Hey, this is Sham Jaff, your very own news curator. Each week, I highlight some of the biggest stories from regions and countries that are historically underreported in "Western media". My goal is to burst our Western-centric bubbles, and expand the view we hold of the world. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime by replying to this mail. And if this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can sign up at whathappenedlastweek.com.
Issue #407 is asking you where you got your gold from (because it might come from the UAE, I mean, Sudan) and celebrates two legal wins for trans people in Pakistan and India. Plus: so much snow in South Korea, the UK's been deporting a lot of Brazilians, a useful thread to understand the latest developments in Syria, Chad and Senegal are salty with France, Namibian politics, Indonesian regional elections, perhaps there's an ICC arrest warrant coming for Myanmar's military leader for crimes against humanity, Lucia's five book recommendations from the so-called Global South, and so much more.
It's Black Friday-Week (I hope you got what you needed for a lot less). I've also got a special offer: If you want to become a paying subscriber–or a Very Important Potato (VIP), as I call them– sign up here. (€1.25 per issue if you're going for the monthly plan, or €0.95 per issue if you're going for the yearly plan).
Btw, I'll be talking about the newsletter and why I do what I do on December 3 with Méline Laffabry from aidóni. Sign up here if you're interested to say hi virtually.
That's it for now. See you next week?
Sham
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🔍 Estimated reading time: 10 min 🔍
You have access to all of my sources by clicking on what's underlined.
Big shout-out to Wikimedia Commons for the helpful maps.
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Trans people achieved two legal wins in India and Pakistan
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What happened
Transgender activists in South Asia just had a moment worth celebrating, with two big legal wins in India and Pakistan.
Why this matters: These milestones aren’t just for the trans community—they’re opening doors for (single) parents, trans kids, and anyone pushing back against outdated gender norms.
Start with India?
Okay, so, in India, Akkai Padmashalli, a trans activist and mom, made history on November 12 by getting a passport for her 5-year-old son, Avin, without listing a father’s name. Akkai’s actually no stranger to breaking barriers: She was the first trans woman in India to officially adopt a child back in 2019, and a year before that, she became the first trans woman in Karnataka to register her marriage. You can follow her on Instagram.
- Good to know: India’s legal landscape has been evolving for trans rights. In 2019, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was passed, guaranteeing protections against discrimination in areas like education, work, and healthcare. Back in 2016, India updated its passport policy to let people use just a mom’s name, a dad’s name, or a legal guardian’s name—great news for single parents everywhere, not just the trans community.
- Zoom out: Progress across India is uneven. Many states still don’t have functional Transgender Welfare Boards, which are legally required to help trans people access healthcare, jobs, and housing. For example, India’s 2011 Census says there are 487,803 trans people in the country, yet only 5.6 percent have managed to apply for a trans identity card, which is essential for accessing government benefits.
Now, what about Pakistan?
One day later, on November 13, in Pakistan’s Sindh province, authorities approved the country’s first-ever Transgender Education Policy.
Here’s what’s in it:
- Trans kids can now choose a third gender option on school admission forms.
- The policy includes job quotas for trans teachers.
- It aims to make schools safer and more inclusive for trans students, who often face harassment and financial barriers.
Sindh’s Education Minister, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, didn’t hold back: "Harassment, discrimination, and a lack of opportunities make education out of reach for most trans people." But the policy, shaped with input from trans activists, is trying to change that by focusing on safety, identity, and real opportunities. Anusha Tahir Butt, who heads Pakistan’s Transgender Empowerment Organization, called it a big step forward but said societal stigma still runs deep—especially in conservative areas.
Wanna play a game?
Let’s learn the names of all the Indian states this month—together. Why? Because you probably know some U.S. states as well. So... Why not?
Here’s the deal:
- Pick a state that sounds interesting to you.
- Find one "cool" fact about it: maybe a famous person from there, a quirky tradition, or a surprising stat.
- Share it online, using #DecenterTheWestChallenge and tag me on Instagram, Bluesky, or Twitter.
(We'll learn something else another time.)
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The UAE bought US$1.5 billion in gold from Sudan in the first ten months of 2024, says government official
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What happened
Sudan (officially) made US$1.5 billion from gold exports between January and October 2024, said Mohamed Taher Omer, the director of Sudan's Mineral Resources Company on November 21.
Why this matters: Sudan's gold isn't just funding the economy, it's also "a currency of the war" (as Kholood Khair says, a Sudanese policy analyst and founding director of Confluence Advisory). Over 20,000 people have been killed since April 2023, seven million displaced within Sudan, and nearly 2 million have been forced to flee the country. "Nowhere else on Earth are so many children on the run, so many people living with such acute hunger," writes BBC's Lyse Doucet. With fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) gutting 80% of public revenues, gold has stepped in to fund fuel, wheat, and even weapons. Meanwhile, globally, global gold prices reached record highs in 2024.
Tell me more
Sudan’s gold sector is massive but messy: Around 2 million people work in artisanal mining under tough conditions, contributing 80% of the country’s total production. Officially, Sudan last year exported 26 tonnes of gold this year—but actual production exceeded 50 tonnes. The rest? Likely smuggled. Sudan’s government has lost control of major gold-producing regions, like Darfur, where RSF forces now dominate the mines, cutting off a critical revenue stream. The government says it is trying to tighten control, hoping to boost revenue for essential imports and… "the war effort".
So, who's buying all this gold?
Mostly, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is the world’s third-largest gold importer, and Sudan’s top customer. Officially, 70% of Sudan’s gold exports go there. Unofficially? It’s estimated that 50–80% of Sudan’s gold is smuggled, and most of that still lands in the UAE, according to Ahmed Soliman, senior research fellow with the Africa Program at Chatham House. Charles Campbell for Time Magazine writes, "This dynamic makes the UAE a primary actor in the war-torn Northeast African country of 50 million."
What's the UAE's role in the war?
The Sudanese government accuses the UAE of backing the RSF––claims the UAE denies. But leaked documents and UN investigations suggest otherwise, with allegations of Emirati military support to the RSF. Oh, and the RSF has allegedly committed ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
Fun fact: Rapper Macklemore canceled an October concert in Dubai over the UAE's alleged role "in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis" in Sudan.
Zoom out: The UAE doesn’t just get gold from Sudan. It also buys gold illegally from countries like the Central African Republic, Mali, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to a report by Swissaid, 40% of African gold exports are undeclared, and most of that––93%––ends up in the UAE.
Is Russia involved as well?
You bet. Russia’s Wagner Group (a militia) funnels African gold (including from Sudan) to fund Putin's war in Ukraine. How much?Some US$2.5 billion, according to the Blood Gold Report. Btw, on Nov. 18, Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that called for protecting civilians in Sudan. Why? Damilola Banjo explains in this article for PassBlue. The Sudanese acting foreign minister, Ali Youssef Ahmed Al-Sharif, thanked Russia for blocking the resolution. (Yes, it's complicated)
Is my gold from... Sudan?
Maybe. Gold flows through complex global supply chains, and Sudan’s gold—smuggled or not—often ends up in the UAE. From there, it could reach anywhere else. If you're in the US, the number one exporter of gold to the U.S. is Switzerland, whose top gold supplier is the UAE. As Kholood Khair puts it: "The UAE doesn’t do due diligence as long as gold makes its markets money."
What is the so-called "international community" doing?
Not much. The UAE’s pro-Israel stance in the Gaza war has bought it political goodwill, especially from the U.S. and Israel. As a result, there’s little international pressure to hold the UAE accountable for its role in Sudan.
Other Sudan-related news: Chad, one of the world's poorest countries, has taken in over a million refugees, mostly from Sudan. (Germany, are you reading this?)
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Bad
India / Sri Lanka: A cyclone has killed at least 19 people. (Reuters)
Indonesia: Floods and landslides in North Sumatra have killed at least 31 people, with ten others injured, and dozens of others missing. (DW)
Uganda: Landslides in Bulambuli have killed at least 15 people. At least 113 people are still missing. (Al Jazeera)
South Korea: It hasn't snowed this much since 1907 in South Korea. At least six people died in traffic accidents and hundreds of flights were canceled. (Yonhap)
Brazil / UK: Over 600 Brazilians, including 109 children, have been deported from the UK on three massive charter flights since the Labour government took office—the largest Home Office removals of any single nationality in history. These children, all part of family units, likely spent most or all of their lives in the UK, many attending local schools. The Home Office classifies these as "voluntary returns," offering incentives like up to £3,000 on pre-loaded cards, even for kids, which can be activated upon arrival in Brazil. This marks a controversial new chapter in UK deportation policy. (The Guardian)
Afghanistan: Afghan women arrested for begging under harsh new Taliban laws have described facing rape, torture, and forced labor in detention. Many say they turned to begging after being barred from work, with no way to feed their children. Since the Taliban took power in 2021, restrictions on women’s employment have driven widespread destitution, especially in female-led households. In May, the Taliban banned “healthy people” from begging if they could afford one day’s food. A new commission now registers beggars, categorizing them as "professional," "destitute," or "organized" and collecting their biometric data. Officials claim nearly 60,000 beggars have been detained in Kabul alone. (The Guardian)
Georgia: More than 100 demonstrators were arrested in Tbilisi, while protesting against Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's decision to temporarily suspend the country's accession plans to the European Union to 2028. (ABC News)
China: Veteran Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu has been sentenced to 7 years for espionage, his family says. Dong, 62, was detained in 2022 after meeting a Japanese diplomat in Beijing. While the diplomat was released, Dong was charged and has been in custody since. A senior columnist for the Communist Party’s Guangming Daily, Dong had a prestigious career, including a Harvard Nieman Fellowship and work published in The New York Times and Financial Times. Chinese authorities claim the diplomats he met were spies—his family calls the accusation "shocking." (The Guardian)
Interesting...
Syria: Syria’s political map is shifting so fast right now, it’s hard to label the latest news as straight-up “good” or “bad.” If you’re trying to make sense of it, check out this active X/Twitter thread by journalist Jenna Moussa. She breaks down what’s happening and what it could mean depending on how things play out.
Mauritius / UK: Mauritius’ Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam wants an independent review of a deal with the UK over the Chagos Islands. The agreement would give Mauritius control of the islands but let the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia stay for 99 years, with Britain paying an annual fee. Ramgoolam, who opposed the deal before taking office, still has concerns after meeting a UK official this week. (The Guardian)
Venezuela / USA: The United States imposed sanctions on 21 Venezuelan officials, including information minister Freddy Ñáñez and planning minister Ricardo Menéndez, for suppressing the protests against the results of the presidential election in July. (DW)
Japan: Japan held a memorial at the UNESCO-listed Sado Gold Mines, but South Korean officials boycotted it. Instead, they visited the next day to honor Koreans forced to work there during WWII. The mines, now a UNESCO site, are controversial due to Japan’s history of forced labor and its attempts to downplay its colonial past, including its occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. (AP)
Chad / Senegal / France: The government of Chad announced it will terminate its defense pact with France, stating it wants to fully assert its sovereignty following its independence from France in 1960. In another blow to France's position in Africa, Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told French TV on Thursday that it was inappropriate for French troops to maintain a presence in his country. (DW)
Indonesia: Indonesians voted for governors, regents, and mayors in the country's first simultaneous local elections. The results are still being counted but so far, it looks like the candidates backed by new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto look set to triumph in key regional elections, apart from in the capital Jakarta. (CNN Indonesia)
Namibia: Namibians voted in the first round of the general election between 14 candidates for President, and also vote for the 96 members of the National Assembly. There are talks that there have been "electoral malpractices", so the country's main opposition party has said it will not recognize the results. So far, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (from Swapo) has 48% of the vote to Panduleni Itula's 30% (IPC). If the Swapo candidate wins, Namibia will have elected its first female leader. (AP, BBC)
Good
Israel / Lebanon: The 60-day ceasefire that was signed last week was a huge relief for many civilians. All the more worrying is the news that Israel and Hezbollah now accuse each other of violating ceasefire terms. (Reuters)
Vietnam: Vietnam approved a US$67 billion 1,541 kilometres high speed rail line from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, which will be an updated version of the North–South express railway proposal. (Reuters)
Myanmar: Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Ahmad Khan applied for an arrest warrant for Myanmar's military leader and Chairman of the State Administration Council Min Aung Hlaing for crimes against humanity relating to the deportation and persecution of the Rohingya. (The Guardian)
South Sudan: South Sudan has launched a new training manual aimed at strengthening the capacity of law enforcement officers to combat human trafficking, a growing human rights issue in the country. (Radio Tamazuj)
Kenya: We now know: About 1.5 million years ago, two distant human relatives left their mark—literally—on the muddy shores of a Kenyan lake. Fossilized footprints from the Turkana Basin show that a big-toothed human cousin and Homo erectus walked the same ground just hours or days apart. This is the first clear evidence that these species shared the same landscape at the same time, offering a rare snapshot of prehistoric coexistence. Dr. Kevin Hatala, the study’s lead author, called it a "direct snapshot" of their lives overlapping—a fascinating glimpse into our ancient family tree. (The Guardian)
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For those celebrating Christmas and the end of the Gregorian year, we've got something for you. Lucia (this newsletter's intern, for more info, scroll to the bottom), take the mic :)
Lucia: I’ve dug through award winners, Goodreads lists, and critiques to find some solid book picks for gifting (or keeping for yourself). My personal recommendation? Izumi Suzuki’s feminist sci-fi short stories—dystopian and way ahead of their time. Not feeling it? No problem. I’ll share five new picks every week until Christmas—for anyone who celebrates or just needs a reason to splurge on books.
Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh (2024)
Raised in a patriarchal family, Obiefuna struggles to express his true self. When his father discovers his intimate relationship with another boy, he is sent to a Christian all-boys boarding school. A gay coming-of-age tale set in post-military Nigeria and culminating in the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act of 2014. With his debut, Chukwuebuka Ibeh adds to his home country’s rich canon of queer literature. Follow Ibeh on Instagram
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán (2024)
Leaving her rural home to work for a wealthy family, Estela has spent seven years cleaning their home, caring for their daughter, and silently witnessing the family’s conflicts. As betrayals and tensions mounted, Estela stopped speaking—until now, as she is interrogated about the death of the young girl she helped raise. Finally, she recounts the events that led to the tragedy. What begins as a crime story evolves into a profound exploration of social class, agency, violence, and resistance. Follow Zerán on Instagram
Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki (2021)
This collection of sci-fi short stories, allegedly written in the 1980s but only recently translated into English, gives insights into technology and gender that transcend its era. ‘Women and Women’ is set in an authoritarian lesbian dystopia, the characters in ‘Terminal Boredom’ are addicted to their screens. ‘Forgotten’ tells a haunting love story between a human and an alien, culminating in an interplanetary war. Written in straightforward, unfussy prose, it’s the perfect quick read.
The Woman Who Climbed Trees by Smriti Ravindra (2023)
After Meena leaves her Indian home to live with her husband from Nepal, she struggles to adapt to a new life, torn between her past and a future she has yet to build. The narrative weaves through her experiences, those of the women who shape her journey, and the life of her daughter. Revealing the ache of displacement and the loss of agency women face, her debut is a multi-generational story that blends ghost tales, myths, and song. Follow Ravindra on Instagram
Reinbou by Pedro Cabiya (2023)
Set in 1976 Santo Domingo, Ángel Maceta uncovers the truth behind his father’s death, exposing connections to the Dominican Civil War a decade earlier. The story examines the impact of U.S. intervention during this period, including the coup against the democratically elected president. Told through the perspectives of Ángel and those around him, the novel explores themes of revolution, community resilience, and the enduring effects of corruption and violence on Dominican society. This compelling work of historical fiction intertwines the brutal realities of war with the innocence of childhood memories. Follow Cabiya on Instagram
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"I am Arab" I Jordanian-Palestinian pop star Zeyne released a new track last week, "7arrir 3aqlak (Asli Ana)". It's nothing short of a love poem to her Arab heritage – just simply add Dabke and R&B to it. If you don't speak Arabic and you'd like to understand the lyrics, here's a translation. Directed and led by Arab filmmaker Farid Malki, partnered with Farah Hourani’s distinctive creative direction, the visuals in the music video are stunning. You can follow Zeyne on Instagram.
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Britain and Australia are having a spy shortage problem, and recruting the next generation is proving difficult, reports ABC News.
"From 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan and at this very moment if you look at what's happening in Gaza and in Lebanon, a lot of young people are saying, 'Why would I want to contribute to that, when you're not doing any good?'"
Millennials and Gen Z are destroying the spy industry. These lazy kids don't want to destabilize other countries anymore. :(
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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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This week's issue was supported by this newsletter's very first intern: Lucia Baumann.
"Having lived in both Brazil and Japan, I often find myself missing the news from those parts of the world. That’s how I fell in love with this newsletter. I’ve worked at local magazines and radio broadcast in Leipzig, as well as ZEIT ONLINE and dpa (German Press Agency). My academic background is in cultural studies and history, where I researched how societies commemorate their past, using literature, film and audio material. Currently rehabilitating my Portuguese and studying colonial history in Lisbon." (Photo credits: Elias Schulz)
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