whlw: no. 294

• People are rebuilding Iraq's ancient heritage
• Abortion (until 24 weeks) is now legal in Colombia
• 46 years of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
• Some good news: Women are going back to universities in Afghanistan and perhaps a bit of hope for a jailed Kurdish musician in Turkey; plus more

Now without further ado, here's what happened last week,
Sham 

what happened last week

• Refresher: Islamist militant jihadist group ISIS ruled over some parts of Iraq and Syria from (around) 2013 and 2019. Kurdish forces eventually drove most of them out.

Last week, Iraq celebrated the unveiling of three, fully restored monumental sculptures in Hatra (290km northwest of Baghdad).

Why this matters: In 2015, ISIS destroyed so, so much in Iraq – from Assyrian artifacts in Mosul to ruins at Nimrud and Hatra in Iraq. Last week's news is another step towards at least some kind of healing; I mean, look at how happy people are at the ceremony.

What's the meaning of Hatra?
The ancient city was the capital of the first Arab Kingdom and one of the leading trade and religious centres of the Parthian empire in the first and second centuries BCE. It is the best-preserved and most-informative example of a Parthian city. And in 1985, Hatra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

How much did ISIS destroy in Hatra?
"IS destroyed everything that was important in this city," senior antiquities official Ali Obeid Sholgham told AFP. Provincial antiquities chief Khair al-Din Ahmed Nasser said works of art were "ripped out and shattered -- we found fragments all over the site". "We recovered some pieces. Others which were missing we replaced with the same type of stone."

Who's doing all this restoring?
Iraq and Italy are collaborating. Look up the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas.

Zoom out: Don't forget the consequences of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The country's ancient heritage was looted and many of its sites destroyed.

Colombia's constitutional court ruled that no one will be prosecuted for having an abortion within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Why this matters: This is a maaassive step for Latin America, a Catholic region and one with deeply conservative values. Since 2006, abortions have been allowed in Colombia in cases of rape, when the woman's life is at risk, or if the pregnancy is not viable.

Wait. Before women were prosecuted for having had abortions?
Yes. Even now, there are people in prison serving long sentences, many of whom say that they suffered miscarriages. But with so few reproductive rights in some countries, people who need medical help are instead abandoned by the state. Some 90% of abortions in Colombia are carried out in secret, and that puts the health and life of everybody at risk.

Any objections?
Oh, yes. Of course. Archbishop José Luis Rueda said the Catholic Church would "continue to proclaim, defend and promote human life from gestation until natural death".

Zoom out: Latin America and abortion have become 'best friends' in recent years. Remember the similar ruling by Mexico's Supreme Court in September and the legalisation of abortion up to the 14th week in Argentina? Yes, that happened. Brazil, are you reading this? (Central America, you too.)

Anything else?
Yes. Following its 5-4 ruling, the court also urged the Congress and the government to come up with legislation which will protect the rights of pregnant people, including providing family planning services, eliminating obstacles to abortion care and helping with adoptions.

• Refresher: Western Sahara is a hot topic in northern Africa. Spain once colonized it, Morocco wants to rule there today. But the people coming from and living in Western Sahara are still seeking self-determination and independence.

First, the bad news

Brazil: (I wanted to talk about this in detail but for this week, I'll start here) At least 217 people died during an intense rainstorm in Petrópolis. A lot of people are still missing.

Dominican Republic: The country begins building a border wall with Haiti. The president says the wall will reduce irregular migration and the smuggling of goods and weapons. 

The neutral

Colombia: The country's economy has grown the most in 115 years.

Chile: The country has officially started their talks about a new constitution.

And now, the good news

Afghanistan: Women are going back to (public) universities. The Taliban insist they will allow girls and women to be educated this time around (not like 1996–2001) – but only in separate classes and according to an Islamic curriculum.

Turkey: Roger Waters, the solo artist and former Pink Floyd singer-songwriter (and several other artists like Noel Gallagher) are trying to get Kurdish singer-songwriter Nûdem Durak a new trial in prison in Turkey. Her only 'crime': Singing songs in both Turkish and Kurdish. Because of that, she was accused and later convicted of being a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK for short, without a fair trial.

• Sham's commentary: Roger Waters is the reason this is news. You know, news are super counter-intuitive sometimes. Just because something horrible is happening, it doesn't mean you'll end up knowing about it. Take Syria for example. How much do you read about what's happening in Syria these days? Researcher Karim Shaar looked at Google Trends, and: People are losing interest.