Saturday 21 January 2023

Some human rights and other news links [Note: Content Warning - reader discretion is advised!] and thoughts - Saturday, 21st January 2023

Black Lives Matter! Be Anti-Racist, Anti-Sexist, and Actively Inclusive in ALL Areas.
The Climate Crisis is real, urgent and existential!
The Pandemic is Real, and Vaccinations save lives. Stay safe - wash your hands, wear a face mask in public if prudent to do so, and follow informed medical advice.

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. For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]).

  • several ultra-wealthy people have demanded that they be taxed (TG) - see also this (TG);   the worlds best head of state will stand down, after six challenging years of trying to make the world a kinder place (AJ) - see also this (TG), this (TG), this (TC), this (TND), this (F24), this (TG), this (TG), this (TG), this (TG), and this, on the possible role of threats and abuse (TG);   “why diversity equity inclusion (DEI) must take an intersectional approach” (apolitical);   reading and thoughts on the 1% of the 1% - including this (The Hartmann Report) - see also this (YT);   criticism of the USA’s Attorney-General for a YEARS long delay in taking legal action against senior figures in the 6th January 2021 attempted insurrection in the USA (M);   an examination of the utterly evil Edward Bernays and the history of social engineering/control - some good (MIT Press Reader);   the problem of white backlash (FiveThirtyEight);   in 1930s Germany the nazis thought a prehistoric shaman was male - but “the 9,000-year-old human remains were of a powerful woman of colour” (DW);   “popular mobilisation makes democracy more likely after a coup” (PVG);   “a trans woman [has] founded a group to help trans people leave the USA due to rising hate” (LGBTQ Nation);   as nuclear weapons possessing states continue to resist the ban on nuclear weapons (Responsible Statecraft), “the greatest nuclear threat we face is a Russian victory” (The Atlantic) - or a Russian loss (R);   a call to view the Internet as essential infrastructure, not a plaything for billionaires (TND);   a medical fellowship has been established in West Asia in honour of a Palestinian woman murdered in my home city (SBS);   Finland is teaching children to spot misinformation (NYT [$]);   another instance of toxic positivity (TG);   impact of AI on jobs (SBS);   the problem of gamification of warfare (TC);   thoughts on privilege and marginalisation (M);   an excellent rant on big companies and cyber security from social media;   an assessment of lessons from the pandemic - including how people react to stress (TBS);   a falling population in China (F24) raises hope for a falling population of the planet (TC);  spotting bots and what to do about possible infection (TND);  
  • on the CLIMATE CRISIS (noting the UNFCCC) and ENVIRONMENT (noting multiple  international agreements): 
    • household solar is back to pre-pandemic levels of sales (TG);   a new technology may remove microplastics (AWA);   “there’s a quantifiable cost to [a recently deceased evil person’s] style of climate denial” (TND);   two environmental activists are missing in Mexico (UN);   a warning of unprecedented heatwaves (TG);   a call to replace (TG) the COPs on the basis that fossils (DW) have destroyed them;   the spread of mosquito borne diseases in southern Australia (TC);   many species of sharks and rays are at risk of extinction (TG);   dust may have hidden the extent of global warming (TG);   the use of legal action to force responses to the climate crisis (Lowy);   “more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest provider are worthless, analysis shows” (TG);    “extreme heat could put 40% of land vertebrates in peril by end of century” (TG);   Chile has rejected a mine near a penguin colony (TG);   the climate crisis is fuelling conflict in the Lake Chad region of Africa (AP);   the UK King wants to return wind farm profits to the community (ABC);   as well as gobbling up massive amounts of energy, so-called crypto mines also MASSIVELY pollute the noise environment (CNN);   the continuing problem of light pollution (ABC);  
    • climate / environmental issues have also occurred in:   Murray River (ABC),   Zambia (UN);

  • 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: 
  • on NATURAL and OTHER DISASTERS (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter): 
    • the largest global outbreak of bird flu in history is continuing (F24);   after weeks (TG) of storms and more to come, US President Biden has declared a state of emergency in California (DW);   floods in Qld (ABC) as more wild weather is expected in Australia (TND) - see also this, on lack of/lack of adequate preparation (TC);   a plane (ABC) crash (SBS) in Nepal (TND) - see also this (TG);   the WHO has organised a Council to facilitate vaccines against tuberculosis (UN);   ongoing problems from the floods in Pakistan (UN);   another fatal bus collision in Senegal (TG);   a food or heating crisis in Afghanistan (AJ);   the benefit of community radio (TC);   the mental health impact of natural disasters (TG);   around two million people are facing food insecurity in Lebanon (UN);  

  • 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:   the UK (TND) will send modern tanks to Ukraine, which still also needs other tanks (DW), but Germany will only send its tanks if the USA does likewise (CNN) - see also here (CNN), and this (TG);   more (DW) training (TG) of Ukrainian forces - in Germany;   no chance for peace negotiations yet (UN);  
    • on human rights in the region and globally:   a Russian mercenary has sought asylum in Norway (TG);  concern over religious freedoms (UN);   increased aid to frontline areas of Ukraine as grain exports continue (UN);  
    • internationally:   Putin’ s invasion of Ukraine may see the end of the breakaway Transnistria in Moldavia (DW);   after an alleged fan slipped up in an interview and showed his support for Russia (heard by me on radio), Russian and Belorussian flags have been banned from a sporting event (TG);   “EU sets up [a] reserve in Finland to respond to nuclear and chemical threats” (R);   an assessment of the status of international support suggests Ukraine may have to curtail its ambitions to what is achievable (ICG);  
       
  • on INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
  • on CORRUPTION (noting international  agreements and monitoring), MISGOVERNANCE, MAL-/MIS-/NON-FEASANCE, MISCONDUCT and THREATS TO DEMOCRACY/FREEDOM: 
    • I disagree with this article’s view (TND) that the NSW Premier wearing a nazi uniform is something to learn from: he should have known better then, as should Harry when he did the same, and it shows a fatal flaw in their character as humans that needs to be addressed (now done through others means with Harry), not a “simple” error of judgment or lack of knowledge;   calls for Bolsonaro to sent back from the USA to be held accountable for the attempted insurgency (F24), which Brazil’s leaders are working hard to overcome the effects of (TG), and more on the attempted insurgency here (CNN), the importance of prosecuting leaders who do wrong has been shown previously in Brazil (LA Times [editorial]), the significant numbers of neochristians involved (RNS);   “the United States has always been dystopian for Black People” (M);   concern at the impact on governance of changes to committee memberships being made by the Republicans in the USA (SubStack - RR);   more criticism of the recently deceased religious figure who enabled child abuse and actively promoted hate (TG);   a serving UK police officer has been revealed as a serial rapist who flaunted his position at his victims over DECADES (TND) - see also this (TG), this (TG), this, on how he could have been stopped (TG), and this, on the failure to believe victims (TG);   the power and influence of the gambling industry in Australia (TG);   Fiji’s military is threatening Fiji’s democratically elected government - in place after 35 years of military coup (TG) - see also this (Lowy);   the gas industry has been described by some energy users as bullies (TG);   the impact of dataveillance on social security (CT);   some gambling companies are taking bets on sports with children participating (ABC);  
    • concerns around past/current/potential corruption/misgovernance also in   Australia (a warning in 2021) (TG),   Australia (MW),   Vietnam (TG),   USA (TC),   an electric vehicle company (TG),   Australia (ABC);

  • on DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects): 
    • globally:   thousands have protested for democracy in Tunisia (TG);   a state of emergency has been declared (F24) after weeks of - still continuing (TG) - protests in Peru (TG) - see also this (F24), this (TG), and this (CNN);   “one study ... concluded that people living in more conservative parts of the United States disproportionately bore the burden of illness and death linked to COVID-19. The other, which looked at health outcomes more broadly, found that the more conservative a state’s policies, the shorter the lives of working-age people” (WP [$]);   an excellent analysis by Mary L Trump on the GOP with regard to both democracy and the Speaker debacle (SubStack);   a notable new left wing politician in Spain (TG);   killing of journalists increased 50% in 2022 (UN);   some senior ex-diplomats have criticised the Iranian regime (TG);   “can democracy survive in [the USA]?” (Teri Kanefield);   “Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are among countries that have the highest prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health risks in the world. Now, UN health agency WHO, is pledging to work more closely with them, to help save and improve lives” (UN);   a call to protect judicial staffers in Guatemala who are fighting impunity and corruption (UN);   fake news campaigns were used before the coup in Sudan (DS);   strikes in France against raising the pension age (F24);   the US supreme court cannot identify who leaked its mediaeval decision on abortion - which means the 17th century IPOC who wrote the opinion leaked it as a stratagem to bolster support from other 17th century IPOCs (ABC);  
    • in Australia:   “how long will we use human misery to control inflation?” (TND);   pop up swimming pools (AWA);   “Australia’s richest 1% pocketed $150,000 a minute over past decade ... calls for higher taxes for the super-rich as analysis reveals an Australian wealth tax could raise $29.1bn annually” (TG);   European-style “right to be forgotten” laws are being considered (TG);   Australia’s media regulator will get new powers to combat online misinformation (TG);  
    • suppression of dissent / media in   Saudi Arabia (death penalty for use of social media) (TG),   Australia (TG),   Hong Kong (TG),   DRC (NA),   Sudan (AN);
      democracy is also at risk in         USA (M),   Sudan (UN),   Zimbabwe (R),   Nigeria (AJ),   Rwanda (HRW);

  • on HUMAN RIGHTS (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC): 
    • the humans who have been executed by Iran (F24);    fifty women have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso (TG);   Iran has detained another Westerner (UN);   a call to end the forced relocation of displaced people in Nigeria (ICG);   a call for screening of aged care workers to be introduced sooner (ABC);   how to include blind people in visual tools on TV (R);   a call to act immediately against antisemitism (DW);   a devastating human toll in occupied Palestinian Territory (UN);   protection for whistleblower migrant workers in the USA (HRW);   “Australia risks UN human rights blacklisting as states fail to meet prison obligations” (TG) - see also this (ABC);   mass graves have been found in the eastern DRC (AA);   abuse of protestors arrested in Chad (TEA);   “the United Kingdom’s plans to offer limited immunity from prosecution to those accused of crimes during Northern Ireland’s “Troubles” have been called into question by UN rights chief ... could hamper victims’ rights” (UN);  
    • human rights are at risk or abuses have also occurred in:   UK (spreading of hate speech) (TG),   Pakistan (UN);
    • violence in:   Afghanistan (TG),   Palestine (AJ),   UK (TG),   the occupied West Bank (Israeli forces killed a child) (TG),   Israel (AJ),   USA (mass gun killing) (TG),   Nigeria (piracy) (TG),   Somalia (AA),   Somalia (TEA),   Somalia (AA),   Mali (AlArabiya),   Qld (TG),   NSW (ABC);

    • noting the GENOCIDE  Convention:   an atrocity alert for the DRC, Bangladesh, and Mozambique (GCR2P);   Germany has recognised the genocide of the Yazidis in Iraq (HRW);  

    • noting the conventions and the Global Compact on REFUGEES:   Greece is still attacking life savers (HRW);  
      more refugee issues:   UK (The Independent),   UK (transphobia) (UK);

    • noting the Yogyakarta Principles on LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE:   transphobes are now attacking UN Women (Pink News);   there are millions of young nonbinary and trans people in the USA (The Hill);   a man mansplains pronouns for obstinate blokes (SMH);   a debunking of another ridiculous right wing extremist claim about “trans” infants (AP);   the UK is following up last weeks transphobia by limiting recognition of transition in other nations (Op) - all of which makes their claimed promises of banning conversion therapy lacking in credibility (Op);   following a recent murder, TGD Kenyans are fleeing to safety (Op);   Qld police have apologised to the LGBTIQA+ communities (QN), which, combined with a commitment to do hard work, has allowed them back in to Brisbane Pride (QN);  
      more LGBTIQA+ issues:   Qld police (QN) - see also this (QN),   USA (QN),   NSW (Star);

    • noting ICERD and DRIP on RACISM:   the Albanese government has overturned Morrisons racist ban on public servants working on Invasion Day (TG);   public drunkenness laws will be ended in my home state (TG);   yet more international condemnation of Indigenous incarceration rates (NIT);   “Reagan used MLK Day to undermine racial justice” (Boston Review);   white supremacists have been arrested in Qld but not charged directly over displaying hate symbols as Qld does not yet have laws against that (TG);   publicity for a Survival Day event;  
      more racism issues:   WA (NIT),   SA (ABC);

    • noting CEDAW on SEXISM:    the social and criminal system failures that are allowing rape and sexual assault to continue (M);   Sierra Leone has reserved 30% of all jobs for women (NA);  
      more sexism issues:   Afghanistan (DW),   Afghanistan (DW),   Spain (TG),   medical profession (TG),   Afghanistan (CNN);

    • noting the laws listed here, the conventions listed here, and principles discussed here, here, here, here, and here, on the RIGHTS OF ANIMALS:   birdsong is also about bonding (TC);   “painful and invasive racing greyhound breeding technique should be banned, vets say” (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:   concerns about the use of AI in China's courts (DW);   

    • noting the CRPD on PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES:   disabled white supremacists (M);   “watchdog reveals thousands of reports of sexual misconduct, injury, abuse and neglect in disability group homes” (ABC) - see also this, on possible prevention (TC);  

    • 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:   a major financial company has called “in psychologists after criticism of its corporate culture” (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:    “push for insulation in all Australian rental homes as study shows dangerous heat levels” (TG);   an opinion that “more social and affordable housing is the only solution to Australia’s rental crisis” (TG);   an arrest warrant has been issued for a business owner who hosed down a homeless woman in freezing conditions (CBS News);   
(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:   Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project - ACLED;   Aeon Magazine - Aeon;   Africa Centre for Strategic Studies - ACSS;   Africa News - AN;   Al Jazeera - AJ;   All Africa - AA;   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;   Australian Unions - AU;   Barrons;   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;   Climate Change News - CCN;   Committee to Protect Journalists - CPJ;   Context - CT;   the (US) Council on Foreign Relations (CFR);   Crikey - C [$];   Dabanga Sudan - DS;   Deutsche Welle - DW;   European Union - EU;   Forbes - F;   Foreign Policy - FP;   France 24 - F24;   Freedom House - FH;   Genocide Watch - GW;   Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect - GCR2P;   Globe Echo - GE;   HumAngle - HmA;   Human Rights Law Centre - HRLC;   Human Rights Watch - HRW;   Independent Australia - IA;   International Crisis Group - ICG;   Just Equal - JE;   Lawfare Blog - LFB;   Lowy Institute - The Interpreter - Lowy;   Mail & Guardian - MG;   mainstream media - MSM;   Medium - M;   Michael West (news media platform) - MW;   Minority Rights Group - MRG;   Mirage News - MN;   Nation Africa - NA;   National Indigenous Television - NITV;   National Indigenous Times - NIT;   New York Times - NYT [$];   News24;   North Africa Post - NAP;   Openly - Op;   Out in Perth - OiP;   Pearls and Irritations - PnI;   Political Violence at a Glance - PVG;   Politico - P;   Premium Times Nigeria - PT;   Q News - QN;   Quartz - Q;   Radio France International - rfi;   Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE);   Religion News Service - RNS;   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 (Nigerian) Guardian - TG-N;   The Monthly - TM;   The National Tribune - tNT;   The New Daily - TND;   The Saturday Paper - TSP;   The Sentry - TS;   The Shot - TS;   Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA;   United Nations - UN;   Voice of America - VoA;   Wall Street Journal - WSJ [$];   War on the Rocks - WotR;   Washington Post - WP [$];   Wikipedia - WP;   Yahoo News - Yahoo; YouTube - YT.

Note: news sources are never perfectly accurate or good - for instance, some have been transphobic (which is why I may, for instance, cancel email subscriptions), but may be good in other areas (e.g., racism) - and attributes may vary depending on region and over time. I do NOT provide an unqualified endorsement of ANY of the media sources I use.

Finally, remember: in general, we need to be more human being rather than human doing.


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