what happened last week in Asia, Africa and the Americas

Hey, this is Sham, your very own news curator. You are receiving the free version of what happened last week today. If you're missing the rest of the issue, you can become a monthly or a yearly VIP Member here, and I'll send you the rest of it. VIP Members get a muuuuch longer email with news from DRC (they're intimidatingly complex, and I wanted to get it right and hope I made the VIPs proud), Taiwan and how it organized East Asia’s largest Pride ever last week, an exceptional journalist achievement in Bolivia, Chinese bravery at a funeral, South African opera, the connection between an Armenian pianist and Led Zeppelin, the Mau Mau and King Charles, and... pomegranates.

Also, VIP Members get hand-picked recommendations on what to watch, listen to and read to burst their Western-centric bubble, a trending video of the week that all the other cool kids worldwide are watching, a funny note and, most importantly, in-depth analyses of three major news from Asia, Africa and the Americas.

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what happened last week

Bad

Venezuela: Venezuela's supreme court has put a hold on the results of the primary elections held by the political opposition. In these primaries, María Corina Machado was chosen to run against the current President Nicolás Maduro in the upcoming presidential election, which is expected to happen in 2024. The court, which is known to be filled with people who support Maduro, confirmed that Machado and two other individuals are banned from running for office. (The Guardian)

Pakistan / Afghanistan: Pakistan's acting interior minister, Sarfraz Bugti, announced the start of arrests and deportations of Afghan refugees who did not meet the deadline to leave the country. The policy affects an estimated 2 million Afghans in Pakistan without proper documentation. Pakistani authorities are conducting door-to-door searches, using geofencing technology to identify undocumented individuals, and have begun detaining and deporting them. The UNHCR has expressed concerns about the forced deportations, especially for minorities, journalists, and women at risk under the Taliban regime. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokeswoman assured that these groups would not be forced to return. Thousands of Afghans who worked for Western countries are stranded in Pakistan. The U.S. has stated that they are communicating with eligible individuals for resettlement, acknowledging the risk of repatriation to Afghanistan. (The Guardian)

India: Delhi's air quality has reached extremely dangerous levels, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 500, which is the highest and most hazardous level on the scale. This level is 100 times worse than what the World Health Organization (WHO) considers safe. The toxic air is already affecting the health of Delhi's residents, causing respiratory issues and other health problems. Doctors have noticed an increase in patients with pollution-related ailments. Research suggests that the pollution could reduce the life expectancy of Delhi's residents by almost 12 years. (The Guardian) Then there are AI-generated songs featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi that are becoming popular on the Indian internet, especially ahead of the country's elections, potentially winning him votes. (rest of world)

We'll see

Ghana: Ghana's ruling party has chosen its presidential candidate for next year's election, Mahamudu Bawumia. The election is expected to be a two-horse race between Bawumia and former President John Mahama, who is the flag bearer of the main opposition party. Both are from northern Ghana. The country is a major producer of gold and coca, and is facing its worst economic crisis in more than a generation right now. (BBC)

Brazil: The proportion of Brazilians aged 65 or older rose to 10.9 percent in 2022 from 7.4 percent in 2010, according to new census data released Friday. The country's aging index, or the number of senior citizens (65 and older) per 100 people younger than 14, has skyrocketed in recent decades, mostly in the South and Southeast (the country's more developed regions). (The Brazilian Report)

Mauritius: The Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, was accused of using bribery to win his place in the government. But a high court in the UK, which Mauritius uses for big legal decisions, said he didn't do anything wrong. This decision comes after a long time of people arguing about it in court. (Bloomberg)

Good

The Philippines: In the Philippines, divorce is not allowed, only annulments, which are hard and costly. Many people want to change this law because they believe divorce is a basic right. Half of the Filipinos now support divorce, and even the president is open to it. But the Catholic Church and some politicians are against it. A new divorce law is being discussed in the Senate and might be decided on next year. If it passes, Filipinos could have the chance to get divorced for the first time. (The New York Times)

Peru: Recently, Peru's culture ministry honored the contributions of Lucha Reyes to music and her role as a trailblazer for Afro-Peruvian women. She was a famous singer, known for her soulful music that combined various Peruvian styles. She passed away at the age of 37 due to complications from diabetes. Even after five decades, her music is still a part of everyday life in Peru, heard in public places and on transport. Listen here or here. (Government of Peru)

Rwanda: South Korea-based Green Climate Fund, the world’s biggest global climate fund, has agreed to invest US$39.1 million in Rwanda to help it tackle climate change through the restoration of the nation’s only remaining montane forests. The Congo Nile Divide forests are home to endangered chimpanzees. Plus, the forests help keep the weather nice for growing tea, which is one of the main things Rwanda sells to other countries. (Bloomberg)

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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.

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