World news in brief
Outcry over death of baby separated from mother
The death of a three-month-old baby who was separated from her mother at a jail in the Philippines has provoked an outpouring of anger nationwide. Human rights activist Reina Mae Nasino worked for an urban poverty group, Kadamay, when she and two fellow activists were arrested in November 2019 on charges of illegally possessing firearms and explosives. They had denied the claims and have said the arms were planted by police to frame them.
At the time of her arrest, Nasino did not know she was already pregnant, and attributed a missed period to the stress of the police raid. Her daughter River was born in July 2020 but was separated from her mother in mid-August. Last week, she died of pneumonia. Yesterday, Philippines social media was flooded with videos of Nasino visiting the hospital to see her daughter’s body. When she tried talking to media present in the hospital, jail officials tried to block the interview and take her away.
China, Russia and Cuba elected to UN rights council
China, Russia, Pakistan and Cuba have been elected to the UN’s Human Rights Council (UNHRC), despite criticism of their records from international rights groups. But Saudi Arabia, which lost its seat on the council last year, failed to win a place in Tuesday’s vote due to competition in the Asia-Pacific region.
The number of votes received by both Saudi Arabia and China was significantly down from their levels of support in 2016 when they won their previous three-year terms – Saudi Arabia with 152 votes, and China with 180 votes. Based in Geneva, the UNHRC is an inter-governmental body which is responsible for the protection of human rights around the world and for addressing situations of human rights violations.
Exhibition closed over Chinese ‘Genghis Khan’ demands
A museum in France said it decided to postpone an exhibit about the Mongol emperor Genghis Khan citing interference by the Chinese government, which has accused it of trying to rewrite history. The Chateau des ducs de Bretagne history museum in the western city of Nantes said it was putting the show about the 13th century leader on hold for over three years. In a statement on Monday, the museum’s director, Bertrand Guillet, said: “We made the decision to stop this production in the name of the human, scientific and ethical values that we defend.”
It alleged the Chinese authorities demanded certain words, including “Genghis Khan”, “Empire” and “Mongol” be taken out of the show. It also said that they asked for power over exhibition brochures, legends and maps. It comes as China takes a tougher stance against ethnic Mongols, many of whom live in the northern province of Inner Mongolia. The museum branded the changes “censorship” and said it underlined a “hardening ... of the position of the Chinese government against the Mongolian minority”.
Aid to Holocaust survivors agreed
Germany has agreed to provide more than a half billion euros to aid Holocaust survivors struggling under during the coronavirus pandemic. The payments will be going to approximately 240,000 survivors around the world over the next two years, according to the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also referred to as the “claims conference”.
Elderly survivors often suffer from numerous medical issues because many were deprived of proper nutrition. In addition, many live isolated lives having lost their entire families and also have psychological issues because of their persecution under the Nazis. The new funds are targeted to Jews who aren’t receiving pensions already from Germany, primarily people who fled the Nazis and ended up elsewhere during the war.