Trump's Budget Would Hurt Children: Daily Brief

UAE rights defender detained; What Australia needs to ask China; Pakistan military courts for civilians; Thai activist killed; Media freedom in Papua; Lebanon military court backs down; Syrian refugee dies waiting for family reunification; Philippines backtracking on respect for LGBT rights.

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In a major victory for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students, Utah has repealed its “no promo homo” law restricting discussions of homosexuality in schools. These harmful and discriminatory laws essentially prevent anything deemed to be advocating homosexuality in US schools, putting LGBT students at greater risk of ridicule. Utah's repeal is a signal that other states can do the same.
Last weekend, on the third anniversary of Russia's occupation of Crimea, numerous nationalist groups across Russia held rallies and proclaimed their support for the Kremlin's actions in Crimea and elsewhere. But some have gone beyond protesting. And they are getting away with it.
The recent discovery of a mass grave with 15 bodies inside a Venezuelan prison is a gruesome reminder that the government still hasn’t properly investigated years of serious crimes committed in its prisons.
From earlier today: President Trump’s proposed budget includes dramatic cuts to many programs, not to mention eliminating entire agencies. Among his proposals is a complete gutting of the Labor Department’s programs to eliminate child and forced labor worldwide.
Human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, winner of 2015 Laureate Martin Ennals Award and member of Human Rights Watch’s Advisory Board for the Middle East and North Africa, has been detained in the United Arab Emirates.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will land in Australia for an official visit later this week. On the eve of his visit, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop delivered an unusually sharp warning to China on its need to move towards democracy, but will she and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull follow it up publicly and directly with Li?
The Pakistani government has put forward a proposal to restore military courts empowered to try civilians.

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