World

As Thailand Gasps Through Another Haze Season, Researchers Hope A Fire-Charting App Can Help

Published

5 months ago

2024-06-19

Samoeng, Thailand — When the hazy season arrives, village chief Nanthawat Tiengtrongsakun and his tribesmen prepare the land for fires.

They chop bushes and trees on their little plots of land, then conduct controlled burns to clear their fields for planting – resulting in smoke clouds contributing to some of the world’s worst air. It’s a pleasant grey haze that reduces the mountains in this region of northern Thailand to a faint outline, makes the air feel solid, and makes breathing and swallowing difficult for some.

The Pakanyo, who have been practicing it for as long as they have lived in these hills around 90 minutes from Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination, claim they are accused by city inhabitants of polluting the air and ruining forest land.

“We are the ethnic group that preserves the forest, but other people have the concern that we are destroying the forest,” stated Tiengtrongsakun. “My argument to them is that we’ve lived here for generations. If we are the ones who caused the devastation, the forest around us must be completely destroyed.”

The Pakanyo is just one example of several reasons demonstrating how deeply fire is embedded in local behaviors and why Thailand’s air pollution problem is so intractable.

During the haze season, which lasts from February to April, Chiang Mai is consistently ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities. In March and April, the levels of fine particulate matter — dust, dirt, soot, and smoke that enter the lungs and even bloodstreams — are almost 20 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit for exposure.

Thailand | AP News Image

As Thailand Gasps Through Another Haze Season, Researchers Hope A Fire-Charting App Can Help

The city is in the vanguard of Thailand’s fight against air pollution, not only because of its deadly air quality index readings but also because it has a strong civil society and a significant local government effort to address the issue. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has reinforced this endeavor, having visited Chiang Mai four times since entering office last summer. He has referred to Chiang Mai as a “model” that other Thai cities should follow, and he promised last autumn to push through clean air legislation to “ensure that access to clean air is a basic human right for all.”

Dirty air has become a topic of public debate in Thailand over the last two decades, yet despite extensive research and activism, the problem persists.

Air pollution in northern Thailand has typically been blamed on farmers who grow maize and sell it to large agro-food corporations such as CP Foods for animal feed. There are alternative ways to deal with stubble, such as biochar, which includes burning in a low-oxygen atmosphere, resulting in lesser particle emissions. However, this needs a large amount of labor in highland locations. Even if most subsistence farmers had the necessary tools, tilling the stubble into the soil would be difficult due to the mountainous terrain.

CP announced in March that it has implemented a traceability system to prevent the purchase of maize grown on deforested or burned land. The same month, Srettha stated that he intends to ban the import of maize cultivated on land cleared by burning.

However, the problem extends beyond northern Thailand. According to researchers, corn planting has transferred primarily to neighboring Myanmar and Laos, where stubble burning is also practiced. Srettha has formed a working group with those countries to reduce the practice and urged Cambodia to join.

Chiang Mai University researchers investigated the origins of the city’s air pollution and found in April in the journal Atmospheric Environment that biomass burning accounted for more than 51% of the haze. According to the report, long-range pollution from other nations, most likely India, accounted for the second-largest percentage, almost 23%.

Fire is an important component of northern Thai culture, with local sayings predicting a period of development and rejuvenation. In everyday life, it is used to clean the forest floor to manage wildfires, to open space for an expensive fungus to develop that will bring in more money, and to remove the ground of loud leaves as part of hunting techniques.

Thailand | AP News Image

As Thailand Gasps Through Another Haze Season, Researchers Hope A Fire-Charting App Can Help

According to Olivier Evrard, a senior researcher at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) headquartered in Thailand, fire is also frequently used as a protest method. A national issue emerged in 2018 when residents found that a judiciary branch had erected a dwelling and residential complex on protected forest property at the base of a sacred mountain outside Chiang Mai. They subsequently left the property due to the outrage, although fires are still set around the spot each year, most likely in protest.

There has been no shortage of policies aiming to control burning. Beginning in 2013, Thailand implemented a national zero-burning directive, with different provinces enforcing a blanket ban on burning at different times.

However, residents responded by burning before and after the zero-burn time, extending the haze season, according to Mary Mostafanezhad, a University of Hawaii professor researching air pollution in Chiang Mai. After determining that the zero-burning policy was ineffective, Chiang Mai province implemented a different policy: fires could be started as long as they were pre-approved.

The fires will be reported through FireD, an app Chiang Mai University professor Chakrit Chotamonsak created. The program utilizes weather and satellite data to anticipate if a fire on a specific day will increase pollution or if conditions will clear the smoke and pollutants.

The researchers estimate that up to half of the fires in the province are not registered, but they still see the app as a significant start. Even the decision to use FireD, a transliteration of “good fire” in Thai, in 2021 was significant, according to Chaya Vaddhanaphuti, an independent researcher who cooperated with the FireD team.

“This changes the perspective that fire was seen as a bad image, as savage,” he added, pointing out that many people in rural northern Thailand rely on fire.

Thailand | AP News Image

As Thailand Gasps Through Another Haze Season, Researchers Hope A Fire-Charting App Can Help

However, the villagers find it weird that they are being asked to fill out papers for permission to do something they already know how to do: set a planned burn in favorable weather to clear a section of land for the future year’s crops.

This year, Tiengtrongsakun, the Pakanyo chief in the village of Ban Mae Lan Kham, completed documentation for 100 households that needed to start a fire to clear fields. Only some people in the area speak Thai or know current government policy.

“If we hand them the document or registration form, they don’t know what to do with it,” he stated. “Often they just throw the papers away.”

According to researchers, officials must evaluate people’s living conditions and the specifics of where land is being burned and why. However, it is tough due to politics and economics. Many people who live in the hills around Chiang Mai belong to tribal tribes that the Thai government does not officially recognise. Others need help with obtaining a solid education and finding work. For now, burning remains the most efficient and cost-effective means for people to accomplish their tasks, whether farming, hunting, or clearing the forest floor.

“If burning is the easiest and most cost-efficient way to grow your crops, or to make a living, until that is not true, it’s going to continue to happen,” stated Mostafanezhad.

SOURCE – (AP)

World

Biden Escalates Ukraine War With Long-Range Missiles

Published

6 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

The Kremlin announced on Monday that President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to hit targets inside Russia with US military long-range missiles is “fuel to the fire” and will exacerbate international tensions.

Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to employ US military long-range missiles to strike deep within Russia has raised concerns about growing tensions, with many fearing that this decision could lead to world conflict.

On Monday, with less than two months remaining in office, President Joe Biden authorized American-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike deep within Russia.

“It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps and they have been talking about this, to continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict,” said Peskov, the spokesman for the president.

Peskov reminded journalists of a September statement by President Vladimir Putin, who stated that enabling Ukraine to target Russia would dramatically raise the stakes.

It would alter “the very nature of the conflict dramatically,” Putin stated. This would mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries would be at war with Russia.”

Peskov asserted that Western countries that deliver longer-range weaponry also provide targeting services to Kyiv. “This fundamentally changes the modality of their involvement in the conflict,” he said.

Ukraine War Escalation

In June, Putin threatened that if NATO permitted Ukraine to utilize the arsenal of its partners to attack Russian territory, Moscow would send longer-range weapons to others to strike Western targets.

“The Westerners supply weapons to Ukraine and say: ‘We do not control anything here anymore and it does not matter how they are used.'” Putin had said. “We can also say, ‘We supplied something to someone — and now we have no control over anything.'” “And let them think about it.”

Putin again emphasized Moscow’s willingness to deploy nuclear weapons if it perceived a threat to its sovereignty.

Biden’s decision will “mean the direct involvement of the United States and its satellites in military action against Russia, as well as a radical change in the essence and nature of the conflict,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated.

The new policy has unpredictable consequences. ATACMS, with a range of roughly 300 kilometers (190 miles), can travel deep behind Ukraine’s 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, although their range is modest compared to other types of ballistic and cruise missiles.

President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has not responded, but he won the election on promises to stop the conflict, and some people close to him have decried the action as a hazardous escalation.

Missile Decision Sparks Anger

The Military Industrial Complex appears to want to start World War III before my father has a chance to restore peace and rescue lives. We need to lock in those $Trillions. Life be damned!! Imbeciles!” Donald Trump Jr., the President-elect’s son, posted on X

“On his way out of office, Joe Biden is dangerously trying to start WWIII by authorizing Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles against Russia,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on X. “The American people gave a mandate on November 5 against these exact American last decisions.”

Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer and author of “Putin’s Playbook,” speculated that the stories were a “trial balloon to disrupt Trump” and that Biden may not have authorized the ATACMS strikes yet.

According to Dani Belo, PhD, Director of Security and International Relations at Global Policy Horizons Research Lab, Ukraine’s ability to currently hit Russian territory has the potential to escalate the war with Russia.

However, Donald Trump’s victory is likely to moderate the escalation.

There is speculation that Donald Trump’s administration would restrict military hardware deliveries to Ukraine, putting political pressure on Kyiv to resolve the crisis. This implies Ukraine has no motivation to escalate now and lose its fighting capability in a matter of months.

Russia sees no reason to escalate the situation at this time. Moscow expects that Trump’s administration will try to finish the war soon, so the Kremlin will likely take a wait-and-see approach until the new presidential administration takes office without significantly escalating the conflict. As a result, any escalation is unlikely.

Source: AP

Trump Shakes Up Pentagon Names Pete Hegseth Defence Secretary

Trump Shakes Up Pentagon Names Pete Hegseth Defence Secretary

World

A Court Filing Reveals Elon Musk Flatly Rejected OpenAI’s ICO in 2018.

Published

1 week ago

2024-11-15

Salman Ahmad

(VOR News) – Elon Musk, the billionaire and CEO of Tesla, claims in a subsequent court filing that was submitted on November 14 that he was successful in stopping OpenAI from doing an initial coin offering (ICO) in 2018.

According to the filing requirements, this information was disclosed.

Musk and his legal team have claimed that two of OpenAI’s founders, Greg Brockman and Sam Altman, tried unsuccessfully to create a token in early 2018 to help the company grow. To the best of our knowledge, this was the founders’ intention.

Elon Musk accurately described the scenario.

Elon Musk made the remark during the pertinent time period, according to the lawsuit’s accusations.

This, in his opinion, would lead to a significant decline in trust in OpenAI and everyone involved in the initial coin offering (ICO). These statements are extracted from his initial declaration.

A unique project backed by Altman, Worldcoin launched a token twenty-three years ago with the goal of creating digital identification for verified individuals.

Furthermore, the company in charge of token distribution was Worldcoin. Through the use of the token, Worldcoin was able to authenticate individual identities.

When OpenAI was first founded, it was a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safe artificial general intelligence (AGI).

In this context, the acronym AGI stands for artificial global intelligence. “Musk has continuously voiced concern about the grave threat that these sophisticated systems pose to humanity,” his attorney wrote in the complaint. These sophisticated technologies represent a serious threat to humankind.

“Musk remains apprehensive regarding this threat.” “Musk regards these threats with the utmost seriousness.” “Elon Musk has harbored these concerns for an extended period.”

This led to Musk joining OpenAI’s board of directors and continuing to serve as co-chair of the board. Furthermore, he was appointed to that board of directors post.

Elon Musk contributed $44 million to the enterprise.

OpenAI declared in a March 5th news release that it was imperative that the company adopt a profit-making structure in order to obtain the necessary funding to achieve its objectives. In order to enable OpenAI to fulfill its objectives, this transition was necessary.

According to both the OpenAI statement and the amended filing, Elon Musk advocated for the combination of OpenAI and Tesla to help the artificial intelligence startup with its financial issues.

The aforementioned measures were implemented to mitigate the challenges that the organization was facing at that specific moment. Musk submitted his resignation as an OpenAI employee in February 2018.

He founded his own artificial intelligence company, which he named XAI, in the ensuing years. His efforts directly led to the achievement he achieved.

We are deeply disappointed that our friendship with someone we have always held in the highest respect has deteriorated.

As we started to make significant strides toward OpenAI’s goal on our own, this person, who had previously motivated us to achieve greater heights, abruptly predicted that we would fail, established a rival company, and filed a lawsuit against us, according to the group’s press release.

In August of this year, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEOs, Altman and Brockman, claiming that they had violated federal RICO statutes, engaged in unfair competition, and committed fraud. OpenAI is the target of legal action taken by Elon Musk.

According to Elon Musk, they have engaged in additional illegal activity. Microsoft was named as one of the defendants in the dispute in the updated complaint, which was submitted on November 14.

It’s being presented as a case at the moment. Microsoft and OpenAI started working together in 2019, and Microsoft committed $1 billion in the partnership.

In July 2023, OpenAI’s native cryptocurrency, Worldcoin (WLD), was made available to the general public. Not too long ago, an article published by The Block disclosed this knowledge. When the market closed on November 15 at 11:36 p.m. Eastern Time (16:36 UTC), the price of a share of WLD was $2.21.

SOURCE: TB

World

Trump Appoints Robert F. Kennedy Jr to Head HHS

Published

1 week ago

2024-11-15

Geoff Brown

Trump Appoints Robert F. Kennedy Jr to Head HHS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

President-elect Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr) to run the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), sending Democrats and Big Pharma allies into a tailspin.

“I am delighted to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and medicine firms, which have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation regarding public health,” Trump stated in his announcement.

“The safety and health of all Americans is the most important role of any administration, and HHS will play an important role in ensuring that everyone is safe from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to this country’s overwhelming health crisis.

Mr. Kennedy will restore these agencies to gold-standard scientific Research and Transparency traditions, stopping the Chronic Disease Epidemic and making America Great and Healthy Again!” Trump added.

Reactions to RFK Jr HHS Appointment

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Medicare, Medicaid, and the National Institutes of Health.

Kennedy is a former environmental justice lawyer who has recently started an anti-vaccine nonprofit. He ran for president as an independent candidate in 2024 but dropped out to join Trump’s closest circle.

House Republicans have reacted to Donald Trump’s nomination of former presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.

Chip Roy, a Texas congressman, calls it “great news”. He tells me, “We need disruption throughout the federal government.” He’ll be fantastic at HHS [the Department of Health and Human Services] to do that.”

Roy adds that he expects Kennedy’s candidacy will clear the Senate.

“There’s been a few Kennedy’s in the Senate in the past so maybe there’ll be some legacy there that they will want to move him through,” he speculates.

South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman concurs with Roy on Kennedy’s confirmation in the Senate: “I believe he was an excellent choice by the president, as have all of them. Kennedy is interested in, and passionate about, the medical industry. He will do a terrific job with it.”

According to Public Citizen, a progressive nonprofit group focused on consumer protection, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “is a clear and present danger to the nation’s health.”

He should not be allowed to enter the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), let alone be appointed director of the nation’s public health agency.”

“Donald Trump’s mishandling of public health policies during the Covid outbreak resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. “By appointing Kennedy as secretary of HHS, Trump is courting another policy-driven public health disaster,” the organization continued.

Apu Akkad, an infectious disease physician at the University of Southern California, described the statement as a “scary day for public health”.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical stocks such as Pfizer and Moderna plummeted following news of Kennedy’s nomination for HHS Secretary, as investors considered his potential impact on vaccine sales.

Novavax and BioNTech finished down more than 7%, with almost all losses occurring when word of the selection broke—Novavax shares fell to $7.22, and BioNTech shares fell to $103.56.

Moderna’s stock closed 5.6% at $39.77, reaching its lowest point of the year.

Sanofi’s stock fell 3.4% to $47.82, continuing a weeks-long share price decline that began after the company’s latest earnings report last month.

Pfizer lost less than its competitors on Thursday, closing down 2.6% at $26.02, despite having its sharpest drop of the day immediately following the RFK Jr. announcement.