|
WHAT'S NEW IN INES? |
||
|
No. 18/1999 |
Dateline: 2 May 1999 |
WNII is an electronic information service of INES,
the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility
Editor: Tobias Damjanov, e-mail: < >
INES homepage: http://www.mindspring.com/~us016262/ines.html
INES International Office < >
INES Chair Prof. Armin Tenner < >
INES Congress 2000
''Challenges for Science and Engineering in the 21st Century''
Stockholm, 14-18 June 2000
http://www.ines2000.org
for Congress Inquiries, mailto: <>
No new or changed email or web addresses in this issue. NOTE: All INES e-mail addresses and homepages are available upon request from: < >
Please be aware that the following URL http://ines.gn.apc.org/ines/sci/ has nothing to do with INES but with the international voluntary service NGO "Service Civil International (SCI)"
(Note from your web-person: www.ines.org and www.ines.net are also not connected with our INES. If you have been following our INESnet discussion, you know that a debate as to the best, as-yet-unregistered, domain name for INES is on-going.)
MEMBER ORGANISATIONS' AND PROJECTS' GROUP NEWS ^
Gary Chapman article
Gary Chapman, Director of the US-based INES member organisation "21st Century Project", has recently published an article entitled "High-Tech Warfare Is a Losing Proposition" in "The Los Angeles Times", 26 April.
The article can be obtained from: http://www.latimes.com/CNS_DAYS/990426/t000037414.html or from the author: <>
Japan: Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility
Hiro Umebayashi from the Japanese INES member "Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility" and also the International Coordinator of the "Pacific Campaign for Disarmament and Security" has made available the English version of his article "The Danger of the Increase in Closed-Door Meetings as a Result of the New System for Japan-US Military Cooperation", which was published by "The Okinawa Times". The article can be obtained either from the WNII editor or from the author <>.
"SEU TIMES" 3-99
"SEU TIMES" is the electronic newsletter of the "Socio-Ecological Union", one of the Russian INES member organisations. Its third issue (as of March 99) has the following contents:
To get on the SEU Times list, contact: Sviatoslav Zabelin, the SEU Council Co-Chair: mailto:
New Zealand: Engineers for Social Responsibility (ESR)
The April 1999 ESR Newsletter (Vol. 15, No. 1) is widely devoted to reports from this year's ESR Annual Conference and General Meeting on 7 February. Rob Wilkinson <> has been re-elected President of ESR.
Among other information bits, the Newsletter also contains the articles on sustainable transport in the twenty-first century and on landmines.
The Newsletter Editor is Neil Mander <>
Nikitin Update: Investigation prolonged again http://www.bellona.no/e/russia/nikitin/
On February 4, 1999, the Russian Supreme Court returned the case to the Russian Security Police (FSB) for additional investigation. The investigation should evaluate whether Nikitins contribution to the Bellona report contains information that is not taken from open sources. If it finds any such information, it should evaluate whether it pertains to state secrets according to the law in 1995. No new facts have to be discovered. In February 1998, the FSB stated that this possibility was "exhausted", and even the prosecution has argued that there is no need for additional investigation.
In the middle of April the FSB decided to appoint a new expert committee to undertake an evaluation on state secrets as mentioned above. This is the fourth such committee since the case was started, and it will consist of experts from the 8th Department of the Russian General Staff.
The three previous conclusions were based on secret and retroactive decrees and did not adequately evaluate the open sources. According to the Russian Criminal Procedure Code, the FSB had one month to carry out the orders of the Supreme Court, after the case had been returned to them on March 12. The only "investigative" step carried out by the FSB during this month was to apply to the General Prosecutors Office in Moscow for a prolongation of the investigative period. On April 12, the FSB informed Mr. Nikitin that such prolongation had indeed been granted, until July 11, 1999.
The defence is preparing an application to the European Court of Human Rights, which will focus on the Russian legal systems inability to determine the case. It has deprived Nikitin of his right to have the criminal charges against him settled within a reasonable time, and of his right to an effective legal remedy, as per Art. 6 and 13 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
[This is an edited/abridged version of an email posting by the Norwegian-based Bellona Foundation <> (http://www.bellona.no/ ) of 30 April 1999.]
US President Clinton letter concerning Mordechai Vanunu
In a letter of April 22 Bill Clinton has responded to Member of the House Lynn Rivers and, as the leader of the US Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu, Sam Day, explained, Clinton now "departs from the State Department line that this is an internal matter for Israel and that there is no evidence of mistreatment of Vanunu in prison. For the first time, the letter puts Clinton on record as being concerned about the Vanunu case."
The Clinton letter reads as follows:
"The White House, Washington April 22, 1999
Thank you for your letter regarding the imprisonment of Mordechai Vanunu in Israel. Your letter raises important questions and, as you know, we have followed the matter of Mr. Vanunu´s imprisonment closely. In particular, we are concerned about reports pertaining to the conditions under which he is held.
I also share your concerns about the Israeli nuclear program. We have repeatedly urged Israel and other non-parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty to adhere to the Treaty and accept comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this matter. We will continue to raise these issues in our discussions with the government of Israel.
Sincerely,
Bill"
[Source: Fredrik S. Heffermehl, IPB Vice President, Oslo]
BRIEFINGS
Human Radiation Experiments (HREX) Database
HREX is a searchable database with over 450,000 pages of historical documents related to experiments conducted at both government and non-government facilities, beginning in the 1940's. http://hrex.dis.anl.gov/
(From: Peter Diehl <>)
CONFERENCES - MEETINGS - SEMINARS
Events listed here are being published only once due to limited space. Changes, however, will be taken into account (marked with ''UPDATE'')
Citizens and Public Administration in the Information Age (CIPA '99)
Constructing Citizen-Oriented Society for the Future
The purpose of this conference is to discuss, in a multinational and multidisciplinary context, the role of citizens and public administration in the emerging information society. During the conference issues like "what is the role of citizens and public administration in the information age" and "how can we use modern information and communication technologies, organizational principles and knowledge in order to create a citizen-oriented open society for the future" will be scrutinized.
For more details, mailto:
http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/hallinto/CIPA99
<><><><><> end of No.18/1999 what's new in ines <><><><>