual politicians. He thinks they're the reason Argentina's economy is struggling. People in Argentina are tired of the same old politics. Both the main political groups didn't do as well as they hoped. Turnout was 69.6 percent, even though voting is obligatory in Argentina. However, it's still super close between the top groups, so there might be another vote in November to decide the winner. The big election is on Oct. 22.
Fun fact: Javier Milei used to be a tantric sex coach.
What are Javier Milei's political views?
Milei thinks he's the change Argentina needs. He wants to cut taxes, make people pay for public health, and sell or close state-owned businesses. He's also thinking about letting people have more guns, going back on abortion rights, and even letting people sell organs. Milei has also been on TV talking about his love for threesomes, got strong views on things like climate change (he thinks it's a "socialist lie") and education (he wants to get rid of sex education in schools). He's even got the backing of other far-right figures from Brazil and Chile. But, if he wins, he might not have a lot of friends in Congress to help him make these changes. To be continued.
Dig deeper: In this episode of The Americas Quarterly Podcast, Brian Winter and political analyst and professor Ignacio Labaqui examine what explains his rise and if he actually has a chance to win when the real voting takes place on October 22.
Zoom out: This election in Argentina is a big deal for far-right politics around the world. While the far-right has been getting stronger in places like the U.S. and Germany, they've also had some losses in countries like Spain and Brazil.
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United States/Hawaii: The death toll from the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, United States, rose to at least 114. (Forbes) Also: A lawsuit is filed against the Hawaiian Electric Industries company, accusing it of negligence as the reason for the wildfires. (Forbes)
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Haiti: The UN Human Rights Office reports that at least 2,439 people have been killed by gang violence in Haiti this year. (AFP via France 24)
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Russia: The Moscow City Court dissolves the Sakharov Center, a human rights organization, for holding unauthorized conferences and exhibitions. (AFP via Barron's)
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Sudan: More than 1,000 bodies were discovered in 30 mass graves within the RSF-occupied city of Geneina in West Darfur, Sudan, by civil leaders. (Radio Dabanga) Also: The number of people who have fled Sudan since April reached 1 million, while nearly 3.5 million have been internally displaced. (Reuters)
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Dominican Republic: The death toll from the explosion in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, on 14 August increases to 27, after sixteen more people are found dead. The cause is still unknown. (AP)
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Brazil: Brazil was affected by a nationwide blackout, with all the states connected to the national energy system impacted. The state of Roraima is unaffected as it has its own energy system. The cause of the outage is still unknown. (The Brazilian Report)
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Ecuador: Pedro Briones, a local leader of the Citizen Revolution Movement, was assassinated by gunmen in the northern province of Esmeraldas. (AP) Plus, yesterday the presidential elections took place, the results hadn't come in when I finished writing this week's issue.
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Syria / Iraq / Afghanistan: A report to the UN Security Council found that the Islamic State still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, posing a serious threat to the region despite the imposition of economic sanctions. (AP)
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Saudi Arabia / Iran: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Saudi Arabia for the first time since the restoration of diplomatic relations. (AFP via France 24)
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Vanuatu: Opposition parties in Vanuatu boycotted the parliament after a failed no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau. (Reuters)
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Thailand: The Constitutional Court of Thailand dismisses the petitions on election winner Pita Limjaroenrat's renomination as prime minister, allowing a new round of leadership elections in the National Assembly to take place. (AFP via The Manila Times)
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Nicaragua: The Central American University in Managua, Nicaragua, suspended its operations after the government seized its assets, alleging the university's involvement in terrorism during the 2018 protests. (AFP via RFI)
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Malaysia: Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin is acquitted by the high court of four corruption charges of obtaining bribes for his political party. (AP)
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United States / Sierra Leone: In Sierra Leone, Black people from the U.S. who traced their roots to the West African country are being given citizenship based on DNA tests showing their ancestral ties — becoming the first African country to do so. (Okayafrica)
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Greece: The Greek Coast Guard rescued 60 migrants in inflatable dinghies who were attempting to cross from Turkey to the eastern Aegean Sea islands in two separate incidents. (AP) In the same week, they also rescued another 90 migrants from a stranded sailboat near the Aegean Sea island of Amorgos. (AP)
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Brazil: Pterosaurs were flying reptiles that lived during the time of dinosaurs. Their origins have been a bit of a mystery because they just pop up in the fossil record with massive wings and no clear ancestors. However, a new fossil discovery in Brazil might give us a clue. This fossil seems to be closely related to pterosaurs, and according to Rodrigo Temp Müller, a paleontologist, it's a pretty unique and intriguing find. This discovery could shed light on the evolutionary history of these ancient flyers. (The New York Times)
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Japan: A Japan government panel investigating harassment cases in the military and the defense ministry found widespread cover-ups and reluctance among supervisors to address these cases. (Finally, somebody looked into it.) (AP)
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Global: The World Health Organization opened its first summit on traditional medicine in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. (AFP via The Japan Times)
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Kenya: Kenya launched an inquiry into British Army Training Unit Kenya, amid allegations of murder, sexual abuse, and damage to land near the base. (The Guardian)
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Zambia: Under President Hakainde Hichilema’s stewardship, Zambia is seeking to triple the country’s copper production from about 800,000 tonnes a year to more than 3 million by 2032. It comes as the world embraces clean energy. (Financial Times)
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Singapore: Singapore police arrested ten foreign nationals and seized assets worth approximately S$1 billion (US$750 million), suspecting involvement in an international money laundering operation tied to transnational organized crime, including online gambling and Internet fraud. (AFP via The Guardian)
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Watch... the mini-documentary "Child sexual abuse in Pakistan: Zainab's Legacy" (25 min) by Al Jazeera. If you don't already know the story of little Zainab, this mini-doc is a great way to start. In January 2018, seven-year-old Zainab Ansari was kidnapped while going to her Quran classes in Kasur. Her body was found a few days later, and it was revealed that she had been raped, tortured, and strangled to death. The person responsible, Imran Ali, was arrested and found to be a serial killer who had targeted other young girls. The news back then sparked national outrage that reverberated across the world. Zainab’s father, Amin, channelled his grief into a fight for justice and demanded systemic change. Two years later, the government of Pakistan passed the "Zainab Alert Bill", a child protection law that mandates changes including faster police response to reports of missing children. Btw,
Listen to... the podcast episode "The Black Panthers in Algeria" by the podcast Kerning Cultures, telling the story of Elaine Mokhtefi, U.S. American and Algerian activist, translator, and writer. Her memoir of her time there, "Algiers, Third World Capital: Freedom Fighters, Revolutionaries, Black Panthers", came out in 2018; it's been on my to-read list for a very, very long time. This episode gave me the push I needed to pick it up soon. Btw, Kerning Cultures, the network behind the podcast episode, is based in Dubai in the UAE, and has been called the 'This American Life’ of the 'Middle East' by The Guardian. Sarah Jessica Parker is a big fan, too. Last week, unfortunately, news broke that the network has suspended operations and laid off staff, apparently due to lack of funding. The female-led Arabic and English network was eight years old; the website lists 33 staff.
Read... the article: "A New Wave of Rock Climbing Is Developing in India" by Kang-Chun Cheng for New Lines Magazine. In India, a town called Badami is becoming popular for rock climbing. Foreign climbers discovered the place in the 1990s. Recently, local climbers have also started leading the way in rock climbing there. Climbing has a long history in India, starting in the 1960s when British climbers brought the sport. Karnataka state, where Badami is located, has become a hub for climbing, with its capital Bangalore having some of the best climbing opportunities. Despite challenges like lack of equipment and sponsorship, Indian climbers are determined and building a strong community. Plus, the rise of climbing has had positive effects on local businesses, but also some tensions with locals and concerns about preserving heritage sites.
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"Rasah Nyangkem 3" (performed) by Ochi Alvira Ft. Syahiba Saufa. TikTok's hottest and most viral song is a dangdut koplo song from Indonesia. Dangdut koplo is a subgenre of dangdut, a fascinating genre, with influences from India and the Arab world; dive into it a little bit with this fun guide. Some also compare it to Dominican bachata, as TikToker lumayanasf explains; he also translates the lyrics for you in the same video. The song's melody is stuck in my head, and maybe it will find its way into your head as well. I've also added it to this newsletter's Spotify playlist, 'Go Global Weekly'. (I can't believe more than 3,000 of you are following it.)
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Last week, I found out that Herfordshire, England is a place of two very naughty carvings from hundreds (!) of years ago. This tweet went viral, showing a carving in a church of a man holding up his legs and exposing his genitalia.
Then I dug in a little deeper, and found out that it is far from the only lewd carving found in a Herefordshire church. Here's another one of a woman exposing her genitals.
And then I dug in a bit deeper. And redditor Krehlmar explained that this was actually pretty common back then. "This was usually a response from carpenters, masons and the ilk when they were scammed of their pay. Literally hundreds of churches would employ skilled masons only to fluke out on the payment, and being the "church" as an institution was almost always impossible for the workers to get their due. So, a European wide-tradition of making cocks or asses was adopted."
Hah.
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That's it from me. I'm on my third Édouard Louis book, I might have no tears left to cry.
For the maps, say thanks to Wikimedia Commons.
Map 1: John Doe / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Map 2: John Doe / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Map 3: John Doe / CC-BY-SA-4.0
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Hey, I'm Sham, the person behind this newsletter. Since 2014, I email a bunch of strangers once a week, curating news headlines from Asia, Africa and Latin America. I work under the assumption that, here in the West (I live in Berlin, Germany), we don't read or know much about the global majority, aka the rest of the world.
My goal is to help you burst your Western-centric bubble.
If you want to know more about me, visit my website or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.
Questions or feedback? Just reply to this email. I intend to write back.
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