When you hear the term “international law,” what comes to mind? Perhaps you picture diplomats in suits, sitting in grand conference halls, signing treaties that seem distant from your daily life. Or maybe you imagine high-stakes cases at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where nations argue over territorial disputes and human rights violations.

But what if I told you that international law isn’t just something that happens in faraway places, affecting only politicians and legal scholars? It’s actually woven into the fabric of your everyday life—in ways you might not even realize. From the coffee you sip in the morning to the social media platforms you browse before bed, international law is quietly shaping the modern world, ensuring that systems run smoothly and fairly. Let’s take a closer look at how international law shows up in your daily routine.

1. Morning Coffee and Global Trade

Picture this: you wake up, stumble to the kitchen, and make yourself a cup of coffee. That simple act is already tied to international law.

The coffee beans in your cup might have come from Brazil, Ethiopia, or Vietnam. How did they get to your local store? Through a complex network of trade agreements regulated by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO sets the rules on tariffs, trade barriers, and import/export standards, making it possible for those coffee beans to travel across borders without excessive costs or political interference.

Even the logo on your coffee cup is protected by international law. Intellectual property agreements, such as the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), protect the brand identity and trademarks of coffee companies, ensuring that you know you're drinking the real thing and not a knock-off.

Next time you take a sip of your morning brew, you might want to thank international law for making it possible.

2. Traveling Abroad: Passports and Visas

Planning a trip abroad? Your passport and visa requirements are shaped by international agreements.

Why can you travel to some countries visa-free but need a visa for others? That’s because of bilateral and multilateral agreements between countries, which determine the terms of entry for foreign nationals. The design and security of your passport are also regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. The ICAO sets global standards to prevent fraud and ensure smooth border crossings.

The ease of booking a flight and checking in at the airport is also governed by international aviation laws. The Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation (1944) established the legal framework for air travel, ensuring that planes from one country can safely land in another.

So, the next time you breeze through passport control, remember that international law helped pave the way.

3. Environmental Protection and Climate Change

Ever wondered why plastic straws have disappeared from your favorite café? Or why countries are switching to renewable energy sources? That’s international law in action.

The Paris Agreement (2015), signed by nearly every country in the world, sets targets for reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change. This agreement pushes governments to adopt sustainable practices—like banning single-use plastics or investing in green energy—which directly impacts your daily life.

International treaties also protect wildlife and natural resources. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates the global trade of endangered animals and plants, ensuring that species are not exploited to extinction.

Even the beauty industry is influenced by international environmental standards. Take Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty lipstick, for example. A portion of the proceeds from certain shades goes toward coral reef restoration efforts. Coral reefs are essential for marine biodiversity, but they are threatened by ocean warming and pollution. International environmental laws and agreements, like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), aim to protect marine ecosystems and promote sustainable use of ocean resources.

So next time you apply that perfect shade of coral lipstick, remember that you’re not just enhancing your look—you’re supporting global efforts to protect the planet’s ecosystems.

4. Online Shopping and Consumer Protection

Clicked "Buy Now" on Amazon or Temu recently? Your online purchase is more connected to international law than you think.

International trade agreements ensure that goods can be imported and exported across borders efficiently. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) sets the framework for international commerce, ensuring fair trade practices and reducing trade barriers.

Consumer protection laws, including intellectual property agreements, also protect you from counterfeit products and fraud. Cybersecurity agreements between countries work behind the scenes to protect your personal data when you enter your credit card details online.

So next time your package arrives at your door, remember that international law helped make it possible—safely and legally.

5. Health and Global Pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us just how interconnected the world is—and how crucial international cooperation is in times of crisis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) plays a key role in coordinating global health responses. Its regulations on disease reporting and health emergencies ensure that outbreaks are tracked and managed quickly. The WHO also works with governments and pharmaceutical companies to ensure that vaccines and treatments are distributed fairly.

International law also governs medical research and the sharing of scientific data. Agreements like the Nagoya Protocol regulate the use of genetic resources, ensuring that the benefits of medical discoveries are shared globally.

From vaccine rollouts to international travel restrictions, global health law shapes how the world responds to public health emergencies—protecting you and your community.

6. Social Media and Digital Privacy

Scrolling through Facebook or TikTok? Even social media is shaped by international law.

Data privacy regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union set standards for how social media companies collect, store, and use your personal information. Many platforms follow these guidelines globally, which means that your data is protected even if you're not in the EU.

International agreements on cybercrime also regulate how governments respond to hacking, misinformation, and online threats. Your ability to use social media freely and safely is, in part, the result of international legal frameworks that protect online expression and privacy.

Why It Matters

International law isn’t just about treaties and court cases—it’s about the invisible rules that make modern life possible. It ensures that you can trade, travel, shop, and communicate across borders with confidence and security.

The next time you enjoy a cup of coffee, buy something online, or book a flight, or put on a lipstick, remember that international law is working behind the scenes. It’s not just the domain of diplomats and lawyers—it’s part of the rhythm of everyday life.

Understanding international law helps you see the world differently. It shows you how interconnected and interdependent we all are—and why cooperation between nations matters more than ever.

So, the next time someone mentions international law, you’ll know it’s not just about politics and treaties—it’s about the small things that make your world go round.

Reference List:

1.      United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (2015). Paris  Agreement. [Link to document or website]

2.      World Wildlife Fund (WWF). (n.d.). Plastic pollution. Retrieved from [https://www.wwf.org]

3.      Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (n.d.). The Role of Environmental Protection. Retrieved from [https://www.epa.gov]

4.      Gomez, S. (2021). Selena Gomez's Lipstick and the Environment. [Source or Article Name].

5.      International Criminal Court (ICC). (n.d.). International Law and Environmental Protection. Retrieved from [https://www.icc-cpi.int]

6.      Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2021). Climate Change: The Physical Science Basis. Retrieved from [https://www.ipcc.ch]

7.      International Court of Justice (ICJ). (n.d.). International Law on Environmental Protection. Retrieved from [https://www.icj-cij.org]

8.      UN Environment Programme (UNEP). (2020). The State of the Environment Report. Retrieved from [https://www.unenvironment.org]

9.      The Guardian. (2021). Fashion and Sustainability: What Does the Industry Need to Do?

OUR way of life has caused many serious environmental problems such as global warming and climate change. As a result, the world’s ecosystems are changing faster than ever before. Take a moment and look at our surroundings - the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we live on. Millions of people are now inhaling polluted air, drinking impure water, and consuming contaminated foods. This means that we are experiencing many environmentally hazardous conditions. These issues are a result of pollution, which is now seen as a major hazard to our environment.
A link between pollution and the greenhouse effect Pollution is directly linked to the greenhouse effect, which is actually responsible for life on Earth. The earth’s atmosphere contains some minor gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone,
fluorinated compounds, and water vapour. These gases are called ‘greenhouse gases’ because they operate like the glass of a greenhouse. In other words, these gases act as a blanket in trapping some of the sun’s heat and preventing it from escaping back into space. In this way, the planet’s temperature is kept at a safe level (around 15.5° C). The problem is that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is increasing because of human activities. As a result, the greenhouse effect is becoming stronger, and this in turn is making our planet warmer than usual. Thus, pollution is mainly responsible for many environmental problems, such as global warming and climate change.
Environmental pollution can be classified into five major types: air, water, soil, noise, and light pollution.
Air pollution
Air pollution can be defined as ‘the introduction of harmful substances into the air’. It occurs due to human activities such as fuel burning, logging, farming, mining, manufacturing, and construction of roads and buildings. It can also be caused by natural events such as wildfires and volcanic eruptions. All these sources of air pollution result in a rise in the amount of greenhouse gases. This leads to an increase in global temperature, which brings about many environmental problems such as floods, acid rain, and ozone depletion.
With the rise in global temperature, the ice at the poles melts and sea levels rise, flooding many coastal regions and leading to loss of property and life. Acid rain is one of the consequences of air pollution. It occurs when smoke and fumes from traffic and factories mix with the water in the atmosphere. When this mixture falls back to the ground, it harms not only humans and wildlife but also buildings. The ozone layer is part of the earth’s atmosphere that protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. Ozone depletion occurs when some greenhouse gases like CFCs are released into the atmosphere, moreover, air pollutants can cause many severe health problems such as eye irritation, allergies, asthma, and lung cancer.
Water pollution Water pollution is ‘the addition of undesirable substances in water’. We use huge amounts of natural resources and produce too much waste, like mining waste, agricultural and industrial runoff, and human and animal waste. Water pollution occurs when these different types of waste are dumped into water bodies such as lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans. Polluted water includes toxic chemicals, bacteria, and sites, which can devastate the ecosystems of aquatic life. Water pollutants also cause some harmful diseases such as dysentery, diarrhoea, and cholera. According to the United Nations Programme, nearly 4000 children die every day from drinking impure water.
Soil pollution
Soil pollution means ‘the process of making the earth’s topsoil contaminated with hazardous substances, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and wastes.
The excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture leads to soil degradation. Moreover, many factories are disposing of their chemical wastes, which leak soil layers. Consequently, the fertility of the earth’s soil is being degraded gradually.
These chemicals contaminate the underground water, which will pose a serious risk to human health. Digital waste and rubbish from landfills are other causes of soil pollution. Deforestation is another significant factor that causes soil erosion. As a result of this, our planet loses millions of tons of topsoil each year. Trees keep the land fertile, but with fewer and fewer trees, the soil will be blown away by the wind or washed away by rain. And, unhealthy soil will intensify the existing threat of food and nutritional insecurity.
Noise pollution
Noise, commonly defined as ‘unwanted or excessive sound’ is another environmental pollutant. Noise pollution is born of urbanization, industrialization, and technological advances.
The primary sources of noise pollution include construction sites, industrial areas, forms of transport such as automobiles, trains, aeroplanes, and cultural activities like festivals. Noise causes physical and psychological harm, and reduces the quality of life for those who are exposed to it. In response to loud noise, heartbeat, and respiration accelerate, blood vessels constrict, the skin pales and muscles tense.
In the long run, noise can cause hypertension, hearing loss, and emotional problems such as depression, aggression, irritation, ration, and anxiety.
Light pollution
Light pollution is the overuse or under-use of artificial outdoor light, and it causes problems to all living things. To understand this better, we need to be familiar with three terms: diurnal, nocturnal, and crepuscular. Diurnal means active during daytime; nocturnal means active during nighttime; and crepuscular means active during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk.
For example, some people find that they can work better during the day than during the night. Such people are diurnal.
Animals such as lions, tigers, cows, deer, and birds such as crows, sparrows, kites, and eagles also are diurnal because they hunt for food during the day. On the other hand, there are some people who find that they work better during the night than during the day. Such people are nocturnal. So are leopards, cats, snakes, bats, and owls, because they are active during nighttime.
Moths, some species of honey bees, and a few species of bats and owls are active only during the hours of dawn or dusk. They are crepuscular.
The ill effects of light pollution are many. For instance, light that is too bright can damage our vision; so, does insufficient light.
A bright light has been found to cause sleep disorders such as sleep deprivation which in turn causes stress, headaches, and increasing anxiety. Bright artificial night light has been found upset the food-hunting pattern of many nocturnal and crepuscular creatures.
To minimize the effects of environmental pollution, what should we do? What are the possible solutions to some environmental problems that come about as a result of pollution? We must reduce our use of fossil fuels and promote the use of friendly sources of energy like the sun, wind, and water. Although it is impossible to shut down factories, there should be stricter laws to prevent them from polluting the environment. Forests must be protected because trees take in carbon dioxide. Fewer fertilizers and pesticides should be used in agriculture. We should also try to produce less waste and recycle lots of things that we throw away.
And we should be judicious in using light during the night as well as day. If we do not do something to combat pollution: a hazard to our environment, we will all be losers - with dire consequences to face.
Additional Considerations
Another important aspect of pollution is its economic impact. The rising cost of healthcare due to pollution-related illnesses places a heavy burden on governments and individuals. The damage caused to infrastructure by acid rain and flooding also leads to financial losses. Furthermore, pollution affects agriculture, reducing crop yields and leading to food insecurity.
Public awareness and education play a crucial role in combating pollution. Schools and communities should take part in environmental education programs to inform people about the dangers of pollution and the benefits of sustainable practices.
Citizens should be encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly habits such as reducing waste, conserving water, and using en-
ergy-efficient appliances.
The role of technology in reducing pollution is also significant. Innovations such as electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, and biodegradable materials can help minimize pollution levels. Governments and industries should invest in research and development to create greener alternatives to conventional processes that harm the environment.
Solutions to Environmental
Pollution
To address environmental pollution, individuals, communities, and governments must take collective action. Here are some key solutions:

• Reduce Fossil Fuel Consumption: Transitioning to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Stricter Environmental Laws: Governments should enforce regulations that limit industrial pollution and promote sustainable practices.

• Afforestation and Reforestation: Planting more trees can help absorb carbon dioxide and improve air quality.

• Waste Management: Recycling and proper disposal of waste can minimize soil and water pollution.

• Sustainable Agriculture: Reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides can prevent soil degradation.

• Public Awareness: Educating people about the dangers of pollution and encouraging environmentally friendly behaviors can lead to positive change.

If we fail to take immediate action against pollution, the consequences will be dire for future generations. Protecting the environment is not just an option – it is a necessity for the survival of our planet and all living beings.
I am now concluding my article. In fact, it is humans who build and develop the world of mankind. At the same time, it is also humans who destroy it.
This is truly astonishing. Tigers and elephants are not the ones destroying the world, but rather, it is us humans who are responsible for its destruction. This realization is truly saddening.

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

The Hindu Kush Himalayas – the largest store of ice after Antarctica and the Arctic – are warming three times faster than the global average. Development institutions must take urgent action to avert the disastrous effects of accelerating glacial melt, which would devastate local economies and fuel instability worldwide.       

The United Nations has declared 2025 to be the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, making it a fitting moment to confront the stark reality that the world’s ice sheets are melting. Climate change is accelerating this trend, particularly in the Hindu Kush Himalayas – a region known as the Earth’s Third Pole because it contains the largest volume of ice outside of the Arctic and Antarctica.         

This mountain range, which stretches across 3,500 kilometers and spans eight countries, from Afghanistan to Myanmar, is warming roughly three times faster than the global average. If temperatures rise by 3° Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century, up to 75% of the region’s glaciers will melt, reducing water availability, undermining food and energy security, and exacerbating biodiversity loss.

Glacial melt thus threatens irreversible damage to nearby communities and local economies. But it would also fuel instability around the globe by increasing migration, disrupting trade, and causing food prices to rise.

The 2021 flood disaster in Nepal’s Melamchi River offers a glimpse of what is to come. Unusually heavy monsoon rains, coupled with excessive snowmelt, triggered a debris flow that wiped out thousands of hectares of agricultural land and destroyed critical infrastructure, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to water.

As the glaciers retreat, there will be too little water – a problem that is projected to afflict the Hindu Kush Himalayas by 2050. Dwindling river flows would make it more difficult to irrigate crops in an area that produces around one-third of the world’s rice and one-quarter of its wheat. Water-supply and sanitation systems will become difficult to maintain, adding to the one billion people who already lack access to basic sanitation in the region. Food insecurity will almost surely worsen as well, while communities and even entire industries will likely need to migrate in search of fresh water. Asia’s poorest and most vulnerable populations will be hit the hardest.

The world must take urgent action to avert the disastrous effects of accelerating glacial melt in this region. That means deepening our knowledge by investing in multi-hazard risk assessment, because the extent of the damage will largely depend on whether global temperatures rise by 1.5°, 1.8°, 2°, or 3°C. We must also strengthen integrated river-basin management by enhancing data collection, facilitating knowledge sharing, optimizing water management, and coordinating among people and communities living upstream and downstream.

Ensuring that new and existing infrastructure is climate-resilient is essential for maintaining access to safe drinking water and energy security, as well as sanitation, irrigation, and transport systems. It is equally important to protect ecosystems and promote nature-based solutions such as afforestation, reforestation, wetland preservation, and flood-plain restoration.

Every component of this strategy requires more financing. Development institutions must continue to scale up investment in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, and to work together to recast this glacial region and its river basins as a global public good, especially given their importance for agricultural and industrial activities.

Lastly, the international community must advance the equitable use of shared glacial resources through cooperation and diplomacy. This would help defuse potential tensions and promote sustainable development, ensuring that the region’s glaciers serve as a force for peace rather than conflict.

The Asian Development Bank (of which I am president) has taken steps to meet some of these goals. Together with the Green Climate Fund and country partners, ADB recently launched the Glaciers to Farms program, which will mobilize $3.5 billion to strengthen climate resilience in agriculture in Central and West Asia. Meanwhile, its Building Adaptation and Resilience in the Hindu Kush Himalayas-Bhutan and Nepal initiative is helping plan and design climate-resilient infrastructure and services. And ADB is also piloting new financing instruments, such as eco-compensation mechanisms, carbon markets and water trading, and sustainability-linked bonds.

When UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) launched the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation last month, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said that it should serve as “a wake-up call to the world.” The global community must do everything in its power – from building climate resilience to accelerating the green transition and promoting regional cooperation – to ensure a sustainable future for the billions of people who depend on glaciers and their related ecosystems. Failure to act now would have catastrophic consequences for us all.

Masatsugu Asakawa is President of the Asian Development Bank.

Source: https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/meltdown-at-the-top-of-the-world/

Harnessing energy has been the prime motive of mankind since evolution. All the discoveries and inventions till date are the output of offshoots of the attempt to achieve this goal. One of the critical aspects of energy harnessing is its storage and timely utilization as per needs.

There are several conventional methods by which energy is being stored such as flywheels, batteries, compressed air, & pumped hydroelectricity. The latest advancements that excite energy enthusiasts are superconducting magnets, supercapacitors, photonic energy conversions and hydrogen electrolysis.

The best energy storage device that we have been able to use so far is the chemical battery. As the global Green Energy Revolution is on fast track, it becomes imperative to develop versatile, frugal, convenient & sustainable energy storage solutions. 

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the renewable energy generation (RE) is expected to increase from 9006 TWh in 2024 to 17032 TWh in 2030. This variable RE generation calls for grid stability. Interestingly, one of the known drawbacks with renewable energy is the lack of storage for use in future when it's not available.

As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India aims to achieve 40% cumulative installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy sources by 2030 & shall reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 35% by 2030.

As this huge bulk of power through renewable resources merges into the grid, there will be several anticipated challenges: the generation through RE sources is variable and will impact the stability of the national electricity transmission grid. This variability is subject to the time, climate & geographical location of the chosen RE source. Apparently, the energy peak loads will shift and in turn affect the peak tariffs as well. An efficient energy storage system is the solution to all these problems.

Every energy storage system has its own limitations. Costly super magnets have a limited range of operations; likewise, supercapacitors are also costly, have low energy density, require voltage balancing circuit & power converter. Flywheels exhibit frictional losses whereas PHS are restricted to specific location and topology.

Batteries, however, have survived the race. Majority of the power plant generating, transmission & distribution units see lead acid batteries as their savior for DC back up. This has also led to monopoly of the Plante type LA battery in the Indian market. Despite being robust, these batteries have encountered problems of strap corrosion, pillar erosion, electrolyte contamination, and separator puncture. 

Additionally, the acidic electrolyte and lead used in the battery also pose an environmental threat. Disposal of scrap batteries is a challenge for all industries. The lithium-ion batteries are evolving as a competitor. They are good for Indian application given hot climatic conditions. But they still face the challenge of higher cost, limited technology, raw material outsourcing & the heavier size.

Lead acid batteries are designed for recycling. As per a report by American Chemical Society, 99% of the lead acid batteries are 100% recycled. Whereas only 5% of the lithium batteries are currently being recycled. Unofficial recycling and landfills are a serious threat to the environment & public health. In India, management of battery and disposal is governed by the MoEFCC.

Collaboration is required between government and organizations to develop facilities and educate people regarding the relevance of battery recycling. Awareness on the risks of improper battery disposal through education initiatives and health campaigns; motivation for proper disposal of batteries through media campaigns, school projects and community programs should be emphasised.

If properly backed up by strict guidelines and mass awareness, lead acid batteries can prove to be the most feasible answer to the question of energy storage despite their limitations.

We have options, resources as well as policies through which we look forward to facing this challenge in the future. Development is both imperative & relative, but with vigilant efforts we can ensure the environment walks hand in hand in our journey.

(This article is written by Gunjan Patel, Participant of Executive MBA in Energy Transition, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais and Deputy General Manager, AMNS India and Sanjay Kumar Kar, Professor, Marketing & Energy, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais)

ကိုးကား-  https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/renewable/energy-storage-a-grappling-challenge-for-green-energy-revolution/118381478

History is indelible, and 12 February 2025 marks the 78th Union Day of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Throughout Myanmar’s history, it was only under the reigns of Anawrahta, Bayintnaung, and Alaungpaya that we managed to chronicle the unity of all national brethren in the archive called history. On 12 February 1947, the endeavours of our national leader, General Aung San, and the martyrs – to put an end to the apartheid imposed by the British government between Upper and Lower Myanmar – were acknowledged. The Panglong Agreement was reached between the leaders representing Upper Myanmar and the government of Myanmar, led by General Aung San. This agreement was a prerequisite demanded by the British government for Myanmar to attain independence.
However, the stark reality is that, amid rising political conflicts, democratic decline, and violence, union solidarity is crumbling – and, we, the people of Myanmar, are witnessing it unfold before our eyes. The shared patriotic spirit within us will certainly condemn any act that threatens to divide the union. On our journey to pave the way for Federal Democracy, we cannot lose sight of our ultimate goal – that is, to safeguard the perpetual peace and unity of Myanmar.
“Unity is strength.” As the motto goes, we cannot let differing political views divide us, or else every inch of our concerted effort in building this nation will be in vain. If we wish to harness the collective strength of our national brethren, restoring consensus, harmony, and solidarity among diverse ethnic groups is inevitable. This, undoubtedly, is not beyond our capabilities. By promoting understanding and fostering compassion, we will not only create a harmonious and inclusive society, but we will also strengthen the union spirit among us.
Furthermore, we must keep in mind that foreign interference – one of the root causes propelling Myanmar towards political unrest – is our shared adversary. Myanmar’s geographical location serves as a strategic point for warfare and economic advantage for some powerful nations seeking global dominance. Exploiting insurrections, political chaos, and Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) in Myanmar, these external forces trample upon and sacrifice the people of Myanmar for their own gain. Therefore, any form of foreign intervention or encroachment in Myanmar’s internal affairs is reprehensible. Together, we serve as sentinels, watching for any potential threats that may befall our motherland. It is our shared duty to keep the sovereignty of Myanmar in safe custody.
Myanmar, with its seven states and seven regions, has been passed down to us by our ancestors, and we are duty-bound to preserve the union territory they have entrusted us with. This is why we must join hands in harmony with one another and repel any kind of external interference. Let us remember that it is we and we alone – with compassion and understanding – who can steadfastly keep union solidarity intact and ensure peace and stability within the state.
To conclude, I proudly hail the 78th Union Day by chanting the motto:
“United in heart and soul, marching towards the Union’s goal.”

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

Every day, we hear the word "love"—spoken in conversations, sung in songs, seen in movies and celebrated in literature. All major religions and spiritual teachings remind us of the importance of love. From the biblical command to "Love others as you love your own heart" to the Buddhist principle of compassion, love is universally presented as the foundation of human harmony. Yet, despite these teachings, our world remains plagued by war, conflict, and division. Why is there such a profound disconnect between the ideals of love and the reality of human behavior?

One poignant reminder of this disconnect comes from the lyrics of the song "Where Is the Love?" by Black Eyed Peas, which challenges us to reflect on the state of the world we live in, asking questions like, “Can you practice what you preach?” In a world where hatred and violence often seem to dominate, love remains a powerful, yet underutilized, force.

The Universality of Love

Love is a force that transcends all barriers—cultural, religious, and geographical. It is a universal language, uniting humanity across the globe, and has been celebrated by countless spiritual leaders and philosophers throughout history. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,’ highlighting that love is not about personal gain, but about selflessness and service to others. Similarly, Nelson Mandela taught that, ‘No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.’ These timeless insights remind us that love is not simply an emotion—it is a transformative power, capable of bridging divides, healing wounds, and bringing lasting peace to our world.

Buddhism, for instance, teaches metta, or loving-kindness, as a core discipline. Practicing metta involves cultivating an unconditional, inclusive love for all beings, even those who may have wronged us. This practice challenges individuals to transcend ego and fear, fostering compassion that can heal divisions.

The Consequences of a Love-Deficient World

As of 2024, the world continues to grapple with an unprecedented number of violent conflicts. Over 110 armed conflicts are being monitored globally, marking the highest number of violent disputes in recent decades. These conflicts have left an indelible mark on women and children. Over 473 million children—more than one in six globally—now live in areas affected by conflict. Similarly, nearly 600 million women and girls are enduring the ravages of war, with the number increasing by 50% over the past decade. By the end of 2024, 47.2 million children had been displaced due to conflict and violence. In conflict zones, 70% of women experience sexual violence, a staggering figure that is double the global average.

The trauma faced by women and children underscores the dire need for action to protect the most vulnerable in these regions. Such grim realities reflect a world where love and compassion are overshadowed by greed, hatred, and power struggles. The lack of love manifests in systemic injustices, exploitation, and the perpetuation of cycles of violence. As the Dalai Lama aptly stated, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.

The Power of Love to Heal and Transform

Throughout history, love has been heralded as the ultimate force for healing and unity. The Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh once said, "Through love, we recognize the suffering of others as our own and nurture understanding." This perspective highlights love's transformative power, emphasizing that it fosters empathy and shared humanity, even in the darkest times.

The teachings of Maya Angelou echo this sentiment: "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope." His words underscore the vital role of love in our collective survival and well-being. In the face of war and division, love serves as a counterweight, enabling individuals and communities to heal and rebuild.

Even in modern conflict zones, love finds a way to manifest. Stories of individuals risking their lives to protect others, communities supporting displaced families, and survivors forgiving their oppressors serve as testaments to the enduring power of love. For instance, Huda Sha'arawi, an Egyptian feminist, defied societal norms and dedicated her life to advocating for women's rights and empowerment, showing how love for justice can transcend cultural boundaries. Similarly, Carlos Arredondo, during the Boston Marathon bombing, risked his own safety to save the lives of strangers, embodying how love and empathy can drive selfless action in the face of tragedy. These acts remind us that love is not passive; it is an active force capable of overcoming hatred.

Why Love is the Answer

In a world rife with division, love emerges as the antidote to conflict and suffering. Love is not just a feeling; it is an active choice and a transformative force. By choosing love, we create ripples of empathy and understanding that counteract hatred and violence.

Acts of love, no matter how small, have the power to bridge divides and heal wounds. Stories of solidarity—such as neighbors helping each other in times of crisis or communities uniting after tragedies—remind us of love’s capacity to restore hope. Desmond Tutu’s words ring true: "Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."

Moreover, love is at the heart of peacebuilding efforts. Diplomats, activists, and leaders who prioritize empathy and forgiveness can foster dialogue and reconciliation. Love compels us to see the humanity in others, even those we might perceive as adversaries.

Let’s Rediscover Love

If we want to create a world where love triumphs over conflict, we must begin with ourselves. Love must extend beyond words and manifest in our actions. It requires us to challenge our prejudices, listen to those who are different from us, and work toward common ground.

The teachings of love from religions and philosophies are not outdated ideals; they are more relevant than ever in today’s divided world. They remind us that while conflict and hatred may dominate the headlines, love remains humanity’s greatest strength and hope.

So, where is the love? It’s in the choices we make every day—to be kind, to forgive, to understand, and to stand together. By embracing love as a way of life, we can begin to heal a fractured world and pave the way for a more peaceful future.

Reference List:

• Black Eyed Peas. (2003). Where Is the Love? [Song]. In Elephunk. Interscope Records.
• Gandhi, M. (n.d.). The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Retrieved from Gandhi Foundation
• Mandela, N. (1994). Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Little, Brown and Company.
• Dalai Lama. (n.d.). Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. Retrieved from Dalai Lama's official website
• Hanh, T. N. (1996). The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation. Parallax Press.
• Angelou, M. (2008). Letter to My Daughter. Random House.
• Sendler, I. (n.d.). Irena Sendler: The Woman Who Saved 2,500 Jewish Children. Retrieved from Irena Sendler Project
• Arredondo, C. (2013). Carlos Arredondo and the Boston Marathon Bombing. Retrieved from PBS News
• Sha'arawi, H. (1920s). Feminism and Women’s Rights in Egypt: Memoirs of Huda Sha'arawi. The Feminist Press.
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. (2024). Armed Conflict and Peace Efforts. Retrieved from https://www.sipri.org/
• International Committee of the Red Cross. (2024). The Impact of Armed Conflicts on Women and Children. Retrieved from https://www.icrc.org/
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2024). Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2024. United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/

What is Tax?
1. A tax is money charged to a taxpayer, an individual or a legal entity, to support government spending and public expenditures. All countries have a tax system in place to pay for the functions of government. In terms of economics, taxation is the compulsory transfer of payment from households or businesses to the government. Taxes comprise direct and indirect taxes. Direct tax is paid to the government directly by the taxpayers such as income tax, corporate tax and property tax. Indirect taxes are levied on goods and services and these are transferable with consumers ultimately paying the tax. Examples of indirect taxes are Sales Tax, Value-added Tax, Goods and Services Tax and Customs Duties. The taxation process involves two primary players, taxpayers and the tax office. The taxpayer is responsible for paying taxes and the tax office is responsible for collecting taxes on behalf of the government.

When did tax start in Myanmar?
2. In Myanmar, during the Bagan dynasty, the citizens paid taxes and the authorities levied taxes. Those duties and responsibilities to levy taxes and pay taxes on both sides were stated in Razabiseka Adeikhtan (oath) and Singaha Taya Lay-pa, which are the basic concepts of taxation administration of Myanmar kings. In the ceremony of the king’s coronation, he was asked to rule his country according to the law and order in receiving public taxes, and in exploiting one-tenth of the public tax and govern his people with justice and mercy. In the periods of Bagan, Sagaing, Pin-ya, Inwa, Toungoo, Nyaung-Yan and Konbaung, taxes were levied throughout the period. The records of collecting taxes can be found in the inscriptions of Bagan. In those periods, paying taxes could be in the form of garments, copper or paddy. However, the rates of tax on land varied from region to region because different production rates depended on different kinds of soil and the attitudes of the local chief who levied taxes. In addition, taxes were collected on different resources such as gold, silver, ruby, topaz, white copper and bronze.
After the British annexation of the whole of Myanmar in 1886, the colonial administration was introduced by the British. Then, Division, Subdivision, Districts, Townships and Villages are divided to administer in Myanmar. In 1888, a financial commissioner was entrusted to control the revenue collection. The revenue collected from the respective townships was submitted to the central treasury in Yangon. The most important taxation under British rule was land tax and other taxes practised in the colonial period include Tha-tha-me-da Tax, Capitation Tax, Excise Tax and Municipal Tax.
After Independence, the Internal Revenue Department was established on 1-10-1972 to develop the new administration system by merging all separate departments. At the time of establishment, IRD collected ten types of tax listed as income tax, profit tax, trade tax, excise tax, Aung Ba Lay Thein Su tax, stamp duty, land tax, water tax and dam tax, In-Ai tax, and mineral tax.
After 1988, when the government changed to a market economy, to make the tax collection system more effective, five types of tax, namely land tax, water tax, embankment tax, excise tax and mineral tax were transferred to the General Administration Department. At the moment, IRD is responsible for collecting five types of taxes, namely income tax, commercial tax, specific goods tax, state lottery tax and stamp duty.

What are the different types of tax systems?
3. Tax systems are structured depending on the ability-to-pay principle. This principle states that taxes should be levied on people according to how well they can carry the burden. Three types of tax are listed as
(i) Proportional taxes
(ii) Regressive taxes
(iii) Progressive taxes
Proportional taxes also known as flat taxes require all taxpayers to pay the same fraction of their income whatever their level of income is. The tax rate doesn’t change whether income increases or decreases. The weak point in proportional taxes is that the gap between the rich and the poor is becoming higher as time passes by. Regressive taxes require high-income taxpayers to pay a smaller fraction of their income than low-income taxpayers. That means as income rises, the tax rate decreases. A regressive tax is practised by countries when collecting indirect taxes. No matter someone’s income level, he or she can purchase the product or services at the same price. Progressive taxes mean when income rises, the tax rate increases which means high-income taxpayers are required to pay a larger fraction of their income than low-income taxpayers. The tax rates differ based on the amount of income with a threshold. Many developing countries practice progressive income tax structures to alleviate poverty by redistributing wealth. Myanmar also practices progressive taxes, which means higher income levels are taxed at increased rates.

Who administers taxes in Myanmar?
4. The Internal Revenue Department is the tax agency which is authorized to collect different types of taxes in Myanmar. The Ministry of Planning and Finance merged the previously independent Profit Tax Department, Commercial Tax Department, Excise Department, State Lottery Department, Stamp Duty Department, Revenue Section of the General Administration Department, and the Office of the Financial Commissioner and originated the Internal Revenue Department on 1 October 1972, to oversee all tax assessments. Two methods of tax collection system practised by IRD are;
(i) Official Assessment System (OAS)
(ii) Self-Assessment System (SAS)
Under the Official Assessment System, the tax office makes assessments based on the facts provided by the taxpayer. That system puts a lot of authority in the hands of a tax officer as the individual tax officer is responsible for taxpayer service, tax audit and tax collection. According to human nature, their reluctance to pay tax out of their pocket, that system could lead to a lot of negotiations between tax authorities and taxpayers. Hence, IRD attempts to put the Self-Assessment System into practice as a part of their reform process. The four tax offices using the Self-Assessment System are the Large Taxpayers’ Office (1), (2) and Medium Taxpayers’ Office (1), (2). The tax collection of these offices is 80 per cent of the total tax collection. In a self-assessment system, taxpayers must calculate the amount of tax due from the income they receive or will receive and pay it within a specified period. In addition, quarterly tax return forms and annual tax return forms must be submitted on time within the prescribed time limit according to law. Taxpayers may request an extension of time if such timely filing is difficult. Taxpayers may inquire about matters related to tax laws in person, in writing, or by telephone at the Taxpayer Service Department of IRD.

What is a Tax Appeal?
5. Tax disputes occur when taxpayers disagree with the assessment order provided by tax authorities. When tax disputes occur, tax appeals become effective. Tax appeal is a common way to resolve any tax disagreements taxpayers have with the tax agency. Under a particular tax law, the right to tax appeal if one is dissatisfied with the assessment order is provided. Thus, tax appeals are a legal process by which taxpayers can challenge tax assessments or decisions made by tax authorities. Tax appeal aims to ensure fairness and accuracy in tax administration.
In the tax appeal process, there are two stages listed as
(i) Internal Review
(ii) External Review
An internal review is a tax appeal process where the dispute is reviewed by officials within the same tax authority or department that made the initial decision. This review is conducted within the tax agency or department and tax authorities reassess the original tax decision. Internal review is often quicker, less formal and cheaper than going through external channels. If the taxpayers reach satisfaction, they are not required to go through an external review. An external review is a tax appeal process which takes place outside the tax authority and involves an independent body or tribunal. If the tax dispute remains unresolved after the internal review, taxpayers can proceed to external review. The external review process is more impartial and formal. The judgment passed by the external body is binding on both the taxpayer and the tax authority. In some countries, the decision passed by such an external body is final and conclusive and in some countries, if the taxpayer remains dissatisfied, he can proceed to the highest jurisdiction in the country.

How was the Revenue Appellate Tribunal formed in Myanmar?
6. In Myanmar, tax appeal was introduced in 1954 and the Income Tax Tribunal was formed under subsection (a) of Section 5 of the Burma Income Tax Act and only income tax appeals were adjudicated at that time. In 1972, the Revenue Appellate Tribunal was formed by Notification 120 dated 23-10-1972 of the Ministry of Planning and Finance with four members including the Chairperson to hear and adjudicate not only income tax appeal cases but also appeals, revisions, reviews and references related to customs duties, excise duties and stamp duties. Subsequently, the Income Tax Tribunal was changed into the Revenue Appellate Tribunal. Later, the Revenue Appellate Tribunal was formed by Notification 12 dated 11-12-1976 of Cabinet in 1976, Notification 6/89 dated 28-7-1989 of Government of the Union of Myanmar in 1989, Notification 54/2017 dated 31-5-2017 of Government of Republic of the Union of Myanmar in 2017 respectively and cases were heard. The Tribunal was formed by Notifications of the Cabinet without legislation and cases were heard for a long time. In 2018, the Revenue Appellate Tribunal bill was submitted and the Law was enacted by Law 23 of Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on 1-8-2018.
7. The Revenue Appellate Tribunal has quasi-judicial power, it is constituted of experts and experienced persons in the fields of law, taxation, accounting and auditing per international standards to adjudicate cases filed to the Tribunal regarding revenues collected by the Union Government and such cases are being heard independently and adjudicated impartially. In the exercise of the power conferred by sub-section (a) of Section 4 of the Revenue Appellate Tribunal Law, the Tribunal comprising eight members including the Chairperson was formed and assigned by the Union Government Notification in 2020.

Which types of cases can be filed to the Tribunal?
8. Four types of cases can be filed to the Tribunal such as appeal, revision, review and reference.
Appeal
Appeal means an appeal filed to the Tribunal against an assessment order passed by any department responsible for collecting internal revenue or by the Customs department or against a final decision on an assessment order made by any government department or organization assigned by the Union Government through a notification from time to time. An appeal may be filed to the Revenue Appellate Tribunal using the form prescribed by the Tribunal within 90 days from the date of the receipt of the said order. Even though filing has not been made during the limitation period, the appeal may be accepted if there is sufficient cause.

Revision
Revision means a case re-filed by an aggrieved person to the Tribunal, to revise, with respect to issues of fact, against the order passed by the Tribunal. Revision may be filed to the Tribunal using the form prescribed by the Tribunal within 60 days from the date of the receipt of the decision of the Tribunal.

Review
Review means a case re-filed to the Tribunal by any person receiving the decision of the Tribunal, to review the decision. The power is conferred upon the Revenue Appellate Tribunal to review its decision under the law. Review may be filed to the Revenue Appellate Tribunal using the form prescribed by the Tribunal within 90 days from the date of the receipt of the decision of the Tribunal. Review may be filed to the Tribunal where there is reasonable ground following Rule 1, Order 47 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

Reference
Reference means a case referred to the Supreme Court of the Union regarding issues of law, after hearing it by the full bench. When the applicant or respondent applies for a reference or any issue arises to refer the case to the Supreme Court of the Union, the full bench shall decide whether it should be referred. Reference may be filed to the Tribunal using the form prescribed by the Tribunal within 60 days from the date of the receipt of the judgment of the Tribunal.

The role of the Revenue Appellate Tribunal
9. Notwithstanding anything in any existing laws, revenue appeals shall be filed and heard only under Revenue Appellate Tribunal Law, which is promulgated in section 41 of the Revenue Appellate Tribunal Law. Thus, an appeal against orders or decisions of all kinds of revenue (taxes, fees, licence fees, permit fees or fines), against all forms of revenue in the schedule (1) of Union Taxation Law and customs duties shall be submitted to the Revenue Appellate Tribunal in line with the rules. Cases submitted to the Tribunal have been heard and adjudicated independently under the law and for cases heard by the Tribunal, the decision on issues of fact is final.
10. To conclude, the location of the Revenue Appellate Tribunal and its office is Office No 57, north of Thirimantine Road, Ottarathiri Township. Anyone willing to file an “appeal”, everyone is welcome to reach the Revenue Appellate Tribunal office. RAT members and its staff have made earnest efforts to prevent revenue loss and provide the best service to every taxpayer. The Revenue Appellate Tribunal has strived to ensure justice, equality, the right of defence and the right of appeal for Myanmar citizens and taxpayers.
References
– The Internal Revenue Department website
– The Revenue Appellate Tribunal website
– Taxpayers’ Perception of Service of the Tax Office Under the Self-Assessment System
– Access to Tax Justice by Michael Walpole
– Revenues of Myanmar in the British Administration
Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

Your smart watch alerts you of a new social media post from a friend. She just shared a video of her dog jumping in mud. You probably don’t think at all about how that video got to you. Or consider how your emojis will get back to your friend.
You and your friend could be on the same block, or on two different continents, yet the internet connects you. Almost like magic. But the internet is not magic. The simple explanation is that the internet “is a network of computers where people can share information,” says Anne Lee. She is an expert in telecommunications at Nokia Bell Labs in Naperville, Ill.
Telecommunications includes any exchange of information — also called data — over a distance. The global internet is more than just computers, though. It’s a massive structure, with components that crisscross the globe. Cables snake below your feet. Wireless signals fly over your head. Numerous devices hide within your community. Your devices tap into this structure whenever they exchange data.
When the internet first became commonplace, people called it the “information superhighway.” Thinking about roads can really help you understand how it all works.

Cables are the roads of the Cables are the roads of the internet
When your family goes on a road trip, you probably start out on smaller side streets. Then you merge onto a highway where you can travel quickly with lots of other drivers. The internet’s infrastructure is similar. Its vast network of roadlike cables direct data from far-flung places toward large central channels. Traveling data are even called “internet traffic.”
Fiber-optic cables are the roads of the internet. They contain glass filaments that carry data as bursts of light. Over 500 of these cables stretch beneath the oceans. Even more are buried underground or strung up on poles. If you could stretch out all the fiber-optic cable on Earth end-to-end, it would reach around 4 billion kilometers (2.5 billion miles).
All that cable would stretch from the sun past the orbit of Uranus! Just as roads have different numbers of lanes, these cables also come in different sizes.
Bigger cables with more filaments can carry more data at once. Bandwidth is the rate of data passing through every second. The thickest cables, about the size of a garden hose, are like an interstate highway. They have the highest bandwidth.

Routers and exchanges are like intersections
Traveling somewhere on roads requires making lots of turns. Devices called routers exist anywhere that internet cables come together, like an intersection where roads meet. These devices direct data toward a final destination.
If the ISPs that operate different networks of cables and routers kept their systems separate, that would be a problem. It would be like having entire road systems that people couldn’t reach. To connect the entire world, ISPs have to link up.

Data centers are like parking garages
It may seem like your friend’s silly dog video went directly from her device to yours. But that’s not usually what happens. When people share, or upload, a video or anything else to the internet, the content ends up in a building called a data center.
This is like a parking garage for data. A data center is filled with computers called servers. It also contains systems to supply electricity and keep everything cool. Videos and other content sit waiting on those servers until someone asks for them. But that’s not all servers do. They also store the programs required to run many of the apps and software that you use. Keeping content and pro-
grams in a data center means that these files and programs are available whenever anyone wants to use them. So your devices don’t need to keep a copy of every single program or piece of content you need. And your devices can be quite small in size.

Wireless goes off-road
For a car to get somewhere, there generally has to be a road to follow. Internet data, though, can easily go off-road. That’s because data can travel through the air in the form of radio signals. A home or business often has its own Wi-Fi network. In a simple home network, there’s just one router. It has an antenna that sends and receives radio signals from all the devices in the home.
If you are outside without any Wi-Fi, you can often still use the internet. You have to connect to a cellular network. This network uses tall structures called cell towers to send and receive radio signals. You can often see these towers when you’re out driving around. “They have what looks like plates at the top,” says Lee.
“Those are antennas.” Cellular networks also contain smaller antennas that aren’t as easy to notice. Wi-Fi routers and cellular antennas have cables that connect them to the rest of the network.
Each cellular antenna can only reach devices located within a certain radius. 5G antennas send signals at the fastest rates.This gives people the highest internet speeds. But these signals also reach the shortest distance. In many areas, wireless antennas are spaced around 1.6 to 5 kilometers (about 1 to 3 miles) apart.

A video’s internet road trip
Imagine that you just captured a pic of your cat yawning. You know your friends would love it. You tap to post it to a shared photo album. That single tap triggers a flurry of activity. First, says Lee, “the picture itself is broken up into small pieces.” These are called packets. Each packet gets bundled with a lot of extra information, such as what the picture is and how to put its packets back together. There’s also info on how to fix any errors that might happen during the journey.
And there may be a layer of encryption to keep the packet safe, so no one but the receiver can read its data. There are also two addresses, one for the sender (you) and another for the receiver. If you’re using an Apple device, the receiver would be a server inside a data center owned by Apple. That data center may be located quite far from you.
Your device sends these packets out into the air as radio signals. The router in your home picks up the signals. It sends them into the fiber-optic network. Now, they are traveling as bursts of light. The packets zip along through many routers and cables. They pass through internet exchange points. 

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper

Edward Snowden hoo-ha might have ended ten years ago, but illegal spying by the US carries on, both on its partners and anyone it wants to control, via warrantless surveillance rights to indiscriminately monitor communications of all internet users around the world.
Snowden popularized the term ‘metadata’ and started a heated debate about mass surveillance. He had succeeded beyond imagination. But who is there to defend our democracy and rights in this digital age?
The intelligence agencies (CIA, NSA, FBI – acronyms stated at end of article) dismissed such claims at that time, arguing that their programmes are constitutional, and subject to rigorous congressional and judicial oversight, yet critical to meet their overriding aim of protecting the public from terrorist attacks. As usual, they regurgitate the age-old slogan: if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to be scared of!
The whole world was shaken at that time. Its allies were rightly upset, its so-called enemies were proven right about what they had suspected all along, people were livid due to lack of some social responsibility, US internet companies claimed they were forced into cooperation and NGOs warned that surveillance was going beyond the intention of lawmakers.
Cell phones, laptops, Facebook, Instagram, X, Skype, and chat rooms: all allow the NSA to build what it calls ‘a pattern of life’, a detailed profile of a target and anyone associated with them. And the number of people caught up in this dragnet can be huge. You have to recall the Bourne Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum trilogy of movies, to visualize the level of spying and black ops going on.
Ten years ago, faced with this growing public and political concern over the quantities of data it is collecting, the NSA said it collected only a tiny proportion of the world’s internet traffic, equivalent to a “dime on a basketball court”. But in reality, that is still a huge amount of data. It says it needs all this data to help prevent another terrorist attack like 9/11. To find the needle in the haystack, they argue, they need access to the whole haystack. Yet, the US Congress did not find any substantial evidence of NSA actions stopping terrorist attacks. NSA claimed 54 terror attacks being stopped, but was fact-checked to be only 4.
That was ten years ago. The chances were you were already sharing a lot more personal information than you thought, even back then.

Spying Continued
Now Five Eyes countries jointly conduct cyber espionage operations eavesdropping, tapping and collecting metadata upon other countries from Russia to China to Germany and France. Instead of toning down its indiscriminate monitoring and illegal spying operations, the Five Eyes have up their ante by introducing programmes such as False Flag operations, misleading traceability attribution and implanted backdoors in the internet products US companies sold to other countries.
US longstanding strategy of ‘forward defence’ and carrying out ‘hunt forward’ operations requires that it continues to stealthily spy on other countries by hook or by crook. At the same time, since Snowden’s time, due to investigations by US lawmakers, the tactics have gone underground, trying to cover up its attacks, erasing fingerprints of cyber espionage and attempting to obscure various identifiable features of its assaults. The worst of all was inputting code ‘strings’ in other languages to mislead cybersecurity experts and frame other countries for cybersurveillance.
According to China’s CVERC, Volt Typhoon was one such programme, deployed by the Five Eyes recently. China’s Global Times also highlighted a stealth tool kit codenamed ‘Marble’ used in such operations. The report claimed Marble can use over 100 algorithms to replace readable content in source code files with unrecognizable content and has the ability to insert interfering strings.
False Flag operations are a major component of Influence Operations by the Five Eyes countries. Influence operations include two aspects: (dis) Information operations and Technical disruption operations. Its 4D principles of deny, disrupt, degrade, and deceive are in full observation in its cyber spying activities.
Five Eyes’ illicit spying activities are helped by the fact that much of the world’s communications traffic passes through the US or its close ally the UK – what the agencies refer to as “home-field advantage”, because of the fact that it can control the world’s most internet choke points such as Atlantic submarine fibre optic cable and Pacific submarine fibre optic cable. The UK is connected to 57 countries by fibre optic cables whereas the US is connected to 63. NSA works closely with the FBI and British NCSC to carry out protocol analysis and data theft of the full amount of data transmitted by fibre optic cables, to achieve wholesale monitoring of internet users around the world.
The NSA has its own cable-intercept programs tapping traffic flowing into and across the US. These are collectively known as the Upstream collection. NSA runs these surveillance programmes through “partnerships” with major US telecom and internet companies. The Upstream project function is to retain all the original communication data of submarine fibre optic cables intercepted by monitoring stations in a massive data ‘reservoir’. The second project of NSA is Prism, whose main function is to classify the original data from the Upstream collection accordingly and to analyze its content. It is also a “downstream” programme – which collects the data from Google, Facebook, Apple, Yahoo and other US internet giants.
The above snooping would be sufficient provided if the data that they wanted actually travelled through the above submarine pipelines. What if the data they wanted to spy on stayed just within Russia or China? To solve this problem NSA conducts CNE for specific targets located in such blind spots and the Office of TAO follows up with the dirty work. To be specific, using advanced US technology and products, in cooperation with US internet, software and equipment suppliers, TAO would intercept and disassemble US products purchased by the entities in these blind spot territories, implant backdoors and repackage them before shipping them to their destination. These products once in use, would transmit back the required top-secret content back to NSA headquarters.
The division inside the NSA that deals with collection programmes that focus on private companies is Special Source Operations, described by Snowden as the “crown jewels” of the NSA, under the heading of ‘Corporate Partner Access’. It has already set out its mission: “Leverage unique key corporate partnerships to gain access to high-capacity international fibre optic cables, switches and/or routes throughout the world.” The names of many of the NSA’s “corporate partners” are so sensitive that they are classified as “ECI” — Exceptionally Controlled Information.

The future
Public opinion is polarized over surveillance, but polls over recent years showed a consistent increase in concern over privacy. Meanwhile, the unlawful activities by the Five Eyes continued, invading the privacy of many, not under its sovereignty as well as stealing the confidential top-secret information of other countries.
With the new peace-advocating President in place this year, hopefully, these anti-peace activities will discontinue soon. Optimistically, the $400 million assistance via Burma Act to antigovernment forces could be halted too, thereby stopping $20,000+ a month funding to each of the illegal fake news agencies in Chiang Mai, that did more to bring the country down than help any fellow citizens prosper.

Acronyms:
NSA: National Security Agency
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Metadata: Data providing information about other aspects of that data, e.g., information about the time and location of a phone call or email, as opposed to the contents of those conversations or messages.
Five Eyes countries: US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand,
False Flag operation: an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party.
Traceability attribution: tracing and attributing security-relevant actions (i.e., subject-object interactions) to the entity on whose behalf the action is being taken.
Implanted backdoor: a typically covert method of bypassing normal authentication or encryption in a computer, product, embedded device (e.g. a home router), or its embodiment.
CVERC: China Virus Emergency Response Centre
String: a data type used in programming, that is used to represent text rather than numbers.
NCSC: National Cyber Security Centre
Protocol analysis: tools to identify and create categories of propositions and semantic organization of text segments.
CNE: Computer Network Exploitation
TAO: Tailed Access Operation

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

Nowadays, the world is more traumatized by the oppression of various diseases than ever before. The incidence and prevalence of these diseases are on the rise. These can be ascribed to changes in diet and lifestyle, poverty, malnutrition, climatic changes and more stressful situations. In the event of a disease, the public goes to a hospital to seek a cure. When patients and their family members arrive at the hospital, public relations in the hospital commence. In this context, public relations mean a two-way communication process between the hospital and its internal public (all hospital staff) and external public (patients, their families, their communities, and social media, among others). This article focuses on how to improve the public relation between patients and hospital staff.
Hospital staff are obliged to deal with many patients every day. The Emergency Department and the Out-patient Department are two channels through which the hospital staff start their relations with the patients. Therefore, the hospital needs to equip the staff posted in these departments with high social and organizational skills so that people will be willing to attend the hospital without any anxiety in case of a disease.
The Emergency Department is the best resort for seriously ill patients and persons severely wounded due to accidents and disasters. Usually, the minds of patients arriving there are overtaxed with financial constraints, social problems and psychological upset. Therefore, the staff should extend a warm welcome to these sorrow-stricken patients with a sweet smile on their faces. They should not wear a stern face in the presence of patients and their relatives. The staff on duty should be in their uniforms which can boost patients’ confidence in them. Moreover, the staff should be kind, courteous and helpful to patients. The staff should listen to them attentively and deal with their inquiries politely. In addition, the staff should guide them in detail and treat them in an encouraging and consoling manner. The staff should always remember to say “Thank you” to every patient. This can prevent the patients from lodging complaints and creating conflicts. But, if a complaint or a conflict occurs inevitably, the staff should curb his or her emotion, report the issue to the senior staff, find the root cause and negotiate to reach a solution.
In the outpatient department, the medical staff should examine the patients carefully, give them instructions to do necessary investigations and prescribe treatments for them. For the investigations to be done, the attendants of the patients rush to the laboratory and the Radiological Department and wait nervously for the results. For more convenience of the waiting patients there, waiting time should be minimized. Waiting facilities should be supplied adequately. Queue jumping should not be allowed. Waiting areas should be spacious and well-ventilated. There should be enough power and water supply. Clean toilets should be provided sufficiently.
For a patient to be admitted to a ward, the admission procedure should not be cumbersome and over-processed. Unnecessary delay should be avoided. Prompt attention and effective care should be given to him or her. The staff assigned to the ward should respect the dignity of the patient and the confidentiality of the information about his or her disease. Privacy should be given to the patient if necessary. The ward should be furnished with all necessary physical facilities to solace the worried patients and their attendants.
During the hospital stay, the family members and relatives gather round the patient to encourage him or her. So, the need to satisfy the desire of the patient to see the family members and to limit the number of visitors should be balanced. However, enough guest hours should be allowed.
Blood requisition and blood transfusion processes are very important for a patient who is seriously ill and anaemic. The patient’s family members would not tolerate any delay in receiving blood from the blood bank and transfusing blood into the patient. As blood transfusion is a life-saving procedure, all the staff concerned should try to understand and empathize with the patient and his or her family members. Therefore, they should concentrate their attention on doing a timely blood transfusion for the patient; otherwise, it could cost his or her life.
The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) should be fully provided with sociable and efficient staff and intensive care facilities. As a rule, only one attendant is allowed for a patient. But, if necessary, the number of attendants should be increased. The ICU staff should keep a close eye on the changing situations of the patient at all times and encourage the attendants as well.
In the process of removing a dead body to the mortuary from a hospital ward, which is a most sensitive case, due respect should be shown to it. The mourning family members should be consoled with sympathy and empathy. The process should be done with the least disturbance to others in the ward. If there is a plan for an autopsy, it should be undertaken immediately after asking permission from a family member or a close relative.
In all dealings with the patients, the hospital staff should be patient-centred. They should be free from bias and discrimination in providing their services. They should always practise optimism, harmony and understanding towards the patients. They should explain to the patients about their diseases. At the same time, they should engage the patients in making decisions regarding their cases.
Today, a hospital is the haunt of the various media. The reporters frequent the hospital to elicit the news of the hospital from the staff. So the hospital staff should take much care in dealing with the questions of the media and, at the same time, they should be on amicable terms with them. To be able to evade the traps laid by shrewd reporters, they should have problem-solving, diplomatic, discourse analytical and public presentation skills.
The hospital staff tend to work more energetically and actively in a happy and pleasant work environment. So, they should be motivated by giving incentives of various forms. These should include good salaries, pay raises, cash rewards, the welfare of employees and their families, different kinds of leave, flexible scheduling, words or letters of appreciation for their performances and achievements, job transfer to a better position, job promotion and opportunities for further education. Only then, would they become motivated staff. The staff would motivate the patients. However, one important point is that the administrative team and heads of the wards should exercise just culture but avoid blaming the staff.
In conclusion, it is observed that the public relation of a hospital depends much upon the efficiency, performance, and attitude of its staff and the physical facilities. Therefore, it is suggested that regular training courses in public relations should be given to all the staff, that a sufficient amount of staff should be appointed, lest the staff would be overloaded with tasks, and that new generations of efficient, industrious and dutiful staff should be recruited regularly. Moreover, a public relations management office should be opened and, at any rate, no stone should be left unturned in undertaking all the measures to improve public relations in the hospital. It is also aware that the motivated, satisfied staff can make the motivated, satisfied patients, that the motivated, satisfied patients can find speedy recovery from their diseases and that, as a consequence, this hospital will be reputed to be a prestigious one among the public. Therefore, this hospital would, undoubtedly, become their choice if the patients, their family members and relatives are afflicted with a certain disease. Hence, it is taken for granted that the promotion of public relations in a hospital can serve as an impetus to its development and good image.

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar