🗺️ Picks of the Week — Dec. 11
🗺️ Picks of the Week — Dec. 11
Japan Uses AI to Make Babies, Trump Pulls Troops From Somalia, Mount Everest Growth Spurt, India's Farmers Protest, More Black Brazilians Shot Dead, Faroe Islands Arctic Gateway
Hello folks! We did it, we did it. Another week in the books, another week closer to reaching our respective goals. We’ll go again next week with some more global fun, and then relax our wee brains for a couple weeks over the holidays. Rest assured though, we’ll make sure the job board is updated weekly throughout.
Today we’ll visit several countries including Japan whose government is using artificial intelligence to reverse plummeting fertility rates; Somalia where Donald Trump has ordered almost 1,000 troops home; Nepal where Mount Everest has had a cheeky growth spurt; India whose farmers continue to protest controversial new agricultural laws; Brazil where two young, black girls were reportedly shot dead by police; and the Faroe Islands, which have become a new strategic gateway to the Arctic.
Be sure to check out Wednesday’s Inside The Middle East, where we looked at several items including an Iranian journalist who was kidnapped by the government and has now been sentenced to death. And also have a peep at yesterday’s Election Dissection of Venezuela, Ghana and Romania. Okie cokie, Sophie, all yours… ✊
Job Corner
We added another 151 positions to the job board taking our total full/part-time jobs, freelance gigs and internships to 1,014! New outlets include CNN, NPR, Politico, TheAtlantic, The Economist and the Washington Post. Check out the links below for full access…
Preview of this week’s job board…👇
Data Corner
Some datasets used in today’s newsletter… 📊
Military Firepower: Military strength rankings, from Global Firepower
Birth Rates: Global fertility data, from Our World In Data
Mountains: Global mountain data, from the USGS
India Farmers Protests
We start off this week in India where tens of thousands of farmers are protesting three new agriculture laws that could slash their earnings and deregulate crop pricing, making it easier for private companies to enter the market. The country’s farming unions initiated a “Bharat Bandh” (nationwide general strike), which included blocking highways and railway lines, along with the support of railway workers, truck drivers and other unions.
The protests, which have resulted in clashes with police, come after five failed rounds of talks with the government. In India, the agriculture industry employs more than half of its workforce, but accounts for approximately 15 percent of the country’s GDP, resulting in low pay for farmers. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi insists the new laws will benefit farmers, while some members of his party have called the farmers “misguided” and “anti-national.”
India farmers protests: “Delhi highways are our home for now”
Black Brazilian Children Shot Dead
We move to Brazil now where two young girls have become the latest black victims to be killed, in a favela on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Cousins Emily Victoria Moreira dos Santos and Rebeca Beatriz Rodrigues Santos were aged four and seven, respectively, and were playing outside their homes when the incident happened. Witnesses and family members claim police officers were responsible for the shootings, but Rio’s military police denied the allegations.
Their deaths have sparked more outrage over the country’s toll of black lives, which has been at the forefront of recent protests after a black man was murdered outside a Carrefour supermarket last month. The violence is a continuation from last year, which saw a record 1,814 people killed by the police, a figure that disproportionately targeted black Brazilians.
Previous Picks of the Week 👀
🔎 Picks of the Week — December 4
🔎 Picks of the Week — November 27
🔎 Picks of the Week — November 20
🔎 Picks of the Week — November 13
Trump’s Troop Pullback Hits Somalia
We take a trip to Somalia next where U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of around 700 troops, as he nears the end of his tenure next month. U.S. troops have been conducting antiterrorism operations in the East African country, which is home to Islamic extremist groups such as al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab, which reportedly collects more revenue than the Somali government.
Somali politicians condemned Trump’s decision, claiming that the troops have been useful in training its own troops to combat the Islamist militants, and critics say withdrawing them would be risky. The move is part of Trump’s broader pullback on military engagements against Islamic insurgencies in Africa and the Middle East, which he’s criticized for being expensive and ineffective. Trump also has plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany, although a defense spending bill threatens to halt them.
Mount Everest Growth Spurt
We head to Mount Everest next, which recently grew by almost a metre or almost three foot, taking its new peak to a height of 8,848.86m or 29,031.7 feet. The new measurement was decided upon by Chinese and Nepalese surveyors, who scaled the mountain’s north side to measure its summit. Yeah but how the heck does a bloody mountain grow? Well, tectonic plates deep below the Earth’s surface continually jockey for position, and a result of their hustle and bustle is propping up our mountains even higher.
The subject of Everest’s height has been disputed for years, after surveys carried out by teams from India, China, and National Geographic all calculated different heights in different years. Despite initially declining China’s offer to re-measure Everest, Nepal’s government eventually agreed to make it a joint project, and President Bidya Devi Bhandari called the announcement “historic”.
Japan to Boost Birth Rate Through AI Matchmaking
Some tech news now from Japan, where local authorities have pledged approximately $19m (£12m) in funding for AI-powered matchmaking projects, with hopes of reversing plummeting birth rates in 2021. Japan’s ageing population gave birth to a record low 864,000 babies last year, a huge 6 percent decrease from 2018. The government now hopes to invest in advancing matchmaking projects to factor in other categories such as age and income level in order to help people find love.
Japanese women are at a crossroads, and anthropologists suggest there are more productive ways of boosting the country’s birth rate, such as helping young people to raise their income. Analysts also blame gender stereotypes, which put pressure on mothers to raise children, do the majority of housework and simultaneously build a career. Japan’s declining birth rate is generally in line with global trends, and is a primary reason why the world’s population could plateau by the end of this century.
Faroe Islands Become New Arctic Gateway
We finish this week up north in the self-governing Danish Faroe Islands, who have become somewhat of a gateway since they signed a partnership with the U.S. to become a “strategic corridor for naval operations between the Arctic and the North Atlantic,” according to a statement by the Department of Defense. The 18-island archipelago, home to approximately 53,000 people, could become a new overseas maritime base for U.S. and NATO ships.
Given that they’re not part of the European single market, the Islands have developed their own trade deals with global powers such as China and Russia, which Foreign Policy predicts the U.S. will try to replicate. Speaking to the outlet, Danish international relations experts say the deal will put the Faroe Islands on the international stage, but might make it more difficult for them to stay impartial when it comes to their trade relationships.
That’s all for this week. See you next week for some more global coverage! 👋