Some human rights and other news links and thoughts

Black Lives Matter! Be Anti-Racist, Anti-Sexist, and Actively Inclusive in ALL Areas.
The Climate Crisis is real, urgent and existential!

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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): 
• increasing conflicts over water (DW);   an assessment of what the USA could do for climate refugees (CFR);   the national ALP government “is sending mixed messages on energy – and some of it sounds like climate denial” (TG);   a “major sea-level rise [at least 27 cm] caused by melting of Greenland ice cap is ‘now inevitable’” (TG);   modelling to show the impact that climate change has in natural disasters (DW);   air pollution in Bosnia and Herzegovina reported to be is killing thousands (HRW);   a proposal to turn Australia into a Green Wall Street (ABC) as another call is made for an enquiry into offsets programmes (TG);   a report finds that many climate disasters share causes and solutions (UN);   gold mining pollution of a sacred river in Nigeria (AJ);   a call for BHP to do more (ACCR);   “Woodside uses war profits to double down on gas over transition” (ACCR);   Gabon has set an outstanding example of preserving river basin forests (AJ);  
  
  
• climate / environmental issues have occurred in:   USA (good news) (TG),   USA (TG); 
  
  
• 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: 
• the grossly irresponsible push to reduce COVID isolation times is being resisted (TND);   the problem of APATHY (TND);   China has put more than 20 million people into lockdown (AJ);  
   
  
• 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:   Ukraine claims nearly 50,000 Russian soldiers have died in the war so far (DW) - see also this, which suggests lower numbers;   an assessment of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south (DW);  
  
• on the nuclear (weapons and power) situations:   IAEA inspectors are at the nuclear power plant, but concerns remain (TG);  
• on human rights in the region and globally:   an appeal for humanitarian access across the front lines (UN);  
• inside Russia:   a Russian whistleblower soldier is seeking asylum in France (F24);   questions about how several heads of oil companies in Russia have died - particularly one who criticised Russia’s invasion (TG);   more on the abuses of Ukrainian civilians by Russia (HRW);  
  
• internationally:   Taiwan is learning from the war in Ukraine and improving its preparations (DW);  
   
• on INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
• the US Navy has conducted a “freedom of navigation” exercise through the Taiwan Strait (F24);    Taiwan has fired warning shots at a Chinese drone (TG);   in a DW exclusive interview, Taiwan says China is revealing its invasion plans;  
  
• fears of a possible new civil war in Libya (F24);    
• an opinion that transactional, rather than relationship, interactions have a place (Lowy);  
  
  
• 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:   prevention of the evil of war is better than cure (PnI);   plans by the US military to protect civilians in warzones have the potential to succeed (HRW);   the rest of Africa has a role to play in stopping Ethiopia’s siege of Tigray (FP);  
   
• on CORRUPTION (noting international  agreements and monitoring), MISGOVERNANCE, MAL-/MIS-/NON-FEASANCE and MISCONDUCT: 
• the crisis for children in Sri Lanka (UN);    
• the fallout this week from former PM Morrison’s multiple secret Ministries includes:   challenges to some MSM coverage (AIM);   “Australian politics and the banality of immorality” (PnI);   extremely disturbing revelations that Morrison began planning for this in 2018 (PnI), and that he was removed from a position as Managing Director of Tourism Australia in 2006 “for the same type of conduct he displayed in the “multi-minister” scandal” (TA);   
• a call for cultural change at another elitist school where appallingly abusive behaviour has occurred (SBS);    
• criticism of the Australian Federal Police’s handling of complaints (SBS);   the Qld police’s domestic violence enquiry has been extended after a “flood of submissions” (TG);  
  
  
• concerns around past/current/potential corruption/misgovernance in   my home state’s bail system (TG),   ;
  
  
• on DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects): 
• globally:   following #45's attack on democracy in the USA, an examination of lessons from the 70s emphasises that response to such threats should be founded on demonstrating resolve, responding constitutionally, and reinforcing democratic control (PVG), as the USA’s current President warns of the extremist threat (F214);   “being entitled to your opinion is not a defence for stupidity” (M);   “how Africa increased its healthy life expectancy” (DW);   a view of an agreed global minimum corporate tax rate as a step towards global taxation (Bertelsmann Transformation Index);   grave concerns about whether Iraq’s democracy will survive (UN);   a suggestion that the MSM start using the word fascism in relation to right winger extremists (TG);   “former Catalan Parliament leaders’ political rights violated, say UN experts” (UN);   a positive assessment of the growing resilience of democracy in Africa (FH);   an attempted assassination in Argentina only failed because the gun didn’t fire (TND);  
  
  
• in Australia:   my home state has received a report recommending action to prevent far right extremism (ABC) - and see this, on religious extremists branch stacking a conservative party (ABC);   mixed results from an assessment of the Albanese government’s performance on human rights (AI);   another call to rethink the use of GDP (“can you tax tears?”) (ABC) - see also this (TC), and this (TG);   growing concerns that tax cuts proposed by the previous neoliberal nitwits will “turbocharge inequality” (TG);   “democracies are fragile. Australians must act urgently to safeguard ours” (TC);   more on the bulk billing (medical care) crisis (TG);   Qld may decriminalise public drunkenness (TG);   calls for the return of the Commonwealth Employment Service (ABC);   a bean-counter led questioning of whether more police has been effective in my home state (why did they not consider whether or not this reduced police mental health problems / human rights abuses? Seems very inadequate and short-sighted to me) (TG);  
  
  
• suppression of dissent / media in   Kurdistan (HRW),   Sri Lanka (HRW),   Saudi Arabia (encouraging citizen spies) (TRF);
  democracy is also at risk in   USA (others - notably Robert Reich - have been warning of this for some time) (TG),   Greece (R); 
  
  
• on HUMAN RIGHTS (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC): 
• a proposal to boost observance of human rights in Cambodia (UN);   “Madagascar police confirmed ... that officers killed 19 people and injured 21 others after opening fire on what was described as a lynch mob angered over the kidnapping of an albino child” (F24);   exclusion is the main form of bullying (MN);   Israel is blocking access for human rights investigators (UN);   China's treatment of Uyghurs may be a crime against humanity (TG) in a report which Uyghurs say is too little, too late (DW);   a Reuters exclusive reports that DOZENS of migrant children who were forcibly separated from the parents by the US government ARE MISSING (R);   “red flag” laws in the USA, intended to stop guns being accessed by unsuitable people, are not being used (AP);   protests against military abuses in CAR (HA);  
   
• human rights are at risk or abuses have occurred in:   Canada (CBC),   West Papua (TND),   Egypt (HRW),   Ethiopia (HRW),   eastern Europe and Central Asia (RFE),   Sudan (DS),   Germany/Namibia (DW);
  
  
• violence in:   Mali (F24) - see also this (news24),   DRC (HA),   Sudan (AJ),   Afghanistan (AJ);
  
  
• noting the GENOCIDE  Convention:   an atrocity alert for Ethiopia and Libya (GCR2P);  
  
  
• noting the conventions and the Global Compact on REFUGEES:   a call for more backing of Tanzania in its hosting of refugees (MN);   Australians can now sponsor refugees (SBS);  
  
  
• noting the Yogyakarta Principles on LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE:   the problems with the term TERF (M);   a transphobic radio presenter’s bad parenting (he claims he was concerned as an attempt to justify his vicious, defamatory attack on another student) (QN) is shown by another (also cis-male) parent’s support of their trans child (“Honey Parenting”);   transphobic gamers have spread lies about a trans character - which were called out by other gamers and official statements (Kotaku);   the BBC is showing signs of being transphobic (M);   deliberate LGBT-phobia in the USA (UN);   one US state’s attempt to kill TGD youth has been rejected by a court (TRF);   LGBT-phobic and hating dinosaurs, some religious, in Serbia are trying to block EuroPride (TRF);   after the recent surge of extreme transphobic cyberstalking: how to stay safer (M);   frustration over the direction of TGD activism (not focusing on survival struggles) (M);   transgender parents do not assign their children's identity before the child can express an opinion (article also acknowledges the harm caused by misgendering) (The National Tribune);   more rabid homophobia but a right wing radio shock jock (Star);   Victoria Police has settled with a nightclub owner over a second bungled action (Star);  
  
  
• noting ICERD and DRIP on RACISM:   “unintended, but not unanticipated: coercive control laws will disadvantage First Nations women” (TC);   racist exclusion of the workforce resource that is Indigenous people (ABC);   an examination of the causes and cures of racism in sport (SBS);   a report that, despite whistleblower’s revelations, racism is continuing in a legal aid service;   a Greens Senator has called for Treaty before the Voice to the Parliament (TG) (I think the time to achieve Treaty is much longer, so this isn’t possible unless the Voice is deferred to after the next election - working on both is what should happen, IMO. I’ve also read criticism of this stance of the Greens and a suggestion is could lead to their demise);  
  
  
• noting CEDAW on SEXISM:    reflections on misogyny in the USA - now, and over the last two or three decades (the embedded YT video is well worth a view) (M);   “free period products to be rolled out across WA’s public secondary schools” (ABC);   “China charges 28 and launches corruption investigation into 15 officials including police after [possibly gang related] attack on women at Tangshan restaurant” (innocent until proven guilty still applies, but it is pleasing to see action taken after what clearly was a violent attack) (ABC);   a call to address structural inequality against women (TG);   most women in their 20s have experienced sexual violence (TG);   misogynistic sexism in views of alcohol consumption (TC);   the juror also needs to be charged (ABC);   sexism in the music industry (TG);  
  
  
• noting the laws listed here, the conventions listed here, and principles discussed here, here, here, here, and here, on the RIGHTS OF ANIMALS:   “male dolphins form lifelong bonds”, which contrasts against a clueless attempt at value-free and thus ineffectual “scientific consideration” of whether or not animals have emotions (TG);   
  
  
• noting the CRC on CHILDREN:   “Grace Tame goes to police over childhood abuser’s new messages” (ABC);   “experts say schools should have a ‘proactive approach’ to consent education after ACT students walk out of lesson” (ABC);   
  
  
• noting the CRPD on PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES:   a mother “was jolted by how much judgment and disrespect is shown full-time carers of children with disabilities” while she held the family together after her husband’s death and then sought work (TG);   the experience of being face blind (YT);   a shortage of disability support workers (ABC);   the blockages facing a homeless person with disability (TG);   ableism is stopping autistic people from “unmasking” (M);  
  
  
• 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:   short breaks can help maintain energy (TG);  
  
  
• 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:    the massive conflict of interest of MPs who are landlords (BT);   another article on tiny homes (ABC);   
  
  
• noting Article 9 of the ICESCR,   Article 5 (e) (iv) (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Articles 11 (1) (e), 13 (a), and 14 (2) (c) of the CEDAW,    Article 26 of the CRC,   Article 28 (2) of the CRPD,   Article 21 of the DRIP,   and   ILO conventions on SOCIAL SECURITY:   “Centrelink [seized] $13,000 of jobseeker’s compensation after work for the dole injury ... left him battling to get on to the disability support pension” (TG);   
   
• on NATURAL and OTHER DISASTERS (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter): 
• floods in Chad (UN), and warnings of repeat flooding in Australia (TG) as Nepal’s early flood warning system saves lives (DW);   devastating (F24) floods in Pakistan (DW), one third of which is under water (TG) - see also this (DW), and this warning of health risks (TG);   the drought in the Horn of Africa will continue into a 5^th year (UN);   heatwave in the USA (CNN); 

(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 Associated Press - AAP;   Australian Broadcasting Corporation - ABC;   Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility - ACCR;   Australian Independent Media Network - AIMN;   Bellingcat (B);   Bloomberg - BB;   Brisbane Times - BT;   British Broadcasting Commission - BBC;   Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - BAS;   Cable News Network - CNN;   Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - CBC;   Centre for Strategic and International Studies - CSIS;   Committee to Protect Journalists - CPJ;   the (US) Council on Foreign Relations (CFR);   Crikey - C [$];   Dabanga Sudan - DS;   Deutsche Welle - DW;   European Union - EU;   Forbes - F;   Foreign Policy - FP;   France 24 - F24;   Freedom House - FH;   Genocide Watch - GW;   Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect - GCR2P;   HumAngle - HA;   Human Rights Law Centre - HRLC;   Human Rights Watch - HRW;   International Crisis Group - ICG;   Lawfare Blog - LFB;   Lowy Institute - The Interpreter - Lowy;   mainstream media - MSM;   Medium - M;   Michael West (news media platform) - MW;   Mirage News - MN;   National Indigenous Times - NIT;   New York Times - NYT [$];   News24;   Out in Perth - OiP;   Pearls and Irritations - PnI;   Political Violence at a Glance - PVG;   Politico - P;   Premium Times Nigeria - PT;   Q News - QN;   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;   Wall Street Journal - WSJ [$];   War on the Rocks - WotR;   Washington Post - WP [$];   Yahoo News - Yahoo; YouTube - YT;