U.S. Travel by Canadians Collapses to Historic Low Not Seen Since 1972
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C. Morris
@cmorris@mastodon.social
mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06Human rights and conflict. Following only news sources. Posts regularly deleted. Frequently on hiatus due to other commitments.
46 Followers
208 Following
50 Posts
Joined October 30, 2022
After Trump’s sovereignty threats, Canadians keep ‘elbows up’. ‘“Canadians have remained steadfast," said Steve Mossop, executive vice president at Leger, a Montreal-based polling service. "The biggest surprise is how adamant Canadians are about not supporting the USA in any shape or fashion." Canadians began moving their food purchases away from the US…in early 2025…‘ | CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/07/canada-boycott-trump-travel-alcohol-economy.html
‘A new Israeli law that would allow the #execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks, but not Jewish extremists accused of similar crimes, would constitute a #warcrime if enacted… the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, #VolkerTürk, described the #law as “patently inconsistent with Israel’s #internationallaw obligations, including…the right to life.” | Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/31/israel-death-penalty-law-international-criticism?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
International humanitarian law and connectivity disruptions during armed conflict
#Iran: Attacks on Essential Infrastructure Will Have Catastrophic Consequences for Millions... “In the context of the ongoing threats & attacks against #civilians & civilian #infrastructure across the region, including #power plants, #water treatment facilities, & #bridges, the Center for Human Rights in Iran urgently reminds all parties…of their binding obligations under…the… #GenevaConventions of 1949 & their Additional Protocols.” https://iranhumanrights.org/2026/04/attacks-on-essential-infrastructure-will-have-catastrophic-consequences-for-millions-of-civilians-across-the-region/ #law #InternationalHumanitarianLaw
‘President Donald #Trump on Tuesday warned that #Iran’s millennia-old “civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” unless Tehran capitulates to his demand to agree to a ceasefire deal and open the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. ET. … Trump’s assertion that Iranian “civilization will die” could cross a rhetorical line from threats to commit #warcrimes by attacking infrastructure to threats to commit… #genocide against Iran’s population.” | Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-iran-strike-threat-tonight-b2952978.html#
CJPME wins landmark #CBC Ombud review about Israel’s #occupation of Gaza. ‘…CJPME argued: “To understand how unusual CBC’s view [that Gaza isn’t occupied] is, consider that the ICRC, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, UN General Assembly, European Union, African Union, ICC…argue that Israel has occupied Palestinian territories including Gaza since 1967.’ | CJPME https://www.cjpmemap.ca/impact_cbc_ombud_gaza_occupation
Full CBC Ombuds report at: https://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/ombudsman/reviews/when-does-an-occupation-end
MSF is documenting sexual violence used as a weapon of war in #Sudan. While this short video is difficult to listen to, please do if you can. #Women & #girls need #protection, #medical care, & #justice. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/msfcanada_sudan-talkaboutsudan-activity-7444775586004111360-ISAF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAMq1YoB6hhFxhjRENMfTgr6b8p8swySwaM
Living with the Veto : Research Report. “Since the founding of the #UN…the adverse effects of the [ #SecurityCouncil] #veto (& the threat of the veto)…have…hindered meaningful engagement on issues such as [Syria,] Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine &…the Middle East…
Living with the Veto provides background on the history of the veto & describes initiatives…to restrain & promote accountability for its use.” https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/research-reports/living-with-the-veto.php
#Lebanon: The UN peacekeepers helping communities who’ve stayed behind. “Peace and Security
The killing of three #UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon in the past two days has highlighted the grave dangers for the 10,000 military personnel who make up the bulk of #UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon – and for the communities caught up in intense clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah fighters.” | UN News
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/03/1167227
U.S. lawmakers demand answers after Canadian man says border officers made him give DNA sample | CBC News
Not Any Person. Not Any Woman. Not Any Man. “…What is required is a principled [#UN] Secretary-General, firmly anchored in the values of the Charter, with a clear commitment to justice as [an]…enforceable principle — not an abstract aspiration. This includes the unequivocal recognition that #women’s rights are #humanrights & that their systematic denial undermines peace, development & the legitimacy of the international system itself.“ | PassBlue https://passblue.com/2026/03/09/not-any-person-not-any-woman-not-any-man/
“#Thailand is experiencing a rapid data center boom, with more than 70 projects planned or underway, many clustered in the industrial Eastern Economic Corridor.
Residents & farmers in Chonburi & Rayong provinces say they fear the facilities will intensify #water shortages & #pollution in a region already struggling with industrial impacts.” | Gerald Flynn, Mongabay https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/thai-data-center-boom-sparks-fears-of-water-shortage-air-pollution/ @mongabay@mastodon.green #environment
‘13 months into a travel #boycott of the #US, the number of #Canadian visitors slid by double digits again in February—marking what is already the most successful tourism boycott in memory… Canadian visits to other international destinations were up 7.2% year over year—indicating Canadians are indeed traveling, but not to the US...’ | Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2026/03/10/canadian-visits-to-us-fall-for-13th-consecutive-month-adding-to-us-tourism-decline/
Universal jurisdiction over war crimes. “…certain crimes are so grave that they affect the international community as a whole… the principle of #universaljurisdiction…entitles a State to prosecute offenders even in the absence of any link between the crime committed & the prosecuting state... …universal jurisdiction enables all States to fulfill their duty to prosecute & punish the perpetrators of #warcrimes.” | ICRC https://www.icrc.org/en/document/universal-jurisdiction-over-war-crimes-factsheet.
Fact sheet pdf: https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/document/file_list/dp_consult_38_universal_jurisdiction.pdf
Political attacks on Canadian #judges must stop. | Adam Dodek The Globe and Mail https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-political-attacks-judges-doug-ford/
Or https://archive.is/3Ggcq #Ontario #DougFord #BC #DavidEby #Alberta #DanielleSmith
‘The Association of International Criminal Law Prosecutors (#AICLP) has issued a statement on the ASP proceedings concerning #ICC Prosecutor #KarimKhan.
The statement identifies 3 structural failures the process has exposed: no clear investigative framework for senior officials; an oversight mechanism unequipped to proceed when complainants fear retaliation; & a deeply fractured OTP staff… The ASP has independent authority & responsibility, to go further.” See statement: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/iclprosecutors_the-association-of-international-criminal-activity-7446950703345938432-eHZH
Here is this year’s easter homily from the Latin Patriarchate of #Jerusalem https://www.lpj.org/en/news/easter-vigil-homily
‘…the #pope said that the Christian mission had often been “distorted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
Since the #UnitedStates & #Israel began bombing Iran in late February, the pope has consistently called for an end to the violence and a return to dialogue to resolve the conflict. …he has also pointed out the ways in which Christianity has been marshaled for purposes that the pope says do not align with Catholic teaching.’ | NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/world/middleeast/pope-iran-war.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YVA.PUj1.A_NPz_eQYQn1&smid=nytcore-ios-share
Holy Saturday | by Fred Clark, Patheos
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/04/03/holy-saturday-16/
Gaza's Palestinian Christians mark good Friday amid ongoing conflict - YouTube
#Israeli police stop Latin Patriarch from entering Church of Holy Sepulchre. ‘The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem & the Custody of the Holy Land have released a joint statement stating that, on the morning of #PalmSunday, the Latin Patriarch of #Jerusalem…with the Custos of the Holy Land…, the official Guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, were prevented from entering the Church of the #HolySepulchre…to celebrate the #PalmSunday Mass...’ | Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2026-03/israeli-police-stop-latin-patriarch-of-jerusalem-from-entering.html
Israeli soldiers echo settler ideology, talk of revenge after targeting Palestinians and detaining CNN crew in the West Bank | CNN
The Broligarchy's 1st World War? “…to understand what is happening…in #Iran & #Lebanon & the forces behind it, we need to see that... Dominique Pelicot & Andrew Tate & Jeffrey Epstein are only symptoms. They are the doorway through which we can understand the forces behind not just another catastrophic Gulf War but a global power structure in which state violence, commercial profit &…domination & violation of women are inextricably entwined.” | Carole Cadwalladr https://broligarchy.substack.com/p/is-this-the-broligarchys-first-world
#Iran: Grave risks to detained #lawyers & #prisoners of conscience amid armed conflict | Joint oral statement to #UN #HumanRightsCouncil on 16 March 2016 by Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute & Centre for Supporters of Human Rights https://www.lrwc.org/iran-grave-risks-to-lawyers-amid-armed-conflict-hrc61/ #law #humanrights #US #Israel
#UNCharter #internationalhumanitarianlaw.
British couple in #Iran prison..on [false] ‘espionage charges…feel frightened by the war & abandoned by the British government... The couple are being held in separate cells in "appalling" & deteriorating conditions… …no medical care & food supplies were becoming increasingly scarce… sleeping in crowded cells on metal bunks with no mattresses… recent explosions from the US-Israeli bombardment have struck close enough to send shockwaves through prison buildings.’ | BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cew72ll8245o
ICYMI 16 March 2026 #US/#Iran: Amnesty International “…investigation finds that #US violated #internationalhumanitarianlaw by failing to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm
–US responsible for deadly attack on school packed full of #children killing 168 people
–US authorities must ensure that the investigation is transparent, thorough, & that the results are made public…
#Iranian authorities…used traumatized child survivors for state #propaganda.” https://amnesty.ca/human-rights-news/usa-iran-deadly-school-attack-investigation/
Over 92,000 #civilian building units damaged in #Iran in #US-#Israeli attacks. “The damage to 92,662 civilian units includes 71,356 residential units, 20,399 commercial units, 290 health facilities, and 600 schools. The war has additionally damaged 17 Red Crescent centres, 46 ambulances and three relief helicopters, the organisation said.” : Iranian Red Crescent | Al Jazeera (scroll down) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/3/27/iran-war-live-trump-delays-attacks-on-iranian-energy-sector-by-10-days
#HongKong court rules subversion trial of #Tiananmen vigil activists will go on: Three designated national security judges ruled on Friday that the prosecution established a prima facie case against Lee Cheuk-yan, #ChowHang-tung, and the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. | HK Free Press https://hongkongfp.com/2026/03/13/hong-kong-court-rules-subversion-trial-of-tiananmen-vigil-activists-will-go-on/
#Türkiye: In a joint letter addressed to several #UN #SpecialRapporteurs, over a dozen NGOs raised concerns over the prosecution and conviction of #lawyers and #humanrightsdefenders affiliated with ÖHD & TUAD in Türkiye. See the full urgent action letter at https://www.fidh.org/en/region/europe-central-asia/turkey/turkey-urgent-call-to-un-special-rapporteurs-to-address-the #Turkey
@AncTreat5358@mindly.social yes, shame. Especially because Jimmy grew up on Fair Isle, and Ann Cleeves suggested his father may have been descended from survivors of a wrecked Spanish Armada ship. I hope you’ll try the series again.
Narges Mohammadi is denied treatment after a heart attack in an Iranian prison, her husband says. “#NargesMohammadi, Iran’s most prominent #humanrights activist and a #NobelPeacePrize laureate, suffered a heart attack in prison last week, but the Iranian authorities have refused her requests to be taken to a hospital for treatment, her husband said on Tuesday.” | NYT https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/31/world/iran-war-oil-trump#narges-mohammadi-heart-attack-iranian-prison
Trump Revels in Threats to Commit War Crimes in Iran. “No other recent American president has talked so openly about committing potential #warcrimes, legal experts, historians and former US officials say. Wartime American presidents and their aides have usually insisted they were trying to follow international and US military law, even if they violated it in some cases.“ | Edward Wong, NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/05/us/politics/trump-iran-war-crimes-truth-social.html #Law #InternationalLaw #warcrimes /1
#Iran: “100s of arrests have taken place…since the current conflict began… 3 young men arrested for…January protests have already been executed… [T]he regime [says]: “Individuals who collaborate with the enemy…are considered part of the enemy’s forces….” …[interpreting] “collaboration”…to encompass…activists, #lawyers defending #politicalprisoners, doctors who treated wounded protesters, minorities, or...” | oped, Center for #HumanRights in Iran https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/25/iran-islamic-republic-protests-executions/
Or https://archive.is/Qa5Cz
Is it true that … Wellness myths, put to the experts | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/is-it-true-that?lid=b6pv6gniqn1y
“#Iran has issued threats and directed attacks against its neighbours as it eyes a #US threat to its civilian infrastructure.
Tehran said late on Tuesday that it will add energy facilities in Saudi Arabia & the UAE to its list of potential targets if Iran’s infrastructure is attacked… As the clock ticked down, strikes on Iran intensified, hitting railway & road bridges, an airport and a petrochemical plant. US forces also attacked targets on #Kharg Island...“ | Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/7/iran-warns-region-and-beyond-as-tension-builds-ahead-of-us-ultimatum
UN experts denounce aggression on Iran and Lebanon, warn of devastating regional escalation | OHCHR 12 March 2026 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/un-experts-denounce-aggression-iran-and-lebanon-warn-devastating-regional
Hershey returns to real #chocolate in Reese’s products. “…while this might seem like a significant shift by the multinational, it amounts to less than 3% of #Reese’s products & a fraction of #Hershey’s overall portfolio.
…classic Hershey’s chocolate bars & Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups already use pure milk & dark chocolate. The products requiring change make up a small section of the portfolio – mini Reese’s cups & shapes,…Reese’s Fast Break candy bar, &...” https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2026/04/01/hershey-returns-to-real-chocolate-in-reeses-products/
ICYMI:
"The Council of Europe & the European Union have signed an agreement on the financing of an advance team to establish the
#SpecialTribunal for the Crime of #Aggression against #Ukraine
The aim of the joint project is to create a team to prepare the institutional, logistical and organisational foundations of the Special Tribunal, which will have the mandate to prosecute senior political and military leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine." https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/special-tribunal-for-the-crime-of-aggression-against-ukraine-council-of-europe-european-union-agree-to-set-up-advance-team
‘Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted a 2-week ceasefire…& that it would negotiate with the US in Islamabad beginning Friday. "It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war," the council's statement said.
…Trump said that provided Iran agreed "to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz" he would "suspend the bombing & attack of Iran for a period of 2 weeks."’
| PBS https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/irans-supreme-national-security-council-says-it-has-accepted-two-week-ceasefire-in-the-war?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Why #internationallaw is still the world’s best defence | Opinion by Fatou Bensouda, Former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, &
Sam Sasan Shoamanesh,
Former Chef de Cabinet of ICC Prosecutor, | Al Jazeerahttps://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/3/8/why-international-law-is-still-the-worlds-best-defence
@AncTreat5358@mindly.social: if you go, take the overnight ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick, Shetland. I see this interview with Ann Cleeves: https://www.northlinkferries.co.uk/shetland-blog/ann-cleeves-interview/#:~:text=I%20wanted%20a%20central%20character,ancestors%20was%20a%20Spanish%20survivor.
@AncTreat5358@mindly.social: And do pay a visit to the Shetland islands if you can!
#Canada: #AviLewis wins NDP leadership race in decisive first-ballot victory. | CBC https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/livestory/federal-ndp-announces-leader-9.7146267 #cdnpoli @avilewis@mstdn.ca
Detainees too young for social media, but old enough for jail | ABC (Australia) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-05/detainees-too-young-for-social-media-old-enough-for-jail/106517258
A post by FIDH’s W. Ashley Waye on the findings regarding the ICC Prosecutor: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ashleywaye_judges-say-icc-prosecutor-in-sexual-misconduct-share-7445772692416368640-C9sM
When do attacks on civilian installations amount to war crimes? The #Iran conflict “has led to airstrikes on infrastructure across the Middle East & threats to target #oil facilities, #electricity production sites & #desalination plants that supply civilians, which some experts say could amount to #warcrimes if carried out.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for #civilians..." | The Straits Times https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/explainer-when-do-attacks-on-civilian-installations-amount-to-war-crimes
At least 1,500 Arrested in #Iran as State Intensifies Domestic Crackdown. “Security forces have carried out coordinated arrests across multiple cities, often involving violent raids and #enforceddisappearances, targeting ordinary citizens, #activists, students, religious #minorities, & the families of protesters and activists abroad.” | Center for Human Rights in Iran https://iranhumanrights.org/2026/03/at-least-1500-arrested-in-iran-as-state-intensifies-domestic-crackdown/