Further interventions needed to attain zero poverty by 2030

Vice President, Dr Mohamed Gahrib Bilal speaks to the Country Director for Restless Development Tanzania, Margaret Mliwa (R) and the Africa Executive Director of the ONE Campaign Dr Sipho S. Moyo.

A new study by Brookings researchers shows that almost a billion  extra people in the world will face a life of extreme poverty if  leaders do not make key decisions on poverty, inequality and  climate change. 

It also shows that in order for the world to get to zero poverty by  2030, further interventions are needed. It suggests that, far from  ‘trade not aid’, the world will need both aid and trade and also  more investments and a range of other resource flows. 

Recently more than a thousand organisations around the world  launched a new campaign called action/2015, calling on local and  world leaders to take urgent actions to halt man-made climate  change, eradicate poverty and address inequality.

In Tanzania, youth campaigners met with the Vice-President of  Tanzania Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal in Dar es Salaam recently for a  discussion on their aspirations for the future and the action they  want from their political leaders in 2015.

The Vice president also officially launched Action/2015 Tanzania  which aims at bringing the youth together to fight for the  country’s development. 

The Vice President reiterated on the importance of putting in place  relevant policies and setting priorities in efforts to address  poverty and transform Tanzania into a middle income country by  2025.

 He said for Tanzanians to graduate from abject poverty and the  growing inequality, there should be good policies and quality  social services fostering an environment that creates decent  employment.  

He said the government will ensure that it moves rapidly and  efficiently by using the Big Results Now (BRN) initiative which  aims at scaling up government’s focus and commitment towards  eradicating poverty and hunger. 

He called on all Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil  Societies Organisations (CSOs) to support the government in its  efforts by training the youth to enable them cope with the expected  changes.

For her part, Country Director for Restless Development Tanzania,  Margaret Mliwa said the launch of Action2015 was significant to the  young people of Tanzania because it paves way for dialogue with  their leaders.

“With coordinated actions and unity in pushing for ambitious  decisions in 2015 to address poverty and inequality we can all work  toward making Tanzania a better place,” she said.

She called on citizens to mount pressure on leaders and own local  initiatives that can combat poverty, inequalities, and issues of  climate change, (focusing on renewable energy transition) and other  pressing issues of concern to communities.

She also said Restless Development Tanzania in partnership with  International Labour Organisation (ILO) have been training the  youth with the aim of generating different business ideas.

She said through Action2015, the public has to join hands to ensure  that world leaders commit themselves to a better world.  

She said throughout 2015, the campaign will provide chances for  every person across the country to get involved in various local  and global debates to influence the desired outcomes.

“2015 must be the year the world wakes up and delivers a safer,  more just future for children and young people. We all must play  our part in ensuring this is the case. Do not let this opportunity  go to waste,” she urged.

One of the campaigners, a 14-year-old Eva told the Vice President;

“This year, as I turn 15, our leaders will agree a new plan for a  better world. If they really perform better and stick to it, there  would be no more poor people anywhere when I reach 30. It’s our  future that’s at stake. That’s why I and thousands like me need to  make right choices in 2015.” 

Dr Sipho S. Moyo, Africa Executive Director of the ONE Campaign, in  her opening remarks during the event said Tanzania's Development  Vision 2025 is an ambitious plan to move from low-income to  middle-income status by 2025. 

However, she noted in order to achieve it, right policies are  needed to tackle extreme poverty and growing inequality. Also  through these right policies, basic social opportunities like good  education and fostering an environment will be provided and hence  create what the International Labour Organisation (ILO) calls  decent employment. 

It is imperative, therefore, that the government moves rapidly and  efficiently through its Big Results Now (BRN) strategy that is  aimed at scaling up government’s focus and commitment to  eradicating poverty and hunger. And should also ensure the 2015  becomes the year that brings this great country closer to a safe  and prosperous future for everybody. ” 

As part of the launch, activities are taking place in over 50  countries all around the world.  Many of these are spearheaded by  15 years old youth. 

In Uganda young people will challenge their foreign affairs  minister to listen to their demands when they hand over a petition  signed by over 10,000 young people.

In Nigeria, 15 year olds will quiz their Finance Minister Ngozi  Okonjo-Iweala on national television.

In South Africa, 15 year old campaigners from across the country  will meet with Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula in the historic  township of Soweto with the intention of pressuring him to ensure  their generation gets a safer future. 

In New York, the Secretary- General of the United Nations Ban Ki-  moon will meet a group of 15 year olds to discuss why we need  global action in 2015.

In the UK, some of Britain’s leading youth activists will meet  Prime Minister David Cameron and Ed Miliband, the Leader of the  Opposition, and urge them to enable the youth seize and utilise the  opportunities of 2015.

All these efforts are meant to mount pressures on leaders so that  they can be able to combat poverty, inequalities and issues of  climate change.

Mali government, U.N. declare country Ebola-free

The Malian government and the United Nations on Sunday declared the country free of Ebola after 42 days without any new cases of the deadly virus.

Health Minister Ousmane Kone said no confirmed cases had been registered since December 6 when the last Ebola patient had tested negative.

“I declare this day... the end of the epidemic of the Ebola virus in Mali,” he said in a statement broadcast on state television ORTM.

The west African country “had come out” of the epidemic, Ibrahima Soce Fall, the head of the Malian office of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), confirmed.

In accordance with World Health Organization recommendations, the spread of the Ebola virus could be declared over after 42 days without any new cases being recorded, he said in a separate statement.

Kone saluted the Malian authorities and the different players in the anti-Ebola fight for “weeks of intense work” that led to the result.

He also praised Mali’s health workers and the country’s partners for their efforts while urging that basic hygiene and protective behaviour measures be kept up.

Seven people died of Ebola in Mali. The first fatality in October was a two-year-old girl brought from neighbouring Guinea to stay with relatives.

Shortly afterwards, a Muslim cleric, also from Guinea, died in the capital Bamako. He transmitted the virus, directly or indirectly, to seven other people, five of whom died.

The last patient to be treated for Ebola in Mali made a full recovery and was discharged from hospital in early December.

Countries must report no new cases for 42 days -- or two incubation periods of 21 days -- to be declared Ebola-free.

A total 21,296 people have so far been infected with Ebola since the world’s worst-ever outbreak began just over a year ago, and 8,429 of them have died, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization.

The vast majority of the deaths occurred in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Environment has greater influence on immunity than genes

A twin study has shown that the majority of variation in immunity between individuals is due to non-genetic factors.

The findings, published in Cell, suggest that the environment dominates when it comes to shaping our immune profiles.

'When you examine people's immune systems, you often find tremendous differences between them. So we wondered whether this reflects underlying genetic differences or something else,' explained Professor Mark Davis, one of the study authors from Stanford University, California.

'But what we found was that in most cases, including the reaction to a standard influenza vaccine and other types of immune responsiveness, there is little or no genetic influence at work, and most likely the environment and your exposure to innumerable microbes is the major driver.'

The research team compared 78 pairs of identical twins and 27 pairs of non-identical twins who were aged between eight and 82 years. This classic study method allowed the researchers to tease apart the hereditary and environmental influences on immunity as all twin pairs can be assumed to have shared the same childhood environment, while only the identical twins are genetically the same.

Using blood samples, the researchers measured more than 200 immune system components and activities. They found that for three-quarters of these, non-heritable influences - which could include things such as previous microbial or toxic exposures, vaccinations, diet and dental hygiene - were more important than heritable factors when it came to accounting for differences between pairs of twins.

The team also noted that the effect of the environment was more pronounced as twins got older, suggesting the effect accumulates over time.

Additionally, as some of the participants had also received flu vaccination as part of another study at the same university, the researchers were able to examine the levels of antibodies produced in reaction to the vaccine. They found that, again, non-heritable factors were largely responsible, conflicting with previous reports suggesting a large genetic component to vaccine responsiveness.

A further finding was that in identical twin pairs where one had been exposed to cytomegalovirus, a common chronic infection, and the other had not nearly 60 percent of immune features were affected, demonstrating that a single non-heritable factor can have a major effect on the immune system's composition. 

'Non heritable influences, particularly microbes, seem to play a huge role in driving immune variation,' said Professor Davis.

'At least for the first 20 or so years of your life, when your immune system is maturing, this amazing system appears able to adapt to wildly different environmental conditions. A healthy human immune system continually adapts to its encounters with hostile pathogens, friendly gut microbes, nutritional components and more, overshadowing the influences of most heritable factors.'

Liverpool v Chelsea: Key Capital One Cup semi-final battles

 

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Ahead of their Capital One Cup semi-final, Matt Stanger looks at the key battles between Liverpool and Chelsea...

Diego Costa v Martin Skrtel

Diego Costa's shirt is ripped during the game against Liverpool

It’s fair to say that Costa won this battle the last time these two teams met, scoring the winner in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory at Anfield in November. The 26-year-old proved a handful for Skrtel throughout, managing five shots and creating more shooting opportunities (four) than any other player on the pitch.

“It was a fantastic performance and an expression of ambition,” said Jose Mourinho of his team’s performance. “In the second half, against Liverpool, at Anfield, every team accepts a point as a good result. My team didn’t accept that, so the way they performed in the second half was an expression of that ambition and self-belief they have at the moment.”

Costa embodied the Blues’ fighting spirit, with the image of his ripped shirt flapping in the wind perfectly capturing his dogged display. Skrtel will need to be at the height of his powers to deny the Premier League's top scorer, with the outcome of the first leg potentially hinging on this duel.

Raheem Sterling v Cesar Azpilicueta

Following Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Aston Villa, in which Fabio Borini scored his first goal for the club since April 2013, there is a strong chance that Brendan Rodgers will stick with the same attacking line-up. That would mean Raheem Sterling starting on the right of a front three, pitting him against Chelsea left-back Azpilicueta.

However, it is Azpilicueta’s willingness to get forward that could decide this battle. The 25-year-old set up Costa’s winning goal at Anfield in November with a typical lung-bursting run down the left and will be eager to support the attack again as Chelsea go in search of a first-leg advantage. Sterling must be wary of his defensive duties as well as the need to impose himself in the final third.Sterling’s pace and trickery will pose a significant threat to the Spaniard, with the Liverpool forward contributing to nine goals (four strikes and five assists) in the Premier League and only five players averaging more dribbles per game.

Nemanja Matic v Jordan Henderson

Although it was Costa who scored the winner in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory earlier in the season and Azpilicueta who provided the assist, the Blues’ fight-back owed much to Matic’s commanding display in midfield. Mourinho’s Serbian 'giant' made more tackles than any other player on the pitch and also made three times as many interceptions as any of his teammates.

Henderson, on the other hand, struggled to make an impact in the centre of the pitch. The 24-year-old recorded the worst passing accuracy of any Liverpool player to complete 90 minutes and was also blunt in an attacking sense, failing to create a single chance and firing two shots off-target.

With doubts over Steven Gerrard’s fitness, Lucas’ selection in the middle may give Henderson more licence to roam. His intelligent runs from deep have previously proved effective in creating space for the Reds’ attack, and he will hope to keep Matic busy to allow the likes of Sterling and Philippe Coutinho room to cause problems

Report: NSA Hacked North Korea Before Sony Breach

When the FBI said definitively last month that North Korea was "responsible" for the hack of Sony Pictures, there were those who doubted the veracity of the report.

How could North Korea, a country not exactly known for being a high-tech hub, pull off such a complex hack? And how did the U.S. conclude so quickly that the secretive nation was behind the attack?

As it turns out, the U.S. had some inside information. According to reports fromDer Spiegel and The New York Times, the U.S. knew that North Korea hacked Sony because the U.S. had hacked North Korea.

The National Security Agency (NSA), in fact, has had access to North Korean networks and computers since 2010, the Times said. Officials wanted to keep tabs on the country's nuclear program, its high-ranking officials, and any plans to attack South Korea, according to a document published by Der Spiegel.

North Korea did attack South Korea in 2013, crippling several of the nation's leading financial and media organizations. At one point, however, the hackers revealed their IP addresses - the same I.P. addresses that popped up again in the Sony hack.

Of course, it's relatively easy for a skilled hacker to spoof IP addresses. Some reports suggested that a disgruntled (and tech-savvy) former Sony employee was behind the breach, and was simply leading officials on a wild goose chase.

But U.S. officials seemed sure; the FBI put out a press release and even President Obama said he was confident that North Korea was behind the attack, leading him to later approve sanctions against the country.

As the Times pointed out, the move "was highly unusual: The United States had never explicitly charged another government with mounting a cyber attack on American targets."

If the U.S. had insider information, why did it not warn Sony? According to theTimes, the spear-phishing attacks that North Korea used to infiltrate Sony Pictures were nothing new and did not immediately ring any alarms until it was too late. "Only in retrospect did investigators determine that the North had stolen the 'credentials' of a Sony systems administrator, which allowed the hackers to roam freely inside Sony's systems," the paper said.