Hey, this is Sham, your very own news curator. Important news, first: After almost a decade, I decided to roll out a VIP Membership, starting October 16. I explain everything here. In short: If you want to continue receiving this email from me every Monday, the way it looks now, read this. If it sounds good, you can become a VIP Member here. If you don't want to become a VIP Member, you'll get a very short version of this newsletter (just the 'what else happened' bit), and I hope that's OK.
In issue #352, I do not write about what's happening in Israel and Palestine, you've got plenty of other sources covering that already. This newsletter is meant to highlight underreported news from the region. Instead, I write about Mauritius (they just decriminalized homosexuality), the earthquake in Afghanistan (that killed more than 2,000 people) and Argentina's new UNESCO World Heritage Site (that is adding fuel to a heated debate on the country's past during the presidential elections). Plus, a new podcast about Vladimir Putin as a boy, a profile on M.S. Swaminathan (the guy who fed India), a South Korean girl group with a heart for Kurdistan, Turkey and Syria, and so much more.
Without further ado,
Have fun reading,
Sham
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Estimated reading time: 10 min
You have access to all of my sources by clicking on what's underlined.
Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for the maps.
Map 1, TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0
Map 2, Addicted04, CC BY-SA 3.0
Map 3, TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Homosexuality is no longer a crime in Mauritius
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What happened
Mauritius' highest court has decriminalized gay sex, saying the ban reflected (British) colonial-era, rather than indigenous values.
Why this matters
Mauritius is now joining countries like Angola, Botswana, and South Africa where being gay isn't a crime. It's a big step for LGBTQ+ rights in Africa. More than 1.3 million people live in Mauritius. There are still 64 countries where being gay is illegal, and almost half of them are in Africa.
Tell me more
Five individuals brought two cases to the Supreme Court. The first one was filed by Abdool Ridwan Firaas Ah Seek, a gay man from Mauritius, basically saying 'I want to love whoever without fear.' He was supported by the LGBTQ+ group Collectif-Arc-en-Ciel as well as the advocacy group Human Dignity Trust. The court agreed and said that when the Constitution talks about not discriminating based on "sex", it should also mean "sexual orientation". On that basis, the court found that forbidding consensual same-sex relations was unconstitutional and discriminatory. The court also pointed out that the old law against gay relationships came from colonial times, and that the Constitution is a living thing and should be understood in a broad way. 'Mauritius is a democratic country that shouldn't interfere in the personal lives of its LGBTQ+ people,' it said.
In the second case, four gay men (some from a group called Young Queer Alliance) said that the law against gay relationships made them feel like criminals just because of who they loved. The Supreme Court again held that this was discriminatory and in breach of provisions in the Constitution. It found the prohibition “criminalizes the only natural way for the plaintiffs and other homosexual men to have sexual intercourse, whereas heterosexual men are permitted the right to have sexual intercourse in a way which is natural to them.”
Details: When making their decision, the court looked at what other countries like Belize, South Africa, India, and the USA (among others) had decided about similar issues. They also thought about a 1994 case called Toonen v. Australia. In that case, the United Nations said that making gay relationships a crime was against international rules.
What was the law in Mauritius before?
The law is from the time when British colonialists ruled over Mauritius. They first criminalized "sodomy" in Mauritius in 1898, which meant that, technically, you could go to prison for up to five years for gay sex, but the law "appears to be largely obsolete in practice", the Human Dignity Trust said on its website. This latest Supreme Court ruling doesn't really come as a surprise. Mauritius already has some laws from 2008 and 2019 that say you can't treat people unfairly because of who they love. Plus, two months ago, from July 31 to August 4, the Pan Africa ILGA conference took place in the country, a huge conference dedicated to advancing rights of LGBTIQ+ people in Africa. Upwards of 400 activists and organizations from around the world traveled to Mauritius that week for the Pan Africa ILGA conference.
Did you know that Mauritius gained its independence in 1968, but kept the ban on gay sex? Some say religion and culture are reasons why it stayed.
What now?
Human Rights Watch writes, "The Mauritius government should now move to ensure that adequate laws and policies are adopted and implemented to protect the rights of LGBT people, and take proactive steps to combat discrimination, including through public education."
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An earthquake in Afghanistan killed at least 2,000 people
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What happened
The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan has risen to over 2,000, a Taliban government spokesman said Sunday. More than 9,000 people were injured. Some 1,320 houses are damaged or destroyed.
Why this matters
It’s one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades. Some 40 million people live in Afghanistan.
Tell me more
On Saturday, a super strong earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.3, rocked western Afghanistan. The main earthquake and the aftershocks were centered about 35 km (20 miles) from Herat city. The worst affected were four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat province, according to disaster authority spokesperson Mohammad Abdullah Jan. After the quake, phones stopped working in Herat, so it's been tough getting all the info. Some videos online show people in Herat city out on the streets, probably scared to be inside. Food, drinking water, medicine, clothes and tents were urgently needed for rescue and relief, Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban political office in Qatar, said in a message to the media.
Are earthquakes common in this region?
Yes, Afghanistan often gets hit by powerful earthquakes. The country is located in a region where several tectonic plates meet. Most earthquakes happen in the Hindukush region, which is right next to Pakistan and part of this big zone called the Alpide Belt, which is the second-shakiest place on Earth after the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. This belt goes from places like the Mediterranean all the way to Southeast Asia. The last strong earthquake hit the country in an eastern region in June 2022, killing at least 1,000 people and injured about 1,500. Nonetheless, the country's not well-equipped to deal with this. Since the Taliban took charge in Afghanistan two years ago, the country's healthcare, which mostly depended on help from other countries, has taken a big hit. A lot of the international support, which was super important for their economy, stopped coming in. For example, in August, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross said it was likely to end its financial support for 25 Afghan hospitals because of funding constraints. According to Reuters, it was not immediately clear if the Herat hospital was on that list. There are a total of 202 public health facilities in Herat province. A vast majority of the facilities are smaller basic health centers.
Zoom out: The earthquake was so powerful that the tremors were felt across countries like India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and China.
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A military school in Argentina which was once a secret detention center has been named a UNESCO site
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What happened
Argentina’s Navy School of Mechanics (ESMA) has been named a World Heritage site by the United Nations. ESMA was home to a detention, torture and extermination camp during Argentina’s military dictatorship (1976-1983). Today, it's a museum and a spot where human rights groups hang out.
Why this matters
Remembering a country's violent past honors the victims, promotes democracy and human rights, educates future generations, can be part of a healing and reconciliation process of a society and strengthens state institutions to be more resistant to future threats.
Tell me more
In 1976, a military group took over Argentina by removing President Isabel Perón. This dictatorship lasted until 1983. Under its leadership, widespread human rights abuses took place, as military leaders attempted to stamp out dissent, activism and left-wing political views. Many people, around 30,000, went missing and were never found. There were about 340 places where people were kept and mistreated. One of the biggest and earliest of these places was called ESMA. Today, some 150,000 people visit the ESMA every year, tourists and students alike, and partake in activities for reflection and debate about what happened there.
Give me some details about ESMA
“The Navy School of Mechanics conveyed the absolute worst aspects of state-sponsored terrorism,” President Alberto Fernández told the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in a video message last Tuesday. Here, prisoners were tortured, beaten, raped, kept in chains for months on end, all in the hopes they would give up other people suspected of being "subversives." Pregnant detainees had their babies taken and given to families with connections to the dictatorship. Several still don't know the true identities today. A particularly harrowing practice was the so-called "death flights." Under the guise of "transfers," detainees were drugged and, as a form of execution, thrown from planes into the sea, often alive.
Did you know that Argentina’s Secretary of Human Rights, Horacio Pietragalla was one of these stolen babies? He was able to find his true origins in 2003, becoming the 75th grandchild recovered by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.
Were there any repercussions?
Former soldiers attached to the ESMA and other such centers are still being tried today for crimes they committed there. So far, 1,159 have been found guilty, and 366 cases are still going on.
What now?
Argentina has presidential elections coming up on October 22. This news comes at a time when some politicians, including the vice presidential candidate (Victoria Villarruel) to the leading presidential contender (Javier Milei), seem to be downplaying how bad the dictatorship really was. 'This international recognition is a strong response to the discourse that denies or seeks to relativize state terrorism and the crimes of the dictatorship,' some say.
Zoom out: During UNESCO's last World Heritage Committee session, Indigenous ceremonial and burial mounds in Ohio in the United States were also among the new additions announced. The Ohio history connection, a state agency, said the earthworks were exceptional for their "enormous scale, geometric precision and astronomical alignments" and described them as "masterpieces of human genius".
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Israel/Palestine: Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday Saturday. In total, at least 600 people, Palestinian and Israeli, have died. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza, vowing to inflict an “unprecedented price.” For live updates, read AP.
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India: The death toll from the severe flooding caused by a cloudburst in Sikkim, India, increased to 47 people. (CBS News)
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Turkey / Syria: Turkey launched a series of airstrikes targeting Kurdish targets in northeastern Syria, killing at least two people and injuring three others. (i24 News) In the same week, Turkey also launched airstrikes against around 20 PKK targets in northern Iraq, in response to the PKK's bombing of Ankara, killing an unknown number of soldiers. (AP)
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Ecuador: On Wednesday, the Latin American Association of Alternative Rights (ALDEA) released a report revealing that 238 femicides occurred in Ecuador between January 1 and September 25 this year. (TeleSUR)
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DRC: Denis Mukwege has decided to run for president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in elections planned for December. Mukwege is a surgical gynaecologist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The pioneering doctor founded the Panzi hospital and foundation in conflict-torn eastern DRC after witnessing the injuries and diseases suffered by rape victims. (France24)
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Venezuela: Venezuela issued an arrest warrant through Interpol for Juan Guaidó who is currently in-exile in the United States, citing crimes of treason, usurpation of functions, and money laundering. (DW)
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Brazil: The government of Brazil begins expelling non-indigenous residents off of the Apyterewa and Trincheira/Bacajá indigenous territories in Pará state. (AP)
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Kenya: The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution establishing a Kenyan-led security force with a mandate of one year to combat gang violence in Haiti. (The New York Times) There's a lot of criticism on this resolution. In the same week, Kenyan foreign minister Alfred Mutua was replaced by Musalia Mudavadi following controversy over the country's involvement in the crisis in Haiti. (BBC News)
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Global: The World Health Organisation has endorsed a cost-effective malaria vaccine created by the University of Oxford and produced by the Serum Institute of India. Expected to be available by 2024, the R21/Matrix-M vaccine will cost between US$2 to US$4 per dose. It's set to be introduced in 28 African countries, where 90% of malaria deaths occur. This new vaccine is more affordable than the first one recommended by WHO in 2021. (WHO)
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United States: Research into the White Sands fossil footprints in New Mexico revealed that human settlement in North America may have originated earlier than previously assumed. (NPR)
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Iran: Activist Narges Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her support of feminism and human rights. (BBC News)
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Rwanda: Former Rwandan army major Pierre-Claver Karangwa was arrested in the Netherlands for his role in the 1994 genocide in Mugina, Rwanda, where thousands of people were killed. (Reuters)
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Vatican City: In his exhortation Laudate Deum, Pope Francis spoke out against climate change denial and in favor of fighting the climate crisis. (Vatican)
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Germany: Tens of thousands of people joined a demonstration in Munich on Wednesday evening to oppose the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
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Canada: The New Democratic Party of Manitoba won a majority of the seats in the Legislative Assembly; the party's leader Wab Kinew is set to become Canada's first provincial premier of First Nations descent. (The Globe and Mail)
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Senegal: Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo have been awarded the 2023 Ako Caine Prize for African Writing for their joint work, "A Soul of Small Places." This story, crafted in just six days, draws from Diallo's personal experiences with gender-based violence. Notably, it's the first time a collaborative piece has won this award. The duo, who are now married, first crossed paths at a talk Diallo was giving at a shelter for those affected by gender-based violence. Their achievement comes with a $12,000 cash reward. The Ako Caine Prize for African Writing one of the most prestigious literary awards for short stories written by African authors. (The Guardian)
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Watch... the trailer for "The Official Story", a 1985 film from Argentina. There are a lot of movies and books that explain what happened during the dictatorship in Argentina and how it affected the lives of people. This movie is a great place to start. It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and is about a woman who realizes that her adopted daughter might be the child of a disappeared person during the dictatorship in Argentina. If you've already seen that one, check out "Night of the Pencils" (1986) about a group of high school students who were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by the military dictatorship for their involvement in student protests over bus fares or watch "Clandestine Childhood" (2011) about a 12-year-old boy and his family, who are returning to Argentina under fake identities after years in exile. The family is involved in the resistance against the military regime, and the film offers a unique perspective on living undercover during that time.
Listen to... the trailer of a new podcast "About a Boy: The Story of Vladimir Putin" by Audacy and Puck. On Saturday, Vladimir Putin turned 71 years old. "About a Boy" is a a five-part documentary podcast series exploring the forces that shaped Russian President Vladimir Putin’s childhood (and life) and why it’s critical to understand what he might do next in the war against Ukraine. The series is written and narrated by Julia Ioffe. I listened to the first episode on the weekend, and the writing is excellent so far.
Read... the article: "M.S. Swaminathan, agricultural scientist who helped feed India, dies at 98" by Emily Langer for The Washington Post. If you don't know M.S. Swaminathan, it's time. "Earlier this year, the United Nations released data showing that India, with more than 1.4 billion people, would shortly overtake China as the world’s most populous nation. There was perhaps no one in India — no politician, no business leader, no philanthropist — who did more to help feed the teeming country than Dr. Swaminathan," writes Langer. How did he do it? The "mastermind of India's Green Revolution" saved countless lives in India by partnering with a U.S. scientist to crossbreed stronger wheat varieties. The results? In the 1960s, India had to import wheat from the U.S. and its prime minister was suggesting Indians skip a meal a week. By 1974, it was self-sufficient. Swaminathan died just recently at the age of 98.
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"Off The Record" by IVE, a popular South Korean girl group. Gaeul, Yujin, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo dropped "Off The Record" last week and in just two days, around 15 million people watched the music video on YouTube. Did you know that On February 14, 2023, Ive (and Starship Entertainment which formed the group) donated ₩150 million (some 100,000 EUR) to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association for emergency relief efforts towards the earthquakes in Turkey, Kurdistan and Syria?
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Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan complained last week that he was uncomfortable with the use of what he described as “LGBT colors” at the United Nations, which is decorated with bright colors promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, like so. (NBC News)
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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 the Americas. 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.
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