“A panel of international lawyers on Tuesday published an official legal definition of the term ‘ecocide,’ which for decades has been condemned by conservationists and climate action campaigners but which until now has not been recognized as a crime. With the Stop Ecocide campaign’s new legal definition of ecocide, organizers and experts seek to eventually incorporate the prosecution of environmental destruction into the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) mandate, making it possible for nations on the front lines of the climate crisis (which are the least responsible for the carbon emissions and industrial pollution that is heating the planet), to hold big polluters accountable.” (06/22/21)
“In Russia, democracy has declined while corruption has climbed under President Vladimir Putin. That fact weighs heavily in many former states of the Soviet empire where Moscow still holds sway. The latest example was Sunday’s election in Armenia. The country’s most pro-democratic, anti-corruption party, Civil Contract, handily won over opponents that wanted closer ties with Russia. The party’s big win was not predicted. Its leader, Nikol Pashinyan, was humiliated last year as prime minister in a war he lost with neighboring Azerbaijan over disputed territory. In April, he was forced to call an election and then become a caretaker leader.” (06/21/21)
“A $500 million U.S. victim compensation fund for the relatives of 346 people killed in two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes opened Monday, the claim administrators told Reuters. The fund is part of a settlement with the Justice Department. Boeing Co in January agreed to pay $500 million to compensate the heirs, relatives and beneficiaries of the passengers who died in Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2018 and 2019. Each eligible family will receive nearly $1.45 million and money will be paid on a rolling basis as claim forms are submitted and completed, said administrators Ken Feinberg and Camille Biros in a joint statement.” (06/22/21)
“Investing for retirement is difficult. Keeping a constant eye on the markets, studying economics, staying on top of every trend without a misstep … that’s time-consuming and confusing. Worse, a lack of guidance, poor websites, and limited investment options make most individuals’ first foray into investing overwhelming. But you can’t hide from it. No one is going to rescue your retirement for you. The good news is it doesn’t have to be so tough. As you’ll see today, there are just three keys to understanding your retirement account. Learn these, and you will truly change your quality of life in your retirement. There are three big things you need to earn an extra six figures in your retirement plan: Asset allocation, Low fees, and Index funds.” (06/22/21)
“The Vatican has protested to Italy over a bill on homophobia currently passing through parliament. The Zan bill would punish discrimination and incitement to violence against the LGBT community, as well as women and people with disabilities. The Vatican argues the bill would curb religious freedoms secured in a treaty. Under current Roman Catholic doctrine, gay relationships are referred to as ‘deviant behaviour.’ Advocates of the bill say it has safeguards to ensure religious freedoms. The Zan bill, named after LGBT activist and politician Alessandro Zan, was passed by the lower house of parliament in November, and now needs to pass the Senate. It would add legal protections for women and people who are LGBT or disabled. Those found guilty of hate crimes or discrimination against these groups could face up to four years in prison.” (06/22/21)
“West Virginia, a state first established in defiance of slavery, has recently become ground zero in the fight for voting rights. In an early June op-ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin vowed to maintain the Senate filibuster, while opposing the For the People Act, a bill to expand voting rights. Last week, after mounting pressure and a leaked Zoom recording with billionaire donors, he showed potential willingness to move on the filibuster and proposed a ‘compromise’ on voting rights. Nonetheless, his claim that the filibuster had been critical to protecting the ‘rights of Democrats in the past’ and his pushback on important voting-rights protections requires scrutiny. After all, the modern use of the filibuster first emerged in the 1920s and 1930s as a response to civil rights and anti-lynching legislation.” (06/22/21)
“Dozens of baby squid from Hawaii are in space for study. The baby Hawaiian bobtail squid were raised at the University of Hawaii’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory and were blasted into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station. Researcher Jamie Foster, who completed her doctorate at the University of Hawaii, is studying how spaceflight affects the squid in hopes of bolstering human health during long space missions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday. The squid have a symbiotic relationship with natural bacteria that help regulate their bioluminescence.” (06/22/21)
“It’s another glorious Monday in the city that never sleeps! Who are they kidding? There are bums passed out all over the place. But the rest of us have to stay up all night and guard our stuff from looters. According to the NYPD data, hundreds of suspects nabbed for looting and rioting after the George Floyd protests, have all had their charges erased. Yep, the charges were wiped out, like Kat after having one too many vodkas in first class. The dismissal of charges must be great news to business owners, who can look forward to more repeat customers from their growing base of faithful looters! It’s sort of like a ‘steal one, get one hundred free’ sale. It’s a lesson in incentives.” (06/22/21)
“Hungary’s foreign minister alleged Tuesday that a disinformation campaign was being used to rally international criticism of a recent law passed in Hungary that has been widely seen as targeting LGBT people. Speaking at a press conference following a General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reacted to a question on reported plans by Benelux countries to release a joint statement condemning the new law. ‘A global fake news campaign is taking place concerning the law on the protection of children,’ Szijjarto said, adding that ‘99% of those making criticisms have not read the entire law.'” (06/22/21)
“Two Pride Month organizers in Seattle are now apologizing to the local community after writing a letter to the city taking issue with a separate upcoming event’s plans to charge a ‘$10 to $50 reparations fee’ for [w]hite people, calling it ‘reverse discrimination.’ The uproar surrounding Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson, the directors of Capitol Hill Pride, began late last week after the Seattle Human Rights Commission posted on Twitter the letter that they had sent. ‘It has come to our attention that an event called ‘Take B(l)ack Pride’ at the Jimi Hendrix public park June 26th is charging [w]hites only admission as reparations,’ the pair wrote, asking the city to review the admissions policy. ‘We consider this reverse discrimination in its worse form and we feel we are being attacked for not supporting due to disparaging and hostile e-mails.'” (06/22/21)
