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last update: sunday, 11pm (berlin time)
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Eastern Germany is looking right, Argentina left for direction
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Shift to right:
The far-right (AfD party) won more seats in (one of the smallest states) Thuringia in eastern Germany.
- 2019: 23.5 percent, 2014: 10.6 percent. (The New York Times)
- Why this matters: "These elections matter symbolically. The far-right has been radicalizing nationwide in the six years since the AfD party was founded," says Matthias Quent, @Matthias_Quent, author on far-right extremism and director of an institute that studies democracy and civil society in Thuringia.
Shift to left:
In Argentina, however, the left is back in Latin America's third-largest economy. The new president's name will be (he starts his new job in December) Alberto Fernández. His vice president is no other than former president (and long-time 'enemy') Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
- The people's reaction: "Now I can be proud of being Argentinian again." (YouTube)
- In contrast: Elsewhere on the continent, the right has won in Brazil, Columbia and Chile.
Why this matters: The country is in a very difficult economic situation and needs a plan. Like, right now. The fact that two political enemies came together and were like, 'well there are other and bigger problems than our political fight. lets work together to find a solution for millions people who are suffering' is my favorite takeaway from what happened in Argentina last week.
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45 million people are going to need more food soon
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There has been very little rain in southern Africa for five years. This year: not one drop. Meaning: farms are losing livestock and farmers jobs. (ReliefWeb)
That doesn't sound good.
Yup. As a result, a major hunger crisis is loading... Aid organizations are like, 'eh we need to step up our game here'. Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Eswatini and Lesotho are aready experiencing emergency-levels.
- Also, southern Africa’s temperatures are rising at twice the global average.
What are we doing to stop this?
The UN food agencies are indeed stepping up their game across these nine countries, planning to provide food for more than 11 million people by mid-2020. Plus, they will help with farming, managing water, climate-smart agricultural practices and introduce vaccination campaigns so that livestock disease cannot spread.
Why it matters: 45 million people in southern Africa are expected to have very little food in the next six months. (World Food Programme)
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Hong Kong is officially in a recession
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Five months of anti-government protests dragged the region's economy down 3.2% in the last quarter. This is Hong Kong's first recession in a decade. And things won't get better soon for the international commerce hub.
- The protests are still happening and becoming more and more violent. (The Wall Street Journal) Eh... someone even bit off an ear. (HKFP)
But why?
Local businesses are hurting.
- Local shops were forced to close. (CNN)
- Don't forget the airport shutdown(s). (CNN)
- Tourists are scared off. (CNN)
Plus: Hong Kong was already feeling the effects of the U.S.-China trade war and China's 'meh' economic growth. (CNN)
Okay. Tell me about possible solutions.
Well, there are private and public ones.
- Private: Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing (ka-ching!) has been giving out free loans to local businesses worth $128 million. (Chinese: Li Ka-Shing Foundation)
- Public: Last week the city promised to make rents (at properties leased by the government), fuel for taxi drivers and local ferries cheaper. Not to mention, the more than $2 billion stimulus package to save jobs.
Is that enough?
Economists say 'nope'. They say Hong Kong won't grow anytime soon. 'Even if protests ended tomorrow, the consequences could stretch long after.' (South China Morning Post)
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Digitalization of Africa: a status report
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I have been reading up on the African economy lately. It turns out: first, economies and countries are just as busy digitalizing as we (Western people) are. Second, Africa's citizens are just as worried, They, too, ask The Big Question of Our Generation: 'what the *uck is going to happen to our data?'
The details:
- Nigeria is at the early stages of trying to roll out a major national biometric digital ID program. (SecureID News)
- Kenya is a couple of steps further ahead. Have you read of their ambitious (and very controversial) Huduma Namba project? It covers many details about citizens even including DNA. Kenyan activists are worried, to say the least. (Quartz)
- Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, the government has been working together with Chinese tech companies. Why? Facial recognition technology. (Quartz)
Two stories last week highlighted what this all means for African politics in the digital age: danger.
- The Financial Times talked about how governments used a WhatsApp hack to spy on Rwandan activists outside the country.
- Meanwhile, Stanford University’s Stanford Lab showed how Russia has been targeting African politics and elections via social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
The takeaway: Digitalization is taking place in Africa, too. Only here, what is allowed for tech is still a question that has yet to be answered or raised. There is no real plan for how the continent wants to grow digitally.
Why this matters: This lack of a plan leads to governments always having to react. It’s why every challenge kind of ends up becoming a crisis with the last tool in the box always being the first one used: internet shutdowns.
Special thanks to Quartz Africa editor Yinka Adegoke, @YinkaWrites, for putting together this information.
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The internet is not so free in Russia anymore
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Russian president Vladimir Putin's new “sovereign internet” law went into effect last week. (BBC)
What is the law about?
From now on, internet service providers have to install special equipment provided by Roskomnadzor, the country’s telecom watchdog. The Kremlin says that the law 'will give Russia greater autonomy over the web and protect it from external threats'.
Seems reasonable?
Not really. The 'special equipment' part is a little worrisome. It'll give Roskomnadzor much greater control over the web and, theoretically, allow it to block content the government may not like. It be could be used to silence government critics.
Rachel Denber, @rachel_denber of Human Rights Watch:
- “This law allows for colossal, extrajudicial blocking of speech and information without transparency, proper judicial authorization, or meaningful oversight”. (Human Rights Watch)
Why this matters: Internet freedom in Russia is on the decline. (Freedom House)
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Microsoft: 'Work less, be happy'
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Microsoft introduced three-day weekends in Japan for a while and found out that people are more productive and are sick less often. (Daily Mail; so sorry for this source but they were the only ones who picked this up at the time I wrote this issue)
The details:
- The company carried out a 'Working Reform Project' called the Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019 for one month — giving 2,300 employees every Friday off.
- As a result: Productivity went up by almost 40 percent.
Lesson learnt: With only four days to get everything done for the week, many meetings were cut, shortened, or changed to virtual meetings instead of in-person. 'We will repeat this experiment next summer. Or earlier,' says Microsoft.
Why this matters: Japanese employee satisfaction is really, really low. This might inspire action to change this.
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“The Mocking of Christ,” a medieval masterpiece, was found hanging near the kitchen of an older Frenchwoman.
It hung there for years before someone recognized it as a work by the Italian artist Cimabue.
Why it matters: It was auctioned last week in France for 24.2 million euros ($26.8 million). (The New York Times)
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The end.
Do you think this newsletter is worth keeping up? If yes, whlw is on Patreon (with 59 patrons!!) and open for your support.
Have a great week,
Sham
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Has this been forwarded to you? whlw: what happened last week? (website) is a weekly news summary, personally crafted and curated by Sham Jaff, freelance journalist based in Berlin, Germany.
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