International news this week was dominated by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Russia, which signaled a deepening of the alliance between the two superpowers. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to show a united front after the two-day summit. But what were some of the stories that flew under the radar?
Here are three international news stories from Yahoo’s partners that you may have missed this week.
Uganda passes anti-LGBTQ law
As Time reported, Uganda’s parliament on Tuesday in Kampala passed legislation that would make identifying as LGBTQ a crime – legislation described by the United Nations human rights chief as “probably among the worst of its kind in the world.” . The Anti-Homosexuality Act introduced several new regulations that would severely punish anyone who is openly gay, as well as defenders of LGBTQ rights.
That’s what the new bill says: the death penalty for those convicted of “aggravated homosexuality”, which means sexual acts with minors or people with disabilities or with HIV; 20 years imprisonment for a “crime of homosexuality”; and 10 years in prison for attempting to commit a sexual act. The bill now goes to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who can veto it or sign it into law. The law met with global condemnation, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stating that Uganda could have economic repercussions if enshrined in law.
Why it matters: The new law is the latest in Uganda’s crackdown on homosexuality. The LGBTQ community had already faced discrimination prior to Tuesday’s draft law. In 2013, same-sex acts were banned with life imprisonment. As a result, suicide rates in the LGBTQ community rose. The latest bill could include further discrimination and the possibility of mass violence against those who identify as LGBTQ.
More from Time here.
Nigerian politician convicted in UK of organ trafficking
CBS News reported Thursday that a court in the UK convicted a senior Nigerian politician and his wife of attempted organ trafficking after they brought a 21-year-old Nigerian man to England to get their 25-year-old daughter a new kidney.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and Dr. Obinna Obeta, a “middleman”, were found guilty of conspiring to exploit the victim for his kidney. Prosecutors said the 21-year-old street vendor was offered £7,000 (around $8,550) and opportunities within the UK The man was taken to hospital and met with doctors that he realized what was going on. Investigators began investigating what happened when the victim fled London to a neighboring county, where police found him asleep in a train station and in distress.
More from CBS News on this story here.
The drought in Somalia killed 43,000 people last year
From the Independent: An estimated 43,000 people died in Somalia in 2022 during the country’s longest drought, a new report says. Somalia’s Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, found that at least half of the 43,000 children were under the age of 5. It is expected that another 34,000 will likely die in the first half of this year.
Why it matters: Somalia has experienced five consecutive failed rainy seasons, leading to a food crisis. In addition to the lack of rain, food prices have risen due to the war in Ukraine, leading to further food insecurity. According to UNICEF, at least 2 million children are at risk of malnutrition and nearly half the country’s population is in need of humanitarian assistance.
Read more from the Independent here.
