Network news

6 Nov 03 Reporters Without Borders call for the release of Chinese cyber dissedents.

Judgement has been reserved against the five alleged dissidents whilst the courts finally agreed to examine the police evidence against them. Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard said “we hope the court will acknowledge that their arrest was unjustified and will quash their convictions.”

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8453

31 Oct 03 Human Rights Watch called for the speeding up of reforms in Turkey.

&#8220, If Turkey can make the necessary changes by the end of this year and then show a full year&#8217, s track record of respect for human rights, there should be no further obstacles to EU membership negotiations in December 2004.&#8221,

31 Oct 03 In the UK, the GM debate rages on

as a group of scientists rebuke the government for not trying harder to put right ‘inaccurate’ descriptions of biotechnology

31 Oct 03 The UN has pulled its remaining staff out of Bagdad.

Although the move has been classed as ‘temporary’, there is a large question mark over whether they will return. This move has provoked fears that other humanitarian agencies may follow.

31 Oct 03 With the dark evenings drawing in and temperatures dropping

The BBC reports on how you can change your own home into a power station. Not quite a simple task, some of us will have to stick to cling film on the windows and tinfoil at the back of radiators – for the short term anyway!

24 Oct 03 A legal Opinion of Communications Data Retention in the UK was commissioned by Privacy International (PI)

earlier this year. This states that any mandatory retention regime would be violate European law. The UK government initially plan to implement a voluntary code of practice, a move which PI believe to be a violation of the Data Protection Act.

http://www.privacyinternational.org/

Further information

LSE will host a public meeting on October 22nd to assess proposed government legislation to retain and snoop on the communications and Internet activity of everyone in the UK.

The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) maintains its recommendation to ISPs that they do not subscribe to the voluntary code of practice under the Home Office’s data retention proposals.
GreenNet will not participate in the voluntary retention as we remain deeply concerned that the voluntary code laid before parliament is not compliant with data protection principles and Human Rights standards. GreenNet calls on other UK ISPs not to subscribe to the voluntary code of practice under the Home Office’s data retention proposals. This is in line with with ISPA’s (Internet Service Providers Association) recommendations.

http://www.gn.apc.org/userpolicy.html

24 Oct 03 South African court rules that indigenous people own their own land

This means that dispossessing them is racial discrimination and unlawful.

http://www.survival-international.org/sa_bushman_031015.htm

24 Oct 03 New Scientist reports that "Homeopathy reduces arsenic poisoning in mice"

“The homeopathic antidote reduced the liver toxicity induced by arsenic in mice, where distilled water did nothing, and alcohol actually exacerbated the poison’s effects.”

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994305

24 Oct 03 The US are accelerating environmental destruction

acccording to a report published by The Guardian. The report details a lack of responsiveness to environmental concerns and how America’s ‘no limits’ concept is leading to a crisis.

Further information

“While newspapers report that Kilimanjaro’s icecap is melting and Greenland’s glaciers are crumbling, the US government has been telling its scientific advisers to do more research before it can consider any action to restrict greenhouse gases; the scientists reported back that they had done all the research. The attitude of the White House to global warming was summed up by the online journalist Mickey Kaus as: “It’s not true! It’s not true! And we can’t do anything about it!” What terrifies all American politicians, deep down, is that it is true and that they could do something about it, but at horrendous cost to American industry and lifestyle.” Read the full report.

17 Oct 03 GreenNet Educational Trust and PI have compiled an Internet Censorship Survey:

Silenced’ a global study of Internet censorship in over fifty countries and regions reveals that Internet restrictions, government secrecy and communications surveillance have reached an unprecedented level across the world.

http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/censorship/index.html

Further information

Silenced a global study of Internet censorship in over fifty countries and regions was recently published by the GreenNet Educational Trust and Privacy International. The study reveals that Internet restrictions, government secrecy and communications surveillance have reached an unprecedented level across the world. The twelve-month study has found that a sharp escalation in control of the Internet since September 2001 may have outstripped the traditional ability of the medium to repel attempts at restriction.

6 Nov 03 Reporters Without Borders call for the release of Chinese cyber dissedents.

31 Oct 03 Human Rights Watch called for the speeding up of reforms in Turkey.

31 Oct 03 In the UK, the GM debate rages on

31 Oct 03 The UN has pulled its remaining staff out of Bagdad.

31 Oct 03 With the dark evenings drawing in and temperatures dropping

24 Oct 03 A legal Opinion of Communications Data Retention in the UK was commissioned by Privacy International (PI)

24 Oct 03 South African court rules that indigenous people own their own land

24 Oct 03 New Scientist reports that "Homeopathy reduces arsenic poisoning in mice"

24 Oct 03 The US are accelerating environmental destruction

17 Oct 03 GreenNet Educational Trust and PI have compiled an Internet Censorship Survey:

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