Global Briefs: India pushes back poverty

India

Nearly 135 million people, or about 10 percent of the country’s population, escaped poverty between 2016 and 2021, according to a government report released July 17. The study based its evaluation on the UN Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which examines 12 factors including malnutrition, sanitation, and level of education. Over the study’s five-year period, poverty decreased the most in rural areas. The nation’s poverty level is now at about 16.4 percent of its overall population, according to a United Nations Development Programme report. —Elizabeth Russell

Antarctica

On July 11, two boys from Scotland launched 3-foot-long replicas of historic ships to circumnavigate the world’s southernmost continent on circumpolar currents. Ollie and Harry Ferguson, ages 13 and 11, built the ships from a 192-year-old elm tree. The tree was just a few years old when Capt. James Clark Ross launched the original elm-hulled HMS Erebus and HMS Terror on his way to discover the Ross Ice Shelf. The model ships are fitted with tracking and monitoring devices that will send scientific data and pictures back to the brothers. Birds attacked the boats the first day but ultimately lost interest. The boys expect the 12,500-mile journey to take two years. —Amy Lewis

South Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 19 approved sign language as the country’s 12th official language. The South African Sign Language Bill seeks to promote cultural acceptance of sign language and provide equal protection for people who are deaf. The National Assembly approved the bill in May. The president’s office hailed the move and noted South African Sign Language is an indigenous dialect: “It has its own distinct grammatical structures and lexicon, and it is independent of any other language.” Only three other African countries recognize sign language in an official capacity: Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. —Onize Ohikere

Panama

A court in the Central American nation has sentenced former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli to 10 years and eight months in prison for money laundering. The July 18 verdict threatens his bid for a political comeback. Martinelli, 71, is the front-runner for Panama’s 2024 presidential election. The court convicted Martinelli, who led the country from 2009 until 2014, of complicity in a scheme that used public funds to buy a media conglomerate. It ordered him to pay a $19.2 million fine. Martinelli claims the charges are politically motivated and is expected to appeal the verdict. He is facing other charges related to bribes paid by a Brazilian construction firm to obtain public works projects in Panama. —Joyce Wu

Hungary

A government office fined one of the country’s largest booksellers on July 13 for selling an LGBT-themed graphic novel without a plastic covering. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s conservative government passed a law in 2021 that forbids any “display and promotion of homosexuality” to minors. The graphic novel, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, depicts a romance between two teen boys and has been adapted into a popular Netflix series. The Lira Kereskedelmi Kft bookstore must now pay 12 million forints ($36,041) for placing unwrapped copies of the book among other titles for teens. The bookstore’s creative director, Krisztian Nyary, told Reuters that the law’s requirements are vague and that the chain plans to fight the fine in court. —Elizabeth Russell

France

The government is encouraging residents to repair worn clothes and shoes instead of disposing of them and buying new ones. Bérangère Couillard, then secretary of state for ecology, announced the plan in Paris on July 12. Couillard said about 700,000 metric tons of clothes end up in French landfills every year. The scheme will begin in October and offer a rebate of between $6 and $27 on the cost of repair at sewing workshops or cobblers that join the program. The government will contribute more than $171 million to the scheme over five years as part of its effort to tackle fast fashion and promote a sustainable industry. Additional measures will require clothing labels to note the environmental impact of each item. —Onize Ohikere