January 2015 – Page 6 – The Speaker News Journal

Genome mapped for bowhead whale, which can live 200 years

January 26, 2021January 5, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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The complete genome for the bowhead whale has been mapped and the results have been presented by University of Liverpool researchers. The researchers expect that the research help build an understanding of “tricks of biology” that the species–which lives up to 200 years with low incidence of age-related diseases–have developed to increase their lifespans.

“My view is that species evolved different ‘tricks’ to have a longer lifespan, and by discovering the ‘tricks’ used by the bowhead we may be able to apply those findings to humans in order to fight age-related diseases,” Senior author Dr. João Pedro de Magalhães, of the University of Liverpool, in the UK, said of the research.

“Our understanding of species’ differences in longevity is very poor, and thus our findings provide novel candidate genes for future studies.”

The bowhead genome is the first to be sequenced among large whales. The researchers included in the presentation of their findings the identification of key genetic differences from other mammals, including genes related to cell division, DNA repair, cancer and aging.

The new genome map carries hope that physiological adaptations related to the whale’s massive size will become understood, such as the relatively low metabolic rate possessed by the large mammals. The team identified one particular gene–UCP1, which plays a role in thermoregulation–that they suspect may be important in this regard.

The researchers remarked that the bowhead not only lives long, but lives disease-free until an age much more advanced than that at which humans frequently begin to become burdened by illnesses.

Magalhaes also noted that large whales have over 1000 times the number of cells humans have, yet the large mammals do not seem to suffer from increased cancer risks associated with the massive amount of cells. Magalhaes suspects that this points to natural mechanisms possessed by the whales genes that more effectively suppress cancer.

Next for the team is a project to breed mice to express some of the standout bowhead genes. They hope to find genes for longevity and disease resistance.

The report, “Insights into the evolution of longevity from the bowhead whale genome,” was authored by Dr. João Pedro de Magalhães and was published in the journal Cell Reports.

Information on the research can also be found at the team’s genome resource webpage.

Elite bargainers refuse low offers more than regular bargainers and make more generous offers – study

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

Elite decisions less rational and self interested, offer more (2)

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In a first-of-its-kind study undertaken by University of California researchers, elite bargainers–those responsible for making today’s most important policy and business decisions–were examined to find out if they, like other people, reject low offers even when those offers involve benefits. The research is expected to offer increased understanding of some of the problems faced in global economic and environmental dialogues.

“Professionals, who had a lot of experience in high-stakes bargaining, played even further from the predictions of classic economic models. Concerns about fairness and equity aren’t expunged by experience, and persist in a group of very smart and successful professionals,” Dr. Brad LeVeck, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Merced, and lead author of the study, told The Speaker.

Elite bargainers refuse low offers more than regular bargainers, make higher - study — Dr. Brad LeVeck

“Most experiments in human behavior are conducted on convenience samples of university undergraduates. So, when experimental results go against the assumptions in classic models from economics, many researchers are skeptical about whether those results will translate to the real world,” LeVeck told us.

“Inexperienced students at a university might just be making mistakes that more experienced professionals would avoid. At least when it comes to bargaining, our study shows that this isn’t the case.”

LeVeck’s study used a unique sample of 102 US policy and business elites who had an average of 21 years of experience conducting international diplomacy or policy strategy.

The names of the participating elites were withheld in order to mitigate possible false behavior that could have resulted from concern about harm to their reputations.

When participants bargained over a fixed resource–in the study the samples played “ultimatum” bargaining games that involved the division of a fixed prize, but the researchers had global agreements on international trade, climate change, and other important problems in mind–the elites actually made higher demands and refused low offers (below 25 percent in the share of a prize) more frequently than non elite bargainers. But elite bargainers also offered more.

“In our study, it wasn’t just the case that elite policy makers rejected low offers more often than the general public,” LeVeck said. “It was also the case that they made more generous offers.

“So, to a certain extent, these individuals have the right intuition about how to conclude a successful bargain. This suggests that considerations of equity and fairness are already taken into consideration by real world policy makers.”

Elites with more experience and age were found to bargain for higher gains all around.

“Our best evidence indicates that this finding is related to their professional experience… This could be because policy makers accommodate the possibility that low offers will be rejected, and therefore also learn that it’s generally ok to reject low offers.”

The positions from which the most important policy and business decisions are made, the researchers concluded, are occupied by elites who have either changed towards high demand bargaining or have been selected by some process that favors this type of elite.

Why bargainers reject low offers and why elite bargainers play for higher stakes are questions that are still unanswered. Past research has given weight to arguments that bargaining actions are not due to motives such as fairness, equity, or toughness, but may have more to do with spite, culture and social learning.

“Our study wasn’t designed to disentangle these explanations,” LeVeck said. “So, it’s difficult to know whether the people who reject low offers are individuals that intrinsically care about fairness for everyone, or are simply individuals who spitefully reject low offers (but would take more for themselves if it were possible). In the later case, people would care about fairness for themselves, but not for everyone. I suspect both of these motivations exist and affect the behavior of different people.”

The researchers considered other motives for elite bargaining tactics, such as future opportunities, other bargaining partners and power relationships, but those did not play into the experiments.

“I do think these types of complex, real-world considerations shape professionals’ intuitions about how to bargain,” said LeVeck. “However, other parts of our study show that policy and business elites think carefully about strategic decisions. This makes it less likely that these individuals were misapplying a lesson from the real world when they played the bargaining game in our study.”

The researchers pointed out that the study encourages a reappraisal of aspects of international cooperation, such as bargaining with regards to trade, climate and other world issues.

“Analysts and researchers are understandably skeptical when leaders complain that an agreement is unfair. It’s very plausible that the complaint is just ‘cheap-talk’: When pressed, those leaders should actually accept any agreement that is inline with their self-interest.

“By contrast, our findings raises the possibility that these complaints are more than cheap talk. Policy and business elites have some willingness to reject inequitable offers.

“So, when formulating proposals on issues like global emissions reductions or trade policy, leaders should pay attention to whether the other side will reasonably regard the deal as fair.”

The report, “The role of self-interest in elite bargaining,” was completed by Brad L. LeVeck, D. Alex Hughes, James H. Fowler, Emilie Hafner-Burton, and David G. Victor, and was published on the PNAS website.

By Sid Douglas

Drought ended the Mayan civilization – Rice University Scientists

January 4, 2015 by Rathan Harshavardan

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In an effort to understand why the Mayan civilization of Central America met its sudden demise, a new study at the underwater caves of the Great Blue Hole, located some 40 miles off the coast of Belize, has revealed that minerals found at the site indicate an extreme drought in the region between 800 and 900 AD, which may have forced the Mayans to adapt and relocate, reducing the plush region to deserted ruins.

A civilization that thrived for over 2,000 years across the area of modern-day southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, the Mayans are known to have been skilled astronomers, architects, masons, artists and mathematicians, chroniclers–as well as for creating calendar system and making doomsday predictions still referenced today. What spurred the team to investigate the lost civilization was the abrupt end of the once-thriving civilization, which continues to be widely referenced based on its pottery, artifacts and monolithic structures, as well as the desolate and ruined cities it left behind.

Andre Droxler from Rice University found that the mineral deposits in the caves of a 1,000-foot crater correlated with the period of the civilization’s demise.

Droxler’s team took core sediment samples and measured the ratio of titanium to aluminium. It is known that heavy rainfall deposit titanium from volcanic rocks into the Atlantic Ocean–ergo the Great Blue Hole. Over time, the deposits turn the crater into a “sediment trap”–a big bucket of titanium–leaving less titanium in the soil during dryer seasons.

A relief depicting the ancient Mayans. Source Flickr Dennis Jarvis.

With this information, Droxler compared the titanium levels in the soil to sediments dating to the Mayan era and found them to be significantly low. Live Science puts it in technical terms saying, “The team found that during the period between A.D. 800 and A.D. 1000, when the Mayan civilization collapsed, there were just one or two tropical cyclones every two decades, as opposed to the usual five or six.”

Although they wreak havoc, these cyclones were the only way the thirsty civilization was able to survive in the absence of a body of drinkable water. Besides water, the cyclones also redistribute titanium and other minerals to replenish the land of any minerals essential to make it inhabitable. The evidence recently observed corroborates a 2012 study published in Journal Science. A stalagmite from the caves in Belize dating to the Mayan era was analyzed and the observations are consistent with a sharp decrease in rainfall coinciding with the declining period of the Mayan culture.

By Rathan Harshavardan

Is Jay Wilds the real star of Serial?

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015 by Rathan Harshavardan

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For those who are unaware, Serial is Sarah Koenig’s search for the truth behind Hae Min Lee’s murder in 1999.

The case is simple. The victims of the crime of passion in question were two teenage immigrant American lovers who split up at the turn of the century. Born abroad and raised in the US, Hae from Korea and Adnan Syed from Pakistan, puppy love, if their relationship at the time could be called one was occupied their time together. Like all teenage crushes, the relationship cookie crumbled. Then there was Don. Onion Inc’s The Serial, called Don’s involvement with Lee a “bombshell.” Anyone who splits moves on, and so did Hae. Wiser than before, she moved on to an older man quicker than expected, who obviously would take her seriously, and hopefully not break her heart. Jilted by his first love, Adnan was upset, as would any hot-blooded boy experiencing his first heartbreak. He tells his “friend” Jay Wilds he’s upset, wants to hurt Hae, and misses school, but returns to his usual humdrum life as a student at Woodlawn High in Baltimore.

Weeks later, Lee was found dead, asphyxiated in a carpark, and a year later Adnan was arrested, tried and sent to a life in prison for the crime.

What sent him so quickly to jail was his friend Jay Wilds’ statement.

Everyone involved in the case was heard from, all except for Jay. Zigzagging his way through the trial, at least according to Koenig’s and attorney Rabia Chaudry’s research, Jay’s statements were questioned during the production of the first season. Chaudry’s believes that a version of events as sporadic as Jay’s ideally will have been questioned if not totally dismissed during Adnan’s trial. Cristina Gutierrez, Adnan’s defense lawyer, presented evidence that might have changed the course of the case. Alas, for her and Adnan this wasn’t enough for an acquittal. Adnan was sent to jail for life, Gutierrez was disbarred and later passed way, and Hae’s family moved back to Korea with no closure at all.

For Chaudry, whose keen interest in the case resurrected it from the dead, some things weren’t really adding up. She wanted justice for Adnan, and the logical way to get to it was question Jay’s statement. Very quickly, Serial turned from the quest for Hae’s killer to a full blown ideological war between Jay and Adnan. Adnan had to defend himself and so the taped interviews with Koenig provided an insight from his point of view. For Jay who declined to make any comments on the case, there were the old tapes, but just weeks after Serial ended he turns up to clear his name.

Released as a three part interview, The Intercept’s Natasha Vargas-Cooper spoke to Jay about Serial. If you’ve read the lengthy interview, you simply will find a defensive and understandably upset Jay recount events that occurred on Jan. 13, 1999 as simply as he can. Condensed and focused on the occurrence of the events on the day, during the trial and almost 13 years after Serial tossed his name notoriously in the mix, Jay made no bones about his thoughts on Serial and Sarah Koenig.

In the first part, Jay talks about being a 16-year old dope dealer dealing with racism, being ostracised from the popular clique in the school, taking refuge on the downlow with small groups of friends, music and the outdoors and resenting school, like any normal teenager in Maryland.

Jay vaguely hung out with Adnan, barely remembered anything the both of them shared in common apart from smoking weed, having the odd laugh, his relationship with Hae –he, who thought the athlete was wiser than her years – and what he worked as to pay his bills. For two people who supposedly buried a young woman sent to her death disgracefully as it was, here is where most listeners can’t understand what brought Jay and Adnan were ever together in this crime.

Jay mentions Adnan wanting to hurt Hae, but does not speculate or draw conclusions. He doesn’t even know why they broke up, yet, he is made privy to Adnan’s intentions of hurting Hae for moving on. I’m no criminal, but if I were to commit a crime, I’d probably put my confidence in a friend who I know very well. He or she will have my back and if we are really close, maybe even take the fall for me. That didn’t happen here.

By his own admission, Jay always felt like an outcast at school. He thought that Adnan was a prude and idolized Hae to a certain extent, which is what anyone who was looked down on would do at school. Typical high school behaviour, you see. What I can’t understand is why of all the Moslem friends Adnan had, if he was attached to his community that bad, would he zero in on Jay. Why would someone who just killed a girl, dumped her in the trunk of her car give their car to someone they rarely know to pick them up after the crime?

The whole premise has loopholes as wide as a ditch right in the middle of the street. Here’s how it went down according to Jay: Adnan ditched last period with Jay in the car. Adnan leaves his car and keys with Jay, who has to run to the mall to get Stephanie (his girlfriend at the time a gift). Adnan convinces him to take his keys and car, get dropped off at school. Jay buys the gift at the mall, goes to his friend Jenm’s house, smokes and get Adnan’s call to pick him up. He goes, picks up Adnan and just like that Adnan confesses his crime.

Up until this point the events on Jan 13, read like the script to a very bad C-grade movie. No crime even committed unintentionally has a script this bad. No crime is this simple. No crime is so badly planned, even by the dumbest of the lot.

But, let’s move on to Jay’s story. He picks Adnan up at this now infamous Best Buy, while Hae is dumped lifeless in the trunk of her car parked somewhere to be buried later. They go over to Cathy’s house to smoke where three other friends Jeff, Laura and Jenn have turned up too. If I was confessed to by someone who just committed murder, I probably would tell the police or some friends I know. Reporting the crime would at least rule me out as an accomplice, especially if I have been seen moving around with the criminal. Jay’s mind thinks otherwise. In what universe does killing someone deserve lesser justice than drugs or implicating the innocent. Even if they did launch an investigation, wouldn’t the police rule out everyone since you aren’t guilty unless proven?

Jay fears for his grandmother, a strong matriarchal figure who probably would have been devastated if she know her grandson had helped bury Hae. Afraid of being arrested for trafficking drugs, Jay seems to contradict himself when he claims that he was worried about his family and friends being involved in this crime. For anyone studying this case, the friends and family had nothing to do with the murder. Unexplained, but it is what it is.

Adnan goes home, meets Jay outside his house sometime later in the evening and convinces him to bury Hae in Leakin Park. According to Jay, who went home and was dealing with a moral dilemma the same time as Adnan, he finds himself agreeing to bury the lifeless body of a woman he respected, at the behest of Adnan who is now driving Hae’ car with her body in the trunk.

Not even the stiff, cold, and pale corpse in the car moves Jay to spring into action. Instead he is blackmailed into digging a hole in the ground, to bury Hae. The blackmail is as dead as a doornail; a police threat regarding drugs and some other “shit” Jay was involved in. In what world was murder not shit that hit the fan, I can’t fathom. For Jay, burying Hae was what sounded right at the time. A price to pay to earn Adnan’s silence.

It is clear that Jay and Adnan are probably the only two people who knew about what had happened. They decided to abandon the idea of burying her because she’s heavy, but complete it anyway with Adnan, doing it all on his own. A mind game with parking Hae’s car in an unrecognised location ensues and then they’re off to bed. Harebrained. That’s what the whole plan sounds to anyone listening to it.

I get why Jay’s often opposing statements may have us all confused. He’s worried sick over being arrested for drug possession or involving his grandmother and friends, and refused to speak to the police until he was badgered into it after they dropped the idea of pursuing him for drugs. So, when did drugs become far more important than the life of an individual?

Jay testified in the trial and was given two years probation for being an accessory to murder. Although he testified, he says wasn’t the whistle-blower, who led the police to Adnan for a crime only he and Adnan knew everything about. Instead he lays the blame for the first time with some coherence on a priest of the Moslem community Adnan belonged to, saying that a confession ot a confidante may have led to his arrest. Interesting fact, the Moslems are not bound by the absent rite of confession and either someone in the community would’ve been notified of it before Jay was, since he was well acquainted with those in the mosque.

Going through the condensed interview with The Intercept, I find Jay’s justification almost comical. The second part of the interview tries to gauge what mental and moral pressure, Jay had to go through to testify against Adnan. He says he’s sorry he was an accessory, but then all that talk about selling more weed or choosing the right circle of friends is incoherent bullshit. Pardon my French, but anyone can see through it. A criminal has already lost a sliver of humanity that can only be redeemed by repenting and making up for it, so Jay’s link to humanity has obviously been saved by someone who seems to have a vested interest in the case.

Serial blew up on the internet and had millions hooked to hear what was up with the case. Even as far as New Zealand, where I live, Serial had us hooked. For Jay not to have heard about his name on it is ridiculous. Serial’s production has been on all year, and his refusal to speak on grounds that only Hae’s family, who by now moved to Korea, deserved closure and answers is what put him on the spotlight.

As for the emails, Koenig is a journalist and writer by heart, and is evident in the professional wording of her villain. She never aimed to portray Jay as a villain, he did that really well all on his own, but wanted to hear his side of the story to bring it to a full circle. If anything, she may be accused of sensationalising the case, but then, most of us were left disappointed with the end.

Jay’s choice to come out now is interesting. The internet and technology have come a long way from 2000. We now have Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and whole lot of sites other than Reddit to look for Jay Wilds. It’s common knowledge that his life is changed post Serial. He’s angry with Julie Snyder, Koenig and Chaudry who’ve dug up the past and made his present a living hell.

Jay’s not going to give up blaming Adnan for the murder, Koenig for stereotyping him and the general public willing to harm him under a false sense of justice. Journalists are bound by a code of ethics that prevents them from taking measures to reveal information of any sort that can be tracked to them. It will ruin the reputation of the skilled storytellers who will be labelled the ones crying wolf every time, they want to tell a story. No journalist likes discredit, it is professional hara kiri. Jay is justified in believing that either Koenig or Chaudry are involved in leaking information, ut he probably will have to explain why he thinks they would want to do it 13 years later.

Serial was to Adnan and the listeners hope and an answer to the death of Hae Min Lee and an attempt to find the real killer in the whodunnit. Koenig speculated it until the end. There was Don, the cell records, the call, the note from the library and a whole lot of newly discovered evidence, but what it lacked was Jay’s version of the events.

Jay’s interview also brings his fear of being targeted to the fore. We’re sorry that people are targeting his family and bringing up a criminal past that runs in his family in the light of this case. There is no place for retribution from impassioned listeners, and dredging up a chequered past, when we’re all bound to have one isn’t helping Adnan. We aren’t the law and rightfully should refrain from judgement, until those equipped with the law decide where to take this case.

Adnan and Lee have found a new lease of life in 2014. They’re being remembered for what they were and so is Jay. His refusal, denial and timing of the tell-all interview is perfect, but now that he’s come out of the woods, he’s not going back in. If there is a justice system that works, we’ll hear a lot more about this case. Here’s to hoping that Lee’s family finally learns the truth, unfortunately only Jay has the truth and it is time he sets the record straight.

No matter what, Serial popularity has raised Jay Wilds’ notoriety through the roof and undoubtedly made him the star of the podcast. But this star has a lot to tell us about Adnan Syed, so let’s wait.

Rathan Paul Harshavardan

Retrial of a misjudged case 19 years after the man’s execution in China

January 3, 2015 by Joel Levi

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The fourth plenary session of the 14^th central committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) that took place between Oct. 20-23, 2014, has paved the path for a series of retrials of former misjudged cases, including the case of Huge Jiletu. Huge was sentenced to death and immediately executed after a violent inquisition process in 1996. The sentence came only 62 days after the rape and murder incident, of which, as it turned out, Huge was falsely accused. On Dec. 15, 2014, 18 years after Huge’s execution, he was acquitted by the Supreme People’s Court of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The main theme of the fourth plenary session is the “rule of law.” President Xi Jiping’s anti-corruption campaign targeting major CPC officials has been the topic of discussion on international media, official and social media in China, and at the dinner table of ordinary Chinese people for the past two years. The newly promoted strategy and doctrine, the “socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics,” appears to be a natural step forward to a further systematized rule of the CPC dominated government. But the meanings of the official report lie deep beneath the surface of the centrality of administration by law, and demands deciphering. Among many clues, a most telling one might be that the promoted “rule of law” still falls under the leadership of CPC. The report utilizes a rhetoric that separates the communist party and the CPC leading government by stating that the leadership of CPC remains above the Law, and yet, the government should be law-abiding.

The fourth plenary session, however, has brought misjudged legal cases in the past into the daylight. Huge’s case, for instance, had the chance to surface and be given a retrial on the Supreme Court of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the province where the case was first tried. Unlike 18 years ago when the case was closed with the conviction of Huge without sufficient evidence, this time Huge was finally given his long deserved exoneration. The change of the original sentence was based on the incompatibility of the confessed means of crime and the autopsy report, the lack of exclusivity based upon the results of the blood test, and finally, the inconsistency of Huge’s confessions on different occasions.

Notably, a man named Zhao Zhihong was arrested for rape and murder in 2005, and at the time had already confessed to be the true offender in the 1998 rape case. But the demand from Huge’s parents for a retrial of their son’s case, for reasons unknown never reached the Supreme Court. It forced Huge’s parents to continue appealing to higher authorities for the unsealing of the case. The case, however, remained sealed until the fourth plenary session of the CPC, and all of a sudden, at the new sweeping campaign of the “rule of law,” fell in the spotlight of legal debates.

Eighteen years ago, Huge and his friend found a naked woman’s body in a public restroom. They reported to the local police, and the 18-year-old Huge was immediately arrested by the police as a suspect in the crime. The case was tried in a rushed manner. Within a short period of only 62 days, Huge was sentenced to death and was immediately executed. The reason for such a hasty trial had much to do with the political campaign of the Chinese government at the time—local governments were told to crack down on criminal cases. The predecessor of the campaign was initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1983, with its slogan being “quicker and stricter.” The direct outcome of such campaigns was careless and heavy sentences in the short run, and disparity between laws for the campaign and the “normal laws” in the long run.

This kind of political campaign bears similarities with the “War on Drugs” in the 1970s and 80s in the United States. What often happens is the appearance of stricter administration, plus a higher efficiency in resolving crimes, obscuring the reality of “quick,” “rigid” and often times unfair judgment. But does a society eliminate crimes with harsher, hastier punishment? Or does it create space for governance that is casual and authoritative?

Moreover, the appeasing effect of a stricter administration comes from the public’s fear of disorder in the society. In both the case of China in 1983 and 1996 and the United States in the 1970s and 80s, the rise of crimes on the street coincided with the rise of unemployment rates of certain communities and the polarity of wealth in the society. Since the 1980s China has been in a process of radical urbanization, which created a large number of migrating workers in the city. These workers from the countryside became the most easily discriminated population by law and by social welfare, and many of them turned to other means of making money when the option of selling cheap labor became unavailable. The cracking down on crime not only did not help in alleviating the actual social problems, but it aggravated the inequality between poor and rich communities by covering it up.

Huge’s case also sheds light on the question of the death penalty in China. To what extent is a government justified in the kind of violence that it itself criminalizes? It is not just a question of politics and governance, but also of the irreversibility of the act of killing: when a person is put to death, a retrial retrieves only justice, but not the life that is already lost.

Analysis by Joel Levi

For an English translation of the official report of the fourth plenary session of the 14^th central committee of the CPC:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/language_tips/news/2014-10/24/content_18795510.htm

Other sources:
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2014-12-31/134931348804.shtml
http://www.nmg.xinhuanet.com/xwzx/2014-12/15/c_1113639596.htm

Tanzanian youth group “Rat Road” storm areas in capital

January 26, 2021January 2, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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Violence broke out in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania last night as members of the violent youth community called Rat Road–“Panya Road” in the local Swahili–stormed areas around Sinza, Mwananyamala, Kinondoni, Ubungo and Makumbusho. Group members robbed shops and created havoc among the citizenry.

Tanzanian Police Commander Suleiman Kova made statements on the attacks through TBC1 news, saying that two of Rat Road members have already been arrested and the operation continues to apprehend the others.

“We the police have received information about where to find the others–that the young men known as the Rat Road are scattered over many parts…” Kova stated.

“These are young people who do not work. They do not have good values. First think about the seriousness of the problem, how the general information is greater than the weight of the event itself. I want to tell you people to continue your regular activities.”

Police are currently on patrol for Rat road members, assuring citizens that it was impossible for Rat Road to gain any ground in Dar es Salaam, because it was “impossible for Rat Road to be stronger than the army or police.”

News tip: Siligiye Nyax

Justice is a word known to the Pakistan military

January 2, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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After the Peshawar massacre, the army decided to roll out all its canons to oppose the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) . After the All-Party Conference (APC) held on Friday, it was decided to amend the constitution in order to provide for trial of terror suspects in courts held by military officials. This amendment will be passed for a period of two long years. It shall be known as the 22nd amendment passed by the APC .

The joint declaration issued after the conference said, “The APC decided about the implementation of the National Action Plan and endorsed the proposed legislative measures, including amendments to the Pakistan Army Act to extend its jurisdiction for speedy trial of cases under specified acts and provide the constitutional cover with a sunset clause of two years from the date of enactment.” General Raheel Sharif has also cleared this misconception that this idea was mainly brainstormed by the army itself by openly saying that special courts are not the desire of the army but are the need of extraordinary times.

The creation of speedy courts is a result of the extreme pressure on the government to hang terrorists. In many instances it was proved that law officials did not have the heart of a lion. They were not ready to sacrifice the security of their family members just for the sake of hanging terrorists. After the loss of nearly a hundred school children the army has decide to break all barriers and to remove this pollution from their homeland.

The speedy courts would allow faster trials so that the terrorists could see their end as soon as possible. The speedy courts are responsible to provide justice to any individual involved in terrorist activities in the name of a sect or religion.The prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, has also declared this as an act of providing sufficient impression on the enemies of the Pakistani homeland .

Opinion by Armaghan Naveed

Kiir urged to defer conduct of 2015 general elections

January 2, 2015January 2, 2015 by Moi Julius

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JUBA – The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) is highly concerned with the announcement that the South Sudanese national general elections will be held in May 2015–an announcement made by by the National Elections Commission (NEC) Friday.

Holding national elections while some parts of the country are in situations of significant violence is totaling unacceptable. This demonstrates that NEC is working for undemocratic national elections.

Edmund Yakani, executive director of CEPO said that the credibility of the electoral process is determined by having peaceful electoral proceeding. Secondly, having national elections without a population census, genuine constituencies’ demarcation and peaceful electoral campaigns, will result in elections without any credibility.

“CEPO is calling upon the leadership of President Salva Kiir to move forward the national general elections after peace is attained in the country, rather than conducting them in May 2015.”

He said CEPO acknowledged that the Transitional National Constitution of South Sudan of 2011 call for elections to be conducted in 2015 before the expiration of the current government mandate, which will be on July 9, 2015.

“The current situation that electorates and aspirants are facing in the country cannot allow them to participate in the election process freely,” Yakani stated.

Additionally, Yakani said the ongoing violence in the country could create an atmosphere of violent elections, intimidation and harassment during the election process of political campaigns and voting.

Opposition political parties will have to take legal measures to compel the government from holding the 2015 general elections as the conditions will not allow for a free and fair vote, according to Dr. Lam Akol, the leader of SPLM-DC.

The minority leader from SPLM-DC in the national legislative assembly, Onyoti Adigo, attacked the government’s demand for elections in 2015, saying it was unacceptable.

Yakani added that CEPO strongly believes that the current context of violence in some parts of the country–if national elections are held, the possibility of the politicians that will not win the elections joining the strategy of waging war against Juba is high since we have witnessed this practice in the April 2010 national general elections.

“Therefore CEPO is calling for the deferral of the declared South Sudan national elections, May, 2014, to be held after peace is achieved in South Sudan by the warring parties under the IGAD-led mediation in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.”

CEPO is an organization engaged in the areas of peace, conflict mitigation, human rights, and rule of law, livelihood, governance and democratic transformation. It is neutral, non-partisan, non-religious, non-race entity. CEPO is based on the principle of community empowerment and inclusive participation. Its core values are commitment, accountability and transparency (CAT).

By Moi Julius

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EU calls for peace to allow delivery of services in South Sudan

January 2, 2015January 2, 2015 by Moi Julius

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JUBA – The European Union (EU) has urged South Sudan’s warring parties to attain a peaceful settlement to the 12-month conflict so that the delivery of services to the population will be easier to accomplish.

The EU’s head of the delegation to South Sudan, Stefano De Leo, made the call while speaking during a national health consensus workshop organized by the ministry of health and World Health Organization held in Dembesh hotel in Juba.

“Peace is a better ground for stability. We want to see stakeholders coming together and we hope peace will come,” he told the participants at the workshop.

He said the EU supports the people of South Sudan in the health sector through a contribution of 11 million Euros to the health fund pool, together with other donor countries.

Stefano further said the fund finances health activities in the various states of the country to health build viable health services.

The EU head added that they also rely on the central and the state governments to allow medicine delivered to the grassroots in a timely fashion.

According to him, health, education is what contributes to the well being of the people of the country and needs to be checked.

World Health Organization country representative, Dr. Abdi Aden, said the strategic importance of strengthening health systems is absolute and that the Ministry of Health can count on the WHO for technical support.

He said the world has never possessed capabilities for curing disease and prolonged life as it does today, “Yet most health outcomes in most developing countries including ours are among the worst in the world.”

Aden said much of the ill health, disease, premature death and suffering that persists in South Sudan is needless, as effective and affordable interventions are available for prevention and treatment.

“The reality is straightforward. The health systems are too weak to deliver the interventions to those in greatest need in a comprehensive way and on an adequate scale.”

The country WHO representative said health systems that function well have shared characteristics as procurement and distribution systems that deliver interventions to those in need and staffing with sufficient health workers having skills and motivation.

Additionally, they operate with financing systems that are sustainable, inclusive and fair, and the costs of health care should not force impoverished households even deeper into poverty.

He added that the discussion on the draft national policy should set the stage for development of the health sector strategic plan, policy implementation guidelines, better alignment of structures among others goals for improved health system and effectiveness.

National Health Minister Dr. Riek Gai hailed the draft policy which he said will provide direction for the ministry and investment partners.

Gai said before the independence of South Sudan, the then government of Southern Sudan did not have a national policy of its own, calling the draft the first ever policy.

Sanctions

The European parliament last November expressed its regret over the ineffectiveness of the targeted sanctions imposed by the EU and called for the targeted sanctions imposition by IGAD, AU and the international community.

Stefano urged the warring parties–both the rebels and government–to give peace a chance.

Asked about sanctions to be imposed on those blocking peace, Australian ambassador to South Sudan Geoff Tooth said, “We want to do everything to help the peace process to reach a conclusion very quickly and fully support all those involved so that it is sustainable and long lasting.”

“Sanctions are something used elsewhere in the world. We do not have a position on that [with regards to South Sudan] and there is no consideration now by Australia.” he said.

By Peter Moi Julius

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European Union – EEAS (European External Action Service) | EU imposes sanctions on South Sudanese military leaders

South Sudan Interior Ministry to campaign against internal trade in military uniforms

January 2, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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Juba – The Ministry of Interior is to campaign against the trade in the uniforms of military and other organized forces in the country, Aleu Ayeng Aleu of the Interior Ministry told Parliament prior to its recess Friday.

Aleu’s statements follow urgent information raised by Joseph Ngere, MP from Western Equatoria, who said some companies have advertised the items on the local media.

According to the advert, Ngere said, “We are making all types of uniforms for police, military and national security.”

He said, “This is an issue of sovereignty and national security. If these people are producing military garments and we have the menace of seeing military garments all over the town and in the country. Who is doing this without control and do we not know who has given them the responsibility to produce these?” Ngere asked.

Ngere added that these traders will expose the parade of the national army in the country if any contract is signed with the traders.

The minister said this is an issue which is a problem in the country though he was not aware but further said it is not only in Kololo but in Jebel one can find all kinds of uniforms being sold.

“Even a regular person sewing in Buluk hangs these up for everybody to buy. We are fighting this.”

Aleu added that it is the source of crimes as people with illicit guns buy these uniforms and use them at night, pretending to be members of the police or national security.

“We have clashed with many of them but sometimes they go unnoticed. I even came across some of them at 11 p.m. while for a dinner in Davinci with the German ambassador.”

According to Aleu, a group of people who were seven in number stopped cars claiming that a driver had knocked a person out near the University of Juba and ran away.

In an earlier interview with the New Nation in 2013, police spokesperson Col. James Monday said they had arrested some members of the organized forces for committing crimes and being prosecuted.

He also said criminals acquire uniforms to use them at night for committing crimes as they pretend to be police officers.

The minister further said the police officers who patrol at night bear labels which allow them to be identified easily.

By Moi Peter Julius

Women in South Sudan urged to speak out against GBV

January 2, 2015January 2, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

Mundari women dancing during the Xmas in one of the outskirts of Juba

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Juba – South Sudanese women have been told to expose Gender Based Violence (GBV) by reporting cases to the public, especially law enforcement agencies and community leaders.

The call was made during the launch of a social norms marketing campaign by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) at Nyokuron Cultural Centre, attended by civil society organizations, women, and national and state government officials.

Gender based violence is considered a serious crime which according to Moses Majok, a police officer with the national police service, is against the rights of women.

“It breads conflicts in homes. The South Sudan National Police Service will try its best to aggressively respond to GBV and child trafficking, to bring equal rights to all.”

He announced the establishment of a special unit at the national police service and encouraged women not to suffer in silence but report abuses to the unit for prosecutions to take place.

Majok also called for communities to shun certain harmful traditional practices like the early child marriages common in most societies, as well as female genital mutilation (FGM).

Most communities in South Sudan tend to marry off their younger daughters to wealthy people regardless of their approval.

Almost half of all South Sudanese women and girls between ages 15 and 19 are married, some as young as age 12, according to Human Rights Watch in 2014.

Many families in South Sudan see child marriage as a means of accessing cattle, money, and other gifts by transferring wealth through the traditional payment of dowries.

Considered by the UN and others to be an egregious violation of women and girls’ human rights, child marriage in South Sudan is held to exacerbate the country’s high levels of poverty, low levels of literacy, pronounced gender gaps in education, and soaring rates of maternal mortality—currently among the highest in the world.

The director general of gender and child welfare at the National Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Regina Ossa Lullo, said the days of activism against GBV in the country should continue beyond those globally set aside.

She said that the women who make up 49 percent of the population of the country are marginalized in their social and economic situation and are unable to contribute to socio-economic development of South Sudan.

Ossa told women not to give up but to fight for their rights, calling for the eradication of social injustices suffered by women.

“No woman should give up fighting for her rights. We must do more to combat violence, brutality against women wherever and whenever it occurs,” said Ossa.

According to her, one in three women nationwide experiences violence in her life. “Violence knows no religion. Family, community and the entire country suffers. Preventing, showing respect and responsibility is the only way for peace and prosperity.”

She said the ministry is developing a standard operating procedure which is still in draft form, and once passed it will be rolled out to the states in order to mitigate GBV.

Ossa added that prevention of violence against women requires an integrated approach by all in the society, including government institutions.

The director cited an example of a young girl of 14 who was sent to a shop at 8 p.m. by her parents and was brutally raped by an adult and three young men.

She added that especially during the war time women experience physical violence which she said amounts to violation of human rights, stating, “Sexual violence will not be tolerated now and forever.”

IRC Women’s Empowerment and Protection Senior Manager Pamela Tuiyott said the campaign targets the police, elders, and aims for survivors of violence to speak up.

Tuiyott also said the campaign targets behavioral and social change in communities and is aimed at ending violence against women.

By Moi Julius

Link

Child Marriage

The Fed’s New Year’s resolution

January 2, 2015January 1, 2015 by Andrew Gehrig

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On December 17th the Federal Reserve’s FOMC released its meeting statement, forecast and held a press conference for chair Yellen. The Fed kept up its data dependent commitment to raise interest rates, but affirmed to be patient when deciding to do so. Janet Yellen once again reiterated that the decision is entirely data dependent. Meaning if the data isn’t strong enough, the committee is not incorrect in their current forward guidance policy. This forward guidance policy of informing the markets vaguely what the FOMC will do in the coming months is an attempt to instill confidence into a shaky financial world.

The Fed included their comments and projections on the current low inflation rates of 2014. Chair Yellen saw low inflation as a potential danger to the economy, but yet most analysts still expect the Fed to raise rates in 2015. This may prove to be a large misunderstanding. The Fed has said numerous times that it is imperative to prevent deflation from taking a grip on the economy. Even the head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde says, “If inflation is the genie, deflation is the ogre that must be fought decisively.” Her statement is interpreted as meaning inflation is like a genie, once you let it out of the bottle it is hard to get it back in. Deflation on the other hand is a much more dangerous and deadly ogre that can also have terrible effects. Central bankers currently have a strategy for fighting ogres. The plan is loose monetary policy and money supply expansion. But raising rates is exactly the opposite of the ogre fighting remedy, since they are instead tightening monetary policy; so in theory it’s much more like ogre food.

Unless the Federal Reserve wants to accelerate the natural deflation, which would accomplish the complete opposite goal of its last several policies, then raising rates now or in six months could bring the markets back to a point like was seen in 2008. The world is only starting to experience a large deflationary pull due to low oil prices and its effect on energy businesses and lending institutions. If the plunge in oil causes a crisis to spill over into other markets, which is a high probability if oil prices stay low for a considerable time, then the Fed will have even more low inflation, if not outright deflation to deal with. Raising rates just doesn’t make sense in a deflationary world, when the thing you are trying to prevent is a deflationary spiral. In fact, I am going to call the Fed’s bluff here.

With the New Year upon us, it is the time where many people make unreasonable goals for themselves which none the less end up falling through by February. Like everyone else, the Fed has a New Year’s resolution. It happens to be very much like the popular, going on a diet resolution, but this time is a little bit different. The Fed’s resolution is to go on a diet starting in about six months. It could be May or June, or even September, but their New Year’s resolution is to go on that diet. If a friend told you the same thing, you might be pretty skeptical about. Why don’t they just start it now? Well that’s probably because they aren’t going to go on a diet at all.

The Fed is not raising raise rates now, and even according to their own actual statistical evidence, they won’t be able to in six months. The Fed downwardly revised their PCE Inflation expectation for 2015, and that figure is even lower than the “low inflation” seen in 2014! If low inflation is a problem, then how can they move forward?

The Fed expects deflation, but plans on raising rates; that’s nonsense. Not only will the Fed not raise rates in 2015, they may even restart Quantitative Easing, in the latter half of the year, especially if a crisis brews in the oil, housing or financial sectors. In this New Year, the remaining hawkish members of the Board of Governors are scheduled to be replaced with more dovish leaders. With the most dovish Chairperson in the history of the Federal Reserve and a Board of Governors filled with doves, the Fed will certainly be more than “patient” in raising rates. This situation reminds me a lot of my Great Aunt Thelma who would often say “I’m going on a diet on Tuesday.” Tuesday would roll around and if you asked about her diet she’d exclaim with a smirk “I didn’t say what Tuesday!”

Analysis by Andrew Gehrig