The Speaker News Journal

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Although mountain glaciers around the world are melting at increasing rates in our warming climates, at least one range is unaffected. Pakistan’s Karakoram range, the highest point in Pakistan and the source of much of the water of the Indus River, is not melting–and scientists expect that it will not melt, but may put on snowmass in coming years.

Scientists are not sure why Karakoram range is not melting. An early theory was that the range was covered in rubble that may have had an insulating effect.

But now, researchers at Princeton University think they may have a better answer: seasonal weather patterns.

In their recent report, “Snowfall less sensitive to warming in Karakoram than in Himalayas due to a unique seasonal cycle,” the scientists credit Karakoram’s snowmass retention to temperatures that never rise enough to melt mountain glaciers–all year round.

Although most of the Himalaya’s experience heavy summer rains stemming from the South Asian monsoon, which far outweigh winter snows, this is not the case in Karakoram, where cold winter winds from Central Asia bear most of the precipitation. The South Asian monsoon seldom reaches Karakoram–it is uniquely blocked by the Great Himalayan Range to the south.

Investigating Karakoram for data has been a challenge. The topography of the area is extreme. K2 and three other pinnacles exceed 8,000 meters. In the past, researchers relied on average altitudes for the region, but the Princeton study used high-resolution maps and monthly precipitation data to create climate model simulations from 1861 to 2100.

While Karakoram does experience some warming in summer, the higher slopes were too cold in summer for glaciers to melt, the researchers found.

Not only are the glaciers and snowmass above 4,500 meters not melting, the scientists expect them to remain until at least 2100, which is good news for Pakistan.

The range provides water to most of Pakistan through the Indus River. Although snow and ice at lower altitudes will melt, these declines will be offset by the higher cold. The cold upper regions provide water at a controlled rate, rather than the boom-bust cycle of flood and dry associated with sudden melts.

The rest of the Himalayas are bound to melt too, the researchers believe. They expect sharp glacial declines in coming years.

“Something that climate scientists always have to keep in mind is that models are useful for certain types of questions and not necessarily for other types of questions,” said Sarah Kapnick, a postdoctoral research fellow in Princeton’s Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and lead researcher on the work. “While the IPCC models can be particularly useful for other parts of the world, you need a higher resolution for this area.”

By Sid Douglas

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Despite Attempts by recruiters from organizations such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS), Xinjiang Uighurs will not join the jihadist movements of Islamic caliphates, according to exile Uighur activists. Uighurs do not share the same ideology, according to the activists, despite caliphate claims that the region should be “recovered [into] the shade of the Islamic Caliphate.”

These claims will have “little impact,” said Alim Seytoff, president of the Uyghur American Association and director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project in a recent interview.

“These claims are mostly likely attempts by these groups to lure and recruit disillusioned young Uighurs to their cause. That is not going to happen because Uighurs do not share their ideology.”

“The Uighur people will simply ignore such claims,” said Seytoff.

The Chinese government, which administers the far-western province of Xinjiang, has taken advantage of recent Islamist terrorist movements, according to Seytoff.

“China has been opportunistically taking advantage of the rise of ISIS and attempting to artificially create links between ISIS and the Uighurs in the world in order to mute international criticism of its systematic and egregious human rights violations of the Uighur people in East Turkistan,” he said.

“This has not prevented the Chinese government from demonizing the Uighurs as supporters and sympathizers of these groups in order to justify its heavy-handed repression of the Uighur people since 9/11.”

By Sid Douglas

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According to parliamentarians in Victoria, British Columbia, knowledge of a security threat to Canada had existed since earlier this week. Victoria parliamentarians were contacted days ago and alerted to a possible problem.

Parliamentary House Clerk Craig James said that “steps were taken” with regard to security this week. “We are aware and have been aware of a heightened concern from entities in Ottawa for least a few days.”

“We didn’t receive caution, we received information that there may be a problem,” said James. “We had discussions with certain members of the assembly to be prudent and keep them informed.”

Shortly after the attack Wednesday, Canadian Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister of Multiculturalism Kenney Jason tweeted, “Canada won’t be terrorized or intimidated.”

Many commentators are pointing to terrorism directed at Canada by militant Islamists as a possible source for the two attacks on Canadian military personnel this week.

Tuesday, two Canadian soldiers were hit by a car being driven by a Quebec man, 25-year-old Martin Rouleau, who had been “radicalized” by Islamists. Police shot Rouleau dead in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec after a car chase.

Also Tuesday, Canada sent combat aircraft to participate in the war against Islamist group Islamic State (IS, also referred to as ISIS and ISIL).

Wednesday, an attack on the War Memorial and other sites around the Parliament building in Ottawa, Ontario took the life of one military guard. One gunman was also shot dead in that attack.

IS distributed a call last month for attacks on civilians in countries that were members of the US-led coalition opposed to the Islamist group.

“If you can kill a disbelieving American or European–especially the spiteful and filthy French–or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State … kill him in any manner or way however it may be,” said  ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in the recording.

Following the events in Ottawa, US President Barack Obama condemned the attack, pledging continued coordination with Canada regarding terrorist attacks, and saying, “We have to remain vigilant when it comes to dealing with these kinds of acts of senseless violence or terrorism and I pledged as always to make sure that our national security teams are coordinated very closely. Not only is Canada one of our closest allies in the world, but they’re our neighbors and our friends.”

Also following the attack, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) increased its alert posture–increasing the number of planes on higher alert status.

By James Haleavy

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RCMP and Ottawa police briefed the nation Wednesday on the shooting that took place at and around Ottawa’s Parliament building. The situation, which the RCMP referred to as “ongoing,” “dynamic and unfolding,” was now focused mainly on the area immediately around Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, and Canadians were told to stay vigilant and report suspicious activities about anyone who may want to cause harm to Canadians.

“We’re asking the community to continue to be aware, to be vigilant, and to continue to report any suspicious activity that they deem serious–that could impact their safety,” said Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau at the briefing.

“In general terms, we’ve been asking the community to remain vigilant over potential acts that we’ve seen overseas and in in other countries. That is something that we’ve always asked Canadians to be aware of, and to be constantly vigilant, and to report any suspicious activity that may identify any individual that may want to cause harm to fellow Canadians.

“We’ve asked the public to stay away from the downtown core,” said Bordeleau. Police had set up a perimeter around Parliament Hill and were clearing the area. Bordeleau confirmed that the key area of focus was Parliament Hill and the immediate area around Parliament Hill.

Just before 10:00 AM Wednesday, shots were fired at locations around and including the Parliament building in Ottawa. The site of the first attack was the War Memorial, where one Canadian officer was shot. That officer died of his injuries. Another person was reported to have been injured by a stray bullet in the attack.

A barrage of shots was fired in Parliament in footage captured by the Globe and Mail. During the firefight, one RCMP officer was injured.

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The one male suspect confirmed to have died in the events is thought to have been the gunman involved in this firefight.

It had earlier been reported that there had been a shooting incident at the Rideau Center as well, but this was disconfirmed by the RCMP.

RCMP would not say whether there was currently more than one suspect in the crime, but they did repeat that the investigation was ongoing, and that they wanted to speak to witnesses.

When asked whether the dead suspect had been among the 19 people who had been identified by Canadian authorities as having been radicalized, the RCMP said it was too early to confirm. RCMP did comment on whether they would be investigating the 19 suspects.

“We basically draw all of our resources towards any threat that exists, and actively investigate those individuals,” said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Gilles Michaud.

RCMP would not comment on the weapon used in the incident, the identity of the suspect who had been killed, or whether he had driven his own car to the scene of the crime or had hijacked a car.

By James Haleavy

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China executed more people than the rest of the world combined, according to a nonprofit US-based rights group. China executed 2,400 people in 2013, three times the number executed by the 195 other countries, which executed a total of 778 people.

“China currently executes more people every year than the rest of the world combined, but it has executed far fewer people since the power of final review of death sentences was returned to the (Supreme People’s Court) in 2007,” said the nonprofit human rights foundation, Dui Hua, which seeks clemency and better treatment for at-risk detainees.

Courts in China used final review to send 39 percent of death sentences back to lower courts for additional evidence in 2013, and 10 percent of the verdicts were overturned.

Executions are treated as state secrets in China. Amnesty International, which collects information on death sentences around the world, was forced to abandon publishing statistics on death penalties in China in 2009 because of the difficulty in obtaining information from Chinese authorities.

According to Amnesty, death sentences worldwide increased in 2013–14 percent. The total death sentences in 2013 were 778. Eighty percent of those 778 were recorded in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Iran executed 369 people and Iraq executed 169.

Most of the 23,392 people (excluding Chinese executions since 2009) recorded by Amnesty have been executed for offenses related to drugs.

China also uses the death penalty as punishment for drug trafficking, as well as corruption offenses.

Dui Hua estimated that the 2,400 figure was down 20 percent from the previous year, and that China would likely execute the same number of people in 2014.

The report was published in the Guangzhou-based newspaper Southern Weekly. Information for the report was based on a judicial official who had access to the annual number of executions, reportedly.

By Sid Douglas

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Russian human rights ombundswoman Ella Panfilova has warned that a new, large-scale attack may be conducted by Russia against Ukraine in the near future. Panfilova made comments in an interview Monday in which the ombunswoman stated that Russia should prepare for a second wave of migration from Ukraine, despite a current ceasefire agreement that has existed in Ukraine since September. Panfilova said that the migration would not come only from southeast Ukraine–the only area so far affected by the conflict.

“We should be ready for the second wave of migration, and not only from the southeast of Ukraine,” said Panfilova, commenting on the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who had sought refuge in Russia over the past months of fighting, most of which had since returned to Ukraine.

“The first wave of refugees is now on a decline as people are inspired with a possible truce. But there will be winter, which will be hard to live through in affected Ukrainian territories. So we should be ready for the second wave of migration and not only from the southeast of Ukraine. We should also not forget that many refugees who arrived earlier remain in Russia,” said Panfilova.

Panfilova’s comments came the same day Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the self-declared “prime minister” of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR)–a pro-Russian separatist group in eastern Ukraine–declared on Twitter that the month-long ceasefire was over.

“After today’s shelling of Donetsk with rockets,” one Tweet read, “the ceasefire, even formally, has to be considered abandoned.”

In Zakharchenko’s second tweet, he wrote, “An hour ago, the [Ukrainians] carried out a strike near the old terminal, after which our artillery carried out a strike on the dillweeds’ positions near Peski.”

According to the UN, the death toll from the conflict in Ukraine sits at over 3,700–over 300 since the ceasefire was agreed upon–and almost 10,000 have been wounded. Ukrainians continue to flee areas of conflict. UN places the number of Ukrainian internally displaced persons (IDPs) at 415,000 and the number of refugees at 427,000, most of which have sought refuge in Russia.