Some human rights and other news links and thoughts

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Some mostly human rights (including significant, relevant links in other fields - such as geopolitics, democracy, or authoritarianism) links (note: the source of news items [but not reference links] is in brackets after each item - normal rules around abbreviations will apply, and abbreviations are listed at the end of this post; links behind hard paywalls have a [$]; also, comments by me are in purple). 

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Content shown in green (which may be only part of a news story) is about what is generally considered “good news”, but personal history may still make such events triggering. Reader caution is recommended.

• on the CLIMATE CRISIS (noting the UNFCCC) and ENVIRONMENT (noting multiple  international agreements): 
• a consideration of whether we should cool the Earth, not just limit the heating (TC);   “business can no longer ignore extreme heat events – it’s becoming a danger to the bottom line” (TC);   “NSW flood response to include buybacks, land swaps for Northern Rivers homes” (TG);   inaccurate modelling of extreme weather by central banks and regulators may be causing misspending of trillions of dollars (TG);  “Kenyan youth help climate-hit communities prepare for disaster” (TG);   Indigenous rights in Brazil are under serious threat (HRW);   new progressive, community-based laws in Sierra Leone (NYT [$]);   “nine out of 10 major Australian electricity companies are failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to meet the goals of the landmark Paris climate agreement” (TG);   legal action by young people in Portugal over the climate crisis  (TG);   a warning that “economic damage from extreme weather could dwarf Europe's energy crisis” (TRF);   “changing climate forces rethink of traditional knowledge on Queensland’s far north coast” (NIT);  
  
  
• climate / environmental issues have occurred in:   African Union (news24),   Vanuatu (TRF),   Arctic (F24); 
  
  
• on the COVID-19 PANDEMIC (noting WHO advice, Article 12 of the ICESCR, and public emergency provisions of the ICCPR and the ICESCR) and other health matters: 
• in a blow to our future, a lot of Australians have used up all their superannuation to survive the pandemic (TND);  
   
  
• on Rashist  Putin and his cronies’ ILLEGAL (it is contrary to Chapters VI and VII of the UN Charter  and international law [and the 1928 Pact of Paris which was successfully used in post-WW2 trials], and possibly includes conduct contrary to the "laws" of war and international humanitarian law (IHL)) INVASION of UKRAINE: 
• on military matters:   growing nuclear risks (TND) as fighting - described as suicidal (CNN) - nears a nuclear plant under (dangerously poor) Russian control - leading to calls (DW) for a demilitarised zone;   
• on the nuclear (weapons and power) situations:   Russia has suspended nuclear inspections under the START treaty;  
  
• on human rights in the region and globally:   criticism of Amnesty International’s report last week (which was prepared by the same people who criticised Russian war crimes) which criticism use of civilian facilities by the Ukrainian army (some of the criticism seems to hinge on the Ukrainian government being given four days to respond) (P) - see also this (BT);  grain exports are continuing (F24);  
  
• inside Russia:   more suppression of dissent (ABC);  
• internationally:   Russia’s propaganda is not only aimed at English speakers (NYT [$]);  
   
• on INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
• the interconnection of the economies of Taiwan and China (DW), and China’s stronger military (F24);   as China tries to cool the tempers of ultranationalists its propaganda has stirred up and Taiwan’s Premier makes an  accusation (DW) of psychological warfare (TG) by China, concerns that China’s military exercises - which were intense before they ended (F24) - are possibly a simulation of an invasion of Taiwan (CNN), or a demonstration of how China could blockade (“strangle”) Taiwan (is this the lesson China has gained from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the international response?) (CNN) ... and the military exercises are continuing (TG) past (DW) the official end - but the Taiwanese people seem to be calm (DW) - the Taiwan military has also now conducted live fire exercises (F24);   the USA and India are conducting joint military exercises near the India-Chinese occupied Tibet border (CNN), but the USA has delayed a routine test of a nuclear-capable missile to avoid the risk of an escalation (R);   a reflection on what would happen in Australia imposed sanctions on China (TND) as China’s ambassador gets unacceptably (TG) aggressive (TND) over Taiwan;  
  
• Nepal’s difficult position - sandwiched between India and China (DW);   Russia has given more military equipment to the junta in Mali (AN);  
  
  
• noting particularly Chapters VI and VII of the UN Charter, the 1928 Pact of Paris used in post-WW2 trials, the "laws" of war and IHL and Article 20 of the ICCPR on WAR / CONFLICT:   Rwanda has denied that it is supporting rebels in the DRC, despite “solid evidence” that it is (AP);   concerns about growing risks of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (ICG);   a peace deal has been signed with separatists in southern Senegal (F24);  “greater investment in State institutions [aka, “capacity building”] is critical to counter peace and security challenges in Africa, a senior UN official [has] told the Security Council” (UN);   there is a possibility (DW) that talks could be revived on how to revive the nuclear deal with Iran that #45 sank;  
   
• on CORRUPTION (noting international  agreements and monitoring), MISGOVERNANCE , MAL-/MIS-/NON-FEASANCE and MISCONDUCT: 
• after reading this (TC), IMO, anyone who thinks being dressed “professionally” or “appropriately” (meaning formally) rather than being competent (or that fashion "sense" is a valid way of judging anyone) is a superficial, corruption promoting git;   
•  former POTUS45 has been raided (TND) by the FBI, who were looking for (TG) top secret (including on nuclear weapons) documents - and may have found them (TND) (see here (YT) for a legally oriented commentary);   attempts to inform oversight organisations about the US Secret Service's destruction of communication records were suppressed (TG);  
• a UK special unit “spread fake news about leftist politician, Oginga Odinga, seen as threat to British interests in 1960s” (TG);   Sri Lanka’s continuing crisis (HRW) - see also here (ICG);   inadequate government responses to drought in the horn of Africa (The New Humanitarian);   criticism of NSW’s response to this year’s floods (TG);   “patients suffering chronic pain are being denied treatment in low-income countries because of restrictive laws and concerns about opioid addiction, which have been fuelled by the crisis engulfing the US” (TG);   in what it described as a “dereliction of duty” (TND), a Royal Commission has found Australia’s compensation scheme contributed (TG) to suicides of veterans;   a major tech company will pay $60 million in fines for misleading Australians over the collection of location data (TG);  
• as a New Zealand MP is stood down in response to bullying complaints (TG), a report criticises the workplace culture of the NSW Parliament (TG);   
• a recommendation has been made by a Parliamentary enquiry, headed by renowned anti-corruption QC Tony Fitzgerald, for Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) to stop using seconded police (this sort of recommendation has been made in other situations as well - see here, for instance, but see also here and here [and this]) (TG);   another trust-destroying, lacking-in-credibility police union response to problems - this time in Qld, over domestic violence failures (TG);   despite forewarning, police in Canada have been duped by transphobic SWATing, which they compounded by being transphobic (M);  
  
  
• on DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects): 
• globally:   an opinion that “the G-7 is dictatorial, while the G-20 is democratic” (PnI);   the Ivory Coast’s President has pardoned his predecessor, who had been cleared of human rights abuses but still faced sentencing over a conviction in absentia over prior financial crimes (F24);   the climate crisis and health care bill has now passed both houses of the US Congress (CNN);   “spyware is [a] huge threat to global human rights and democracy, expert warns” (TG);   options for Iraq (ICG);   although elites may manipulate and take advantage of protests, the protests don’t occur without genuine grievances (PVG);   sexual exploitation by UN peacekeepers in the DRC and the children they abandoned (TC);   Sierra Leone has imposed a curfew in response to anti-government protests (AJ);   a Tunisian court has suspended the autocratic leader’s suspension of 50 judges (F24);   concerns over cryptocurrency in developing nations (UN);   counting is continuing in Kenya’s peaceful elections (rfi) - despite fake rumours on social media (Yahoo);  
  
  
• in Australia:   former PM Kevin  Rudd  writes the “voice debate reminds me of controversy before I delivered the apology”, which begins with: “The arc of history bends slowly towards justice but, 15 years on from the national apology to Indigenous people, it’s time to walk the next steps in the long journey to reconciliation. There has already been too much delay since Indigenous leaders signed the Uluru Statement from the Heart five years ago” (TG) - but see also this (TA), on an Indigenous MP arguing there are more urgent matters;   the superannuation scheme has made us all “accidental investors” (TG);   criticism of “parachuting candidates into electorates” instead of supporting diversity (TG);   two  more calls for windfall taxes (TG);   a call for real solutions rather than transphobia (TG);   GPs are “increasingly scrapping” bulk billing as rebates fail to match cost increases - which puts health care at risk (TG);   continuing concerns over inadequate preparation for disasters in Australia (TG);   young people are getting political - but in new ways (Pro Bono Australia);  
  
  
• suppression of dissent / media in   Zimbabwe (VoA),   the Philippines (Rappler),   Somaliland (R);
  democracy is also at risk in   DRC (HRW),   Solomon Islands (TG),   Brazil (fears of a #45 style attempted coup/insurrection) (TG),   PNG (violence and electoral fraud) (TG),   Mali (HRW),   Russia (HRW),   Sudan (DS),   UK (TG),   Kiribati (TG),   Guinea (HRW); 
  
  
• on HUMAN RIGHTS (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC): 
• “Africa revives push for colonial-era reparations” (DW);   a right wing conspiracy fantasist ordered to pay millions in compensation to the victims of his egregious lies has now been ordered to pay tens of millions of additional compensation (F24);   violent fighting in West Bank (F24) and Gaza Strip (F24) before a ceasefire (TG) which prevented a full-scale war (UN), but the areas remain (TG) devastated and in its ongoing humanitarian crisis (TC), and some lethal Israeli violence is continuing (ABC);   “Indigenous people with disabilities face racism and ableism. What’s needed is action not another report” (TG);   more than 80% of people - mostly women and gender diverse - have experienced violence in community sport (TC);   “Australia’s first laws to make coercive control a crime must be expanded to include rape in relationships as well as stalking and other forms of violence, according to the international expert who coined the term” (TG);   a warning against allowing people to be seen as disposable (M);   a rebuttal of the “alpha male” concept (M);   another Australian state has followed my home state and banned hate symbols (TG);  
   
• human rights are at risk or abuses have occurred in:   Rwanda (HRW) - see also here (AP),   Burundi (HRW),   Cambodia (suppression of worker’s rights) (HRW),   France (TG),   UK (TG),   Japan-Burma (HRW),   Cameroon (HRW),   the Philippines (Lowy);
  
  
• violence in:   Nigeria (HRW) - but see also this (Premium Times) and this (VoA),   Mali (news24),   DRC (HumAngle),   Burkina Faso (VoA),   Haiti (DW),   Cameroon (Le Monde);
  
  
• noting the GENOCIDE  Convention:   crimes against humanity are still being systematically committed in Burma (UN);   an atrocity alert for Burma, Israel & the occupied territories, and the DRC (GCR2P);  
  
  
• noting the conventions and the Global Compact on REFUGEES:   Venezuelan migrants/asylum seekers/refugees in Columbia need protection (ICG);   the NSW government has said it has increased funding for support of asylum seekers (MN);  
  
  
• noting the Yogyakarta Principles on LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE:   a criticism of the media’s coverage of TGD people’s participation in sport (TC);   the horrors of anti-LGBTIQA+ conversion practices (CNET);   examination of Ghana’s appalling proposed anti-LGBTIQA+ law (TG);   LGBTIQA+phobia and the resultant harm in Malaysia (HRW);   a child kicked out of a religious kindergarten because her parents are a same sex couple has received offers of acceptance from other religious kindergartens (this illustrates a point many LGBTIQA+ advocates - and other people - do not realise: not all religions are hateful) (TG);   concerns about the vague powers police have to screen participants in Sydney’s Mardi Gras (if police had shown themselves to be trustworthy and free of bigotry, this would probably be less of a concern) (Star);   a rebuttal of inaccurate and transphobic mainstream media reporting (M);  
  
  
• noting ICERD and DRIP on RACISM:   “Vancouver police under scrutiny after deaths of multiple young Indigenous women, girls” (CBC);   a Guardian Australia exclusive reports “Aboriginal deaths in custody or during a police operation last year doubled NSW’s previous record” (TG);   “the death of an Aboriginal teenager in a West Australian prison [on “the cusp of release”] could have been prevented if he had received adequate medical care, a coronial inquest found” (NIT);   the “Australian War Memorial needs to own [the] Australian frontier wars” (PnI);   my home state’s police are implementing the recommendations of an IBAC review (Perth Now);   a call for the USA to dismantle structural racism (HRW);   an opinion that “enabling an Indigenous voice to parliament will make Australia more credible in the world’s eyes” (TG), but see also this, on the need for Treaty (BT);   “how our White Man’s Media frames and conditions our thinking and actions” (PnI);  
  
  
• noting the laws listed here, the conventions listed here, and principles discussed here, here, here, here, and here, on the RIGHTS OF ANIMALS:   laws in NSW limiting the detection of animal cruelty have been upheld (TG);  
  
  
• noting Article 17 of the ICCPR,   Article 16 of the CRC,   Article 22 of the CRPD,   and   Article 12 (1) of the DRIP on PRIVACY:   a former social media employee has been found guilty of spying on dissidents in Saudi Arabia (TG);   “Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has been rewriting websites [“JavaScript injection”] its users visit, letting the company follow them across the web after they click links in its apps, according to new research from an ex-Google engineer” (TG);   
  
  
• noting Articles 2 (1) (also noting this, this, this, and this), 3, 7, 14 (see here and here), 15, 16, and 26 of the ICCPR,   Articles 3, 5 (a), and 6 (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Articles 2, 12 (2), 37, 39, and 40 of the CRC,   Articles 5, 12, 13, and 14 of the CRPD,   and   Articles 1 - 2, 7 (2), 8 (2) (c), 9 - 10, 12 (2), 20 (2), 27, and 40 of the DRIP on the JUDICIARY / JUSTICE SYSTEM:   as my home state announces a course in crime prevention (official media release), a criminologist warns (ABC) a purely punitive approach to young people stealing cars for joy riding could be counter-productive;   
  
  
• noting the CRC on CHILDREN:   an in-depth investigation into the US government's deliberate decision to separate children from families (The Atlantic);  
  
  
• noting the CRPD on PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES:   a report into disability employment services “found key issues were reducing jobs barriers, allowing better access to jobs services, and providing more holistic, wrap-around services and complementary supports” (TND);   “how to talk about disability sensitively and avoid ableist tropes” (NPR);   
  
  
• noting Articles 6 (1), 7, and 8 (see here) of the ICESCR,   Article 5 (e) (i) (ii) (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Article 11 (1) (a - c) of the CEDAW,   and   Article 27 (1) of the CRPD on WORK and FAVOURABLE WORK CONDITIONS:   work to rule is now being called “quiet quitting” (ABC);   a call for FIFA and Qatar to pay compensation for the workers they abused (and killed) (HRW);   the USA is attacking gig workers (HRW);   
  
  
• noting Article 6 (1) of the ICCPR,   Article 11 of the ICESCR,   Article 5 (e) (iii) (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Article 14 (2) (h) of the CEDAW,   Article 27 (3) of the CRC,   Article 28 of the CRPD,   and   Article 20 of the DRIP on FOOD, CLOTHING, and HOUSING:    rising prices may lead to more multi-generational shared living arrangements (ABC);   Australia’s new government will make a push to provide more social housing (TC);   an opinion that landlords should get a job (M);   surviving on the poverty line as a renter (TG);   
   
• on NATURAL and OTHER DISASTERS (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter): 
• floods in the USA (DW), South Korea (TG), Sudan (AP), and Pakistan (CNN);   a bus accident in Croatia (DW);   lightning caused a fire at an oil storage facility in Cuba (CNN), and a call for international help has been issued (F24);   extreme heat in Iraq (UN);   bushfires in France (TND);   imminent famine in Ethiopia (UN);   drought in England (TG);   a boat carrying asylum seekers has sunk off the coast of Greece (F24);  
   
• the problem of “cognitive fatigue”;
  

(Should you elect to write to your elected representatives or others on these matters, it may be useful to familiarise yourself with the links shown in blue - or to at least refer to them. Don't forget to CHECK whether your nation has RATIFIED the treaty concerned.)

Abbreviations:   Aeon Magazine - Aeon;   Africa Centre for Strategic Studies - ACSS;   Africa News - AN;   Al Jazeera - AJ;   Amnesty International - AI;   Associated Press - AP;   Australian Broadcasting Corporation - ABC;   Australian Independent Media Network - AIMN;   Bloomberg - BB;   Brisbane Times - BT;   British Broadcasting Commission - BBC;   Cable News network - CNN;   Committee to Protect Journalists - CPJ;   Crikey - C [$];   Dabanga Sudan - DS;   Deutsche Welle - DW;   European Union - EU;   Forbes - F;   Foreign Policy - FP;   France 24 - F24;   Freedom House - FH;   Genocide Watch - GW;   Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect - GCR2P;   Human Rights Law Centre - HRLC;   Human Rights Watch - HRW;   International Crisis Group - ICG;   Lawfare Blog - LFB;   Lowy Institute - The Interpreter - Lowy;   Medium - M;   Mirage News - MN;   National Indigenous Times - NIT;   New York Times - NYT [$];   News24;   Pearls and Irritations - PnI;   Political Violence at a Glance - PVG;   Politico - P;   Premium Times Nigeria - PT;   Radio France International - rfi;   Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE);   Reuters - R;   Robert Reich - RR;   (Bruce) Schneier - Sch;   Special Broadcasting Service - SBS;   Star Observer - Star;   Sudan Tribune - ST;   Sydney Morning Herald - SMH;   The Age - TA;   The Big Smoke (TBS);   The East African - TEA;   The Guardian - TG;   The Monthly - TM;   The New Daily - TND;   The Saturday Paper - TSP;   The Shot - TS;   Thomson Reuters Foundation - TRF;   United Nations - UN;   Voice of America - VoA;   War on the Rocks - WotR;   Washington Post - WP [$];   Yahoo News - Yahoo; YouTube - YT;