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Friday, June 6, 2008

A three-day United Nations (UN) summit, bringing together leaders from 181 countries, has wrapped up with a pledge by all attending countries to address the global food shortage crisis. Key actions cited include doubling the world’s food production by 2030, providing resources for farmers in poor countries and increasing humanitarian aid in times of crisis.

Protests and violent riots have resulted in parts of the world in recent months due to increasing unaffordability, and sometimes unavailability, of food. It is estimated that 862 million people, or just over one eighth of the world’s population, are malnourished.

According to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, up to US$20 billion will be required annually to avert crises in the most hard-hit areas. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has put the figure closer to US$30 billion. Pledges made just at the summit amounted to more than US$5 billion, according to the UN.

Despite the largely positively-received outcome of the summit, held in Rome, Italy, there were some who felt that the proceedings could have gone better. Several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) pointed to the fact that they were not invited to partake in the discussions. Food and hunger policy adviser Magda Kropiwnicka of ActionAid commented on the strength of the final pledge: “There were no quantifiable financial commitments. Apart from the existing UN Food and Agriculture Organisation funds, no money has been given to address the key problem of boosting capacity.”

While most delegates agreed that biofuels have been one of the causes of the food crisis, no actions were agreed upon to address this hot topic. Biofuels have been increasingly in demand in recent years, meaning that many crops that would have previously been used for food are now being used as fuel.

The impact that biofuels has goes further than simply increasing the demand of food crops. As fuel prices increase, so do the costs of fertilisers, farm vehicle use and the transport of foods. All of this adds up to a large increase in the cost of food.

Some UN officials say that biofuel use has caused up to 30% of the global food price inflation of late. The United States estimates that figure to be closer to just 3%. The Globe and Mail newspaper indicates that some estimates go as high as 60%. The only consensus that could be reached on biofuels is that they provide both “challenges and opportunities”, and need to be looked into further for a conclusive analysis on their impact on food production.

Other factors increasing food prices are increased consumption of meat and dairy products in developing nations like China and India. Argentina noted that subsidies granted to farmers from the US, the European Union and other Western countries have also been a major player in the increase.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Dogs are normally resistant to most flu strains. Since about 2000, a new strain of dog flu has been spreading in America, and there’s no vaccine to prevent it.

To limit exposure to the flu, some dog owners are avoiding public places like dog shows and parks. Since the flu can spread where groups of dogs are housed, some dog owners are nervous about the practice of putting their pets in kennels. According to Edward Dubovil, director of the animal virology lab at Cornell University, 100% of dogs appear to be susceptible to infection by this new flu strain. It is estimated that 1-5% of infected dogs are dying from this flu strain. The symptoms of dog flu are akin to those of kennel cough, a more common and less serious illness.

Starting in 2004 there have been many outbreaks of flu at dog race tracks. Since early in 2004, researchers have been working to characterize the type of flu that is infecting dogs. In September of 2005 it was reported that this dog flu strain had crossed over from horses to dogs. This type of flu virus has been infecting horses for at least 40 years. It is expected that existing flu vaccines for horses can soon be adapted for use in dogs.

The spread of a horse flu virus to dogs is an example of what could happen with bird flu. Currently the bird flu is transmitted from birds to humans but does not spread easily from person to person. The new strain of dog flu shows signs of having been genetically modified from the original horse-preferring virus strain making it easy to transmit from dog to dog. Future genetic modifications of bird flu could better adapt it to humans and allow it to spread from person to person. The chance of such viral evolution can be reduced by limiting exposure of humans to bird flu.

At this time, the new dog flu virus strain does not seem to be a danger for humans. However, humans will be monitored for signs of infection by new genetic variants of the dog flu. Due to the close physical association between pet dogs and humans, a flu strain that could jump from dogs to humans would be of great concern. Recently evolved virus strains that jump from one species to another are often particularly lethal because the newly infected species may have little or no immunity to the new virus strain.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

On Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the national government’s decision to recognise West Jerusalem as Israeli capital, while reaffirming the nation’s goal for two-state solution for Israel-Palestine conflict regarding authority of Jerusalem.

“The Australian government has decided that Australia now recognises West Jerusalem, as the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of government, is the capital of Israel”, Morrison said in a speech. Currently, the Australian embassy in Israel is situated in Tel Aviv.

Israel claims the entire city of Jerusalem to be its capital; while Palestine claims part, East Jerusalem, as its own territory and the capital of the proposed future state. Israel came to control East Jerusalem as part of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Jerusalem is considered a holy city by three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Spokesperson of the Israeli Embassy in Australia Eman Amasha issued a statement on Sunday saying “Israel views the decision of Australian Government to open its Trade and Defence Office in Jerusalem as a step in the right direction.”

Despite recognising West Jerusalem as Israeli capital, Morrison said the Australian Embassy would not be relocated to West Jerusalem until the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was resolved by a two-state solution. “We look forward to moving our embassy to West Jerusalem, when practical, in support of and after a final status determination […] We’ve decided to start the work there now, to identify a suitable site for an Australian embassy in West Jerusalem”, Morrison added. Morrison also said, “A two-state solution remains the only viable way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute”. Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian official, said, “The policies of this Australian administration have done nothing to advance the two-state solution”.

Senator Penny Wong of the opposition Labor Party in Australia said “Recognising West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, while continuing to locate Australia’s embassy in Tel Aviv, is nothing more than a face-saving exercise that shows Mr Morrison continues to put self-interest ahead of the national interest. This is a decision which is all risk and no gain. It is a reckless move by a desperate and divided government that satisfies no one.” Another opposition leader Bill Shorten said he was worried the Prime Minister “put his political interest ahead of our national interest”.

Malaysia and Indonesia, two Muslim-majority neighbouring nations of Australia, responded to the decision.

The Foreign Ministry of Malaysia released a statement which read: “Malaysia strongly opposes the decision by the government of Australia to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel”. It went on to say: “Malaysia firmly believes that this announcement, made before the settlement of a two-state solution, is premature and a humiliation to the Palestinians and their struggle for the right to self-determination.”

Malaysia, which has been Australia’s free trade partner for almost six years now, emphasised on a two-state solution and concluded by saying “Malaysia will continue to work closely with all partners to find a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict.”

Speaking about Australian government’s announcement, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said, “Jerusalem has always been under Palestine, so why are they [Australia] taking the initiative to divide Jerusalem [as it is] not belonging to them, but to divide the Arabs and the Jews? They have no rights”.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s statement said: “Indonesia calls on Australia and all member states of the UN [?United Nations?] to promptly recognise the State of Palestine and to co-operate towards the attainment of sustainable peace, and agreement between the state of Palestine and Israel based on the principle of two-state solution.”

Saeed Abu Ali, the Arab League’s Assistant Secretary General for Palestine and the Occupied Arab Territories, called Morrison’s decision “blatantly biased toward the positions and policies of the Israeli occupation.” Previously, in September, Saeed Abu Ali praised Paraguay’s decision to move its embassy back from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv as on the “right track”.

Last year, the United States, and Guatemala declared recognition of Jerusalem in its entirety as Israel’s capital. Paraguay followed the decision of the US and Guatemala, moving its embassy to Jerusalem, but, then-new President Mario Abdo Benítez reversed the decision. Paraguayan Foreign Minister Luis Luis Castiglioni said, “Paraguay wants to contribute to an intensification of regional diplomatic efforts to achieve a broad, fair and lasting peace in the Middle East”. Following Benítez’s decision, Israel announced closing its embassy in Paraguay and recalling its ambassador from Paraguay.

Sunday, May 29, 2005

In a result predicted by polls, a 54.87% majority of French voters voted non in Sunday’s European Constitution referendum. Of France’s 42 million eligible voters, over 70% turned out at the 55 thousand polling stations across the country, which were open from 8:00 to 20:00 on Sunday (except in Paris and Lyon where voting finished at 22:00, and French oversea possessions and other polling centers in the Americas, which voted on Saturday in order not to have them vote when the results are already known). A 70% turnout is very large compared to Spain 42%.

The result comes as no surprise to European political commentators as opinion polls had consistently suggested that the “No” camp was on course for a strong victory. Indeed, the last opinion poll before the actual referendum suggested a 56% win for the “No” camp.

The treaty was supported by all 3 major political parties (center-left PS, center-right UMP, center-right UDF), though a significant minority of the PS, and some in the UMP, chose to oppose it.It was opposed by the French Communist Party, as well as Trotskyite movements such as the Revolutionary Communist League, other far-left movements such as the Party of the Workers, parts of the Socialist party, parts of The Greens some members of UMP, and the nationalist National Front.

According to polls, the vast majority of blue collar workers, farmers and other categories threatened by globalization and international concurrence voted against the treaty. The urban, better educated or richer population voted in favor.

Some supporters of the “No” camp have argued that the mainstream media was biased in favor of the “yes” cause, and this was supported by some analyses of times awarded by television to both camps. However, the “no” camp also waged an aggressive campaign, with the walls of major cities being plastered with posters linking the EU Constitution and the European Union to all kind of social ills, such as high unemployment.

You can read the entire proposed European Constitution at Wikisource

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated that his country is prepared to have a standoff with the United States.

The move comes as the U.S. decided to send another aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

According to the U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the USS Stennis was dispatched to the region to “impress on Iran that the four-year war in Iraq has not made America vulnerable.”

In response to the deployment of additional troops, Ahmadinejad said that Iran was prepared for any possibility in the standoff with the West over its nuclear activities.

“Today, with the grace of God, we have gone through the arduous passes and we are ready for anything in this path. Their aim is to frighten Iran and weaken the resistance of the Iranian nation but they will not succeed,” stated Ahmadinejad.

Iran has stated that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes, but the United Nations disagrees and imposed limited sanctions on the nation last year.

“Unfortunately, some inside the country try to fabricate news and portray a bad image of the great achievement of the Iranian nation […] prescribe compromise, repeat the words of the enemy. Of course, this will have no effect,” added Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad’s announcement comes as Iran announces that the country is prepared to begin the installation of nearly 3,000 centrifuges at its nuclear facility, the Natanz uranium-enrichment complex.

According to an unknown European diplomat, “everything has been prepared for assembling [and installing] the centrifuges at Natanz for the beginning of the industrial phase of enrichment. The hardware is now in place.”

Ahmadinejad also said that enrichment of uranium will begin at the Natanz facility “very soon” and “bit by bit.”