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UN to Help West African Musicians Get Paid for Their Creativity

 

8 June 2011 –

The United Nations intellectual property agency today announced a project to help musical artists in 11 West African countries to get paid for their work through a single, standardized registration system.

Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), said in a press statement released in Brussels, that the new system, to be developed in cooperation with Google, will mean that “that a right holder will only have to register a work once to have the information stored across the 11 countries.”

Mr. Gurry announced the project during a keynote presentation at the third World Copyright Summit, organized by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) in Brussels.

The 11 countries involved in the current phase of the project are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.

Rights holders in the 11 countries currently have to register their rights in each of the countries, meaning greater administrative costs and a difficult search for a radio producer or film director who wants to license a piece of African music, WIPO said.

The new system “will make it simpler to license music across the set of countries and will reduce costs for creators,” WIPO said.

“It will immediately benefit creators and rights holders, who will be more easily identified by people wanting to license their works. It will also help music licensing bodies, such as radio stations, streaming services and others, who want to include African music in their offerings,” WIPO said.

“Consumers will benefit by having greater access to this music as a result.”

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Sudanese Leader Still Committing Crimes in Darfur, Security Council Told

8 June 2011 –Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir continues to commit crimes against humanity and carry out genocide against the residents of Darfur in defiance of the United Nations, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, told the Security Council today.

In 2005 the Council referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC after a UN inquiry found serious violations of international human rights law. The ICC has since issued arrest warrants against Mr. Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, making him the first sitting head of State to be indicted by the court.

“President al-Bashir has learned how to continue to commit crimes challenging the authority of the UN Security Council, and ignoring Resolution 1593, as well as other resolutions,” Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said as he presented his 13th report to the Council.

Mr. Bashir and his supporters “continue denying the crimes, attributing them to other factors (such as inter-tribal clashes), diverting attention by publicizing ceasefire agreements that are violated as soon as they are announced, and finally proposing the creation of special courts to conduct investigations that will never start,” he said.

“The challenge to the Security Council’s authority is further evidence that the extermination of the Fur, Massalit and Zaghawa, as well as any tribe deemed disloyal to the regime, is a policy defined by the top leadership of the Government of the Sudan.

“It is calculated to ensure that the armed forces, their associated militia and other security bodies will continue committing new crimes, with the same modus operandi, wherever and whenever they are instructed to do so.”

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said Mr. Bashir had threatened the international community with retaliation and more crimes as a result of his indictment. “This tactic is not new; it is the documented practice of massive criminals – denial, cover-up, and threat of repetition.”

He urged the Council to use the information exposed by the ICC to stop the crimes in Darfur, adding that the “prosecution, fulfilling its mandate, is willing to assist.”

Speaking to reporters after briefing the Council, Mr. Moreno-Ocampo noted that the recent arrest of the Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic, after nearly 16 years on the run, had shown the world that arrest warrants will eventually be carried out.

“Arrest warrants are not going away. Bashir is destined to face justice. The problem is the time [it will take] for the victims,” said Mr. Moreno-Ocampo.

He also told that the Council another Sudanese war crimes suspect indicted by the ICC for atrocities in Darfur, Ahmad Harun, has continued his illegal actions with impunity as a senior Government official.

“The record of Ahmad Harun provides a clear demonstration of the risk of impunity and ignoring information about crimes,” said Mr. Moreno-Ocampo.

“In my seventh report to this Council… three years ago, I expressed concern about Harun having been dispatched to Abyei to ‘address disputes’ between the Misseriya and the SPLM/A [Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army]. Following his dispatch, as I reported, Abyei was burned down, with 50,000 civilians displaced.

“In my ninth report, presented on 5 June 2009, two years ago, I expressed concern about Harun’s appointment… as Governor of South Kordofan. He is presenting himself as an efficient operator and is dubbed by the some members of the international community as the man to talk to get things done.”

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo also noted to the Council that the ICC had in March confirmed war crimes charges against two rebel leaders who stand accused of orchestrating the 2007 attack that resulted in the death of 12 African Union peacekeepers in the Haskanita area of Darfur.

Abdallah Banda and Saleh Jerbo have not disputed their participation in the attack and both have committed to surrender voluntarily to the ICC for trial. They have, however, demanded that Mr. Bashir too appear before ICC judges and respect the court’s decisions, Mr. Moreno-Ocampo told the Council.

UN News Center

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Drug Firms Cut Vaccine Prices to the Developing World

Several major drugs companies have announced big cuts to the amounts they charge for their vaccines in the developing world.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi-Aventis have agreed to cut prices through the international vaccine alliance Gavi.

GSK said it would cut the price of its vaccine for rotavirus by 67% to $2.50 (£1.50) a dose in poor countries.

Rotavirus-related diarrhoea kills more than 500,000 children a year.

The vaccine will be subsidised by higher prices being charged in richer countries.

The rotavirus vaccine, for example, would cost about $50 in the US.

‘Helped out’

“What we need is a return to invest in the next generation of new vaccines and drugs and that has to come from the profits of the medicines or the vaccines,” Andrew Witty, chief executive of GSK told the BBC.

“But it’s obvious that if you’re in Kenya or a slum in Malawi or somewhere like that there is no capacity for those people to contribute to it, so they have to be helped out by the contribution from the middle and the richer (countries).”

Gavi is a partnership representing public and private sector organisations that helps to fund mass vaccination programmes in developing countries.

It is committed to funding the introduction of rotavirus vaccinations in 40% of the poorest countries by 2015, but it faced a $3.7bn funding shortfall and so has been appealing for price cuts and donations.

It will be holding a pledging conference in London on 13 June.

Anti-poverty campaigners welcomed the move but also called on world leaders to act.

“The pricing commitments announced today help drive momentum, but Gavi’s ambition to save four million lives in the next five years is only achievable if the international donor community steps up to the plate on 13 June,” said Jamie Drummond, executive director of campaign group ONE.

Malaria vaccine

Merck has said it will provide its own rotavirus vaccine for $5 a dose, coming down to $3.50 once more than 30 million doses have been sold.

The price Gavi pays for pentavalent vaccines, which protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type B will be cut by two Indian firms, Serum Institute and Panacea Biotec.

GSK also said it was very close to developing the world’s first malaria vaccine, which is unusual because there is no market for it in the West.

That means there is no opportunity for patients in richer countries to subsidise those in poorer countries.

As a result, GSK said that if the vaccine comes to market it would be sold at a price that provides a small return of 5%, which would be used to fund the next generation of malaria treatments.

Save the Children called on other companies to replicate the “landmark move” which it said could prevent hundreds of thousands of “needless deaths”.

“It’s important that Gavi now uses this to spur other vaccine producers to reduce prices and work to foster greater competition amongst producers to drive prices down even further and help even more children,” said chief executive Justin Forsyth.

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Former IMF chief Strauss-Kahn Pleads not Guilty in Molesting an African Hotel Maid


The former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Khan, has entered a plea of not guilty in a New York court to charges of attempted rape and sexual assault.

The 62-year-old Frenchman is accused of assaulting a maid at the Manhattan hotel where he was staying on 14 May.

The complainant’s lawyer said outside court she “just wants justice”.

Mr Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer said there had been “no element of compulsion” in the incident between the two parties.

His next court date is set for 18 July.

The former finance chief – who faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty – arrived at New York Supreme Court on Monday with his wife, the French television journalist Anne Sinclair.

‘Shame on you!’

A group of hotel workers shouted, “Shame on you!”, in a show of solidarity with the maid who accuses him of attacking her.

She has not been idenitifed, but is known to be a 32-year-old single mother and immigrant worker from the West African country of Guinea.

The accused spoke in a firm voice only twice: to enter his plea, and to confirm his next appearance.

Defence lawyer Ben Brafman said outside court after the brief hearing: “It will be clear that there was no element of forcible compulsion in this case whatsoever.

“Any suggestion to the contrary is simply not credible.”

Mr Brafman has defended a string of high-profile clients, including Michael Jackson.

The complainant’s lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, said outside court: “It was a terrible sex assault on an innocent woman. She’s going to come to the court house.

“She’s going to tell the truth. What she wants is justice. She is a woman of dignity and respect. She’s not courting publicity.”

Monday’s formal plea before Judge Michael Obus sets the stage for a lengthy trial process, which is likely to start in the autumn.

New York police arrested Mr Strauss-Kahn hours after the alleged assault on a plane that was about to take off for Paris.

He was charged on 15 May on seven counts, including attempted rape, criminal sexual assault, sex abuse, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.

Mr Strauss-Kahn spent four days behind bars in Rikers Island prison, before being bailed.

He has since been under house arrest and under armed guard, first in a Manhattan apartment and now in a deluxe townhouse.

The arrest made headlines around the world, rocking the political establishment in France, where Mr Strauss-Kahn was considered a contender for next year’s presidential elections.

Many in France believe the Socialist party figure has been mistreated, but the case has also sparked a national debate about sexual harassment.

Mr Strauss-Kahn resigned his post at the IMF after his arrest. The organisation has yet to name a permanent replacement.

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Going Under the Knife to Cut HIV Chances

Kenya has managed to bring down the high rate of HIV through a campaign promoting male circumcision but a funding crisis is preventing the effective measure from being rolled out on a wider scale.

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Self-Defeat: A Sure Path to Life of Mediocrity

The man who doubts himself is twice defeated in the race of life, as he has placed a barrier on the height he can attain in life. Doubt is the opposite of faith. It kills initiatives and prevents one from living out one’s dream. Self-defeat is indeed a sure path to a life of mediocrity.

Many a man has lost out in the race of life all because of doubt. They defeat themselves ever before they embark on a worthwhile endeavour. I have always believed that God created us for a just cause. There is a purpose for our existence on this planet. Besides, I also know that just as no man is superior to the other, no one is equally inferior to the other. In fact, all animals are equal. Forget George Orwell’s view in Animal Farm that “all animals are equal but some are more equal than the others”. I see that as a mere creation of man to give room for superiority of one person to the other. The truth of the matter is that no one is superior to the other!

But as much as I believe that we are all created equal – black or white, male or female, able or disable – many of us still face life with a self-defeatist approach. We give up easily on issues that could have turned our lives round. We allow doubt to tether us down to mediocrity level. Where we are supposed to soar like the eagle, we behave like chickens. Perhaps this story will make you understand what I am saying better.

I ran into a friend last week at the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, who was recently recruited as an assistant lecturer. He took me through what happened at their interview. But what struck me most in his account was how another friend of ours who came for the same interview screamed when he sighted him. According to my lecturer friend, he gave up before the result came out. It was not a surprise when he rounded off his story that the guy was not given the appointment. The reason for his failure? Self-defeat!

This friend is not alone in this game of self-defeat. So many people have actually been victims of this. One thing I know is that life is a game. And like any other game, you win some and lose some. Even when you lose there are still lessons to learn. Why then do you have to defeat yourself before you begin at all? The more you defeat yourself before you begin, the more you will keep on living a mediocre life. So, to shore up your confidence, you must believe in yourself. There is no other person like you. There is actually something in you that the whole world is awaiting. Start that project today, tomorrow may be too late. Remember, when you defeat yourself before you start at all you may end up a mediocrity in life.

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30 Years of HIV

Where we are after 30 years

  • 5 June 1981: Center for Disease Control mentions a new virus in its weekly mortality report
  • 1982: The term Aids (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) first used
  • 1984: Virus identified and named HIV
  • 1985: Rock Hudson dies of Aids, teenage haemophiliac Ryan White expelled from school because infected through treatment
  • 1987: First showing of Aids Memorial Quilt on National Mall in Washington DC
  • 1991: Jeremy Irons wears red ribbon and basketball’s Magic Johnson has the virus
  • 1993: Philadelphia film wins two Oscars
  • 2000: Infection rate in US among African Americans overtakes that in gay men
  • 2011: Global death toll 22m, infections 60m
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Manchester and England Wayne Rooney Has Successful Hair Transplant

Footballer Wayne Rooney has confirmed he has had a hair transplant at a top London clinic in a bid to restore his receding locks to their former glory.

In a post on Twitter, the England star said he was “delighted” with the result.

“Just to confirm to all my followers I have had a hair transplant. I was going bald at 25 why not,” he tweeted.

The Manchester United striker said he had his treatment at a hair clinic on London’s famous Harley Street.

He also asked his followers if anyone could recommend any good hair gel because his head was “still a bit bruised and swollen”.

The footballer’s wife, Coleen Rooney, also took to Twitter to confirm the news, making sure people knew it was his decision, not hers.

“Hiya!! Yes waynes had his hair done! His own decision not me asking him, like alot are saying!! Pleased for him and it will look great,” she tweeted.

Meanwhile Manchester United and England teammate Rio Ferdinand joked: “Just don’t go down the wearing a alice band route!! You’ll be doing head&shoulders adverts soon! Hope its gone ok Good luck lad.”

‘Sensitive subject’

It is not the first time one of Rooney’s teammates has teased him about his hair on Twitter.

On 7 May, Manchester United star Michael Owen tweeted: “How old are you in that photo? Your face looks like a 12 year olds but your hair looks like a 60 year old!”.

“Easy mo u know that’s a sensitive subject,” was Rooney’s response.

Rooney is the latest in a line of sports stars to have turned to treatment to beat baldness.

In 2005, ex-England cricketer Graham Gooch and former England rugby player Austin Healey appeared in adverts for an anti-hair loss laser treatment.

At the time, Advanced Hair Studios said both men, and Australian cricketer Shane Warne, were among 300,000 people worldwide who had taken up the laser therapy – or the company’s patented strand-by-strand hair replacement procedure – although the Advertising Standards Authority later ruled the therapy’s effectiveness had not been proved.

In 2008, former Monty Python star John Cleese also confirmed he had had a hair transplant during a television interview with presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan