Post No. 1,598 - In this week’s news

Black Lives Matter!

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 news aggregation 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.

On personal / spiritual matters:   children have shown that the meaning of life revolves around connections (relationships).

Reading I found interesting this week included:   younger people are moving to regional areas;   the importance of acknowledging and working with emotions  constructively  in international relations.

Overall Commentary:   what has struck me this week in the world’s news is the continued growth of good governance in many parts of Africa, partly offset by suppression of the press and difficulties holding abusers to account. That latter problem, together with endemic and egregious racism, is also very present in the USA, whose tyrant-in-chief continues, as do other despots, to try vainly to convince the rest of reality that their perverted fantasy perspectives have some connection with reality: however, those bubbles of delusion are only reaching a few police and violent extremists, but some of those they reach have considerable power, and thus attempts to change the world for the better keep meeting road blocks. Ignorance - which is wilful - and lack of awareness continue to also blight decision making and thinking. At least there is some positive acknowledgement of the need to work with emotions, and that emotions can be constructive.

In This Week’s News:   an examination of the impact of the recent killing of a police officer in New Zealand;   my home state has a new police commissioner: he has delivered statements against domestic violence, but we’ve seen senior officers with personal behaviour at odds with such public statements. He has also delivered warnings against taking part in BLM protests: is he racist, or public health oriented? There have been no infections (family gatherings were the problem), but the organisers were fined. He’s expected to help the force learn from recent mistakes, but a conservative rag suggests there would be a “return to basics” which is code for abandon minorities and police only for the majority. None of our commissioners since Christine  Nixon has been anywhere near as good as she was (e.g., see here, but also see here, for instance): will be buck that history? This is promising on ethical issues, but police actions recently (the EMD cop and others wielding batons, this - especially missing the transphobia when commenting, the appallingly and unnecessarily violent raid on a gay shop) have actively recreated barriers to several groups, and just being ethical is not enough;   the difficulty of predicting future jobs;   Australians are unhappy with our leadership;   my home state’s Parliament has released their latest Auslan briefing;   a critique of policing (“the modern police state is rooted in an almost wilful misunderstanding of the root economic causes of criminality, and the will of the powerful to protect themselves”);   poor sleep can lead to self-harm and suicide.

In the Environmental Arena, where we have been fighting World War III for some time now:   an endangered species has been found to have survived last summer’s bushfires;   Australia’s Chief Scientist has called for improved energy efficiency;   wrong categorisation is allowing endangered fish to be harvested;   an appeal to cut out engine idling;   lessons and evidence of the possibility of fast responses from the pandemic responses;   a call for bipartisanship in Australia;   criticism in an Australian state (not mine) of a slow response to drought;   Australia’s neoliberal nitwits are continuing their attack on renewables;   illegal hunters are a bigger problem than animal activists on farms.
   other environmental matters have occurred in:   Europe (inclusion of human rights);   USA (good news - from young conservatives!);   Peru;   Afghanistan (good news).

This week on the Protests in the USA and associated protests/issues elsewhere:
   the changes for the better that have been accomplished;   although democracies tend to discourage political repression, They Can FAIL To Manage Coercive State Oppression;   the exhaustion of having to explain racism over and over again (I can relate to that, but for transphobia);   “domestic spying” is undermining attempts to achieve racial justice;   from “The Guardian”: “what Defund the Police really means: replacing social control with investment”;   an internet theft and misinformation campaign by a notorious hate site;   an appalling act of racism and threatened violence/murder in a US “sport”;   the noose found in the garage area of a black driver in a US car competition had apparently been there for months beforehand - before he was allocated that garage;   a powerful speech by MLK’s daughter;   mapping shows the variability in police violence/response;
   in Australia:   NO COVID-19 cases linked to the rallies two weeks ago;   how to learn about racism in Australia;
   internationally:   K pop in South Korea is actively supporting the US BLM protests - see  here, here, here, and here and here, about possibly reducing numbers at #45’s recent rally - which show dim prospects for the dim one, who appears to be uniting the USA against himself . . . ;
   “police”:   a Reuters review shows many viral videos of police brutality were acted on;   tear gas is a WEAPON being used by police to commit abuses;   police in Australia have cleared themselves of wrongdoing again - as more concerns emerge;   French police have choked a man to death;   a proposal for reform of police in the USA is progressing;   an authoritative warning that tear gas and rubber bullets are not “non-lethal”;
   suggestions/recommended actions / noteworthy responses:   more candidates from minority groups;
   analysis/commentary:   the role of unstructured movements in violence.

On Human and Animal Rights:
   the intersectionality of racism and anti-slavery;   another Indigenous site is at risk;   an opinion piece in “The Atlantic” points out that “the confederacy was an antidemocratic, centralized [sic] state”;   advice to a mining company on ensuring its review of its practices is transparent;   decolonisation;   Indigenous police officers;   a successful Indigenous-led programme against suicides;   how propaganda lies were used to win a notorious bigot an award;   a police complaint is alleged to be behind a mural being painted over;   black Arab women are rejecting beauty stereotypes;   persistent racial inequality in New Zealand;
   the intersectionality of racism and transphobia;   a critical review praises one Australian state’s new gender identity laws (which, despite the claims, are NOT the first - they are first to get away from surgery, maybe) - see also this important aspect;   more openly gay MKs in Israel;
   Algeria is cracking down on dissent;
   appalling brutality and violence against refugees by Croatia is not being acted on by the EU;
   the recent conviction of a Federal judge in Australia for sexual harassment shows the need for a way to hold them accountable (and raises doubt about a recent decision about a notorious child abuse case) - and why the law continues to be an instrument of misogyny, and the inherent, systemic problems with our approach;   a barbaric response to barbaric behaviour in Singapore;   a simple and obvious change of the definition of rape to “sex without consent” has resulted in a 75% rise in convictions in Sweden;
   comments on the worldwide use of torture;
   more attacks on accessible health care in the USA;
   religious persecution inside Iran;
   another article on the hacking of security cameras;
   a changed perspective on animals eating vegie patches.
Immigration, migration and Refugee matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Australia;   South Sudan/USA (good news);   Yemen;   Australia;
Racism/caste based matters including land rights (good and bad) have occurred in:   Israel;   Russia;   Canada;   European police;   India;   Peru;   Pakistan;   UK;   Australian sport;   the West Bank;   the anti-trafficking movement;   a “beauty products” company;   names;
Trafficking/slavery/Child Abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Iran (good step, but more needs to be done);   DR Congo;   France/Syria (good news);   Bangladesh (good news);
LGBTIQ+ matters (including internalised homophobia/transphobia) (good and bad) have occurred in:   global homophobia/biphobia/transphobia/etc;   writing;   Israel;   Mexico;   Poland;   Singapore (good news);   Europe;   Gabon (good news);   corporate USA;   USA;
Sexism (including internalised sexism), misogyny/misandry and domestic violence matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Singapore;   access to COVID-19 health care in nations suffering conflict;   politics;   USA;   Sudan (good news);   social media (good actions);   Nigeria (good actions);   Kenya;   Mexico;   the Maldives;
Disability matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Australia (good news);   the post-pandemic world;
other Freedom of the Press / Expression matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Australia;   Brazil;   Bangladesh;   Russia;
Privacy/Surveillance matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Israel-Morocco;
other Repression/Oppression / reduction of democracy and other civil & political rights matters (good and bad) have occurred in:   Poland/USA;   Belarus - see also here.

In the related human rights arena of Employment:   after the pandemic, most workers want “hybrid” combinations of work at home and office.

Risks or occurrences of Atrocities, Mass Violence and/or War(s) this week in:   DR Congo - see also here;   UK;   Afghanistan;   Cameroon;   Israel - but she also this;   West Bank;   Somalia;   Nigeria;   Burkina Faso;   USA, where white supremacists are the biggest violent extremist threat;   Sudan - where talks may happen soon;   climate change;   abductions in Niger;   South Sudan;
and   in a small step towards accountability of the warlords, the UN has established a fact finding mission;   progress towards justice in Sudan is too slow;   a call for reparations in the USA for a past race massacre;   defence of the ICC against the anti-human rights USA;   artificial intelligence has increased the risk of nuclear war;   automated online moderation is destroying evidence for atrocity tribunals;   a new guide to protect survivors of sexual violence during war from further harm by investigators;   the ICC will hear an appeal against the acquittal of a former president of the Ivory Coast;   Kosovo’s president and others have been charged with war crimes;   a “report” on US compliance;   #45 wants no restraints on which tyrant he sells weapons to;
other atrocity/violence matters have occurred in:   Sri Lanka;   Israel/Gaza;   South Sudan (good news).

In the Democracy, Governance, Politics, Public Ethics, and Society arena:   an Indigenous woman has been appointed as a replacement Senator;   concerns about a secret trial related to an incident of appalling behaviour by my nation;   the neoliberals are continuing their attack on democracy;   the conservative neoliberal minister who is thumbing his nose at the judiciary is mocking “our system of government”;   from “The Conversation”: “The ‘problem’ is not ‘fixed’. Why we need a royal commission into robodebt”;   the social engineering aspects of the latest attack on thinking courses at Universities by my nation’s neoliberal government - which is against what business wants;   a call for better defences against disinformation campaigns by China and others (especially #45!);   an assessment of the inequality and other causes that have led the USA to being a failing state;   retroactive tax benefits for the PM - currently facing corruption charges - approved in Israel;   a call to delay a loan to Egypt until it takes anti-corruption measures;   data on the gig economy;   another blow to democracy in Venezuela;   the “authoritarian rot” in Europe;   regressive, misleading moves in Samoa;   obfuscation by Scotty from Marketing;   concerns about security classification policies;   the problems of privatisation;   the US Senate has approved sanctions on Chinese officials over China’s attack on democracy and freedom in Hong Kong;   concerns about firefighting services in my home state.
other democracy, governance, politics, public ethics, and society matters have occurred in:   the media;   Singapore.

On Disasters this week:   a massive earthquake in Mexico;   locusts have followed storms and pandemic in Italy;   as the eastern Ebola outbreak is declared over, concerns about an outbreak in northwestern DR Congo.

On Humanitarian Aid and Development:   seven suggested principles (focused on the UK);   more on aid failures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Internationally:   a conservative hardline hawk and former appointee of #45 is closer to being able to publish a so-called “tell all” book (given the sensationalist nature of partial previews, I’m waiting for a sensible review by informed and capable people before I comment one way or another about the book);   yet another debunking of the Myth of US “exceptionalism”;   the Union of Soviet Socialist Russia (yes, mockery) is putting up statues to form Grand Tsar (yes, mockery) Stalin (yes, notorious mass murdering tyrant);   concerning allegations that warnings of Russia’s hold over #45 were ignored;   a US White House advisor has “walked back” a (stupid) comment that the US-China trade deal had been ended;   North Korea has “suspended” its “military campaign” against the south . . . (?!) - see also here;   a lá the South China Sea, China is buildings things in territory it doesn’t own - in this case, Tibet, and India is responding;    China’s puppet media;
on Israel’s intended annexation of the West Bank:   a mass rally against the planned annexation;   opposition in Europe and Jordan;   warning of a “religious war”.

In Africa:   a review of recent efforts to achieve peace in Mali, which has been urge to re-run its election - as Malawi is doing;   a call for financial support of Sudan’s transition;   growing tensions between Libya - see also this - and Egypt;   Sudan has warned against escalating the dispute over the extremely controversial Nile Dam in Ethiopia - which the Arab League has called for Ethiopia to not fill, and the UN Security Council will discuss next week;   action against corruption in the DR Congo, where protests are also occurring;   the growing power of generals in Burundi . . . ;   as more shooting deaths by Kenyan police mark a bloody year, deaths in police custody in Kenya;   the corruption trial of former president of South Africa has resumed;   growing tensions between Nigeria and Ghana;   the opposition leader has been arrested in Tanzania ahead of the election;   peace in South Sudan needs to be implemented more quickly;   generous Uganda has reopened its borders to refugees from violence in the DRC;   risks to community buses and informal taxis in Uganda.

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), and Wear Masks!!!):
   in Afghanistan, as with many other places, the choice is coronavirus or starvation;   the surprisingly large number of people who haven’t heard of the virus;   an appeal to defend democracy against the effects of the pandemic;   time for elitist bigots to acknowledge that not everyone has - or wants (and they DO NOT have to have) - access to contactless payments / internet/ high tech;

   medical aspects:   a suggestion to use UV-C lamps for disinfection (I tried to get a company interested in this for air conditioning back in the 80s: that is the sort of area it should be used for - open air use, as suggested, brings cancer risks, which we in Australia know more about than probably most nations);   using public toilets;   concern about claims about air purifiers;   superspreading (“as few as 10 percent of infected people may drive a whopping 80 percent of cases”);   the person behind the “flatten the curve” phrase;

   Human Rights Aspects (crisis . . . running summary of impacts on elections here):   a surge in anti-Semitism;   more border restrictions in the USA by (the very restricted human being who is) #45;   antibodies in recovered patients decline quickly;   increased homo-/bi-/trans-phobia in Europe;   privacy risks associated with food places taking personal details;   police in Europe are targeting Roma;   minorities are at increased  threat - see this map;
   also including
   more opportunistic surveillance in:   Israel;   workforces;
   increased opportunistic repression/oppression / reduction of democracy in:   the US state of Georgia and the USA generally;   Ethiopia - see also here and here;

   Environmental Impacts:   how to go back to better habits around plastic;   increased poaching;

   Australia:   family transmissions and hot spots (we’re in one) have forced a reimposition of some lockdown provisions (Norman Swan has asked, on social media, why we aren’t requiring face masks: why aren’t we?), and we’re starting to look at a second wave;   attempts to learn lessons for our health system have started;   demands for investigation of a devastating outbreak at an aged care home;   even fewer Australians can afford to retire;   advice on masks could FINALLY be coming to my home state;   changes for better and worse to lifestyles in response to the lockdown;   the neoliberal government ignored advice to engage with migrant communities;   the neolibs are getting impatient - despite a rise in the “toilet paper index”;   a statement of the bleedin’ obvious: our international borders will likely remain closed until there is a widely available and effective vaccine;   a call for an Australian Centres for Disease Control;   to complicate matters, there has been a TB outbreak in one city;

   Internationally:   India;   a 2^nd wave appears to be occurring in Israel;   a limited  hajj this year;   partial re-lockdowns in Germany;   stuffed toys are being used to maintain physical distancing in French cinemas (go minions!);   South Korea has confirmed it is facing a second wave;   Europe is preparing for a second wave;   chopping boards the source of an outbreak in China;   state shelters in India;   women in PNG have been advised to avoid becoming pregnant;   newborn triplets in Mexico all have the virus, but their parents don’t . . . ;   India;   “irregular” settlements in India;   inter-state quarantines in the USA;   forest people in Indonesia are retreating further into the forest;   Brazil;   inadequate access to safe water in the USA - which has just set an exceptional number of daily cases, causing one state to pause re-opening;   Bangladesh

   Africa:   Liberia is extending its lockdown;   silence in Burundi;   concerns in South Sudan;   reform in the DR Congo has slowed;   millions in Nigeria could be impoverished;   supply chains are evolving

   Globally:   the pandemic is “accelerating” in many nations;   some temporary moves may become permanent;

   Stupidity:   sport;   UK;

   Praise:   Thailand;   WA; 

   Blame Games:   IMF.

And finally . . . Black Lives Matter!