Cross posting: In this week’s news

This originally appeared on my main blog at https://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2020/02/post-no-1502-in-this-weeks-news.html.

This is a new, very cut down series of posts based on some observations on matters that struck a personal note: unlike the former “Gnwmythr’s News”, it is not trying to convey key events.

My articles this week include: “when is a (spirit) rescue not a (spirit) rescue”.

This week: a reminder that food insecurity is more widespread than people think;   co-sleeping wins back;   a terrible, terrible mass murder raises issues around domestic  violence, police  incompetence / attitudes, and media “reporting” - even social security;   more idiots are trying to get us to give up having personal gardens and space for greater density.

In the environmental arena: as Germany continues to successfully shut down its coal industry and Australia’s 2019/20 climate bushfires are revealed to have affected 75% of the population (although some of the bush is starting to recover - and this reviews the benefits of Royal Commissions), a warning has been made that environmental laws are more fatal than the recent bushfires on Australia’s animals;   hail does far more damage than falling trees;   Australia’s opposition ALP commits to the Paris targets (again) and no new coal mines;   a way to value urban forests;   a call for a carbon price;   Singapore will phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.

In human rights: mass graves from the civil war that ended in Burundi in 2005 are being investigated;   Singapore has (finally) taken some action against domestic violence and India’s top court rebukes that authoritarian nation’s government over sexist stereotypes (and meanwhile girls in a school are abused);   men in a sport react with hysteria to a sensible non-sexist suggestion;   sexual abuse in the workplace continues to be unmanaged;   sexism in data science is a barrier to women;   misogyny in Cambodia;   my home state has made reporting of child abuse mandatory - to the chagrin of notorious religious organisations (and a conservative media personality has put his foot in his mouth), and started an education campaign on autism;   a Thai coffee company will repay farmers;   a survivor’s appeal to use constructive language and images around slavery;   LGBT veterans are fighting for real equality and acceptance in Ukraine;   grandmothers are fighting back against Duterte encouraged murderous thugs;   my nation has idiotically given legitimacy and credibility to the genocidaires in burma;   the legacy of Australia’s slave trade (“blackbirding”) is still being felt - as is more recent hypocrisy;   a racist  terrorist attack against Muslims in Germany is not labelled as such by mainstream media, but is strongly protested by the public and other actions are contemplated, as information emerges over disturbing multi-national cooperation of white supremacists and anti-Semitism in Belgium and Iran;   appalling racist bullying of a child at school as a child sexual abuse scandal at another school continues to grow (guidance for parents here), and Australia’s army warns soldiers against racist gestures (the need to have to issue that warning is part of why I don’t want military representing, or purporting to represent, my nation) as racist degradation of education is highlighted;   a Chinese app may be targeting children;   police admit they mishandled raids on media, but still remain oblivious to the broader chilling impact on the functioning of a democratic society;   Australia’s NDIS continues to draw flak - suggestions on working through it here;   an examination of US (hypocritical) attitudes towards torture over the last four centuries;   “epistemic injustice” (a broader version of misogyny) was first identified by a woman in the late 1600s;   a call to not use facial surveillance;   one Australian state’s ex-servicepeople organisation ignores current practice elsewhere and steps firmly back into the racist mid-20^th century;   Indonesia considers torturing LGBT people;   a tech company is trying to reduce privacy protections on UK users;   Mexico takes action against femicides;   Brazil keeps trying to steal Indigenous peoples’ lands.

Trafficking/slavery/child abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Ethiopia;  
LGBTIQ+ matters (good and bad) have occurred in: India and China (good news);   and
other matters (good and bad) have occurred in: California (move to reduce [rough sleepers] homelessness).

In the related human rights arena of employment: a reminder that protecting wages need more than only criminalising wage theft.

In the governance, politics, and society arena: duping people into “user pays” combined with patriarchy now means child care is more expensive than the elitist private schools of the rich;   Australia’s Centrelink agency has made yet another stuff up causing massive trauma;   banks are allowed to continue to cause human beings problems;   the stupidity and human incompetence of some economists;   as our xenophobic hate shifts from boat people to plane people, the politician who voted to allow ongoing abuse of refugees wants voters to trust her - but “understands” not trusting other politicians . . . ;   cyber incompetence and elections don’t mix;   one in eight Australians is living in poverty (way to go alleged “good” economic managers - you’re like the reckless US republicans), and the closure of a major manufacturing company has drawn criticism over past policies;   the USA’s Attorney General has so annoyed people with his questionable conduct that a thousand former US Justice Department employees called for him to resign - mind you, POTUS45 isn’t helping.

Internationally: a call has been made for a solution to tensions in the South China Sea;   COVID-19 continues to dominate (with some possible developments in treatment despite the relevant department in the WHO having major problems, and the Chinese Communist Party postponing its annual conference [couldn’t happen to a more deserving despot] as it continues cybercrime, becomes more  authoritarian and launders money [literally - but Australia is not doing enough about the illegal money practice called money laundering], but political, racist, and devastating economic impacts spread - and another nation has evidently been lying);   a major storm in the UK - and floods in the USA;   progressive trade unions could play a role in elections in Hong Kong;   US aggression has given hardliners in Iran an electoral boost;   Malaysia is seeking to resolve a fishing dispute with Viêt Nám;   in Afghanistan, the Taliban and the USA have reached an agreement on US withdrawal - now for actual peace, and I hope the misogynistic Taliban and the USA’s Groper-in-Chief have not made this too misogynistic . . . ;   thugs and gangs are threatening Venezuela;   to confirm history rhymes, Russia is trying to undermine the next US Presidential election - and I’d characterise the US Democrats that way too, at the moment;   Turkey has asked Europe for humanitarian aid in the area of Syria being cleansed by a Russian-led Assad regime assault;   flash floods in Indonesia have killed at least six people;   Thailand continues to attack democracy;   income inequality is reducing but still present in Singapore;   Australia is reviewing its “commitment” to aid in Asia-Pacific;   Israel continues to expand its occupation of Palestinian (East) Jerusalem, although tensions are easing with Gaza;   allegations that POTUS45 tried to bribe Assange on the latter’s testimony;   questions over foreign agents in my nation;   PNG takes a stand for herself.
In Africa: optimism is on the rise amongst Africa’s youth, but corruption, jobs, and climate change remain concerns;   Lesotho’s Prime Minister has left the nation - but “not” skipped the nation - and thus was not in court to face murder charges;   as budget cuts undermine attempts to address poverty, the DR Congo continues to have a massive problem with five million people displaced by war - and Cameroon also has many IDPs fleeing violence and atrocities;   the India-Pakistan conflict finds a new arena;   the Philippines has booted the US military out - which will an impact on regional stability;   South Sudan’s civil war totters towards peace - again;   Libya’s warring factions resume talks - again;   a feminist has been released from prison in Uganda after her sentence was quashed, and Uganda and Rwanda ease  towards resolving tensions, while tensions grow between Rwanda and the DRC;   Somalia moves towards elections, while Togo raises doubts about its upcoming elections;   Ghana’s President calls on the police to improve their reputation;   an assessment of the causes of conflict in Mozambique;   “revolutionary guards” (?!) are trying to stop the smuggling of flour that started the recent, successful uprising in Sudan - which has accepted the primacy of peace agreements over the transitional constitution;   Algeria’s new President is trying to prevent a repeat of last year’s successful protests;   an opinion that Nigeria needs 100,000 more soldiers to defeat violent extremists - which really depends on how properly they conduct themselves (lessons of Viêt Nám etc), and whether other problems are also addressed . . . and others want fewer small arms (which is a good idea);   Russia’s cyberwarfare (disinformation) has attacked Africa;   Morocco suppresses human rights;   the EU has (rightly) renewed the arms embargo against Zimbabwe and will more stringently enforce the arms embargo against Libya - where unexploded munitions is becoming a significant problem for civilians;   20 refugees were killed in a stampede in Niger;   Kenyan police have killed eight people in poor areas - several clearly without justification (murder?), as civilians bear the brunt of operations against violent extremists;   the effects of the locusts in Kenya - and South Sudan.

On personal / spiritual matters: an examination of the shared links between religions/spiritual paths.