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The End Of The End Of The World

The End Of The End Of The World

This is a reproduction of an Aztec calendar near Huelva in southern Spain. The original lies in a museum in Mexico City.

Based on meticulous astronomical observations, the Aztecs used this sunstone to determine whether the end of the world was near.

They found out it would happen on Dec. 21, 2012 — and weren't off the mark as far as this calendar is concerned. Just before the fateful date, someone destroyed several of its vividly colored tiles.

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LGBTQ Plus

Why Is Homophobia In Africa So Widespread?

Uganda's new law that calls for life imprisonment for gay sex is part of a wider crackdown against LGBTQ+ rights that is particularly harsh on the African continent.

Photo of LGBTQ Ugandan group

LGBTQ group in Uganda

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

Uganda has just passed a law that allows for life imprisonment for same-sex sexual relations, punishing even the "promotion" of homosexuality. Under the authoritarian regime of Yoweri Museveni for the past 37 years, Uganda has certainly gone above and beyond existing anti-gay legislation inherited from British colonization.

But the country of 46 million is not alone, as a wider crackdown against LGBTQ+ rights continues to spread as part of a wider homophobic climate across Africa.

There is exactly one country on the continent, South Africa, legalized same-sex marriage in 2006, and another southern African state, Botswana, lifted the ban on homosexuality in 2019. But in total, more than half of the 54 African states have more or less repressive laws providing for prison sentences.

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