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Australian territory resumes jailing 10-year-olds
Catagory:News
Author:
Posted Date:10/17/2024
Posted By:utopia online

Children as young as 10 can soon be jailed once again in Australia's Northern Territory (NT), after the government there lowered the age of criminal responsibility. Australian states and territories have been under pressure to raise it, from 10 to 14, in line with other developed countries and UN advice. Last year the NT became the first jurisdiction to lift the threshold to 12 years old, but the new Country Liberal Party (CLP) government elected in August has said a reversal is necessary to reduce youth crime rates. It has argued that returning the age to 10 will ultimately protect children - despite doctors, human rights organisations and Indigenous groups disputing that logic. They cite evidence that the laws will not reduce crime and will disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The NT already jails children at a rate 11 times higher than any other jurisdiction in the country, and almost all of them are Aboriginal. Many places across Australia have declared they are in the grips of a youth crime crisis, and a string of violent incidents this year have prompted a series of youth curfews in the NT city of Alice Springs. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government had been given a mandate after their landslide election victory, and that the change would allow courts to put young offenders through programmes designed to address the root causes of their crimes - which, according to statistics, are most commonly break-in and assault offences. "We have this obligation to the child who has been let down in a number of ways, over a long period of time," she told the parliament on Thursday. "And we have [an obligation to] the people who just want to be safe, people who don't want to live in fear anymore." The NT government has also tightened bail rules, and introduced penalties for "posting and boasting" about crime on social media. "We make no apologies for delivering on our commitments to reduce crime for all Territorians," Finocchiaro added. However, research both globally and in Australia has shown that incarcerating children makes them more likely to reoffend and often has dire impacts on their health, education, and employment. Earlier this year a report by the Australian Human Rights Commission - an independent federal agency - found policy across the nation was being driven “by populist ‘tough on crime’ rhetoric” and that governments should instead reinvest the money spent on jailing children into support services. Opposition Leader Selena Uibo - the first and only Aboriginal woman to head a major party in Australia - said it was a "dark day" for the territory. "We know - because all of the evidence tells us this - that the earlier a child comes into contact with the criminal justice system, the more prolonged their involvement is likely to be," she said. "We want to see children held accountable for bad behaviour but then supported to get on a better path." The change will come into effect at a later date that is yet to be confirmed.As the NT parliament debated the bill this week, around 100 people gathered outside to protest, some carrying placards. One read, "10-year-olds still have baby teeth". Another said, "What if it was your child?". Independent MP Yingiya Guyula, a Yolŋu man from northeastern Arnhem Land, told the BBC it was a “racist” bill. "It's [targeted] at Indigenous people." "It is just colonisation - somebody else is making decisions for us in the community when they should be listening to our people." The NT's children's commissioner Shahleena Musk, a Larrakia woman from Darwin, told the BBC Aboriginal children were less likely to be cautioned, more likely to be charged and pursued through the courts, and more likely to be remanded in custody than non-Aboriginal offenders. “I accept that people are fearful in our communities, and crime has been quite prominent in the media and social media,” she said. “[But] we shouldn't be seeing these kids going into a youth justice system which is harmful, ineffective, and only compounds the very issues we're trying to change.” Defending the bill, CLP politician and former youth worker Clinton Howe told the parliament the prospect of jail was the only punishment youth offenders cared about. “I believe government is a blunt instrument, and I don’t like it as a tool for social intervention, but for some of these children, it is the only thing left. "We must intervene early for the sake of the child... in the environment they live in, no-one else cares." Critics of the bill fear the laws could arrest momentum for raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility in other states and territories. Only the Australian Capital Territory has raised the age of criminal responsibility above 10, but Victoria has passed legislation to do so, which will come into effect next year. The Tasmanian government has said it will raise the age to 14 by 2029.


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China economy slowdown deepens, official figures show
Catagory:News
Author:
Posted Date:10/17/2024
Posted By:utopia online

China's economy expanded in the third quarter at the slowest pace since early last year, as the country struggles to boost flagging growth. On an annual basis, gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 4.6% in the three months to the end of September, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. That is less than the previous quarter and below the government's "around 5%" target for this year. But it was slightly better than analysts expected, while other official figures released on Friday, including retail sales and factory output, also beat forecasts. In recent weeks, Beijing has announced a number of measures aimed at supporting growth. This is the second quarter in a row that China's official measure of economic growth has fallen below the 5% target, which will add to government concerns. "The government’s growth target for this year now appears in serious jeopardy," the former head of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) China division, Eswar Prasad told BBC News. "It will take a substantial stimulus-fuelled boost to growth in the fourth quarter to hit the target." But Moody's Analytics' economist, Harry Murphy Cruise, was more optimistic. The stimulus measures are "likely to propel the economy to its around 5% target for the year", he said. "But more is required if officials are to address the structural challenges in the economy." Official figures also showed new home prices fell in September at the fastest pace in almost a decade, indicating that the downturn in the property sector is worsening."The property market unsurprisingly remains the biggest drag on China's growth," said Lynn Song, chief economist for greater China at banking giant ING. "New investment is unlikely to see a substantive recovery until prices stabilise and housing inventories decline... until then property will remain a notable headwind to growth." Earlier on Friday, China's central bank said it had held a meeting to call on banks and other financial institutions to boost lending to help support growth. Last month, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) announced the country's biggest stimulus package since the pandemic, including large cuts to interest and mortgage rates. The plans also included help for the flagging stock market and measures to encourage banks to lend more to businesses and individuals. Since then, the Ministry of Finance and other government bodies have unveiled further plans aimed at boosting economic growth. The world's second largest economy has been hit by a number of challenges, including a property crisis, as well as weak consumer and business confidence.


Type:Social
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Senate Republican leader privately trashed Trump, new book reveals
Catagory:News
Author:
Posted Date:10/17/2024
Posted By:utopia online

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell privately criticised Donald Trump as "stupid", "ill-tempered", and "a despicable human being" after the 2020 election, according to excerpts from a new McConnell biography reported by the Associated Press (AP). The Price of Power by Michael Tackett, deputy Washington bureau chief of AP, is set to be released later this month and draws on personal oral histories made available to him by McConnell. Despite the reported remarks, the Kentucky lawmaker, 82, has endorsed Trump for re-election. There is no love lost between the two, who shared an uneasy relationship when the latter was in office. McConnell harshly criticised Trump's denial of the 2020 election results and they did not speak after the US Capitol riot in January 2021. Trump went on to repeatedly savage McConnell online and his Taiwanese-born wife, Elaine Chao, who accused Trump of directing racist taunts at her. But they appeared to mend ties this year, with McConnell - who is stepping down from his leadership post next month - saying he would support the Republican nominee. They shook hands in June at a meeting in the US Capitol.


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Bowen: Sinwar's death is serious blow to Hamas, but not the end of the war
Catagory:News
Author:
Posted Date:10/17/2024
Posted By:utopia online

Killing Yahya Sinwar is Israel's biggest victory so far in the war against Hamas in Gaza. His death is a serious blow for Hamas, the organisation he turned into a fighting force that inflicted the biggest defeat on the state of Israel in its history. He was not killed in a planned special forces operation, but in a chance encounter with Israeli forces in Rafah in southern Gaza. A photo taken at the scene shows Sinwar, dressed in combat gear, lying dead in the rubble of a building that was hit by a tank shell. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, praised the soldiers and made clear that however big a victory, it was not the end of the war. "Today we made clear once again what happens to those who harm us. Today we once again showed the world the victory of good over evil. "But the war, my dear ones, is not over yet. It is difficult, and it is costing us dearly." "Great challenges still lie ahead of us. We need endurance, unity, courage, and steadfastness. Together we will fight, and with God's help - together we will win." Netanyahu and the overwhelming proportion of Israelis who support the war in Gaza needed a victory.The prime minister has repeated his war aims many times - destroying Hamas as a military and political force and bringing the hostages home. Neither has been achieved, despite a year of war that has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins. But the remaining hostages are not free and Hamas is fighting and sometimes killing Israeli troops. Killing Sinwar was the victory Israel wanted. But until Netanyahu can claim that the other war aims have been accomplished, the war, as he says, will go on. Yahya Sinwar was born in 1962 in a refugee camp in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. He was five years old when it was captured by Israel from Egypt in the 1967 Middle East war. His family were among more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes by Israeli forces in the 1948 war in which Israel won its independence. His family came from the town now known as Ashkelon, which is close to the northern border of the Gaza Strip. In his 20s, he was convicted by Israel of killing four Palestinian informers. During 22 years in jail he learnt Hebrew, studied his enemy and believed that he worked out how to fight them. His time in jail also meant Israel had his dental records and a sample of his DNA, which meant that they could identify his body. Sinwar was released as one of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners who were swapped in 2011 for a single Israel soldier, Gilad Shalit. On 7 October last year, in a meticulously planned series of attacks, Sinwar and his men inflicted Israel's worst-ever defeat - and a collective trauma that is still deeply felt. The killing of around 1,200 Israelis, the hostage-taking and the celebrations of their enemies recalled for many Israelis the Nazi holocaust. Sinwar's own experience in a prisoner swap must have convinced him of the value and power of taking hostages. In Tel Aviv families of the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza - Israel says half of them might already be dead - gathered in the square in which they have been gathering for a year, urging the Israeli government to launch a new negotiation to get their people home. Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker appealed to the prime minister. "Netanyahu, don't bury the hostages. Go out now to the mediators and to the public and lay out a new Israeli initiative." "For my Matan and the rest of the hostages in the tunnels, time has run out. You have the victory pictures. Now bring a deal!" "If Netanyahu doesn't use this moment and doesn't get up now to lay out a new Israeli initiative - even at the expense of ending the war - it means he has decided to abandon the hostages in an effort to prolong the war and fortify his rulership. "We will not give up until everyone returns."Many Israelis believe that Netanyahu wants to prolong the war in Gaza to put off the day of reckoning for his share of the security failures that allowed Sinwar and his men to break into Israel, and to postpone perhaps indefinitely the resumption of his trial on serious corruption charges. He denies those accusations, insisting that only what he calls 'total victory' in Gaza over Hamas will restore Israeli security. Like other news organisations, Israel does not let the BBC cross into Gaza except on rare, supervised trips with the army. In the ruins of Khan Yunis, the birthplace of Sinwar, Palestinians interviewed for the BBC by local trusted freelancers were defiant. They said the war would go on. "This war is not dependent on Sinwar, Haniyeh, or Mishal, nor on any leader or official," said Dr Ramadan Faris. "It's a war of extermination against the Palestinian people, as we all know and understand. The issue is much bigger than Sinwar or anyone else." Adnan Ashour said some people were saddened, and others were indifferent about Sinwar. "They're not just after us. They want the entire Middle East. They're fighting in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen... This is a war between us and the Jews since 1919, over 100 years." He was asked whether the death of Sinwar would affect Hamas. "I hope not, God willing. Let me explain: Hamas is not just Sinwar... It's the cause of a people." The war goes on in Gaza. Twenty five Palestinians were killed in a raid on northern Gaza. Israel said it hit a Hamas command centre. Doctors at the local hospital said the scores of wounded that they treated were civilians. Parachute drops of aid resumed after the Americans said Israel had to allow in more food and relief supplies. Every leader of Hamas since the 1990s bar one has been killed by Israel, but there's always been a successor. As Israel celebrates killing Sinwar, Hamas still has its hostages and is still fighting.


Type:Social
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2 killed, at least 10 people injured in an explosion near Karachi airport
Catagory:News
Author:
Posted Date:10/10/2024
Posted By:utopia online

Two Chinese nationals have been killed and at least 10 people injured in a suspected suicide attack near Karachi airport in Pakistan, according to a report by BBC. A third body, not yet officially identified, is thought to be that of the attacker, the BBC understands. The Chinese embassy in Pakistan said the explosion on Sunday night was a “terrorist attack” targeting a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a power project in Sindh province. The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has in recent years carried out attacks on Chinese nationals involved in development projects in Pakistan, has said it carried out the attack. In a statement released on Monday, the militant group said it had “targeted a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors” arriving from Karachi airport. A later statement from the group described it as a suicide attack, and named the perpetrator as Shah Fahad, part of a BLA suicide squad called Majeed Brigade. The attack was carried out using a “vehicle-borne improvised explosive device”, Reuters news agency quoted the BLA as saying. The explosion happened around 23:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Sunday. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the attack a “heinous act” and offered his condolences to the Chinese people. “Pakistan stands committed to safeguarding our Chinese friends,” he wrote on X. The country’s foreign ministry said it is “in close contact” with Chinese authorities and will “bring to justice those responsible for this cowardly attack”. “This act of terrorism is an attack not only on Pakistan, but also on the enduring friendship between Pakistan and China,” the ministry said. “This barbaric act will not go unpunished,” it added. The Chinese embassy said that the engineers were part of the Chinese-funded enterprise Port Qasim Power Generation Co Ltd, which aims to build two coal power plants at Port Qasim, near Karachi. Thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan, many of them involved in creating an economic corridor between the two countries as part of Beijing’s multibillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative. The Port Qasim plant is part of the corridor, along with a number of infrastructure and energy projects in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which has a rich supply of natural resources, including gas and minerals. The BLA along with other ethnic Baloch groups has fought a long-running insurgency for a separate homeland. It has regularly targeted Chinese nationals in the region, claiming ethnic Baloch residents were not receiving their share of wealth from foreign investment the province and natural resources extracted there. The Chinese embassy on Monday reminded its citizens and Chinese enterprises in Pakistan to be vigilant and to “do their best to take safety precautions”. The embassy added that it hoped Pakistan would thoroughly investigate the attack and “severely punish the murderer”. The blast was reportedly heard in various areas around the city, with footage from local media showing thick smoke and cars set alight. Pictures online show security officials and firefighters investigating the explosion site, with several vehicles charred by the blast. A police surgeon, Dr Summaiya told Dawn news: “Ten injured persons, including one in critical condition, have been brought the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre [JPMC].” She added the injured included a police constable and a woman. A statement posted on X from Sindh’s Interior Minister’s office said that a “tanker truck” had exploded on Airport Road. Roads leading to Jinnah International Airport were sealed off following the attack, but the airport is functioning as usual on Monday. There has also been heightened security in Pakistan as it prepares to host the leaders’ summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). There have been multiple attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan in recent years. The BLA has claimed responsibility for several of them, including an attack in March on a Pakistani naval airbase near Gwadar port, another main feature of the China-Pakistan economic corridor. In April 2022, the group killed three Chinese tutors and a Pakistani driver in a suicide bombing near Karachi University’s Confucius Institute. In November 2018, gunmen killed at least four people in an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi.


Type:Social
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2 killed, at least 10 people injured in an explosion near Karachi airport
Catagory:News
Author:
Posted Date:10/10/2024
Posted By:utopia online

Two Chinese nationals have been killed and at least 10 people injured in a suspected suicide attack near Karachi airport in Pakistan, according to a report by BBC. A third body, not yet officially identified, is thought to be that of the attacker, the BBC understands. The Chinese embassy in Pakistan said the explosion on Sunday night was a “terrorist attack” targeting a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a power project in Sindh province. The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has in recent years carried out attacks on Chinese nationals involved in development projects in Pakistan, has said it carried out the attack. In a statement released on Monday, the militant group said it had “targeted a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors” arriving from Karachi airport. A later statement from the group described it as a suicide attack, and named the perpetrator as Shah Fahad, part of a BLA suicide squad called Majeed Brigade. The attack was carried out using a “vehicle-borne improvised explosive device”, Reuters news agency quoted the BLA as saying. The explosion happened around 23:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Sunday. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the attack a “heinous act” and offered his condolences to the Chinese people. “Pakistan stands committed to safeguarding our Chinese friends,” he wrote on X. The country’s foreign ministry said it is “in close contact” with Chinese authorities and will “bring to justice those responsible for this cowardly attack”. “This act of terrorism is an attack not only on Pakistan, but also on the enduring friendship between Pakistan and China,” the ministry said. “This barbaric act will not go unpunished,” it added. The Chinese embassy said that the engineers were part of the Chinese-funded enterprise Port Qasim Power Generation Co Ltd, which aims to build two coal power plants at Port Qasim, near Karachi. Thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan, many of them involved in creating an economic corridor between the two countries as part of Beijing’s multibillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative. The Port Qasim plant is part of the corridor, along with a number of infrastructure and energy projects in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which has a rich supply of natural resources, including gas and minerals. The BLA along with other ethnic Baloch groups has fought a long-running insurgency for a separate homeland. It has regularly targeted Chinese nationals in the region, claiming ethnic Baloch residents were not receiving their share of wealth from foreign investment the province and natural resources extracted there. The Chinese embassy on Monday reminded its citizens and Chinese enterprises in Pakistan to be vigilant and to “do their best to take safety precautions”. The embassy added that it hoped Pakistan would thoroughly investigate the attack and “severely punish the murderer”. The blast was reportedly heard in various areas around the city, with footage from local media showing thick smoke and cars set alight. Pictures online show security officials and firefighters investigating the explosion site, with several vehicles charred by the blast. A police surgeon, Dr Summaiya told Dawn news: “Ten injured persons, including one in critical condition, have been brought the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre [JPMC].” She added the injured included a police constable and a woman. A statement posted on X from Sindh’s Interior Minister’s office said that a “tanker truck” had exploded on Airport Road. Roads leading to Jinnah International Airport were sealed off following the attack, but the airport is functioning as usual on Monday. There has also been heightened security in Pakistan as it prepares to host the leaders’ summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). There have been multiple attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan in recent years. The BLA has claimed responsibility for several of them, including an attack in March on a Pakistani naval airbase near Gwadar port, another main feature of the China-Pakistan economic corridor. In April 2022, the group killed three Chinese tutors and a Pakistani driver in a suicide bombing near Karachi University’s Confucius Institute. In November 2018, gunmen killed at least four people in an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi.


Type:Social
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Putin says CIS leaders discussed int’l issues, advocate deepening cooperation
Catagory:News
Author:
Posted Date:10/10/2024
Posted By:utopia online

The CIS leaders have discussed cooperation within the framework of the commonwealth and international issues, and also advocate deepening cooperation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. “We frankly discussed topical issues of cooperation within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States, exchanged views on regional and international issues. Important decisions have been agreed upon that determine the development of the CIS both for the coming year and for the future,” Putin said during his speech at the expanded CIS summit. In addition, Putin noted that the CIS is developing, and all the leaders of the states gathered at the summit are in favor of further deepening cooperation.


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Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to US duo Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun for discovery of microRNA
Catagory:News
Author:
Posted Date:10/10/2024
Posted By:utopia online

The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA, a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated. The Nobel Assembly said that their discovery is “proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.” Ambrose performed the research that led to his prize at Harvard University. He is currently a professor of natural science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Rackham’s research was performed at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School, where he’s a professor of genetics, said Thomas Perlmann, Secretary-General of the Nobel Committee. Last year, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 that were critical in slowing the pandemic, according to reports. The prize carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million) from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. The announcement launched this year’s Nobel prizes award season. Nobel announcements continue with the physics prize on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences on Oct. 14. The laureates are invited to receive their awards at ceremonies on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death.


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