| UN helps to bridge the global digital divide
The disputes, which threatened the United Nations digital
divide summit, have been settled between richer and
poorer countries.
Negotiators reached deals on human
rights and managing the Internet after two days of
talks in Geneva.
But they still do not agree on how to help expand
net access for the poor.
About 60 heads of state, business leaders and community
delegates are gathered for the three-day summit in
December.
The aim of the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) is to draw up a global plan to ensure
as much
of the world’s population as possible has access
to information and communications technologies.
The
UN first proposed the idea back in 1998, as it views
technology as a powerful tool to aid developing
nations become more educated, healthier and less impoverished.
The talks between rich and poor countries had become bogged
down with questions surrounding media freedom
and who should “run” the Internet – but
these have now been resolved.
Back benchers now in the front row for tuition fee bill
British Ministers are to renew their efforts to
win over Labour Members of Parliament who are
opposing the introduction of university tuition
fees.
Government Ministers are holding six seminars
to explain why they back the controversial proposals.
Their aim is to avoid a House of Commons defeat for a policy
on which Tony Blair has staked, some
say, his political future.
If 81 of 150 of Labour’s
own MPs vote with the opposition MPs then the tuition
fees bill will
fail.
The top-up fees policy, due before the Commons
early next year, will allow universities to charge
variable amounts for tuition, payable by students
once they graduate and become employed.
Italy’s pensions burden attracts a crowd
Huge crowds have gathered in Rome to complain about
proposed reforms for Italy’s pensions.
Italy's public pensions burden is the biggest
in Europe per capita and the government says reforms
are needed to deal with the looming crisis of funding
the nation’s pensioners.
But unions brought in protesters to Rome on 3,000
buses and 40 trains and say a previous 1995 reform
already averted any problems brought on by an ageing
population.
Police said up to 250,000 people attended the
rally, which comes after a four-hour general strike
in October by millions of the nation’s workforce.
However, the organisers claimed the protest attracted
1.5 million.
UK hospitals get a boost
to thwart “superbugs”
The UK Government has decided that there be a director
of infection control in every hospital in a bid
to halt the rising number of cases of drug resistant "superbugs".
The government's action plan will give this senior
manager the power to enforce strict rules on hygiene.
Infections that are acquired in hospitals kill
thousands of patients and cost the National Health
Service an estimated £1 billion a year.
The government is introducing measures to boost
hygiene standards in hospitals. The new infection
control director will run teams that will track
down potential sources of infection.
There will also be extra research carried out
into hospital infections.
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