x New Research Explains Why High-End Consumers Adopt Lowbrow, Low-End Tastes By www8.gsb.columbia.edu Published On :: Mon, 10 Feb 2020 17:01:43 +0000 Marketing Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - 12:00 Columbia Business School research explores why elites and luxury brands mix and match upscale and downscale products. Full Article
x Cancer survivors' experiences with financial toxicity By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Wiley) A recent Psycho-Oncology analysis of published studies found that few cancer survivors received financial information support from healthcare facilities during their initial treatment, even though cancer-related financial toxicity has multiple impacts on survivors' health and quality of life. Full Article
x Oncotarget: Loss of p16 and high Ki67 labeling index is associated with poor outcome By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Impact Journals LLC) Oncotarget Volume 11, Issue 12 reported that the p16 tumor suppressor is coded by CDKN2A and plays an important role during carcinogenesis and tumor progression in numerous tumor entities. Full Article
x Cool Met Stuff, composition of air, main gases, climate change, global warming, carbon dioxide concentration, fraction, atmosphere By www.hko.gov.hk Published On :: Do you know which main gases are contained in the composition of air? Under climate change and global warming, carbon dioxide ... Full Article I
x Cool Met Stuff, rainstorms, Hong Kong, summer, loss of property, casualties, reviews, extreme torrential rain By www.hko.gov.hk Published On :: Every summer, rainstorms occur in Hong Kong occasionally, leading to loss of property or even casualties. Full Article I
x Plays exploring human drive and human touch win 2020 Neukom Honors By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Dartmouth College) Expanded Dartmouth awards program gives prizes for 'spec fic' playwriting on what it means to be human in a computerized world. Full Article
x Simulations forecast nationwide increase in human exposure to extreme climate events By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Using ORNL's now-decommissioned Titan supercomputer, a team of researchers estimated the combined consequences of many different extreme climate events at the county level, a unique approach that provided unprecedented regional and national climate projections that identified the areas most likely to face climate-related challenges. Full Article
x Startups Want to Turn Your Tuition into the Next Asset Class. What Could Go Wrong? By www8.gsb.columbia.edu Published On :: Mon, 26 Aug 2019 23:52:32 +0000 Capital Markets and Investments Entrepreneurship Thursday, August 22, 2019 - 19:45 Full Article
x How nonprofits can boost donations using the marketing mix By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (American Marketing Association) Nonprofits may better meet their missions by learning to effectively employ the entirety of the marketing mix to attract individuals to available donation opportunities. Full Article
x Computational techniques explore 'the dark side of amyloid aggregation in the brain' By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Massachusetts Amherst) As physicians and families know too well, though Alzheimer's disease has been intensely studied for decades, too much is still not known about molecular processes in the brain that cause it. Now researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst say new insights from analytic theory and molecular simulation techniques offer a better understanding of amyloid fibril growth and brain pathology. Full Article
x Army project explores ways to encourage protective COVID-19 behaviors By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 00:00:00 EDT (U.S. Army Research Laboratory) A US Army-funded project is identifying how officials at different levels of government can work together to encourage protective behaviors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Full Article
x All disease models are 'wrong,' but scientists are working to fix that By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Colorado at Boulder) What can researchers do when their mathematical models of the spread of infectious diseases don't match real-world data? One research team is working on a solution. Full Article
x Safely relaxing social distancing comes down to numbers By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Queensland University of Technology) Your house number could be the key to the safe relaxation of COVID-19-related restrictions if governments follow a new exit strategy proposal published today in the British Medical Journal. Co-authored by QUT statistician Professor Adrian Barnett, the paper proposes the use of an 'odds-and-evens' approach to allowing people to head back to work and enjoy other activities after weeks of lockdown. Full Article
x Gravitational waves could prove the existence of the quark-gluon plasma By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Goethe University Frankfurt) According to modern particle physics, matter produced when neutron stars merge is so dense that it could exist in a state of dissolved elementary particles. This state of matter, called quark-gluon plasma, might produce a specific signature in gravitational waves. Physicists at Goethe University Frankfurt and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies have now calculated this process using supercomputers. Full Article
x New study examines which galaxies are best for intelligent life By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Arkansas) Giant elliptical galaxies are not as likely as disk-shaped galaxies, such as our own Milky Way, to be cradles of technological civilizations, according to a recent paper by a University of Arkansas astrophysicist. Full Article
x Microorganisms in parched regions extract needed water from colonized rocks By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of California - Irvine) Cyanobacteria living in rocks in Chile's Atacama Desert extract water from the minerals they colonize and, in doing so, change the phase of the material from gypsum to anhydrite. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Johns Hopkins University gained verification of this process through experiments, and the work points to possible strategies for humans to stay hydrated in harsh environments. Full Article
x Exoplanets: How we'll search for signs of life By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Arizona State University) An interdisciplinary team of researchers, led by Arizona State University, has provided a framework called a 'detectability index' to help prioritize exoplanets to study and provide scientists with a tool to select the best targets for observation and maximize the chances of detecting life. Full Article
x Study: could dark matter be hiding in existing data? By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) A new study, led by researchers at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley, suggests new paths for catching the signals of dark matter particles that have their energy absorbed by atomic nuclei. Full Article
x World's X-ray facilities team up to battle COVID-19 By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (DOE/Argonne National Laboratory) A group of the world's best X-ray science facilities has developed a strategy for cooperatively combating COVID-19. Full Article
x Coronavirus drugs: Where are we, and what's next? (video) By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (American Chemical Society) Antiviral drugs could help us fight the new coronavirus, but currently, we don't have a highly potent, effective antiviral that cures COVID-19. Why not? We called a few virologists to find out: https://youtu.be/AIpeZDR9i3E. Full Article
x Fly ash geopolymer concrete: Significantly enhanced resistance to extreme alkali attack By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Johannesburg) Fly ash generated by coal-fired power stations is a global environmental headache, creating groundwater and air pollution from vast landfills and ash dams. The waste product can be repurposed into geopolymer concrete, such as precast heat-cured structural elements for buildings. However, a critical durability problem has been low resistance to extreme alkali attack. UJ researchers found that high temperature heat-treatment at 200 degrees Celsius can halve this harmful mechanism in fly ash geopolymer concretes. Full Article
x Carbon footprint hotspots: Mapping China's export-driven emissions By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Michigan) The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted just how reliant the United States and other countries are on Chinese manufacturing, with widespread shortages of protective medical gear produced there. Full Article
x Examining heart extractions in ancient Mesoamerica By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 23 Apr 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Chicago Press Journals) A recent study confirms that Mesoamerican priests ripped the hearts out of their still-living victims in three different ways. New forensic evidence, historic witness accounts and native representations now show that the most common form of native heart extraction was from beneath the rib cage, second was forceful chest penetration between two ribs and at mid-chest level between the nipples, and thirdly, a mid-chest opening of one single blow, extracting the heart from the front. Full Article
x Examining urban British churchyards By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Bentham Science Publishers) Two authors representing environmental geomorphology and historical archaeology collaborated in an investigation that aimed to examine the material culture still evident in urban burial sites with dated, upstanding headstone memorials. Full Article
x X-ray analysis sheds light on construction and conservation of artefacts from Henry VIII's warship By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Warwick) 21st century X-ray technology has allowed University of Warwick scientists to peer back through time at the production of the armour worn by the crew of Henry VIII's favoured warship, the Mary Rose. Full Article
x African skeletons from early colonial Mexico tell the story of first-generation slaves By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History) Three 16th-century skeletons from a mass burial in Mexico City highlight the role of the transatlantic slave trade in introducing and disseminating new pathogens to the Americas. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico analyzed skeletal features, genetic data and isotopes to explore the life history of three enslaved Africans and explore the wide-ranging impacts of massive forced migration. Full Article
x Demographic expansion of several Amazonian archaeological cultures by computer simulation By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona) Expansions by groups of humans were common during prehistoric times, after the adoption of agriculture. Among other factors, this is due to population growth of farmers which was greater than of that hunter-gatherers. We can find one example of this during the Neolithic period, when farming was introduced to Europe by migrations from the Middle East. Full Article
x Mats made from nanofibers linked to a red wine chemical could help prevent oxidation By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Texas A&M University) Spoiling foods, souring wine and worsening wounds have a common culprit -- a process called oxidation. Although the ill effects of these chemical reactions can be curtailed by antioxidants, creating a sturdy platform capable of providing prolonged antioxidant activity is an ongoing challenge. Full Article
x University of Tennessee extension forester named 2020 Forester of the Year By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture) David Mercker, an Extension forestry specialist with the University of Tennessee Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, has been named 2020 Extension Forester of the Year by the Forest Landowners Association (FLA). FLA is a national organization that promotes and protects the interests of private forest landowners and bestows this award annually as determined by its board of directors. Full Article
x NIST helps expand genome sequencing of marine mammals By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) Researchers will soon have access to the full genomic sequences for 23 marine mammal species preserved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), thanks to an ongoing collaboration between NIST and a scientific consortium called the DNA Zoo. Full Article
x International declaration: Geoscience expertise is crucial for meeting societal challenges By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (European Geosciences Union) A new declaration endorsed by EGU and other international geoscience societies affirms the commitment of the Earth, planetary and space science community to support and promote scientific knowledge and research for the benefit of humanity. Full Article
x FSU researchers study Gulf of Mexico in international collaboration By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Florida State University) Florida State University and partner universities investigated current baseline conditions in the southern Gulf to create a series of maps and guides that detail the distribution of carbon, nitrogen and the carbon-14 isotope. Full Article
x 'No one should feel completely safe': what experts think of California's reopening plan By news.yahoo.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 06:00:24 -0400 As businesses slowly reopen, experts warn that social distancing may need to be dialed back up: ‘It’s not an on-off switch’ * Coronavirus – latest US updates * Coronavirus – latest global updatesSome California businesses on Friday began opening their doors for business – at least partially.As states and counties across the nation contend with pressure to lift the stay-at-home measures that have destroyed local economies, California is taking an especially cautious approach, walking a fine line between political and economic pressure to reopen and the public health imperative to stop the spread of disease.Public health experts told the Guardian that while no US state was equipped with enough coronavirus testing and surveillance to feel fully confident reopening, California’s slow, piecemeal recovery plan – though far from perfect – seemed like the least risky option. The planSeven weeks after the governor, Gavin Newsom, ordered his 40 million constituents to shelter in place and all non-essential businesses to close, California on Friday entered phase two of its grand reopening plan.Some retail stores, including bookshops, florists, music stores, clothing and sporting goods retailers, can reopen if they organize curbside pickup. Some manufacturing and logistics in the retail supply chain can restart as well, as long as they follow safety and hygiene protocols. And local authorities are allowed to ease regulations further than the state guidelines if they meet certain testing and sanitation requirements.Phase three of the plan – potentially months away – could see salons, gyms, movie theaters and in-person church services resume. Phase four would end all restrictions. The timingFriday’s reopenings come as California has avoided the surge of infections states like New York have seen. And although California has seen more than 61,000 cases and 2,500 deaths, its hospitals have not been overwhelmed.Last week, state officials reported the first week-over-week decline in Covid-19 deaths.The new guidelines also follow small but sustained protests across the state to demand a relaxation of regulations to revive the state’s crippled economy, and some rural counties have partially reopened in defiance of the lockdown measures. The caveatsHowever, California still hasn’t seen the two weeks of declining cases that the White House suggested as a criterion for easing restrictions and that several European countries have used as a benchmark.The state also lacks the robust testing and tracking systems that countries such as Germany and South Korea have used.The state has ramped up its ability to administer and process tests, although for now, its rate of 29,414 tests a day is below the figure required by some analyses.Authorities are working to put a robust contact tracing effort in place to make sure those who test positive get the care they need and are able to isolate themselves until they recover. Although some counties and communities have spearheaded community-wide testing and tracing programs, overall, the state isn’t at the point where its system is as widespread or efficient as a country like Germany’s.Experts say California should also have a system in place to make sure vulnerable, unhoused populations have access to shelter and medical care – to prevent infection flare-ups in homeless shelters and encampments. Progress on those measures heavily varies county by county.And ideally, there would be a treatment or a vaccine before reopening, said Dr Richard Jackson, a professor emeritus at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the former head of the California department of public health. While we await a cure, Jackson cautioned, “no one should feel completely safe as we remove restrictions.” The trade-offsCalifornia’s reopening strategy stands in sharp contrast to the approach of states like Georgia, which suddenly allowed gyms, barber shops, hair salons, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys to welcome customers last week.“What certain places have done, where they’ve just thrown open the doors and said, ‘OK, we don’t have to keep our distance any more,’ is a colossal mistake,” Jackson said. Reopening businesses that put lots of people into close contact and speed the spread of disease will reverse the success of shelter-in-place rules, he noted, and overwhelm hospitals as cases surge. “Doing it very cautiously and carefully does make sense at this point in time,” he said.“I get that governors have to balance the public health goals with the economic goals,” said Dr Robert Tsai, surgeon and health policy researcher at Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. “But this stage of the pandemic is really all about trade-offs,” he noted. The weeks aheadIn the coming weeks, state and local leaders will have to watch closely and prepare to dial the distancing back up if the number of cases surges, said Tsai.“Social distancing isn’t an on-off switch. What it needs to be is a dial, which can be turned up or down depending on what the data show on the ground in terms of how the Covid-19 epidemic is progressing.“Reopening is going to be a very complicated process, and it should be complicated,” he added. “Because this is about making sure that people don’t end up in the hospital or dying.”That California’s plan allows for counties to maintain stricter distancing guidelines or ease up measures could be both a strength and a liability.The flexibility has allowed hotspots like the Bay Area and Los Angeles to take a more cautious approach, but it has also already caused confusion. In San Diego, where curbside shopping has already begun, business owners were unsure what, if anything, would change on Friday. In Bakersfield, restaurants allowed patrons to dine in on Monday and Tuesday, in defiance of the state’s guidelines.A hodgepodge reopening could cause surges in cases; Californians who travel between more lax and more strict counties could spread infections. Moreover, a rush to reopen fast in some areas could be counterproductive to economic recovery, said Alessandro Rebucci, an economist at the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business.“If you reopen when the pandemic is still out there, people and businesses will not just go back to normal,” Rebucci noted. Based on research from China, it seems clear that fear of contracting the illness will keep businesses owners and patrons home until they feel it’s safe enough, he said. Full Article
x AGS honors expert and emerging geriatrics leaders of 2020 By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (American Geriatrics Society) The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) annually honors researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, person-centered care for older people. This year's award recipients include more than 20 leaders representing the breadth of disciplines championing care for us all as we age. Full Article
x UCSF expert to offer 'confessions of unfocused researcher' on road to better care By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (American Geriatrics Society) The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that Alexander K. Smith, MD, MPH, an associate professor of medicine at UCSF and one of geriatrics' most influential rising researchers and advocates, will be honored with the 2020/2021 Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation. Full Article
x Geriatrics experts award high honor to visionary organization: West Health By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (American Geriatrics Society) For only the second time in its near 80-year history, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) will award one of its highest honors typically reserved for individuals to West Health, a family of nonprofit organizations dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable older adults to successfully age in place. Full Article
x Technologies to extract, purify critical rare earth metals could be a 'game changer' By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (Purdue University) New environmentally friendly technologies promise to be 'game changers' in the rare earth metals field and enable the US to create a more stable and reliable domestic source of these essential metals. Purdue University patented extraction and purifying processes using ligand-assisted chromatography are shown to remove and purify such metals from coal ash, recycled magnets and raw ore safely, efficiently and with virtually no detrimental environmental impact. Full Article
x Light, sound, action: Extending the life of acoustic waves on microchips By www.eurekalert.org Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 EDT (University of Sydney) Data centres and digital information processors are reaching their capacity limits and producing heat. Foundational work here on optical-acoustic microchips opens door to low-heat, low-energy, fast internet. Full Article
x Carbohydrate Content in the GDM Diet: Two Views: View 1: Nutrition Therapy in Gestational Diabetes: The Case for Complex Carbohydrates By spectrum.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2016-05-01 Teri L. HernandezMay 1, 2016; 29:82-88From Research to Practice Full Article
x Going Mobile With Diabetes Support: A Randomized Study of a Text Message-Based Personalized Behavioral Intervention for Type 2 Diabetes Self-Care By spectrum.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2015-05-01 Korey CapozzaMay 1, 2015; 28:83-91Feature Articles Full Article
x Educator Experience with the U.S. Diabetes Conversation Map(R) Education Program in the Journey for Control of Diabetes: The IDEA Study By spectrum.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2010-07-01 Omar D. FernandesJul 1, 2010; 23:194-198Care Innovations Full Article
x Violence is not the answer - Dexta Daps’ new single spurs conversation on domestic abuse By jamaica-star.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 05:01:37 -0500 Hours after he was released from police lock-up last week, dancehall artiste Dexta Daps dropped some new music on his eager fans. The track, Breaking News, explores an all-too-familiar domestic violence storyline, but incorporates a controversial... Full Article
x Gospel Spotlight: Gospel Song winner explores ‘Excess Love’ By jamaica-star.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 05:01:44 -0500 E xcess Love, a song by Nigerian gospel artiste Mercy Chinwo, has found favour with both Christians and non-Christians alike and has been flooding the airwaves since last year. Joanna Walker, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC)... Full Article
x Dancers' Paradise: Devon Unruly working hard to expand dance group By jamaica-star.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 05:01:38 -0500 He's celebrating 10 years of dancing both competitively and in the street, and the co-founder of Unruly Skankaz, Devon Brown, says he is looking to expand the brand. The once three-member male dance group has grown to five, he told THE WEEKEND... Full Article
x Diabetics, asthma sufferers urged to take extra COVID caution By jamaica-star.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 05:01:36 -0500 Persons with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and conditions such as high blood pressure and asthma are being urged to be particularly careful as those comorbidities have been identified in persons with COVID-19 in Jamaica requiring hospital care... Full Article
x Chic on Sticks going the extra mile for persons with disabilities By jamaica-star.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 05:01:59 -0500 Her voice cracked as she related the story of a man with disabilities who lost his wife and whose child has had to drop out of school because he has no money. All he has is Bridgette Johnson, a fellow disabled person who has dedicated her life... Full Article
x What Next After the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica Revelations? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 23 May 2018 11:00:00 +0000 Research Event 2 July 2018 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm Chatham House, London Event participants Silkie Carlo, Director, Big Brother WatchProfessor David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, University of California, Irvine, School of Law Professor Lorna McGregor, Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the ESRC, Human Rights, Big Data and Technology ProjectJames Williams, Oxford Internet InstituteChair: Harriet Moynihan, Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatham House Please note this event was originally scheduled on 13 June 2018 and has been postponed to 2 July 2018.Technology companies, social media platforms and other internet intermediaries dominate the digital age, and harnessing data in algorithmic and artificial intelligence systems is widespread, from political campaigns to judicial sentencing.The recent Facebook and Cambridge Analytica revelations provide a sharp illustration of the risks to human rights and democracy posed by data-mining and "platform capital".These revelations have focused public and policy debate on two key issues. First, they raise questions of how accountability and remedies can be effectively achieved, particularly where companies close in the wake of such revelations. Second, key questions arise on what regulation should look like.Facebook has pledged to respect privacy of its users better, but how effective is self-regulation? There has been heavy emphasis on the role that the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can play to improve the protection of privacy and data protection, but will it be enough? What are the implications for international law - how can the established standards in human rights and data protection respond to these challenges?This event, co-hosted with the ESRC, Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project, will be followed by a drinks reception.Read the meeting summary on the Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project website. Department/project International Law Programme, International Law Discussion Group Full Article
x Geneva Launch: Protecting Civilians — When is ‘Incidental Harm’ Excessive? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 02 Oct 2018 13:45:01 +0000 Research Event 14 December 2018 - 10:00am to 11:30am Graduate Institute | Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2 | 1202 Geneva | Switzerland Event participants Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatham HouseEzequiel Heffes, Thematic Legal Adviser, Geneva CallSigrid Redse Johansen, Judge Advocate General, The Norwegian Armed ForcesChair: Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Distinguished Fellow, Chatham HouseFurther speakers to be announced. PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS BEING HELD IN GENEVA.There have been large numbers of civilian deaths in the armed conflicts in Yemen and Syria. Is international humanitarian law being ignored? This meeting coincides with the launch of a Chatham House research paper on the incidental harm side of the proportionality assessment which belligerents are legally required to make. The panel at the meeting will consider the types of harm that fall within the scope of proportionality assessments, what constitutes ‘excessive’ harm and measures that belligerents can take to give effect to the rule on proportionality.This event will be followed by a reception. Department/project International Law Programme Chanu Peiris Programme Manager, International Law +44 (0)20 7314 3686 Email Full Article
x China Expands Its Global Governance Ambitions in the Arctic By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 15 Oct 2018 09:32:49 +0000 15 October 2018 Harriet Moynihan Senior Research Fellow, International Law Programme @HarrietMoyniha9 Beijing wants to present itself as a responsible power with a role to play in Arctic governance, as part of a broader ambition to become a shaper of global rules and institutions. 2018-10-15-Xuelong.jpg The Xuelong 2 icebreaker is christened in Shanghai on 10 September. Photo via Getty Images. As polar ice melts, the Arctic will become increasingly important for its untapped oil, gas and minerals as they become more accessible, as well for its shipping routes, which will become increasingly cost efficient for cargo as parts of the routes become ice-free for extended periods. A number of countries, including Russia and China, are also exploring the possibilities around overflights, commercial fishing, the laying of submarine cables and pipelines, and scientific research.Earlier this month, China announced the launch of its first domestically built conventionally-powered polar icebreaker, Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2. Like its (foreign-built) predecessor,Snow Dragon, this vessel’s purpose is framed as scientific research into polar ice coverage, environmental conditions, and biological resources. It has not gone unnoticed, though, that China’s new icebreakers are also useful in testing the feasibility of moving cargo across the Arctic. China’s plans for a Polar Silk Road, as part of its ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, include developing Arctic shipping routes. China recently invested in Russia’s Yamal liquefied natural gas project in the northern port of Sabetta and signed a framework agreement for Chinese and Russian banks to co-finance up to 70 joint projects in the Arctic region.But China’s interest in the Arctic extends beyond the purely economic: it is also pressing for a greater role in its governance. Compared to the Antarctic – where governance is heavily institutionalized, governance of the Arctic is much less developed, largely due to their distinctly different natures. The Antarctic, which is predominantly landmass, is governed by a treaty with 53 states parties, freezing territorial claims and preserving this region for peaceful scientific purposes. By contrast, the Arctic Council was only established in 1996 and comprises the eight Arctic states that claim sovereignty over the landmass in the Arctic Circle, a region which consists largely of frozen ocean and which hosts indigenous populations. The legal framework is a patchwork affair, drawn from various treaties of global application (including the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea), the Svalbard Treaty(recognizing Norway’s sovereignty over the eponymous Arctic archipelago), as well as customary international law and general principles of law. So far, the Arctic Council has been the forum for the conclusion of only three legally binding agreements.China sees a gap for new ideas, rules and participants in this space. A white paper released by the government in January contains sophisticated and detailed analysis of the international legal framework applicable to the Arctic and demonstrates China’s increasing knowledge and capability in this area, as reflected in the growing number of Chinese international lawyers specializing in Arctic matters. The white paper seeks to justify China’s involvement in Arctic affairs as a ‘near Arctic state’, noting that the Arctic’s climate, environment and ecology are of concern for all states. The white paper uses familiar phrases from China’s vision for its foreign policy – such as the ‘shared future of mankind’ and ‘mutual benefit’ – to argue for a pluralist (i.e. global, regional and bilateral) approach to Arctic governance. China is sensitive to the risks of overreaching when it comes to states with territorial claims in the Arctic, especially as resource competition hots up. The white paper positions China as a responsible and peaceful power, whose participation in Arctic affairs is based on ‘respect, cooperation, win-win result and sustainability’.China was admitted as an observer to the Arctic Council in 2013, along with four other Asian states (including Japan, which is taking an equally keen interest in opportunities for Arctic rule-making) and Italy. As an observer state, China has very limited rights in the council, but has been creatively using other routes to influence Arctic governance, including active engagement within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Seabed Commission. China participated in the formation of the IMO’s Polar Code of January 2017, which sets out rules for ships operating in polar waters. China was also one of ten states involved in the recent adoption of the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean, which took place outside the umbrella of the Arctic Council. At a recent roundtable in Beijing co-hosted by Chatham House, Chinese experts noted China’s aspirations to develop the international rule of law in the Arctic through playing an active role in developing new rules in areas currently under (or un-) regulated, for example, through a treaty to strengthen environmental protection in the region. It was also suggested that China may also seek to clarify the meaning of existing rules through its own practice. China also has ambitions to contribute to the research of the Arctic Council’s Working Groups, which develop proposals for Arctic Council projects and rules. It remains to be seen to what extent Arctic states, protective of theirown national interests in an increasingly fertile area, will cede space for China to participate.China’s push to be a rule shaper in the Arctic fits into a wider pattern of China seeking a more influential role in matters of global governance. This trend is particularly apparent in areas where the rules are still emerging and thus where China feels more confident than in areas traditionally dominated by Western powers.A similar assertiveness by China is increasingly visible in other emerging areas of international law, such as the international legal framework applicable to cyber operations and international dispute settlement mechanisms relating to trade and investment.China’s approach to Arctic governance offers an interesting litmus test as to how far China intends to deploy international law to assert itself on governance issues with significant global economic, environmental, and security implications – along with the degree to which it will be perceived as acting in the common interest in doing so. Full Article
x Exploring Public International Law and the Rights of Individuals with Chinese Scholars - Part One By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 29 Oct 2018 16:37:47 +0000 17 April 2014 As part of a roundtable series, Chatham House and China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) jointly organized this four-day meeting at Chatham House for international lawyers to discuss a wide range of issues related to public international law and the rights of individuals. Download PDF Sonya Sceats Associate Fellow, International Law Programme @SonyaSceats 20140624ChinaHumanRights.jpg The Representative of China at the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council, Palais des Nations, Geneva. 27 February 2012. Photo: UN Photo Geneva/Violaine Martin. The specific objectives were to:create a platform for Chinese international law academics working on international human rights law issues to present their thinking and exchange ideas with counterparts from outside China;build stronger understanding within the wider international law community of intellectual debates taking place in China about the international human rights system and China's role within it;support networking between Chinese and non-Chinese academics working on international human rights and related areas of international law.The roundtable forms part of a wider Chatham House project exploring China's impact on the international human rights system and was inspired by early discussions with a burgeoning community of Chinese academics thinking, writing (mainly in Chinese) and teaching about international human rights law.For China University of Political Science and Law, one of the largest and most prestigious law schools in China and perhaps the only university in the world with an entire faculty of international law, the initiative is part of a drive to forge partnerships beyond China in the international law field.The roundtable had a total of 22 participants, 10 Chinese (from universities and other academic institutions in Beijing and Shanghai) and 12 non-Chinese (from Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States).All discussions were held in English under the Chatham House Rule. Department/project International Law Programme, China and the Future of the International Legal Order Full Article