Sunday, 2 June 2019

Post No. 1,340 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 267


For the sake of my health, until I retire or change to an easier day job , I have cut back these posts.
Information and Summary of News with Opinion / Advocacy / Analysis:
Notes:
(1) I am NOT a journalist (this blog was created for spiritual reasons, including a course), and make NO claims to objectivity or freedom from bias.
(2) Furthermore, I do NOT hold copyright to any of the articles I link to, nor do I claim authorship, except for those links to material I have written for this and my related blogs, and my commentary in these posts. (I try to make sure quotes are shown using quotation marks.)
The purpose of posting these news links is not only to inform; it is also to
     stimulate a connection to:
      - nonBPM units that need to be cleared, and
      - BPM units that need to be strengthened,
     so that you can do the clearing / strengthening that is required.
That only works if you don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by this, so take it in small chunks if you need to, but remember to actively clear and heal! … including yourself.
As part of that, note that there are key uncooperatives to be cleared (rescued): you should ONLY address those that are within your ability – if you get a sense (e.g., through meditation) or are told by your BPM Guides/Higher Self to back off, do so, and content yourself with clearing the smaller nonBPM units within your capability – which will weaken those uncooperatives. More importantly, there are many people doing this sort of work, and others are quite likely to be able to clear the uncooperatives concerned.
That is also one of the many reasons it is OK to take a break or cut back this work if you need – in fact, doing so will help you deal with the next point, which is …
… the energies we use and manifest in our daily lives contribute to the larger soup of energies that influence world events, so it pays to address those as well, to the extent that one can, or to at least stop oneself projecting them into the psychic soup.
The reminders / explanations about Sunday’s meditation-clearing are here;     see also here,     here,     here,     (here and also here and here are interesting),     here, here,     here,     and     this post reminds us to be patient and persistent, like a “speeding oak”.
There are some notes at the end of this post about other options for those who do not like this way of working.
Finally, one of the biggest concerns I have about spirituality in the world now is that the concept of agape type love has been perverted into both a quest for emotional warm fuzzies, and an excuse to avoid doing the hard work of improving oneself and all that one does. See also here and here.
The themes that come to mind for my work this week, after I review all this news, are:
(a)   based on my interpretation of information here and here with Uranus in Aries contributing to fresh and possibly radical starts (until March 2019), and Pluto in Capricorn contributing to a transformation of power and business (and careers) (until some date in the Year 2024), conditions are ripe for a change for the better in world politics;
(b)   there is an enormous need to clear nonBPM energy – the thought forms, unattached energy and scars of the collective unconscious created by millennia of violence, including spirit rescue, and healing the warped views, seemingly “inherent” biases, and other damage created. Also, remember:
       (1) the counter to fear is genuine  EQ and clear thinking, expressed through calm, de-escalating speech,
       (2) where problems exist, advocating for BPM responses, and being as BPM as one can be, are constructive solutions,
       (3) peace is powerful, but it is a process requiring patient, persistent and nuanced nurturing, and a blend of conventional spiritual work, clearing nonBPM units, and physical world activism;
(c)   dealing with the 45th “President” of the USA requires:
      1. eroding (i.e., slow, patient and persistent clearing of the little bits one can SAFELY cope with – remember, you are but one of many) the nonBPM influences feeding his arrogance and his mind-set, and strengthening that person’s BPM Guides and giving those BPM Guides whatever BPM help they need to present a BPM alternative to promote a change of heart,
      2. lifting the nonBPM influences from the shoulders of that person’s marginal supporters, allowing them to “come to their senses”, which may result in them feeling bewilderment/shame, and simultaneously strengthening the BPM influences around them (e.g., their BPM Guides) to counter them backsliding,
      3. physical world activism (especially education) – e.g., this. As well as doing what one can there, help those who are doing this work (e.g., sending them “positive vibes”) and look for nonBPM blockages that can be cleared (e.g., setting up a BPM vortex above meetings to draw away external nonBPM influences/energies/units, so that the audience can listen as they are, without any obsession/possession);
      4. Ensuring opposition to POTUS45 is unified, cohesive and FOCUSED, NOT fractured or divisive;
(d)   the major events this week are:
       (i)   as attraction to violence continues to be inadequately addressed, the search for humans rights abusers continues, and further to the current map of genocides, this week there are risks of mass atrocities in   Cameroon, burma, and Central African Republic,
       (ii)   ongoing violent conflicts and crises in Syria, Afghanistan, Mexico, Iraq, Burma, Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Libya, Sudan (Darfur and South Kordofan), Yemen, Egypt (Sinai), Kurdistan, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Mali, DR Congo, Burundi, Kashmir, Baluchistan (Pakistan and Iran), India (Maoist and other insurgencies), the Maghreb (Africa), Ukraine, and elsewhere;
      (iii) refugee and humanitarian crises;   -   the political madness of regimes with authoritarian leaders – and all who put or keep them there;   -   and, specific to this week,     reminders about how to comport ourselves well;     accessions to decency and fairness;     some are standing for their rights against climate crisis inaction, as others take positive action into their own hands, but others continue to fail, or abdicate responsibility;     inaction and abdication of responsibility in other areas of decency, including abuses and misuse of power, sometimes fatally or near fatally;     out of sight, out of mind;     mistaken views that what is not important in one’s opinion is not important in reality;     protection of elites, vested interests, and the powerful, sometimes wilfully in contravention of claimed principles of justice;     when small things add up to extremes, ignoring the extreme as unacceptable because the incremental steps were not . . . ;     other-ism and all the other bigotry –isms;     dangerous, damaging and destructive naiveté resulting from wanting too much to be helpful;     gossip and vicious vendettas;     allowing the glamour and glitz of the new and flashy to blind one to the problems and potential problems;     silencing dissent and sabotaging those acting for decency, inclusivity, and wellbeing;     thought control;     indifference to or acceptance and use of violence as a means to an end – failing to recognise that the means shapes the end;
(e)   may all people have a broad, long term, BPM perspective on all matters;
(f)   may all people commit to being BPM in all thoughts, words, and deeds;
(g)   may all bystanders be BPM active in holding nonBPM behaviour to account;
(h)   may all people BPM urge leaders to be noble and BPM in the examples they set – both public and private;
(i)   may all people be BPM reflective;
(j)   may all people fully BPM accept that the Family of Humanity does not belong to one religion, city, race, or one anything else;
(k)   may all else that should BPM asked for, also be done;
It is absolutely VITAL that this psychic / metaphysical / spiritual work be performed non-violently and as is for the Highest Spiritual Good – which is part of being BPM – on all levels and in all ways. Always remember (see here): Do you fight to change things, or to punish? See also here, here, here, here, here, and my comments about “authentic presence“ in this post.
News and other matters from this past week follows:
   news items are presented in the following sections (there is overlap, and items may appear more than once; those without news deleted each week):
   -   Permanent Issues and Thematically Arranged News:
          permanent issues;     particular attention;
          democracy, freedom, governance, and ethics;     the USA and POTUS45;
          violent extremism;     refugees and migrants;     human rights
           (including homophobia/transphobia, white supremacism, trafficking
          and children’s rights, sexism, religious rights, workers’ rights, animals’ rights,
          and privacy, differently abled and other rights);     war, violence and hate;
          peace;     spirituality and psychism;     natural and other catastrophes;
          modern lifestyle (including climate crisis and environment, technology
          and science, economic and financial, housing, health and medical);     media;
          education;     crime judicial and police;
   -   Location-based News:
         Africa;     South and Central America;
          mainland China, East and South East Asia, and the Pacific;     Europe;
          Ukraine;     Russia and Central Asia;     Afghanistan;     South Asia;
          West Asia and northern Africa;
   -   Other Sites;
   opportunities/good news (in my opinion) are shown in green;
   comments (by me) are shown in purple; and
   WARNING: some of these links may contain triggers around issues such as violence, sexual assault, discrimination, etc.
Permanent Issues and Thematically Arranged News:
  • Permanent issue: may all actual and potential BPM Leaders and their Significant Others be kept BPM safe, undetectable and inviolable against indirect  psychic attack, and may they have all the BPM resources (including an assured income), opportunities and assistance for them to be BPM effective, all as is for the Highest Spiritual Good;
  • Permanent issue: may all humans recognise, irrespective of the appearance of difference, the essential shared humanness of other people, the strength of BPM collaboration, and the opportunities of having a diverse, inclusive and welcoming population, and may all people choose fairness, when such decisions are before them;
  • Permanent issue: may all actual and potential BPM  Violence Interrupters (and Interrupters of hate / fear / anger) of be kept BPM safe, and may they have all the BPM opportunities and assistance for them to be BPM effective at containing and stopping – along the lines of the Cure Violence model - the spread of violence (and hate / fear / anger), all as is for the Highest Spiritual Good;
  • Permanent issue: may all humans choose to live modestly – to forgo outdoing others, or trying to have more than they need - for the sake of an easier, more manageable life, if they cannot do it for the sake of the planet, and may we all exercise our human characteristics of reason, self discipline and improvement to overcome the often evil flaw of seeking social status;
  • Permanent issue: may all humans be in better communication with the better parts of their nature – especially those who need that more than other, better people;
  • Matters warranting particular attention:
         this week on reversing the deliberate, well-funded, long-term strategy (from about the 70s) to make self-interest seem normal and a commitment to fairness (such as former US President Franklin D Roosevelt’s Four  Freedoms) an aberration (see also here, here, and here):     the entirety of this blog and all other spiritual work and physical activism I and many others do;     how to have “better” (in the sense of “more constructive”) arguments;
       on the Rohingya  genocide being committed by  historically  violently  expansionist  burma and similar matters this week:
       -   burma’s genocide in Rakhine state, which many Rohingya fled from, has broadened - see also here;
       on other matters requiring particular attention:
       -   in “a major win for transgender rights: [a] UN health agency drops ‘gender identity disorder’, as [an] official diagnosis”;
       -   more on the climate litigation by Torres Strait Islanders against the Australian government and generally;     “hundreds of rivers around the world from the Thames to the Tigris are awash with dangerously high levels of antibiotics, the largest global study on the subject has found”;     “there’s nothing new in conservationists needing to win over working people. The Adani campaign can learn from the proposed Franklin Dam”;     “the Philippines has sent tonnes of rubbish back to Canada” (we all need to deal with our stuff [like this], not dup it for others to do so);     “reclaimers [also known as waste pickers,] recycle 80 to 90% of plastic and packaging in South Africa, saving authorities up to 750 million Rand ($53 million) in landfill costs”;     the vital importance of soil – aided by trees – for our survival;     an unbelievably stupid relabelling of fossil fuels in the USA;    “communities around Australia are taking clean energy into their own hands”;     “without better global leadership on climate change our best days are behind us, yet many are turning to a Swedish schoolgirl for leadership rather than the ruling global elite”;     from an interview with a Nobel laureate:” investor state dispute settlement cases risk having a ‘chilling effect’ on implementing the stringent climate regulations required to [fulfil] a pact to curb global warming”;     “subsidies that promote the use of fossil fuels are helping to ‘destroy the world’, and are a bad way to deploy taxpayers' money, the head of the United Nations [has] said”;     meltwater from shrinking glaciers in Pakistan is threatening mountain villages, and the loss of up to a third of Himalayan ice will reduce Asia’s buffer against drought;
       -   a neochristian church’s defence in an abuse case has contradicted “the church’s own submissions to the Royal Commission via its Truth Justice and Healing Commission. This is an astonishing claim given that from 1993, the church's own insurers would not indemnify for claims past 1975 because of the knowledge that the Ballarat Diocese had of . . . offending. This case is historic because it is the first case in Victoria since the State Government eliminated what was known as ‘The Ellis Defence’ - the controversial precedent that the Catholic Church had no legal personality and therefore could not be sued”;     “about one in four of the 2.3 billion children under the age of 18 have been robbed of their childhoods by child marriage, early pregnancy, exclusion from education, sickness and malnutrition”;     “child labour is an ‘extreme risk’ in one in 10 countries globally”;     the grim reality of school active shooter drills in the USA;
       -   “women are happier without children or a spouse, says happiness expert”;     “let’s make it mandatory to teach respectful relationships in every Australian school”;     safety for women is about far more than just better street lighting;     sexist discrimination, most visible in the workplace, also contributes to homelessness;     “access to menstrual health and hygiene is a right”;     another study has found that the “use of male mice skews drug research against women” (how many studies will be needed on this?);     “young people as agents of change in preventing violence against women”;     backlash against empowerment of women in Nigeria;     South and Central American nations are abusing rape victims;     the Gender Equality Top 100;
       -   one of the major problems of modern life is to find a way to allow young people to feel they are taking risks and challenging themselves, but in a way that more mature forebrains know is not unreasonably dangerous: parkour may be one of the answers;
       -   “facial recognition software should only be used by police if they can prove it will not introduce gender or racial bias to operations, an ethics panel has said”;     “concerns that the GCHQ proposal poses serious threats to cybersecurity and fundamental human rights including privacy and free expression”;     a social media platform has been ordered by US judges to tell users how it manages data privacy, and to face a lawsuit over sharing data with third parties;
       -   the need for snakebite anti-venom;     a reminder that “Ebola patients are human beings not biosecurity threats”;
       -  “the US blueprint to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, still in draft form after almost two years, is seen by Palestinians, and by some Arab officials and politicians, as a plan to finish off the Palestinian cause” – and Saudi Arabia will reject anything affecting East Jerusalem;
       -   a politician in Sri Lanka who was actively working against violent extremists had been severely injured and hospitalised months before the recent, massive attack may have been deliberately targeted to remove him as an obstacle to the attacks;
       -   a rare win against illegal fishing;
       -   following a rise in anti-Semitism, “the German government's anti-Semitism commissioner has urged Jews to avoid wearing skullcaps in public”;
       -   “censors at Chinese internet companies said tools to detect and block content related to the 1989 crackdown have reached unprecedented levels of accuracy, aided by machine learning and voice and image recognition”;     China’s policies and aims in the Arctic - where Russia is also increasing operations in response to global warming;     a US official has accused China of “'heavy-handed' destabilisation in the Pacific”;     “China succeeds in greening its economy not because, but in spite of, its authoritarian government”;     concerning parallels between the drift to authoritarianism in Australia and China’s authoritarianism as “the City of Darwin [adopts] elements of the Chinese social credit system for use in Australia”;     Australian military aircraft and naval vessels in the South China Sea have been targeted;     the USA’s acting Defence Secretary has been talking tough;     scepticism about claims China will double its nuclear stockpile over the next decade;
       -   a call for a ceasefire in the indecisive fighting for Libya’s capital;
       -   “the European Union has instigated Article 7 proceedings against Hungary over concerns its repeated adjustments to the constitution and its attacks on the press and civil society constitute a breach of European Treaty values”;
       -   “Peru and Colombia [have called] for more aid to help with [the] Venezuelan migratory crisis”;
       -   “a retired United States immigration judge [has said that] two Rwandan men who were resettled in Australia posed a threat to the safety and security of the US” (the comments that they had allegedly [I don’t entirely trust the source] admitted guilt is unsettling – as it probably is, but issues around rehabilitation still apply) - see also this, on the frustration at the hypocrisy around the process used;
         this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   Cameroon, burma, and Central African Republic;
  • With regard to democracy (which can be measured [as can goodness],     requires  protection of minorities and the vulnerable   -   and are you fighting to change things [by 198 nonviolent methods], or to punish),     freedom,     governance (e.g., here, here, here, here, here, here)     and     ethics:
    Note: I have a section specifically for POTUS45 below
       analyses, research and commentary this week include:
       -   a critique of rationality vs. irrationality (described as having moved from political left to right . . . ) which ends with “he believes new norms and laws will emerge that put ‘overly effervescent irrational people back in their historically limited social position’ ”;     management euphemisms and corporate speak;     how to better connect academics and policy communities;     interesting thoughts on maturity (or the lack thereof) in politicians;     an excellent assessment of Viêt Nám’s geopolitics – and the opportunities for Europe and the USA;     an assessment of the motivations and initial actions around 9/11 and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq (and the possibility that Iran was an instigator behind the latter);     the “world’s second biggest democratic exercise after the Indian elections” has revealed “a more fragmented Europe but a contained populist wave–for now”;     “to see the state of international relations today as a new great-power competition is not only inaccurate but dangerous”;
       of concern internationally this week:
       -   the fraught USA-Turkey relationship will worsen over a conflict between Turkey’s desire for US jet fighters and Russian air defence systems;     Turkey’s soft power push;     POTUS45’s interference in and undermining of the UK;
       on the US-China trade war this week:
       -   the US has commenced collecting higher tariffs on goods shipped from China by sea – and China has retaliated;
       of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
       -   “the Army's creeping takeover of Australia's national security”;     an examination of the problem of funding a proportionally more aged population – which shows, in my opinion, that governments have failed to invest for future, known expenses (and ending tax deductibility of super contributions was a major error) . . . the proposed “solutions” economists like are problematic because they impact on what it means to be family;     a call “to recognise that the value of housing is not just economic. Housing is an infrastructure of care. Australian governments need to ask: is this a housing system that cares?”;
       with regard to cyber warfare and other cyber problems (including programmable machine learning (aka AI, or “artificial intelligence”) this week:
       -   a “call for [an] independent watchdog to monitor [the] NZ government use of artificial intelligence”;     the personal data of thousands of Australians is available for purchase online;     aspects of the encryption policy debate;     the broader risks around the USA’s aggressive cyber approach;
       -   other events related to cyber warfare have occurred or are developing in:   Iran;
       with regard to whistleblowers / whistleblowing this week:
       -   an expert has expressed concerns that WikiLeaks’ controversial co-founder would face severe human rights violations if extradited to the USA;
       good news this week includes:
       -   New Zealand’s first “wellness” budget “will be guided by how proposed initiatives contribute to priorities such as reducing child poverty and greenhouse gas emissions, and attempt to tackle stubborn social issues”;
       on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
       -   “an inclusive circular economy: priorities for developing countries”;     “family farmers in developing countries have enormous potential, but lack access to resources and services”;
       and democracy/governance/political matters in my home nation this week:
       on the Royal Commission into banks, and similar matters:
       -   a major bank deliberately and successfully created divisions inside ASIC to protect itself, sacrificing and defaming some juniors along the way;
       on the Commonwealth election:
       -   the election result has led to a surge of self-harm amongst those in Australia’s Manus gulag;     an critique of the critiques to distil the key lessons from the election for the ALP;     the “disconnect” between various branches of progressive campaigns – see also here, on “better arguments”;     the lesson on the need for jobs in coal areas – a lesson also made apparent in the 2016 US Presidential election;     a warning against using bigotry as a device to gain votes (although I agree with the key message, I consider the parallels to past events are weak and simplistic – other factors were also at lay);    a call to “to keep religion out of politics, and defeatism out of political loss”;     growing concerns over misleading advertising;     a rebuttal of recent reports that workers voted for the neoliberals and the upper class for the ALP;     the withdrawal of the former female deputy leader of the ALP was “not a fig leaf” – it was for the (family) reasons she gave, as she is reported to have had the numbers to win;     the ALP’s “likely new deputy [has] admitted he was ‘tone deaf’ to the concerns of coal workers in the state after he suggested the demise of the industry was positive for the country”;     a legal challenge will be launched against one result over “dirty tactics”;     an examination of the influence of climate groups;
       on other matters:
       -   the human face of the surprisingly high road toll this year in my home state, as a summit on the issue is called (a comment I heard on radio is that a number of single vehicle accidents may be death by suicide: based on the admission of someone I met in the 90s, I agree with that);     “Australians could have saved over $1 billion in fuel if car emissions standards were introduced 3 years ago”;     an increase to the minimum wage has been limited to 3% over fears around the economy;     a briefing paper on possible reform of Australia’s constitution (I haven’t read this yet);
  • With regard to the USA and their schoolyard BULLYING, unpresidential, uncomprehending, murdering, lying, dishonourable, delusional 45th “President” (POTUS45) (see here on actions for US residents, and note that the VP is at least as bad):
       -   the Special Prosecutor who investigated collusion between POTUS45’s election team and Russia during the 2016 US Presidential campaign has stated his report would have stated if POTUS45 was clearly innocent, and that the US Constitution prevents charges other than impeachment (gravely concerning, as that allows crimes like murder to potentially go unpunished) – which has led to more calls for impeachment (but see also here), and a changing tune from POTUS45 on social media;
       -   POTUS45 “has dismissed concerns about recent North Korean missile tests, appearing to contradict his own national security adviser”;
       -   retired US military leaders have written to POTUS45 to express their concerns over his approach to Iran;     an objective assessment of the prospects of war between the USA and Iran, including a good, useful comparison to the bluster and talks between the USA and North Korea;
       -     a report card on POTUS45 on security;     concerns that POTUS45 has transferred power from the Director of National Intelligence to the Attorney-General;
       -   POTUS 45 “has confirmed that a warship named after his Republican nemesis, the late Arizona Senator John McCain, was intentionally hidden – to the dishonour of the US Navy - from his view during his visit to a naval base in Japan”;
       -   POTUS45 has said the USA “will impose a 5 per cent tariff on all goods coming from Mexico . . . , until illegal immigration across the southern border is stopped”;
       -   POTUS45’s war against the media;
  • With regard to violent extremism (VE) (aka, terrorism)     (ALL people advocating hate or discrimination in response to violent extremism are actively doing the work of violent extremists. This will be countered, in part, by “Cure Violence“, real and perceived disempowerment as well as acknowledging the variety in what provides genuine, BPM fulfilment as a counter to fanaticism as a source of meaning, and good old fashioned police work.     Also, I don’t name groups in order to reduce their publicity):
       -   according to this Wikipedia page, there have been 4 attacks in Iraq, 12 attacks in Afghanistan,   and 1 attack in Syria   (out of a total of 55, causing at least 222 deaths and 208 wounded);
       -   “children are dying in the camp for captured families from [a former violent extremist group] because they are shunned by aid groups and kept under tight security restrictions”;
  • With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration), and remembering Haiti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, DR Congo, and the Philippines), people seeking asylum and migrants:
       -   an article I wrote on viewing borders as more than solely a physical boundary;     “Australia [has returned] 20 Sri Lankan asylum seekers after [their] boat intercepted”;     the ongoing harsh treatment of refugees transferred from Australia’s gulags to the mainland;     “a group of ordinary [Australian] people . . . have made it their mission to make refugees and asylum-seekers feel welcome”;     the USA is trying to dive down the Australian rabbit hole of abuse;     “the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General found evidence of ‘dangerous overcrowding’ at a Border Patrol processing facility in El Paso, Texas”;
  • With regard to other human (and other) rights and discrimination     (incidentally, bigots clearly have flaws of observation and thinking – shown by the fact that NOT all people choose to discriminate [and there’s this]):
       -   more on discrimination and inclusivity in sport here and here;
       -   opportunities to take action on human rights here, here, and, this week,   here,   here;
       -   other human rights matters have also occurred in:   China,   Egypt;
       on HOMOPHOBIA/TRANSPHOBIA     (including heteronormativity and cisgender-normativity and noting that trans kids are the same as cis kids of the trans kids’ true gender):
       -   an annual one week pause in burma’s rabid transphobia;     more US homophobia;     a rebuttal of myths around Stonewall – which is interesting, as I hadn’t heard the myths (are they relatively recent?);     a challenge by an athlete to a sporting body’s unethical requirements to medically lower her testosterone levels;     “a transgender man learning to shave is featured in a new ad by the razor company Gillette”;     “LGBT+ advocates [have sued the] US government over healthcare ‘conscience rule’ ”;
       -   other homophobic/transphobic (and heteronormativity / cisgender-normativity) matters have also occurred in:   a (neochristian) church,   Colombia,   Russia;
       on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters generally this week:
       -   an “understated” memorial to two indigenous men, Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner, who waged a six week guerrilla war against white settlers is “often overlooked and misunderstood”;     the remains of Aboriginal pearl divers returned from Germany to Australia after more than a century revealed head wounds and malnutrition, giving an insight into the cruel conditions endured by Aboriginal Australians forced to work on pearl luggers in the 19th Century;     in the USA, concerns “that the current politically and racially charged climate is exacerbating existing problems about how black Americans are treated both in the military and as veterans”;     the challenges facing the first indigenous man to be Australia’s Indigenous Affairs Minister;     a former celebrity has used other non-residents to back his racist claims about a city;
       on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation, Freedom United, and other sources):
       -   a child abuser and killer “has been let out of jail unsupervised up to 20 times despite fears he will reoffend”;     the legal aspects of child abuse trials and appeals in my nation;
       -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   fashion industry,   Cameroon,   Chile (good news);
       on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
       -   Ireland has edged further away from its ultra-conservative, ultra-neochristian history over the last millennia or so by voting to liberalise divorce laws;    the good and bad of fathers seeking parental leave;     a woman who was the victim of domestic violence was jailed in Iceland;     the story of a male victim of domestic violence;     “mentrification”;     “the woman who started France's campaign to encourage women to expose their sexual harassers has appeared in court over allegations of defamation”;     “why Australian fathers are reluctant to take parental leave”;
       -   on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see:   Bangladesh;
       -   other sexism matters have also occurred in:   European Central Bank,   India;
       on RELIGIOUS rights this week:
       -   “Muslim community patrols [are] protecting US mosques”;
       on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human rights this week:
       -   an airline’s shortcomings around disability have been revealed;     a power retail company has been fined after signing up a woman with dementia;
       -   other differently abled and other forms of human or other rights matters have also occurred in:   Zimbabwe (good news),   Zimbabwe;
  • With regard to war (noting that economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence and hate generally:
       -   “military spending and arms imports by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE”;     three people are dead and 18 injured after a knife attack in Japan (and the toll would have been much greater if he had had access to guns);     “hundreds of British teenagers are being sent by their parents to East Africa to avoid knife crime in the UK, representatives of the Somali community [have said]”;     another mass murder by gun in the USA – who has been named for the first and last time by police;     a review of the US military’s review of the Iraq war (I have not read this properly yet);
  • With regard to peace:
       -   data on multilateral peace operations – and see here, on the last 20 years of peacekeeping history (it actually dates back to the 50s/60s);
  • With regard to spirituality,   personal growth,    and     psychism generally     (including empathy, revolutionary love, survival after death, good religion, UFOs, being single / asexual / off-grid / non-conformist / true to yourself):
       -   the growing problem of kids staying at home longer – which delays their maturity;     a notorious sport drug cheat says he wouldn’t change his history because of the personal lessons he’s learnt from being caught;     Pagans don’t need a creed (but the article suggests one);     “the difference between Witchcraft and Wishcraft”;     protection rituals;
  • With regard to natural and other catastrophes:
       -   tornadoes in the USA;     a cruise vessel on the Danube rammed and capsized a smaller cruise vessel, sinking it in seconds and leaving seven people dead and more than a score missing;     a “Mozambique pledging conference hopes to soften [the] devastating blow of back-to-back cyclones”;     an attempt to eradicate African swine fever;
  • With regard to overcrowding and “modern“ lifestyle issues     (such as conflict  minerals,     environmental harm and child labour in smart phones,     FOMO [which can be overcome], addiction or unthinking pro-technology bias [new is NOT always good – see here],     social media making people miserable or envious,     work and lifestyles causing depression and burnout,     being duped by modern mantras and  management  fads,     “failing“ at being well,     life options,     AI ethics, corporate misuse of mindfulness as a distraction,     embedded emissions,     plane pollution,     bigger, flashier homes/cars and financialisation,     the need for agroforestry,     insisting on busy-ness,     raising Prince Boofheads,     trying to force everyone to have children,     the “Earth3” model [SDGs + 9PBs]):
       on climate crisis (our World War III?) and other environmental matters:
       -   an article arguing for nuclear energy rather than ammonia (I think the claims in the article – e.g., that use of ammonia being about replacing oil, which I have never heard anyone claim – need to be tested, and consideration of nuclear fission [anyone who doesn’t know the difference between fission and fusion needs to look that up RIGHT NOW! – needs to include the problem of waste, but it doesn’t hurt to get a different perspective like this);     “rooftop solar industry veterans say Australia has become a dumping ground for poor-quality solar products and some are questioning the regulatory oversight of household rooftop solar installers and products”;     concerns that an ordered forest restoration scheme has been badly delivered;     a crusade against plastic (but not to the extent of a ban) by Australia’s new envoy for the Great Barrier Reef;     another article on the growing drought in one Australian state;     Australia will achieve lower prices and 50% renewable energy by 2030 despite Commonwealth inaction;     a regional town’s “decades-long push for wall to stop seaside tip spewing rubbish into the ocean to rise from the waves”;     the threats of the climate crisis includes “debris flow” in rivers, which can harm the environment and water supplies;     the “climate crisis may be a factor in [a recent] tufted puffins die-off”;     “an area nearly twice the size of England will become a ‘blue belt’ of protected waters after the government created 41 new marine conservation zones”;     the lessons from the saving of a butterfly species;     the deaths of some of an endangered fish species was “due to a combination of stifling heat and a severe lack of rainfall during the Kimberley's very poor wet season”;     “new research suggests the impact of extreme weather on a person's [neighbours] and community has a greater influence on a person's climate change beliefs than individual losses”;     a controversial coal mine in northern Australia is edging closer to being able to start . . . ;     “hydrogen-powered electric flying vehicles”;     my home state will consider whether recycling should be an “essential service” – which is good, but the sticking point here may be the lack of a market, and the resulting need to compel companies to use recycle products;
       -   other environmental matters have occurred in:   Brazil’s mangroves,   Zimbabwe’s forests;
       on technology and science matters:
       -   driverless trains are generally safer, more reliable, and less expensive, but they can experience some glitches;     a fungus could revolutionise gold mining;
       on economic and financial matters, including consumer complaints:
       -   discount deception;
       on affordable, sustainable and decent housing and homelessness matters    (why are politicians with “investment properties” not admitting a conflict of interest and staying out of housing affordability debates?):
       -    “homelessness soars in our biggest cities, driven by rising inequality since 2001” - see also here;     rental stress in regional Australia - and the appalling problem has led to the invention of “tenants’ agents” . . . ;
       on health and medical:
       -   guidance on when to stay home when ill (to which I would add that there are risks if co-workers or their family members are undergoing chemo, or have had had organ transplants);     “over-reporting of medical science is unethical, and occasionally dangerous”;     concerns over loss of privacy on medical data;     an utterly stupid ad campaign from a health organisation has caused pain to those with genetic and other non-self-induced heart disease and cost it support – but some discussion of the issues is occurring (why do these idiots fail to consider the pressure of life in all this?);     jet lag is more than just changing time zones – and, in terms of avoidance, it may be possible to choose not to travel that way . . . ;     “but even where there’s little consensus around their efficacy, as we strive to achieve better health outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse people, we must recognise traditional and complementary medicines as an essential component of their health care” - and this also applies to Westerners with an interest in complementary medicines;     “Council thwarts ‘notes of hope’ on [a] Brisbane bridge”;     childhood asthma has been linked to parental smoking;     health benefits start at as few as 2,000 steps;
       on other matters in the category:
       -   “public toilet design [is] disadvantaging women, elderly and [the] most vulnerable”;     a “street pantry”;
  • With regard to press aka the media, and freedom of expression     (claims of presenting “both sides” of a debate can be WRONG if the other side is RUBBISH –as is the case on LGBTIQ issues, and was notoriously so the case with a violent extremist attack.     Also, media can be unprofessional,     but funding is an issue … ):
       -   “carelessly linking crime to being homeless adds to the harmful stigma”;     an admission that journalists can be wrong;
       -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in:   USA,   China,   medical science,   Azerbaijan;
  • With regard to crime, judicial matters and policing     (noting (1) an uncle of mine resigned when corruption was not comprehensively cleaned out of the police force he served in, I have high expectations of police, and I consider all violence, abuse of power and failure to understand the impacts of their actions [e.g., see here and here] undermines and weaken all police – who are under incredible pressure, and (2) all people charged are innocent until proven guilty):
       -   a former state executioner’s journey to an anti-death penalty position;     a “juror on a child sex abuse case has caused a mistrial, meaning a teenage girl will have to give evidence a second time, after he took his own photographs of the alleged crime scene”;     my home state is moving away from addressing symptoms to addressing the causes of crime;
      -      other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in:   Brazil,   Kosovo.
Location based News:
  • With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
        on Africa generally, and multi-African nations:
       -   the effect of the developing China vs. the rest of the world split over a controversial Chinese technology company will have particular ramifications for Africa, with its growing economic ties to China;
       -   “a surge in violence across West Africa’s Sahel has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and left thousands dead since January”;
       -   “a new think tank founded by Congolese activists has been set up to fight corruption across the African continent”;
       -   “why young Africans want to leave Africa”;
       on specific African nations:
       -   “Burundi is threatening to cut ties with the UN envoy appointed to the country”;
       -   the Comoros President has pardoned 17 jailed opposition figures;
       -   an analysis of changing politics in the DR Congo;     DR Congo forces have killed 26 rebels inside the Ebola affected zone (which may protect the effort against Ebola – which is hitting children hard);
       -   “Ethiopia apologises over map of Africa without Somalia on government website”;
       -   consideration of talks with violent extremists to end violence in Mali;
       -   “a new wave of emigration among Nigeria’s middle class is robbing the oil-rich West African nation of skills and putting local recruitment under pressure”;    the limited access to health care;
       -   a critique of “international efforts to build an effective Somali National Army” – see also here, on violent extremist spies;
       -   an assessment that South Africa – which has “has announced a new cabinet in which, for the first time in the country's history, half of all ministers are women” - has returned to a position of geopolitical dominance;
       -   the South Sudan arms embargo has been renewed;
       -   a sit-in in Sudan’s capital is continuing - but the army is acting against protests and a media outlet;
       -   “Zimbabwe's penchant for pageants gives albinos a chance to champion their identity”;
  • With regard to South and Central America:
       -   supporters of Brazil’s new right wing extremist President have taken “to Brazil’s streets as [his] approval ratings drop”;     forty people have been killed (presumably murdered?) in violence inside Brazil’s notorious jails;
       -   “Mexico’s environment minister has been forced to resign after causing a flight she was about to miss to be delayed by 38 minutes, in direct contravention of her president’s populist promises to rule for the people”;
       -   an examination of why Maduro is still in power in Venezuela;With regard to mainland China (may her growing middle class bring a love of peace and freedom),     East and South East Asia     and     the Pacific):
       on increasingly totalitarian mainland China, and also Hong Kong, the DPRK (North Korea) and South Korea (which need to accept their partition – for now – and sign a peace treaty), Taiwan, and the free but invaded and occupied nation of Tibet:
       -   the “unhappiness” of internal migrant workers in China;
       -   “North Koreans [are] paying bribes to survive”;     a shortage of drugs to treat tuberculosis;     “North Korea executed its nuclear envoy to the United States as part of a purge of officials who steered negotiations for a failed summit between [its] leader . . . and [the] US President”;
       -   “South Korea [has urged] restraint after North’s missile test” last month;
       elsewhere in Asia:
       -   “Indonesia’s deep divisions on religion and politics”;
       -   a Japanese court has ruled that programme of the forced sterilisations to prevent “inferior descendants” that ran until 1996 was unconstitutional, but has refused (?!) compensation;
       and in the Pacific:
       -   following a recent decline of confidence in him, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister has resigned – and the new leader has “declared he wanted PNG to be ‘the richest black Christian nation’ in the world”;
  • With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
        on Europe generally:
       -   “the big centre-right and centre-left blocs in the European Parliament have lost their combined majority amid an increase in support for liberals, the Greens and nationalists” – but the far right has not done well, and this is likely to lead to a more environmentally friendly trade policy . . . see also this analysis of influences in voters;
       on specific European nations:
       -   “Austria’s chancellor has been ousted in a no-confidence vote . . . after opposition politicians lost faith in his handling of a corruption scandal that has engulfed his former far-right coalition partner”;
       -   “the Hungarian government has scrapped controversial judicial reforms in an apparent bid to smooth relations with mainstream EU partners”;
       -   concerns over the conduct of police raids in a Kosovo town – see also this, on the brain drain resulting from corruption;
       -   “the favourite to replace [the former] UK prime minister, must appear in court over allegations he lied to the public about Brexit”;
  • With regard to the (forgotten or ignored and underreported) conflicts in Ukraine, particularly in the east:
       -   “an international tribunal has ordered Russia to ‘immediately’ release 24 Ukrainian sailors and three naval ships it seized off Crimea in November” (but will they comply?);     the surprising deaths occurring in long queues – cased by shortages resulting from the war;
  • With regard to the conflict in  sexist Afghanistan (noting that Afghanistan was once a peaceful and modern society, even allowing women in miniskirts, before the Russian invasion – see here):
       -   “attacks on schools in Afghanistan increased almost threefold last year [more than 1,000 schools are still closed], making it increasingly difficult to ensure an education for children in many parts of the country”;     misogynistic violent extremists in Afghanistan will keep fighting until they get what they want;
  • With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
       on India:
       -   more concerns at the election result;     a violent religious extremist is part of India’s new government;     India has lost preferential trade status in the USA;     police are investigating students handling guns (dangerously)  at a politicians camp;     a former soldier in the Indian Army has been declared a foreigner and detained . . . ;     a review of the elections;     “enslaved for decades, indigenous Indians [are being] freed by land titles”;
       on Pakistan:
       -   “a Pakistani general has been sentenced to life for spying by a military court that also gave death sentences to a brigadier and a civil officer”, and three men have been found guilty of funding violent extremism;
       elsewhere in South Asia:
       -   “police in Bangladesh have charged 16 people over the murder of a teenager who was burnt to death, allegedly for reporting sexual harassment” – including the school principal who was the subject of the complaint;
       -   ongoing fear in Sri Lanka after the recent violent extremist attack;
  • With regard to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times of Israel, and other sources have:
       -   “the head of [a] Lebanese political and armed movement . . . has warned that any war against Iran would cause [West Asia] to ‘erupt’ ”;     “Lebanon agrees to talks with Israel over [a] maritime dispute”;
       on Israel and Palestine:
       -   “thousands of Israelis gathered . . . for a mass rally against moves to grant [the] Prime Minister . . . immunity from prosecution”;     following an inability to form a coalition government, Israel will face another election – leading to commentary about a major shift, claims of an assault on its institutions, a blow to the USA’s controversial peace plan, removal of protection of the current Prime Minister against potential corruption charges – and predictions he will lose power as the deadlock could continue, and some relief;     an opinion on the survival-driven geopolitics of Israel;     “thousands of demonstrators marched through Tel Aviv . . . for the annual SlutWalk protesting rape culture”;     “the European Union [has criticised] Israel over apparent plans to sell aid given to Bedouin villages in the West Bank which was seized by Israeli authorities”;     a Palestinian violent extremist has claimed the ability “to fire 1,000 rockets a day” against Israel;
       -   other events concerning Israel/Judaism and/or Palestine have occurred or are developing in:   USA (New York hate crimes);
       on the  conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
       -   first access by food aid to one district in Yemen;
       on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
       -   “Syrian NGOs decried . . . the inaction of the international community amid mounting violence in the last rebel-held stronghold of Idlib, saying it had triggered the biggest wave of displaced people since the war began”;
       elsewhere in the region:
       -   as the army chief of staff calls for talks, “Algerians continue to protest despite the upcoming elections and will say they will continue to do so until their demands are met”;
       -   concerns that Egyptian forces are committing war crimes – including against civilians - in the fight against violent extremists in north Sinai;
       -   The Guardian reports that “Saudi Arabia has been accused of launching a sophisticated hacking attack against a prominent dissident in London who is allegedly living under police protection”;     Saudi Arabia has said it will “resolutely confront aggressive threats”;
       -   an opposition party in Tunisia may lose its status.
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