EDITORIAL : THE IRAN NEWS, IRAN

Timorese Decide on UN Withdrawal

East Timorese went to the polls yesterday to choose members of parliament, following a relatively peaceful two-round presidential contest in March and April.

Polls opened early yesterday in an electoral process that is expected to result in the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers in December.

Twenty-one parties have fielded candidates for the 65-seat parliament. The two top parties are the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction, or CNRT, and the Fretilin .

The former Portuguese colony achieved independence in 1975, but was occupied by Indonesia until voters chose independence in an international referendum in 1999. Pro-Indonesian militants began a bloody campaign of retribution, which was ended by the introduction of Australian-led peacekeepers.

In 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as independent. Despite intermittent violence, East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste , has been relatively peaceful. The last elections were held in 2007.

There have been concerns that violence could reignite in the energy-rich but underdeveloped state if, as predicted, none of the 21 parties wins a parliamentary majority and a fragile coalition takes power.

Presidential polls that were held over two rounds in March and April, however, passed off peacefully.

The United Nations sees the Timorese elections as the last big test that will decide whether its remaining 1,300 peacekeepers and other security staff can withdraw as planned within six months.

The country has offshore fields of oil and natural gas and its Petroleum Fund has swelled to $10 billion, but corruption is endemic.

Half of East Timor's 1.1 million people are officially classified as living in poverty, posing the main challenge for the future government.

The vote will decide whether East Timor, which celebrated a decade of formal independence in May, is ready to take on its own security.

A 450-strong International Stabilization Force (ISF) -- made up of troops from New Zealand and Australia -- is also awaiting the outcome of the poll before finalizing a pullout.

The United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor (UNMIT) -- with a total current military, police and civilian force of about 3,000 -- was deployed in 2006, after a political crisis in which dozens were killed and tens of thousands displaced, with a mandate to restore security.

The only major violence since then was a failed assassination attempt in 2008 on then president Jose Ramos-Horta, the Nobel peace laureate who lost to Taur Matan Ruak in the recent presidential election.

Ramos-Horta, who still commands popular respect, has thrown his weight behind the 66-year-old Gusmao and a unity government.

However, Fretilin, which received the largest number of votes in 2007 but failed to form a coalition, has dismissed any talk of working with the CNRT on forming a post-election government.

EDITORIAL : THE CHINA DAILY, CHINA

Power of innovation

Both President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao delivered speeches at the National Science and Technology Innovation Conference, held in Beijing on Friday and Saturday. This points to the importance the government attaches to scientific innovation.

What is particularly noteworthy is that both admitted that the country's overall scientific innovation capability still leaves a lot to be desired.

President Hu emphasized the need to lift the country's innovation capability and called for a stronger sense of anxiety and responsibility in order to seize the opportunities. He called for authorities at all levels to increase investment so that spending on scientific and technological research rises from 1.83 percent of GDP in 2011 to more than 2.5 percent in 2020.

Premier Wen said that although China was a big manufacturing power, the lack of innovation capability on the part of Chinese enterprises meant it was not yet a strong one.

China does have very good opportunities for development, but that does not mean it will develop from a big economy to a strong economy.

Technological innovation is essential as new energy, new materials, environmental protection, and many other areas are crucial for sustainable development. And without innovation, a country that always relies on imported technologies for its development will never become a truly strong power.

The contribution that science and technology have made to the country's economic growth lags behind some developed countries. Many Chinese enterprises depend on foreign technologies for their success.

Chinese people have reason to be proud of the Made-in-China label, which has promoted its unprecedented economic growth. But this label needs to be changed to Created-in-China in the near future.

Enterprises must realize that whether they can increase their capability for innovation will decide whether they will be able to survive the increasingly fierce global competition.

Scientists and technicians shoulder the responsibility for China's future. Whether they can come up with new technologies will have a bearing on the country's economy and its political standing in the world. But the government must also implement policies to encourage innovation and create the environment for scientific and technological innovation.

Noda sends a bad signal

No matter what tricks Japan tries to play, it does not alter the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China.

On Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda admitted that his government was negotiating with a "private owner" to "nationalize" part of the "Senkaku Islands", which are China's Diaoyu Islands.

Noda has chosen a wrong turn; one that imperils ties between China and Japan.

The Diaoyu Islands and their adjacent islets have been inherent parts of Chinese territory since ancient times, and that China has indisputable historical and jurisprudential evidence for this. Any unilateral action taken by the Japanese side is illegal and invalid.

The farce to "purchase" the Diaoyu Islands was initiated by Tokyo' governor Shintaro Ishihara in April. Since then, Japanese right-wing groups have enthusiastically embraced Ishihara's absurdity. Japanese activists have made several attempts to land on the islands in an attempt to demonstrate Japan's self-proclaimed sovereignty over the islands.

Japan's shenanigans have already cast a shadow on Sino-Japanese relations. Even though many in China believe Ishihara's move does not represent the mainstream of the Japanese society and the policy direction of the Japanese government, it has aroused great indignation.

Ishihara's real motive in initiating this farce was to gain political capital at home. But now Noda has chosen to jump on the bandwagon and helped fuel Ishihara's mischief making.

China's Foreign Ministry was quick to brush aside Noda's ill-advised remarks on Saturday, stressing that the Chinese government will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the country's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets.

But China should be fully aware of this ill trend, which does not bode well for Sino-Japanese relations, especially as the two countries are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties this year.

Should Japan continue to make provocative moves, China will be justified in taking more aggressive measures to safeguard its territorial integrity.

EDITORIAL : THE HINDU, INDIA

Cycling cities

Cities across the world are rediscovering bicycles. Pushed by increasing fuel costs, the compulsion to reduce commuting time, environmental concerns, and the need to make cities livable, many are back on better wheels. At the heart of this turnaround story is the widely popular Velib bicycle sharing system in Paris. Its success has been infectious: Montreal, Bogota, Hanghzou and many other cities have embraced cycling. Velib completed its fifth anniversary recently and its impressive journey offers an opportunity to reflect on the state of Indian cities. Public cycle sharing systems have been in existence in Europe since 1965, but its scale, design and convenience make the Paris system stand apart. As a result, more than 300,000 trips are made every day using cycles with an average speed of 15 km an hour — better than the speed of crawling cars on choked Indian roads. The world today, as the mayor of a French city observed, is divided into two: cities that have bicycle networks and others who want it. Where does that leave Indian cities? They belong to a third category: directionless.

Despite a high user base, Indian cities have no plans for cycles. For example, Delhiites make 2.8 million trips a day by cycling, which is almost equal to the number of trips made by car. But the city hardly has any safe cycle-lanes. Chennai, which has about 1.4 million cycles, is no better. Given the fact that the average trip length in Indian cities is within 5 km, bicycles are the best suited for such commutes. It is disheartening to see urban planners overlook this advantage. Worse, their policies have literally pushed cycles off the road, forcing the poor who use them the most to spend more and more on transportation. The larger benefit from promoting cycling lies in reducing energy consumption and pollution levels. Every car that is off the road saves 5.1 metric tonnes of CO2 a year and a five per cent increase in cycle trips across the world would cumulatively save 100 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Realising the urgent need to promote non-motorised transport, many Asian cities are actively promoting them — Changwon in South Korea offers financial incentives to bolster cycle use; Hangzhou in China has a vast network integrated with the bus system; and Yogyakarta in Indonesia has introduced an accident insurance scheme to encourage cycle users. Indian cities should take a leaf out of these impressive examples closer home, start delineating dedicated lanes, and ensure safe riding. A people friendly, green, low-carbon city is no more a choice, but an imperative destination. Cycling more would get our cities there.

India must look inward

Everything about the heart-rending story of Yannick Nizhanga, an African student who was attacked by local youths in Jalandhar in April and who now lies in a coma in a Patiala hospital, should be a cause for national outrage. The vicious attack on the 24-year-old from Burundi was unprovoked. That affluent youngsters could indulge in such violence, that too against a foreign student, for next to no reason is a matter for concern, but what calls for serious national introspection is the story that unfolded subsequently. The police took a long time to take action against the attackers, one of whom was the son of a police officer. In the days and weeks following the attack, Yannick’s father, Nestor Ntibateganya, was left struggling to meet medical expenses, and for ways to take his son, who may never recover, back to Burundi. Last week, more than two months after the attack, the Punjab government ordered a probe and financial aid and the Ministry of External Affairs began the process of assisting Mr. Ntibateganya to take his son home.

Indian officialdom and civil society are quick to cry hoarse and demand immediate action when Indian students come under attack in Australia or other countries. But when it comes to offering help to foreign students in a similar situation in India, the official machinery is depressingly slow to act. Sadly, the situation is worse when the students are from Africa or poorer Asian countries. Like the shabby prevarication we saw in Australia earlier, the Punjab administration would like us to believe racism was not a factor in the attack on the young Burundian. Even if it wasn’t, it is hard to believe Yannick’s race and African origin were not factors in the tardy response of the system. Indeed, the Central and State governments woke up to the issue only after wide coverage in the media. The callous attitude of government authorities in such cases betrays a mindset that concerns itself only with the concerns of the rich and the powerful. All projections of a rising India count for nothing if the country cannot ensure the rule of law and the safety and security of its citizens and residents, including overseas visitors and students. India is becoming an attractive destination for higher education, especially for students from countries in the global south. If a repeat of the Jalandhar-type attack is to be avoided, the authorities will have to learn to be responsive and quick. And universities and colleges, whether private or State-funded, will have to work with the government to strive to create a welcoming and nurturing environment for foreign students.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

A stitch in time saves nine

Delay in repairing bridges

In the first place the conditions of the two strategic bridges over the Meghna and Gumti should not have been allowed to come to such a pass at all. It is simply unacceptable that these two bridges would be in such a state of disrepair that would involve major repair work with the potential of disrupting the direct link between Chittagong and Dhaka for quite sometime.

We wonder why, in spite of the fact that the bridges on major highways in the country, are, or, should be under constant supervision; the condition of the deck of these two has rendered them unfit for use. One would have expected the R&H department to have applied rapid repair facilities to mend any fault on the deck as soon as those had appeared. What is also inexplicable is that scouring around the main piers has not been attended to either, thereby putting both the structures at serious risk. And to allow these two bridges to be used, in spite of the risks involved, speaks of utter disregard for public safety.

The plight that the two bridges has put everybody in, apart from the grave threat to life these pose, has brought out very starkly the lack of foresight in the planning of our communication infrastructure. Most of the roads, and the bridges that span the gaps, become outdated no sooner they are built. Most of these bridges allow for only one way traffic and on any mishap, and there have been several in the past, there occurs long tailbacks stretching over kilometres and lasting for many hours. The width of the roads too soon becomes inadequate to absorb the increased volume of traffic.

Waiting for October, as indicated by the authorities, for the repair work to begin on the two bridges, is much too long a wait. Why must the process for awarding contract take two months? Given the urgency of the matter, cannot the process be speeded up without cutting corners? We would suggest also that in the meanwhile alternative crossing arrangements be made immediately on both the sites and repair work begun immediately, particularly the river bed scouring.

Price hike before Ramadan

Intensify monitoring to ensure fair price

That a racket of hoarders and retailers push up prices of certain food items before and during the month of Ramadan is not new for the consumers in Bangladesh. What is really new, however, is that the commerce minister himself admitted to this despicable trend a few days back. And we felt relieved when he warned all profit-mongers involved with the racket of "stern action" and also assured us of having sent "14 teams to different markets to identify them" while replying to a lawmaker's query in the parliament on July 2. But in less than a week, we are dismayed to see a continuous increase of prices of onions, gram and lentils with the government apparently unable to do anything against the market manipulators.

Unscrupulous hoarders and retailers are coming up with the excuse of the recent flood in the country's southern region as reason behind the hike, which flies in the face of available data confirmed by the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) and Bangladesh Tariff Commission (BTC). Data of latest imports shows that the current stock of onions and gram could meet the increased demand during Ramadan and, therefore, any arbitrary price hike other than the ones fixed by BTC is unjustified, and only for excessive profit-making.

Under the circumstances, we'd like the commerce minister to intensify monitoring of all the markets by employing special teams led by magistrates, and make examples of the racketeers. We think the assurances he gave in the parliament should immediately translate into action.

We also fail to understand why the TCB is operating virtually as a toothless body. In addition to special teams, we think the government would do really well to strengthen the TCB and assign it every year to ensure fair prices at the markets through timely intervention.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY YOMIURI, JAPAN

Higgs boson discovery marks new start in probing the unknown

The Yomiuri Shimbun

A new subatomic particle believed to be the "Higgs boson," hunted for more than 40 years by particle physicists around world, has been discovered at long last.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, on the Swiss-French border near Geneva, announced the discovery on Wednesday. This can definitely be called a glorious accomplishment that will go down in history.

In the smallest fractions of a second after the birth of the universe, the Higgs boson was responsible for the existence of mass, commonly thought of as weight, in all matter, according to the "Standard Model" of physics. Since it is the origin of mass in the universe, the Higgs boson is also known as the "God particle."

How did the universe come into being? How was substance brought into existence? How did galaxies form and the stars ignite? How did life first begin to stir?

The new discovery marks a milestone in the grand quest to understand the ultimate origins of humanity.

According to the Standard Model, every substance consists of 17 kinds of ultramicroscopic particles that cannot be divided into any smaller units.

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Final building block

Of such particles, electrons were first discovered in 1897, while the existence of a total of 16 particles--every subatomic particle except the Higgs boson--had been confirmed by 2000.

The discovery of the Higgs boson means the final building block necessary to explain the development of the universe from its birth 13.7 billion years ago right up to the present moment has been identified.

This achievement has been made using CERN's circular 27-kilometer underground proton accelerator. The accelerator is a gigantic facility built at a cost of 550 billion yen. It can make protons, a kind of microparticle, collide with each other in a vacuum at nearly the speed of light for a high-energy collision.

CERN researchers repeated such collisions 1.1 quadrillion times, analyzing in detail the fragments produced by the impacts. These include the new Higgs particle, which they have identified with 99.99998 percent certainty, the announcement said.

From Japan, 110 researchers from universities and other research organizations, including the University of Tokyo, have taken part in the CERN program, playing significant roles in such activities as data analysis.

It was a theory formulated by Yoichiro Nambu, a Japanese-born professor emeritus at the University of Chicago and a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics, that provided the foundation for the prediction of the existence of the Higgs boson.

We feel proud of Japan's contribution.

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Trust in science

The pursuit of mysteries of the universe is certain to go on. Experiments with the newly found subatomic particle will lead to the detailed elucidation of its properties. It may even be possible to crack open a new realm of cosmic theory. Physicists have great expectations.

This is because current theory can account for about only 4 percent of the energy that lets matter, and the universe itself, exist. We hope to see Japanese researchers aggressively striving to make further discoveries to help shape our understanding of the universe.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent nuclear power plant accident last year, an increasing number of people in this country are becoming distrustful of or anxious about science and technology.

A survey by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has shown that as many as four out of every 10 people think humans "cannot take control" of outcomes of science and technology. This is double the figure from before the March 11, 2011, disaster.

It is strongly hoped that a breakthrough such as the discovery of the Higgs boson will help resuscitate people's dreams about the future of science.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 7, 2012)

(Jul. 8, 2012)

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY MIRROR, SRILANKA

Rape of the innocents

Three years after the conclusion of the war against terrorism, the country is at a different war today. While many a cry is raised against the rampant rape rate of children, the law enforcement authorities as well as the parents seem equally helpless when it comes to providing protection for children.

Police media spokesman, Ajith Rohana went on record to say that 975 cases of child rape and abuse have been reported within the last six months.  The alarming number leaves the question as to how children become easy preys to perpetrators when they are supposed to be under the care of parents and guardians. Though often it is blamed on the complacency of law or lethargy of the law enforcement authorities, it is none other than the parents’ negligence that brings misery to their children. If one closely follows the heart-breaking stories of the recently-victimized children, one would see that none of the children were parentless.  The misconception that children who live with their parents are safe from the greedy eyes of rapists has been long busted. The alarming reports that flood the newsrooms every day go to show that even the most populated public places, such as schools, are not safe havens for children anymore if the parents do not keep track of their activities and timetables.

Perhaps, the other major factor that poses a grave threat to the protection of the children is, the entrusting of their guardianship to a third party by the parents. It is not only the parents who leave for foreign employment, but also those who depend on the neighbour, the driver of the school van, the tuition teacher or even the games coach of the school  are at fault. The recent tragedies scream aloud that a relative is as untrustworthy as a faceless goon. The guardianship of a child is not a minute matter that a parent can entrust to the first person whom he/she sees on the road.

This disturbing trend needs an immediate ending.

Educating parents and children on the possible dangers, is the most crucial part of fencing rape. If a child does not know the nature and the forms of abuse, he/she would not see the need to seek help. This again poses the question whether sex education needs to be a taboo subject in the school curriculum anymore.

A few years ago, the government together with a few other institutions ran a successful campaign against child labour. It made people stop and look twice at the raggedly-clothed kids who emerged from supermarkets with bags full of groceries. The public was empowered to speak for the hapless souls, thus it becomes  a responsibility of every citizen to report injustice of such nature.

Let’s not blame the laws; for they are essential to mete out justice for the victims. As a public we should be looking after the children who do not deserve the title ‘victim.’ Increasing public awareness and constant reminders to be vigilant seem to be the best way to save children from the phaedophiles.

After all, we have done it once with parcel bombs and suicide bombers-rapists cannot be a big deal!

EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

CJ’s remarks

CHIEF Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Saturday fired the latest salvo in the perceived escalating fight between the superior judiciary and the PPP-led federal government. The Supreme Court, according to Justice Chaudhry, can strike down any legislation that is incompatible with the fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution. While this is a well-established principle, the timing of Justice Chaudhry’s comments is impossible to ignore: the chief justice’s dilation on the ins and outs of the constitution came in a week that the government proposed legislation to protect its constitutional office-holders from suffering the same fate as former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani suffered recently. Unfortunate as it is that the past judicial practice of justices speaking only from the bench and through their judgments has been discarded in recent years, the comments by the chief justice come very close to pre-empting the legislative process. Astonishingly, however, the chief justice did not just stop there: he indicated that the supremacy of parliament was ‘out of place in the modern era’, the constitution itself enjoying pre-eminence over the will of parliament. This is explosive, particularly given the backdrop of the judiciary-government battles. Start with the claim that the constitution, not parliament, is supreme, add the corollary that the SC is the final and unquestioned interpreter of what the constitution does or does not permit — and suddenly Pakistan is in the realm of a supreme judiciary, an unelected institution dictating the contract by which state and society interact. This would be a fundamental shift in the way Pakistan’s constitutional arrangement is imagined and it is quite extraordinary that a serving chief justice would see fit to make such a pronouncement outside a judicial forum. In the SC, the chief justice is the administrative head but his vote is equal to that wielded by any other justice in any given case. Surely, then, at the very least, this is a matter to be decided before a full court, if and when the matter comes before the court.

But returning to the issue of fundamental rights guaranteed in the constitution, why is it that the court keeps invoking fundamental rights when it comes to engaging with the government instead of concentrating on securing the fundamental rights of the people? Why not focus on the broken judicial system in which the average complainant has virtually no hope of ever getting justice, and none of getting it on time? Why not focus on the abysmally low rate of successful prosecution that allows criminals to walk free? Must the court be so obviously selective?

Gandhara relics

OF the many crimes committed regularly in Pakistan, the plundering and smuggling of historical artefacts is amongst those that receive little attention. This country is a notable repository of pre-Islamic art, but the provinces that are the custodians of national archaeological treasures are barely equipped to protect and conserve them effectively. From time to time, stories emerge regarding the theft of such artefacts, while militancy has also had an effect. The fate of Gandhara-era artefacts in Swat, for instance, remains unknown after havoc was wreaked there in the wake of the Taliban insurgency. Militants destroyed the 40-metre high, 2,000-year-old Buddha carved on a rock at Jahanabad, Swat, some years ago. Part of the problem is a general societal attitude that refuses to truly own this country’s rich heritage and history and elevate them to the importance they merit. Thus while it is positive news that the police in Karachi managed, as a result of a tip-off, to intercept a contraband consignment of Gandhara-era relics, the carelessness with which the priceless art was treated must be underscored. The trailer-mounted container transporting the relics, including life-sized statues, plaques and utensils dating from between AD 1 and 500, was seized in Landhi. Unprepared for the weight of the objects and perhaps unmindful of their value, the policemen caused damage while unloading them. It is being conjectured that the artefacts were brought to Karachi a few pieces at a time, probably with the initial intention of smuggling them out of the country.

The incident should be taken as a reminder that Pakistan needs to do far more to protect its heritage and historical artefacts, and clamp down on the black-market trade in this regard. While the relevant laws are on the books, such as the Antiquities Act of 1975, in effect there is little to deter illegal or irresponsible excavation or transportation. This area requires greater attention, hand in hand with the need to sensitise the populace. The state needs to own our ancient history and pre-Islamic heritage, and raise awareness about it through textbooks and seminars. Also needed is a national plan to conserve and showcase this country’s rich inheritance.

World consensus on Syria

WITH more than 100 nations and organisations calling for tougher UN sanctions against the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad seems to be fighting a hopeless battle at home and abroad. The call for UN sanctions was given on Friday by the Friends of Syria group, which also asked the Security Council to adopt Kofi Annan’s six-point plan for transition to democracy. President Assad had accepted the plan but violated it; the truce didn’t hold, and casualties continued to mount. So far over 15,000 people have been killed, but the regime shows no remorse. Last week, the opposition received a boost when one of the regime’s insiders broke ranks and fled. Brig Gen Manaf Tlas, one of the elite Republican Guards’ top commanders, had defied orders and been confined to his home by the president’s brother, Gen Maher al-Assad, commander of the Republican Guards. Gen Tlas is now in Paris, but the Free Syrian Army feels he could be an asset for them. Gen Tlas won admiration from the opposition when he defied the regime’s orders to cut off all cellphone links in Rastan, a city that was under attack from the government forces and was suffering.

Independent of Hillary Clinton’s strong attack at the Paris meeting on Russia and China for their continued support for the Baathist regime, the two powers need to re-examine their Syria policy. Beijing has economic interests in Syria, while Moscow’s defence ties with Damascus have continued since the Soviet days. They also know that their vetoes could frustrate the move for UN sanctions. The issue before the two is to realise they are on the wrong side of the Syrian people, who as part of the Arab nation legitimately want to breathe the fresh air infused by the Arab Spring that has toppled four Middle Eastern dictators.