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Have you ever heard of the Maputo Protocol? Read on for more about the 20-year-old treaty that, in theory, guarantees access to abortions across Africa.
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Photo: Ismael Abu Dayyah / AP
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1. World Central Kitchen halts work in Gaza after 7 staff killed in airstrike
The World Central Kitchen aid group said on Tuesday it would halt operations in the Gaza Strip after seven of its workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike late Monday.
The workers had just finished delivering aid to a food warehouse in central Gaza when their convoy was hit by an airstrike. Their car had been clearly marked, and the charity said the convoy’s movement had been coordinated with the Israeli army.
The U.K., Poland, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. — all of which had citizens die in the attack — demanded on Tuesday that Israel investigate the deadly incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack was “tragic” and unintentional. “It happens in war; we are fully examining this. We are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again,” he said.
The first aid ship from nonprofit World Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, set sail from Cyprus and arrived in Gaza in mid-March, carrying just under half a million meals. A spokesperson from Cyprus’ foreign ministry said ships arriving in Gaza this week will return to the Mediterranean island with about 240 tons of undelivered aid.
Read more: Who were the World Central Kitchen workers killed in Gaza?
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2. Abortion access exists in Africa by law, less so in practice
A new report published by The Associated Press on Tuesday shows that, while abortion is legal in much of Africa, many residents don’t know it. Just six of Africa’s 55 countries ban abortion outright, but “softer” obstacles like silence, fear, and misinformation often prevent African women from seeking or obtaining abortion care even where it is legal.
More than 20 countries across Africa have recently loosened restrictions to access. And over 20 years ago, the Maputo Protocol guaranteed the right to legal abortion in Africa. Though 11 African nations have yet to ratify it, the treaty states that every nation in Africa must grant abortions in cases of rape, sexual assault, incest, and endangerment for the health of the mother or fetus.
Despite these legal protections, abortion providers don’t always publicize their services, and abortion seekers feel shame and fear over the procedure’s safety.
“The right to abortion exists in law, but in practice, the reality may be a little different,” said Evelyne Opondo, of the International Center for Research on Women. But, she said, it’s “still probably easier for a woman in Benin to get an abortion than in Texas.”
The new report comes in the same week that the Florida Supreme Court ruled to uphold the state’s 15-week abortion ban and allow a new six-week ban to take effect in 30 days.
The decision cuts off access to most abortions across the entire South, where all other states have either implemented similar bans or outlawed abortion entirely since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
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3. Iranian leaders say deadly airstrike on embassy will not go unanswered
An airstrike on the Iranian ambassador’s complex in Damascus, Syria, killed at least 11 people on Monday, prompting messages of revenge against Israel from Iran’s leaders.
“The evil Zionist regime will be punished at the hands of our brave men. We will make them regret this crime and the other ones,” read a statement published on the website of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi released a similar message, calling the strike a “cowardly crime that will not go unanswered.”
While the Israel Defense Forces haven’t officially claimed responsibility for the attack, four Israeli officials speaking anonymously said on Monday that Israel had indeed carried it out.
Two senior commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in the attack, including Gen. Mohamad Reza Zahedi, the highest-ranking Iranian military official to be killed since the January 2020 assassination of Gen. Qassem Suleimani.
The U.N. Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the attack.
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In other news
- On Tuesday, a fire killed at least 29 people in an Istanbul nightclub that was undergoing unregulated renovations. An official said the victims are believed to be members of the construction team working on the building. [UPI]
- One child was killed and two others were seriously injured when a 12-year-old boy opened fire at a school in Finland on Tuesday. The suspect fled the scene but was eventually detained. [The New York Times]
- A Russian court sentenced Russian-Canadian activist Pyotr Verzilov to eight years in prison in absentia on Tuesday for criticizing Russia’s war with Ukraine. Verzilov is co-founder of the news site Mediazona and served as unofficial spokesperson of the punk opposition group Pussy Riot when its members were arrested in 2012. [Reuters]
- In the first bilateral agreement of its kind, the U.S. and the U.K. signed a landmark AI safety deal on Monday, promising to work together to test artificial intelligence. [BBC]
- Six ministers have resigned and lawmakers have called for the resignation of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte over an alleged illicit enrichment scandal. Police raided Boluarte’s residence this past weekend in search of luxury watches and jewelry she’s been seen wearing. [Associated Press]
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Say that again
“I don’t think about it. Music doesn’t really have any age,” said 28-year-old Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä. It was announced on Tuesday that Mäkelä would become music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2027, the youngest person to assume the role in the orchestra’s history. [The New York Times]
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Is it time to ‘de-dollar’?
See why some countries are looking to move away from the U.S. dollar as the main global currency.
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What we’re cooking
I got home from a long weekend out of town Sunday evening with very little food in my fridge and even less motivation to go to the store. Fortunately, I had most of the ingredients on hand to make this curried lentil, tomato, and coconut soup from Israeli-British chef Yotam Ottolenghi.
This soup is warmly flavored, hearty, and tastes way more complex than its few ingredients — most of them pantry staples — would suggest. It’s also vegan and comes together relatively quickly. I added some chopped fresh spinach near the end to get some more vegetables in there. So, feel free to add “adaptable” to this recipe’s list of superlatives.
—Laura Adamczyk, staff writer
Thanks for reading. We’ll see you tomorrow.
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