Global Scans · Civil Rights · Weekly Summary

• [New] On current trends, inequalities in health will persist over the next two decades: people in the 10% most deprived areas can expect to be diagnosed with major illness a decade earlier than people in the 10% least deprived areas. Patient Safety Learning - the hub
• [New] Democrats have made abortion rights a central issue of their campaigns in Arizona, which was already expected to be a major battleground, and Florida, a longtime election bellwether that has swung further to the right in recent years. The Guardian
• [New] The European Union's LGBTIQ Equality Strategy (2020-2025) upholds accessible legal gender recognition based on self-determination and without age restriction as the human rights standard in the member bloc. Human Rights Watch
• [New] We need U.S. leadership to advance models of development and governance that honor freedom, transparency, human dignity, and opportunity for all, which in turn will be more stabilizing. U.S. Agency for International Development
• [New] As in some other states, including Florida, voters will likely have the chance to decide whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution in November. KFF Health News
• [New] The FFC, which has nowhere to dock in Gaza even if the Israeli Navy were to allow it through, said it will be bringing on board hundreds of international human rights observers to challenge the ongoing illegal Israeli blockade. The Times of Israel
• [New] The new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum will bring a major setback for the coming years and will expose refugees and migrants to human rights violations. Martin Plaut
• [New] The international Freedom Flotilla Coalition will sail in mid April with multiple vessels, carrying 5500 tons of humanitarian aid and hundreds of international human rights observers to challenge the ongoing illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Freedom Flotilla
• While nuclear power might experience a resurgence globally and eventually have a role in Australia, right now, no matter how much intent there might be to activate a nuclear power industry, it is difficult to envision before the mid-2040s. SmartCompany
• The chaos on America's borders alone threatens to extinguish the freedoms and national identity that generations of Americans took for granted. Strategic Culture Foundation
• The European Court of Human Rights will hand down decisions in a trio of cases brought by a French mayor, six Portuguese youngsters and more than 2,000 members of Senior Women for Climate Protection, who say their governments are not doing enough to combat climate change. The Washington Post
• The new powerful system is future-proof and will ensure that all Nigerians have access to a secured, trusted identity, enabling them to exercise their rights and responsibilities as a citizen. IDEMIA
• The Putin regime's continued suppression of dissent, its disregard for human rights, and its aggressive foreign policy have created a climate of fear and instability within Russia. The Moscow Times
• Europe's top rights court has ruled in favour of a group of elderly Swiss women who argued that their government's efforts to combat climate change were inadequate and put them at greater risk of death from heatwaves. Al Jazeera
• The United States has resorted to airdropping food into Gaza and plans to build a floating pier at sea to deliver aid, a proposal criticized by 26 nongovernmental organizations, including Human Rights Watch, as risky, expensive, and ineffective. Human Rights Watch
• As the United States contends with stark racial disparities in maternal health, experts are pushing states to mandate training for medical professionals to combat implicit bias, the prejudiced attitudes a person might hold without being aware of it. Stateline
• New Zealand expects the PRC to respect its right to explore joining AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Institute for the Study of War
• A UK fleet of Xe-100 reactors would play a crucial role in delivering clean electricity and industrial decarbonization and also bring huge opportunities for companies right across the UK. MarketScreener
• In mid-March, the California Public Utilities Commission approved new interconnection rules that take into account how, with the right structures in place, solar and solar-plus-battery systems can be more help than hazard to California's overworked grid. Canary Media
• The Florida Supreme Court allowed voters to decide this fall whether to expand abortion access, ruling 4 to 3 that a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to abortion before viability, usually around 24 weeks, could go on the November ballot. The New York Times
• Data privacy and protection - whether required by the Florida Digital Bill of Rights or not - is something Florida residents and companies will increasingly come to expect. Orlando Sentinel
• In a world threatened by multiple crises, from diseases to disasters, conflicts and climate change, the right to health for all people is more important than ever. World Health Organization: WHO
• The shift away from an extractive, resource-driven global economy toward one that values human rights and livelihoods could redefine global economics and offer reasons for optimism. PubMed Central (PMC)

Last updated: 21 April 2024