HuguesT - Slashdot User

French supreme court neutralizes 3-strikes law-> 0

Submitted by HuguesT on Wednesday June 10 2009, @02:08PM

HuguesT writes "The Conseil Constitutionel, the French equivalent to the US Supreme Court, ruled today that a mere "authority" cannot cut Internet access to Internet subscribers within the frame of the new HADOPI law recently voted by French parliament. In the new law, after a warning by email and another by registered mail, French Internet subscribers could have had their access cut off for a duration ranging between 2 months and one year, without possibility of defence or due process of law, if they were accused of illegally sharing copyrighted material. They could only appeal of the decision before a court of law. The CC "sages" or wise men, ruled that this was unconstitutional on two grounds: the presumption of innocence and freedom of communication and expression. Now the laws has basically no point. The French communication minister, Christine Albanel, has vowed to return to parliament with a new law still implementing the 3 strikes in a new, as yet unknown way. For the time being, strike one for democracy and freedom!"
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Gates foundation deathly side-effects-> 3

Submitted by HuguesT on Tuesday December 18 2007, @06:45AM

HuguesT writes "An long and detailed article from the L.A. Times points out severe, unintended side effects of the health policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. This foundation has given away almost 2 billions US$ to the fight against AIDS, TB and Malaria worldwide. Thanks in no small measure to this effort, the death toll from AIDS in most of Africa are finally levelling off. However, the money from the foundation is earmarked to the fight against these three diseases, to the detriment of global health. Sick people can also be hungry and not able to ingest healing drugs. Doctors in these countries prefer to be well paid working against AIDS than poorly working against all the other health problems, which creates a brain drain. Numerous children also suffer from diarrhea or asphyxia due to lack of basic care. The paradox is that countries where the foundation has invested most have seen their mortality rate increase, whereas it has improved in countries where the foundation was least involved."
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