Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe banned coal mining in all national parks. Previously the country allowed two Chinese firms to explore for coal in the country's biggest national park Hwange. The decision came after campaigners, in an effort to prevent "ecological degradation" in parks, took the government to court.

Numerous species live in the national parks, including 40,000 elephants and the endangered black rhino.

"Steps are being undertaken to immediately cancel all mining titles held in national parks," Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said as she announced the ban. The ban is effective with immediate effect.

Schools in Zimbabwe are not allowed anymore to expel pupils who get pregnant. Women's rights campaigners said this would help tackle gender inequality in schools and stop many girls from dropping out of school.

Cain Mathema, the education minister in charge of schools, has stated that "I'm expecting every parent and guardian and everyone else to understand that every child must be assisted by all of us to go to school" as many parents of pregnant girls, or the girls themselves, decide to quit schooling due to the pregnancy, and schools do not always do enough to encourage them to stay.

Zimbabwe is facing a shortage of health care workers, basic drugs and medical equipment. Medical staff reports of being overburdened, overworked and underpaid. Amid rising Coronavirus cases and health care crisis, the capital Harare reports seven stillbirths in one week.

Author and Booker Prize nominee Tsitsi Dangarembga has been arrested during anti-corruption demonstrations in Harare, Zimbabwe. She was arrested alongside other protestors after the government called the protests a "planned insurrection". The police also warned that protestors "only have themselves to blame" when attending the banned demonstrations.

Dangarembga has been documenting the demonstration and her arrest on Twitter. She told the BBC: "Every sector is disintegrating. Health, education, the economy. I am concerned for my safety. It would be naïve not to be because we have a very repressive regime and we know that they will most likely be deployed against the people. This is one of the grievances that the people have, that the security forces, the security service is often deployed against the people, instead of being deployed for the protection of the people."

Over 105,000 Zimbabweans have been arrested since March. Those arrested were violating regulations that are in place to curb the further spread of the Coronavirus, e.g. "unnecessary movement", breaking quarantine and not wearing masks. Around 1000 people were arrested over the past two days.

The film "Cook Off" from Zimbabwean film producer Joe Njagu premiered on Netflix on June 1st. This film follows a struggling single mother who enters a cooking competition where she finds love. It had a small budget of $8000 and was made with the help of Njagu's personal relationships without immediate payment. Njagu made the film to show the world "that there is more to Zimbabwe than what they hear."