wired2tech.com

Sunday, May 6, 2007

The team of the University of Melbourne has won the fifth annual ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law for law students in Geneva yesterday, after beating the team from the University of Hong Kong.

Organised by the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA), the competition brings together students from around the world each year to contest a case based on the legal system and case law of the World Trade Organization – the global treaty that governs world trade and commerce.

This year, the case for the competition was on the topic of intellectual property rights and access to essential medicines – one of the most contentious issues in world trade in the past decade. Participating teams played out a dispute between two WTO members – one setting aside a pharmaceutical patent (respondent), the other challenging this on behalf of its industry (complainant).

Under World Trade Organization rules, a country can sidestep patents by issuing a “compulsory license” – a legal mechanism that allows a country to manufacture or import generic versions of patented drugs for public health and national emergencies while paying the patent holder only a small royalty.

The global finals last week were the culmination of months of national and regional rounds, with eighteen teams from universities in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia-Pacific winning a trip to Geneva for the final round. The first semi final was contested by the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne, while University of Hong Kong and Georgetown University fought out the second semi final.

In the grand final at the WTO Centre William Rappard, the University of Melbourne acted for complainant, the Government of Costo (imaginary developed WTO member), while the University of Hong Kong defended the position of the Government of Factoril (imaginary developing WTO member) – respondent in the matter.

After the two and a half hours of intense debates, the Grand Panel, including Gabrielle Marceau from the WTO Secretariat, Jayashree Watal from the WTO Intellectual Property Division and Werner Zdouc from the WTO Appellate Body Secretariat, decided in favour of complainant. The arguments submitted in favour of protecting the intellectual property rights of the pharmaceutical patent holder were deemed to be better structured and presented which led to the University of Melbourne winning the competition.

“The subject of the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health has raised a wide range of issues in the public debate. I think the ELSA Moot Court gave a timely opportunity to bright, young lawyers involved with WTO law to reflect upon and debate the complex legal and political issues raised by this subject,” said Jatashree Watal, Counsellor, WTO Intellectual Property Division.

The students’ debates during the final round in Geneva coincided with the decision of the Government of Brazil to put patients’ interests before patent holder’s interests and issue compulsory license on important AIDS drug. Some parties believe that the economic interests cannot be compared with saving human lives and protecting the public health while others would prefer a more balanced approach to this matter.

Friday, November 3, 2006

The upcoming 2006 Brampton municipal election, to be held November 13, features an array of candidates looking to represent their wards in city council or the council of the Peel Region. The candidates for this region are John Sanderson, Susan DiMarco (this wards incumbent), Tibor Bankuti, Theo Goary and Sukhwant Thethi.

John Sanderson spoke exclusively to Wikinews via questions sent in an email. Mr Sanderson’s answers to some of the questions asked are below.

Q: List the three most important issues in your campaign.

A: Safer communities through effective enforcement;

Reduced traffic congestion through effective planning; and

Managed growth through effective plan development.

Q: What one election issue do you feel is most relevant to your ward in this election?

A: My motivation for pursuing pubic office is to ensure that our city has adequate infrastructure to support its rapid growth. Wards 3 and 4 include Highway 410, Steeles Avenue, Kennedy Rd., Highway 10, McLaughlin Rd. and Chinguacousy Rd, some of the most congested roads in Brampton. As a life-long resident of Brampton, the severe traffic congestion that we are experiencing today is unprecedented in our history – and is costly to our economy and quality of life. While canvassing, the common message received from residents in the ward is that we need to better manage traffic and transportation. As a Regional Councillor, I will be a strong advocate for smart and long-term transportation planning of the City of Brampton and Region of Peel and I will take immediate measures to help alleviate transportation congestion in our city. This includes the provision of an effective and efficient public transit system that is responsive to users’ needs, as well as implementing and promoting carpooling, to help reduce single occupancy vehicles on roadways. I am also not afraid to speak up about the issues of Brampton. As Past President of The Brampton Board of Trade, I can be a strong voice to the Provincial Government about their need to make transportation infrastructure a priority, particularly as it relates to expanding Highway 410 and better planning and coordination of transportation region wide.

Q: What qualities or experiences do you possess, that make you more desirable than the incumbent?

A:

Q: Why do you want to represent your ward on council?

A:

Q: How are you currently involved in the community?

A: John has been a volunteer his entire life. John understands that “Community” is about service.

From 2001-2002, John Sanderson served as President of The Brampton Board of Trade. He was first elected as a member of The Brampton Board of Trade Governing Council in 1992, and continued as an active member when he started his own company, J.W.S. Waste Systems Inc., in 1998. Through his many years as a member of the Board, John served on every Board committee, including 11 years on Governing Council.

As a model corporate citizen, John Sanderson and his former company, J.W.S. Waste Systems Inc. contributed extensively to various community initiatives through sponsorship and participation, including: Salvation Army; St. John Ambulance; YMCA Fundraising Committee; Brampton Clean City; Santa Claus Parade; Brampton Excelsiors Major Lacrosse Club (including 14 years on the Executive and two years as President); Rotary Club of Brampton; Brampton Scouts Leader; and coaching and managing various minor hockey and lacrosse teams. As a member of the Ontario Waste Management Association, John served as President from 1996-98, in addition to four years on the Executive.

Outside of his business, Sanderson is very well known through his active volunteerism with the Rotary Club of Brampton, where he has been a member for 15 years and on the Board of Directors for six years. With the Rotary Club, John has participated on: the Easter Seals Fundraising Committee; volunteer at the Rotary owned and operated bingo hall; Membership Committee, where he was recognized with an Membership Award in 2002; and Chair of the Gage Park Enhancement Committee, Brampton’s historic park and skating trail, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Brampton. John’s dedicated service to the Rotary Club was honoured in December 2001, when he was presented the prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship Award, the highest award given by Rotary International to recognize community service.

John Sanderson, more important than being a prominent businessperson is a true community leader. Through his active involvement in The Brampton Board of Trade and Rotary Club of Brampton, along with his many other community initiatives and activities, he has dedicated himself to improving the quality of life in Brampton. In 2002, The Brampton Salvation Army asked John to be its Kettle Campaign Chair. John’s goal was to surpass the 2001 total. He dedicated himself so heavily to the campaign, that through his business and community connections, helped raise $233,000 – $118,000 more than the previous year. This is typical of John Sanderson when he makes a commitment to help. John, being a modest man, is always quick to thank his dedicated staff at J.W.S. Waste Systems Inc. and caring wife and family, for supporting him as he dedicates, on average, over 50 volunteer hours a month to his various community activities.

Adding to his long list of accolades, in 2002, John was one of two individuals recognized nationally by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce as Volunteer of the Year. Later that year, he was also the recipient of the prestigious Queen’s Jubilee.

Q: The Rose Theatre recently launched. What are your thoughts on this facility? Have you had a chance to tour it yet?

A:

Q: The province has strongly encouraged the development of high-density residences near the downtown. Do these buildings fit in with your vision of the downtown? How much say should other levels of government have in urban planning?

A:

Q: How do you feel about Brampton’s rate of expansion? Council recently capped the annual amount of new development; do you agree completely with this decision, would you have slowed development even further, or not have imposed a cap at all?

A:

Q: What are your opinions on Brampton’s congestion and the level of public transit funding?

A:

Q: Why should businesses be attracted to locating in Brampton?

A:

Q: How could Brampton further itself in attracting corporate investment?

A:

Q: Why have you chosen to involve yourself in the political process?

A: John Sanderson knows that Brampton can truly become a great city with the right vision, drive and management. John Sanderson will bring his business savvy and a strong sense of community to the role of Regional Councillor, and will contribute a common sense approach to the management of this city.

As Brampton grows to 635,000 people over the next 15 years, we need strong leaders on City and Regional Council. We need people with vision. But most of all, we need people determined to make change happen, people who will listen and speak out on issues.

Q: What does Brampton mean to you?

A:

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Nickey Iyambo, former vice-president of Namibia, died on Sunday, early in the morning. He was 82 years old.

The current president of Namibia, Hage Geingob, expressed his sadness at Iyambo’s death. Geingob tweeted, “I announce with sadness the passing of my comrade, former Vice President, Nickey Iyambo. He leaves behind a rich legacy of loyal service to the Namibian people. The nation has lost a freedom fighter and a leader with deep humane values. Condolences to his wife and family.”

Last year, poor health was cited when he stepped down from his position.

He was awarded the Most Brilliant Order of the Sun, first class — a high national honor conferred by the president of Namibia — in 2014.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

In an investigation reported on first by Wikinews, Wikileaks today revealed another chapter in the story of the Standard Operations Procedure (SOP) manual for the Camp Delta facility at Guantanamo Bay. The latest documents they have received are the details of the 2004 copy of the manual signed off by Major General Geoffrey D. Miller of the U.S. Southern Command. This is following on from the earlier leaking of the 2003 version. Wikileaks passed this document to people they consider experts in the field to carry out an analysis trying to validate it. Following this, they set out to assess what had changed between 2003 and 2004; including attempts to link publicly known incidents with changes to the manual.

Wikinews obtained the document and did an in-depth analysis. The American Civil Liberties Union had previously made a request to view and obtain copies of the same document, but was denied access to them.

One of the first notable changes to the document relates to the detainees themselves. Previously they read the camp rules during admission processing. Rules are now posted around the camp in detainees’ languages. The English version of the rules is as follows:

Of concern to groups such as Amnesty International who campaign for the camp’s closure, or Human Rights Watch concerned about prisoner handling under the prisoner of war aspects of the Geneva Convention, is the fact that policy for newly admitted detainees still allows for up to 4 weeks where access to the detainee by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) may be denied. In addition, guards are not to allow ICRC staff to pass mail to detainees.

A new process has been formed which allows guards to determine whether or not a detainee receives awards, or is punished. The form is called a GTMO Form 508-1 (pictured to the right). According to the manual, the form “is used to determine which rewards the detainee will lose or gain,” but “special rewards” can also be earned, outside of the process. One special reward is time allowed outside. Another special reward is a roll of toilet paper, but the detainee cannot share it with others. Doing so will result in “punishment” and confiscation of the roll. If the detainee already has a roll of toilet paper, he is not allowed to have another.

“Guards need to ensure that the detainee doesn’t receive additional toilet paper when the detainee already has it. The amount given to the detainee will be the same amount as normally distributed to the detainee,” states the manual.

No matter how bad a detainee may act, “haircuts will never be used as punitive action” against them, but they can have hair removed for health reasons. They can, however, be segregated from other detainees.

“If a detainee has committed an offense that requires segregation time, even if a segregation cell is not available, the detainee will receive a shave and a haircut for hygiene and medical reasons. If the detainee is IRFed, the haircut and shave will follow the decontamination process,” adds the manual. Barbers are also part of cell searches.

Despite these changes, a great deal of effort has gone into ensuring the furore over detainee abuse does not recur. Rules governing the use of pepper spray (Oleoresin Capsicum, or OC) appear at an earlier point in the manual with considerable expansion. Infractions such as spitting, throwing water at, or attempting to urinate on guards appear as explicitly listed cases where pepper spray may not be used. Extensive decontamination procedures are included in the document, including immediately calling for a medical check on any detainee exposed to pepper spray. This was not previously present.

As a counter to the clearer instructions on use of pepper spray, Wikileaks asserts that many of the stricter rules for guards (referred to as Military Police or MPs in the 2003 manual) aim to reduce fraternisation that may improve detainee morale and adversely influence any interrogation process. Guards are informed in the manual not to take personal mail and parcels within the detention blocks or at any other duty stations. All electronic devices except issued materiel are prohibited, and guards may face disciplinary action should they keep detainees apprised of current affairs or discuss issues in their personal lives.

Additional restrictions on the detainees’ chaplain are included in the revised document. Wikileaks speculated that many of these changes might have stemmed from the widely publicised case of James Yee. Captain Yee, a West Point graduate, served at the Guantanamo Bay base as a Muslim chaplain to the detainees and received two Distinguished Service medals for his work. Following discovery of a list of detainees and interrogators by U.S. Customs in Florida Yee was charged with sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage, and failure to obey a general order. Eventually all charges were dropped with national security concerns being raised should evidence be released.

The most notable changes surrounding the role of the chaplain include its removal as a permanent position on the facility’s Library Working group and its exclusion from the decision process on appropriate detainee reading material. Wikileaks contacted lawyers representing detainees in the camp to perform their own analysis. Their opinion of the changes were that the library operation had been considerably tightened up. Duplicate books are required for the individual four camps to prevent covert use of books to communicate between camps. Periodicals, dictionaries, language instruction books, technology or medical update information, and geography were additions to the prohibited material. Instructions indicate such books must be returned to the source or donor.

The revised SOP manual makes considerable progress on documenting procedures, even those that are remote possibilities. A lengthy addition details rules to follow in the event of an escape or escape attempt. Laced throughout this procedure is an emphasis on having any such incident fully documented and – wherever possible – filmed. The procedure is explicit in how to recapture an escaped detainee with minimal use of force. One additional procedure covers the admission of ambulances to the main base area. A detailed security protocol to ensure only expected and authorised traffic gains access is included, as is a procedure streamlined to ensure the ambulance arrives on the scene as quickly as possible.

Unchanged from the 2003 manual is the set menu of four ready-to-eat meals (Meal, Ready-to-Eat or MRE) issued to detainees. However, additional steps are to be taken for “MRE Sanitization”; supply personnel must remove anything that can damage waste disposal systems— presumably a military term for toilets. Under normal camp conditions, detainees should be fed hot meals as opposed to MREs, but no details on the variety of menu are included.

Wikinews attempted to get feedback on this. US Southern Command passed a query on to Rick Haupt (Commander, U.S. Navy Director of Public Affairs, Joint Task Force at Guantanamo) who responded that “questions were forwarded along with a request to authenticate the leaked document; a response is pending.” At this time no response to emails has been received from the ICRC or Human Rights Watch.

The Pentagon has requested that the document be removed from Wikileaks because “information with the FOUO (For Official Use Only) label is not approved for release to the public.” They then state that the document can be “made available through a Freedom Of Information Act request through official channels.”

Saturday, November 18, 2006

The New Zealand National party is rejecting the government’s ambitions to build a new stadium on Auckland, New Zealand’s waterfront for the 2011 Rugby World Cup final instead it is backing the option of an upgrade of Eden Park.

Yesterday, Friday, Member of Parliaments (MP) from the National party met with Trevor Mallard, sports minister, to discuss the possibility of a waterfront stadium but National remain unmoved. Deputy leader, Gerry Brownlee, said: “If it was a new car I wouldn’t buy it.”

It was reported that John Key, Gerry Brownlee, Katherine Rich and Murray McCully were all present at the meeting with Mr Mallard. And all of those MPs threw a lot of questions at Mr Mallard.

Mr Mallard said: “I actually thought it was a very positive meeting. I thought Catherine Rich and John Key’s level of understanding increased and their enthusiasm was very positive.”

Mr Brownlee said: “The [NZ]$385 million Eden Park costings seemed relatively certain against the $500 million waterfront estimate, where the price would not be known till it’s built.”

The reason for the debate is because to host the Rugby World Cup the venue which is used for the final game has to have 60,000 seats, all of New Zealand’s stadiums are currently under that minimum.

Mr Mallard confirmed that North Harbour Stadium is also being considered as a “very good back-up option.” This is mainly because it can begin upgrading of its stadium before Eden Park or the waterfront stadium. “North Harbour could be called on if you ran into problems with the other options,” Mr Mallard said, “There are consenting issues there with buildability and there would still be a lot of transport issues getting people there and there’s not a lot of infrastructure around it.”

The decision of which stadium will be the venue of the grand final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup final will be made this Friday by the Auckland City Council and Auckland Regional Council, which is asking for the public’s opinion to help them with their decision. The council’s decision is the one the government will go with according to Mr Mallard: “There’s no way the Government would override the councils’ decisions.”

Mr Mallard added: “I love Eden Park, and my gut feeling for a long time was to upgrade it. If you like I’ve got a romantic attachment, so for me if Aucklanders decide that’s their approach I will back them.”

The International Rugby Board also announced the Rugby World Cup will be played around September. 2011 instead of around the June period.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Ivy Bean, thought to have been the oldest person using the popular social networking site Twitter, has died at age 104.

By the end of her life, Bean had 53,535 followers (a term used on Twitter to indicate you are watching a person’s posts) on the site and was something of an internet phenomenon. In 2008, she became known as the oldest person on Facebook, a title held previously by a 97-year-old French man. Bean frequently updated her Twitter page with videos and descriptions of activities in her daily life that included her winning of the Gold Medal in Frisbee in the Over-75 Olympics in Bradford, Northern England as well as recipes and meeting former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

At the beginning of July, Bean was admitted to hospital suffering from jaundice. On July 23rd, Bean returned to the care home where she was a resident, but was no longer able to operate her Twitter account. Manager of the care home Pat Wright took over the account and began posting on Bean’s behalf.

It was posted on July 26th that Bean was in a poor condition and yesterday, Wright posted “Ivy passed away peacefully at 12.08 this morning”.

Many of Bean’s followers posted messages of condolence, making Bean the second-most discussed topic on the Twitter yesterday. Among her followers were Peter Andre and Chris Evans.

Ivy Bean was born November 8, 1905, seven years before the telephone network was established.

Friday, September 2, 2005

An explosion today in Makhachkala, Russia in the Russian region of Dagestan killed one and wounded five others, police say. The bomb detonated in a pile of garbage, where servicemen and a truck had been sent to search for explosives on a street near a military base. When the engineers got out of the truck to search, the bomb went off.

The Dagestani Ministry, reported by the Russian news agency ITAR-Tass, originally stated that the blast killed two servicemen and wounded three others. They later revised this to six servicemen wounded (as well as one civilian), but no fatalities. A police officer told ITAR-Tass news that a brigade had been on patrol when the explosion occurred.

According to RIA-Novosti and Interfax news, medics reported one death and six injuries. RIA-Novosti also reports that the bomb exploded near a trolley bus.

Police and ambulances were immediately brought to the area of the explosion, which was quickly sealed off by police.

The alleged planters of the bomb were followed by police, but escaped after firing at the officers.

This explosion is not surprising, as racial tensions in the Muslim majority region of Dagestan often lead to attacks on officials and police.

Saturday, November 4, 2006

On November 13, Toronto residents will be heading to the polls to vote for their ward’s councillor and for mayor. Among Toronto’s ridings is Toronto Centre (Ward 28). One candidate responded to Wikinews’ requests for an interview. This ward’s candidates include Edward Chin, Paula Fletcher (incumbent), Patrick Kraemer, Suzanne McCormick, Daniel Nicastro, and Michael Zubiak.

For more information on the election, read Toronto municipal election, 2006.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

George Zimmerman, a Florida man charged with the shooting of seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin, was found not guilty of second-degree murder late Saturday night following 16 hours of deliberation. The case has drawn national attention in the United States because of questions it raises over “stand your ground” self-defense laws.

Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012. Prosecutors argued that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, had pursued Martin on the basis of race, as Martin walked through Zimmerman’s gated community on the way back from a convenience store. Zimmerman’s lawyers argued Martin attacked Zimmerman who then shot Martin in self-defense after Martin punched him and repeatedly slammed Zimmerman’s head against the sidewalk.

Following the decision to acquit, by a six member all-female jury, of both a second-degree murder and a manslaughter charge, Zimmerman’s lawyer said: “I think the prosecution of George Zimmerman was disgraceful”. On Twitter, Zimmerman’s brother Robert said the decision made him “proud to be an American”.

Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, posted on Twitter to say “Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered”. Jahvaris Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s brother, posted “Et tu, America?”, alluding to the Shakespearean phrase “Et tu, Brute?”

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have launched a petition calling on the US government to bring federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. NAACP president Benjamin Jealous stated, “We are outraged and heartbroken over today’s verdict. […] We will pursue civil rights charges with the Department of Justice, we will continue to fight for the removal of Stand Your Ground laws in every state, and we will not rest until racial profiling in all its forms is outlawed.”