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Brown advocates for one world parliament
Bob Brown admits a global parliament won’t come to pass in his lifetime. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
GREENS leader Bob Brown – whose party assumes sole balance of power in the Senate tomorrow – wants Australia to join an international push for a global parliament.
This ”people’s assembly” would be based on one person, one vote, one value and was being vigorously promoted in Europe and the United Nations, he said yesterday.
He admits that it won’t come to pass in his lifetime but said if and when it does, ”it could be right here in Australia”.
But while the sky’s the limit for Senator Brown’s vision, for the world and for his party, he had a very down to earth message for the Coalition.
”The Greens will be a secure rock of stability in the Senate, to help make sure Australia gets the good government it deserves. To that end, we will not be supporting any Coalition move in the Senate, whether by legislation or amendments, that Read more…
Facial recognition now at all of Australia’s intn’l airports
Darwin International Airport has today launched its own SmartGate counters, ensuring that all eight of Australia’s international airports have the face-recognition technology.
(Ah ain’t long for this whorl image byThe technology uses electronic information embedded in e-passports and face-recognition technology to perform customs and immigration checks. During immigration, users scan their e-passports, which are equipped with an embedded chip, and have their photograph taken.
The technology maps the underlying bone structure of the face by measuring the distances between defining features such as the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. The measurements are digitally coded for comparison and verification purposes, and a mathematical algorithm is applied to determine whether the photo of the traveller’s face matches their e-passport photo.
It was first implemented at Brisbane International Airport in 2007, and since then it has been used by 3.5 million travellers, with close to one million using it in this year alone.
In this year’s Biometrics Institute Industry Survey, which canvasses opinions from 137 user organisations in Read more…
UN Criticizes China’s Failure to Arrest Sudan’s Bashir
The United Nations has criticized China for failing to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during his visit to Beijing this week.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Thursday she is “disappointed” China welcomed Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The ICC has charged Bashir with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region.
Pillay said Thursday that even though China is not an ICC member, Beijing still Read more…
Farm Animal Disease to Increase With Climate Change, Scientists Say
Researchers looked at changes in the behaviour of bluetongue — a viral disease of cattle and sheep — from the 1960s to the present day, as well as what could happen to the transmission of the virus 40 years into the future. They found, for the first time, that an outbreak of a disease could be explained by changes to the climate.
In Europe, more than 80,000 outbreaks of bluetongue were reported to the World Animal Health Organisation between 1998 and 2010, and millions of animals died as a result of the disease. Bluetongue was previously restricted to Africa and Asia, but its emergence in Europe is thought to be linked to increased temperatures, which allows the insects that carry the virus to spread to new regions and transmit the virus more effectively.
Researchers produced a mathematical model that explains how Read more…
Nearly 100,000 Chilean students demonstrate in Santiago
Santiago – Close to 100,000 Chilean students and teachers demonstrated Thursday in front of the presidential palace in Santiago demanding reform in the country’s public education system.
The conservative government of President Sebastian Pinera has rejected student demands, which include tax reforms to finance education and healthcare and changes in the constitution.
‘They slammed the door on dialogue insofar as they make demands that show they are not in favour of coming to an agreement,’ said Education Minister Joaquin Lavin.
It was one of the largest demonstrations in Chile over the past 20 years. Towards Read more…
Argentina considers OPEC-like deal for lithium
BUENOS AIRES — Argentina is promoting the idea of an OPEC-like cartel for itself, Bolivia and Chile, which together control 85 percent of the world’s reserves of lithium, a key component in electric car batteries.
“In the near future and with our production at such a high level, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile will control the lithium market,” said Rodolfo Tecchi, the director of the technology and science promotion division of the Argentine Ministry of Science and Technology.
“They could do it with a sort of OPEC-like arrangement,” he added.
The three countries, which Forbes magazine calls the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” would establish “control mechanisms for the sale of lithium carbonate, avoiding Read more…
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