Could China Save Greece from Financial Ruin?

BY DEAN CHENG-JULY 4, 2015

With the failure to pay $1.73 billion to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Greece now enters the history books as being the first developed country to default on an IMF loan, with the single largest missed payment in that institution’s history. On Sunday, Greece will hold a referendum, to see whether the people will support further cuts in pensions and increases in the sales tax in order to try and bring the nation’s finances into order.

In the run-up to this default, many observers had watched with concern and curiosity as Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for discussions during the St. Petersburg International Investment Forum. Greek statements hinted that a failure to grant Greece more time and funds might result in a turn by Athens toward Moscow. Reports suggest, however, that Tsipiras returned from St. Petersburg empty-handed. Indeed, it is an open question whether Russia, itself suffering from economic sanctions, has the resources to keep Greece afloat.

One nation that does have the capital to rescue Greece is China. With some $4 trillion in hard currency reserves, and $21 trillion in savings, China undoubtedly has the resources to bail out Greece. Moreover, the Chinese appear intent on expanding their financial role. China loaned some $22 billion to Latin America in 2014, more than the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank combined.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) may be even more incentivized to extend such largesse to a European state, as Europe is China’s largest trading partner, and the Chinese economy has begun to slow down. Coupled with the major volatility in the Chinese stock market in recent weeks, it is likely that Chinese decision-makers would prefer a stable eurozone, especially as Chinese economic ties with Europe have expanded massively over the past decade. From only $2 billion in 2010, it now has nearly $14 billion in annual investment in Europe. Overall economic interaction between Europe and China is believed to amount to some 46 billion euros. Instability in the eurozone due to the departure of Greece would likely have adverse repercussions in China.

Nor do just economic factors suggest that Beijing may at least consider extending financial support to Greece. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinpingannounced the creation of both an overland Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which will connect China by land and sea to Europe. This so-called “One Belt, One Road” initiative will be funded by a dedicated $40 billion Silk Road fund as well as potentially by the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which has been formally ratified by Asian and European members.

China has expressed some interest in having Greece serve as the western terminus of the “One Road, One Belt” effort of fostering trade among China, the Central Asian states, and Europe. Last year, Chinese and Greek leaders initialed contracts totaling some $5 billion, centered on the port of Piraeus. As with all reports of Chinese foreign investment, these figures represent more ideals and aspirations, rather than actual expenditures. However, they do reflect a longer-term Chinese interest in establishing a presence in the eastern Mediterranean. Moreover, Piraeus was a key staging area for the Chinese evacuation of more than 20,000 of its citizens from Libya — the first time the Chinese had ever conducted such a large-scale overseas operation.

Chinese bankers have also extended loans to states whose economic history makes them poor credit risks. The $22 billion in 2014 loans to South America, for example, includes $7 billion to Argentina and nearly $6 billion to Venezuela. It has also provided financial backing to Russian entities during the ongoing Ukraine crisis. Several Chinese banks, including the Export-Import Bank of China, have extended nearly $14 billion in credit facilities and loans to their Russian counterpart.

For Beijing, the financial risks for underwriting a bailout of Greece are substantial. The Greek government and population have demonstrated limited willingness to make the deep, fundamental changes necessary to put Greece on a sustainable economic path. This would certainly impose a substantial political, as well as economic, cost. But the potential political gains, especially if Chinese assistance were to allow Greece to remain in the eurozone, may be substantial.

A eurozone that China helps sustain might mean a Europe that would be more willing to end the Tiananmen sanctions and other export controls on high technology to the PRC. Chinese help in maintaining the stability of the eurozone would also likely limit European willingness to align itself against China in the event of a Pacific crisis (e.g., a Taiwan Straits situation in the wake of the 2016 elections on the island). It would also demonstrate to the world that the PRC has the capacity to act on a large financial scale that was once the sole purview of the United States.

This is not a prediction that Beijing will bail out Athens. Chinese officials have expressed unhappiness with the Greek government’s threats to halt the privatization of Piraeus (the basis for Chinese investments there). And, as AEI’s Derek Scissors has observed, “Simply because China has substantial hard currency reserves does not mean that it is prepared to commit that money, notwithstanding that seemingly half the planet claims that a huge amount of Chinese capital is about to come their way.” Bailing out Greece, even more than loans to Argentina and Venezuela, would be a political, rather than a financial, decision.

What the situation highlights is that as Xi Jinping pursues his policy of “national revival,” he will have more tools, including substantial financial ones, at his disposal. Whether the West, and especially the United States, likes it or not, China has the ability to financially influence and even determine developments globally. They will increasingly have to take the mandarins of Beijing into account, as much as the gnomes of Zurich.

Alexey Kudenko/RIA Novosti via Getty Images

Islamists squeezed as Kurds and Syrian government attack

SATURDAY 04 JULY 2015

Kurdish fighters reportedly advance to within 30 miles of the Islamic State group's stronghold of Raqqa, while pro-Assad forces battle Sunni militants on the Lebanese border

Al Jazeera said Syrian Kurdish YPG units had closed the main route used to supply Raqqa, the de facto capital of the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, from Turkey and were about 30 miles from the north of the city.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is reporting that IS has had to resort to installing CCTV cameras around Raqqa as it no longer has the manpower to mount security patrols.

The US-led coalition said it had conducted 14 air strikes against IS positions in Syria and nine in Iraq on Friday.

The strikes in Syria included six around Hasaka, the northern city where militants briefly seized a residential area before being pushed back by the Syrian army.

Hasaka is divided into zones run separately by the YPG and the Syrian government.

There were four other strikes near Aleppo, three near Kobani and one near Tal Abyad, destroying fighting positions, vehicles, tactical units and staging areas belonging to the militants, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement.

In Iraq there were strikes against the militants near Falluja, Makhmur, Mosul and Sinjar, it said.

Meanwhile, the Syrian army and Shia Hezbollah militia fighters claim to have launched a major assault on the rebel-held city of Zabadani, west of Damascus.

The city, currently held by Sunni militants including the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra front, is one of the rebels' last strongholds along the Lebanese border and capturing it would be a major strategic gain for forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad.

Iran and world powers reach tentative agreement on sanctions relief

John Kerry and Iranian foreign minister still must sign off on package, but news on thorny issue points to progress as negotiators work to reach deal

John Kerry at Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna on 3 July. Photograph: Carlos Barria/AFP/Getty Images

Associated Press in Vienna-Saturday 4 July 2015

World powers and Iran have reached tentative agreement on sanctions relief for the Islamic Republic, among the most contentious issues in a long-term nuclear agreement that negotiators hope to clinch over the next several days, diplomats said on Saturday.

The annex hammered out by experts, one of five meant to accompany the agreement, outlines which US and international sanctions will be lifted and how quickly. Diplomats said senior officials of the seven-nation talks, which include Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, still had to sign off on the package.

Still, the word of significant progress indicated the sides were moving closer to a comprehensive accord that would set a decade of restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for tens of billions of dollars in economic benefits.

Officials had described sanctions relief as one of the thorniest disagreements between Iran and the US, which has led the international campaign against Iran’s economy. The US and much of the world fears Iran’s enrichment of uranium and other activity could be designed to make nuclear weapons; Iran says its programme is meant only to generate power and for other peaceful purposes.

The diplomats, who were not authorised to speak publicly on this past week’s confidential negotiations in Vienna, said the sanctions annex was completed this week by experts from Iran and the six world powers it is negotiating with: the US, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. They did not provide details of the agreement.

A senior US official did not dispute the diplomats’ account but said work remained to be done on “Annex II” before the issue could be described as finalised.

Negotiators are striving to wrap up the deal by 7 July. Along with inspection guidelines and rules governing Iran’s research and development of advanced nuclear technology, the sanctions annex of the agreement had been among the toughest issues remaining to be resolved.

Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have made repeated demands for economic penalties to be lifted shortly after a deal is reached. Washington and its partners have said they will take action after Iran verifiably complies with restrictions on enrichment and other elements of the nuclear programme.

Much of the negotiation on the matter has concerned sequencing, so both sides can legitimately claim to have gotten their way. Several other matters related to sanctions also had posed problems.

The Obama administration cannot move too quickly to remove economic penalties because of Congress, which will have a 30-day review period for any agreement during which no sanctions can be waived.

American officials also had been struggling to separate the “nuclear-related” sanctions it is prepared to suspend from those it wishes to keep, including measures designed to counteract Iranian ballistic missile efforts, human rights violations and support for US-designated terrorist organisations.

And to keep pressure on Iran, world powers had been hoping to finalise a system for snapping suspended sanctions back into force if Iran cheats on the accord. Russia has traditionally opposed any plan that would see them lose their UN veto power and a senior Russian negotiator said only this week that his government rejected any automatic “snapback” of sanctions.

Exclusive: U.S. Operates Drones From Secret Bases in Somalia

Two decades after “Black Hawk Down,” U.S. special operations forces are back in East Africa’s most troubled nation. FP provides a rare window into their shadowy operations.

BY TY MCCORMICK-JULY 2, 2015

KISMAYO, Somalia — Some say the Americans are everywhere. Some say they are nowhere. Still others say they are everywhere and nowhere at once. But the shadowy U.S. presence in this strategic port city in war-torn southern Somalia has clear consequences for anyone with a share of power here. That includes Somali regional officials who are quick to praise American counterterrorism efforts, African Union forces who rely on U.S. intelligence as they battle back al-Shabab, and even the al Qaeda-linked militants themselves, who are increasingly hemmed in by a lethal combination of AU-led counterinsurgency, airstrikes, and raids by U.S. special operators.

Exclusive U.S. Operates Drones From Secret Bases in Somalia by Thavam Ratna

Before carnage, Mexican army was told: ‘Take out’ criminals

This file photo shows the warehouse where 22 alleged gang members were killed by soldiers in Tlatlaya last year. A human rights groups said Thursday the soldiers had been given orders to “take out” criminals. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

By Joshua Partlow-July 2

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican soldiers who killed 22 people last year in a town called Tlatlaya had been ordered by their superiors to “take out” criminals at night, according to military documents presented by a Mexican human rights group on Thursday.

One year after the killings at a grain warehouse about 150 miles southwest of the capital — during which several people were apparently lined up against a wall and shot — the incident has become an emblematic case in the debate over how Mexican soldiers and police use force in their war against drug cartels. Taken with other recent mass killings — including the 43 teachers college students who disappeared in Guerrero state last year — human rights groups see a pattern of excessive violence and disregard for due process.

The new report on the case by the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center brought to light military documents that the group says show a direct order to kill, rather than arrest, suspected criminals.

“Soldiers should operate at night in a massive way and reduce daytime activities, with the aim of taking out criminals at night,” said the orders, signed by the commander of the army’s 102nd Infantry Battalion nearly three weeks before the June 30, 2014, killings. The human rights group argues that in this context, the Spanish word for “take out” — “abatir” — means to kill. It also notes that soldiers’ testimony in the investigation repeatedly used that word to describe the killings that day.

Officials from the human rights group called on the Mexican government to investigate the military’s chain of command to find out how the order originated and whether it applies in other parts of Mexico where aggressive military operations continue.

“In this case, there was a clear order from higher up that the soldiers’ mission was to go out and take down, kill, people they considered criminals,” said Maureen Meyer, a Mexico expert at the Washington Office on Latin America. “It was the first time you actually see a written document describing what a lot of people suspect happens in many cases.”

A presidential spokesman said the Mexican government would not comment until the investigation into the case had been completed.

The army initially said that a patrol had come under attack and that in the ensuing gun battle 22 people were killed. But subsequent investigations, prompted by witness testimony, have indicated that after a brief exchange of fire, several people who had surrendered or were unarmed were then executed by the soldiers. So far, the government has brought charges against seven soldiers in the deaths of eight of the people. Authorities have also charged seven police officers in the torture of three witnesses. No one has been convicted.

Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission concluded in its investigation that 12 to 15 of the people had been executed.

Clara Gómez González, whose daughter was killed that day, spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday at a news conference in Mexico City. “I want justice to be done, justice for what they did to my daughter,” she said, according to the Associated Press. “God will not forgive them.”

Since the Tlatlaya killings, other deadly incidents have drawn further criticism about the behavior of Mexican security forces. In the case of the teachers college students, the government has accused local police of working with a drug cartel to capture, kill and burn 43 people. Although independent investigators have challenged aspects of the government’s version of events, they have not questioned the role of police in the students’ disappearances. More recently, the deaths of 42 people on a ranch in the state of Michoacan, many of them suspected of having ties to drug cartels, has raised questions about whether the event was a shootout, as authorities insist, or a roundup in which some of the people were tortured and shot, as their families insist.

Joshua Partlow is The Post’s bureau chief in Mexico. He has served previously as the bureau chief in Kabul and as a correspondent in Brazil and Iraq.

Gold prices in India at deep discounts on sluggish demand

Gold bracelets are on display as a woman (L) makes choices at a jewellery showroom in Kolkata April 21, 2015.-REUTERS/RUPAK DE CHOWDHURI/FILES

MUMBAI/SINGAPORE | BY RAJENDRA JADHAV AND A. ANANTHALAKSHMI- Fri Jul 3, 2015

Gold prices in major consumer India were quoted at deep discounts to the global benchmark this week on tepid demand and adequate levels of inventory, dealers said.

Prices were quoted at a discount of $8 to $15 an ounce over London prices, much wider than the $1 discount in mid-June, they said.

Persistent weakness in India, the world's top consumer of gold last year and the No. 2 buyer in the first quarter of this year, could add pressure on global prices, which are currently just above a 3-1/2 month low.

Gold prices in India have fallen more than 3 percent in a fortnight, tracking losses in the global market.

"The price drop failed to lure customers," said Bachhraj Bamalwa, director at the All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation.

Two-thirds of India's gold demand comes from rural areas where jewellery is the traditional store of wealth for those with no access to formal banking. However, in the current monsoon season farmers in rural areas are spending on agriculture, leading to a decline in bullion demand.

Lack of weddings and festivals are also hurting gold demand, dealers said.

"Weak demand will remain for another month. From August onwards, jewellers will start restocking for the peak festival season at year-end," Bamalwa said.

For the moment, though, inventory levels are more than adequate, dealers said.

Strong imports earlier in the year have kept stock levels high, putting pressure on prices, they said.

"There is a bit of inventory overhang due to higher imports in last few months," said a Mumbai-based bank dealer. "Inventory levels will come down in next few weeks as banks and others are making fewer overseas purchases."

Elsewhere in Asia too, gold buying was subdued though prices were heading for their second straight weekly decline.

Premiums in Singapore were between 80 cents and $1.20 an ounce, while in Hong Kong they were about 60 cents to $1. In China, premiums on the Shanghai Gold Exchange held at about $2 an ounce.

A tight trading range, expectation of further price falls and a seasonally quiet demand period for bullion have kept consumers away from gold.

"It has been an exceptionally long quiet period this year for physical demand," said a Singapore-based dealer. "In some parts of the region there are more sellers than buyers."

Data from the Perth Mint on Friday showed though gold sales rose month-on-month, they were still much lower than last year's levels.

The mint's gold sales fell 21 percent from a year ago, while silver sales were down 34 percent.

(Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

Five Habits That Could Get You Fired!

James Caan CBE

Jun 26, 2015

Bad habits in the work environment, where do I begin!? There are so many different aspects to this that I found it difficult only picking a handful to focus on. I’ve been in business for 30 years and in that time, I’ve met people from all walks of life. I’ve also come across a lot of bad habits in the workplace which certainly need changing. Here are five of the worst and most common bad habits I see in the office and why manifesting any of them could lead to a declining career path.

Lack of manners

‘Manners don’t cost a thing’ is the oldest saying in the book. It is universally acknowledged that please and thank you are both fundamental words in every country, l in and out of the office environment  When your mum taught you not to forget your please and thank-you’s she was actually teaching you one of the most valuable lessons in life.

You may not have known it at the time, but they are two words we use (or should be using) every single day. It’s funny how the simplest of things can make such an impact, especially at work. . Nobody wants to employ or work with someone who is rude and disrespectful so forgetting your manners is one of the surest ways to lose your job. It’s a known fact that the basics get you a long way. If someone is abrupt and inconsiderate, you automatically feel distant and will remember them as someone you’d rather not work with again.

Sometimes we’re in such a rush to finish a task or get something done that we forget the basics. For example, if you really need a colleague to help you with something the difference between saying ‘do this for me’ or ‘can you do this for me please?’ is huge and can cause so many problems if you get it wrong.

To build good relationships at work you need to show and earn respect and the first step to doing this is being polite. Unfortunately, sometimes we take this for granted. I expect my staff to be polite to everyone because at the end of the day, we’re all people. It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO or you’re serving coffee; there’s no hierarchy when it comes to manners. Like mathematics, it’s the same in every country.

Over-promising and under-delivering

This is a classic. Telling a client or a colleague you can deliver a project to a specific deadline then not delivering at all. Too many people get involved with what I call ‘noise’ at work. By this I mean actions and ‘fluff’  that doesn’t actually lead to anything and which eventually, you drop because it ends up being a waste of time. It is absolutely essential that you qualify your tasks to begin with and take a proper brief to avoid this because trust me, being unproductive and scatty at work will backfire. So many people offer false promises thinking that they will find a way to fulfil them – don’t be so naïve! Be honest. You absolutely need to manage expectations effectively because there’s nothing worse than feeling disappointed when a deadline isn’t met and not only will you look unprofessional, you’ll also seriously damage your reputation. 

Lack of poker face

We’ve all met or worked with someone who has no poker face. Someone who’s emotions are written all over their face; if they like you, it’s obvious, if they don’t like you, it’s obvious, if they’re indifferent, it’s obvious. Sometimes, we can’t hold back our natural instincts but if people feel uncomfortable speaking to you, then we have a problem.

Relationships at work are all about communication and if you’re not able to communicate effectively with your team, your clients or your managers then how do you expect to do your job successfully? If someone is discussing a task with you and your face screams ‘I DON’T CARE or I DON’T LIKE YOU’ do you really think they trust you to do a good job? Remember that people talk and if you make a habit of constantly looking morose and being unhelpful, it will get noticed. Some people may say ‘that’s not fair, I can’t help it’ but everybody has the ability to look engaged and interested. It’s called being professional and if you don’t take note, you could be one step closer to unemployment.

Anti-social behaviour

It may sound a little wishy-washy but anti-social behaviour or not making an effort to get involved with social events at work is an absolute no-no. Company culture is one of the most important components of every business. You spend the majority of your life at work, why not make it a fun place to be!? Every business I have invested in has one thing in common; they all understand that culture is at the core of success. If you’re a recluse at work and never attend social events or even converse with your colleagues socially, you could be at risk of losing your job.

Whenever I am recruiting a new member of staff, I will always introduce them to the team because I want to know if they fit in. Of course you need to have the skill to do the job but if it came down to two candidates; one who looked great on paper but who didn’t really gel with the team, and another who was completely competent, could do really well in the role and was a perfect fit for the team, who do you think I’d go for? It’s a no brainer.

Being a glass half empty kind of person

Negativity is at the core of most bad habits. If one person is giving off a negative vibe, the whole office will feel it – that’s a fact. It brings the mood of the whole team down to the same level which will result in lack of productivity and lack of ambition. Negativity in the office causes so many issues, so if you’re consistently whining or complaining about things it’s very likely you could find yourself in a position you don’t want to be in. Leave your negativity at the door because we don’t want to hear it! Your glass may be half empty but for now, ours is half full.

The same can be applied when resolving work issues. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; bring me solutions, not problems. Negative people have countless problems to express but never seem to have a solution and this is one of the most reoccurring and worst habits I see in the workplace. Remember, negativity breeds dissatisfaction and clutters the mind.

Each of these bad habits are easily avoided if you make sure you do not become complacent in your role. Keep yourself motivated and if you’re not happy with something, change it. Just don’t make it an issue for the whole team.

Looking for a motivational speaker? Click for more details.

Solar-powered plane lands in Hawaii after flight from Japan

Solar Impulse 2, a plane powered by the sun’s rays and piloted by Andre Borschberg, approaches Kalaeloa Airport near Honolulu, Friday. Pic: AP.

By AP News Jul 04, 2015 

KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) — A plane powered by the sun’s rays has landed in Hawaii after a record-breaking five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan.

Pilot Andre Borschberg and his single-seat aircraft landed at Kalaeloa, a small airport outside Honolulu. His 120-hour voyage from Nagoya broke the record for the world’s longest nonstop solo flight, his team said. The late U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett set the previous record of 76 hours when he flew a specially-designed jet around the globe in 2006.

But Borschberg flew the Solar Impulse 2 without fuel. Instead, its wings were equipped with 17,000 solar cells that charged batteries. The plane ran on stored energy at night.

The plane’s ideal flight speed is about 28 mph though that can double during the day when sun’s rays are strongest. The carbon-fiber aircraft weighs over 5,000 pounds or about as much as a minivan or mid-sized truck.

Borschberg and his co-pilot Bertrand Piccard have been taking turns flying the plane on an around-the-world trip since taking off from Abu Dhabi in March. After Hawaii, it will head to Phoenix and then New York.

The project, which began in 2002 and is estimated to cost more than $100 million, is aimed at highlighting the importance of renewable energy and the spirit of innovation. Solar-powered air travel is not yet commercially practical, however, given the slow travel time, weather and weight constraints of the aircraft.

The plane is visiting Hawaii just as the state has embarked on its own ambitious clean energy project. Gov. David Ige last month signed legislation directing Hawaii’s utilities to generate 100 percent of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 2045. The utilities currently get 21 percent of their power from renewable sources.

Borschberg took naps and practiced yoga to cope with the long hours.

“Yoga is a huge support for this flight above the Pacific: it positively affects my mood and mindset,” he wrote in a tweet from the plane on Thursday.

Caveats About Favored Access Method For Dialysis

JUNE 30, 2015

When it comes to dialysis, one method of accessing the blood to clean it gets championed above the rest. But quite a few specialists say there's not enough evidence to universally support the treatment's superiority or to run down the other options.

"When we talk to [dialysis] patients in the clinic, we cannot address their profound question: 'Which access is better for me?' " says Dr. Pietro Ravani, an epidemiologist at the University of Calgary in Canada. "We just don't know, yet we are selling patients on a certain one."

Ravani is talking about guidelines that encourage doctors to pursue connections for dialysis known as arteriovenous fistulas. Research says hemodialysis patients with fistulas have a reduced risk of death, blood clots and infections compared with other access methods.

The connections require surgeons to stitch together an artery and vein, usually in the arm, to create a sturdier vein with greater blood flow. Patients are then pricked at the site of the fistula during each visit to connect to the blood-cleaning hemodialysis machine.

About 450,000 people in the U.S. are on dialysis.

Studies, like this one that was published in May, have shown patients with the fistulas had a lower risk of death (about a third less) when they start dialysis with fistulas rather than catheter connections.

But Ravani says not so fast. "The literature that is available and used to promote fistulas is biased," he says, adding there is no way catheters, an alternative to fistulas, are as deadly as some others have concluded.

Catheters are small plastic tubes, usually placed in a vein along the neck, chest, leg or groin, that can also be conduits for infection. Catheters are the go-to method for access to the blood when the kidneys suddenly fail and patients crash into dialysis, requiring emergency hospitalization and treatment. Fistulas can't be used for one to three months after an operation. Catheters can be used immediately.

Studies comparing these two access types and their mortality rates have only been observational, Ravani argues. That means researchers have looked at what happens to patients after doctors decided on their own how to treat patients. A randomized controlled trial that assigns patients to one treatment or the other and then collects information on what happens to them is necessary to ultimately prove the superiority of one method over another, Ravani says.

Patients with catheters, he explains, are usually pretty sick. But because it takes fistulas several months to develop before use, they are typically given to healthier patients who aren't in immediate need of dialysis.

"The very strong association between catheters and mortality could be related to how sick the patients were, not to the access type," Ravani says. "When you need to start dialysis urgently, it's because you're very sick so you use catheters, not fistulas. This makes it hard to determine if the poorer outcomes observed in patients with catheters are because of catheter or because they are already very sick."

For this same reason — serious illness — Ravani argues that patients with catheters succumb to infection more often than healthy patients with fistulas. If a healthy patient used a catheter, they wouldn't be as likely to contract an infection.

Nephrologist Swapnil Hiremath, at Ottawa Hospital in Canada, agrees that more research is needed to fully assess the value of fistulas. "The portrayal that fistulas are the ultimate access [for dialysis] and that if everyone has one, mortality rates will go down, is an exaggeration," Hiremath says. "You cannot go around blaming catheters; it's the nature of things that these patients are sicker and have a higher risk of death."

Hiremath adds that despite initiatives to increase the number of dialysis patients with fistulas, the treatment method is extremely difficult to provide to patients in the first place.

Roughly half of fistulas fail to mature, particularly in older individuals, and don't end up being used to access the blood, he says. Doctors then resort to catheters or another method to connect patients to dialysis machines. What's more, some 30 percent of patients completely reject the proposal of a fistula, despite explanations of their benefits.

And patients with fistulas can develop complications, such as heart failure, blood clots and swelling.

"To say that everyone who has a catheter should have a fistula, that's not easy," Hiremath says. "Doctors need to have an open mind, but unfortunately many people have already decided that fistulas are the best option."

Johns Hopkins University surgeon Dr. Mahmoud Malas, lead author of the recent paper on the advantages of fistulas, says Ravani's and Hiremath's criticism doesn't make sense to him.

Malas and his colleagues were behind an observational study showing patients starting dialysis with fistulas had lower risks of death. Despite the fact that he and his colleagues only reviewed existing numbers in the U.S. Renal Data System, Malas says they were able to minimize bias by matching the characteristics of patients with fistulas and catheters.

"If we saw a male patient with a catheter that was 40 years old who had diabetes and hypertension, we would find his exact match in a patient using a fistula," Malas explains. "Even with this matching analysis, you still see a much higher mortality rate for those on catheters."

"And our finding is not new, hundreds of prior studies have shown this difference," he adds.

Either way, Malas doubts a randomized trial could ever be carried out to truly compare those on fistulas and catheters. "Nobody would approve that trial," he says. "People will think it's unethical."

Ravani and Hiremath think differently. They are currently pursuing a randomized trial in Canada to tease out the differences between the two methods once and for all.

"For 40 years we have ignored this question with a randomized trial," Ravani says. "And until we have this answer, we cannot say fistulas are better."

Strategic Autonomy And National Consensus

By N Sathiya Moorthy-Friday, July 03, 2015

It’s all in a nation’s heart, or so it seems. Suddenly, Sri Lanka seems to have adequate ‘strategic space’ to share with the American and Chinese ‘super-power’ rivals, on sea and/or land, but at the same time.  News that an elite American SEALS team and a Chinese troops’ group are holding separate military exercises with counterparts, respectively, off the Trincomalee coast and at training institutions on-land, for about two weeks each, should come as a shock or surprise to many in the strategic community, nearer home and afar.

Going by media reports, this is the first time that the Americans are holding such exercises under the ‘Extended Relations Programme’ with Sri Lanka after a gap, an elaborate version having been conducted when Chandrika Bandaranaike-Kumaratunga was President. From the Sri Lankan side, the exercise involves the elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and Fast Attack Craft (FAC) flotilla, which were either non-existent or were still in their infancy the last time round or so it seems.

Strategic Autonomy and National Consensus by Thavam Ratna

Sri Lankan activists, Tamils ​​and Buddhists together against all forms of torture
by Melani Manel Perera-07/02/2015

A young man detained by police in 2008 did not return. An innocent Sinhalese fisherman ​​died in prison after 14 years. Former President Rajapaksa’s police tortured a Buddhist monk 21 times. AsiaNews relays these stories on World Day against Torture in Sri Lanka.


Colombo (AsiaNews) – "Torture belongs to a slave society. It is cruel, inhuman and not suitable to a free society. For the people and the government of Sri Lanka, it is time to be united in the fight to abolish torture,” said in a statement the Right to Life Organisation (R2LO).

The human rights organisation took part in a meeting on 26 June to mark World Day against Torture in Sri Lanka, scene of a bloody 30-yearcivil war between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels. Another meeting was organised by the Committee for Investigation of Disappearance (CID)

The CID event was held at the Centre for Society and Religion in Colombo as part of CID a programme called ‘People's Tribunal for Victims of Torture".

Many victims and relatives of tortured people were present. Some of those in attendance never saw their loved ones again once in police custody.

This is the case of the relatives of a young man from the north-eastern district of Trincomalee. "My son was taken by the police on 27 May 2008,” his mother said. “We were told that he would be subject to a brief probe, but since then we have had not any news about him.”

“We did not get any justice,” but “We have spent time and money to get to Colombo searching for him. Instead of receiving information, we were victims of harassment."

Devi Amma, a Tamil woman from a village in the north of the country, said she had endured similar treatment when she went in search of her son, who had been arrested.

"The police told us that we had to pay for my son’s release,” she said. “Eventually, after many difficulties, we rented a van and drove to Colombo, but we were harassed and chased by another car. . . . Why do we have to suffer so much?"

Another woman noted that in 2012 she was tortured for four days by police, who had previously arrested her husband and son. The latter never returned.

A young Sinhalese fisherman, 32, endured the same fate. Accused of having links to organised crime, he died just two months before his release, after 14 years in prison.

The venerable Watareka Vijitha Thero (pictured), a Buddhist monk who spoke about the pain he suffered last year, also took part in the meeting.

"Because I had denounced injustice, the disappearance of innocent people and inhumane working conditions, I suffered various forms of torture by the guards of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa,” who was defeated in last January presidential election by Maithripala Sirisena, after ten years of ruthless power.

“I feel deep shame and sorrow in telling what happened to me. The media printed photos of me after I was tortured. When I finally went to the police to file a complaint, I was accused again and again tortured.”

“Two police officers, who had been assigned to me as an escort because I was a member of the provincial council, reported on everything I did, where and when."

The monk was tortured 21 times in 2014. In view of this, “We must act together to stop such brutality in this country. I invite you: let us work together.”


“We call on the authorities to act against such inhuman treatment. The murderers of our relatives are still working in the police and go unpunished. The prime minister and the president Sirisena should not govern the country with these criminals."