This issue includes very good LGBTQ news from Mexico, Indonesia's next steps with regards to the deadly stampede that killed more than 130 people (including more than 40 children) and the huge, very huge cough syrup scandal in the Gambia that killed 69 children and that two companies from the United States and India are responsible for. Plus, Argentina is taking responsibility for something that happened 28 years ago, a cement company from France admitted to paying millions to ISIS, an analysis of China's president's latest speech, an update on the very, very deadly flood in Nigeria and a 'funny note' from Italy that made me choke up while I was having my morning tea.
Mexico's largest state approved same-sex marriage -- only three states to go
Last Tuesday, the State of Mexico, Mexico's largest state (not entire Mexico) said 'yes to same-sex marriage'. (AP)
Why this matters:
Mexico is still the second-most-violent country against the LGBTQ community after Brazil, according to the National Observatory of Hate Crimes Against LGBTQ People. Plus, some 129 million people live in Mexico.
Tell me more:
The State of Mexico, which almost surrounds Mexico City, has the largest population of any state in the country. It is now the 29th state to vote to recognize same-sex marriage; three states left. looking at you, Tamaulipas, Tabasco and Guerrero
"Today, by becoming the 29th state to approve equal marriage, we will be reducing inequality, and letting the country know that in the State of Mexico we do not leave anybody behind," said state legislator Paola Jiménez. Leave her a kind message on Twitter to show you/the world pays attention.
Did you know:
There is a queer telenovela called El Corazón Nunca se Equivoca -- which translates as The Heart is Never Wrong -- and that, in 2019, it made history in Mexico by becoming the first telenovela in the country to feature a same-sex couple as lead characters? (Gay Times)
Watch the trailer here.
How is it like for the country's Indigenous gay?
Not so good. They're facing double discrimination for being gay and Indigenous, unfortunately. However, there are some good stories here and there that I choose to focus on. For example, in June this year, Vice World News' Luis Chaparro published the story of the wedding between Eduardo González and Roger Aguirre; they're two male members of the Rarámuri Indigenous tribe from Northern Mexico. Look at the pictures here.
What legal and mental health support is there for LGBTQ people in Mexico?
There is some. For example, the couple I just mentioned have started an organization dedicated to the rights of Indigenous gay people---the Comité Estatal Chihuahua Napawiká Tomogé Rarámuri. As for mental health services, The Trevor Project just last week announced that they launched their 24/7 mental health services in Mexico. The Trevor Project is the world's largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ youth. "We believe LGBTQ young people everywhere deserve support and access to mental health resources."
Related good news:
In the same week, the country's Senate also voted to ban 'sexual conversion therapy'. You're on a roll, Mexico. Don't stop. (Bloomberg)
Fun fact:
There's an all-female species of whiptail lizards called The 'New Mexico'. They look like this and their eggs develop without being fertilized and all of their offspring are female. By nature, they only have same-sex relationships. (National Geographic)
Six people are on trial for the stampede that killed over 130 people in Indonesia
- Catch up: More than 130 people (including more than 40 minors) died and almost 600 were injured in a stampede at Kanjuruhan stadium from asphyxiation after a football match in the city of Malang, East Java, Indonesia on October 1. Six people, including some police officers and soccer officials, now face criminal charges. (The Jakarta Post)
Yesterday (October 18), President Joko Widodo said that he will demolish and rebuild another football stadium and "thoroughly transform" the sport in Indonesia. (Nikkei Asia)
Why was there a stampede in the first place?
The government's own fact-finding team released a report last week, saying that police using tear gas (!) excessively and indiscriminiately was the leading cause of death. Tear gas is banned by FIFA.
That's it?
It also didn't help that the stadium was filled beyond capacity (some 5,000 people too many), its exit doors were locked, and that a match between fierce rivals was held at night for better ratings for a local broadcaster, and not -- as police had requested -- during the day. Also, interestingly, more than three hours of security camera footage about an hour after the match has been deleted. The team has requested that police provide this footage and also called on Mochamad Iriawan, head of the Indonesian Football Association, to resign. (ESPN)
Why this matters:
Soccer is Indonesia's most popular sports but violent fan groups and mismanagement make it not so safe to attend or to play matches. The stampede at Kanjuruhan was one of the world's deadliest stadium disasters. Indonesia hosts the men's Under-20 World Cup next year, so an update of stadium safety measures is desperately needed ASAP (even though the Cup...
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Below you'll find some of the sources used for this issue. Only sources that support "media embedding" are included.
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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s largest state approved same-sex marriage Tuesday, leaving only three of the country’s 32 states without such laws.
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Juntos, El Corazon Nunca se Equivoca is the first telenovela in Mexico to feature a gay couple as lead characters, and they're known as Aristemo.
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The celebration of the same-sex union was a first for the Rarámuri Indigenous tribe from Mexico. “We face double discrimination for being gay and Indigenous.”
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All moms and no dads, the whiptail still comes up with genetically diverse offspring.
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Six charged over Kanjuruhan soccer stadium disaster - Archipelago - The Jakarta Post
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India 'seriously investigating' children's deaths linked to Maiden-made drugs: EAM Jaishankar to Gambia - The TribuneNew Delhi, October 13 New Delhi is “seriously investigating” the deaths of 69 children in Gambia in the wake of a report that provisionally linked the fatalities to Indian-made products, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar told his Gambian counterpart on Thursday....
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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the use of…
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Alert Summary This WHO Medical Product Alert refers to four substandard products, identified in The Gambia and reported to WHO in September 2022. Substandard medical products are products that fail to meet either their quality standards or specifications and are, therefore "out of specification"[1].The four products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup. The stated manufacturer of these products is Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited (Haryana, India). To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products. Laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four products confirms that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants. To date, these four products have been identified in The Gambia, but may have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries or regions.[1] WHO definitions: https://www.who.int/teams/regulation-prequalification/incidents-and-SF/background/definitions RisksDiethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatalToxic effects can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury which may lead to death.All batches of these products should be considered unsafe until they can be analyzed by the relevant National Regulatory Authorities. The substandard products referenced in this alert are unsafe and their use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death.Advice to regulatory authorities and the publicIt is important to detect and remove these substandard products from circulation to prevent harm to patients. WHO requests increased surveillance and diligence within the supply chains of countries and regions likely to be affected by these products. Increased surveillance of the informal/unregulated market is also advised.All medical products must be approved and obtained from authorized/licensed suppliers. The products’ authenticity and physical condition should be carefully checked. Seek advice from a healthcare professional when in doubt.If you have these substandard products, please DO NOT use them. If you, or someone you know, have used these products or suffered any adverse reaction/event after use, you are advised to seek immediate medical advice from a qualified healthcare professional and report the incident to the National Regulatory Authority or National Pharmacovigilance Centre.National regulatory/health authorities are advised to immediately notify WHO if these substandard products are discovered in their respective country. If you have any information concerning the manufacture or supply of these products, please contact WHO via [email protected] Please click here for details and photos of the substandard products referenced in Alert N°6/2022. Alert n°6/2022 may be updated at a later stage as and when necessary.WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring System for Substandard and Falsified Medical ProductsFor more information, please visit our websiteEmail: [email protected]
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The only punishment the regulator meted out in most cases related to substandard drugs was to suspend the firm’s license to manufacture the drug for a few days Poor training, antiquated record-keeping systems and understaffing also leave drug inspectors ill-equipped to enforce recalls and root-cause analyses
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Two people have died after a shooting outside an LGBTQ+ bar in Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, on 12 October.
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At least 26 cases reported in Lebanon this month, likely the result of a serious outbreak in neighbouring Syria.
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Rising temperatures have prompted more evaporation in the atmosphere, leading to more frequent and intense precipitation events and drought conditions..
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The United Nations mission in Mali found that mines and IEDs had killed 72 people in 2022 as of August 31.
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The protest against President Xi came amid strict Covid measures that have also sparked anger online.
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President Xi Jinping kicked off the twice-a-decade summit with remarks that touched on COVID, Taiwan, economic policy and more. It is widely expected his rule will be extended beyond two terms.
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Iraq’s parliament elected Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid as the country’s new president on Thursday, ending a yearlong political stalemate that had turned violent over the summer.
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The New Orleans street where one of the founders of rock ‘n’ roll spent most of his life is being renamed in his honor.
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A bronze sculpture of a West African king that had been in the collection of a Rhode Island museum for more than 70 years was among 31 culturally precious objects that were returned to the Nigerian government on Tuesday.
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Before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Justice & Human Rights Ministry admits State violated rights and failed to protect victims; Country will have to pay compensation.
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Lafarge SA is settling U.S. criminal charges related to payments to terror group ISIS to maintain safety at a plant in Syria.
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U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the charges against the current or former officers Thursday in the death of Taylor, a 26-year-old Black medical worker.
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(LaPresse) Berlusconi ha riallacciato i rapporti con Vladimir Putin. E’ lo stesso leader di Forza Italia a dirlo durante il suo intervento alla riunione
Each week, What Happened Last Week curates news and perspectives from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The newsletter is written by Sham Jaff and focuses on stories that rarely receive sustained attention in Western media.
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