|
last update: sunday, 11pm (berlin time)
|
|
|
The world's youngest nation is in danger
|
|
I have talked about this and I will talk about it again: 5.5 million people will be very, very hungry very soon.
The World Food Programme (WFP), again, warned against this last week. 'Honestly its a race against time to collect all the money needed to feed them.'
How much money does the WFP need?
“In fact, if we don’t get $100 million in the next few weeks…we are literally talking about famine in the next few months.” (United Nations)
Why is South Sudan in such a bad situation?
Think heavy rainfall, flooding, political instability... South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, has been struggling for most of its eight years of existence.
- The floods have affected nearly one million people, destroyed a lot of food and wiped out thousands of cattle and goats.
The good news: Two years ago, South Sudan experienced a similar situation but a massive humanitarian response saved the day.
Become part of the solution. Make a lifesaving donation here.
|
|
Last week prime minister Boris Johnson "won" the general election in the United Kingdom. (BBC for detailed results)
In short, his Conservative party now has a huge majority in parliament. The win was expected. It is the party’s strongest showing since the days of Margaret Thatcher.
- The opposition party suffered its worst loss in modern history and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he'll step down and think about what happened last week (not the newsletter). (Reuters)
- There is a lot of talk about why Labour lost. Nobody really knows why. If you're interested, Zack Beauchamp wrote one analysis that I tend to agree with. (Vox)
- The Scottish National Party, meanwhile, had a strong showing and took seats from both Labour and the Conservatives north of the border.
- But hey, no matter who won, big government spending is back, bit*hes. (The Wall Street Journal)
So...what does this mean for Brexit?
That it might actually happen. Johnson's promise – before and after the election – "get Brexit done." He says this for 1 hour and 11 minutes on Youtube with lo-fi beats in the background. And now, he'll try to make Brexit real by next month's deadline.
Why this matters: The UK is super-divided on very big decisions and this last election was one of the most important in a generation.
|
|
|
What do you know about Christine Lagarde?
|
|
Last week the new president of the European Central Bank (ECB) held her first press conference since taking over for Mario Draghi in November.
Why this matters: The European economy has been a little sluggish since the 2008 financial crisis, especially when you compare the region to the U.S. or China. Christine Lagarde is the woman to change this fact – and you will hear about this important woman for the next eight years.
Who is she?
Well, let me start by saying that she was recently named Forbes' No. 2 Most Powerful Woman (Forbes) and that might be the least impressive thing about her.
- She broke glass ceilings to land the top jobs at the ECB, International Monetary Fund, and France’s Finance Ministry.
- She’s a Legion of Honor officer and won a bronze medal in the French national synchronized swimming championship.
Read her entire CV on the website of the ECB and become inspired.
And what are her plans for the ECB?
As expected, she's (for now) holding interest rates steady, while buying €20 billion ($22.3 billion) financial assets per month "as long as necessary". She also thinks Europe's economy is showing signs of good health but still needs support.
One of Lagarde's biggest tasks will be looking at what the ECB has been doing "wrong" this past decade within the next year, toss some of the tools it's used to juice the economy and consider some new ones. Oh, and think about climate change and stablecoins, too. (CNN)
My favorite plan of hers? She's promised to explain what the *uck the ECB is doing "so that ordinary people know why the central bank is taking the decisions that affect them." (AP)
|
|
|
Speaking of important women...
|
|
Finland: Sanna Marin, 34, was sworn into office last Tuesday, becoming the world’s youngest prime minister. She’s been a rising star ever since she entered Parliament in 2015. (The New York Times)
UK: A record 220 women became members of parliament after the general election last Thursday... but the House of Commons is still fall far short of being gender balanced. It's now at 34%. Baby steps. (The Guardian)
|
|
|
There's something wrong in the world's largest democracy
|
|
|
A new law in India made international headlines because it sounds really f*cking dangerous for Muslims in the country and elsewhere in the region. (India Today)
- The UN human rights office also called it “fundamentally discriminatory in nature.” (United Nations)
Tell me more.
Well, it all started out as a plan to protect minorities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan facing persecution – like Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and more. Unfortunately, it ended up hurting Muslims in the meantime. The law will now make it harder for Muslim migrants to become Indian citizens – although many of them are also discriminated against in neighboring countries.
What do others say?
Critics say 'India has been secular for so long. Why are we bringing religion to this functioning democracy all of a sudden?' Someone even filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act. (India Today)
- 'Lol the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, would have never said yes to this. Remember when he was against the certificate issued to Asia-origin people in South Africa?' (Vice)
But India's prime minister Narendra Modi said the law will 'make so many feel safe(r) who were persecuted for being who they were for so many years'. Also, 'don't worry you got this all wrong'.
And others take to the streets...
In the country's northeast, people got really angry and took to the streets. They were like, 'yo what if too many immigrants will now come and change our culture or take our jobs?!?! At least two people died in the protests. The government has imposed a curfew, shut down the internet, and sent troops to the area. (The New York Times)
- Interesting to know: India, the world’s largest democracy, was responsible for 67 percent of the world’s internet shutdowns last year, with 134 incidents. (AccessNow) So far this year, India has had 89 internet blackouts.
Why this matters: Muslims in India are having an especially tough time right now. Think about what happened in August when the federal (Muslim majority) state Kashmir was stripped off of its 'special' autonomy and 1.9 million people (most of them Muslims) in Assam became stateless in October. (The New York Times)
For German readers: I talked about this in my weekly podcast column in Die Wochendämmerung.
|
|
|
Traveling across Africa will likely become easier for Africans
|
|
Strange "fun" fact: Did you know that it is much easier for a European, U.S. or Canadian passport holder to travel in Africa than it is for Africans? Visitors from those countries rarely need visas ahead of travel and often don’t need any visa at all for short stays.
This might change in 2020, hopefully.
Driving the news: Last week Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari announced that it is planning to allow all African passport holders to apply for a visa on arrival at a Nigerian port rather than go through the days, weeks or even longer it might take to apply ahead of travel at a Nigerian embassy. (qz)
- It will only make sense if... it's an affordable and easy thing to do.
- Nigeria is not first to do this. Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda already have a visa-on-arrival scheme in place.
Why this matters: This could be a game changer for African travel and African economies – and a pretty good step towards one African passport and freer movement of Africans. The idea has been on everyone's minds for a long time that some had even lost hope.
Nigeria is just one African country, but it’s obviously a large one—and thereby an influential one. So it becomes more likely other countries are like, 'yeah that's a good idea'.
|
|
Two Burmese women made international headlines
|
|
First, Swe Zin Htet... is openly lesbian and Miss Myanmar. Last week she also attended Miss Universe – which is a first in its 67 years of existence of the beauty pageant. (Glamour)
- Why this matters: The pageant world isn’t especially known for its inclusivity. But times are changing.
- Last year Miss Universe had its first openly trans contestant (Independent), and this year, for the first time ever, Miss World, Miss America, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA are all black women. (CNN)
Second – and more importantly – Aung San Suu Kyi... defended Myanmar against genocide accusations at the United Nation's highest court for three long days. Why? She is the nation's de facto civilian leader.
- 'We didn't go after them the way you think we did wtf,' she said. 'Maybe two have died. And maybe the military used too much violence.'
- 'The international media is really exaggerating and getting this wrong.'
The context: The global community has come to describe the forcible expulsion of Rohingya from Myanmar since 2017 as ethnic cleansing, even genocide. United Nations officials have said the nation’s military generals should be tried for the gravest crimes against humanity.
- Interestingly, Suu Kyi never used the word "Rohingya," because 'no such group exists'. And she also forgot to mention that she – or her government – stopped United Nations investigators from checking the situation themselves.
I wonder why.
Fun fact: Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. (The New York Times)
|
|
|
Last week a school bus was evacuated because someone put on too much Axe body spray. (Vice)
Maybe my ex-boyfriend was on board.
|
|
The end.
Do you think this newsletter is worth keeping up? If yes, whlw is on Patreon (with 72 patrons!!) and open for your support.
Have a great week,
Sham
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|