whlw: no. 203

If you're getting this email later than usual, it's because I let my newsletter service decide when it is best to send you today. So... did it make a right decision? If not, please let me know by replying to this mail and also tell me whether you think J.K. Rowling is canceled or not. (Here's why you may want to think about it.)

Who's definitely not canceled is a man named Ilham Tohti. The Uyghur economist was given this year's Sakharov Prize for his criticisms of China’s policies in Xinjiang. Unfortunately, Tohti is currently in prison for life. (Al Jazeera) 

• Still looking for a Christmas gift? Consider this Japanese manga about a Uighur woman's persecution in China. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• If you'd like a capitalism-free gift, just send your loved ones this slideshow of 'wow!!!' photos that tell the (of course, never complete) story of the 2010s. It's so powerful. (The New York Times) (Or tell them about this newsletter and make them small-talk proof for 2020.)

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

what happened last week

• Cholera: 60% less people got cholera in 2018, especially in the world’s major 'hotspots', including Haiti, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (World Health Organization)
   
• Breast cancer: More women will soon get cheaper treatment. (World Health Organization)
  • Why this matters: In 2018, 630 000 women died from the disease, many because they found out too late or couldn't afford treatment.
     
• Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA): The pharma company Novartis rolled out a lottery program that will give out the world’s most expensive medicine for free in countries where it hasn't been approved. (Reuters)
  • Fun fact: The one-time treatment costs $2.1 million. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • (And no, a lottery program is not a long-term solution but it is a start.)

• Climate change: The Supreme Court of the Netherlands thinks that "protection from the potentially devastating effects of climate change" is a human right. It therefore demanded that the Dutch government cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by the end of 2020. (climatecasechart.com, AP)
   
• Mining: In the first lawsuit of its kind, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Dell, and Tesla are being sued on behalf of 14 Congolese families whose children were killed or permanently injured while illegally mining cobalt for electronics made by these companies. (Vice)

The world’s oldest known fossil forest has been discovered. (The Guardian)

Why this matters: These fossil forests are extremely rare, existed 150 million years before the dinosaurs did and give us a clue about how trees transformed the Earth.

• Questions scientists now might be able to answer are
  • 'Which trees grew where exactly and why?'
  • 'How did their roots change the soil chemistry?' 
  • 'And omg how did forests open up entirely new ecological niches for animals?'

Today: About 30% of our planet is covered by trees – still. Unfortunately, we are clearing them on a massive scale. Between 1990 and 2016, the world lost an area larger than South Africa full of trees and about 17% of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared over the past 50 years. Losing our trees is a very dangerous thing to do to our planet's ecosystem. 

In the meantime, in another science-y news, the European Cheops space telescope launched last week – to study planets outside our Solar System. (BBC) Exciting!

• More than 770 promises have been made – to support, protect, employ and educate refugees and the communities which have taken them in. 
• More than 130 of these promises were about expanding access to education for refugees.
  • The question was: 'okay so how we do include refugees in our national systems?' 
  • Why this matters: Despite some few wins here and there, education is one of the key areas in refugees need the most:
    • 3.7 million refugee children and youth are out of primary and secondary school. 
    • Only 3 per cent of refugees have access to higher education. 

In different countries all over the world, we sat down and asked ourselves, 'hey are we okay with what this person did to our country?'

In some cases, we haven't found the answer.

• The U.S.: Last week, a majority of the U.S. House voted to impeach President Trump. (NBC News) However, this is not to say that he is removed from office. That’s up to the Senate, where Trump’s Republican Party has a majority. 
  • Here’s a recap of how this historic day looked like. (The New York Times)

• Pakistan: Pervez Musharraf, the country's former military dictator (who resigned in 2008 because impeachment was knocking on the door), was sentenced to death last week. Why? 'He's a traitor and misused our democracy for his personal gains. That's unacceptable.' (The Washington Post)
  • Why this matters: This is the first time that Pakistan says that 'no matter how powerful or influential, the military is not above the law.' Yay to democracy!
  • Reality check: But Musharraf lives in Dubai, is sick in hospital and unlikely to return. (The New York Times)
    • At the same time, the country also sentenced a university professor to death because he insulted Prophet Muhammad and Quran verbally and on Facebook. (Aljazeera)

• Slovakia: Remember when a young journalist and his fiancée, Ján Kuciak, 27, and Martina Kušnírová were killed in 2018 because they were looking into how corrupt Slovakia really is? Well, it turned out: very; business people and politicians are a little bit too friendly with one another. Slovak prime minister Robert Fico was then forced to quit under pressure.
  • Last week's news: The trial began for the businessman Marian Kočner, who is accused of ordering the murder. (Politico)
  • Fun fact: The killing of the two triggered the biggest protests in Slovakia's independent history. (Financial Times)

The Global Gender Gap Report 2020 is out and it took a closer look at 153 countries across economics, politics, education and health. (World Economic Forum)

The main takeaway: Women around the world won't get equal pay until 2277... if we go at this pace. 

The big picture: There are some countries where women are 'relatively' well-represented in higher management jobs but... the global economic gender gap is expected to become bigger for several reasons:

• Women are highly represented in jobs being displaced by automation,
• Women aren't entering professions with high wage growth and
• Women spend more time than men in caretaker and volunteer roles.

• Iceland was recognized as the most gender-equal country for the 11th year in a row.
• Yemen ranked lowest on the list.

• Why this matters: First, Shiori Ito is a a feminist icon. Second, Japan is a country where few women dare to speak out about sexual assault. 

on a 'funny' note

A six-year-old girl found a message from a prisoner in China inside a Tesco Christmas card.

• The message read: "We are foreign prisoners in Shanghai Qingpu prison China. Forced to work against our will. Please help us and notify human rights organisation." (Sky News)