Today’s newsletter covers the decriminalization of abortion in Colombia, forced labor in Malaysia, a fake emergency landing in Spain, the popularity of 13 world leaders, and more.
Cocaine hidden in fruit juice seized in Hong Kong
Hong Kong authorities seized for $80 million worth of cocaine coming from Brazil. It’s their second-largest seizure in history. Hidden in frozen fruit juice, police became suspicious that transportation and storage cost more than the product itself.
Indonesian official didn’t say COP26 deforestation pledge was unfair
The forestry and environment minister of Indonesia didn’t say that the COP26 declaration on forests and land use was unfair. Her comment confused many but the nuance lies in the difference between deforestation and net zero deforestation. However, neither the statement nor Indonesia is without ambiguity.
Jair Bolsonaro, the least popular of 13 world leaders
Brazil is the country where the population is the most unhappy about its national leader. Narendra Modi is the most popular among 13 world leaders. The French President Emmanuel Macron was the most unpopular of all for several continuous months.
Horse jumping removed from modern pentathlon
During the Tokyo Olympics, a horse was poorly treated by a German athlete and her coach. However, the vice president of the federation claims the change is unrelated to what happened.
Will Colombia decriminalize abortion this time?
The Constitutional Court of Colombia will start to debate the constitutionality of abortion and could ask the government to decriminalize it. In 2020, it chose not to change the law. The results may depend on the vote of only one judge.
The U.S. bans more products from Malaysia because of forced labor
The United States has banned the import of gloves and palm oil from several Malaysian companies because of forced labor. Only China has more restrictions than Malaysia for importing goods into the U.S. because of forced labor.
Also elsewhere in the world…
Unknown death at the Russian embassy in Germany
Der Spiegel reports that a 35-year-old man died in Berlin on the morning of October 19. The causes of his death remain unknown. He allegedly fell from an upper floor of the Russian embassy building. He worked as a deputy secretary of the embassy since 2019. But for Der Spiegel, German security authorities identified him as a hidden member of the FSB, the Russian security service successor of the KGB. Russia didn’t want to make an autopsy of the body, which had been transferred to his homeland. The Russian embassy called the event a “tragic accident” and didn’t want to comment on the death for “ethical reasons”.
In Sierra Leone, 99 people die in an explosion while trying to get fuel from a leak
In Sierra Leone, the explosion of a loaded fuel tanker killed 99 people on the night of November 5. After a road accident with a truck in a suburb of Freetown, the capital city, fuel leaked to the ground. As the two drivers were trying to stop the leakage, some people rushed in to scoop the fuel when a fire started, leading to the explosion.
A deliberate emergency landing to immigrate to Europe
The emergency landing of a plane in Palma de Mallorca on November 5 was a ruse for some Moroccans to come to Europe, Spanish authorities think. An Air Arabia plane was flying from Casablanca to Istanbul when it had to land on the Spanish island for a medical emergency. A man allegedly suffering from a diabetic coma was transported to a hospital. But he appeared to be fine. 24 passengers took the opportunity to leave the aircraft and disappear. The companion of the hospitalized person also vanished. The police have found and arrested half of them so far. The plane was immobilized for 3 hours, disturbing the schedules of several dozen other flights. Efe reports the coordination of the stratagem started with the publication of a post on a Facebook page with 15,000 followers.
