Post No. 1,540 - In this week’s news

Stay safe - wash your hands, practice social distancing, and follow informed medical advice - and be considerate towards those at risk or in situations of vulnerability (including economic) while the COVID-19 pandemic is a problem.

This is a new, very cut down series of posts based on some observations on matters that struck a personal note: unlike the former “Gnwmythr’s News”, it is not trying to convey key events.

Content Warning: the linked articles and their descriptions here may be about violence, abuse, hate, and other problems.

My articles this week include:   more thoughts on engineering;   a poem “Heartlight”.

On personal / spiritual matters:   Australia’s PM is showing what appears to be a disturbing lack of spirituality, empathy, and compassion.

Reading I found interesting this week included:   the power of ritual language (but don’t use foreign languages glibly);   an examination of public cooperation - or not;   “private gain must no longer be allowed to elbow out the public good”.

In this week’s news:   a thriving book shed;   will the manic pace of life slow after the pandemic?;   against a background of the world’s population having grown by nearly 400%, the number of Jews globally has recovered to the numbers in 1925, still well short of 1939;   ten threats to humanity’s survival, including pandemics, the climate crisis, and overpopulation;   a tragic  reminder of the sometimes fatal risks involved in policing;   “a vulnerability exists in Apple's software for email on iPhones and iPads [but] the company [has] developed a fix”.

In the environmental arena, where we have been fighting World War III for some time now:   long term changes to the energy market and the impact of this on nations;   a criticism of scrubbers for commercial marine traffic;   more funding needed to stop extinctions;   China is continuing to destroy Tibet’s environment;   legal action against the EPA over fire risks from climate change;   white spot prawn disease has broken out again in Queensland;   a warning of the coming fire season in the Amazon;   the 50^th Earth Day is going digital;   the pandemic may cut off some clean electricity supplies;   why electric transport is better even if it is not all from renewables;   if they were a nation, GHG emissions from last summer’s bushfires would be sixth on the list of national discharges;   a call to get fossil fuels out of use and politics;   the problem of light pollution - including marine mammals;   insect numbers have declined by 25% since 1990;   a new form of wind turbine with no external moving parts;   a message from Jane  Goodall for Earth Day 2020;   growing climate crisis-fuelled violence in the Sahel;   criminals are turning to illegal logging in Mexico, where calls have been made to stop a “huge” train project;   “Americans and Russians have grown more dissatisfied with the way their governments address environmental issues”.

On human and animal rights:
   Saudi Arabia executed a record 184 people last year - thereby creating spirits who will be reborn violently angry, or violent as a result of fear;
   44 suspects have died in Chad under suspicious circumstances;   murder of unarmed suspects in Burkina Faso;   possible war crimes in Libya;   Cameroon has admitted soldiers took part in a massacre;
   more repression in Hong Kong - with China’s support, which is also trying to intimidate Taiwan;   a Canadian journalist has now been held by China for 500 days;
   a trans enquiry has been ruled out;
   a call for the coronavirus supplement to Indigenous payments to be made permanent;   stolen Maori children in New Zealand;
   Mandela’s granddaughter is fighting for women’s rights and safety against sexual and other violence;   supermarkets in Colombia can be used by women to report abuse;   Kenya is acting against FGM;
   how to make the homelessness system work for young people;
   the story of a man who was framed;
   Islamophobic abuse by police in India;
   an explainer on the recent decision to allow proceedings for extradition of a family of refugees to resume;
   anti-Semitism in Germany;
   pre-pandemic concerns about privacy risks associated with an online conferencing tool;   a dangerous decision on a privacy matter by a US court;   the risks of online data.
Immigration and refugee matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Ethiopia;   Singapore;   Portugal;
racism matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Singapore;
trafficking/slavery/child abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Australia;   India;   the Sahel;   UK/China;
LGBTIQ+ matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Australia;   USA;   USA;   USA;   UK parenting groups;   Morocco; and
sexism matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Malaysia;   USA.

In the governance, politics, public ethics, and society arena:   “public debt is not like household debt”;   the challenges of boosting our manufacturing;   despite an apology from the PM’s advisor over breach of copyright over a memoir which alleges malicious media interference in politics, the matter will be referred to police;   a quest for the “right to repair” tractors for farmers;   a multinational company has been ordered to compensate a whistleblower it sacked;   a mandatory code of conduct for social media platforms;   as evidence grows of people tiring of one particular grossly biased media network, fewer biases and conflicts of interest will help to restore faith in the media;   finally acknowledgement of the narrowness of Australia’s economy (thanks to neoliberalism);   commentary that the NSW, not the Commonwealth, government is responsible for problems in the Murray-Darling;   a former PM has criticised another former PM for fanning Islamophobia;   a secret military deal between Australia and Chile;   the revised role of the state;   Argentina;   a review of the US-Japan security treaty;   Australia's tight-fisted neoliberal government purchased roughly five days' worth of oil at record low prices, giving us between 55-80 days' worth in reserve, as compared to the minimum requirement of 90 days.

On disasters this week:   a call for faster clean up so people can get back to their lives;   floods in Kenya;   locusts in Somalia;   “as climate change brings growing risks of inundation, especially in Asia, investing now in protection could bring huge savings”.

Risks of atrocities this week in:   an overview of violence in south east Asia;   a mass murder by gun in Canada;   malaria in Zimbabwe;   Burundi;   Burkina Faso;   Mozambique;   Mozambique.

Internationally:   an opinion that neither the USA nor China are fit to lead the world;   an examination of China’s increased military;   against the context of a call for a hotline, Iran is pushing back over conflict with the USA . . . where the macho, attention-deflecting POTUS45 idiot has ordered an escalation;   a new government in Vanuatu has to face the devastation of a cyclone and the pandemic;   after a year, Israel has stumbled into a (conservative) government . . . but there are  concerns;   as Malaysia’s exploration of energy resources draws China’s ire, Viêt Nám is protesting China’s expansion in the South China Sea, but they’ve left such actions years too late, despite others’ support;   as the UN and EU warn the new government against annexing the West Bank, a socially distant protest against attacks on democracy in Israel;   violence in Israel;   an interesting historical perspective on US-Chinese relations.

In Africa:   instability in Lesotho, where the leader has been accused of murder, but soldiers backing Lesotho’s PM, who is facing murder charges, have withdrawn . . . but the PM has changed his mind after agreeing to retire;   an examination of change in Guinea-Bissau;   concerns over the election in Mali;   worsening violence in the DR Congo;   changes in South Sudan’s political makeup;   the “economic consequences of electoral violence in sub-Saharan Africa”;   Namibia remains Africa’s freest nation for journalists;   Ghana and Burkina Faso are testing an easing of pandemic restrictions;   Togo’s opposition leader has been arrested for declaring himself president;   major gains against rebels in Libya.

On the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus (there are other novel coronaviruses) (seven major risks to watch here, and seven sins of thought to avoid here):
   the WHO warns the worst is still ahead;   as more evidence emerges of his being kept informed, POTUS45’s cutting of funding to the WHO has been described as “a crime against humanity”;   a former worker in an Ebola outbreak has chosen to use his skills to stay in Cambodia rather than return to Australia;   one example of the human face behind the economic toll;   changes for a better post-COVID-19 world in some cities;   an interesting comment in this that alleged “protestors” claiming to want to go back to work actually want others to go back to work for the convenience of the alleged “protestors”;   the man who led the fight in the USA against the 1957-58 pandemic;

   good stories of people coming together:   medical “happy codes”;   Georgia;   projections onto the Matterhorn as an act of global solidarity; sports-starved Australians are now helping to keep a Belarusian soccer team afloat;

   medical aspects:   the adaptability of the virus;   impact on those waiting for transplants;   some emergency workers are stuck at home because of the cancellation of childcare;   recovering addicts are struggling;   staggering price gouging;   as human vaccine trials start in the UK and some scientific research stops, the need for research on non-drug alternatives;   the at times moronic medical profession has finally realised quite a few people do better not sleeping on their back;   “an Australian-made ventilator that costs a tenth of the price of existing models has been brought to life — from concept to functioning machine — in just four weeks”;

   resources:   workers’ rights;   a hotline for people with disabilities and their supporters;   an update for older tenants;   driving restrictions in various states;

   human rights aspects (crisis . . . running summary of impacts on elections here):   as 260 million people find themselves headed for starvation, the pandemic is becoming a human rights crisis;   heavy-handed policing in my home state is leaving people feeling intimidated, discriminated against and fearful;   global corporations are preparing to use widely abhorred ISDS provisions - and a lack of moral conscience - to sue nations over pandemic measures;   support for internally displaced people (for which there are guidelines) needs to be stepped up;   China has disappeared two journalists and used the pandemic as an excuse to stop a released political prisoner going home - a missing journalist has reappeared, and confirmed he was detained by police for two months for “quarantine”;   the widening renter-owner gap;   supplements are excluding people with disability;   India, where farm workers are at risk, is containing COIVD-19 but not Islamophobia;   religious bigots are running an emergency hospital in the USA;   a review of protesting and (heavy handed) reactions under social distancing requirements;   authoritarian propaganda (and other problems);   workers’ rights;   warnings far right extremists are planning to use the pandemic to stoke xenophobia - and racism generally is becoming worse;   a campaign against xenophobia in Singapore;   the pandemic is “threatening global goals to end poverty, inequality”;   a reminder of the situation of Indigenous people;   a “Zimbabwe court orders police to stop harassing journalists”;   the need to protect elections in the USA;   domestic abuse on Afghanistan;   unlike other states, my home state is helping students who don’t have internet access;   charity funded childcare services are falling through the cracks;   the impact on the fight against slavery;   the USA wants a real-time surveillance based on medical data;   a call for the OECD to uphold democracy;   suggestions to meet the current urgent housing demand (this needs to include TINY HOMES!);   homeless people are being targeted;   trauma for intersex and other  LGBTIQ+ people;   a win for a refugee in Germany;   Algeria is using the pandemic to suppress dissent;   a social media platform has not lived up to its publicly stated aspirations, and accepted ads that were fake news about the COVID-19 pandemic;

   Australia:   the location monitoring app may be OK, according to what appears to be an independent assessment (now if only I had a “smart” phone . . . ) but NOT after data management went to a US company which could give US police access (are the people doing this sort of stuff INSANE??!!!). At least Australian police have been denied access - see also this paper;   concerns about changes affecting supermarket workers’ safety - and fast tracked changes to working conditions;   flaws in communications;   a warning to businesses not to cash in on pandemic training;   as 118 economists warn not to sacrifice health over the economy, unemployment could go to 25%, with lower income people hardest hit;   more PPE for healthcare workers;   dire economic impacts for my home state, but house prices will fall;   “it’s not only the hole in the emotional heart of Coalition politicians the cultural sector should be concerned with right now, it is the hole in their corporate memory”;   more measures for protection in my home state;   remote communities are running out of food;   the problems facing split towns and farms on state borders (and attempts to find solutions);   the pandemic could exacerbate the already wide intergenerational wealth divide; ;   media attention appears to have contributed to an arrogant corporation in an unusual tenant-landlord situation backing down;

   internationally:   “former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright is urging countries to not become divided in the fight against coronavirus, and cooperate during the rebuilding that will follow. . . . We’re blaming the Chinese . . . If they are the ones that invent the vaccine, will we say no?”;   Asia is now moving towards plant based protein;   Turkey is the new epicentre in West Asia;   right wing groups are, with the moronic  POTUS45’s incitement of insurrection, protesting the lockdowns - in full PPE . . . ;   sexism in the US state of Alaska;   female leaders are handling the pandemic better;   New Zealand;   the UAE will issue fines over misinformation;   indications Italy is recovering;   Iran is easing restrictions - and South Korea ;   anger in Sweden over sacrificing the elderly;   idiots in the USA are going to try a class action against China (I trust they’re not so stupid to think that might help, even if they “win” - and, even less likely, get some money) - see also here on China’s resistance to this;   repeat distancing offenders fined in Singapore, where the economic pain is not equal, the jobs market is struggling, and construction is being shut down but confined foreign workers will be looked after;   xenophobia (or incompetence?) in Thailand’s response;   fears of mafia exploitation of labour in Italy;   a fund for poor farmers;   homeless school students are at risk;   refugees are acting to keep their camps safe;   favelas in Brazil have been abandoned;   migrant workers are trapped in the UAE;   splits within religion’s attitudes in Israel, where, as a man who recovered is reinfected, a call is made to test the entire population to prevent a second wave of infections but the lockdown is eased;   current and historical use of coupons in China;   the decline in deaths from other causes (such as traffic accidents) has led to an overall improvement in death rates in India;   PNG;   Colombia/Venezuela;   a draft (not yet peer reviewed) paper suggests that a major news outlet in the USA directly contributed to deaths from COVID-19;   Asian nations had learned lessons from the novel coronaviruses causing SARS and MERS that the rest of the world ignored;   “half of Europe's coronavirus deaths were residents in aged care homes”;

   Africa:   the risks of a food crisis;   targeted sanctions could still be beneficial;   a Malawi court has blocked lockdown . . . ;   stupidity in Tanzania - and Madagascar;   Ghana’s ending of lockdown will be watched closely;   preparations in Kenya, where police have killed six people, and Uganda, but questionable arrests in Uganda, which also has urban refugees;   tensions are growing in South Africa, where illegal evictions are happening but some easing of restrictions and an aid package has been announced;   Niger has jailed ten people after violent protests against lockdown;   Nigeria’s President, who has been appointed ECOWAS’s champion of the response, has asked the Chief Judge to free some prisoners;   Nigeria has a flourishing informal market for masks;   shortages are making achieving lockdown in Sudan difficult, and violent protests have occurred;   US aid to South Sudan;   CAR;   the Great Lakes region is being hit hard, and gains undone;   aid to the DRC;   Djibouti;   Ghana;

   globally:   against the elevated dangers of conflict in a pandemic, the USA and Russia are blocking UN moves for a global ceasefire;   some billionaires are continuing to gain wealth;   where is the G20?;   navies;   calls for a massive write off of developing world debt;

   blame games:   a push for an independent investigation into the virus’s origins (why?);   US aged care homes;   the ending of pandemic preparations in Australia more than a decade ago.