Post No. 1,360 – Gnwmythr’s News Ed. No. 271

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 an objective or free-from-bias journalist (this is a spiritual blog);
(2) I do NOT hold copyright to, nor claim authorship of, any of the articles I link to, except for links to material I have written for this and my related blogs, and my commentary in these posts.

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. Note that clearing (rescue) of uncooperatives should ONLY be 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 (many others are doing this work, including some who will be stronger), and content yourself with clearing the smaller nonBPM units within your capability – which will weaken stronger uncooperatives. It is OK to take a break or cut back this work if you need. Be mindful that the energies we use and manifest in our daily lives contribute to the larger soup of energies that influence world events, so address those as well (or keep them out of the psychic soup :) ).

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”, and there are notes at the end of this post about other options for those who do not like this way of working.

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 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, clear thinking, and calm, de-escalating speech;     (2) where problems exist, advocate for being BPM and BPM responses;     (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 th POTUS45 requires:     1. eroding POTUS45’s nonBPM influences and strengthening his 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 POTUS45’s marginal supporters to allow them to “come to their senses, and simultaneously strengthening their BPM influences;     3. physical world activism  – e.g., this, helping those who are doing this work including clearing nonBPM blockages;     and     4. ensuring opposition to POTUS45 is unified, cohesive and FOCUSED;

(d)   the major events this week are:
       (i)   as the search for humans rights abusers continues, further to the current map of genocides this week there are risks of mass atrocities in   Mali, Yemen, World Refugee Day and the UN Formal Debate on R2P,
      (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,     mature idealism and practical push back to the selfish, materialist and evil ideologies that have been damaging the world for so long;     the genocides are continuing;     imperfect media coverage – and internalisation of the elites’ values;     lies and false claims about free speech, including a failure to recognise when debates have been finished and accept BPM outcomes;    authoritarianism;     continuing power struggles and failure to see the everyday person;     failure to take action against abuses of law and reasonableness;     misdirection / misplacement / misuse of resources;    abuses and misuse of power;     stupidity and surrender to coercive work expectations;     THE CLIMATE CRISIS;

(e)   may all people continue to have BPM mature idealism, and to push back against evil ideologies – including neoliberalism, also including by BPM better methods of living, such as minimalism and slow living, and stop being sheeple internalising the values and interests of elites;

(f)   may all people and organisations commit to doing what they BPM should, and find a way to do so despite political obstructionism from reprobate nations;

(g)   may all people BPM discern and BPM acknowledge truth, including when debates have been had and finished;

(h)   may all people recognise that use or failure to use power /influence has consequences, whether used or withheld for good or bad, and may they thus choose to act for BPM only use / inaction;

(i)   may all resources be properly applied and use, not for materialist or selfish outcomes;

(j)   may all people have BPM courage and stand up to coercion – and choose NOT to have lifestyle vulnerabilities;

(k)   MAY ALL PEOPLE RECOGNISE THE REALITY AND URGENCY OF ADDRESSING THE CLIMATE CRISIS, AND CHOOSE TO DO SO;

(l)   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 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 people     (a) recognise, irrespective of the appearance of difference, the essential shared humanness of other people, the strength of BPM collaboration, the benefits of diversity, and choose fairness and inclusivity;     (b) choose to live modestly;     (c) be in better communication with the better parts of their nature – especially those who need that;
• Matters warranting particular attention:
       this week on reversing the deliberate, well-funded, long-term strategy (from about the 70s – and the 90s) 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;     a brilliant article on mature idealism;      “after decades of right wing dominance, a transatlantic movement of left wing economists is building a practical alternative to neoliberalism”;
     on genocide, especially the Rohingya  genocide being committed by  historically  violently  expansionist  burma, and similar matters this week:
     -   burma has silenced people in Rakhine state while it conducts its next purge;     criticism of the UN for insufficient action – despite warnings – in the years leading up to the genocide (although the Russian and Chinese vetoes were problems);
     on other matters requiring particular attention:
     -   this week I found nothing in the news on  Ukraine;
     -   “free speech isn’t under threat. It just suits bigots and boors to suggest so . . . No-platformers are not scared – they simply think certain debates are over. You may disagree, but it does not mean they are against free speech” – see also here, “addressing hate speech does not mean limiting freedom of speech. To prevent it from escalating, we need to treat it as we treat every malicious act” and “modern conservatives don’t fear social change, they just oppose it when it undermines their friends”;     the attempt by the homophobic, transphobic former sports player who was sacked for bringing that organisation into disrepute when sharing his hate to raise funds has been shot down in flames – but a group of homophobic, transphobic and hypocritical neochristians have pooled their excesses;     a German politician’s murder has raised the “spectre of far-right attacks”;
     -   “many journalists and ‘centrists’ internalised the interests and preferences of the wealthy, and imagined that they defined the limits of sound policy”;
     -   “the axis of authoritarianism: China, Russia and the new geopolitics”;     the religious influence on Russia’s nuclear policies;     “the increasingly dangerous politicisation of the US military”;     calls for the USA to “more strictly regulate sales of U.S. surveillance technology to China when it is used to spy on Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities”;
     -   a criticism of the (endless) “war on terror” (“stop giving terrorists exactly what they want”);
     -   after POTUS45 surprisingly stopped a physical attack by overruling his chosen hawks (a cyber-attack did occur), Iran executed an alleged US spy and has greeted the USA’s new sanctions (focusing on Iran’s leader) with disdain; and mutual personal insults;     an assessment of what could happen if the USA and Iran went to war – and of Japan’s awkward position;     Europe is trying to talk some common sense into Iran (people tried to do that with Iraq’s former despot before he was invaded, and he ignored then . . . ), but it may not be enough;     a warning against revenge;
     -   as China “erodes” democracy in Hong Kong, many are preparing to leave (I feel sorry for those not rich enough to get out);     Chinese vessels have been deliberately ramming – and, in one case, sinking - Filipino vessels in the Philippines marine zone;
     -   lack of funds (including members’ fees) is impeding the UN’s investigation of human rights abuses;
     -   “Mandela's widow [has warned world] leaders [they are] failing [their] pledge to end world hunger”;
     -   POTUS 45 has dismissed the UN’s request for the FBI to investigate his Saudi mate over the murder of a Saudi born US citizen who was a critical journalist;     more calls for Australia to protect  whistleblowers - one of whom “has accused the government of flagrantly breaching laws to thwart the release of politically-sensitive documents” – including delaying release until the political heat if off in a “culture of disdain for the rule of law”, and criticism of our creeping surveillance state (and the problem of surveillance capitalism);     major media outlets have united to call for essential press protection – see also this;     “an ABC investigation has exposed privacy breaches of the central police records database that holds files on millions of Australians” in one state;
     -   the USA’s homophobic, transphobic and misogynistic vice president has “repeatedly [refused] to say climate crisis is a threat”;     despite a pledge ten years ago by wealthy nations to cut out subsidies for coal power, most haven’t – and have increased the payouts;     “superannuation funds and investors representing US$34 [trillion] in assets – nearly half of the total under management across the globe – have called on world leaders to bring in carbon pricing and phase out coal power to limit global heating to 1.5[°]C”;     “the world is increasingly at risk of ‘climate apartheid’, where the rich pay to escape heat and hunger caused by the escalating climate crisis while the rest of the world suffers . . . [and] the impacts of global heating are likely to undermine not only basic rights to life, water, food, and housing for hundreds of millions of people, but also democracy and the rule of law”, with “the ‘patently inadequate’ steps taken by the UN itself, countries, NGOs and businesses” being “entirely disproportionate to the urgency and magnitude of the threat”;     70 Extinction Rebellion protestors who want more appropriate terminology used have been arrested in the USA;
     -   “African abortions rose under [a] US policy to stop them”;     “twenty-five countries - including Nepal, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Sudan - do not let women hand their nationality to their children, placing them at risk of becoming stateless”;
     -   “living like a super-productive chief executive is harmful to your health”;     “people who regularly work ten-hour days have a 29% greater risk of having a stroke”;     the health cost of being a politician;
       this week’s atrocity alert at R2P lists   Mali, Yemen, World Refugee Day and the UN Formal Debate on R2P;
• With regard to democracy (which can be measured [as can goodness],     requires  protection of minorities and the vulnerable),     freedom,     governance (e.g., here, here, here, here, here, here)     and     ethics:
     analyses, research and commentary this week include:
     -   the concept of ethical fading, getting organisational culture “right” in the fight against corruption, and protecting whistleblowers;     “a guide to implementing evidence-informed programs and practices”;     questions about the “US-led alliance system” in the Pacific;     the India-Indonesia relationship (the “Jokowi-Modi ‘bromance’ “);     the importance of governance in directly addressing the underlying causes of conflict (in order to prevent violence);     “inclusion should be by design, not as a concession”;     a call for the UN to restore the “values and spirit of the international civil service” by “redefining impartiality, upholding integrity and protecting independence”;     an examination of the Italy-China relationship;     a critique of philanthropy by the ultra-rich;     “responsible policy engagement: some challenges”;     “what food price-related protests in Sudan and Liberia tell us about how autocracies and democracies address price crises”;
     -   for other analyses see:   Morocco;
     of concern internationally this week:
     -   an appalling impersonation of a dead cyclist’s relative to oppose a bike safety measure;     the fight of the Nauru 19, charged as part of a government crackdown on opposition, against their charges “is ‘back at square one’ after a court of appeal threw out a permanent stay of prosecution”;     US police are looking for conservative politicians who ran away from their jobs to stop a vote – and democracy;     “more than 400 pilots have joined a class action against [an] American plane manufacturer . . . over what they allege was the company’s ‘unprecedented cover-up’ of the ‘known design flaws’ of the latest edition of its top-selling jet”;
     on the US-China – and other - trade war this week:
     -   POTUS45 has hypocritically whinged about India’s retaliatory tariffs;      China still considers it has the upper hand, but both nations have agreed to resume talks;
     of concern in my nation (Australia) this week:
     -   powerful criticism of Australia by a leading human  rights organisation for not standing up enough against abusive nations when it could make a difference (the examples are specific, and well set out);     more criticism of Australia’s poor house building;     massive fall out from revelations that a city council downgraded a fire risk assessment in a building which later experienced a cladding fire;     “the longest-serving member of Australia's government review tribunal has offered a withering assessment of the Department of Human Services' automated debt recovery program, describing it as a form of extortion”;    “computer-controlled penalties and robo-debt come with a devastating human impact”;     37 people in my home state have been killed by flu;     a controversial union boss who was widely criticised for attacking a domestic violence campaigner has been ordered to complete a behavioural change programme after pleading guilty in a harassment case –revealed to be against his wife (I’ve seen men change from such programmes, and some not: if this person changes, good, although he still owes an apology; if he doesn’t change, he should go – and his union should vote him out to avoid being accomplices in domestic violence), but his past history of behaviour may still be used by the neoliberals as a pretext to deregister his union;     “criminal action after [a] case manager [company] dragged out [a] workers’ compensation claim”;     more concerns over “the revolving door of MPs turned lobbyists”;
     other internationally concerning events this week have occurred or are developing in:   Africa,   Honduras;
     with regard to cyber warfare and other cyber problems (including AI) this week:
     -   a social media platform’s move into cryptocurrency . . . ;     more privacy and data security based calls for suspension of facial recognition;     my nation’s standards organisation is consulting with organisations, academia and civil society on AI;     the “impact of additive manufacturing on  biological weapons proliferation and export controls”;     the limitations of cyber coercion;
     good news this week includes:
     -   some fundamentals of protesting;     participatory budgeting in my home state has directed funding to specific charities in my home state;     a summary report on the Senior Indigenous Public Servant Forum;     Twitter will “will flag and deprioritise tweets by politicians and public figures if they violate its rules”;
     on development (in an “end poverty/thirst/hunger” sense):
     -   a US city “where the rich live 30 years longer than the poor”;
     on such matters in my nation this week:
     -   a Guardian Australia exclusive reports that two workers at Australia’s only nuclear research facility were exposed to “unsafe” levels of radiation;     state neoliberal governments want the federal dinosaurs to take action on climate;     a Guardian Essential poll shows “voters back health and education over high-income tax cuts”;     a staggering claim that $200,000 is “no longer” a top of the town annual wage;
• With regard to the USA and POTUS45 (see here on actions for US residents, and note that the VP is at least as bad):
     -   the next allegation of sexual assault against POTUS45 may become a police complaint;
     -   a pregnant woman who started a fight with another women she thought was a rival for her lover has been charged after the second women shot her and killed the foetus . . . ;
     -   a call to stop building on floodplains;
     -   this week’s stupidity from POTUS45 includes:   this;
• 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 by “Cure Violence“, BPM counter-narratives, and good, old fashioned police work (I don’t name groups to reduce their publicity):
     -   according to this Wikipedia page, in the last week there have been 10 attacks in Iraq, 7 attacks in Afghanistan,   and 1 attacks in Syria   (out of a total of 36, causing at least 197 deaths and 153 wounded);
     -   after some time misdirecting the public, it is evident that work has been underway for some time, and eight Australian children have been safely rescued from Syria, where they had been taken by violent extremist parents (the ALP MP and deradicalisation expert Anne Aly’s comment that the kids will need lots of support is good to hear – I’ve been trying to make the same point over the voices of ****wits who stupidly think just getting them back into “normality” is enough for years);
• With regard to refugees (noting the New York Declaration), this allusion to MLK, and remembering Haiti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, DR Congo, and the Philippines), asylum seekers, and migrants:
     -   in a staggeringly imbecilic and unhelpful move, an asylum seeker in Australia’s gulag in the PNG will be charged for having attempted suicide (is the PNG really so backward?);     criticism of Australia’s inhumane “Home Affairs” Minister for persistent “manipulation” of the truth over asylum seekers;     a former detainee in Australia’s Manus gulag has told the UN that “human beings are being destroyed”, and there isn’t a day to lose;     as POTUS45 looks to Australia’s bigotry and hate, an outcry has led to asylum seeker children in the USA who had been forcibly separated from their parents being removed from barbaric prison conditions;     “to disestablish these camps anywhere, we need to oppose them everywhere”;     a call for the audit of the security contract for Australia’s Manus gulag to be made public;     “no connection between immigration and rape . . . increasing reports of rape is driven by decreasing social tolerance for sexual assault and rape”;     one migrant/asylum seeker/refugee child a day dies . . . ;     criticism of POTUS45’s current policies and requirements on asylum seekers from the south – and a judge has stopped him accessing $2.5 billion for building his wall;     “the European Court of Justice (ECJ) recently ruled that European Union (EU) member nations no longer have the right to deport a refugee for committing a serious crime, as long as the refugee can prove that returning to the home country would threaten his or her life”;
     -   other refugee-related matters have also occurred in:   Europe;
• With regard to other human (and other) rights and discrimination     (incidentally, NOT all people choose to discriminate so those that do aren’t thinking clearly):
     -   other human rights matters have also occurred in:   Indonesia,   West Asia;
     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):
     -   “Tasmania could become the first state to criminalise ‘gender normalisation’ surgeries” for intersex children;
     -   other homophobic/transphobic matters have also occurred in:   Norway (good news),   Chile,   Costa Rica (good news);
     on white supremacist and other forms of RACISM / CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and Indigenous matters (including land rights) generally this week:
     -   more Aboriginal children in care in my home state will be transitioned to Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations;     a fine for selling fake indigenous art;     multiple generations experiencing racism;     “pregnancy and early parenthood are the best times to work with Indigenous families to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma”;     “ ‘Hear us, see us’: a plea to the UN for Indigenous women”;
     -   other white supremacy / racism problems have also occurred in:   shopping,   Brazil,   Peru;
     on TRAFFICKING, and CHILDREN’s and associated human rights this week (from Thomson Reuters Foundation and other sources):
     -   “the economic cost of violence against children and young people” in one Australian state;
     -   also on child abuse, including institutional, this week:   Italy,   Ivory Coast;
     -   also on slavery / human trafficking this week:   Cambodia,   Brazil (a Reuters exclusive),   UK (good news);
     on SEXISM this week (keeping in mind the overblown influence given to testosterone, and the potential value to women of using anger):
     -   a call for a more nuanced understanding of domestic violence;
     -   on sexual harassment/misconduct/violence this week, see:   a ride sharing service;
     -   other sexism matters have also occurred in:   sport (good news),   Pakistan;
     on WORKERS’ rights this week:
     -   portable long service benefits in my home state;
     on ANIMALS’ rights this week:
     -   a whale has been freed from shark nets (but the number of entanglements are likely to increase), and Russia has released the first group of captive whales from a “whale jail”;
     on PRIVACY, AGED, DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND OTHER forms of human rights this week:
     -   an NDIS-supplied wheelchair has broken speed limits in one Australian territory;     “NDIS sent letters to vision-impaired and blind people in format they could not read”;
• With regard to war (noting that economic ties do NOT prevent war), violence and hate generally:
     -   inadequate reporting on exports and imports of major arms to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms;
• With regard to peace:
     -   a UN meeting on sustaining peace – see also here and here;
• With regard to spirituality,   personal growth,    and     psychism generally     (including empathy, revolutionary love, survival after death, good religion, UFOs (now “UAPs”), being single / asexual / off-grid / non-conformist / true to yourself):
     -   responsible management of your magickal footprint;
• With regard to natural and other disasters:
     -   the (foreign) builders of a building in Cambodia that collapsed, killing more than a score of people, have been arrested;     “at least 14 people were killed [some by electrocution] and more than 50 injured when heavy rain and strong winds caused a huge tent to collapse in [an] Indian state”;     a volcanic eruption on a PNG island;
• With regard to overcrowding and “modern“ lifestyle issues     (such as     smart phones’ environmental harm,   child labour,   conflict  minerals,   FOMO [which can be overcome],   addiction or unthinking pro-technology bias [new is NOT always good – see here],   AI ethics,   plane pollution,     and     work, busy-ness and lifestyles causing depression and burnout,   being duped by modern mantras,  management  fads and corporate misuse of mindfulness as a distraction,   “failing“ at being well,   life options,   financialisation of homes,   agroforestry,   raising Prince Boofheads and forcing everyone to have children,   the “Earth3” model [SDGs + 9PBs]):
     on climate crisis (our World War III?) and other environmental matters:
     -   a closed canopy reforestation project;     increasing concerns about climate change in Australia, but with age splits;     plastic recycling in the USA “is dumped in landfills”;     my home state is improving how it recycles plastic – see also here and here;     a bankrupt businessman has been spared jail over an abandoned dump which is a catastrophic fire risk;     “more plants and animals to Australia’s national list of threatened species, including woodlands that had been eligible for protection for years”;     fires in the Alaskan tundra;
     -   other environmental matters have occurred in:   Germany,   Pakistan (good news),   south east Asia;
     on technology and science matters:
     -   idiots with drones have disrupted another airport – as the EU adopts better rules on the technology;    “bringing big tech to heel”;     easier to clear technology data;
     on economic and financial matters, including consumer complaints:
     -   an investigation into a phone company’s sales practices;
     on affordable, sustainable and decent housing and homelessness matters    (politicians with “investment properties” have a conflict of interest):
     -   as my home state opens a centre for rough sleepers, an excellent presentation on homelessness (public housing is important, and mental health and drug problems often happen AFTER becoming homeless);
     on health and medical:
     -   the ironic finding that developing nations have better acceptance of vaccination that developed;     “the hygiene hypothesis . . . is being misinterpreted. Playing outside in the dirt will certainly do children good by exposing them to good bacteria . . . but it was vital that they washed their hands before eating and after going to the toilet”;     the benefits of being able to identify negative emotions;
• 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.     Also, media can be unprofessional,     but funding is an issue … ):
     -   a judge has ruled, during a defamation case, the news companies are liable for social media comments on their pages;
     -   other media / freedom of expression matters have occurred in:   Morocco / Saudi Arabia,   Mauritania,   Cambodia;
• With regard to education:
     -   an assessment of my home state’s proposal to ban mobile phones in schools;
• 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 murder case in Ireland is causing angst about the age of criminal responsibility (I consider the age of criminal responsibility there is fine: these two may be psychopaths, who do exist, despite the naiveté of some around children), as a campaign tries to raise that age in my nation from ten to the internationally accepted age of 14;     a new drug route in the Pacific;     the end is nigh for South Australian police abuse of sex workers;
    -      other crime, judicial and policing matters have occurred in:   Sri Lanka.

Location based News:

• With regard to Africa, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (and other sources) has:
      on Africa generally, and multi-African nations:
     -   “significant inequalities in social mobility in Africa despite rising educational levels”;
     -   “strengthening AU-UN cooperation”;
     -   “Africa is facing another potential debt crisis, with around 40 percent of low-income countries in the region now in debt distress or at high risk of it”;
     on specific African nations:
     -   separatists have attacked aid convoys as Switzerland agrees to mediate;
     -   despite evidence of massacres, the fight against Ebola in the DR Congo is continuing;     a mine collapse has killed dozens;
     -   an attempted coup in Ethiopia has been defeated – see also this, on restoring calm, as scores are arrested;     an assessment of why Ethiopia wants to use its resources to create a navy (which may have regional benefits);
     -   another accusation of rape against The Gambia’s former president;
     -   illegal fishing is threatening Ghana’s fishing industry;
     -   allegations of bribery by UN staff at the Somali refugee camp in Kenya;
     -   “nearly six years after his arrest, and two years after he was legally set free, Mauritanian lawyers and international rights groups are calling for authorities to release [a] blogger”;
     -   Nigerian troops have repelled an attack violent extremists – who are also trying to hunt down leakers;     internally displaced people have protested over food;
     -   air pollution in South Africa;
     -   “can Sudan’s military be convinced to support democracy?”;    “why has Sudan’s tolerance for anti-regime protests run dry?”;     Ethiopia and the AU have proposed a new transition plan as the UN holds its deployment levels and the military uses tear gas against protestors (a warning against violence has been given);
• With regard to South and Central America:
     -   thousands of Hondurans are fleeing ten years of violence and repression from a military coup;
     -   claims a coup in Venezuela has been foiled;     the exodus of Venezuelans could reach eight million next year (out of ~28 – 30 million in 2016);
• 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 violently occupied nation of Tibet:
     -   “only 32% [of Australians] trust China to act responsibly in the world - which is a drop of 20 points from the 2018 poll and the lowest level in the 15 years of the poll” (the USA won’t be much better);     an assessment of China’s nuclear weapons and forces;     an opinion that the US-China competition has benefits, as it reverses the previous assumption that China would liberalise over time;     challenges facing China;
     -   in shades of the arrest and death of a US student, and Australian student has disappeared, and is suspected to have been arrested in North Korea;     an examination of North Korea’s turn back to traditional allies after the shock of the failed talks in Viêt Nám;
     -   problems with Hong Kong’s civil service;
     elsewhere in Asia:
     -   Indonesia’s capital continues to sink into the sea . . . ;     animal abuse in Indonesia;     the challenge to the Presidential election result has been rejected;     an Indonesian state’s “Islamic law violates human rights”;
     -   the BBC reports a US citizen in Viêt Nám who admitted wanting to incite protests but denied planning to use petrol bombs has been sentenced to 12 years jail for attempting to “overthrow the state”;
     and in the Pacific:
     -   the need for Australian aid to address gender issues;     praise for the “seamless” change of Prime Ministers in PNG, and an examination of the issues the new leader will face;     “MPs from Victoria, New Zealand and Fiji have shared insights and experience at a workshop”;
• With regard to Europe and the European Union (EU) (which need to step up, as the USA steps down):
      on Europe generally:
     -   a heat wave in Europe has seen German autobahn speed limit, French schools closed and several deaths with record temperatures, Polish railways buckled, and bushfires in Spain;
     on specific European nations:
     -   about a quarter of a million protestors have demanded the resignation of the Czech Republic’s Prime Minister “who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform but has himself become a symbol of perceived malfeasance”, and has been described as a threat to democracy;
     -   criticism of a controversial candidate for leadership of the UK’s conservatives, by a former boss, as unsuited to the role;
• With regard to Russia,     Russian influenced nations     and     eastern Europe,     Central Asia,     and responses to same (see also elsewhere):
     in Central Asia:
     -   a rebuttal by Russians in Georgia of claims by Russia that the nation isn’t safe for Russians;
• 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):
     -   “following last week’s public threats by [violent extremists] to deliberately target media outlets . . . , the United Nations mission chief . . . reiterated his call . . . for journalists’ rights to be protected, underlining the power of press freedom to advance peace, justice and human rights”;     a tenth polio case;     following recent mediation meetings with violent extremists – who will meet with the USA, Pakistan has now met with Afghanistan’s President;
• With regard to South Asia (aka the Indian sub-continent), The Hindu and other sources have:
     on India:
     -   an order in an Indian state for politicians to return bribes has led to several being attacked as voters seek their money back;     a criticism of India’s “policy based on polarisation and Pakistan-bashing”;     arrests after several Hindu men lynched a Muslim;     the “old guard” in one major Indian political party are facing a simmering revolt;     weather events killed more than 1,400 people in India during 2018 (and, over the last five years, elephants have killed over 2,000 people and tigers 200 – meanwhile, air pollution killed over 1.2 million . . . );
• With regard to West Asia (aka “the Middle East”) and Northern Africa, the Middle East Eye, the Times of Israel, and other sources have:
     on Israel and Palestine:
     -   the USA’s proposal based on “central premise of prosperity as a precursor to a lasting solution barely appeared to register on either side of the separation wall”;     80 Palestinians have been injured in riots after police killed a youth;     7,000 Palestinians have protested POTUS45’s attempted economic buy off – see also here;     a former Israeli Prime Minister has formed a new political party;     Israel and the gulf states have closer ties, but normalisation won’t happen without a political solution to the conflict with Palestinians;
     -   other events concerning Israel / Judaism / anti-Semitism and/or Palestine have occurred or are developing in:   USA;
     on the  conflict and the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis in Yemen:
     -   the UAE is reducing its military presence, as Saudi Arabia claims to have captured a violent extremist leader and intercepted a rebel drone;
     on Syria (where the Assad Dictatorship has lost all pretence of legitimacy, and partition is needed):
     -   warning of a humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib province;
     elsewhere in the region:
     -   the re-run Istanbul mayoral elections in Turkey’s capital have, in a boost to flailing democracy, gone again to the opposition.

General Comments/Information

(Dear Reader, please remember, I expect you to THINK when reading this blog, and I reserve the right to occasionally sneak in something to test that)

Many others are very capably doing this type of work – for instance, the Lucis Trust's Triangles network (running for many decades);     the Correllian Tradition's 'Spiritual War for Peace' (see also here, here, and here), the Hope, Peace, Love and Prosperity Spell (also from the Correllian Tradition, in around 2007 or 2008),     the Healing Minute started by the late, great Harry Edwards (running for decades);     the “CE 5  ET contact“ movement started by Dr Steven M Greer, which is the one which appears to most capitalise on the teachings of “The Nine”,     the “Network of Light”  meditations;     the 1 Million Meditators movement,     and     also see here, here and here – even commercial organisations (for instance, see here), online groups (e.g. here and here – which I do not know the quality of) and even an app.

Thus, if you don't like what I am suggesting here, but want to be of service, there are many other opportunities for you – including secular opportunities: e.g., see here, here and here.

Again, activism in the physical world is also required - see here, here and here, here, and, of course, here.

(I specifically have a role for healers on Saturdays. Anyone who wishes to be protector has a role every day. At all times, on all levels and in ways, BOTH must ALWAYS be BPM in the way they perform such roles.)

If I am ever late getting my Psychic Weather Report up any week, there is a default plan.