New Delhi, India
India’s Supreme Court recently removed a longterm ban on consensual gay sex. The ban had been in place since the 1860s and it made “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” illegal, which was typically enforced amongst gay men, but also applied to anal and oral sex of any kind. Although homosexuality has become more accepted in India in recent years, the act of gay sex was still considered criminal until the ban was overturned.
Original story by Jeffrey Gettleman, Kai Schultz and Suhasini Raj, Sept. 6, 2018. The New York Times.
Tokyo, Japan
An earthquake that hit the Japanese island of Hokkaido Thursday, Sept. 6, killed at least 17 people, left 26 people missing and caused millions of homes to lose power. The earthquake caused a landslide that destroyed multiple houses and injured about 300 people. With a magnitude of 6.7, the earthquake is the strongest to hit Hokkaido since 1996.
Original story by Motoko Rich, Sept. 6, 2018. The New York Times.
Cape Town, South Africa
As a result of poaching, 87 elephant corpses were discovered with their tusks cut off in Botswana. The elephants’ bodies were found near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary and were discovered through aerial surveys that occurred over the past few months. Although sales of ivory are illegal, it continues to be sold in “underground markets,” and in many African countries, people are driven to poach because the work has a high monetary value.
Original story by Kimon de Greef, Sept. 4, 2018. The New York Times.