EDITORIAL : ASHARQ ALAWSAT, SAUDI ARABIA, published in LONDON

If you have no shame, be an Iranian official!

At a time when Syrian President [Bashar al-Assad] described some of the victims of state violence against demonstrations in Syria as martyrs, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman came out to say that what is happening in Syria is a Western conspiracy!

In a press conference, Iranian spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that the protests in Syria are taking place within the framework of a western conspiracy to destabilize a government which supports "the resistance" in the Middle East. He said that "what is happening in Syria is a mischievous act of Westerners, particularly Americans and Zionists" adding that the conspirators "want to avenge some countries like Iran and Syria, which support the resistance, by facilitating small [opposition] groups." Worse still, the Iranian spokesman said that the conspirators are trying, with the aid of the western media, to "tell the world that these people [the demonstrators] are the majority of the society, and this is the biggest lie and distortion." Can you believe this audacity?
The Iranian official said that the Syrians' demands were nothing more than foreign treachery; however everyone knows that the demands of the Syrian people are genuine, in a state with the longest-running repressive emergency law in the Middle East. The state lacks all kinds of freedoms, and even the Syrian president himself is considering reform, so why would he talk about reform if these were the demands of foreign agents? Why would the government decide to increase salaries, and why would the president grant the status of martyrdom to the protest victims – which is a remarkable story in itself in a secular state – if the protestors were foreign agents?
The other issue is that Iran falsely claimed that the protestors in Syria are a small group. Is this conceivable considering that demonstrations have taken place in seven cities in Syria over the past three weeks, with the death toll standing at over two hundred? The demonstrations have reached the mosques, and the University of Damascus, and so is it conceivable to believe that the demonstrators themselves are only a small group, a minority? Although the Sunnis are the overwhelming majority in Syria, there is no sectarian undercurrent, but rather the demonstrations consist of most components of Syrian society. The demonstrations have even spread to rural areas, specifically Deraa, a key ally in the balance of power in Syria. Thus the Iranian assessment is certainly incorrect.
As for the Iranian spokesman's talk of resistance, this is ironic, for it appears that Tehran and its allies did not pay attention after the Arab citizens grew tired of such fake slogans and lies. All demands in the Arab world today are national and internal, so where is this resistance that the Iranians talk about? Syria has not even killed so much as a pigeon in its resistance battle over the past three decades. It did not even react to Israeli attacks on its territory; instead it always reserves the right to respond, without actually responding. [As for resistance elsewhere] Hezbollah has now rounded on the Lebanese, specifically the Sunnis of Beirut, and terrorized all other factions, and Hassan Nasrallah is now unofficially responsible for appointing the Sunni Prime Minister! Even Hamas has begun to suppress demonstrations held against it in Gaza, although the media has not focused on this as it has been preoccupied with the open theater that is the Arab world. As for Iran itself, we have not seen them support the resistance, there have been no shots fired in defense of Arab blood, and we all remember that [Grand Ayatollah] Khamenei forbade the Iranians from going to Gaza during the last war!
Thus we are right to say if you have no shame, become an Iranian official!

EDITORIAL : THE NEW YORK TIMES, USA

Budget Battles: Tax and Spending Myths and Realities

Here are two numbers to keep in mind when thinking about the House Republicans’ budget plan: They want to cut spending on government programs over the next decade by $4.3 trillion. And they want to cut tax revenues over the same period by $4.2 trillion.
Government spending needs to be brought under control. But slashing vital services just to pay for more tax cuts is bad public policy and bad economics.
It won’t fix the deficit, no matter what the Republicans claim.
We’ve seen this play before. President Ronald Reagan promised that tax cuts would spur more economic growth and pay for themselves. During his tenure, the deficit hit what was then a peacetime high of 6 percent of gross domestic product, and he eventually decided that he had no other alternative but to raise taxes to try to close the gap.
The Clinton years disproved the notion that higher taxes would inevitably stifle economic growth, or cost politicians their jobs. Taxes were raised in 1993, including higher income tax rates on the wealthiest. The economy was strong, and the stock market surged. Taxes were then cut in 1997 in a deal with the Republican-controlled Congress, but by then the combination of higher tax rates on the wealthy, a strong economy and a rising stock market was boosting revenues significantly.
By the end of President Bill Clinton’s term, the federal budget had been in surplus for four straight years.
President George W. Bush and Congress undid that progress with $1.65 trillion in tax cuts, heavily skewed to high earners. The economic recovery of the Bush years was extraordinarily weak by historical standards. By early 2009, shortly before Mr. Obama took office, the Congressional Budget Office projected a budget deficit for that year of more than $1 trillion.
These are the economic facts, which Americans need to hear. The Republicans certainly won’t tell anyone. And, so far, the Democrats haven’t had the political courage to challenge them head-on.
President Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal-year 2012 does call for a mix of tax increases and tax cuts, but he hasn’t made a serious effort to explain the need for substantially more revenue.
The bigger test will come on Wednesday, when Mr. Obama presents a long-term deficit reduction alternative to the Republican proposal. It must include significant sources of revenue, as well as defense cuts and a long-term plan for bringing spending on health care and other entitlements in line with revenues.
As a matter of fairness, raising income taxes must start with requiring the richest Americans — who have been the biggest beneficiaries of Bush-era tax cuts — to pay more. But even that won’t dig the country out of its hole. The middle class is also going to have to pay higher taxes. That is the only way to pay for needed services, tackle the deficit and slow the borrowing and the rise in interest payments.
That means higher income taxes further down the income scale than Mr. Obama has previously called for, and new sources of tax revenue, like energy taxes or a financial-transactions tax or a value-added tax.
Those details are the easy part. More than anything, Mr. Obama must change the political debate, by rebutting, once and for all, the tax-cuts-above-all ideology that has gotten this country into this deep mess.
Here are a few more numbers to consider: Stimulus spending since Mr. Obama took office — including tax cuts — accounts for about $600 billion of the current $14.2 trillion in accumulated debt. The Bush-era tax cuts coupled with major new spending for two wars and a Medicare drug benefit, have added $3.2 trillion to the debt.
Mr. Obama must make the case for tax increases, based on reality, not ideology. Then, and only then, can a serious debate on the deficit begin.

Budget Battles: The Price of Ill-Conceived Cuts

Mayor Vincent Gray of Washington was so angry that the budget deal prohibited his city from spending its own money on abortion that he blocked traffic outside the Capitol, getting arrested in the process.

His rage was a sharp departure from the general self-congratulation of Democratic leaders and President Obama’s failure to tell the truth about the budget deal for this year: It ushers in a denuded era of loss to vital government services, mostly at the expense of the most vulnerable. If Mr. Obama and the Democrats believe in the promise of his campaign — that government must do what individuals cannot for themselves — they need to summon some new fighting strength.
The bill contains enormous reductions in spending over the next six months — $38.5 billion over current spending, and another $40 billion below the amounts Mr. Obama had requested for the year. The withdrawal of that much money will cause significant damage to the economic recovery — neutralizing, in essence, much of the stimulative effect of last year’s payroll tax cut.
But beyond that, the bill damages many of the government’s most important programs and will hurt those on the economy’s lowest rungs. Many of those cuts, in particular, satisfy ancient Republican ideological urges but have little or no effect on the long-term budget deficit.
We do not advocate voting against the bill, unlike those on the right who are furious that the bill leaves standing federal agencies that they wanted to demolish. Doing so would cause another shutdown tailspin.
It would also fail to recognize that Democrats kept the bill from being unimaginably worse by taking out some of the Tea Party’s ideological demands and minimizing the number of discretionary cuts. Democrats actually increased investment slightly in several areas.
But voting “aye” reluctantly is very different from celebrating the compromise, as Mr. Obama did on Friday night, or as Senate Democratic leaders did on Tuesday. They said the overall cut of $78.5 billion from the president’s request would “save taxpayers money and have a real impact.”
Instead of adopting the Republican language and argument, Democrats should be deploring it, pointing out that the deal was the result of extortionate pressure from the House and represents poor economic judgment during a nascent recovery.
To cite a few of many examples, it cuts $1.6 billion, or 16 percent, from the Environmental Protection Agency’s current spending. The agency has been a particular obsession among House Republicans who complain about its regulation of pollution from power plants and mining, all of which will have to be reduced through these cuts.
All of the $2.9 billion that President Obama proposed for high-speed rail was cut, ending, for now, a dream of bringing transportation into the new century. Can Republicans actually prefer to consign Americans to crowded airports and choked highways?
Money to prevent the spread of H.I.V., hepatitis and other communicable diseases was cut by $1 billion, and community health care centers lost $600 million. The program that provides low-income nutrition assistance will lose $504 million.
Foreign aid was sharply reduced, including $379 million to a fund that helps countries create democracy and supports Middle East peace negotiations.
Lawmakers used the bill to achieve long-sought ideological goals like attacking the paltry sums spent on foreign aid, including eliminating White House czars for climate control and health care reform, removing the gray wolf from the endangered-species list, defunding insurance vouchers and cooperatives from health care reform, and reducing money for family planning.
A plan to allow employer-sponsored health insurance vouchers, strongly opposed by business, was killed. The bill, once again, bans transfers of detainees from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States.
Democrats were able to increase money for Head Start, Race to the Top education reform, and financial reform, among other areas — a welcome break from the trend. But unless they begin to make a more forceful case against the trend itself, it will only gather in force.

Ivory Coast Gets a New Chance

In his bid to cling to power, former President Laurent Gbagbo unleashed unconscionable violence on his people and brought Ivory Coast to the brink of civil war. When he was finally captured on Monday, photographs showed him as a pathetic, depleted figure. He should now be tried for his crimes. Mr. Gbagbo brought this on himself, and other strongmen and thugs should take heed.
After Mr. Gbagbo refused to concede November’s presidential election, he had ample opportunity to reach a diplomatic solution. Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya tried to negotiate a deal that would have allowed Mr. Gbagbo to turn over power to Alassane Ouattara, his internationally recognized successor, avoid war crimes prosecution and ensure that his allies had a role in the new government.
Instead, he went to battle against Mr. Ouattara. He was captured after a siege of his residence by French and United Nations troops.
Mr. Ouattara doesn’t have time to savor his victory — or gloat. He must quickly unify the country, restore its banking system, resume exporting the all-important cocoa crop. Thousands of displaced people need assistance.
He should consider offering some cabinet positions to Gbagbo political allies if they promise to work for the common good and amnesty to Gbagbo-associated military units if they lay down their arms. United Nations and French peacekeeping forces will be needed to help maintain security during this transition period.
Allies of both Mr. Gbagbo and Mr. Ouattara are accused of committing atrocities in the fighting. All credible incidents must be investigated and perpetrators brought to justice.
Force should never be the first option against leaders who refuse to honor election results. Mr. Gbagbo left no other choice and now, finally, Ivory Coast has a chance at a better future.

EDITORIAL : THE GLOBAL TIMES, CHINA

Food safety measures China's capacity to improve

Barely one month after contaminated pork was exposed in Shuanghui Group, an illegal additive was found in steamed buns sold in several supermarket chain stores in Shanghai. Han Zheng, the mayor of Shanghai, has ordered a thorough investigation into the issue.

Nobody will think this could be the last food safety scandal in China. From polluted vegetables to contaminated milk, food safety issues with wide-ranging implications have regularly made headlines. Some have caused diplomatic trouble for China, for example, the poisonous dumplings exported to Japan in 2008.
The public has been expecting a major improvement in government supervision of the food industry so that their growing fears over their food can be laid to rest.

But this basic request has been far from answered. In response, the public has developed various ways of cleansing food or avoiding food with dubious additives. These passive methods should not be the norm in the world's second largest economy.

Enforcing effective regulations to cover all sectors of the food industry, from raw materials, processing and transportation to circulation is a daunting challenge for the government. Supervision loopholes, plus a business culture that weighs short-term profit over long-term reputation, have given rise to these continuous food safety scandals.

Not having an immediate solution is not an acceptable answer. The food safety issue has affected public trust in the government. The issue also puts China's global image at stake. A country that cannot solve food safety problems will find the world to be a tough audience on many other issues. 

When a new food safety issue emerges, the government should take the opportunity to advance laws surrounding the food industry.

From the experience of developed countries, a well-maintained supervision system, a comprehensive food recall process, and punishing compensations are necessary steps to block all loopholes in the food industry. 

Each food safety incident could be a step toward that end. They should never be allowed to slip away unchecked until the next one happens.

Western silence deepens Fukushima crisis

Tokyo raised the alert level over the Fukushima nuclear crisis to seven on Tuesday, a rating on par with the Chernobyl disaster. This was long overdue.
In the wake of the Fukushima incident in mid-March, experts across the world warned of its severity. The US and some European countries publicized their own assessments, suggesting the crisis might be worse than Japan had made it seem. Nevertheless, Tokyo insisted on playing down the incident, and it took the authorities nearly a month to raise the rating at Fukushima from four to seven.
Surprisingly, Western governments and media have been mild-mannered  toward Japan's misconduct. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not condemned the mistake. Had this incident taken place in a country like China, would the US and Europe have shown such tolerance? If the crisis had happened in a Western country, would their media have been so complacent?
Earlier this month, Japan dumped radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. It did so without consulting with its neighbors, and only notified the US. Such cover-ups are unacceptable either from a diplomatic or political standpoint.
Japan's neighbors are largely disadvantaged on the international stage. They often appear passive in the face of Western dominance of the power to set global agenda. Despite being faced with a direct threat from the Fukushima crisis, these countries are not capable of prompting a more realistic attitude from Japan.
The Kan administration made a mistake in withholding the truth. Their choice was not necessarily badly motivated, but it has violated basic governance ethics. This cover-up has primarily endangered Japanese citizens. It also misguides surrounding countries' judgment and coping methods. The Kan administration owes a serious official apology to neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, IAEA head Yukiya Amano should explain his dereliction of duty to the UN. The IAEA is obliged to supervise the Fukushima incident and having a Japanese citizen at its helm does not excuse its complacency.
Western mildness and silence has helped Japan's mistake endured, and the entire world needs to reflect upon this. The Western media have treated Japan to a different standard, due to Japan's position as an US ally.
Prioritizing interests and ideological concerns undermines the justice of international public opinion, and endows Japan with the power to deal with the incident as it pleases. Unfortunately, the US will end up paying for Japan's mistake along with others.
A nuclear crisis is borderless, and its handling will influence the attitudes of all other nuclear states. Being selfish on a nuclear issue is appalling, and the correction of such selfishness must be swift. The Western media should cast politics aside, and contribute actively to such efforts.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY YOMIURI, JAPAN

    

 

N-crisis upgraded to '7' / Fukushima accident boosted to top level of global scale

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency raised the provisional severity level of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Tuesday to the worst rating of seven on an international scale, equivalent to that of the 1986 Chernobyl crisis.

The agency had previously rated the accident as a five.

The agency, under the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, said the amount of radioactive material, calculated based on the reactors' estimated condition, reached "more than several tens of thousands of terabecquerels."

A terabecquerel equals 1 trillion becquerels.

The level is defined as a "major accident" under the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), or the highest level on its scale from zero to seven.

According to the agency, the total amount of iodine-131 and cesium-137 emitted between March 11 and at 11 a.m. Tuesday reached 370,000 terabecquerels according to the reactors' estimated condition. Within this assessment, cesium levels were converted to their equivalent in iodine-131 levels.

Cabinet Office's Nuclear Safety Commission, meanwhile, announced Tuesday that the total amount of iodine and cesium emitted between March 11 and April 5 was 630,000 terabecquerels (again, with cesium levels converted to the iodine equivalent), calculated according to the amount of radiation observed around the facility.

"The total amount of radioactive materials emitted thus far is equal to about 10 percent of that released in the Chernobyl accident. The amount of radiation exposure is small," said Agency spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama.

According to the commission, the current volume of radioactivity being emitted is about one-ten thousandth of that monitored at its peak.

The agency decided to raise the INES level not only because of the calculated radiative material released into the atmosphere but also because of the widespread ramifications of the accident.

===

Effect on health, environment

By Kyoichi Sasazawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

For an incident to be rated on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), it is assessed by the nuclear supervisory authorities in the nation where it occurred and is then reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In Japan, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is in charge of the assessment.

Last month, the nuclear safety agency provisionally rated the Fukushima crisis at level 5. However, domestic and international experts argued the provisional level should be 6 or higher based on the facts that high levels of radiation were measured around the facility and significant amounts of radioactive material had escaped.

In the Chernobyl crisis, about 5.2 million terabecquerels of radioactive material was emitted into the air in the space of 10 days.

The amount of radioactive material aerially emitted from the Fukushima No. 1 plant right after the accident was about 10 percent of that of Chernobyl. But the scale of the Fukushima accident still stands out among other nuclear power accidents that have happened around the world.

Also, a large volume of radioactive material has been dumped into the sea in the current incident. Since work to bring the situation under control has run into one complication after another, an end to the crisis could be months or even a year away, with the amount of nuclear leakage increasing.

The assessed INES level reflects negative impacts on health and the environment. It will be important to carefully monitor the incidence of leukemia and cancer as well as soil contamination. The crisis also could strongly affect the international image of Japan.

Evacuation area around N-plant expanded

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government has designated five new localities in Fukushima Prefecture to be subject to evacuation in addition to areas within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has announced.
The newly designated "deliberate evacuation area" covers Katsuraomura, Namiemachi and Iitatemura, as well as parts of Kawamatamachi and Minami-Soma, Edano said in a Monday afternoon press conference. Parts of these localities are within 20 kilometers of the plant and residents already have been asked to evacuate after the nuclear crisis erupted.
The total population of the five localities is about 115,000.
If residents in the newly designated area stay in their homes, they could be exposed to as much as 20 millisieverts in the year after the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant started, Edano said.
In making its decision, the government took into consideration standards set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which set radiation exposure limits to between 20 millisieverts and 100 millisieverts a year during nuclear emergencies. The latest evacuation decision, therefore, was made to prevent damage to residents' health.
After local governments involved agree to the plan, Prime Minister Naoto Kan will officially order the designations based on the Law on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness and ask residents to evacuate in about one month.
Residents of areas between 20 kilometers and 30 kilometers of the plant have been asked to stay indoors and voluntarily evacuate as soon as possible. Areas in this range that will not be part of the deliberate evacuation area will become an "emergency evacuation preparation area," where residents will be asked to be prepared to stay indoors or evacuate to safe places more than 30 kilometers from the plant in an emergency.
Localities to be designated as the "emergency evacuation preparation area" are Hironomachi, Narahamachi and Kawauchimura, as well as parts of Tamura and Minami-Soma. Portions of these areas 20 kilometers or nearer to the power station will continue be subject to last month's evacuation instructions.

Evacuation plans baffle residents

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Not enough explanation. Not enough help. And not enough time.
Residents of five municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture have been disheartened and confused by the government's decision to newly designate these areas as planned evacuation zones due to radiation leaks from a crippled nuclear power plant.
The residents could have to leave their homes within a month.
"What should I do with my cows?" a cattle farmer in one town said. Another resident said: "[The government's] explanation left many questions unanswered. I don't know what to do."
The entire village of Iitatemura has been designated as a deliberate evacuation area. Iitatemura Mayor Norio Kanno explained the government plan to the head of each administrative area in the village Monday.
"It's very regrettable [that Iitatemura was included], but we don't have any option but to ask residents to leave the village for the time being," Kanno said. The village will decide later where and how to evacuate residents.
According to Kaname Hirose, superintendent of schools in Iitatemura, this uncertainty has prevented primary and middle schools in the village from scheduling ceremonies held to mark the new academic year.
Before the crisis erupted, these schools had been planning to hold ceremonies on April 20 or later.
The village office held a meeting for companies based in the village, too.
Kazuhiro Hayashi, 67, president of a parts processing company, was unconvinced by what he heard at the meeting.
"Why was our village designated as a deliberate evacuation area even though radiation levels have fallen?" he said. "In the worst-case scenario, I'll have to lay off my employees."
After the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Hayashi's company continued operating a factory that makes parts for precision instruments such as cameras. It operated at full capacity with about 70 workers, including some who had been fired by other companies. Hayashi is not prepared to shut his factory when jobs are at stake.
"If the government won't guarantee the livelihoods of my employees, I'll operate our factory until the government orders us [to stop]," Hayashi said.
A 61-year-old farmer in Iitatemura who raises prime beef cattle is refusing to leave the town and the cattle he considers "like family."
"We've constantly improved the quality of our beef over the years. Even if an evacuation order is issued, I can't leave now. I'll stay here with my cattle until the end," he said.
Part of Kawamatamachi has been designated as a deliberate evacuation area. High levels of radioactive cesium were detected in the Yamakiya district in the eastern part of the town, forcing farmers to stop working in their fields.
A 64-year-old farmer who raises about 80 cows in Yamakiya has mixed feelings about whether to stay or go.
"If I could leave, I'd want to do that. But I have my cows here," she said. "I don't know what to do."
Many parts of Minami-Soma have been designated as areas where residents are urged to stay indoors since March 11. But complicating matters, the city has both a deliberate evacuation area and an "emergency evacuation preparation area," where residents are asked to always be prepared to stay indoors.
A disaster safety division chief of the city, feels the blame for this confusion rests with the government.
"The government didn't give us any information in advance. We have to quickly figure out where to draw the line that separates the areas," the official said.
According to the official, more than 30,000 people are still in the city. Asked about the city's plan to reopen primary and middle schools that would hold ceremonies for the new academic year in late April, he said, "We might have to review the timing."
Residents who evacuated earlier--in the expectation it would only be temporary--also have been disappointed by the latest developments.
Kotoko Okamura, 54, who worked in the fishing industry in Namiemachi--a town designated Monday as a deliberate evacuation area--is staying at a Fukushima hotel. Although she longs to return, she is not sure when, or whether, she can go back.
"I think I won't be able to return to my hometown again," Okamura said.
The March 11 tsunami destroyed Okamura's house. She took shelter at an evacuation center with her husband and second-eldest son.
"I wanted to return to our town if the nuclear power plant is brought under control," she said.
But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano's announcement Monday that the evacuation areas were being expanded shattered her hopes.
"Where can I go next? I want the government to give more consideration to people like me who have no place to go," Okamura said.
Masamichi Nishio, president of the National Hospital Organization Hokkaido Cancer Center, believes the government should have given more thorough explanations about the situation.
"Considering the possible health risks to children and pregnant women, setting up deliberate evacuation areas and emergency evacuation preparation areas makes sense," Nishio said.
"But the government should explain to residents the reasons for the evacuations and provide detailed data and science-based information about health effects. The government also should help residents prepare to evacuate and get their lives back in order. Giving ambiguous explanations will only confuse residents," he said.

Brain death declared for organ donor under 15

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Japan Organ Transplant Network said Tuesday a child under the age of 15 was declared brain dead earlier in the day, in the nation's first such case under the revised Organ Transplant Law.
The declaration was made at 7:37 a.m. Tuesday for a boy in the 10-to-14 age range who had been at a hospital in the Kanto-Koshinetsu region after a traffic accident, the network said. Several of the boy's organs will be transplanted at Osaka University Hospital and four other medical institutions, it added.
The boy is set to become the first brain-dead donor aged under 15 in line with the revised law that took effect in July to allow organ transplants from brain-dead people aged under 15.
According to the organization, the boy was taken to the hospital after suffering serious head injuries in the traffic accident. On Monday morning, three members of the boy's family were informed by his chief doctor and a transplant coordinator that his brain was highly likely to have lost most of its functions. His family then gave consent to donate his organs.
Based on the law, the patient's first brain-death diagnosis was made at 8:25 p.m. Monday and a second, confirmatory diagnosis was made Tuesday morning, the organization said.
The hospital's abuse prevention panel confirmed there was no physical abuse of the boy involved in this case as required by law, it added.
The organs scheduled to be donated are heart, lung, liver, pancreas and kidney. An operation to harvest the organs was set to be carried out beginning 5 a.m. Wednesday.
"Our son told us he wants to do a job that would be of great service to society," his parents said in a statement that was read by Juntaro Ashikari, the network's medical section head, at a press conference Tuesday. "His wish didn't come true as his brain didn't recover. But his body hung in there with all the strength he had left. We've all agreed this is an action that would suit him. If parts of his body continue to live on in someone else, we feel it will offer a small measure of comfort in the grief we feel at losing him."
Under the revised law, organ donations from brain-dead patients aged under 15 are allowed with the consent of their families unless the child had previously clearly expressed a will to refuse to donate organs. In this case, the boy did not leave any instructions about organ donation before he died.
The law also requires institutions harvesting organs from such brain-dead children to confirm the children were not victims of physical abuse.
The revisions to the law were prompted by new guidelines set by the World Health Organization last year that call on people to receive organ transplants in their own countries rather than overseas. However, whether the number of organ donations from brain-dead children will rise is in doubt, as determining whether children's brain deaths were caused by abuse is difficult and many hospitals are not yet capable of handling organ donations from children.
Soichiro Kitamura, president emeritus of the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, said: "Children account for more than half the patients who have had organ transplants overseas. If child patients come to be able to receive organs from children [in Japan], that would be socially significant."

Last summer the power-usage standard

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Power-conservation targets for large-lot users this summer will likely be based on peak-demand periods marked during the extreme heatwave of last summer, according to government sources.
The government will set the targets in an attempt to avert widespread blackouts, and they will be finalized at the end of this month at the earliest, the sources said.
The targets will at first apply to the areas serviced by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co., but could be expanded if necessary, the sources said.
In the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the government called on large-lot electricity users--that is, those with maximum consumption of 500 kilowatts or more per hour--to voluntarily cut consumption by about 25 percent this summer.
Commercial users with power consumption of less than 500 kilowatts per hour were asked to cut back by about 20 percent.
Maximum consumption is the upper limit set under contracts between business users and power companies.
To enforce the targets for large-lot users, the government is considering invoking Article 27 of the Electricity Business Law, which could mean fines for noncompliance, the sources said.
Some industry groups have complained that it is difficult to plan changes to factory operations to accommodate electricity cutbacks, because the definite targets have not yet been decided.
The government is leaning toward making the targets by-percentage reductions from peak consumption levels last summer, the sources said.
For large-lot users that used less electricity last summer relative to other years--for example, a factory that did not operate full time due to renovations--the targets would be set against their average consumption over several years.
During the extraordinary heat wave in 2010, peak demand in TEPCO's service area--Tokyo and surrounding areas--was 60 million kilowatts per hour.
The utility's supply capacity this summer is expected to be about 45 million kilowatts per hour, the sources said.
===
Keidanren calls for cooperation
The business sector has begun making plans to reduce electricity consumption.
Hiromasa Yonekura, president of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) said at a press conference Monday that the nation's largest business lobby had called for about 1,600 member firms and other organizations to produce their power-saving plans by Wednesday next week.
"To avoid setbacks to the economy, it's crucial to make every possible effort to minimize the impact of any electricity shortage," he said.
Yonekura stressed the problem was one for the business world as a whole. Companies in certain fields would find it harder to cut back on electricity use than those in other fields, he said.
Heavy machinery giant Komatsu Ltd. said it plans to reduce its electricity usage this summer by 25 percent to 30 percent from a year before. The company's factories have a system that uses residual heat produced in the manufacturing process to generate power.
Toshiba Corp. has been negotiating with its trade union to have its factories run on weekends and let staff take weekdays off, with a view to cutting electricity consumption by about 30 percent.
Automakers are considering a proposal for different firms to coordinate their operations to limit the number of plants operating on the same day, with a goal of cutting industrywide electricity consumption by 25 percent.
For some industries, such as semiconductor makers, interrupting production would be extremely problematic, because it would result in disproportionate declines in output, according to analysts.
To address the problem, Nippon Keidanren has urged member companies to "pool their efforts" so that some firms' inability to reduce power consumption will be balanced by major reductions by other firms.
To encourage cooperation of this sort, the government plans to authorize certain firms to calculate their electricity savings collectively, the sources said.
The Fair Trade Commission has said the concept does not violate the Antimonopoly Law, as the pooling can be regarded as beneficial to the public.
The commission on Monday published on its Web site seven recommended ways of cutting electricity usage.

They include different firms coordinating their factory operations, as the automaking industry is considering, and industrial organizations encouraging member firms to introduce more energy-efficient equipment.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY MIRROR, SRILANKA

National New Year the heart of unity in diversity

While Sri Lanka’s traditional external beauty as a tropical paradise or the Pearl of the Indian Ocean is being gradually restored after almost three decades of a devastating ethnic war we need to focus more today—the eve of the National New Year on the potential for the more important and lasting inner beauty in multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural unity in diversity.
The National New Year today is the heart and the highlight of unity in diversity and the people of Sri Lanka need to be conscious of the role they could play in protecting and promoting the beauty of this unity in diversity. It is this multi-religious and multi-ethnic unity which could make Sri Lanka one of the foremost nations in the world.
Educating the people and inspiring them to get involved actively in this noble mission of unity in diversity must essentially be the role and responsibility of enlightened leaders of all major religions. They need to do this because especially during the past three decades most party politicians instead of working sincerely and sacrificially to unite the people have instead resorted to deception or double games for their personal gain or glory. To cover up their hypocrisy and the sanctimonious humbug, most of these party politicians divide the people and divert attention to selfish and self-centred donkey tricks like the battle for preference votes at regular elections. Therefore it is necessary for religious leaders to come forward and foster unity in diversity among the people of all religions and races. We are happy to note that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo is taking a major initiative to cooperate with Buddhists and other prelates to build lasting unity with peace and justice in Sri Lanka.
The natural examples for the importance of unity in diversity are plain to see. Take for instance the human body itself. Every part is different and plays a different role. But they act together for the common good of the whole body. The eyes play an important role as do the ears, the mouth, the head, the hands and feet and even the seemingly less important finger nails or toenails. Yet they are all equally important. And it is the diversity that makes for the beauty of the body. The human eyes are important as are the ears. But imagine a situation where the whole body is one big eye or one big ear. It would be a monstrosity. Yet some people seek such uniformity apparently not knowing how absurd or ugly it would be.
Another good example is a flower garden. Its beauty lies in the diversity of the flowers in terms of shapes, sizes and colours. While the rose is a beautiful flower, a garden full of roses and roses only would be like a crown with more thorns than roses. So is the illusion for uniformity.
This country’s Sinhala Buddhist people, being by far the majority have a greater privilege and a greater responsibility to foster the spirit of unity in diversity. Essentially this spirit of unity in diversity grows when people while practising their own religion and acting according to their own culture and tradition, learn the importance of respecting the religious beliefs of others and also the customs and traditions of people of other religions. It is such a spirit of respect that will bring about a National New Year not confined to festivals and feasts but a significant event that will help build a Sri Lanka that becomes a wonder of the world.

EDITORIAL : THE HINDU, INDIA

The future of Asian cities

After two decades of rapid urbanisation, many Asian cities have become economically productive and prosperous. But have they become desirable places to live in? A report on the “State of Asian Cities 2010/11,” published by the U.N. Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), says ‘No' on the strength of an empirical study. This insightful report cautions urban planners that unless they are made more liveable and environmental damage is reduced, Asian cities will not be able to harness the urban dividend any longer. Over the past two decades, 45 million people have been added every year to the Asian city population, which in 2010 touched a staggering 1.76 billion. This transformation has created vibrant economies and reduced poverty levels. However, the benefits have been unevenly spread and a spatial divide has emerged at the regional as well as intra-city level. In India, for instance, while mega cities receive a good deal of investment, many smaller towns have suffered neglect through short-sighted state policies. Within cities, access to water supply and sanitation has improved, but affordable land and health facilities have become less accessible.

Urbanisation in Asia is set to accelerate. Based on current trends, this means the conversion of more than 10 square kilometres of fertile land to non-agricultural use every day. City planners, as the U.N. report points out with concern, have to build a minimum of 20,000 houses and mobilise an additional six million litres of potable water every year to meet basic needs. Such demands on resources may appear daunting, but restraining urban growth is neither a workable nor a wise option. A business-as-usual approach will not be sustainable. Neither a vastly expanded low-density city nor a linear urban-corridor pattern that depends on private motorised transport, a model that is popular in India, can be the answer. Instead, a network of dense nodes, linked by efficient and affordable public transport and served by an intra-nodal non-motorised transport grid, is an alternative to explore. When 215 cities across the world were surveyed using a ‘liveability index' — an evaluation of 39 aspects of a city including environment and safety — none of Asia's cities made it to the top 30. Only Singapore and four Japanese cities managed to get into the top 50. This does not augur well for Asia's urban future. If cities in the world's most populous continent by far want to sustain their economic competitiveness and secure their future, they must invest substantially in environmental and housing programmes.

Peruvian priorities

The Peruvian presidential election has shown what ordinary people, given voice by imaginative political leadership, can achieve in a democratic polity. With the incumbent, Alan García Pérez, constitutionally barred from contesting a second consecutive term, the campaign has been dominated by the leftist Ollanta Humala — a former army officer who had made a quiet start but then forged ahead by focussing on the country's huge inequalities and rampant corruption. With about 96 per cent of the votes counted, Mr. Humala led by 31.8 per cent to 23.4 per cent for Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the authoritarian former President Alberto Fujimori (currently serving a 25-year prison term for his involvement in death squads and corruption), and 18.7 per cent for former Prime Minister Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. As for the key issues, the huge inequalities persist despite 7 per cent aggregate growth, which is driven mainly by the exploitation of mineral resources. A third of the 29-million population lives in poverty, one fifth lacks access to running water, and one child in five is malnourished. The poor also suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change and Mr. Humala's rivals have had no option but to promise action. Former President Alejandro Toledo, who is also a candidate, says companies do not have a blank cheque to pollute. Mr. Kuczynski calls for an end to violence over the Southern Copper Corporation's $1 billion project in Arequipa province. The company has now suspended work.

Although all indications are that Mr. Humala will not win outright and the presidential contest will go into a runoff round on June 5, his commitments such as state ownership of natural resources are in line with a powerful social-democratic trend across the whole of Latin America. No fewer than nine major countries in this region have elected Left or centre-left leaders since 1999 — from Hugo Chávez of Venezuela to Cristina Kirchner of Argentina — in response to the political and economic destruction wrought by decades of brutal dictatorships and economic policies enforced by international financial institutions. The progressive policies have led to heartening social outcomes. On a continent that has some of the world's worst inequalities, primary school completion rates are now close to 100 per cent. Robust counter-cyclical government spending has mitigated the effects of the global economic crisis. Further, bodies such as the Union of South American Nations have strengthened multilateral cooperation. Latin America's working people are asserting their priorities in no uncertain terms and there are lessons here for developing countries in Asia and Africa.

EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Fresh tensions

Reports in the Media on the eve of ISI chief Gen Pasha`s visit to the US for talks with his counterpart at the CIA have painted yet another grim picture of ties between the two spy agencies, and by extension the two states. Apparently, Pakistan is demanding the withdrawal of an unspecified number of CIA operatives, US Special Forces troops and American security contractors from Pakistani soil. The demand appears to be linked to the Pakistan Army`s desire to route more American intelligence through the ISI, thereby limiting the US `footprint` in Pakistan. In addition, Pakistan is believed to be demanding a scaling back of the drone-strike programme in Fata, limiting it perhaps to parts of North Waziristan Agency. In the murky world of Pakistan-US ties on security issues, little can be said for certain. For example, why was the American footprint allowed to grow to an `undesirable` size in the first place? And if it is an open secret that drones are allowed to operate with Pakistan`s permission, then why the need to resort to public pressure to change the programme`s parameters?

Two theories are doing the rounds. One, during the Musharraf era the Americans used the `one-window operation` to exact concessions from the Pakistani state and the present army leadership is keenly trying to roll back. According to this theory, because Gen Musharraf was wearing the twin hats of army chief and president and because of the army`s strict adherence to the chain of command, concessions considered not in the state`s interests were made to the US without much internal debate. The other theory is akin to the camel`s nose under the tent. According to this theory, cooperation between Pakistan and the US on security issues was never spelled out with any specificity that either side could later refer back to in the case of a disagreement. The reason presumably was that ambivalence and vagueness suited both sides, allowing them to adjust their tactics as the relationship between the two countries ebbed and flowed. But that ambivalence has led to the Pakistan side fearing that the entire American camel, as it were, is now trying to enter the Pakistani tent.
Can the chronic tensions between the two countries be tamped down at present? Perhaps not unless the modalities of the security cooperation becomes slightly more transparent. Some `sunlight` on the drone-strikes programme, for example, would reduce the possibility of either side spinning and dissembling on what has been agreed to and what hasn`t. The danger with trying to `manage` tensions, as both sides seem to be doing, is that those tensions could unintentionally spin out of control.

Grim scene in Syria

THE turmoil in Syria is not getting the attention it deserves from the world media despite the rising death toll there. Libya`s civil war and the deteriorating situation in Yemen have overshadowed the gravity of the Syrian scene. Since March 18, when the pro-democracy protesters took to the streets, more than 200 people have been killed. There may not yet be bloodletting of Libyan proportions, but the Baathist regime has been no less ruthless, with government partisans and policemen firing from rooftops on unarmed civilian protesters. The Syria chapter of the Baathist regime has been in power now for five decades, and it has survived because it has perpetuated itself by means more ruthless than those employed by the Iraq party, which collapsed in April 2003 because of the US-led invasion. Let there be no mistake — Bashar al-Assad can prove more cruel than Muammar Qadhafi.

Syria`s strategic position and the fact that it is considered Israel`s most implacable enemy rule out either a full-fledged foreign invasion or a UN-authorised Nato intervention of the kind in Libya. The Nato strikes are already controversial, with the Arab League criticising the Atlantic alliance`s air missions, having itself earlier called for imposing a no-fly zone. An intervention of that kind in Syria would be enormously risky, open to misgivings as to its motives and considered by most Arab and Muslim people as being done for Israel`s benefit. This could serve to strengthen the Baathist regime and help it crush the pro-democracy protesters by branding them as foreign agents. In fact, the regime is already labelling them as such. This is perhaps why the Arab League has maintained a discreet silence on the Syrian situation. It is now time for President Assad to wake up. Force failed to save Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, and Yemen`s President Ali Saleh appears desperate now. The least the Syrian president can do is to implement the promised reforms, including the lifting of the 1963 emergency. Failing to concede something to the democracy activists will only lead to more bloodshed and make his own position more vulnerable.

French niqab ban

FRANCE`S controversial ban on face veils in public is now in force, and those violating it can be ordered to police stations for identity checks and will be fined or asked to take French citizenship classes. Two points must be noted here. First, what is alarming about the ban is not just its prejudice against Muslims. That can be found in many western countries, especially since 9/11, ranging from discrimination in everyday life at the hands of majority communities to dangerous precedents such as last month`s congressional hearings in Washington about extremism among American Muslims. What makes this latest development particularly disturbing is the institutionalisation of prejudice that it represents. By creating a formal ban through an act of legislation, France has given legal cover to discrimination. This is a slippery slope, and Europe would do well to contain the spread of such laws before it creates irreparable divides within populations that are already struggling to incorporate Muslim immigrants.

Second, it is reported that there are only about 2,000 women who cover their faces in public in France out of a Muslim population of five million and a total population of over 62 million. The integration of Muslim immigrants into the country is already a controversial issue riddled with prejudice. Given this context, the ban comes off as a political manoeuvre by the current French administration to play to right-wing sentiments rather than an intelligent piece of legislation designed to address the real issue. Was it necessary to ban an item of religious clothing and inflame opinions on both sides of this delicate divide because of a relatively insignificant number of individuals? The effect this disproportionate action could have, unfortunately, is simply to inflame extremist sentiment and widen the worrying gulf between Europe and its Muslim immigrants.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

              

JS hearings on appointments

Process will strengthen democracy

The parliamentary special committee on constitutional amendments is considering making individuals' appointment to constitutional posts subject to confirmation by the Jatiyo Sangsad. We unequivocally endorse the idea. Such a process of filling important positions of the state will not only ensure a bipartisan approach to governance but also reassure the nation that those appointed to and confirmed in such positions have the competence to do the job. Given that for years positions of extreme significance in Bangladesh, such as those of the chief election commissioner, judges of the Supreme Court, chairman of the Public Service Commission, et cetera, have come under a cloud because of a blatant politicization of the appointments, this new step, if it truly comes to pass, will be a boon for democracy.

We, however, note the view of a member of the special committee to the effect that the prime minister's thoughts have to be ascertained before the proposal can meet with success. A severe parliamentary scrutiny of individuals appointed to core state positions, as also of the men or women appointed attorney general, will in our view not only enhance the credibility of the government but also convince the country that good, honest and capable people are in the right positions. The idea of parliamentary confirmation of executive appointments may be new for Bangladesh, but it has been a rule in such countries as the United States where the relevant Senate committees and the whole Senate vote on crucial appointments made by the President. There have been moments when presidential appointees, such as Supreme Court nominees, were rejected by the Senate. In the process, accountability was ensured.

We therefore see no reason for the prime minister to have reservations on the issue. The system will make it very hard for people of dubious reputation to occupy sensitive posts since the hearings, made in public, will scrutinize every detail of a nominee's background before certifying his or her ability to do the job. Let the idea be worked upon, in the greater national interest.

Dhaka rivers face shrinkage

This time in the name of demarcation

Dhaka's rivers are getting thinner ever since the gate-keepers of rivers are turning out to be poachers.
The latest move by the government itself is self-destructive. The rivers of Dhaka will shrink further as the district administrations are demarcating those excluding the foreshores. Authorities have pitched boundary pillars along the rivers allowing loss of hundreds of acres of land which are natural part of the rivers. Shitalakhya alone will lose 1860 acres of land. Without foreshores the rivers will turn into large-sized drains.
How could the district authorities, who were charged with delineating rivers, decide on such damaging moves? Rivers are supposed to be lifelines of ecology and economy. These seemingly expedient decisions allowing for private encroachment of the river banks will further upset environmental balance and encourage the land grabbers.
From the legal point of view, posting of boundary pillars along the bank excluding the foreshores is violation of the High Court orders. The HC, in June 2009, came up with a judgment and directions including demarcation of the rivers, building of walkways and plantation of trees on the banks.
The HC rulings, media campaign and awareness programs by the environment activists and lawyers have been a big stride forward towards saving the rivers. But this move of putting up pillars tends to cancel out the gains.
If the foreshores were not taken into consideration during the survey it has been a gross error on part of the authorities and a clear deviation from the HC orders.

This decision of setting up boundary pillar excluding the foreshores should be immediately scrapped and legal environment friendly measures ought to be taken to restore the rivers to their original position. This will help our waterways to a normal life otherwise we will be playing into the hands of land grabbers.