Is the erecting of barriers against foreign Sovereign Wealth Funds compatible with international investment law？

The impact of overseas investments by Sovereign Wealth Funds （SWFs） is increasingly causing alarm in destination countries. Many western governments show high concern with SWFs investing in some of their strategic economic sectors, such as energy or high technologies. Consequently, several of these governments have issued new domestic rules to control and even cancel investments operated by SWFs, or are about to do so. The aim of this work is to assess the compatibility of these new legislations with international investment law.     

Towards a new paradigm of the right to self-determination in the world trading system

There has been a shifting meaning of the right to self-determination, since World War Ⅱ, from territorial decolonisation into other meanings such as the right for indigenous people, minorities, ethnics groups and women＇s rights in the territories of independent states. Furthermore, the new phenomenon signifies that it is also used implicitly in the world trading system by states in maintaining their sovereignty from trade liberalization. This has been a dilemma in understanding the right to self-determination within international law. This paper, however, critically evaluates the potential applicability of the right to self-determination in the world trading architecture. It begins by examining the origins, evolution and current struggle to the right to self-determination in the world trading system. It then addresses in General Exceptions, Safeguard Measures and Special and Preferential Treatment as existing and applied principles in the World Trade Organization. It is highlighted that the real world still needs the right to self-determination as a means of struggling for economic justice. The right to self-determination has shifted from the right to transfer territory politically into the right to the transfer of welfare economically and in particular, the right to self-determination of people into the fight to self-determination of states.     

Sudden Death due to Brainstem Leukemic Hemorrhage:A Case Report

Introduction Leukemia is a hematologic neoplasm character- ized by potential infectious and hemorrhagic com- plications. In adult patients with acute leukemia, in- fection is the most common complication. Intracra- nial hemorrhage （ICH） is the second most common complication. However, ICH has been identified as the major cause of morbidity and mortality in pa- tients with leukemia[1-6].     

A study of NAFTA： Establishing a better dispute resolution mechanism under CEPA

Dispute resolution under CEPA is regulated in Chapter 19-Institution Arrangement, but only consists of one sentence. The flaws are explored in the performance of this new agreement. Dispute resolution under NAFTA includes more than four dispute resolution procedures, which include numerous details and various institutions. It is considered as one of the best dispute resolution mechanism. The successful experience and the lessons learned will help CEPA establish a fair, efficient, and suitable disnute resolution mechanism     

The transformation of Liangshan Yi marriage law

The traditional Liangshan Yi society was strictly stratified, and Yi law reflected this by stipulating the rule of marriage within the same rank, the violation of which would be forced to commit suicide. The rank system was abrogated in the Democracy Reform, the rule of marriage within the same rank has been criticized and abolished in the following Political Movements, however, it still predominates Yi people＇s marriage life. The radical political measures to abolish the traditional institutions have met failure in spite of the fact that the Liangshan Yi law has transformed due to both the political power relationship and market economy.     

The law and its interpretation do play a role in the elimination of xenophobia： A South African case study

The examination of certain legal aspects of xenophobia has shown that the law and its judicial interpretation do on the one hand server to safeguard against xenophobia and to eliminate it where it still prevails, on the other hand they can however serve to entrench it~. It is believed that in future, South African courts will continue to be proactive in the elimination of xenophobic tendencies wherever they may be encountered in the legal context and that law reform will eradicate laws which generate the impression that they are xenophobically motivated.     

Constructive condition and application of law of preliminary question

Preliminary question, a legal problem often involved in foreign marriage and foreign succession relations, has ever been discussed by masters in private international law. In the field of private international law study in China, the research on preliminary question has been the receiving and continuing of the British private international law expert, Morris. But his theory of preliminary question is open to question. This article restates the conditions and application of law of preliminary question of from both the theoretical and practical aspects and raises the author＇s new points and propositions.     

Research on rural religion governing and the deficiency of legal protection in China： Taking Christianity as an example

Rural religion governing and its deficiency of legal protection have become a great social concern. The researcher uses positivism and legal sociological analysis as the major methodologies in this research, making Christianity as an illustration, using massive firsthand data to analyze a situation of rural religion governing comprehensively, points out its deficiency of legal protection in Chinese Constitution and provides the frame for solving problems.     

Protecting the procedural rights of victim

Criminal procedure law of the People＇s Republic of China prescribed victim the status of procedure, and gave them more procedural rights. But it＇s insufficient. It＇s important to give them more procedural rights, e.g. right of appeal.     

General analysis and recommendations on China＇s legal implementation mechanism for wetland biodiversity conservation

China has not formulated a comprehensive specific legislation on wetland conservation and wise use, however many laws and regulations are relevant to wetland conservation, such as Forest Law （1983）, Law on Land Administration （1986）. The dispersed multi-sectoral management model defined and the single resource element based management reflected in the existing legislation cannot meet the requirement for integrated wetland conservation and the needs to conserve the ecological function of wetlands. Also the major deficiencies of the existing legal implementation mechanism can be found in wetland conservation plan, public participation, operational and enforcement measures. Based on the problems, there should be provision on the responsibility of the forestry department to compile and implement wetland conservation plans, and its responsibility to cooperate with other relevant government agencies in planning. There should be specific or expanded provisions on the procedures and phases of public participation. In addition, there should be provision on litigation channels to expand the form of the public rights, and enabling mechanisms to safeguard the public rights. The improvement of relevant approaches should focus on the shift from administrative regulatory approaches towards multiple approaches combining administrative regulation, economic incentive and administrative supervision. The improvement on establishment of operational and enforcement authority should focus on the shift from substantial authorization towards both substantial and procedural authorization. There should be more specific and clear provision on the awarding measures, to fill the gaps of existing legislation and to strengthen the accountability of government agencies. In addition, this article gives specific recommendations on provisions on the systems of wetland conservation and legal implementation mechanism.     

On the protection of the inheritance of world in China in law

So far, China is in possession of 33 World Inheritances, being the third one among all the countries in the world. However, as the experiences in protecting the inheritances are concerned, China is not as successful as some other countries. As China is in the construction of modernization and large-scale infrastructure construction and over-exploitation has become a great threat to the inheritances, its present condition in China is not satisfying. This article tries to put forward some countermeasures of law to enhance the protection work in China by using for reference the successful experiences of foreign countries in world inheritance protection.     

The environmental rights entered in the constitutions： A critique

Although environmental law is a relatively a new field of scholarship in South Africa, it is growing rapidly. The right to access to social security including environmental rights is found in the South African Bill of Rights, is being amplified by legislative and constitutional reforms, and developing case law in the courts. There is therefore a clear need to increase the understanding of the discipline through systematic research and teaching at various levels.1 The notion of including an “environmental right” in a domestic constitution is not novel in Africa. Most African countries have incorporated a constitutional provision that ensures the right to a healthy environment. Most of the problems that exist with environmental rights under the international and regional systems are absent under the domestic South African system. The way in which environmental rights have been formulated in international instruments, section 24 of the South African Constitution has been framed as an individual right and not as a collective one. Environmental degradation often affects groups of people and it could consequently argue that the right should protect groups and not just individuals.2     

Imagining the law and the constitution of societal order in Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker＇s 1965 ＂Crime and the Great Society＂ address

Legal scholar James Boyd White has challenged both lawyers and rhetoricians to imagine the law as an enterprise of language. In contending that members of the legal profession should see law as an activity of speech and imagination occurring in a social world, he has urged lawyers to view the legal profession as an interaction of authoritative texts and as a process of legal thought and argument instead of thinking of law as a technical system of regulations and applying its rules in a mechanical way. By asking members of the legal professional to consider law as rhetoric, White has encouraged them to recognize the socially constitutive nature of language, which runs contrary to a perspective of law as machine or, rather, the law as only a mechanistic system of rules and regulations. His ideas have inspired the ＂law and literature＂ movement, which has motivated other scholars to analyze the texts of judicial opinions, for example, according to White＇s theories. However, this essay takes White＇s concept of imagining the law and applies it public address and, specifically, to the 1965 ＂Crime and the Great Society＂ speech given by former Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker. Chief Parker＇s address reveals a vision for the City of Los Angeles in which Parker, himself, asks his audience of citizens and civic leaders to share for advancing a specific agenda for law enforcement＇s role in society.     

Pragmatic relevance/strength of lexico-grammar choices in EU legal documents

The present study focuses on the communicative relevance of lexical choices in the documents of the European Union Committee of the Regions （CoR） and of other related bodies within a pragmalinguistic perspective. The function of the Committee of the Regions is to issue opinions on proposals for Community legislation which are closest to the citizen interests - education, youth, culture, health. It is thus a voice at the heart of the EU which aims at increasing the participation of European regions in community life. Our corpus consists in 100 documents （Proposals and Opinions） whose lexico-grammatical aspects and communicative/ rhetorical strategies are here investigated. Our hypothesis is that such texts aim at creating a holistic we to construe a common ground of interests, within the constraints of legal intercourses, shared by both the sender and the receiver of the messages. Frequently occurring lexical items are： welcome, ensure, strengthen, aid. To stress urgency, generate empathy, emphasize needs and endorse value-positions are the recognizable perlocutionary effects of such semantic/pragmatic choices. Tools for analysis were taken from the domain of pragmalinguistics, from Evaluative/Appraisal Frameworks and, also, from social sciences. Particularly relevant appeared the notion of＇advocacy＇ （i.e., when researchers are asked to use their expertise to defend the subjects＇ interests in healthcare, education, political rights, and cultural autonomy）. This study will provide both qualitative and quantitative data to support our hypothesis, and will offer suggestions for further research.     

Pre-constitutional state of customary law in South Africa

Customary law is often criticized for being in conflict with human rights norms, mainly on the grounds that it tends not to emphasize gender equality and discriminate against women. Although customary law has not in the past emphasized equality between men and women, it cannot be regarded as completely in conflict with human rights1. As already stated, one of the principles of human rights is equality between the sexes. Customary law has the same aim as human rights, which is the protection of human dignity2. The conflict may be largely caused by the fact that, ideologically, African customary law is communal or socialist in approach, whereas human rights are based on the premise that a person has rights by virtue of his or her being an individual human being. Now that we in South Africa have a bill of rights and yet we will still have customary law, the question has been and is still being posed whether customary law is not in conflict with universal human rights. The reason for this is that one of the values that underpin our Constitution is equality.3 Customary law on the other hand does not insist on complete equality in every respect. In particular section 9 of the 1996 Constitution provides for equality before the law and for equal protection and benefit of the law, which entails the full and equal enjoyment of all the rights and freedoms. It further proscribes unfair discrimination based on the listed grounds although it allows steps to promote or advance people or categories of persons who have been disadvantaged by unfair discrimination.     

Effective prison rehabilitation system： Special reference to Sri Lanka

Prison is one of the main and important agencies which involves in the criminal justice process. Offenders who are sentenced to imprisonment are sent to this institution for rehabilitation. The main objective of the prison institution is to rehabilitate prisoners thereby helping them to understand what was wrong with their behaviors and helping them to become productive citizens in the future after releasing from prison. In order to achieve this task, the prison system should take necessary steps to conduct an effective rehabilitation process during the imprisonment period and to ensure the protection of their human rights. The present situation in prisons, the increasing rate of the reconvicted and the recidivism demonstrate that the prison system in Sri Lanka is not able to successfully reach its main goal that of the adequate rehabilitation of offenders and sufficient protection of their rights. This paper focuses on an effective prison rehabilitation system for Sri Lanka through the protection of rights of prisoners. To reach this goal, the role and the importance of the concept of rehabilitation as a main objective of punishment, present international regional and national laws relating to the rights of the prisoner, existing prison system in Sri Lanka, the current problems in our prison system and reasons for the problems are discussed. Furthermore, the initiatives and the measures that could be taken for an effective prison rehabilitation system in Sri Lanka and the role of the public and privates institutions in this regard are also considered.     

The impact of economic theories on the law in market relations

The impact of economic theories on legal development, thinking and practice is undeniable. This is particularly true for neo-classical and institutional economics. Neo-classical economics are based on model assumptions of human behaviour such as pursuit of personal advantage, individualistic goals, complete information and at the same time law obedience which are the foundations of the functioning of the market mechanisms. The assumption leads to an almost mystical belief in the self-regulatory power of the market and a strong disdain and disapproval of the State. The concepts of a minimal State and de-regulation of all social relations follow from there. This article argues that model assumptions are valid scientific tools, as long as they are not taken to reflect the real world which is populated by real people that are not necessarily behaving like homines oeconomici. Preaching de-regulation and the dismissal of the State can prove simplistic and even dangerous and may lead to financial and economic crises like the ones witnessed in recent years. Institutional economics part from these empirical findings. They do not question individualism and the pursuit of egoistic objectives of market-participants, but they insist on inherent risks of this mechanism which stems from opportunistic behaviour, lack of information and transparency and the limits of trust. Property economists deduct from there that sustainable and dynamic economic development is unthinkable without well defined property title, the distinction of property and possession and credit securities. These institutions cannot be self-regulatory but need a clear legal frame, in other words rules established by a State. Transaction costs economists understand the danger of opportunistic behaviour and a corresponding systemic lack of trust in the negotiation, conclusion and execution of contracts. They underline the necessity of institutions which are capable of limiting these dangers and thus reducing transaction costs. Institutions may be customs, informal arrangements and formal law. At the end two examples are presented-real estate transactions and post-patriarchal family relations-to test the utility of these considerations.     

Educating adults： The critical role of experiential learni in legal education

For too long, legal educators around the world have treated their students as passive learners, dispensing knowledge either through lectures or through Socratic dialogue with individual students. Studies in adult learning have demonstrated the futility of these passive models in developing within our students the knowledge, skills, and values required to be effective and responsible lawyers. This article therefore describes a very different approach to legal education-an approach that uses experience as the crucible through which to develop the lawyers of tomorrow.     

The international movement to deter corruption： Should China join？

Global concerns over the corruption of weak governments by firms engaged in transnational business are the source of an international movement that emerged in 1997. Special concern is presently directed at the weakness of enforcement of laws enacted in recent times to deter corrupt business practices in international trade that were enacted in response to that movement. One cause of weakness in law enforcement is the failure of China to share actively in those concerns and the efforts to address them. This essay will briefly record steps taken in other nations to address the concerns and the limited effectiveness of those steps. It will urge Chinese participation in the international movement and briefly suggest the need for private enforcement of the law if the movement is to succeed.     

Piracy of copyright in Pakistan and its effects

This article analyses the copyright piracy in Pakistan through International Intellectual Property Alliance Reports. Copyright piracy ratio is very high in Pakistan in last fifteen years. The article discusses the piracy situation year wise and its effects on Pakistan economy. In this way, it tries to improve the implementation of intellectual property rights. In the end, the article recommends some suggestions to improve the enforcement situation in Pakistan.