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Special Report: Pain treatment myths - 360 Published on December 14, 2022 Chronic pain affects 30 percent of all people, making it the number one reason for a visit to the doctor. 360info explores the myths of treating it. Pain is a mysterious thing. Despite having fully healed from injury, many people continue to experience pain. When it lasts three months or more, it’s described as “chronic pain” and doctors are starting to believe it’s a separate condition from the injury that might have caused it. Certainly, doctors take a different approach with chronic pain. Short-term pain is usually addressed with pain killers. But over prescription of these has led to the ‘opioid crisis’ gripping the USA and spilling to other countries. Stemming from the belief that chronic pain is caused by a constantly shifting combination of biological, psychological and social factors, doctors treat pain management as a multifaceted challenge. And while biology and psychology are — relatively — straightforward to tackle, adjusting social factors is far more difficult. One of the more pernicious social factors are myths. The myth that newborns don’t feel pain led to infants having open heart surgery without anaesthetic. As recently as 2015, the myth that babies don’t feel pain was still being dispelled. Myths perpetuate people feeling pain, when their pain could have been relieved, or at least managed, if they had more critically weighed up different approaches. Even the multifaceted approach to pain is itself subject to the myth that all pain is physical. As Professor Michael Nicholas, as pain expert at the University of Sydney wrote in the Pain journal last month, “across a range of current treatments for different chronic pain conditions, many treatments remain essentially unimodal with relatively little acknowledgement of other factors that might need to be addressed.” Pain is officially defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.” Pain is the most common reason people seek health care and the leading cause of disability in the world. Chronic pain affects more than 30 percent of people worldwide. Quote attributable to Professor Michael Nicholas, University of Sydney: “We now know that more comprehensive approaches that address biological, psychological and social contributors to persisting pain are more effective than treatments that target just the painful parts of the body.” Quote attributable to Deborah Tolulope Esan, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti: “In many developing countries, pain relief during childbirth is underutilised due to cultural myths and taboos.” Quote attributable to Suzanne Nielsen, Monash University: “With so many seeking access to medical cannabinoids for pain, you’d expect strong evidence for its effectiveness as a treatment. But such evidence is hard to find.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Pain treatment myths” sent at: 12/12/2022 10:06. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on December 14, 2022

Pandemic warning systems - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on March 28, 2022 Can we predict emerging diseases like we predict the weather? The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for an effective warning system to signal upcoming disease outbreaks. It’s an increasingly busy space, with universities, think-tanks, governments and commercial enterprises vying to fill the gap in accurate, reliable, pre-emptive warnings. But, most alert systems only monitor diseases once they reach animal or human populations. At that point, it can often be too late. Valuable lessons from the current global pandemic might just change the way we respond in the future. The race is on to see who is better placed to sound the alarm, what will get governments to act and listen, and how we can better predict infectious diseases before they develop into another global threat to public health. When the World Health Organization sounded its alarm on an imminent pandemic — the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — in January 2020, few nations listened to its advice to test and trace. An independent panel has since released reports aiming to ensure “future infectious disease outbreak[s] would not become another catastrophic pandemic”. It found: “Preparations [for pandemics were] inconsistent and underfunded. The alert system was too slow — and too meek. Work on a global pandemic treaty,  a legally binding agreement under international law, is expected to continue until 2024. It’s hoped the treaty will: Quote attributable to Carina Fearnley, University College London: “We need to get better with warnings because we will have another outbreak and it can be much worse than what we’ve already faced.” “Health warning systems across the world need to move from being responsive, to preparedness and prevention.” Quote attributable to Grace Wongge, Monash University Indonesia: “The core of [the WHO’s] International Health Regulations’ failure is not the system but the transparency and the decision-making.” Quote attributable to Kumitaa Theva Das, University of Science Malaysia: “Surveillance methods that are specific and sensitive enough to detect even small spikes in case numbers are what can ultimately help prevent future pandemics.” Designing infectious disease warnings that work Claudia Fernandez De Cordoba Farini and Ilan Kelman, University College London Most infectious disease warning systems have been set up to fail as they focus on science, not people. Using artificial intelligence to red-flag emerging pandemics Raina Macintyre, University of New South Wales AI filtering and analysis of open-source data could stop future epidemics from becoming global pandemics. Private vs public: predicting and preparing for future pandemics Michael Bartos, Australian National University The race is on to establish more agile governance that recognises pandemic preparedness and response as a global public good. Pandemic signs still in the sewers Kumitaa Theva Das, University of Science Malaysia Monitoring of wastewater and being alert to unusual cases could help shut pandemics down before they start. Lessons from volcano warnings in predicting the next pandemic Carina Fearnley, University College London Volcano warning systems are fine-tuned and sensitive to a myriad of factors. They are our best model for pandemic alerts. The problem with pandemic warnings is people Jason Thompson, University of Melbourne, and Rod McClure, University of New England Social modelling to prepare for pandemics needs more emphasis on the social. Finding the right tool to predict when hospitals need resourcing Neville Calleja, University of Malta Knowing when the hospital system could be overwhelmed is key to managing a pandemic. Finding the right predictor save lives. Scientists, working together, can prevent future pandemics Grace Wongge, Monash University Indonesia An interdisciplinary ‘One Health’ approach and strong decision-making are our best defence against the next zoonotic-disease outbreak. Streamlining Indonesia’s pandemic warnings Iwan Ariawan, University of Indonesia Indonesia’s health systems work well at local level but cannot provide adequate nationwide pandemic warnings. For those, a new system is needed. Editors Note: In the story “Pandemic warning systems” sent at: 21/03/2022 12:37. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 28, 2022

Platforms and power - 360 Published on May 23, 2022 360info investigates how today’s platforms are driving inequality and how both regulation and new technologies might shape the future web, for better or worse. The modern web has allowed us to do more and connect with each other in more ways than ever. But being the ‘platforms’ on which people do business, socialise and exchange data has allowed some companies to amass enormous power and wealth, leaving little for the users whose content fuels their platform. This power disparity has grown in the last decade, leaving the web less diverse and making it harder for users to understand their rights and the use of their data. Users often have little idea how their personal data is used by platforms: “Companies unilaterally decide upon their own terms and conditions and privacy policies,” says Fabio Morreale of Waipapa Taumata Rau (the University of Auckland), “and these can be changed at any time”. Regulators across the largest global markets are looking for ways to constrain platforms: the EU’s Digital Markets Act looks to target “gatekeeper” platforms, while in the US, Congress continues to debate the American Choice and Innovation Online Act, which seeks to stop the largest players from limiting competition. But users may not wait for the law to catch up. A constant stream of new apps look to either become the next big platform or to reject the model entirely. Meanwhile, blockchain-driven services abound, promising to fix more and more of the web’s problems. But blockchain is still a technology that is rife with risk for many users. With these competing approaches racing to outmode platforms and create a different web, the question won’t just be whether platforms can adapt and survive — it will be whether users are better protected. Google Search makes up 92 percent of all searches worldwide. Its browser, Chrome, is used by nearly two thirds of users worldwide and defaults to Google Search. Media investment analysis firm Ebiquity found that nearly half of all advertising spend is now digital. Google, Meta (formerly Facebook) and Amazon single-handedly collected nearly three quarters of digital advertising money globally in 2021. A 360info analysis has found that Facebook’s terms of service have grown and splintered into an array of secondary agreements over the last 15 years, covering everything from its Advertising Policies to its Pages, Groups and Events Policy: EMBED START Image {id: "editor_12"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_12"} Quote attributable to Pradip Thomas, University of Queensland: “Following China’s lead, India’s Hindu nationalist government is a keen advocate for a wholly indigenous media infrastructure. China’s indigenous apps, such as WeChat and Weibo, allow the state to exercise more control over the social ecology of its citizens than a multinational platform would grant.” Quote attributable to Paul McCarthy, UNSW Australia: “Despite the rise of trade protectionism, the economics of online gravity are here to stay, so our best economic bet is to ensure more tech-enabled ecosystems flourish in a greater range of communities worldwide.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Platforms and power” sent at: 16/05/2022 12:04. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 23, 2022

Pollution without borders - 360 Sara Phillips Published on August 15, 2022 Air pollution is linked to 1 in 9 deaths globally. Ahead of the International Day of Clean Air on September 7, 360info is exploring solutions. At the end of last month, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognising that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right. The Assembly called upon countries, international organisations, businesses and others to enhance international cooperation to ensure cleaner land, air and water for all. It comes ahead of the first meeting in October of a new international task force on air pollution, which also aims to strengthen international cooperation. Increasingly, the boundary-defying nature of pollution is being recognised. A smoke stack in one country chokes the air of neighbouring nations almost as much as its own. It’s a situation Southeast Asia is intimately familiar with: forest fires in Indonesia often blanketing the region in smoke at this time of year. And as globalisation continues, goods are increasingly manufactured in developing economies; the associated pollution of production effectively exported to nations with less stringent air quality regulation. Almost everyone in the world is breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, with people in low and middle-income countries suffering the highest exposures. Technology exists to prevent air pollution. It then becomes a matter of political will to see it applied. As with the UK in the 1950s, Europe in the 1970s, and China in the 2000s, people won’t tolerate foul air forever. The pressure is rising for nations to work together to create global standards on air quality and bring their most polluting neighbour up to them. At the General Assembly, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) executive director Inger Andersen urged “all nations of the world to get to work – so we can place a healthy environment at the centre of human wellbeing, sustainable development and the enjoyment of all human rights”. Almost the entire global population (99 percent of us) breathes air that exceeds World Health Organization air quality recommendations, threating our health. If we continue business as usual, air pollution will cause 40 percent more premature deaths than today. Over 6,000 towns or cities in 117 countries monitor pollution from coarse and fine soot particles (PM10 and/or PM2.5). Quote attributable to Guy Marks, UNSW Quote attributable to Helena Varkkey, Universiti Malaya Quote attributable to Karn Vohra, University College London“The best way to monitor the pollution is to track it from all sides, bringing together ground-based observations, satellite data and atmospheric-chemistry modelling.”

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on August 15, 2022

Pregnancy and choice - 360 Published on July 11, 2022 Global perspectives on overcoming barriers to reproductive health. A repeal of the landmark 1973 United States Supreme Court Ruling of Roe v. Wade made international headlines and sent a clear message — women’s reproductive health remains heavily politicised and often out of their own hands. It puts the US at odds with many parts of the world who view abortion as a human right. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_2"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_2"} “When anti-choice politicians chip away at American women’s rights, the global anti-choice movement takes notice,” MSI Asia Pacific, a reproductive health charity, recently said. But it’s not just about abortions. Good sexual reproductive services and knowledge is central to women’s overall health, and those who have female reproductive systems. The protection of the law for all women to make choices about their bodies —  including access to birth control, sex education and family planning — varies greatly around the world. It’s heavily influenced by a myriad of national and culturally specific factors including economics, traditional, religious and power imbalances which impact women’s individual agencies. Many of these issues disporportunately impact women in developing economies,  one third of which are giving birth in their teens, according to a recent United Nations report. “The repeat pregnancies we see among adolescent mothers are a glaring signpost that they desperately need sexual and reproductive health information and services,” said Dr Natalia Kanem, UN Population Fund Executive Director. Preventing access to legal abortion does not eliminate the practice. Health risks associated with unsafe abortion include haemorrhage, infections, and perforated uterus, all of which can be deadly. Latest WHO figures in 2017 find around 810 women die per day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth — the majority are adolescent girls from developing economies. Societal factors such as gender and income inequalities are contributing factors to this. Making situations worse is the distruption to services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters and conlict. Leaving tens of million girls vulnerable to child marriage and early pregnancy. This quote is attributable to Karine Coen-Sanchez, University of Ottawa. “Reproductive justice is not just a woman’s issue — it refers to understanding how people experience their reproductive capacity by taking into account everyday factors such as class, race, gender, sexuality, health and access to healthcare services.” This quote is attributable to Tanmay Bagade, University of Newcastle. “A key part of gender equality is allowing a woman to have the same ability to choose whether or not to have a child as a man.” This quote is attributable to Jeanne Snelling, University of Otago. “Decriminalising [abortions] and removing barriers to accessing services is a step toward destigmatising abortion and placing the pregnant person at the centre of the law.” Editors Note: In the story “Pregnancy and choice” sent at: 12/07/2022 11:12. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 11, 2022

Press freedom under digital siege - 360 Charis Palmer Published on May 3, 2022 Journalists the world over face increasing digital surveillance used to hamper press freedom, promote misinformation or discredit their work. Press freedom, already in decline for 85 percent of the world’s population, is under digital siege. New digital business models, the development of surveillance technologies, the transparency of internet companies, and large-scale data collection and retention all pose risks to journalists and their sources, according to UNESCO, the UN agency tasked with fostering press freedom. In some countries new media laws have had the consequence (sometimes intended, other times unintended) of censoring journalists. Journalists also face growing levels of cyber bullying from often anonymous actors serving to discredit them and their independence. They also contend with AI-powered surveillance of their movements and automated attacks on their work. “The constant evolution, undetectable, and increasing use of malware and spyware against journalists and human rights defenders by state and non-state actors, jeopardises a free and independent press,” says George Awad, National Programme Officer for Communication and Information at UNESCO Beirut. “Surveillance can also expose information collected by journalists, including from whistleblowers, and violate source protection, a universal basic requirement for media freedom enshrined in United Nations resolutions.” In 2020, the UN Human Rights Council called on Member States to “refrain from interference with the use of technologies such as encryption and anonymity tools”. Yet in recent years, 57laws and regulations in 44 countries have been adopted or amended to threaten freedom of expression online. In the six years to 2021, 455 journalists across the world were killed for doing their jobs. The number declining in most of the world, but it continues to rise in the Asia Pacific region. Though  killings  of  journalists  have  decreased  over  the past five years, imprisonment  of  journalists  around  the  world  has  simultaneously  increased. In 2021 China continued to be the biggest jailer of journalists, followed by Myanmar. Online attacks against journalists are rising, and women are disproportionately affected. A 2021 survey of 901 journalists from 125 countries found 73 percent of women journalists had experienced some form of online violence. And 20 percent had been attacked or abused offline in connection with the online violence they had experienced. A global survey on journalism during the  pandemic, identified emerging threats of: government surveillance (7 percent); targeted digital security attacks, including phishing, distributed denial of service (DDoS), or malware (4 percent); or forced data handover (3 percent). One in five respondents reported that their experience of online abuse, harassment, threats or attacks was “much worse than usual” during the pandemic. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_7"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_7"} Quotes attributable to Cherian George, Professor of Media Studies and Associate Dean for Research, Hong Kong Baptist University “The digital revolution has helped make media more plural, participatory and protest-friendly. But its contribution to tolerant, diverse publics appears negligible or even negative. This is contrary to hopes two decades ago that the internet would help form a ‘digital public sphere’ far more democratic and inclusive than pre-digital society.” “The 15 minutes of fame that digital media dishes out to people previously known as the audience does not necessarily add up to a national, let alone global, conversation that cuts across social and ideological divides.” Quote attributable to Gayathry Venkiteswaran, Assistant Professor at the School of Media, Languages and Cultures at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. “The dominant narrative is that the media are responsible for spreading misinformation and disinformation, but studies show the main purveyors of false information are politicians.” Quote attributable to Dina Septiani,  Assistant Professor and researcher in the Department of Communication, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia. “​​In the past, the mass media could influence the public discussion by pushing a particular agenda, but now algorithms go further, distorting the public perception of the majority view and creating a spiral of silence.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Press freedom under digital siege” sent at: 03/05/2022 14:57. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 3, 2022

Psychedelics and mental health - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on October 11, 2022 Today on World Mental Health day we look at leading-edge ideas on how psychedelic therapies might work and what these drugs do to the brain. Anxiety and depressive disorders have increased by 25 percent just in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and there is a strong need to address the growing treatment gap. Drug therapies using psychedelic drugs, once considered taboo, are slowly making their way to the mainstream. Influenced by softening laws on personal consumption and the medical acceptance of cannabis, it’s likely we’ll see more widespread research into their use in treating debilitating mental health and addiction disorders. The results of clinical trials have so far been promising, but there remain many questions about the treatment. Last week, the Canadian province of Alberta announced it would regulate the use of psychedelic drugs for people in therapy. The plan will allow psilocybin, psilocin, MDMA, LSD, mescaline, DMT, 5 methoxy DMT and ketamine as a treatment for psychiatric disorders, despite the drugs being illegal to consume publicly. All treatments will have the oversight of a psychiatrist. Medical doctors will need to apply for a license before administering the drugs. “Some of the strongest supporters are among first responders and veterans who suffer from high rates of PTSD and other mental health conditions,” Mike Ellis, associate minister of mental health and addictions, said in a press conference last week. “As a former police officer myself, I want to ensure that if there are promising practices to make life better for people with these conditions that we are supporting them in a professional way.” Today on World Mental Health Day, we look at leading-edge ideas on how psychedelic therapies work, what the current and upcoming trials are hoping to accomplish, and what hurdles will need to be overcome before psychedelic therapies can become a globally accepted treatment option. Recent clinical trials suggest the active ingredient in magic mushrooms — psilocybin — can help people with treatment-resistant depression. MDMA has been shown to be effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In July, the US state of Connecticut authorised the country’s first pilot program to offer MDMA and psilocybin to veterans, frontline healthcare workers, and retired first responders, including police who suffer from depression and PTSD. It has been legal in the states of Oregon and California to use psilocybin for mental health treatment in supervised settings since 1 February 2021. Australia’s national scientific research body CSIRO is aiming to develop new psychedelics to help people with a variety of mental health issues including depression, addiction, end of life anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. This quote is attributable to Adeel Razi, Monash University: This quote is attributable to Paul Liknaitzky, Monash University: Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Psychedelics and mental health” sent at: 11/10/2022 10:27. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 11, 2022

Questionable care - 360 Sara Phillips Published on September 16, 2022 A doctor in Michigan was last week fined US$775,000 for ordering surgeries that were unnecessary. In one case, he removed a woman’s uterus, cervix and both ovaries because of a threat of cancer, even though no cancer was present. He is hardly alone in his malpractice. Even in 2020, when many hospitals were refusing non-urgent surgeries, more than 100,000 unnecessary and potentially harmful procedures were performed on older patients in the USA, according to anaylsis from health think-tank the Lown Institute. “You couldn’t go into your local coffee shop, but hospitals brought people in for all kinds of unnecessary procedures,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. “The fact that a pandemic barely slowed things down shows just how deeply entrenched overuse is in American healthcare.” From spinal fusion, to heart stents, knee arthroscopes, to root canal work, surgery with questionable benefits is routinely performed all around the world. Surgery of any kind carries risk. As American clinicians, Stahel, Vanderheiden and Kim noted in 2017, “it is significantly safer to board a commercial airplane, a spacecraft, or a nuclear submarine, than to be admitted to a US hospital”. Every year, more than 1 million patients die during or immediately after surgery. But doctors and patients alike usually believe they are acting in the best interest of the patient. Social and cultural pressures come to bear on decisions; doctors are only human after all. Their pre-existing biases may push them into surgery where it is not strictly necessary. So while clinicians call formore patient education and shared decision making, social scientists are examining the context of the decision making, showing that people — doctors, patients and their carers — are more than a collection of body parts. More than 100,000 unnecessary and potentially harmful procedures were performed on older patients in the USA between March and December 2020, according to the Lown Institute. Medical errors are the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States. As far back as 1976, the American Medical Association called for a congressional hearing on unnecessary surgery, claiming that there were “2.4 million unnecessary operations performed on Americans at a cost of $3.9 billion and that 11,900 patients had died from unneeded operations” Unsafe surgery causes complications in up to 25 percent of patients. Almost 7 million surgical patients suffer significant complications annually, 1 million of whom die during or immediately following surgery. Quote attributable to Brian D. Earp, University of Oxford“Non-trans-identifying children in the United States and elsewhere are routinely subjected to medically unnecessary surgeries affecting their healthy sexual anatomy — without opposition from conservative lawmakers.” Quote attributable to Alison Downham Moore, Western Sydney University, Fouzieyha Towghi, Australian National University, or Tinashe Dune, Western Sydney University “Hysterectomies have disproportionately impacted the most disadvantaged women and have frequently been concentrated in populations that are already marginalised on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, criminality, disability, gender deviation, lower class, caste or poverty.”

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on September 16, 2022

Riding the age wave - 360 Sara Phillips Published on November 21, 2022 To make the most of the global wave of young people, young nations will have to learn from surfers and paddle hard. As the world population ticked over 8 billion this week, the executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), said she didn’t expect people to celebrate. “Some express concerns that our world is overpopulated, with far too many people and insufficient resources to sustain their lives. I am here to say clearly that the sheer number of human lives is not a cause for fear,” said Dr Natalia Kanem. Rather, as UN Secretary General António Guterres pointed out, inequality is of greater concern. And right now, the world has a rare window to address it. The global number of people aged 10-24 is the highest it’s ever been. This presents the opportunity for the poorest countries’ economies to be jump-started, with lasting benefits. Every surfer knows that when the wave is building, you have to paddle furiously to catch the ride to shore. It’s an apt metaphor for the demographic waves rolling through some of the world’s nations. A bulge of young people are coming into working age in countries like Nigeria, Indonesia, India and Cambodia. To catch the wave, governments of young countries will need to paddle hard. They can create job opportunities and education institutions to ensure their young workers are maximally productive. They can ensure health infrastructure and policy are keeping young workers fit and effective. They can support migration to attract workers to where they are most needed. And they can deliver social initiatives to fully employ women and slow down birth rates to minimise the number of dependents young families must care for. It’s a lot to ask of a developing nation. Arms flailing, legs kicking, they have only a few years to realise the opportunity. Else, it becomes not a dividend, but a future tax: a cohort of ageing poor who will need government support to survive. EMBED START Video {id: "editor_4"} More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania. India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023. The world human population will reach 9 billion in approximately 2037. Quote attributable to Xiujian Peng, Victoria University: “In China, a rapidly ageing population and declining fertility are set to plant a bomb under the economic boom.” Quote attributable to Jayan Jose Thomas, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi: “The energies of India’s young women and men can only be tapped with strategic investments and interventions by the government, alongside well-directed social, employment and industrial policies.” Quote attributable to Deboshree Ghosh, the University of Malaya: “Reaping a demographic dividend requires careful and long-term planning.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 21, 2022

Robot cities - 360 Reece Hooker Published on November 7, 2022 360info explores robot cities to discover the latest innovations, and help answer the looming questions they invite. The robot revolution is here, but it’s much more benign than scenes from The Terminator would have us believe. Metropolitan cities around the world are emerging from their post-pandemic slump smarter, digitised and better equipped to integrate new technologies to improve efficiency and safety, and reduce their carbon footprint. Robots are reaching cities in myriad ways: food delivery services are trialling robot couriers, while Google’s parent company is pushing to put robot taxis on the road. Robotics are filling worker shortages at a record rate, while some police departments are exploring ways to increase use of robots on the frontlines. But the reach of robots can go well beyond bringing takeaway and taking people to the airport. If embraced, robotics could manifest in every facet of our urban lives — one could wake up in an apartment that was constructed with the help of automation, have their heating system regulated by deep intelligence, and then step out to a clean street that had been swept overnight by a service bot. The promise is there, but challenges remain. Although robots tend to project as a cheaper way to do business, especially in place of human workers, the outlay to develop and implement the technology is often substantial — especially in the shadow of a projected global recession. And ensuring that robots balance functionality with safety, especially when entrusted with human-facing responsibilities, is a “tough challenge” in the eyes of Marc Raibert, founder of engineering company Boston Dynamics. “The very athletic robots are the hardest to make safe, but I think that there are going to be a lot of useful things that those robots will do where they aren’t safe enough for people to be around,” he said. “But on the other hand, having a robot that isn’t dynamic at all is really hard to make useful.” But the research is moving fast, and with investments like Saudi Arabia’s US$500 billion ‘smart city’ Neom, there will be every attempt made to materialise a robot city in the near-future. Around 500,000 industrial robots were installed worldwide in 2021, an all-time high that exceeded the previous record (set in 2018) by 22 percent. The service robotics market alone has been valued at approximately US$30.57 billion and is projected to exceed $173 billion by the end of the decade. China is the leading market for robots, outpacing second-place Japan at over four times the rate of purchase. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 7, 2022

Science against the clock - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on October 31, 2022 Exploring the challenges of our time where scientists are racing against the problems reaching a point of no-return. Modern technology has improved our knowledge and quality of life. We’re now more connected and living longer than ever before. Yet we face pervasive challenges which are difficult to overcome. Our populations continue to grow, putting a strain on natural resources and public health systems. The climate crisis threatens our future livelihoods — endangering our crops, food supply and accelerating the extinction of plants and animals. Parts of our world will increasingly become inhabitable as extreme weather events become more common, sea levels rise and ecosystems are fundamentally disrupted. These are just some of our grand challenges — surging global issues which will only get worse if ignored — affecting humanity with no clear solutions. It’s a race to find answers as problems inch closer towards a point of no return. A new study by the University of New South Wales found packaging local bacteria together with the seeds of native plants could replenish the vegetation of drylands. Lead author, Frederick Dadzie, PhD candidate at UNSW, said only 10 percent of seeds germinate in degraded drylands. “And given native seeds are expensive and often in low supply for the scales required, this is problematic,” he said. Drylands can be valuable areas to provide agriculture and food. “Due to the vastness of drylands, they [also] have the highest potential to sequester atmospheric carbon and thereby contribute substantially to climate change,” Dadzie said. While the study found indigenous microbes helped germinate wattle seeds in these deserted lands, it did not influence plant survival. But research like this attempts to make our world better, even as problems continue to intensify. Droughts have increased by nearly a third in a generation and floods have increased four-fold since the 2000s. Increasingly hazardous storm events are predicted to worsen in the future. More than 55 million people live with dementia and it’s expected to double every 20 years. Supportive care, the current gold standard in dementia treatment, is costing the world more than US$600 billion per year. More than 41,000 species on Earth are currently threatened with extinction, mainly due to human pressures. But this figure is likely to be an underestimate. This quote is attributable to Caitlin Byrt, Australian National University: “The current generation and many generations to come will face the extraordinary challenge of having to work out how to adapt food production systems to extreme climatic conditions, such as increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms.” This quote is attributable to Letizia Tedesco, University of Helsinki: “Protecting the sea ice ecosystem is fundamental to guarantee all the ecosystem services it provides. It is a habitat, nursery and feeding ground for many, a source of food, a climate regulator, and it supports local and indigenous knowledge, tourism and scientific research. If we do not slow down climate change, the disruption of the Arctic will continue to outpace the science.” This quote is attributable to Ilan Kelman, UCL: “We cannot develop and implement effective health policy and practice by suddenly blaming long-standing, deep-seated, fundamental problems on a single topic, such as human-caused climate change.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Science against the clock” sent at: 26/10/2022 14:47. This is a corrected repeat.

news-360info

2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 31, 2022

Space wars - 360 Sara Phillips Published on April 12, 2022 With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many joint space programmes have been put on hold. What is the future for international space exploration and collaboration? In the mid 1970s tensions between Cold War rivals USA and USSR had cooled enough that a remarkable microgravity rapproachment was possible. A Russian Soyuz capsule docked with an American Apollo spacecraft in orbit above Earth. The astronauts reached through the hatch and shook hands. The symbolism of the crafts’ tethering was all the more poignant, considering the Cold War had inspired the space race that developed the rockets. The Apollo-Soyuz mission is considered by many to have marked the end of the space race and launched a new era of international collaboration on space projects. Americans travelled to the Russian Mir space station and ultimately the International Space Station (ISS) commenced in 1998, the product of American, Russian, European, Japanese and Candian space agencies. “Space has a long history of bring adversaries together,” says Sa’id Mosteshar, director of the London Institute of Space Policy and Law and its professor of International Space Law. The promise of space as a medium in which to broker peace remains.  Even as tensions again rise between the US and Russia with the invasion of Ukraine, collaborative work on the ISS continues. China, a more recent entrant to space exploration, has extended an invitation to the world to use its space station for international science. And multilateral work on space treaties continues in the UN and elsewhere. But the peaceful use of outer space is not given. Mosteshar says: “We are in a greater in danger of war happening than we have been ever before, quite frankly, with many countries now actually articulating the view that outer space is a war fighting domain.” Many more countries now have spacefaring capabilities. The result is that the role of space in facilitating peace needs to be safeguarded like never before. Space is no more than 130 kilometres away from every person on Earth. Today, about 75 countries have one or more of their own satellites, up from only 26 countries in 2001. The European Space Agency (ESA) was established in 1975 and now comprises 22 member states. The United Nations Outer Space Treaty was adopted in 1967 and endorses “the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes”. These quotes can be attributed to Daniel Deudney, professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University. “Interstate military rivalry propelled much of human space activity. So why do we believe conflicts will not be carried into space?” “The technologies to divert an asteroid away from the Earth are essentially identical to those needed to direct objects towards the Earth. If the DART mission succeeds, humanity will have demonstrated a destructive capability vastly exceeding that of nuclear weapons.” This quote can be attributed to Ian Crawford, professor of planetary science and astrobiology at Birkbeck College, University of London. “The world lacks global political institutions that are strong enough to legitimately speak for humanity in the transnational domains beyond Earth.” Editors Note: In the story “Space wars” sent at: 11/04/2022 10:57. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on April 12, 2022

Standing up to violence against women - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on November 25, 2022 Activism can influence policy change towards gender-based violence, but many other factors are at play for it to last. “Men treat us as servants,” Adelah, a 27-year-old Afghan woman whose name has been changed to protect her identity, told UN Women. “Afghan women should be silent. If you raise your voice, you could be beaten to death.” Violence against women and girls can happen anywhere around the world, both publicly and privately. Whether it’s psychological, sexual or physical, women are significantly more susceptible to gender-based violence than men. This can manifest in many forms, including partner-based violence, human trafficking, genital mutilation, sexual violence and child marriages. Women and girls from lower socio-economic backgrounds are often disproportionately impacted. Less than half of women globally seek help after experiencing violence, particularly if they already face layers of discrimination. Much of women’s rights to work, vote, be represented in government and equal pay have been born through activism. And social media has become the new frontier in the fight for global gender equality — helping mobilise women locally and connecting them with others around the world. The United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November will be followed by 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, calling for sustained change. Increased access to support services and awareness of their existence is essential for the protection and safety of all women. Local women’s support helplines across the Asia-Pacific can be found here. One in three, or 30 percent, of women over the age of 15 around the world have faced a form of  physical and sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life, according to the WHO. The real figures are believed to be much higher as much violence against women remains unreported due to the stigma, shame and impunity around it. Thirty-eight percent of all murders of women around the world are committed by intimate partners. At least 155 countries have passed laws addressing domestic violence, but there are many barriers to the implementation of these laws. This quote is attributable to Sutanuka Banerjee and Lipika Kankaria from the National Institute of Technology Durgapur: This quote is attributable to Giulia Evolvi from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam: This quote is attributable to Rabi’ah Aminudin, International Islamic University Malaysia: Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Standing up to violence against women” sent at: 21/11/2022 12:09. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 25, 2022

Special Report: State and Surveillance - 360 Bharat Bhushan, 360info Published on November 30, 2021 By Bharat Bhushan, 360info Effective governance is an increasingly difficult task in an interconnected world with quickly evolving technology. As threats to personal data and national security grow, so have the tools towards state surveillance. We  may not have reached an Orwellian dystopia where ‘Big-Brother-is-watching’ every facet of a citizen’s life. But US whistleblower Edward Snowden showed mass data collection and surveillance means many nations could be well on that path. State surveillance — government monitoring, collecting and processing of citizens’ personal data — has seen a quantum leap with the advent of artificial intelligence and breakthroughs in spyware. State surveillance is able to deliver better management of growing populations and allocation of resources. But some policy objectives may be unlawful.It can be used by states to control dissent and can violate individual privacy as well as broader human rights. The most egregious example of this in the recent past has been the Pegasus spyware scandal. State surveillance can be poorly regulated, sometimes deliberately so. National regulatory mechanisms are outpaced by new technologies of surveillance, especially spyware, which can bypass societal scrutiny. Additional threats are often created by the trans-national nature of surveillance, requiring better public scrutiny and regulation. Traditional surveillance has changed from collection of information about individuals to gathering group data in specific social and political contexts. In China, for example, the social credit system is used to regulate and condition the social behaviour of individuals as well as corporate entities. Extensive surveillance, however, is also being used for creating smart cities, smart policing and crime control using facial recognition technologies and for strengthening national security. The jury is still out on the efficacy of some of these projects. Surveillance has intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic with citizens being prompted to voluntarily become a part of track-and-trace social surveillance systems. The personal data collected to meet the challenge of the pandemic can and has been used for purposes other than for which it was sought. It is not only autocracies that use surveillance of citizens to control and manipulate social behaviour. Democracies have also readily taken to adopting surveillance technologies without adequate safeguards. A comprehensive study by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace showed that least 75 out of 176 countries surveyed use artificial intelligence technologies for surveillance. New technologies of surveillance have provided states globally with the ability to keep tabs on public sentiment not only to modify policies but also to suppress dissent, thwart opposition and increase social control. China is identified with comprehensive surveillance of its citizens and exporting its surveillance technologies internationally. France, the US, the UK, Israel and Germany also export cutting edge surveillance technologies to fragile democracies and illiberal governments. Quotes attributable to Katina Michael, Professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University. “COVID-19 has normalised practices of surveillance for care. It leads to the fundamental question: what will happen next? As we move on from peak pandemic, will we be able to overcome what has otherwise been normalised?” “Anticipatory governance frameworks are now a requirement toward uncertain futures. These emerging frameworks will allow for instituting technology in the public interest during emergency declarations and disasters.” (Feature articles available for publishing under Creative Commons 4.0). Outsmarted by surveillance states By Dr Elizabeth Stoycheff, Associate Professor at Wayne State University, Detroit, United States The push toward “smart”— or digitally integrated — spaces has prompted a rapidly growing partnership between commercial entities and state actors. As a consequence, we see a shift away from social, public monitoring to more institutional and ubiquitous surveillance. China’s social credit system is a fragmented experiment By Fan Liang, Assistant Professor, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu province, China The Social Credit System is considered a central policy that must be adopted by local authorities, but its implementation is not consistent at the municipal levels. Facial recognition is getting smarter, but the risks demand we proceed with caution By Edward Santow, University of Technology, Sydney The growth in facial recognition technology is intimately linked to a rise in public surveillance by governments and companies. This brings an urgent need for greater community transparency about the use of this technology, and the additional legal and other safeguards that may be needed to prevent misuse and overuse of facial recognition. Australian law enables state-authorised hacking and surveillance By Monique Mann, Deakin University, and Angus Murray, University of Southern Queensland Introduced into law in the face of widespread criticism, Australia’s new ID Act gives policing and intelligence agencies reach beyond their borders. It is vital to understand the full scope of these state-authorised hacking powers, and question whether appropriate safeguards are in place. Tracked during COVID, India’s citizens gave away personal data By Anurag Mehra, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Like long COVID, the side effects of India’s rush to track its citizens could linger far longer than anyone bargained for. The need for a comprehensive data protection legislation to enable a truly fundamental right to privacy cannot be over-emphasised given the Indian state’s penchant for “digitising everything”. What happens to Australia’s check-in data after the pandemic? By Katina Michael, Arizona State University, and Roba Abbas, University of Wollongong). Australian state governments have collected a trove of sensitive personal information about citizens through pandemic-related QR code mandates. Despite assurances that the data would be stored responsibly, high-profile breaches have already taken place. As Australia looks towards life after the pandemic, the role of anticipatory governance will become key in the enablement of new forms of technology responses to emergency management.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on November 30, 2021

Special Report: State of Democracy - 360 Reece Hooker, 360info Published on December 6, 2021 By Reece Hooker, 360info On the campaign trail, US President Joe Biden pledged to “reinvigorate American democracy” if elected. With the White House’s ‘Summit for Democracy’, hosted online on Dec. 9-10, he is hoping to start that process. The White House has listed three key themes for the summit: to defend against authoritarianism, to address and fight corruption, and to promote respect for human rights. Over 100 countries will participate in the event; leaders are encouraged to make specific policy commitments that will be reviewed at a second summit a year later. Biden’s summit comes as both mature and developing democracies face powerful threats. Rampant misinformation is interfering with elections, long-standing democracies are turning towards authoritarian tactics, and many institutions in place to safeguard against corruption are having their powers diminished. For Asia-Pacific’s fastest backsliding democracies — Sri Lanka, the Philippines, India and Indonesia — this threat is existential. Only Sri Lanka, an ally of China, is not invited to the summit. All eyes will be on whether Biden — or any of the attendees — will hold the likes of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte or Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to account for their attacks on their own state’s democracy. But even the world’s strongest democracies have to get their own house in order. Under Biden, the US government is promising to “repair the damage” done by the previous administration. This starts with rejecting the authoritarianism of states such as Russia and China, but extends to long-running issues with the Electoral College, gerrymandering and voter registration reform. Australia and the United Kingdom also remain stable, but are dealing with growing trust issues between citizens and their government. The ‘Summit for Democracy’ is striving for democratic renewal, but to do so will require leaders to do more than speak about lofty ambitions. As of 2020, 59 percent of states are classified as democracies by International IDEA — a four percent decline since 2015. Only around 2.51 billion of the world’s approximately 7.79 billion people live in democracies, . Only two of the 10 most democratic nations in the world (as ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit) are in Asia-Pacific: New Zealand (ranked fourth) and Australia (ninth). (Quotes attributable to Robert Thomson, Professor of Political Science at Monash University) “Conventional wisdom is that democracy is on the back foot. But looking at the data, and where democracies have fallen apart, it’s in states where democracy didn’t really have a strong foothold to begin with.” “Misinformation is a genuine threat. People are living in silos and only getting information from news sources that they agree with, rather than sources that challenge them or provide fact-checked information, and that’s a great concern.” “Electoral institutions themselves and the rules that are supposed to hold governments in check are surface manifestations of democracy — but real democracy is underlying, in the fabric of society and values of the populace. That’s what makes leaders afraid (in a healthy way) of their population.” Biden’s democracy summit risks being a talking shopBy Robert Thomson, Monash University The ‘Summit for Democracy’ is being heralded by its organisers as the start of democratic renewal. But without a clear agenda and a sincere commitment to change, the summit risks being little more than a forum for grandstanding. India’s history holds the answers to its democratic futureBy Rahul Mukherji, Heidelberg University The rich and resilient history of Indian democracy offers many lessons for the participants of the ‘Summit for Democracy’, but its present may serve as a warning. Can Sri Lanka turn around its corrupted democracy?ByNeil DeVotta, Wake Forest University The Rajapaksa family have ruled Sri Lanka for nearly two decades, drastically weakening democracy along the way. But a stirring civilian resistance that started during the pandemic is picking up momentum, and the resilience of Sri Lanka’s democracy is once again pushing against corruption and catastrophe. How civil society is safeguarding Indonesia’s democracyTherese Pearce Laanela, Australian National University In a climate where truth and institutional independence are increasingly under attack, safeguarding Indonesia’s democracy is an all-society affair. Brexit fractured the UK’s democracy and now cynicism reignsBy Gerry Stoker, Viktor Orri Valgarðsson and Will Jennings, University of Southampton US President Joe Biden is billing his  ‘Summit for Democracy’ as an opportunity “to prove democracy still works and can improve people’s lives in tangible ways”. In the shadow of Brexit, this ideal seems far from reality in the UK. Australia’s world-class democracy has a trust issueBy Mark Evans, Charles Sturt University Australia is considered on the international stage to be a great, young democracy, but fluctuating public trust in government is one of many issues threatening to take the shine off its world-class status.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on December 6, 2021

Stemming species extinction - 360 Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Philip McGowan, Michael Paul Nelson, Sarah Legge, Giovanni Strona, Achyut Kumar Banerjee, Euan Ritchie Published on March 28, 2022 E.O Wilson recently passed away. The famous biologist was warning of a sixth mass extinction as far back as 1991, telling a US presidential committee of the need to fund efforts to name and conserve the world’s species. Since then, little has changed. Conservation biologists, if anything, are becoming more urgent in their warnings. As we mark World Wildlife Day on March 3, we take stock of the state of nature. Life on Earth is more than just fodder for stunning David Attenborough documentaries. Nearly half of all new medicines come from nature. Forests and oceans soak up the carbon that humans put into the atmosphere. Bees, bats, birds and other insect pollinate flowers and crops that feed us. Wetlands and forests filter water, making it suitable to drink. Trees produce oxygen for us to breathe. These are the ‘ecosystem services’ that nature provides humanity for free. Beyond these essential but utilitarian purposes, life on this planet is unique. Knowing that a species will go extinct, and letting it happen, diminishes what makes Earth unlike anything in the known Universe. And so, efforts to fight the tide of extinction continue. Little by little, science discovers more about what will save a species, what will bring it back from the brink, and what will stop it going there in the first place. More than 99 percent of the four billion species that have evolved on Earth are now gone. (Our World in Data) For the extinctions where there is solid data, invasive species were responsible for 54 percent of all animals lost in the past 200 years. (Causes and Consequence of Species Extinction) Loss of pollinators affects more than 75 percent of global food crop types, risking US$235 billion to US$577 billion of global crop output annually. (Nature) Global populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles declined by 58 per cent between 1970 and 2012. (WWF) Quote attributable to Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Flinders University Many species go extinct before they are even discovered — perhaps as many as 25 percent of total extinctions are never noticed by humans. Quote attributable to Michael Paul Nelson, Oregon State University The Western culture’s relationship with nature is broken because we were convinced to turn away from our ancestors’ animist beliefs and instead view nature as an inanimate goods-and-services-producing-machine. Quote attributable to Euan Ritchie, Deakin University Everything is linked, and needs to be managed as though it is. The Sixth Mass Extinction is happening now, and it doesn’t look good for usCorey J. A. Bradshaw, Flinders University Species are going extinct at an unusually high rate. Our efforts now will prevent a future too ghastly to contemplate. Conservation actions work to save species Philip McGowan, Newcastle University, UK Research  shows species on the brink of extinction have successfully been saved.  Applying the same approaches more broadly could help the planet. Philosophy caused our environmental mess, and can fix it tooMichael Paul Nelson, Oregon State University We better get used to facing tough ethical dilemmas, as environmental destruction forces some tangled conundrums. A cat in the house saves the birds in the bushSarah Legge, The Australian National University and University of Queensland Cats are skillful hunters. In Australia, public campaigning and local  government regulation are helping to keep wildlife and domestic cats safer. Forest protection relies on more than just protected areas Payal Shah, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Protected areas are effective at preventing forest clearing. But where they are and how strict the protection also matters. A rose by any other name would be as endangered Giovanni Strona, University of Helsinki Without good data and good science, it is not clear how many species we are losing to extinction. Coordination and action would protect India from pestsAchyut Kumar Banerjee, Sun Yat-sen University India’s future prosperity is threatened by invasive species. Yet action on the problem is piecemeal or missing. The koala in the coal mineEuan Ritchie, Deakin University With the scrutiny on climate change, the collapse of Australian ecosystems has received scant attention. But saving them is entirely possible. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 28, 2022

Taming the wild west of misinformation - 360 Anya Schiffrin, Daniel Angus, Ika Idris, Daniel J. Rogers, Tanya Notley, Sukumar Muralidharan, Mario Peucker Published on March 7, 2022 The spread of false information online continues to worsen. We’re examining the extent of the problem, and looking at those developing solutions to fight it. Rampant misinformation is causing noticeable harm and at times is killing people though undermining COVID-related public health advice, promoting myths about the effects of vaccines, and trumpeting radical conspiracy theories. And it’s not just misinformation. Disinformation (information created with the intent of causing harm) and mal-information (information used to inflict harm on a person, social group, organisation or country) are running rampant. In this new media landscape, the winners are those best able to capture the audience’s attention — rewarding often outrageous content designed to drive the all-important clicks and eyeballs that make up a monetisable audience. Underpinning and facilitating all this is the secretive world of algorithms — automated content filtering that recommends or prioritises content for users based on learned behaviours and past reading preferences. Those filters shape what information and advertising we are shown – and not-shown — yet very little is known about the inner workings of the world’s most powerful recommendation engines. The sophistication and spread of misinformation has developed too quickly for legislation to keep up. But the fightback is well underway with a range of initiatives to wrestle back control over the information space — and make it safer. It is a battle being fought on many fronts from education to legislation, advertising revenues to cybersecurity. Here’s how the information wild west is being addressed — and tamed. 48 percent of the 11,178 U.S. adults surveyed by the Pew Research Center in 2021 received their news through social media. An is paid annually to disinformation websites by companies in the advertising industry. In the first three months of the pandemic alone, COVID-19 misinformation has been attributed as a catalyst for at least 800 deaths worldwide. Quote attributable to Daniel J. Rogers, New York University “The biggest global companies are those who provide the machinery to capture and monetise audience attention at scale. Today’s internet is powered by businesses that capture and profit from “clicks and eyeballs.” Quotes attributable to Tanya Notley, Western Sydney University “Misinformation is not going away and facing this challenge is complicated. Developing the media literacy of both children and adults is one way to push back against the problem, and build a sustainable future for a global information and media ecosystem.” “A fully media literate citizen will be aware of the many ways they can use media to participate in society. They will know how media are created, funded, regulated, and distributed and they will understand their rights and responsibilities in relation to data and privacy.” Cracking the code to cut back misinformation Anya Schiffrin, Columbia University Balancing freedom of expression with targeting misinformation is an ongoing challenge, and there’s a variety of approaches taken thus far. Ubiquitous and mysterious, algorithms are ruling our lives Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology Algorithms hugely impact our consumption of news, media and much more but there is very little known about how they do that and how they influence what we read. Journalists step in where platforms have no answers Eleonora Maria Mazzoli, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Google and Facebook are hoping to improve their news algorithms to provide a more balanced view. Media industry initiatives could have the solution they need. Indonesia’s misinformation program undermines more than it teachesIka Idris, Monash University Indonesia’s government has funded a thorough media literacy program. But rather than stopping misinformation, it serve to undermine independent thought. Defunding the disinformation money machine Daniel J. Rogers, New York University Disinformation is a profitable business, and one of the most effective ways to slow its spread to take away the advertising money unwittingly funding it. Misinformation won’t go away, but media literacy can help fight it Tanya Notley, Western Sydney University Misinformation won’t disappear, but teaching the community to spot it can strip the falsehoods of their power. India’s tangled web of misinformation liesSukumar Muralidharan, O.P. Jindal Global University A mysterious app, a viral hoax and political rivals engaging in misinformation mudslinging — India is the grips of a fake news epidemic. Gates, Fauci and the NWO: inside Australia’s far-right silosMario Peucker, Victoria University Misinformation has found a home with conspiracy theorists, some exploiting political divisions and others convinced of its truth. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 7, 2022

Techno-nationalism - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on May 16, 2022 Countries are increasingly pivoting to nationally developed science and technology. The effects are global. When world leaders meet in Davos for the annual World Economic Forum summit later this month “harnessing the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution” will be on the agenda. World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab says the in-person meet is required “to establish the atmosphere of trust that is truly needed to accelerate collaborative action and to address the multiple challenges we face”. But the Forum’s call for the world to “come together” comes at a time when the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine is widening existing geographical, political and economic divides. Many countries are increasingly considering a protectionist stance in science, technology and domestic innovations. Driven by a mix of economic and security concerns, the trend runs counter to the globalised nature of collaborative science and technology — cutting across international flows of trade, investments and data. The same players have dominated the global market for a long time. Huge tech companies penetrate almost every corner of our world, collecting data from those who use their services. Headquartered in technologically advanced countries, they have been allowed to flourish through government support and concessions. Innovative science and tech is inevitably becoming a growing geopolitical issue. And the entrenchment of technology in lawmaking and nation-building is leading to a new wave of techno-nationalist countries. – Global trade has rebounded strongly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the growth of international scientific collaboration (as measured by the proportion of scholarly articles with co-authors in different countries) and international voice call minutes has slowed. – A growing number of Chinese companies, such as Huawei and ZTE, are being added to the US government’s Entity List, which restricts exports and in-country transfer of items deemed “contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States”. The list prevents American firms from supplying listed companies with components and software. – China’s latest five-year plan sees the “domestic and overseas markets reinforcing each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay”. By 2035, the plan forecasts “significant breakthroughs will be made in core technologies in key areas, turning China into a global leader in innovation”. – The uneven development of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and distributed ledger technology could result in unequal growth, cybersecurity risks, fragmented “digital islands” and techno-nationalism, according to the World Trade Organization. This quote is attributable to Julia Powles, associate professor of law and technology at The University of Western Australia. “Smart policy for tech-importing nations from the Philippines to Australia to India should reclaim protectionism as a vehicle for protecting the country’s people, personal information, and critical infrastructure against colonisation and unbridled free trade of information.” This quote is attributable to Cecilia Rikap, lecturer in International Political Economy at City, University London This quote is attributable to Merih Angin, assistant professor in International Relations at Koç University. “Technological superiority by great powers undermines the positive potential of AI for the majority of the world’s population” Editors Note: In the story “Techno-nationalism” sent at: 09/05/2022 11:16. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 16, 2022

The changing face of mass protest - 360 Rahul Mukherji and Jai Shankar Prasad, Ajay Gudavarthy, Rong Wang Published on February 28, 2022 As the world marks the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s death on January 30, we examine the role of non-violent protests and the conditions for their success. by Bharat Bhushan, 360info Public protests in democracies drive institutional reform. They have always signified a yearning for greater democracy, political participation and a say in policy reform. Although the COVID-19 pandemic saw protests turning digital and taking other forms of socially distanced engagement, mass protests have returned with resilience despite the pandemic. Often they were about the pandemic-induced lockdown itself, but they also addressed a host of other social and political issues. Social protest seems to have increased both in  intensity and geographical spread — resisting the slide of democracies into authoritarianism, inadequate state response to public healthcare, growing economic insecurity, and redressing issues related to social justice and outcomes perceived to be unfair. Whether it is Black Lives Matter, women protesting sexual harassment through #MeToo, or citizens protesting repression, the world is witnessing new forms of protest based on intergenerational, inter-class and community organisation. Action often cuts across national boundaries. Social media has been both a forum as well an instrument for organising public protest for students in Hong Kong, the Occupy Wall Street movement and for millions of Indian farmers knocking for justice at the gates of Delhi. While some protests have managed to reform society, others have withered after highlighting an issue or collapsed in the face of State repression. As the world marks the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s death on January 30, it seems relevant to examine the role of non-violent protests and the conditions for their success. 2020 saw the emergence of 76 new significant anti-government protests – about one new protest every five days. The geographical breadth of the protest was also significant – 58 countries globally saw anti-government protests. The countries that are experiencing declining freedom today significantly outnumber those with improvements. Nearly 75 percent of the world’s population lives in countries that are witnessing declining freedom. Protests such as those of the Arab Spring, the Brazilian Spring and Occupy Wall Street either led to unforeseen and adverse regime changes or did not succeed beyond highlighting specific issues – demonstrating not all public protests succeed. On the other hand, the Indian farmers’ movement – involving the peaceful participation of more than 250 million farmers, equivalent to nearly 75 percent of the population of the US — has shown that non-violent public protests can still succeed. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_6"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_6"} The new cultivators of non-violent protest By Rahul Mukherji and Jai Shankar Prasad, Heidelberg University in Heidelberg What makes non-violent protests work? Aborted revolutions cut across class lines By Ajay Gudavarthy, Jawaharlal Nehru University The latest iteration of global protest transcends lines of class and race, but hasn’t always translated to concrete policy change. Sympathy, care fuel Hong Kong protest virality By Rong Wang, University of Kentucky Police brutality in Hong Kong became a global conversation as the story went viral — but a particular type of tweet had more success than others. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 28, 2022

The wrap on food waste - 360 Sara Phillips Published on June 15, 2022 As the world faces a growing food crisis, scientists are investigating how we can waste less of it. The world is in the midst of a food crisis. The price of wheat has doubled since January. The prices of other foods, such as bananas, corn and soybeans, are at all-time highs. Malaysia has begun stockpiling chicken. More than 100 countries have hungrier populations in 2021 than they did in 2000. Yet the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates some 30 percent of all food grown never makes it to the dinner plate, so the resources used to grow it – water, land, minerals – were wasted. William Gibson’s famous line about the future could just as easily be applied to food: it’s here, it’s just not very evenly distributed. Part of that distribution relies on efficient supply chains and suitable packaging to transport food from where it’s grown to where it’s eaten. In developing economies, most food loss occurs between the farm gate and the market, with poor storage, packaging and unconnected supply chains contributing to food spoilage. In developed economies, food waste happens between the market and the dinner table, with consumers buying too much and not properly storing their supplies. Long viewed as an environmental villain, plastic packaging can do much to stop food waste. In many cases, the resources used to grow the food far outstrip the resources used to create packaging. Perhaps surprisingly, that means food waste can be a bigger villain than plastic waste. But the situation is complex. Just as different foods require different conditions to grow, so their packaging and protection is specific to the food. The solutions vary food by food across the world. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_5"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_5"} Per capita food waste by consumers in Europe and North America is 95 to 115 kilograms a year, while in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia it is 6 to 11 kilograms a year. With the global population predicted to rise from seven billion to nine billion by 2050, the supply of food will need to increase by 77 percent compared with 2007. Global plastic resin production grew from 1.7 million tonnes a year in the 1950s to approximately 348 million tonnes in 2017.  Less than 10 percent of plastic has ever been recycled. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_10"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_10"} Quote attributable to Helén Williams, Karlstad University: “Reducing food packaging without analysing the effects on food waste may create an environmental and social mess. Food and its packaging need to be considered as a unit.” Quote attributable to Simon Lockrey, RMIT University: “It does not just involve packaging design and manufacture; end-of-life systems also need to be ready for change, or else design efforts will be for naught. Also, consumers will need education, so they can recycle, reuse and compost effectively.” Quote attributable to Svenja Kloß, Albstadt-Sigmaringen University: “Both indicators and sensors could reduce food waste and increase consumer safety. They could be a useful addition to the traditional best-before date and may even replace it under certain circumstances.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “The wrap on food waste” sent at: 16/06/2022 15:39. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on June 15, 2022

Tobacco's toxic reach - 360 Sara Phillips Published on May 31, 2022 The environmental impacts of the tobacco industry, and its attempts to divert attention from them, are only beginning to be realised. This month, ahead of World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the World Health Organization released a new report on the attempts by multinational tobacco companies to portray themselves as good, environmentally conscious corporate citizens. It comes on the back of previous reports revealing, in detail, the astonishing amount of pollution, waste, energy and illness created by tobacco companies. The latest report accuses Big Tobacco of ‘greenwashing’: “They attempt to portray themselves as a sustainable and eco-friendly industry, but this couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Dr Rüdiger Krech, director of the Department of Health Promotion at the World Health Organization (WHO). For example, some 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered every year, but tobacco company Philip Morris International promotes its series of volunteer beach clean-ups as addressing the issue. Environmental legislation may be a new way to tackle the global problem of tobacco use, “a threat to human development as a whole”, according to the WHO. Litter levies and forcing tobacco companies to clean up their own mess are emerging tools to stop the tobacco free ride. Indeed, in May, as the WHO report was being finalised, a bill was before the California legislature aiming to ban the sale of single use plastic tobacco products. Driving change has proven challenging. After a series of dilutions and walk-backs, the original author of the bill perhaps decided it wasn’t worth pursuing in its altered form and shelved it. Researchers estimate some  8 million people die an early death every year due to tobacco use. The global tobacco market grows 3 percent annually By March 2021, 182 countries had ratified the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which covers more than 90 percent of the world’s population. James I of England was perhaps the first to implement an anti-tobacco policy, heavily taxing it, and writing a treatise against it in 1604. In the 20th century, there were 100 million tobacco deaths; nearly 70 percent were in high-income countries and the former socialist economies of Europe. In contrast, in the 21st century, tobacco is expected to kill about one billion people, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Quote attributable to Putri Widi Saraswati, United Nations University International Institute of Global Health: “Young people are at the centre of the tobacco-use issue. They are targeted and harmed by the industry, and they are important actors in demanding and driving change.” Quote attributable to Stella Aguinaga Bialous, University of California San Francisco: “Extended producer responsibility (EPR) may be the way forward. EPR allocates responsibility to the tobacco industry for the environmental harm its products do. Policies informed by EPR would impose a fee to address the costs of waste and could introduce product modification to minimise negative impact. Policies to reduce microplastic waste are another option.” Quote attributable to Frank Houghton, Technological University of the Shannon: “Big Tobacco’s greenwashing efforts are little more than a cynical attempt to claim some moral high ground.” Editors Note: In the story “Tobacco’s toxic reach” sent at: 30/05/2022 11:23. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on May 31, 2022

Tourism economies - 360 Tasha Wibawa Published on September 7, 2022 An over-reliance on the tourism industry can be costly. Here’s how some countries are addressing the glaring issues plaguing tourism. Tourism was one of the world’s biggest employers and fastest growing industries, making up 10 percent of global GDP in 2019. But as borders closed during lockdowns, it became clear an over-reliance could be costly for the millions dependent on it. Now that international travel has resumed, many destinations are wary a return to business-as-usual may no longer be sustainable. But a shift isn’t easy, or immediate. After two long years, the economic injection from opening borders has been a welcome relief. EMBED START Image {id: "editor_1"} EMBED END Image {id: "editor_1"} Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, said ineffective coordination and a lack of public understanding in conservation efforts had hampered the country’s recovery progress. “Our hope for the future is that there will be more quality and sustainable tourism visits,” he said this week. Indonesia will be hosting the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Day forum this month, with the focus on “Rethinking tourism”. Rethinking one of the world’s major economic sectors will not be easy. But we are already well on the way,” Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the UNWTO said in a statement. “In exposing weaknesses, the [COVID-19] crisis showed us where we can build more resilience. And in exposing inequalities, it also showed us where we can deliver more fairness.” Global international arrivals decreased by 71 percent during the first two years of the pandemic, according to the UNWTO. In 2022, those numbers have somewhat recovered, but are still down 54 percent globally compared to 2019. The loss in export revenues from international tourism in 2020 is estimated at US$1.1trillion. It presents 42 percent of the total loss in international trade in 2020. Research found global tourism accounted for 8 percent of total greenhouse-gas emissions in 2018. This quote is attributable to Tom Baum from the University of Strathclyde: “What we’re witnessing are the consequences of long-term structural and cultural cracks that have expanded into chasms since the arrival of COVID-19.” “Addressing employment issues in tourism requires more than a quick fix. It needs sustainable, coordinated, inclusive responses and to be recognised for its convoluted nature, what economists describe as ‘wicked’.” This quote is attributable to Can-Seng Ooi, University of Tasmania: “Post-pandemic tourism should aim to be sustainable for host communities. As society changes, so can an industry.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Tourism economies” sent at: 31/08/2022 11:33. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on September 7, 2022

Unnecessary Drugs - 360 Simon Bell, Justin Turner, Paromita Goswami, Anindita Chaudhuri, of Calcutta; Joel Lexchin Published on February 10, 2022 By Bill Condie, 360info Millions of medicines handed to patients each year may be unnecessary and even potentially harmful — and it’s a problem happening in both developed and developing economies. The term “polypharmacy” originally meant the prescription of five or more medications but has come also to refer to the prescription of medications with no specific current indication, that duplicate other medications, or that are known to be ineffective for the condition being treated. The problem is highly prevalent, especially among older adults. A recent survey published by Keith Ridge, chief pharmaceutical officer for England, concludes that up to 110 million medicines handed to patients each year may be unnecessary and even potentially harmful. In England, 15 percent of people now take five or more medicines a day, while 7 percent are on eight drugs or more. A 2018 University of Sydney report recommended a strategy to reduce inappropriate polypharmacy. Its recommendations included the provision of incentives for health care professionals to encourage quality use of medicines by older patients. But the problem is also a major public health issue in India. Factors contributing to the misuse of medication there include health system and regulatory failures, poor prescribing practices on the part of physicians, ease of access to medications from pharmacists without requiring a prescription as well as a lack of education among patients about their medications. Increasingly, health care providers around the world are seeing “deprescribing” as a solution. This process, led by pharmacists and doctors, involves systematically discontinuing medicines that are inappropriate, duplicative or unnecessary. Other solutions include so-called “social prescribing”, which takes into account a range of social, economic and environmental factors such as housing, economic resources, pollution, health behaviours and diet when prescribing. In the UK studies suggest this can improve people’s health and wellbeing and reduce workload for healthcare professionals and demand for secondary care services. In England social prescribing is part of the NHS Long Term Plan. An estimated 36.1 percent of older Australians were affected by continuous polypharmacy In India, it has been estimated that at least 50 percent of average family spending on medicines in the country is incurred on irrational or unnecessary drugs and diagnostic tests. In the US nearly half of those taking psychotropic medications, which include antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia, had no mental health diagnosis. Quotes attributable to Dr Justin Turner, Co-Director of the Canadian Deprescribing Network, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal. “We see a lot of patients struggling to take all of the pills they are prescribed. They even end up taking medications to treat the side effects of their medications – this is called a prescribing cascade. Overuse of medicine is a silent pandemic.” “Just because a medication was good for you when it was started 10 years ago, it doesn’t mean it’s still good for you now.” (Feature articles available for republishing under CC 4.0) Overuse of medicine: the silent pandemic By Justin Turner, Université de Montréal While modern drugs can save lives, if used for too long, or in the wrong combination, they can be harmful. Deprescribing is increasingly used by health professionals to take back control. Ban drug ads to promote healthJoel Lexchin, York University Advertising promoting new drugs is effective but often leads to inappropriate prescribing. To protect the health of their citizens, countries should ban it. The untapped potential of effective non-drug treatments By Paul Glasziou, Bond University Compiled by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, HANDI is the world’s first compendium of drug-free medical treatment. Not just big pharma: how social factors affect overprescription in IndiaBy Paromita Goswami, Shiv Nadar University and Anindita Chaudhuri, University of Calcutta Increasing use of antidepressants in India stems not only from pharmaceutical company marketing. Social stigma and economics are pushing people to take a pill. The set and forget of medication in aged care By Simon Bell, Monash University Nowhere is the problem of overprescribing as acute as in aged care settings where experts are grappling with the overuse of psychotropic and other powerful medications. Editors Note: In the story “Unnecessary Drugs” sent at: 15/12/2021 18:25. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 10, 2022

Vaccines beyond COVID - 360 Reece Hooker Published on April 22, 2022 For WHO Immunisation Week, we explore what could drive the next great leap forward on vaccines. The power of vaccinations have been front and centre over the past few years, lighting a way for the planet through the pandemic. But immunisation isn’t just a COVID-19 issue: it’s a collective movement that helps fortify the global population against a whole host of diseases. But doing so in a way that is careful and safe is essential. While the urgency for vaccinations to protect against deadly ailments such as malaria and HIV is as serious as ever, breakthroughs don’t happen overnight. Not only is research rigid, but clinical testing is as cautious and rigorous as can be — ensuring that every vaccine that reaches the public is unimpeachable in its safety. What can happen much faster is policy changes that eases the way for vaccine development and access. Governments in countries such as India have shown the power of investing in vaccine manufacturing and development, whilst other global initiatives to improve access to immunisation have been undercut by parties seeking profit and power. Looking beyond the pandemic, countries around the world will be tasked with protecting their population from established and emerging viruses and diseases. Striking a balance between the science and policy will be vital as the pall of COVID lifts and the threat of new pathogens appear. The first vaccine to be successfully developed was a smallpox vaccine, introduced by British physician and scientist Edward Jenner in 1796. Prior to COVID-19, the fastest vaccine to go from development to deployment was the mumps vaccine in the 1960s, which took about four years. Only 19 vaccine introductions were reported in 2020, less than half of any year in the past two decades. Vaccines save an estimated 2-3 million children each year from deadly diseases. However, in the same period, approximately 1.5 million children under five lose their lives to vaccine-preventable diseases. Quotes attributable to Citrawati Dyah Kencono Wungu, University of Airlangga, Indonesia: “In the future, mRNA vaccine technology also has the potential to be developed for other infectious diseases, such as influenza, dengue, zika, and chikungunya fever. Scientists simply need to modify a mRNA component of a vaccine instead of the entire thing for new diseases or strains. This makes developing new vaccines and adapting existing ones easier and faster.” Quote attributable to Visai Muruganandah, James Cook University: “With an exponentially increasing population, mass land clearing and climate change contributing to a drastic transformation of our natural environment, the risk of frequent pandemics is rising.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on April 22, 2022

Water conflict and cooperation - 360 Edward Park, Stefano Galelli, Naho Mirumachi, Christopher Chen, Rafael Schmitt, Kenneth Stiller, Danny Marks, Medha Bisht Published on March 28, 2022 Climate change, water scarcity and urban development are among the threats to the world’s rivers and those who rely upon them. An inability to access water threatens the security, stability and environmental sustainability of all nations, especially in the Global South. By 2025, two-thirds of the global population may face water shortages. As the resource becomes increasingly scarce, the need for states to find ways to resolve conflict and find cooperation grows. This is exemplified best by the Mekong River — the beating heart of Southeast Asia that provides for over 70 million people. Locked in drought, the Mekong faces a raft of problems:  sand mining eroding its riverbeds, hydropower dams throttling its flow, plastics pollution, and the ongoing threat of climate change. All this takes place in the shadow of complicated regional  diplomacy in the region between the Mekong states — China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The upstream titan China, the developing nations and the fast emerging economies all face different challenges, but share one thing in common: they all depend on the Mekong River. Smarter thinking, investment in green infrastructure, and a willingness to collaborate will be vital to keeping the Mekong River alive for decades to come. The Mekong River is about 4,350 to 4,900 kilometres long. Its entire catchment area covers about 800,000km2. The Mekong runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. By 2030, cities in the Mekong River basin are projected to house over 11.5 million people. The Mekong River basin is home to one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world, with more than 20,000 plant species and 850 fish species discovered to date. Four billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, according to UNICEF. Quotes attributable to Mr Christopher Chen, Nanyang Technological University: “More than 70 million people depend on the Mekong River as a source of income and livelihood. Alongside saline intrusion, they face decreasing water levels and increased insecurity over water as the cumulative effects of climate change, dam development and environmental degradation set in.” “Southeast Asian states have a lot in common with Pacific Island states in terms of geographical and economic vulnerabilities. They all have a vested interest in addressing water security issues.” Quote attributable to Dr Rafael Schmitt, Stanford University: “In a basin where decision-making is deeply fractured and development strategies are politically complicated, a major shift of some form is required if the Mekong is to survive. Determining what that shift looks like is the answer to an existential question for one of the most productive regions in Asia.” Measuring the real cost of sand mining in the Mekong India and Pakistan can future-proof their threatened rivers New power plans could change the tide Laos’ Mekong dam collapse leaves a sad legacy Cooperation, commitment will save the Mekong Convention could lock in China’s Mekong cooperation The world is making the Mekong its dump Danny Marks, Dublin City University Mounting marine pollution is choking the world’s oceans and rivers, especially in Southeast Asia — and it’ll only get worse unless something changes. Partnerships a pathway for Mekong’s water security Christopher Chen, Nanyang Technological University Urbanisation and degrading infrastructure is threatening to unravel the ecological and financial promise of the Mekong — including its supply of clean water. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Water conflict” sent at: 21/02/2022 12:26. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on March 28, 2022

Special Report: Weapons trade - 360 Sara Phillips Published on August 23, 2022 International relations pundits, who like to scent the air for the winds of change, will have their senses tuned to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty Conference starting August 22 in Geneva. The world’s biggest exporter of arms, the United States, symbolically pulled out of the international agreement in 2019 under President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden has not yet shown much indication that he is ready to restart engagement. Russia appears to have low regard for the treaty, having neither signed nor ratified it. Meanwhile China acceded in 2020. Unusually for UN conferences, this makes China the biggest power at the table. Much has been made of the Arms Trade Treaty, which aims to regulate the global flow of weaponry so that it can’t be used for human rights abuses. When it was signed in 2013, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called it “an historic diplomatic achievement – the culmination of long held dreams and many years of effort”. But in the years since, it has been criticised for being undersubscribed, too lax and with too many loopholes. Experts fear that attempts to beef it up could turn more nations off than on. But there is still much that can be done to ensure the treaty’s success. Incremental improvements can add up to perceptible change. Changes to reporting requirements, databases and fostering collaboration between customs organisations are just some of the ideas being explored to nudge the international community towards a more lawful exchange of weapons. Explore the transfer of arms between groups over the last 70 years with our interactive map. James Goldie, 360info. Data: SIPRI In 2021 world military expenditure reached US$2.113 trillion The US sold $US1 billion in arms to Nigeria in April, even as lawlessness increased. The Stockholm International Peace Reserach Institute measures the trade in arms in ‘trend indicator value’, a unit that expresses the deadly capability of an item in dollar terms. A tank, for example, has a higher TIV than a rifle. In 2021, roughly US$25 billion worth of TIVs were traded. Quote attributable to Owen Green, University of Bradford It’s not all about ratifying the ATT. The principles and norms embedded in the treaty can still act to draw nations away from allowing illicit trades. Quote attributable to Jadranka Petrovic, Monash University Unless universal adoption comes, the ATT is likely to be viewed merely as a noble idea and somewhat a paper tiger Quote attributable to Swaran Singh, Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of British Columbia While expanding the number of signatories to the ATT may have its merit, it is perhaps time to focus on strengthening its efficacy amongst its signatory parties. Interactive: who supplies and receives arms? The advocacy groups working to bring the Arms Trade Treaty to life United Nations arms treaty an example, not an answer Owen Greene, University of Bradford The Arms Trade Treaty can work best where it sidesteps the great powers’ strategic interests. Arms conference puts trillion-dollar industry under the spotlight Jadranka Petrovic, Monash University The global trade in arms is worth more than two trillion dollars. A UN conference this week aims to bring more oversight to this deadly  industry. Arms Trade Treaty at risk of irrelevance Swaran Singh, Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of British Columbia If the Arms Trade Treaty’s many signatories reaffirm their commitment to  the agreement’s aims, they could start to see real change. UN arms trade treaty’s difficult first decade Roderic Alley, Victoria University of Wellington The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty has mixed success, but its aims remain worth supporting. What jetskis, horses and gun-toting leaders have to do with international peace Cristiane Lucena Carneiro, University of Sao Paulo Global leaders who style themselves as military strong men may weaken United Nations negotiations over the trade in arms. Can the ATT take any lessons from the new EU dual-use Regulation? Veronica Vella, University of Liège As nations meet to consider an international agreement on the trade in arms, lessons from the EU are ready to be learned. How compromise unravelled the UN Arms Trade Treaty’s promise Borja Álvarez Martínez Born of compromises, the treaty’s attempt to satisfy all parties has led to it being toothless. How best to restore its bite? Editors Note: In the story “Weapons trade” sent at: 26/08/2022 16:34. This is a corrected repeat. Minor fix to map embed to facilitate sharing.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on August 23, 2022

Who owns IP - 360 Reece Hooker Published on July 20, 2022 Global perspectives on the state of intellectual property When the World Trade Organization decided to ease patent rules on COVID-19 vaccines in June, prominent players on both sides lashed out. Thomas Cueni, Director-General of IFMA, a trade association representing pharamaceutical companies, said the negotiating process had been “challenging from the beginning”. “The decision is a disservice to the scientists that left no stone unturned and undermines manufacturing partnerships on every continent. The single biggest factor affecting vaccine scarcity is not intellectual property, but trade.” On the other side of the issue, International President of Médecins sans frontières Dr Christos Christou labelled the ruling an “inadequate outcome”. “We are disappointed that a true intellectual property waiver … could not be agreed upon, even during a pandemic that has claimed more than 15 million people’s lives.” This divide is not exclusive to the high-profile case of COVID-19 vaccines. Courtrooms across the world have ruled on IP disputes ranging from billion-dollar drugs to basic food staples such as basmati rice. In theory, the intellectual property (IP) system protects investors and innovators, creating a way to govern the intangible proprietary concepts of ingenuity and information – just as property laws govern tangible possessions such as land and buildings. Those who innovate and create under IP protections retain a degree of exclusivity over the end product, be that a seed, a pill or a technological development. This encourages experimentation and patience: businesses and researchers are more likely to spend time and money on developments that benefit the community, such as a vaccine or a weather-resistant crop, if they are secure in the knowledge that they will receive ample remuneration in the event of success. It is not just a question of profit. The outlay required to fund research and development often runs into the millions, and it makes little commercial sense for businesses to sink money into ventures if the potential to earn that money back (plus a profit) is kneecapped by a lack of proprietary protection. But what some call protection, others call suppression. By design, IP limits competition. Left unchecked, this would create a moral hazard: a producer with exclusive knowledge of an in-demand product can control the market, cranking up their profit margin and cashing in. When applied to medicines and foods that people rely on, this scenario is of particular concern. A precise mix of policy and intervention is required to preserve the protections needed to foster innovation without pricing people out of essential goods and services. But achieving that precise mix is not easy. IP protections require nuanced governance and careful thought. As we wade through a decade in which food security and global health are top-of-the-agenda issues, it is more important than ever to ascertain who controls the world’s IP. There were around 15.9 million patents in force worldwide in 2020, a 5.9 percent increase from the previous year. Around 22,520 plant-variety IP applications were made in 2020, led by 8960 from China’s relevant office and 3427 from the Community Plant Variety Office of the European Union. Johnson & Johnson is the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world, with a market cap of US$469.31 billion, placing it ahead of US giants Meta Platforms (Facebook) and Visa. Quotes attributable to Joel Lexchin, York University: “The pharmaceuticals industry is taking the lion’s share of the credit for the vaccines while resisting pleas to waive their patents so low- and middle-income countries can manufacture them. Its argument that IP is an incentive for medical innovation ignores the failure of the patent system to enable new treatments for illnesses primarily afflicting poorer parts of the world.” “Multiple alternatives to the patent system have been proposed for developing new drugs, especially for low- and middle-income countries … it’s time to move beyond discussion and start implementing these alternatives in real life.” Quote attributable to Shalini Bhutani, New Delhi: “It is often assumed that the users of IP-protected processes and products are predominantly in resource-poor countries. But the original producers of seeds in the biodiversity-rich Global South are farmers. In other words, the innovators are the farmers themselves.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™. Editors Note: In the story “Who owns IP” sent at: 13/07/2022 11:53. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on July 20, 2022

Wildfires - 360 Stephen J. Pyne, Euston Quah, Lawrence Herzog, Luke Kelly, of Melbourne, Piyush Jain, Jason Sharples Published on February 14, 2022 Planning and mitigations in a bushfire-prone world. By Sara Phillips, 360info “Fire pre-dated humans and will still be here on Earth when we are all long gone,” says Royal Holloway University of London Distinguished Research Professor Andrew C. Scott, author of Fire – A very short introduction. When humans learned to control fire, perhaps 400,000 years ago, it offered warmth, protection from predators and a way to prepare food and tools. Humans entered a period, dubbed the “the pyrocene” by Arizona State researcher Stephen J. Pyne, in which the activity of humans is etched into the geological record in charcoal deposits. Humans came together around fire, allowing language and culture to flourish. The evolution of humanity was catalysed by fire. But as humans moved into larger towns and cities, open fires were replaced by the coal-burning electricity plants powering our heaters. Combustion was still present, but at a remove. Soon the only time that people paid attention to fire was when conflagrations threatened homes. Fire became a terrifying force to be extinguished as soon as possible. But evidence shows that in many cases, smaller scale burning can prevent larger fires, and can be beneficial for some ecosystems. Calling upon knowledge preserved in Indigenous cultures has been a path back to a more balanced relationship with fire. “For humans to cope with fire in the future, we need to heed lessons from more than 400 million years of fire on this planet. We may never ‘tame’ fire, but we may learn to work with and around this essential geographical process,” says Scott. Wildfires cost the US economy US$10.6 billion in 2021, and $17.6 billion in 2020. Globally, smoke from wildfires is responsible for 5 to 8 percent of the 3.3 million premature deaths each year from poor air quality The amount of land burned by wildfires each year appears to be decreasing, however the cost of fire fighting is increasing The weather that fanned the devastating 2019/20 Australian bushfires was made 30% more likely by climate change Quotes attributable to Stephen Pyne, emeritus professor at Arizona State University, USA. “Often thought of as a natural disaster, perhaps fire more emulates COVID-19 than a hurricane. If so, it responds to biological, not just physical, conditions.” “It is as though the world of the ice ages has passed through the looking glass and ice is being replaced with fire.” Quote attributable to Andrew C. Scott, Royal Holloway University of London Distinguished Research Professor “Earth is the only planet known to have fire because Earth is the only planet to possess plants to fuel it. Fire is an expression of life on Earth and an index of life’s history.” (Feature articles available for republishing under CC 4.0) Indigenous lore and the fire knowledge we ignoreChristine Eriksen, ETH Zurich As long as fire strategy prioritises suppression, the valuable knowledge of Indigenous people will continue to be sidelined. Wildfire spreading like the plagueStephen J. Pyne, Arizona State University The way we think of fire informs how we manage it. For a long time we considered it physics, but perhaps fire is a biological phenomenon, like a virus. How victims can pay polluters for a win-win resultEuston Quah, Nanyang Technical University With smoke haze posing a significant pollution issue in Southeast Asia, a victim-pays approach could result in cleaner air for all. Are our homes burning the forest? Lawrence Herzog, University of California, San Diego With urban development where wildfires have raged, conflict seems inevitable. Is there a better way? Protecting threatened species in a new era of fire Luke Kelly, University of Melbourne, Australia, Tim Curran, Lincoln University, New Zealand, Sophie Wilkinson, McMaster University, Canada Some plants and animals love fire. Others do not. Innovative science will help figure out which areas to burn, which to hose and how to create resilient ecosystems. Answers to fire management in the machinePiyush Jain, Canadian Forest Service and University of Alberta Big data and clever algorithms can offer new solutions for the management of wildfires. Climate change’s dangerous new fires Jason Sharples, University of New South Wales Climate change is creating a new kind of dangerous wildfire. It will take all our tools to keep communities safe. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 14, 2022

Special Report: Women and COVID - 360 Reece Hooker Published on December 7, 2021 The pandemic has exacerbated the challenges that women across the world face. The disruptions to free movement, labour market and healthcare have disproportionately impacted women: they have lost their jobs at a higher rate, and those who remain in work are generally working in poorer conditions for less pay than their male counterparts. The pandemic has also significantly impacted the home lives of many women. Despite fathers taking on more childcare duties, women continue to shoulder a vast proportion of caring duties — which has intensified with pandemic-related school shutdowns. With many countries implementing stay at home orders, this has limited access to support networks. Domestic violence remains a global crisis: one in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence, mostly from an intimate partner. Since the start of the pandemic, calls to domestic violence helplines have increased in many countries. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has declared the escalation in global domestic violence a “shadow pandemic”. But the story of women during the pandemic is not only about challenges. Women on the frontline have been instrumental in fighting COVID-19, whilst nations led by women have generally performed best coming out of the pandemic. As the world rebuilds from two years ravaged by COVID-19, policymakers must consider the specific scale of disadvantages still faced by women across all facets of society. More than 64 million women lost their jobs in 2020 alone — equating to a five percent reduction of women in the workforce, compared to 3.9 percent for men. Women comprise 70 percent of global healthcare workers, putting them on the frontlines in the pandemic. 45 percent of women surveyed by UN Women said they or a woman they know has experienced a form of violence since the start of the pandemic. Quote attributable to Andrea Hjálmsdóttir, assistant professor at the University of Akureyri: “COVID has revealed even more than before that time and social roles are socially constructed. But now, we have the perfect opportunity to recreate that order.” Quote attributable to Lindsey Leininger, public health scientist, Tuck School of Business: “The key to crisis communication is saying what you know, saying what you don’t know, saying what you’re doing about it. And I think that helps people cope with the uncertainty, but it also, it’s a deep psychological need that needs to be attended to.” Feature articles available for publishing under Creative Commons 4.0. Women and men in charge differed in their pandemic message By Supriya Garikipati (University of Liverpool), Uma Kambhampati (University of Reading), Abhilash Kondraganti (University of Liverpool) When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold at the start of 2020, citizens the world over looked to their leaders. And depending if they were male or female, the message was different. Science has a data problem and it continues to harm women By Lavanya Vijayasingham, United Nations University International Institute for Global Health From the recruitment phase, to measuring vaccine outcomes, sex and gender have not been priority issues, data on men and women clumped together, often impossible to untangle. Icelandic equality went missing in pandemic By Andrea Hjálmsdóttir, University of Akureyri, and Valgerður S. Bjarnadóttir, University of Iceland Iceland has been described as a ‘paradise for women’, but even its women were unable to avoid the gendered division of labour brought on by COVID restrictions. By Lindsey Leininger, Tuck School of Business Dear Pandemic is a science communications success story. Founder Lindsey Leininger explains why their platform works, and how to talk to the vaccine hesitant. Battling menstrual taboos in a pandemic By Heli Askola and Megan Adams, Monash University Pandemic-related disruptions across Asia-Pacific had devastating consequences for people who menstruate, intensifying the long-standing issue of period poverty — the inability to access necessary sanitary products such as pads and tampons. Editors Note: In the story “Woman and COVID” sent at: 29/11/2021 12:36. This is a corrected repeat.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on December 7, 2021

Year of the Pivot - 360 Brendan F.D. Barrett, Jonathan Grant, of Cambridge; John Keane, of Sydney; Christo Karuna and Michael Mintrom, Francisca Mutapi, of Edinburgh; Peter Newman and Dean Economou, Emma Shortis Published on February 10, 2022 By Reece Hooker, 360info As we close the door on a second year ravaged by the pandemic, attention turns to what 2022 will bring. The consensus is the world will learn to live with coronavirus. Despite the threat of new variants, vaccine inequality and even the most vaccinated nations battling a vocal minority of “anti-vaxxers”, it appears lockdowns and wide-ranging restrictions on movement will be left behind. Climate will continue to dominate the global agenda. 2021 may be ending with a renewed sense of optimism following the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), but the pledges made in Glasgow will not solve climate change. In 2022, world leaders will be tasked with making more ambitious plans to curb the threat of environmental catastrophe. As the world emerges from pandemic-enforced paralysis, opportunities to pivot to better, new ways of organising our society are emerging. Universities can embrace new models of thinking. The push to make cities more ethical and fair could gather further momentum, as communities reflect on how they wish to organise after two disrupted years. Travel will evolve to reflect this adjustment. As motorists get back on the road and international travel resumes, people and businesses alike will consider the environmental toll of their movements. The electric vehicle boom may pick up speed if the cost of going green begins to drop in the coming year. These challenges will play out in the shadow of a global international relations struggle between powerhouse democracies and rising autocracies. 2021 has concluded with the White House’s ‘Summit for Democracy’, but 2022 may see emergent autocraticies assert themselves further in the world order. Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to rise by 4.7 percent in 2022, according to investment bank Morgan Stanley. The World Health Organisation has set a June 2022 target for the world to reach a full COVID-19 vaccination rate of 70 percent. It is presently at 42.7 percent. 2022 is projected to be the final year that developed nations fall short of their pledge to provide US$100 billion in climate finance to developing nations for climate action. (Quotes attributable to Prof. Brendan F.D. Barrett, Professor in the Centre for the Study of Co*Design, Osaka University) “Increasingly, there are people reaching out across political divides and recognising that we share the same problems. Even if we have slightly different values, we can work together to come up with solutions to take us forward.” “People missed the community a lot during COVID-19 — coming out of the pandemic, there’ll be a lot of people reaching out, searching for community.” “We’ve seen governments try to mobilise on a large scale, which gets pushback, but the balance we’re looking for is not the government controlling everything, but devolving and decentralising this kind of power so people have more control over it.” (Quotes attributable to Dr Emma Shortis, Research Fellow at the European Union Centre of Excellence in the Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University) “Nothing is inevitable, climate change is not inevitable — the immediate signs are that it will get worse before it gets better, but there’s always room for dramatic developments.” “Climate action is not just about feel-good individual stories like more people getting solar power for their own homes. That’s important, but our focus should be on communities acting together — with business, with civil society organisations, with educational institutions and with local governments.” “There’s a real threat that the cascading effects of climate change will feed into increasing authoritarianism around issues such as national borders, as refugee flow increases. The room for authoritarian politics to move in and spread is getting bigger.” Managing COVID in 2022: first do no harm By Francisca Mutapi, University of Edinburgh After two years of living through a pandemic, the consensus is we must learn to live with the coronavirus. Finding the best way to do that will be crucial. 2021 was a critical year for climate. 2022 will be even biggerBy Emma Shortis, RMIT University Even if the promises made at COP26 were implemented, it won’t be enough to stop catastrophic warming. 2022 is a chance to take climate action a step further. Despotic regimes a new global competitor to be reckoned with By John Keane, University of Sydney Apologists for autocracies are upbeat, as powerful democracies worldwide are warped and weighed down. The new despotisms should wake up democrats everywhere. Ethical cities could fix post-COVID-19 strugglesBy Brendan F.D. Barrett, Osaka University The post-pandemic recovery represents a unique opportunity for our cities to emerge more ethical, equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient. The post-pandemic future of higher educationBy Jonathan Grant, affiliated researcher at the Bennett Institute at the University of Cambridge Emerging from crisis, the new power, post-pandemic university can make a lasting contribution to a just, sustainable and connected world. How are we going to get around in a decarbonised world? By Peter Newman and Dean Economou, Curtin University The path towards decarbonising transport has become clear over time — and it seems like consumers are interested in making it happen. Business stares down big challenges in 2022 By Christo Karuna and Michael Mintrom, Monash University After two years of pandemic-related disruption, businesses will need to address ongoing challenges to operations and culture.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on February 10, 2022

Your right to information - 360 Published on October 3, 2022 360info explores the benefits and pitfalls of AI in obtaining crucial government and public information and how to better protect your privacy and safety. Access to information is critical for enabling citizens to exercise their rights, effectively monitor and hold the government to account, and empower them to make informed decisions about issues affecting their lives. But while 91 percent of the world’s population live in a country with a right to information law, having such rights in place doesn’t always make for a fair or transparent system. A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Guardian in Australia revealed a clear abuse of power after documents showed former Prime Minister Scott Morrison organising a secretive cabinet committee, appointing himself to administer several government departments. However, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet decided to release only six meeting minutes and denied access to the remaining 733 documents, “citing confidentiality, harm to commonwealth-state relations, and adverse effects on an agency’s operation”. Through FOI requests, openDemocracy, an independent international media platform, managed to uncover a controversial takeover of British Premier League football team Newcastle United involving a former UK minister and unlawful employment practices within the UK’s Ministry of Defence. Meanwhile, widespread protests in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini have prompted the US government to allow technology firms usually restricted by sanctions to help Iranians access information online amid internet shutdowns. Iran has a Publication and Free Access to Information Act adopted in 2009 giving citizens the right to request information from public institutions under limited circumstances. For this year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), UNESCO is aiming to highlight the opportunities of digital governance and AI in developing resilient societies and report on the global state of public access to information. In a statement, the UNESCO’s director-general, Audrey Azoulay explained that the organisation is striving to protect and promote access to information as a fundamental human right, an essential step toward meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “In Africa, only 14 percent of households have internet access, compared to 57.4 percent globally.  Not only is it important to accelerate and enhance efforts towards affordable, open, secure, and high-quality Internet connectivity, but we must also work to ensure that all individuals are able to seek, receive and relay information. This means offering content that is diverse and available in multiple languages,” “Therefore, we are urging countries around the world to embrace information as a global public good,” Azoulay said. Researchers are exploring ways to future-proof the platforms, including having an accessible and sustainable open data ecosystem and strengthening freedom of information laws and policies. Citizens and journalists should also be equipped with knowledge of their rights to access information without repercussions. Quote attributable to Howard Lee, Murdoch University, Australia “A monopoly on information is detrimental to the national interest and contradicts the Government’s belief that knowledge is critical to Singapore’s survival. In the longer term, it erodes trust in the Government. Yet the Government’s persistence in painting FOI into the corner of ‘bad policy ideas’ does little to encourage citizens to play a more active civic role.” Quote attributable to Ashraf Shaharudin, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Netherlands “Without legislative preparedness, Malaysia’s digital ambitions are mere buzzwords. In an increasingly digitalised society, digital threats such as loss of privacy and misuse of data are inevitable.” Quote attributable Rashid Mehmood, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia “Deep learning, big data, and other new technologies are set to transform the way governments determine what is in the best interest of their citizens, supercharging the information they need to act intelligently and making policies and actions more transparent, preventing corruption and failure.” Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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2024-05-27T18:22:32.821463

Published on October 3, 2022

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Democracy denied Archives - 360 Thai democracy faces the elephant in the room After the ‘judicial coup’ to oust Pita Limjaroenrat, Thailand’s democratic future straddles the fault lines of its royalist elite and the will of its people. (more…)

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Thai democracy faces the elephant in the room After the ‘judicial coup’ to oust Pita Limjaroenrat, Thailand’s democratic future straddles the fault lines of its royalist elite and the will of its people. (more…)

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