Ugandan Constitutional Court refuses to Strike Down Anti Homosexuality Act – O-blog-dee-o-blog-da

“This conditions are becoming increasingly dangerous. This judgement will serve to continue to embolden both state and non state actors in the ongoing violence and persecution perpetrated against Uganda’s LGBTI community.”

Uganda’s constitutional court today refused to annul or suspend the Anti-Homosexuality ACT of 2023 (AHA)  that includes the death penalty for so called “aggravated homosexuality”, but found some of its provisions inconsistent with certain fundamental human rights, noting  that what they struck down protects mostly the straight people in Uganda.
“We decline to nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 in its entirety, neither will we grant a permanent injunction against its enforcement,” said lead judge Richard Buteera, reading the judgment on behalf of his four colleagues. However, the court struck down certain sections it said were “inconsistent with right to health, privacy and freedom of religion”.

Source: Ugandan Constitutional Court refuses to Strike Down Anti Homosexuality Act – O-blog-dee-o-blog-da

‘Aid organisations have been railing against what they say is Israel’s indiscriminate bombing’ – France 24

'Aid organisations have been railing against what they say is Israel's indiscriminate bombing'
‘Aid organisations have been railing against what they say is Israel’s indiscriminate bombing’ © France 24

“Aid organisations have been railing for weeks against what they say is Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of civilian and not just military targets”, says France 24’s international affairs commentator Douglas Herbert, follwoing an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip that killed seven charity staff. ” Also for what they say is a failure to allow much-needed access to Gaza for relief workers”, he adds.

Source: ‘Aid organisations have been railing against what they say is Israel’s indiscriminate bombing’ – France 24

Aftermath video of deadly World Central Kitchen strike is consistent with Israeli targeting, expert says – Egypt Independent

Chris Cobb-Smith, a former British Army artillery officer and munitions expert, told CNN the heavy damage to three vehicles seen in video and images from the scene was consistent with the use of “highly accurate drone-fired missiles,” adding it was “hard to believe” the tragic incident was accidental.

The drone that fired the missiles would have been operated in conjunction with a surveillance drone, Cobb-Smith said, meaning the Israeli military would have had total visibility of the cars. At least two of the vehicles were branded with the WCK logo on their roofs, the group has said.

Source: Aftermath video of deadly World Central Kitchen strike is consistent with Israeli targeting, expert says – Egypt Independent

Jane Goodall at 90: On fame, hope, and empathy

  • Jane Goodall’s 90th birthday is today, April 3, 2024. To mark the occasion, Goodall sat down with Mongabay Founder and CEO Rhett Ayers Butler at his home in California.
  • In the conversation, Goodall delves into the evolving consciousness regarding environmental degradation and the loss of biodiversity, while stressing the importance of fostering hope amidst the doom and gloom often associated with these issues.
  • “I’ve come to think of humanity as being at the mouth of a very long very dark tunnel and right at the end there’s a little star shining. And that’s hope,” she said. “However, it’s futile to just sit and wonder when that star will come to us. We must gird our loins, roll up our sleeves, and navigate around all obstacles that lie between us and the star.”
  • The conversation also touches upon the transformative power of youth engagement in environmental activism. Goodall highlights the influence young people can have on older generations, emphasizing the importance of voting in elections as a means to support candidates who prioritize environmental concerns.

Source: Jane Goodall at 90: On fame, hope, and empathy

DEATH OR A CHANCE TO LOVE [408:7] – Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

Màu của biển. – Watercolor – by Trần Băng Khuê

In dreams, we are blind. In what is shapeless, we capture images of the dark. Not the same darkness as when we couldn’t breathe during Covid, it’s more the darkness of the unknown, an invisible world.

Invisible, because there are those who want to look into our past. Like her, we have written about a past that has been drawn across all dreams. Its beginning is rather sketchy, but as we step into her soft and delicate domain, all the spirits of the moon will dance.

Because of you, love, with Cupid’s arrow I will pierce. Beyond my failure, I will find myself bathed in a coldness like the moon. You are too full hence you will spill into the past, watch those bobbing up and down in the water at the end of the world. You will try to slow time down so people can believe that they are still in their youth. Nietzsche acknowledged death, while you believe in the resurrection.

The illusions we can not see, it’s where everyone hides their pain, imprisoning the most incredible lies. In such a place, there’s no way out or in, all everyone needs is the fire alarm and the emergency exit to escape the fire.

And we only have one life. Time. Time will in the end, swallow us whole.

KHI CÁI CHẾT ĐẾN HAY LÀ CƠ HỘI ĐỂ YÊU

trong những giấc mơ, chúng ta bước đi mù quáng. trong những vô hình, chúng ta chụp được những bức ảnh bóng tối. không phải bóng tối như lần chúng ta khó thở vì covid mà là bóng tối của nơi chưa từng biết, thế giới của vô hình.

vô hình, vì có người vẫn muốn nhìn thấy quá khứ của chúng ta. những quá khứ mà nàng và chúng ta đã viết, vẽ nên mọi giấc mơ. những suy nghĩ lúc đầu còn lờ mờ, nhưng khi chúng ta bước vào vương quốc mềm mại của nàng, những linh hồn mặt trăng sẽ nhảy múa.

vì em, mũi tên của Cupid tôi sẽ đâm vào. sau đó trong thất bại của mình, tôi tìm thấy tôi dưới cái lạnh như mặt trăng. bạn quá đầy nên bạn đang tràn qua quá khứ, nằm nhìn những người đang ngụp lặn chơi trò chơi của ngày tận thế. bạn đang làm chậm thời gian lại để mọi người nghĩ rằng họ vẫn đang ở tuổi thiếu niên. Nietzsche công nhận cái chết, nhưng bạn biết vẫn có sự hồi sinh.

những ảo ảnh chúng ta không nhìn thấy, chính là nơi mọi người che giấu nỗi đau, giam cầm những điều phù phiếm nhất. ở đó không ai có lối ra và cũng không ai có lối vào, mọi người chỉ cần lối thoát hiểm phòng cháy chữa cháy.

và chúng ta chỉ có một cuộc đời này. thời gian. thời gian, cuối cùng sẽ nuốt chửng tất cả chúng ta.

Lê Vĩnh Tài, the poet and translator born in 1966 in Buon Ma Thuot, Daklak, Vietnam. The retired doctor is still a resident of the Western Highlands and a businessman in Buon Ma Thuot.

Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm, the blogger, poet, and translator, was born in 1971 in Phu Nhuan, Saigon, Vietnam. The pharmacist currently lives and works in Western Sydney, Australia.

Source: DEATH OR A CHANCE TO LOVE [408:7] – Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

3 years after the Myanmar military coup—the people are suffering – The Lancet

Myanmar was once on the verge of substantial advancements in health care but is now dealing with a severe humanitarian and health crisis following the unlawful military coup on Feb 1, 2021. Due to the Myanmar Military Council’s (MMC) atrocities against civilians and the end to the democratic process, the National Unity Government (NUG) has allied with ethnic armed groups to fight for justice and a future federal democracy. In a world of growing humanitarian emergencies and fleeting media attention, Myanmar is fast becoming a forgotten crisis, overshadowed by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. As of Feb 29, 2024, the MMC and pro-military groups have destroyed more than 75 000 homes and properties and killed 4611 pro-democracy activists and civilians since the start of the coup.

They have also arrested 26 204 people, and of those 1662 were killed in detainment, 20 156 are still detained, and 155 people have been sentenced to death.

Civilians in resistance strongholds were burned alive; the MMC conducted massacres and used villagers as human shields.

Source: 3 years after the Myanmar military coup—the people are suffering – The Lancet