A recap of international news stories seen by Newsendip: an Uruguayan minister resigned after audio leaks, a potential change of the Constitution in Italy, female chimpanzees with menopause in Uganda and more.
- Surgery and gender change in Japan
- Watermelon emojis in Indonesia
- Political influence of China and India in the Maldives
- A kindergarten with fences postponed in Norway
- Towards elections for the prime ministers in Italy?
- Switzerland shyed away by billionaires?
- Flag desecration in Austria
- A local assembly line of smartphones in Kenya
- Female chimpanzees, menopause and questions about humans
- Uruguay minister dismissal and a lost phone
- It happened in Spain, and in Colombia
In Japan, the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the sterilization required to change gender
The Japanese Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the mandate to remove genitalia for gender transition on administrative documents. It is a significant decision for LGBTQ+ rights in Japan, a rather conservative democracy where same-sex marriage is still prohibited. But the government still has the final say on legislations.
American companies’ social media accounts trolled in Indonesia
Overwhelmed by watermelon emojis, KFC and Starbucks Indonesia have restricted comments under their posts on Instagram. Both companies chose to support Israel, leading some Indonesians to call for a boycott of the brands. The watermelon is used as a symbol representing the Palestinian flag.
A new president in the Maldives, and the impact in the regional power balance between China and India
Mohamad Muizzu, the recent president-elect of the Maldives, has found himself at odds with the Indian government. The Maldives’ strategic location in the Indian Ocean has been of great interest to both India and China. Though Muizzu claims he is not “pro-anybody,” there are deeper signs that the Maldives will continue to fit into China’s greater plans.
A kindergarten plan to protect minority languages, but with a fence separating children
Plans for a new municipal kindergarten in a 4,000-people town in Norway showed the use of fences to separate children by language they speak. Initiated to protect minority languages, mainly Sami and Kven from Norwegian, local politicians have spoken out against the idea. In 2022, the Council of Europe found that the Sami and Kven languages were in danger of being extinguished.
In Italy, towards a Constitutional change for the nomination of the prime minister?
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni backed a constitutional reform proposal introducing the election of the prime minister directly by citizens instead of a nomination by members of Parliament. During her election campaign, Ms. Meloni pledged to guarantee a longer duration of Italy’s notoriously short-lived governments. She encountered strong resistance from the opposition, who feared that her reforms would concentrate too much power in the hands of a single individual, something Italy’s leaders wanted to avoid when they set up the political system after fascist dictator Benito Mussolini led the country during World War II. The reform, regularly put on the table, is likely to pass this time.
Switzerland increasingly left behind by billionaires for Hong Kong and Singapore
A study showed that Singapore and Hong Kong are emerging as preferred destinations for offshore fund placement. On the other hand, Switzerland, which previously managed 50% of the world’s offshore assets before the subprime crisis, now oversees only 20% of these funds. Offshore real estate investments, like in Dubai, are a growing tax evasion practice.
Austria and an expansion of the ban on desecrating flags
Desecration of the national flag — by an insult, its depiction in a hateful manner or its degradation — is illegal in Austria. Desecrating foreign flags or foreign national emblems is also punishable, but only if they are displayed by an authority or embassy. Austria’s chancellor, Karl Nehammer, wants to expand the ban for individuals too, after the flag of Israel has been particularly targeted recently. In two weeks after Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, the Jewish Community of Vienna counted three times more antisemitic incidents that for the whole of 2022.
Kenya: A local smartphone factory to lower prices, and fight tax evasion
Kenya opened its first smartphone assembly plant to produce low-cost 4G mobile phones, expected to produce 21,000 phones at 40 dollars (6,000 Kenyan shillings). Kenyan autorities have increased import tariffs leading to higher prices and some supply shortages of smartphones. As a consequence, importers circumvent the taxes with fake declarations. “Nearly 50% of phones imported into Kenya do not go through the normal tax process,” said Kenya President William Ruto.
Female chimpanzees may also have menopause
A 21-year study of a group of chimpanzees in Uganda showed that females are subject to menopause. It is not a common feature among chimpanzees or mammals, which begs the question as to why it has evolved among this population of chimps, and by extension, among humans.
In Uruguay, the resignation of a minister asking to lose phone and evidence for justice
Francisco Bastillo, the minister of Foreign relations of Uruguay, has resigned from his position after leaked audios revealed he asked his vice chancellor to “lose her cell phone” with potential evidence against them. An investigation is underway after an accused drug trafficker on the run, Sebastián Marset, received a passport from the ministry of Foreign relations to free himself from a Dubaï jail. The phone calls reveal that Bustillo wanted the vice-minister of Interior to present his evidence first to “shoot himself in the foot”.
Also happening in Spain, and in Colombia:
- In Spain, a baby was born after two mothers shared the same pregnancy. A first in Europe.
- The government of Colombia said they would sterilize some of the hippos originally brought by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Authorities are considering culling some after they were declared an invasive species last year.
