Tesco stops sourcing from a Bangladesh factory due to safety concerns

LONDON (Reuters) - Tesco, the world's No. 3 retailer, has stopped sourcing clothes from a factory in Bangladesh after discovering serious problems with the safety of a building, the company said on Saturday.

The move follows a survey the British-based supermarket chain conducted in the wake of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in Dhaka in April that killed 1,129 people.

"A structural survey of a site we source from in Bangladesh, owned by Liberty Fashions, has revealed serious problems with the safety of one of the buildings," Tesco said in a statement.

"We immediately made the owners aware of our findings, and tried to find an alternative to ceasing production of Tesco products on this site. We are disappointed that this was not possible...

"Our concerns about the structure of this building are so serious that we decided our only option was to stop taking clothes from this site with immediate effect."

Tesco, which has promised to conduct structural surveys of all the factories it sources from, said it had urged the owners of the site to stop all production and to evacuate the premises to ensure the safety of its workers.

It had also informed the relevant authorities, other customers of the site and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BMGEA) of the survey results and its decision to stop sourcing from the site.

The retailer said it had stopped using 15 factories of concern in Bangladesh in the past 12 months.

Bangladesh has pledged to improve safety in the garment industry after the Rana Plaza collapse but has not pledged any new money to relocate dangerous buildings.

The collapse of Rana Plaza, a factory built on swampy ground outside Dhaka with several illegal floors, on April 24 ranks amongst the world's worst industrial accidents and has galvanized brands to look more closely at their suppliers.

Very low labor costs and, critics say, shortcuts on safety, makes the country of 160 million the cheapest place to make large quantities of clothing.

Companies are split over how to improve conditions. Big European names have signed an accord that would make them legally responsible for safety at Bangladesh factories. U.S. firms like Wal-Mart Stores Inc have broken ties with non-compliant factories.

(Reporting by Stephen Addison; Editing by Susan Fenton)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tesco-stops-sourcing-bangladesh-factory-due-safety-concerns-104314444.html

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Can you feel me now? New array measures vibrations across skin, may help engineers design tactile displays

June 14, 2013 ? In the near future, a buzz in your belt or a pulse from your jacket may give you instructions on how to navigate your surroundings.

Think of it as tactile Morse code: vibrations from a wearable, GPS-linked device that tell you to turn right or left, or stop, depending on the pattern of pulses you feel. Such a device could free drivers from having to look at maps, and could also serve as a tactile guide for the visually and hearing impaired.

Lynette Jones, a senior research scientist in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering, designs wearable tactile displays. Through her work, she's observed that the skin is a sensitive -- though largely untapped -- medium for communication.

"If you compare the skin to the retina, you have about the same number of sensory receptors, you just have them over almost two square meters of space, unlike the eye where it's all concentrated in an extremely small area," Jones says. "The skin is generally as useful as a very acute area. It's just that you need to disperse the information that you're presenting."

Knowing just how to disperse tactile information across the skin is tricky. For instance, people may be much more sensitive to stimuli on areas like the hand, as opposed to the forearm, and may respond best to certain patterns of vibrations. Such information on skin responsiveness could help designers determine the best configuration of motors in a display, given where on the skin a device would be worn.

Now Jones has built an array that precisely tracks a motor's vibrations through skin in three dimensions. The array consists of eight miniature accelerometers and a single pancake motor -- a type of vibrating motor used in cellphones. She used the array to measure motor vibrations in three locations: the palm of the hand, the forearm and the thigh. From her studies with eight healthy participants, Jones found that a motor's mechanical vibrations through skin drop off quickly in all three locations, within 8 millimeters from where the vibrations originated.

Jones also gauged participants' perception of vibrations, fitting them with a 3-by-3 array of pancake motors in these three locations on the body. While skin generally stopped vibrating 8 millimeters from the source, most people continued to perceive the vibrations as far away as 24 millimeters.

When participants were asked to identify specific locations of motors within the array, they were much more sensitive on the palm than on the forearm or thigh. But in all three locations, people were better at picking out vibrations in the four corners of the array, versus the inner motors, leading Jones to posit that perhaps people use the edges of their limbs to localize vibrations and other stimuli.

"For a lot of sensory modalities, you have to work out what it is people can process, as one of the dictates for how you design," says Jones, whose results will appear in the journal IEEE Transactions on Haptics. "There's no point in making things much more compact, which may be a desirable feature from an engineering point of view, but from a human-use point of view, doesn't make a difference."

Mapping good vibrations

In addition to measuring skin's sensitivity to vibrations, Jones and co-author Katherine Sofia '12 found that skin has a strong effect on motor vibrations. The researchers compared a pancake motor's frequency of vibrations when mounted on a rigid structure or on more compliant skin. They found that in general, skin reduced a motor's vibrations by 28 percent, with the forearm and thigh having a slightly stronger dampening effect than the palm of the hand.

The skin's damping of motor vibrations is significant, Jones says, if engineers plan to build tactile displays that incorporate different frequencies of vibrations. For instance, the difference between two motors -- one slightly faster than the other -- may be indistinguishable in certain parts of the skin. Likewise, two motors spaced a certain distance apart may be differentiable in one area but not another.

"Should I have eight motors, or is four enough that 90 percent of the time, I'll know that when this one's on, it's this one and not that one?" Jones says. "We're answering those sorts of questions in the context of what information you want to present using a device."

Roberta Klatzky, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, says that measurements taken by Jones' arrays can be used to set up displays in which the location of a stimulus -- for example, a pattern to convey a letter -- is important.

"A major challenge is to enable people to tell the difference between patterns applied to the skin as, for example, blind people do when reading Braille," says Klatzky, who specializes in the study of spatial cognition. "Lynette's work sets up a methodology and potential guidelines for effective pattern displays."

Creating a buzz

Jones sees promising applications for wearable tactile displays. In addition to helping drivers navigate, she says tactile stimuli may direct firefighters through burning buildings, or emergency workers through disaster sites. In more mundane scenarios, she says tactile displays may help joggers traverse an unfamiliar city, taking directions from a buzzing wristband, instead of having to look at a smartphone.

Using data from their mechanical and perceptual experiments, Jones' group is designing arrays that can be worn across the back and around the wrist, and is investigating various ways to present vibrations. For example, a row of vibrations activated sequentially from left to right may tell a driver to turn right; a single motor that buzzes with increasing frequency may be a warning to slow down.

"There's a lot of things you can do with these displays that are fairly intuitive in terms of how people respond," Jones says, "which is important because no one's going to spend hours and hours in any application, learning what a signal means."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/GkStDAspju8/130614082649.htm

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Why Hasn't Anyone Else in D.C. Revealed Details on the Breadth of NSA Spying?

There are over 400 people, heavily involved in politics, who used to have access to top secret government information but never went through any security clearance process. You know some of their names: Rick Santorum, Allen West, Bob Dole. Why haven't any of the politicians you haven't heard of, or wouldn't hear of if they stayed anonymous ? former members of Congress who might want to score a few political points ? revealed details of how Americans are being surreptitiously surveilled? Perhaps, in part, because the security apparatus keeps those people in the dark.

RELATED: A Pundit's Guide to Edward Snowden Fan Fiction

To become a member of Congress, as you probably know, you need only be elected. There is a sworn oath members of Congress take to defend the Constitution, but the only actual qualification is age. This is a feature of our democracy, not a bug, but it opens a weird dichotomy, noted frequently about eight years ago, and well-articulated by the San Diego Union Tribune.

Under the current system, congressional staff members and defense industry employees must go through rigorous background checks and an interviewing process before receiving a security clearance that gives them access to sensitive national security information. ?

Meanwhile, members of Congress are subject to no such background investigations. Instead, once they are elected to office, they take an oath not to reveal national secrets.

The oath used by the House is as follows. (The Senate doesn't appear to have an equivalent stipulation.)

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will not disclose any classified information received in the course of my service with the House of Representatives, except as authorized by the House of Representatives or in accordance with its Rules.

That oath is clearly vague and, like all oaths, depends on the taker's interpretation. Is it in effect in perpetuity? If so, how is that enforced?

RELATED: How the Washington Post Lost the PRISM Exclusive

It appears that the response from intelligence agencies has largely been to hold their cards very, very close to their chests. Classified briefings are often given only to congressional committees or congressional leaders, something that Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland noted last week, when she said the claim that the Congress had been "fully briefed" on security issues "drives us up a wall," given how limited those briefings tend to be.

RELATED: How to Apply for Edward Snowden's Old Job

In the aftermath of the Snowden leaks, the National Security Agency has necessarily been more forthcoming with details. On Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a nine-term member from California, spoke to the press about a Tuesday briefing provided by the NSA. The Hill reported on her reaction.

"What we learned in there," Sanchez said, "is significantly more than what is out in the media today." ?

"I can't speak to what we learned in there, and I don't know if there are other leaks, if there's more information somewhere, if somebody else is going to step up, but I will tell you that I believe it's the tip of the iceberg," she said.

Sanchez has been a member of the House since 1997, meaning (obviously) that she pre-dates the post-9/11 surveillance authorizations. She hasn't supported them: Four of the five times key measures came up for a vote, she voted no; once, for the 2011 PATRIOT Act extension, she abstained. But her language is telling. First, that she and her colleagues still had details to learn. She implies that the best existing source she had for her information was the media; the new information was far more vast than what she realized.

RELATED: China and Hong Kong Hold Edward Snowden's Fate

Even more telling, however, is the phrase: "if somebody else is going to step up." Sanchez has consistently opposed the legislation at-hand, but clearly still found the new information to be concerning. She didn't simply say, "if there are other leaks" ??she wondered if another whistleblower would "step up." It is very easy to read that as an expression of desire.

RELATED: Washington Turns on the NSA Blinders to Target Weird 'IT Guy' Leaker Instead

As details of the NSA's behavior are becoming public, the American people are increasingly willing to accept the need for more information. More respondents to one Reuters poll felt that Snowden's actions were heroic than traitorous ??though nearly half didn't see the issue as clear-cut. A new poll from The Guardian (which has a dog in the fight) indicates that people want further review of the NSA.

[T]wo-thirds of voters who responded said that in the light of a week-long series of leaked disclosures about the NSA's surveillance activities they wanted to see its role reviewed. Only 20% thought there were no grounds for further review, while 14% could not say either way.

In a separate question, 56% said that they believed Congress had failed to conduct sufficient oversight of the NSA.

For a former member of Congress, a political opportunity is presenting itself: become a champion of transparency by sharing some details of the extensive security state. How voters would react to such a disclosure depends on the constituency and the manner in which it happened, but, on this lengthy list of former members, there are several who might be able to walk that line.

The best way for the NSA to offset such a thing is to demonstrate a willingness for reform and oversight. During a Senate Appropriations hearing on Wednesday, the organization's head, Keith Alexander, expressed a willingness to participate in oversight, saying "I want the American people to know that we're trying to be transparent here." President Bush's former NSA director appeared on CNN that evening, saying that the Obama administration had been more transparent than his boss' had been.

That trend will likely continue. If Americans quickly lose interest, as we have before, the NSA will return to the shadows with a contented sigh. If, however, voters push for more information, we may see a high-profile whistleblower who sees that as a political opportunity.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-hasnt-anyone-else-d-c-revealed-details-141202835.html

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Jennifer Aniston jealous of Kate Middleton's hair

Celebs

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper TODAY

2 hours ago

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston's hair was the envy of many women in the 1990s when she wore the famous "Rachel" hairdo on "Friends." But Aniston herself admits to Marie Claire that she has "hair envy" when it comes to the long locks of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

"She's got a hard job, being scrutinized like that," Aniston said. "When I have a bad hair day, my hair just goes in a clip.

Aniston also admitted that the "Rachel" was kind of an accident. "My manager at the time said, 'You have to do something with your hair?it's horrible!'" she told the magazine. "I walked into the salon and (stylist) Chris (McMillan) just lopped it off. I mean, at that point it was pretty much The Rachel."

It also took quite a lot of work to maintain, she said. "The Rachel was high maintenance. I'd curse Chris every time I had to blow dry. It took three brushes?it was like doing surgery! "

Aniston and McMillan also told the magazine about how they plan to do her hair when she eventually marries fiance Justin Theroux. "For my wedding, I wouldn't do an updo, but I think a veil is always pretty," Aniston said. "I like loose and natural hair because it goes against the formality of the dress. Loose, like 'I just got out of bed, maybe had a romp' hair.

Joked McMillan, "I plan to do her hair three hours early, and hopefully she'll have a romp in bed before the ceremony."

No date has been announced for the wedding, but People magazine reports that nuptial plans have slowed down due to work commitments and renovation of the couple's $21 million mansion.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/jennifer-aniston-im-jealous-kate-middletons-hair-6C10314851

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Legal Roundup March-June 2013 | Armed Groups and International ...

Every few months, Katharine and I compile articles, book chapters, books and blog discussions which we think might be interesting for people doing research on issues relating to armed groups or non-international armed conflict more generally.

The previous selections can be found below. We have grouped the articles into categories for convenience, but please be aware that the grouping is ultimately quite arbitrary as many articles fit into more than one category.

?

General

Becker Lorca, Arnulf, ?Rules for the ?Global War on Terror?: Implying consent and presuming conditions for intervention?, 45(2012) NYU Journal of International Law and politics, pp 1-95

Cameron, Lindsay, and Vincent Chetail, Privatizing war: private military and security companies under public international law (Cambridge University Press, 2013)

Corn, Geoffrey and Tanweer?Kaleemullah, ?The Military Response to Criminal Violent Extremist Groups: Aligning Use of Force Presumptions with Threat Reality? (SSRN)

Corten, Olivier and Koutroulis, Vaios, ?The Illegality of Military Support to the Rebels in the Libyan War: aspects of jus contra bellum and jus in bello?, 18(1)(2013) Journal of Conflict and Security Law, pp59-93

Koutroulis, Vaios, ?And Yet It Exists: In Defence of the ?Equality of Belligerents? Principle?, 26(2013) Leiden Journal of International Law, pp 449-472.

Luban, David, ?Military Necessity and the Cultures of Military Law?, 26(2013) Leiden Journal of International Law, pp 315-349

Margulies, Peter, ?Valor?s vices : against a state duty to risk forces in armed conflict?, in: Counterinsurgence law: new directions in asymmetric warfare?(Oxford University Press, 2013) pp 87-107

May, Larry, A Hobbesian Approach to Cruelty and the Rules of War 26(2)(2013) Leiden Journal of International Law, pp293-313

Shah, Niaz A., The Taliban Layeha?for Mujahidin and the Law of Armed Conflict, 3(2013) Journal of International Legal Studies, pp 192-229

?

Drones and Other Transnational Military Operations

Blank, Laurie R., ?Extending Positive Identification from Persons to Places: Terrorism, Armed Conflict and the Identification of Military Objectives? (SSRN, forthcoming in Utah Law Review)

Grut, Chantal, The Challenge of Autonomous Lethal Robotics to International Humanitarian Law, 18(1) (2013) Journal of Conflict and Security Law, pp5-23

Lewis, Michael W., ?Drones and transnational armed conflicts?, 3(2103) St. John?s Journal of International and Comparative Law, pp 1-18

Lubell, Noam, ?Drones, Battlefields and Asking the Right?Questions?, EJIL: Talk!, 28 February 2013

Sterio, Milena, The United States? Use of Drones in the War on Terror: The (Il)legality of Targeted Killings Under International Law, 45(1&2)(2012) Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, pp197-214

Targeting and Detention

Bachmann, Sascha-Dominik, ?Targeted Killings: Contemporary Challenges, Risks and Opportunities?, Journal of Conflict and Security Law (advance access)

The Capture or Kill Debate: see series of posts?on the Lawfare blog in response to article by Goodman, Ryan, 24 (2013) The Power to Kill or Capture Enemy Combatants, European Journal of International Law, forthcoming.

Corn, Geoffrey S., Blank, Laurie, R., Jenks, Chris and Jensen, Eric Talbot, Belligerent Targeting and the Invalidity of a Least Harmful Means Rule, 89 (2013) International Law Studies, pp536-625

Vallentgoed, Darren, The Last Round? A Post-Gotovina Reassessment of the Legality of Using Artillery against Built-up Areas, 18(1) (2013) Journal of Conflict and Security Law, pp25-57

Van Amstel, Nelleke, In Search of Legal Grounds to Detain for Armed Groups, 3(2013) Journal of International Legal Studies, pp 160-191

Vedel?Kessing, Peter, ?Security detention in UN peace operations?, in Searching for a ?Principle of Humanity? in International Humanitarian Law (Cambridge University Press, 2013), pp 272-303.

Classification of Armed Conflicts and Applicable Law

ICRC led discussion on typology of armed conflicts and related issues on Intercross (see here for a summary and links)

Zawacki, Benjamin, Politically Inconvenient, Legally Correct: A Non-International Armed Conflict in Southern Thailand, 18(1)(2013) Journal of Conflict and Security Law, pp151-179

?

Human Rights

Conte, Alex, ?Human Rights Beyond Borders: A New Era in Human Rights Accountability for Transnational Counter-Terrorism Operations??, Journal of Conflict and Security Law (advance access)

D?Aspremont, Jean, ?Articulating international human rights and international humanitarian law: conciliatory interpretation under the guise of conflict of norms-resolution?, in The Interpretation and Application of the European Convention of Human Rights: Legal and Practical Implications?(Leiden, Martinus?Nijhoff Publishers, 2013), pp 3-31

?

International Criminal Law and Transitional Justice

Begley, Tracey B.C., ?The extraterritorial obligation to prevent the use of child soldiers, ?27(2012) The American University International Law Review, pp 613-641

Decoeur, Henri, ?Avoiding strict liability in mixed conflicts : a subjectivist approach to the contextual element of war crimes?, 13(2013) International Criminal Law Review, pp 473-492

Milanovic, Marko, The Limits of Aiding and Abetting Liability: The ICTY?Appeals Chamber Acquits Momcilo?Perisic, EJIL:Talk!, 11 March 2013

Rodman, Kenneth and Booth, Petie,? Manipulated Commitments: the ICC in Uganda, 35(2)(2013), Human Rights Quarterly, p271-303

Lafayette, Erin, ?The prosecution of child soldiers: balancing accountability with justice?, 63(2013) Syracuse law review, pp 297-325.

Sinha, G. Alex, ?Child soldiers as super-privileged combatants?, 17(2013) The International Journal of Human Rights, pp 584-603

Stewart, James, G. Part I: Guest Post: The ICTY loses its way on Complicity,?Opinio Juris, 3 April 2013

Stewart, James, G. Part II: Guest Post: The ICTY loses its way on Complicity, Opinio Juris,

Wagner, Natalie, ?A Critical Assessment of Using Children to Participate Actively in Hostilities in Lubanga Child Soldiers and Direct Participation?, 24(2013) Criminal Law Forum, pp 145-203

Miscellaneous

Brown, Graham K. and Arnim Langer (eds), Elgar handbook of civil war and fragile states, (Cheltenham: E. Elgar Publishing, 2012)

Coco, Antonio, The Mark of Cain: The Crime of Terrorism in Times of Armed Conflict as Interpreted by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in R v. Mohammed Gul 11(2) (2013) Journal of International Criminal Justice, pp425-440

Cunningham, Dan, Everton, Sean, Wilson, Greg, Padilla, Carlos, Zimmerman, Doug, ?Brokers and Key Players in the Internationalization of the FARC?, 36(6)(2013) Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, pp477-502

Muleefu, Alphonse, ?Beyond the Single Story: Rwanda?s Support to the March 23 Movement (M23)?, 5(1) (2013) Amsterdam Law Forum

Peters, Joel and David Newman (eds), The Routledge handbook on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?(London, Routledge, 2013).

Day, Stephen W., Regionalism and rebellion in Yemen: a troubled national union (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

Ugarizza, Juan E. and Craig, Matthew J., The Relevance of Ideology to Contemporary Armed Conflicts: A Quantitative Analysis of Former Combatants in Colombia, 57(3)(2013) Journal of Conflict Resolution, pp445-477

For previous Armed Groups and International Law?legal roundups see here (September 2012), here (November 2012) and here (February 2013).

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Source: http://armedgroups-internationallaw.org/2013/06/13/legal-roundup-march-june-2013/

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10 Things to Know for Today

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. TURKEY PRIME MINISTER TO FACE PROTESTERS

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's meeting with activists today comes after hours of clashes in Istanbul between protesters and police who fired tear gas into the crowds.

2. NSA HEAD TO FACE CONGRESS

Gen. Keith Alexander will field senators' questions about the surveillance by U.S. spy agencies after many called for an end to them.

3. SYRIA DENOUNCES 'MASSACRE' OF CIVILIANS

Activists said rebels attacked a village that killed dozens of Shiites; a government official said many were older people and children.

4. OPENING THE DOOR FOR IMMIGRANTS

In Spanish and English, the Senate pushes contentious immigration legislation over early procedural hurdles as Obama urges "The moment is now."

5. THE STORM THAT COULD HIT 1 IN FIVE AMERICANS

The derecho, a weather event that could span hundreds of miles from Iowa to Maryland, is likely to generate tornadoes, power outages and oppressive heat.

6. CLEVELAND KIDNAP SUSPECT HEADS TO COURT

Ariel Castro was to be arraigned today on hundreds of charges related to the kidnapping and rape of three women found in his home.

7. STUNNING WORDS FROM THE VATICAN

Pope Francis says a "gay lobby" is at work at the Vatican and acknowledges he isn't particularly adept at administration, notes from a private audience reveal.

8. LEAKER'S GIRLFRIEND 'STILL SHOCKED'

Lindsay Mills' father says he doesn't know where his daughter is now; she wrote, "my world has opened and closed" after revelations that Edward Snowden leaked classified secrets.

9. ANOTHER REASON BRITS ARE HAPPY ABOUT ROYAL BABY

Officials hope the birth next month of an heir to the throne could boost consumer confidence and the UK's sluggish economy.

10. NONSTARS STAND OUT AS SPURS BLOW OUT THE HEAT

Danny Green scored 27 points and Gary Neal made six 3-pointers while scoring 24 as San Antonio drubbed Miami 113-77, taking a 2-1 lead in the finals series.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-things-know-today-101340019.html

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Qualcomm's Rob Chandhok On How AllJoyn Will Let Users Control Devices With Their Own Personal Clouds

Imagine walking into a new room and, like Harry Potter, being able to control all the devices in there with a few gestures. But (because you are a Muggle) instead of a wand, you use your smartphone. Developed by Qualcomm, AllJoyn is an open source peer-to-peer software designed to give manufacturers and developers the framework to seamlessly connect a wide range of devices, appliances and mobile apps.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2ZIVrI-Jj3U/

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