Cross posting: Post No. 1,581 - In this week’s news

This post originally appeared on my main blog at https://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2020/06/post-no-1581-in-this-weeks-news.html.

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Stay safe - wash your hands, practice social distancing, and follow informed medical advice - and be considerate towards those at risk or in situations of vulnerability (including economic) while the COVID-19 pandemic is a problem.

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.

Content Warning: the linked articles and their descriptions here may be about violence, abuse, hate, and other problems.

Reading I found interesting this week included:   a panel discussion titled “America is at war with itself”.

I’m going to begin this week with a special section on the protests in the USA:
   an autopsy finds George Floyd’s death  WAS homicide;   protestors are insisting on all four “police” (Gestapo!) being charged - which has now happened, but after so much egregious violence by the US Gestapo (and I note that most police have actually been GOOD) that it doesn’t matter;   Barack Obama and others, including a former ultra-conservative Republican President, are calling for justice;   Mr Floyd’s brother has called for peaceful protests;   against a background of fears US civil-military relations are broken, the National Guard have been activated (the US Defence Secretary has objected to sending in troops) - and have been attacking bystanders, and retired generals have been speaking out against potus45 - one is making comparison with Nazi Germany, and the current US military is acting to make sure it is properly inclusive;   unbelievably, people are trying to “whitesplain” the great Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. to his son (and yes, a riot IS the language of the unheard - and MLK pointed out there are NO “innocent” bystanders);   the voices of some of the protestors;   “to be black and conscious of anti-black racism is to stare into the mirror of your own extinction”;   the family of one of Australia’s Indigenous deaths in custody victims and other Indigenous activists have expressed solidarity with Mr Floyd’s family;   a man aimed a weapon - a compound bow loaded with arrow - at protestors;   a TV comedian-presenter has made some very telling points;   an example of white privilege;   young black women are marching for justice and social equity;   “Black Lives Matter. Aboriginal Lives Matter”;   a man charged with murdering a jogger used a racial slur;   a Reuters exclusive reports that “most Americans sympathize [sic] with protests, disapprove of Trump's response”;   surveillance and privacy concerns;
   police:   “police in New South Wales have won a Supreme Court bid to prohibit Sydney's weekend Black Lives Matter march”;   “police took three years to dismiss officer who slammed teen to ground at 2013 Sydney Mardi Gras”;   some Gestapo have resigned from their suppression duties over being held accountable;  a part of this comedian’s sessions shows (at 4m:35s) US Gestapo (they’re no longer police) stopping a diabetic getting her insulin, thereby putting her life AT RISK;   the militarisation of US police (which has long been of concern);   a reported attack on police;   a movement is growing to defund police and reinvest the money in services;   more on police violence;
   suggestions/recommended actions / noteworthy responses:   a massive MLM mural has been painted in a street leading to the US White House;   plans to “end a pattern of police violence by allowing victims to sue officers for illegal and unconstitutional acts”;   US leaders must moderate their language;   opportunities to support those in the USA who are fighting for justice and social equity;   a call for change;   an infection prevention researcher’s advice on safety and protesting;   support for bail funds;
   attacks on and actions by the media:   reporters are being targeted by police and some crowds, but they frame the protests - and whether they include the peaceful events - is crucial;   the police attack on an Australian media team has been raised diplomatically;   a bad decision by a major US newspaper;   125 violations of press freedom in 3 days;
   analysis/commentary:   as potus45 takes the USA to the brink of a race war, commentary that “the original sin of slavery stains [the USA] today” (and racism is why the USA doesn’t have a proper health system);   “the United States of today bears a striking resemblance to Germany in the years before the rise of the Nazi Party”;   analysis of the looting;   an analysis of why protests turn violent - and attitudes and Gestapo/police behaviour are key problems;
   POTUS45 is:   calling for thuggery and violence,   being criticised over his lack of leadership;   facing a crisis (but could be re-elected);   has banned a protest movement;   has breached copyright on social media;   is being sued over civil rights violations;
   joining the protests have been:   Perth;   Europe;  UK, where lockdown breach fines have targeted minorities (I know someone who left the UK police because of their endemic racism);   multiple locations;   here;   support from religious leaders for change;   Pride marches are returning to their roots in action against police and other oppression;
   more on the very long history of the causes of the protests:   here,   here;   an analysis of protests in the 1960s shows that the peaceful protests were more politically successful (but note the MLK quote above, and my analogy here);   here.

In this week’s news:   more warnings on Israel’s plan to annex the West Bank (which Israel’s military is not prepared for, and the Palestinian Authority is reacting to) by a Jew who fought the accusation that Israel used apartheid, Egypt and Russia, Jordan, and the USA.

In the environmental arena, where we have been fighting World War III for some time now:   the sixth mass life extinction we are in is accelerating;   contradiction by experts of a neolib MP who made a wrong claim;   “linking the women, peace and security agenda to climate change”;   many of Canada’s endemic species are at risk;   an oil and gas company “could be forced to pay $100m for failure to capture carbon emissions”;   after repeated breaches, there are calls in my home state to review forestry laws;   a fuel spill above the Arctic circle in Russia;   global rainforest losses are continuing;   calls to build resilience.
other environmental matters have occurred in:   USA.

On human and animal rights:
   family violence has been linked to cluster of suicides;   Afghani girls have been building ventilators;
   a call for a ban on the homophobic/transphobic expression of hate referred to as “conversion” “therapy”;   LGBTIQ+ vilification is allowed in most of Australia;   families are the major source of abuse for LGBTIQ+ people;
   China - I mean “Hong Kong” has banned the Tiananmen Square Massacre vigil for the time ever, ostensibly over COVID-19 concerns, and acted violently towards those who tried to mark it;   China’s new law and suppression of Hong Kong, which is also banning “disrespect” of China’s anthem, is putting data centres there at risk;   a controversial conservative, ex-Gestapo MP has been “accused of ‘dictator’ rhetoric over call for mandatory sentences for climate protesters”;
   how to respect Indigenous cultural IP;   the health benefits of a native fruit;   calls for law reform after the destruction of an Indigenous sacred site;   the racist origins of “fighting obesity”;   evidence has emerged that a mining company which recently destroyed an Indigenous site knew of its significance six years ago . . . ;   NO-ONE HAS BEEN CONVICTED OVER ANY OF THE 432 INDIGENOUS DEATHS IN CUSTODY - see also this;   a plea for racial equality/inclusion in banking;
   recommended controls for autonomous weapons (aka “killer robots”);   a state government has shown no inclination to use race hate laws;
   police in a US city have been fired for a taser attack on two students;   more than half of people killed by police in one state had a mental illness;   THE GLOBAL PROBLEM OF GESTAPO (“POLICE”) USING CHOKEHOLDS;   police in Israel killed a man with special needs;   police violence in Brazil;
   anti-Semitism in Iraq and Syria, and on social media;
   New Zealand needs a commissioner for older people;
   tear gassing children in jail has been confirmed as illegal;   mobile camel-borne libraries are keeping children in Ethiopia safer from  slavery;
   a social media platform’s staff have found their backbones and protested their boss’s hypocrisy;   a tech company has been sued for tracking users Internet use even though they had “private” settings;
   the communal aspects of mental health;   the problems of living with chronic pain;
   an Australian court has set back animal rights by allowing live export - and my home state has backed the animal industry - and, validly, personal safety of people living on those places -against animals rights;   hundreds of animals have been injured when Israeli parks reopened;
   the need for smaller houses.
Immigration, migration and refugee matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Greece;   Australia;   Burkina Faso;   Ethiopia;   India;
racism/caste based matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   face recognition;   USA (good news);   Brazil;   Nepal;
trafficking/slavery/child abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Greece;   Zimbabwe;   India;
LGBTIQ+ matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Japan/olympics;   USA;   Argentina (good news);
sexism, misogyny/misandry and domestic violence matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   women farmers in India and Africa;   Nigeria;   DR Congo;   UK;   Argentina (good news);   Yemen;
disability matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Australia;   Mexico;   the new NDIA price guide;   my home state’s Parliament’s next Auslan bulletin;
other freedom of the press matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Cameroon;
other repression/oppression / reduction of democracy and other civil & political rights matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   the Philippines;   Kyrgyzstan;   Egypt;   Turkey.

In the related human rights arena of employment:   more support for a four day working week;   the need for a legal right to flexible working arrangements.

Risks or occurrences of atrocities, mass violence and/or war(s) this week in:   the USA;   Iraq;   Sudan;   Burkina Faso;   Nigeria;   Nigeria;   Somalia;   Somalia;   Egypt;   Niger;   DR Congo;   South Sudan;
and   the USA, led by its moron-in-chief, is creating the risk of a nuclear arms race with China;   South Sudan (extension of arms embargo);   a militia leader who may have committed a dual murder in DR Congo has been arrested;   the US military, claiming it can be trusted!, wants to be able to call up more retirees . . . ;   “Norway to withhold funding to Palestinians over textbooks that promote violence”;   “UN-backed Libyan forces oust renegade general from Tripoli” - but the general left banned landmines behind.

In the governance, politics, public ethics, and society arena:   the left and the the right in Brazil are uniting to try to defend democracy against their nutjob president;   power is being concentrated at the top in Australia;   the neoliberals are refusing to apologise for their illegal robodebt atrocity - which they may try to reboot (ParentsNext may be the next target);   potus45 has vetoed student loan forgiveness;   protection of Puerto Rico’s attempts at financial rebuilding;   some MORONS in the USA have wondered about whether a coup d’état should happen;   my home state’s injection room trial will continue;   an assessment of Australia’s pandemic response shows overall a reasonable response, but some areas of concern (“reviving parliaments; making  the National Cabinet more transparent; ensuring adequate restrictions on surveillance measures; organising forthcoming elections; mitigating the pandemic’s hollowing out of independent media across Australia; and seizing the moment for democratic reform”) remain;   a little late, we will get a national security test on major overseas purchases;   an archivist is delaying, possibly illegally, access to the “palace letters” as ordered by the High Court - and may restrict that access
other governance, politics, public ethics, and society matters have occurred in:   Australia.

On disasters this week:   a tropical storm in Central America;   a cyclone in India.

Internationally:   the doctor whose work against the pandemic makes her a threat to Putin;   China’s current and past threats  against Hong Kong - with Tibet being an indicator of what could happen;   more on tensions between China and India on the Indo-Tibetan border;   grave concerns that Lebanon is on the brink of economic collapse;   overmilitarisation of the USA’s foreign policy has limited its options;   Australia hopes to build trade with India (we’ve been here before - what went wrong? Also, don’t forget Africa!);   a Nepal-India border dispute.

In Africa:   Ethiopia and Sudan are looking to resolve border violence;   the election result in Burundi has been upheld.

On the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus (there are other novel coronaviruses) (seven major risks to watch here, and seven sins of thought to avoid here):
   “ ’One Health’ approaches, which combine animal, human, and environmental health, are critical for preventing another devastating pandemic”;   the WHO is recommending that everyone wear face masks in areas where there is a risk of transmission;   the pandemic recession may become endemic;

   medical aspects:   “Lancet retracts paper that halted hydroxychloroquine trials” - see also here;   the virus remains as potent as ever;   the difficulties of trying to model suicides;   the limits of the potential of genetic medicine;   the high proportion of asymptomatic people with the virus;   in-home tests are showing some promise;

   human rights aspects (crisis . . . running summary of impacts on elections here):   the risks associated with apps;   the role of social media in spreading conspiracy nutjob theories;   racism in Australia has surged;   concerns about the extent of Israeli pandemic powers for police;   warning of a food crisis;   racism in Australia has led to warnings overseas to avoid us;   South China Sea;   improved contact tracing apps in Europe;   African police abuses;   xenophobic abuse in Singapore;   a map of impacts on people with disabilities;
   also including
   housing problems in:   slums and health workers;
   increased opportunistic repression/oppression / reduction of democracy in:   a global assessment;

   Australia:   “shocking and wilful neglect of temporary visa holders”;   underemployment;   as mortgage stress builds, a moronic call to rebuild our economy by renovating  rich people’s homes;

   internationally:   40,000 “migrant” workers can resume work in Singapore, where face masks remain compulsory;   Indian police are trying to rehabilitate their relationship with the community - with patchy and perhaps temporary results;   prisoners in Brazil are at risk;   health officials in the UK have begged (my word) for the lockdown not to be eased;   Chinese test machines were found in Israel to not work;   New Zealand may ease its restrictions soon - but see this;   loss of elders is threatening Canadian Indigenous culture;   Spain is giving financial aid to the poor;   the Philippines is paying people to move from the city to rural areas;   aged care testing in Singapore;   Australia vs. New Zealand on support for those affected by the lockdown;   Brazil;   India is easing the lockdown despite a surge in cases;   suicides in Thailand;   unemployment in the Philippines;   a stimulus package in Malaysia;   3 businesses in Singapore have been closed for ordering staff to stop working from home;   Singapore has realised the shortcomings of mobile phone apps, and is trying another approach to contact tracing;   despite a second wave, Japan will allow foreigners to enter for humanitarian reasons;   the digital divide in South Africa;   the digital divide in India has been fatal;   property disputes in India as people flee the cities;   the impact on women in the Indo-Pacific;

   Africa:   sex workers are at increased risk;   a Kenyan police officer has been charged with murder over a curfew death;   many of the members of South Sudan’s cabinet has COVID-19;   protests over police brutality in Madagascar;

   globally:   concerns whether vaccines will reach the world’s poor;

   stupidity:   Israel’s leaders;

   blame games:   Sweden.