Online-offline

Farid Panjwani 

IMAGINE two schools: School Z, with an inclusive and respectful environment where students feel valued and safe; School A, where bullying, harassment and discrimination are rife. Imagine both schools introducing online learning and cyber interactions. Students collaborate on projects, which have potential for multidisciplinary learning. They also have access to each other digitally through their social media. In such a scenario, we should expect the existing offline atmosphere to invade the online sphere. Though School Z may become more productive and friendlier, bullying may increase in School A. Those suffering harassment in classrooms may now face it even at home. The online and offline are entangled.

For many, these new publicly available technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and robotics, have the potential to create a world of equitable opportunities, peace and sustainable growth. This optimism is grounded in technologies’ computational power, ever-expanding data and capacity to self-learn. In education, for instance, these technologies are providing highly personalised and stimulating lessons and assessment to students.

But potential does not always get actualised. Not long ago, there was a zeal for the transformative power of social media to create a more democratic and progressive world. Now these claims are rarely made. Why? The reason, as shown in the thought experiment above, is that technology’s impact depends significantly on the material, social and political conditions of the offline world within which it operates. The psychological manipulations, harassments, surveillance, commercialisation, propaganda, all that was happening in the world became part of social media as well.

What material and political offline conditions can hinder the realisation of the potential of new technologies? Perhaps the most concerning is wealth and income inequities. A recent IMF report calls them the “defining challenge of our time”. In 2022, 1.2 per cent of the richest people controlled 47.8pc of the total global wealth, while the bottom 53pc of the people had access to only 1.1pc of the wealth. The economic inequality translates into social, educational, and political inequity. Consequently, while some children will study with the best personalised learning systems, many will not have access to even basic literacy. Unless efforts are made to reduce this gap in the access to technologies, the dream of equitable opportunities for all is likely to recede further, aggravating disparities and their consequences.

The potential of new technology is not always actualised.

Among the ardent supporters of the new technologies are large commercial companies and state security agencies. Profit and surveillance are their primary motives for propagating AI. Shoshana Zuboff calls the resulting socioeconomic structure “surveillance capitalism”. The profit motive is likely to impel job losses as firms will seek to replace humans with machines as deliberate policy. The surveillance motive will further curtail civil liberties. Finally, the new technologies are equally available to propagate ideologies, spread propaganda and commit cybercrimes.

Given this entanglement of the two worlds, what can be done to realise the positive potential of the new technologies for the majority of humanity? We must see technology as a human artefact that operates within historical and cultural contexts. It shapes and is shaped by a society’s values. Hence, we must make educational, legal, economic, and social efforts to move towards a just and progressive offline world.

Wealth inequity is perhaps the most serious threat to the potential of the new technologies to create equitable societies. It must be addressed. There is still time to develop legislation that protects privacy and civil liberties of individuals. Simi­la­­r­­ly, as the profit motive will incline firms to minimise human labour, we must struggle against every job lost because of this technology — every time the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.

Coming to education, it will be important that in their drive to technology, schools must retain their aim of nurturing a well-rounded student with social skills and emotional depth. As the notions of technology, science and math often go together, it is easy to forget the importance of humanities and the arts. This will be a mistake. Fortunately, it appears that the dangers of uncritical enthusiasm for new technology are being recognised, as shown in a recent Unesco report about banning smartphones in schools. This must continue.

The positive potential of AI is tremendous. We need prudence, moral reasoning, democratic oversight, and concern for the vulnerable to harness it. Without these, the road to hell may get paved with good intentions.

The writer is a faculty member at the Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED).

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2023

Balanced scorecard: The positives and negatives of AI revealed

By Dr. Tim Sandle
August 24, 2023

AI: More than Human exhibition invites you to explore our relationship with artificial intelligence. 

The U.K. is investing £100 million in AI chips, according to The Guardian. This is reflective in the growth of AI platforms. One survey, as an example, has revealed that nearly half of UK workers use AI to write resumes and cover letters. This suggests AI is rapidly changing how we live our lives and how we work.

Yet the future world of AI carried with it both positive changes and negative effects. Many of these have been mapped out by Chris Raven, CEO at business growth agency Heur, and he has shared these with Digital Journal.

Raven provides an assessment of the benefits and negatives of AI in the workplace and what this means for the future of work.

Positives of AI

Beginning with the positives, Raven says: “Artificial Intelligence offers many positives in the workplace. It can help businesses to enhance productivity, streamline operations, and, importantly, drive innovation.”

Boosted Efficiency

AI technologies can automate more menial tasks which allows employees to focus and be more granular on complex jobs that require more time that may not have been possible before. AI can save an employee a massive amount of time which boosts efficiency and productivity.

Data Driven Analysis

AI can process vast amounts of data and identify patterns, trends, and insights that humans that have other things on their mind might miss. With these insights, businesses can make strong, data-driven decisions and optimise processes. Predictive systems can look at historical data and to accurately predict future trends, customer behaviour, and market demands. They also help businesses to anticipate changes and make proactive decisions that will enable success in the long run.

Bolstered Security

Data theft is at an all-time high, but luckily, AI is adept in detecting and preventing cyber threats. These systems continuously monitor network traffic which identifies anomalies before they become a bigger problem for your business. It can also help in fraud detection and prevention by analysing patterns and user behaviour.

Streamlined Recruitment

Recruiting can be difficult, especially post Great Resignation and workplace trends such as ‘resenteeism’ and ‘quiet quitting’ on the rise. However, AI-powered tools can automate candidate screening and initial assessments, which can ease the recruitment process and give you greater peace of mind. Once the hiring is done, AI can help you further with employee onboarding and initial training.

Improved Employee Productivity

AI-powered virtual assistants and productivity tools can help individuals manage their tasks, schedules, and priorities more effectively, which will especially help employees that can become easily distracted or work flexible hours or WFH. The benefits of these systems are endless as they are able to provide reminders, automate routine activities, and offer personalised recommendations, which we all need once in a while.”

Negatives of AI

Moving into the negative influences of AI, Raven explains: “It’s important to realise that while AI can provide lots of positives, it also raises ethical challenges in the workplace, such as privacy concerns, bias in algorithms, and the impact on jobs.”

Loss of Jobs

What you’ll find is that most businesses’ hesitation to embrace AI is a fear that it will take over human-led jobs. Artificial intelligence and automation can and will replace certain jobs. However, it’s important to note that while certain tasks may be automated, AI can also create job opportunities and can change human capabilities for the better.

Ethical Issues

AI systems mainly rely on algorithms and data, which can introduce biases if not implemented with care and consideration. Biases in AI can lead to discriminatory conclusions which can perpetuate existing inequalities which can be incredibly damaging for businesses. It is important to ensure that these systems are fair, transparent, and accountable.”

Over Reliance on AI

While Artificial Intelligence can boost efficiency of certain processes, overreliance on AI systems without proper human management will become problematic. AI algorithms are not yet perfect and can make errors which will require human intervention. It’s important to find a good balance between AI and human decision-making, which can prove to be a long learning curve.”

Cost Challenges

Incorporating AI technologies in the workplace can be expensive, which, with most businesses feeling the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, can be an unnecessary cost that many businesses simply can’t afford.”

Impact on Work-Life Balance

While AI takes care of the menial, time-consuming tasks, there is a risk that employees will be under more scrutiny and managers will have higher expectations due to the increased productivity. It is crucial to check in with your employees regularly and manage the incorporation of AI in a way that supports work-life balance and prevents employee burnout.”

What to make of this? Raven adds: “The reality is that the landscape of work is likely to change due to the leaps and bounds AI has made in recent years. However, there are human processes and skills that robots cannot replicate, such as creativity, emotional intelligence and critical thinking.”

Raven’s final advice for businesses runs: “In order to adapt to the AI boom, it is important to reconfigure your workplace accordingly. As menial jobs are overtaken by AI, it’s crucial to invest in reskilling your employees, seek innovation where you can and ensure best and ethical practices are used when incorporating AI in the workplace.”

Historic UK codebreaking base to host ‘world first’ AI safety summit

By AFP
August 24, 2023

Bletchley Park is where top British codebreakers cracked Nazi Germany's "Enigma" code, hastening the end of World War II - Copyright AFP Sam Yeh

Britain will host a two-day international summit in November to explore how artificial intelligence can be safely developed, the government said on Thursday.

The “world first” gathering will be held on November 1-2 at Bletchley Park, where top British codebreakers cracked Nazi Germany’s “Enigma” code, hastening the end of World War II.

It is also the home of the National Museum of Computing, home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers.

The planned event comes as experts have warned of the dangers of the new technology without regulation.

“To fully embrace the extraordinary opportunities of artificial intelligence, we must grip and tackle the risks to ensure it develops safely in the years ahead,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.

Sunak, who has called AI “the defining technology of our time”, announced the summit on a visit to Washington in June.

The same month ChatGPT creator OpenAI said it would open its first office outside the United States in London.

Its decision was welcomed by the UK government as a “vote of confidence for Britain as an AI powerhouse”.

Sunak wants a future global AI regulator to be based in London, angling for a place at the table as the United States and the European Union seek to establish an AI code of conduct.

OpenAI chief Sam Altman backs long-term institutional oversight but has warned that “heavy regulation” could hamper the rapid development of the technology.

His company said “London’s vibrant technology ecosystem and its exceptional talent make it the ideal location” to locate its first international office.

Around 50,000 people are employed in the UK’s AI sector.

– AI dangers –

“With the combined strength of our international partners, thriving AI industry and expert academic community, we can secure the rapid international action we need for the safe and responsible development of AI around the world,” added Sunak.

ChatGPT burst into the spotlight late last year, demonstrating an ability to generate essays, poems and conversations from the briefest of prompts.

Common worries have included the possibility that chatbots could flood the web with disinformation, that biased algorithms will churn out racist material, or that AI-powered automation could lay waste to entire industries.

A group of industry chiefs and experts, including Altman, even warned earlier this year that governments should prioritise tackling the potential risks from AI along with “pandemics and nuclear war”.

UK Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said international collaboration would be the “cornerstone” of the UK’s approach to AI which was already delivering innovations in areas from health care to efforts to tackle climate change.

“We want the summit to result in leading nations and experts agreeing on a shared approach to its safe use,” she said.

The international gathering would ensure the technology’s “huge benefits” could be realised “safely and securely for decades to come”, she added.

Interview: Banking’s digital revolution: How well placed are community banks?

By Dr. Tim Sandle
August 24, 2023

Traders globally have breathed a sigh of relief at steps to support struggling banks - Copyright AFP Alain JOCARD

Where do community banks sit in the financial service competitive landscape? James Yacobucci, Head of Bank Partnerships at Torpago discusses with Digital Journal about the importance of community banks, technology modernization and stimulating growth in 2023.

Torpago is a business credit card and spend management platform provider. Prior to joining Torpago, Yacobucci held roles in business development at Marqeta and principal investments at JPMorgan Chase.

Digital Journal: Where do community banks sit in the financial services competitive landscape?

James Yacobucci: Community banks offer customers much more than a place to deposit money. They are essential to local communities, serving as investors in local businesses and community projects, often becoming pillars within their respective markets. Living among their customers, community bankers may identify opportunities to offer bespoke solutions where a larger regional or national institution may not. While having their own strengths, the largest financial institutions are not set up to understand the financial goals and needs of the typical community banking customer.

DJ: What are some of the common struggles faced by community banks?

Yacobucci: Community banks have a growth problem. Over the last decade, many traditional banks have consolidated, while challenger fintechs have received tens of billions of investment. In this context, community banks have faced three core challenges. The first is fewer resources than the competition. Resources include not only absolute headcount and dollars, but also the specific talent required to compete in today’s market. The second is fewer products and an increasingly aging infrastructure, which means fewer ways to innovate and monetize their customer base. This challenge is largely a result of the resource problem. The third struggle relates to broader industry instability following the bank failures of 2023. In today’s environment, community banks have fewer levers to pull when seeking to retain and attract deposits.

DJ: What can community banks do to protect deposits and stimulate growth?

Yacobucci: In the short-term, community banks can protect deposits by increasing deposit betas. In other words, they can reward their depositors with a higher yield that tracks rate increases from the Federal Reserve. Longer-term, however, this is not a sustainable differentiator or growth driver. Rather, community banks must invest in their people, technology and products to improve their value proposition in noticeable ways. In doing so, the bank will become more attractive to both new and existing customers.

DJ: How does Torpago work with community banks?

Yacobucci: Torpago provides a white-label (bank-branded) commercial credit card and expense management software for community banks and credit unions. Our customers typically use vendors who are over 20 years old, or are launching a card program for the first time. If launching a card program for the first time, banks immediately add a new revenue stream and product offering. If upgrading an existing program, our clients see improvements across UI/UX, card controls, transaction data, fraud monitoring, underwriting flexibility, and program customization. Our customers’ goals in using Torpago typically include: deposit retention and growth, increased card spend, enhanced customer experience and improved operating efficiency.

DJ: How should community banks think about working with Torpago?

Yacobucci: Torpago was built to facilitate modernization in a manner that minimizes disruption to the bank’s systems best kept unchanged. Banks who want to ‘own more’ can pick and choose the modules and features they want to use from us as our platform data is available via API. Alternatively, we provide a more out-of-the-box program that allows banks to get to market faster with less investment. In this instance, Torpago can bring the balance sheet, web and mobile applications, servicing and support, easing the burden of an initial program launch. Programs can be launched between two and six months, depending on the chosen go to market strategy.

DJ: What is your recommendation to community banks interested in technology modernization?

Yacobucci: For community banks, starting the modernization journey can be daunting, but the impact the changes will have on the bank’s employees and customers is worth the work. From an employee perspective, working with modern technology can attract the best talent. Jobs can also be more enjoyable with technology that facilitates process improvements, growth opportunity, and happy customers. From a customer perspective, the ability to integrate with and offer the latest technology is essential. In an increasingly competitive market, community banks must upgrade systems to keep customers and expand footprint. The bank does not have to do this alone. Finding a modernization partner who can fill technical or talent gaps to facilitate this journey will be worth the investment.

UK retailer Wilko’s administrators warn of job losses


By AFP
August 24, 2023


UK retailer Wilko entered administration in early August owing to big debts 

- Copyright AFP Tomas CUESTA

The administrators of British household goods company Wilko have said there will “likely” be redundancies and store closures after they were unable to find a buyer for the whole business.

The discount retailer, selling cleaning and garden products as well as other small household items, entered administration in early August, putting about 12,500 jobs and its 400 UK stores at risk.

Wilko has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as administrators of the distressed company, founded in 1930 with headquarters in the town of Worksop, central England.

“While discussions continue with those interested in buying parts of the business, it’s clear that the nature of this interest is not focused on the whole group,” PwC said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

“Sadly, it is therefore likely that there will be redundancies and store closures in the future and it has today been necessary to update employee representatives,” PwC added.

It did not provide further details on the number of jobs and stores that will be affected.

PwC said that “in the immediate term, all stores remain open, continue to trade and staff continue to be paid” and that “contrary to speculation” there were no plans to close any stores next week.

Earlier on Wednesday, the GMB union, which represents Wilko workers, said “the majority” of Wilko stores would close “within weeks” after a purchase of the retailer fell through.

“Some stores may be bought, either individually or as part of larger packages, but significant job losses are now expected,” the union added.

THE PANDEMIC IS NOT OVER
Covid-19 resurgence sparks concerns as hospitalizations increase across Canada

By Karen Graham
August 24, 2023

Image: © AFP/File ANWAR AMRO

As COVID-19 hospitalizations rise, disease experts are concerned about how a new wave could be different from previous ones.

Data shows that in general, Covid cases declined slowly across Canafa from the beginning of the year until August. On August 15, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported an 11 percent increase in COVID-related hospitalizations compared to the week before.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday there are some seasonal components to the rise in COVID cases, however, unlike the flu, this disease is present year-round.

“COVID will wax and wane but it just seems to always linger in the background,” he said.

We can’t blame the summer months for the upswing in Covid cases. According to data released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), COVID-related hospitalizations have been resurging since last spring.

The data states from April 2022 to March 2023, there was a 19 percent increase in hospital stays in Canada for patients with a COVID-19 diagnosis compared to the same period the previous year.

An interesting observation in this latest wave of hospitalizations is the mean age of the patients. The age now averages 75 compared to 63 years old in the previous year, the data showed.

Another key difference is the average length of time spent in the hospitals, which increased from 13 days to 20. However, while patients are spending more time at the hospital, the mortality rate decreased by 1 percent.

Between 2022 and 2023, COVID-19-related deaths in hospitals represented about 10 percent of hospitalizations, compared to 11 percent the previous year.

What will the impact be on the healthcare system?

Just a few weeks ago, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released a report showing that Canada saw a 13 percent drop in surgeries in the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As was expected, overtime issues were noted, primarily due to the Covid pandemic, increasing from 2020 to 2021 by 15 percent. The findings also shone a spotlight on other healthcare issues, including staff shortages and burnout, levels of access to personal health information, and the roughly one in 10 Canadians who say they don’t have a regular healthcare provider.

Even though hospitalization cases are on the rise, Dr. Bogoch said he doesn’t think this wave will overwhelm the healthcare system as it did in previous years.

“I don’t think we’re gonna see scenes like we saw in 2020 and 2021, where provinces were running out of intensive care unit beds and we were bringing health-care providers from other provinces in to help out,” he said.

While it might not reach those extreme levels, the infectious disease expert added the healthcare system is still stretched in its capacity. “Let’s not pretend for a second that our healthcare system is doing well. It absolutely isn’t,” he said. “It needs a lot of tender loving care and support.”

Japan begins pumping Fukushima nuclear plant water into sea

Japan has begun to pump more than a million metric tons of treated water from the destroyed Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant. The process is expected to take decades to complete.

August 24, 2023

More than a million metric tons of treated water are to be released from the destroyed
plant

Japan began the release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant on Thursday, facility operator TEPCO said.

The process of pumping treated water into the Pacific Ocean through a special kilometer-long tunnel was started despite opposition from fishermen, environmentalists and China.

An earthquake and tsunami caused core meltdowns at the plant in 2011. Since then, the shut-down reactors have had to be cooled with water that was then stored in tanks.

However, according to TEPCO, capacity is running out.
What else do we know?

The site has been collecting some 100,000 liters (26,500 gallons) of water every day. Around 1.34 million metric tons are now being stored there.

The water is contaminated not only from cooling the damaged reactors, but also with the seepage of groundwater and rain.

Japan has said that it will discharge at most 500,000 liters per day, with the release of the water planned to take some 30 years to complete.

Thursday's discharge, which authorities say is on a small scale, is scheduled to be followed by three more between now and March 31.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said the release of the water is safe.

The Japanese government and TEPCO say the release is necessary to make room for the plant's decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks.

Japan has said almost all radioactive elements from the water have been filtered out before its release.

The only exception is tritium, which is difficult to filter. But many nuclear experts say tritium poses little risk to human health, as it does not accumulate in the body.

"Nuclear power plants worldwide have routinely discharged water containing tritium for over 60 years without harm to people or the environment, most at higher levels than the 22 TBq per year planned for Fukushima," Tony Irwin, an honorary associate professor at the Australian National University, said in a note cited by Reuters news agency.

Chinese criticism

China, which has staunchly opposed the release of the wastewater from the start, has slammed Japan for beginning with the discharge.

"The ocean is the common property of all humanity, and forcibly starting the discharge of Fukushima's nuclear wastewater into the ocean is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act that ignores international public interests," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It said Tokyo had failed to prove that its wastewater purification was reliable in the long term and to give sufficient evidence to support its contention that the discharge was harmless.

Beijing has banned food imports from 10 Japanese prefectures, with Hong Kong following suit.

South Korea said in a statement released Tuesday that it did not necessarily approve the wastewater release plan but that the scientific and technical basis for it appeared to be in order.

tj/rc (AFP, Reuters, AP)

Japan: Fukushima water release puts Kishida under pressure

Julian Ryall in Tokyo
August 24, 2023

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government is facing a wave of criticism at home and abroad after allowing the release of treated radioactive water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean.

Many Japanese oppose their government's decision to release treated Fukushima water into the ocean

Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP

To a chorus of criticism at home and abroad, Japan on Thursday started to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Analysts say the water dump could harm Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's standing with domestic voters and neighboring governments.

Engineers at the power station, which was crippled in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, causing three of its six reactors to suffer meltdowns, began discharging water through a pipeline that has been constructed to a distance of about one kilometer (0.6 miles) off the coast.

The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the operator of the facility, have gone to great lengths to convince the Japanese public and the international community that the water is safe.

They point out that the water has been treated to remove virtually all the radioactive contaminants, that it is being greatly diluted and that studies endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency show that it poses no threat to human health or the flora and fauna of the Pacific.

However, China has demonstrated its disagreement with this assessment by announcing Thursday it would ban all seafood from Japan in response to the Fukushima water release, which it called "selfish and irresponsible."
Japan divided on Fukushima water dump

The Japanese public is divided on the matter, with environmental groups, opponents of nuclear energy and people living in northeast Japan, particularly fishermen, furious at the decision.

Protesters in Tokyo hold signs reading 'no radiation contaminated water into the sea'

Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Others, however, are shrugging their shoulders and suggest the government had little choice in the matter.

"Kishida is already dealing with a number of problems in his government, including rising prices and scandals involving his son, who was serving as an aide, and in the party, so this issue is certainly going to add to his problems," said Hiromi Murakami, a professor of political science at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.

"But it goes both ways," she told DW. "Among those opposed to his conservative government, this will be something else to criticize him for, but conservatives see this as progress that is finally being made in a problem that has been lingering for the last decade."

Ken Kato, a businessman from Tokyo, applauded the decision after so many delays.

"I am 100% supportive and this is the only appropriate action," he told DW.

"The IAEA has confirmed that it is of no danger to human health. The most serious issue is the Chinese misinformation campaign that has served to damage the reputations and livelihoods of fishermen in north-east Japan and Japan in general," he added.

Others take issue with that position, however, with Kanako Hosomura, a housewife from Saitama Prefecture, less than 200 kilometers southwest of the nuclear power plant, saying she is fearful of the impact of the water release.

"It is obvious that fish, shellfish, seaweed and other food products from the region are going to be affected over time by this," she told DW.

"I'm not going to buy fish from Fukushima again and I will ask the sushi restaurant where I usually go where they are buying their stocks from. And I definitely will not go to any of the beaches there with my children until I am absolutely sure that it is safe again."

Japan's Fukushima decision may impact fish exports

How is the water being treated?

TEPCO officials have stated that an initial 7,800 tons of water, which has undergone treatment in the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove all but the relatively harmless radionuclide tritium, will be diluted with seawater and released over the next 17 days.

The water is diluted to reduce tritium levels to one-seventh the standard set by the World Health Organization as being safe to drink, the company said.

Monitored by the IAEA, TEPCO intends to release around 31,200 tons of treated water in the fiscal year to April.

Experts estimate that it will take around 30 years to release the 1.25 million tons of water that is already in storage at the site and all additional rainwater that seeps into the subterranean complex that houses the damaged reactors


What is the international reaction?

The United States said it is satisfied with the safety measures Japan is taking, and Ambassador Rahm Emanuel stated that he will be travelling to Fukushima later this week and intends to visit a sushi restaurant to demonstrate US solidarity. Australia has expressed similar support.

The government of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also said it is satisfied that the science supports the decision to discharge the water, but with growing public anger over the move domestically, it has added the condition that it will take Japan to court should radiation be detected above safe levels.

A South Korean protester in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul

Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

However, Lee Jae-myung, the head of South Korea's Democratic Party, has called the water release an "act of terror."

Ben Ascione, an assistant professor of international relations at Tokyo's Waseda University, said strong opposition from China was inevitable, but that the water release could negatively affect Japan's "fragile" relations with South Korea.

"China's position has been steadfast and this is not going to change the relationship too much, but the situation with Seoul is more complicated," he said.

"Japan, South Korea and the US have just had a very important trilateral summit at Camp David and there have been triumphant claims that this is a completely new era of relations. My reading is that it is a lot more fragile than that triumphalism would have us believe," he added.

"This is going to continue to be another thorn in the side of the relationship and an issue where tensions are going to continue to flare," he said.

Is the Release of Radioactive Contaminated Water From the Fukushima Nuclear Site to the Sea Acceptable? Is It Safe?

BY CHRIS BUSBY

 AUGUST 25, 2023
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The Japanese government, having apparently run out of storage space for the million tons of radioactively contaminated water have decided to pour it into the sea. This upsets a lot of people, including the governments of China and Korea, who understandably (on a moral level, perhaps) regard this decision as unacceptable. The Japanese (also the entire nuclear industry, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and a long list of self-identified experts) collectively say: no problems, the quantities are very small and pose no risk to health, neither to people nor marine life. The water has apparently been treated to remove the radioisotopes that the regulators believe pose the greatest risk, Strontium-90, Caesium-137, and Carbon-14. But to take out the Tritium is too expensive, and so the radioactive water is largely contaminated with large amounts of Tritium Oxide, in the form of Tritiated water HTO.

Tritium is the largest contaminant in terms of radioactivity, disintegrations per second, clicks on a counter, from the operation of all nuclear energy processes. The neutrons, which are central to nuclear energy, produce Tritium by various processes in reactors, and even outside reactors, where the nuclide, a radioactive form of Hydrogen, is formed by adding neutrons to nitrogen in the air, and oxygen in the water, various other processes. Tritium is interesting stuff. Its radioactivity is extremely weak: it emits a very short-range beta electron and itself then changes into Nitrogen. What? Yes, it is a form of hydrogen, but shoots off an electron and turns into nitrogen. But we are mostly made of hydrogen, you say. Just So.

In terms of radioactivity, because the decay electron is so weak, the method that the risk agencies use to quantify radiation effects has classed Tritium as almost a non-event, in terms of health effects. This is most convenient for the nuclear industry, as it means that the exposure limits for Tritium (in terms of Becquerels per litre) are truly enormous, when compared with other radioactive waste. Tritium has a 12-year half life, so it hangs about. And since all life depends on water, and indeed all life mostly is water, hydrogen and oxygen, introducing radioactive water into the environment might seem to be a bad idea.

But No!  The low beta energy of Tritium allows the regulators to argue that the releases of huge amounts to the sea and rivers is safe. But the regulators are wrong. The system of analysis using the concept of “Absorbed Dose” is unscientific, dishonest and at the origin of a huge historic public health scandal that has caused hundreds of millions of deaths from cancer due to badly regulated releases of certain specific contaminants, and this includes Tritium, Carbon-14, Uranium (as particles) and certain other substances produced by nuclear processes. Many years ago, the regulator BEIR committee in USA under Prof Karl Z Morgan tried to change the limits for Tritium, but he was overruled because it would make the operation of nuclear power very difficult. He wrote about this in his book The Angry Genie. He was convinced that Tritium was a serious hazard.

So, lets look a bit closer at the quantities. The water in the tanks contains about 1500Bq/litre. A Becquerel is one decay per second. A litre of this water would produce 1500 clicks on a suitable measuring instrument (not a Geiger Counter, you won’t measure this stuff with a Geiger counter). Does that sound a lot? Would you drink this water? Even if the IAEA say it’s OK? Would They?

The total amount to be released is 1.3 million tons. Or we are told, 22 TeraBecquerel. That is 22,000,000,000,000Bq. Sounds a lot. It is a lot. But of course, the Pacific Ocean is large, and hopefully it will just go away through dilution. And it seems 22TBq, is small compared with the quantities released by the nuclear reprocessing plants in Europe. Sellafield in the UK pumped out 432 TBq a year (20 times more) to the Irish Sea and La Hague in France 10,000TBq/y (450 times). So that’s OK then. The experts say (and you can Google them on the Science Media Centre), or you can believe the IAEA, or the Japanese, that this stuff has never shown any health effects in places where it is poured into the sea.

Wrong.

I have spent a lot of my research life on looking at the effects of releasing radionuclides including Tritium to the sea. I spent three years in the late 1990s looking at cancer and child leukemia near the Irish Sea supported by the Irish State. Tritium is measured in surface water. This water is driven inshore to be inhaled by populations living within 1km of the sea. The radionuclides concentrate in the coastal sediment which is also driven ashore. You find the Tritium in fish, in shellfish, in blackberries, everywhere near the Irish Sea, near the Bristol Channel.  My Irish Sea study looked at small areas of Wales between 1974 and 1990 and found a clear and significant sea coast effect on cancer, particularly childhood cancer. I also, from, 1999 to 2006 studied cancer near the Bristol Channel, where there are also significant quantities of Tritium, and again, found a distinct increase in cancer near the sea. About 30% near the coast. That is a lot of dead people.

I also studied leukemia in populations living near the nuclear submarine dockyard in Plymouth. Nuclear submarines are contaminated with Tritium and Carbon 14. They released it to the River Tamar and it ended up in the sediment. There was a significant leukemia cluster near the dockyard. This nuclear submarine operation was moved to Scotland some years ago. The Navy have a licence from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to discharge Carbon-14 and Tritium (1 million Becquerels a year from about 8 submarines). I have shown in a published paper in 2017 that sailors in nuclear ships in the USA Navy have a 10-fold excess risk of cancer.

There is another clincher: Professor Awadhesh Jha (who I met in Plymouth when I gave my report on the leukemia study, together with the UK Environment Minister Mr Michael Meacher) has studied the effects of Tritium on the genetic development of marine invertebrates living in the Tamar mud. Very small amounts of Tritium have profound effects of chromosomes and on development in these creatures. You can Google his research.

This is a big subject. But one I have studied in some depth. I was expert witness on a case in Korea some ten year ago where I was asked to advise the Korean parliament on the health effects of Tritium. The Koreans use the Canadian CANDU reactors which emit huge amounts of Tritium; there is a big cancer cluster around these sites.

Tritium is very dangerous. It gets inside you easily. It exchanges with normal hydrogen, sometimes it becomes organically (covalently) bound. It causes genetic damage at tiny conventional doses (calculated using the energy per unit mass, Joule/Kg formula of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, employed by the IAEA). Those people living near the seaside near the east coast of Japan, especially the estuaries, need to watch out. Don’t eat anything from the sea, or inside 1km from the coast. The radiation risk model that regulates Tritium is obsolete and wildly incorrect. The experts that say there are no effects in populations living near Tritium contamination need to look out of the window.

Finally, I was told something fascinating about Tritium by a colleague from Germany in 1998. Tritiated water has a much higher freezing point than ordinary water. So, when a fog appears as the air temperature drops. The initial fog is a pure Tritiated water vapour.

But I want to add something here. We have heard a lot about fake news. But there are scientists out there spinning the issue of radiation and health to levels of hysterical nonsense. An outfit called the Science Media Centre was set up by one Fiona Fox in the early 2000s. It was an operation intended to support the polluters and contaminators by fielding dishonest scientists posing as experts to head off media stories about public health hazards. In examining this issue of Fukushima and the Tritium, I could not fail to google up three of these “experts” writing for the Science Media Centre on the issue. Tracking down their qualifications and experience as “experts” or their affiliations, was not hard—you can do this yourself. The funniest of the three was a certain Associate Professor Nigel Marks of Curtin University, Perth (What?? Where??). Nigel tells us that on the basis of dose (and I suppose he has done the sums) that a “lifetimes worth of seafood from Fukushima is the radiation equivalent of one bite of a banana”. I am not going to unpack this nonsense—just to point out that it is wrong, dishonest, absurd and tendentious. And to warn everyone against these scientists. The web is stuffed full of them. The ordinary people are correct to view them as idiots, and to ignore everything they say. Nuclear industry science is cartoon science, based on nonsense, and supported by twisted epidemiology. It is now dead in the water. But not before it has historically killed hundreds of millions of people.

Dr Chris Busby is the Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Riskand the author of Uranium and Health – The Health Effects of Exposure to Uranium and Uranium Weapons Fallout (Documents of the ECRR 2010 No 2, Brussels, 2010). For details and current CV see chrisbusbyexposed.org. For accounts of his work see greenaudit.org, llrc.org and nuclearjustice.org.

China’s allies lead Pacific criticism of Fukushima water release

By AFP
August 25, 2023

Protestors march on the streets of Fiji's capital Suva against Japan's release of wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant - Copyright AFP Prerna PRIYANKA

China’s Pacific allies — from Solomon Islands’ government to Fiji’s opposition — on Friday echoed Beijing’s criticism of Japan releasing wastewater from its disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant.

More than 500 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of treated wastewater will be released into the Pacific over decades in a plan endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

But China has issued a furious response, and its allies in the Pacific have backed that criticism despite safety assurances from Japan and the IAEA.

Solomons’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare — who has delayed elections and scolded Western powers while embracing Beijing’s chequebook diplomacy — issued a “strong statement against Japan’s decision”.

The water release, he said, “has an impact on our people, ocean, economy and livelihood.”

There was a similar message in the Fijian capital Suva on Friday, where a rare protest attracted hundreds.

Demonstrators carried placards saying “Nuclear-free sea!” and “Pacific Lives Matter”.

The protest was promoted by FijiFirst, an opposition party whose leader, ousted prime minister Frank Bainimarama, courted closer ties with China while in office.

The party accused Fiji’s government of “failing future generations by allowing Japan to dump its nuclear waste into our ocean”.

Other leaders appeared convinced by the safety assessments.

“Japan has reassured the region that the water has been treated,” said Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, who is currently chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, a regional bloc.

“I believe that the discharge meets international safety standards.”

– An opening for Beijing –

China has repeatedly and strongly criticised the release plan, banned Japanese seafood imports and cast doubt on the expert assessments that concluded the operation poses no harm to the environment.

Nigel Marks, a physics professor at Australia’s Curtin University, said the released water contains negligible amounts of radioactive tritium.

“The Pacific Ocean contains 8,400 grams of pure tritium, while Japan will release 0.06 grams of tritium every year,” he said.

“The minuscule amount of extra radiation won’t make the tiniest jot of difference.”

Regardless of the science, the Fukushima release has created a political opening for Beijing, according to Mihai Sora, a former Australian diplomat who is now with the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

Japan has “done a lot of diplomacy to win over as many Pacific leaders as they can”, he said, but “almost universally this will be an unpopular decision among Pacific communities”.

“You can imagine Beijing using its diplomatic access to encourage some of its partners to speak out about this strongly, because it serves Beijing’s interests.”

As well as fears about damaging vital fish supplies and sensitive marine ecosystems, the Fukushima water release has caused disquiet in a region where nuclear issues are highly sensitive.

For decades, major powers including the United States, Britain and France used the sparsely populated South Pacific to test atomic weapons — with consequences that linger to this day.

Fukushima operator says released water samples within safe limits


By AFP
August 25, 2023

Japan has started releasing wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant

- Copyright AFP Philip FONG

Seawater samples taken following the release of wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear reactor showed radioactivity levels well within safe limits, operator TEPCO said on Friday.

The start on Thursday of the discharge of some of the 1.34 million tonnes of water, collected on-site in the 12 years since the plant was swamped by a tsunami, prompted China to ban all Japanese seafood imports.

TEPCO took what it called rapid tests on Thursday afternoon after the release into the Pacific Ocean began, and on Friday it said that the results showed that radioactivity levels were within safe limits.

“We confirmed that the analysed value is equal to the calculated concentration and that the analysed value is below 1,500 bq/L,” TEPCO spokesman Keisuke Matsuo told a news conference.

Becquerels per litre is a measure of radioactivity. The national safety standard is 60,000.

The results were “similar to our previous simulation and sufficiently below” the safety limit, Matsuo added.

“We will continue to conduct analysis every day over the next one month and even after that, maintain our analysis effort,” he said.

“By providing swift, easy-to-understand explanations we hope to dispel various concerns.”

Japan’s environment ministry said it had collected seawater samples from 11 different locations on Friday, results of which would be released on Sunday.

The Fisheries Agency also pulled a flounder and a Gurnard fish early Friday from designated sampling spots near the pipe that released the Fukushima water.

“By publishing those data every day in a highly transparent fashion, we will demonstrate our actions based on scientific evidence,” said Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of nuclear policies.

– IAEA backing –

TEPCO says that the water — more than 500 Olympic pools’ worth — from cooling the remains of three reactors has been filtered of all radioactive elements except for tritium and is safe.

This is backed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said on Thursday that samples taken from the first batch of diluted water prepared for discharge showed that tritium levels were well within safe limits.

“IAEA experts are there on the ground to serve as the eyes of the international community and ensure that the discharge is being carried out as planned consistent with IAEA safety standards,” said the chief of the UN body, Rafael Grossi, in a statement.

Most analysts agree although environmental pressure group Greenpeace has said that the filtration process, known as ALPS, does not work and that a vast amount of radioactivity will be released into the ocean.

Japan’s move infuriated China, which says the action contaminates the ocean, and widened a ban on aquatic produce in place for 10 Japanese prefectures to cover the whole country.

Nishimura on Friday echoed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in urging China, Japan’s biggest market for seafood, to reverse the ban.

“The Japanese government… will strongly demand baseless regulations to be immediately terminated,” Nishimura said.

South Korea’s government, which is trying to improve relations with Japan in order to counter China, has endorsed the water release although some ordinary people are alarmed.

Danish spy agencies on trial over undercover agent claims


By AFP
August 23, 2023


Ahmed Samsam was jailed after a Madrid trial which convicted him of fighting for Islamic State - Copyright POOL/AFP Luca Piergiovanni

Camille BAS-WOHLERT

Denmark’s spy agencies go on trial on Thursday in a unique case brought by a Dane who claims he spied for Denmark in Syria but wound up in prison over alleged IS group ties.

In a case that has proven embarrassing for Danish intelligence services and politicians, Ahmed Samsam, 34, a Danish national of Syrian origin, claims he was working for the secret service PET and military intelligence service FE in Syria in 2013 and 2014, spying on foreign jihadist fighters.

But in 2018 Spanish courts found him guilty of fighting for the Islamic State (IS).

Several investigations by Danish media since then have backed Samsam up, concluding he never joined IS, but the two intelligence agencies — inherently tightlipped — have refused to say whether he was working for them.

“My client wants the court to recognise that he has been an agent for the intelligence services in Denmark,” his lawyer Erbil Kaya told AFP ahead of the trial in Copenhagen’s district court.

He insists Samsam only went to Syria to inform on foreign jihadists.

“This is a tough case for us, to be up against the intelligence services and the state,” Kaya said.

“This is the first (such) case in Denmark. We don’t know… what is enough to prove that you have been an agent in Denmark.”

“The trial is completely unique,” Aarhus University law professor Lasse Lund Madsen told AFP.

– Court of public opinion –

Samsam, who has a long criminal record, travelled to Syria in 2012 of his own accord to fight the regime.

Danish authorities investigated him after his return but did not press any charges.

He claims he was then sent to the war zone on several occasions with money and equipment provided by PET and later FE, according to Danish media outlets DR and Berlingske citing anonymous witnesses and money transfers to Samsam.

Despite its sensitive nature, the case will be heard in open court and not behind closed doors.

“Samsam is pleading his case in newspapers, on television, everywhere,” said the spy agencies’ defence lawyer Peter Biering.

“It would be of no use to us to have closed doors,” Biering told AFP.

So far, Samsam appears to have won over public opinion.

“Most people in Denmark who have followed the case are probably now of the belief that Samsam was sent to Syria in agreement with the Danish intelligence services,” law professor Lund Madsen said.

“I personally had it confirmed by sources in the intelligence world.”

Parliament decided in February to have its investigative committee probe Samsam’s claims, though the left-wing government is opposed to an inquiry.

Kaya says there is more to the case that will come out during the trial.

“He has been limited in telling his story. But now in court he will be able to tell everything.”

– ‘No miscarriage of justice’ –

In 2017, threatened by Copenhagen thugs in a settling of scores unrelated to his trips to Syria, Samsam headed to Spain.

There, he was arrested by Spanish police, who were surprised to find pictures of him on Facebook posing with the IS flag.

Samsam was sentenced the following year to eight years in prison for having joined IS.

He has since 2020 been serving his sentence — reduced to six years — in Denmark. He is due to be released in two or three months, according to Kaya.

For Denmark’s spy services, “our basic position is there has never been a miscarriage of justice. He is convicted rightly”, defence lawyer Biering insisted.

“He received eight years from the Spanish Supreme Court that quite explicitly said that even if he actually worked for the Danish intelligence services in 2013 or 2014, they had enough evidence disregarding that point to convict him.”

For Samsam, an admission from the intelligence agencies that he was working for them would make it possible for him to seek to have his Spanish conviction overturned.

“We are not seeking any damages or compensation right now,” Kaya said.

But they face a tough legal battle.

“It is not certain that Samsam will win the case, as the intelligence services are not obliged by law to confirm classified information,” the law professor said.

The trial is scheduled to wrap up on September 8

Women in STEM: Overcoming adversity in the tech sector


ByDr. Tim Sandle
August 23, 2023

Swiss voters have adopted a new 'opt-out' system of organ donations: people who do not wish to become an organ donor after death must explicitly say so 

- Copyright AFP INA FASSBENDER

Melissa Bischoping is no stranger to overcoming adversity. From becoming a mother at 18 to breaking into the IT security industry with a non-technical degree and no experience, she has navigated the still male-dominated industry and is now Director of Endpoint Security Research at cyber firm Tanium.

Bischoping is keen to promote Women’s Equality Day, which takes place on Saturday, August 26 in the U.S.

Along with analysing emerging threats, zero-days, CVEs, exploits, and attack behaviour to advise both internal and external customers at Tanium, Bischoping also is an active member of the cyber community.

Bischoping is the first woman to captain a varsity SANS team in the National Cyber League “Capture The Flag” competition and recently convened with members of the Dutch Ministries at the Tanium Federal Conference in Washington, DC to offer insights on cyber resilience.

Through such activities, Bischoping is a role model for aspirant young women keen on taking up a place in a STEM career.

Bischoping tells Digital Journal about strides that have been taken in the technology sector to promote the role of women at work: “It’s no secret that tech has diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges. We’ve seen some progress over the years, but we still have a lot of work to do today. Women and nonbinary professionals make up less than half of the workforce, with women making up a third of the tech workforce. Even fewer make up executive and leadership roles.”

However, there remains more work to do. Here Bischoping puts forward: “To improve these statistics, we need to start at the ground level in the classrooms of local schools by creating a pipeline and fostering educational programs early on in life for students. At the workforce level, we must also be vigilant in eliminating sexism, harassment and toxic behaviour and comments that can lead to burnout and isolation among women. Research has shown time and again that diverse teams are needed for flourishing, innovative organizations that yield better results.”

In outlining a strategy, Bischoping proposes: “Mentorship, in particular, has been vital to my own career as a woman in cybersecurity. There have been key women leaders in my career that had a direct impact on my professional and personal growth. The training programs are needed, but professional networking opportunities and 1-1 mentorship is where confidence is built and action plans are put into place.”

In terms of other activities, Bischoping observes: “I also think it’s extremely vital to create paths for nontraditional degrees or experiences. Cybersecurity requires creativity, thinking outside the box and collaboration across various areas within a business. There is so much untapped potential if we are only opening the door to those with formal IT or security training. Creating these pathways will help us close the millions of open cybersecurity seats we see today.”