The new Middle East

Burma: The Struggle for Independence (2 Vols.) Ed. By Hugh Tinker. London H.M.S.O. 1983/84. £95.00 each Volume.     

Report

Tibet and the Chinese People's Republic: Being a Report to the International Commission of Jurists by its Legal Enquiry Committee on Tibet. Published by the Commission, Geneva, 1960 (6, Rue Mont‐de‐Sion, Geneva). Pp. 345.     

The incidence of drugs of impairment in oral fluid from random roadside testing

Oral fluid (OF) has become a popular specimen to test for presence of drugs, particularly in regards to road safety. In Victoria, OF specimens from drivers have been used to test for the presence of methylamphetamine (MA) and Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) since 2003 and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) since 2006. LC-MS/MS has been used to test the most recent 853 submitted OF specimens from Victoria Police for 31 drugs of abuse including those listed in the Australian Standard AS4760-2006. At least one proscribed drug was detected in 96% of drivers, of which MA was the most common (77%), followed by THC (42%), MDMA (17%) and the combination of all three (3.9%). Opioids were detected in 14% of drivers of which 4.8% were positive for 6-acetylmorphine and 3.3% for methadone. The incidence of the opioids tramadol (1.2%) and oxycodone (1.1%) were relatively low. Cocaine (8.0%) was as commonly detected as benzodiazepines (8.0%), and was almost always found in combination with MA (7.9%). Samples positive to benzodiazepines were largely due to diazepam (3.5%) and alprazolam (3.4%), with only 0.2% of drivers combining the two. Ketamine was also detected in 1.5% of cases. While the incidences of the proscribed drugs itself are concerning, it is clear that many drivers are also using other drugs capable of causing impairment.     

The prevalence of drugs in injured drivers

In mid 2009 Victoria introduced compulsory drug testing of blood taken from all injured drivers taken to hospital. Δ(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), methylamphetamine (MA) and 3,4-methylenedioxy-methylamphetamine (MDMA) are prohibited and if drivers are positive to any amount an automatic penalty is enforced. Laboratory screens were conducted on preserved blood using ELISA testing for cannabis metabolite and methylamphetamines and a fully validated LC-MS/MS method for 105 drugs including THC, amphetamines, opioids, benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antipsychotics and a number of other psychoactive substances using a minimum of two transitions per drug. Conventional GC-testing for ethanol was used to screen and quantify the presence of alcohol. 1714 drivers were tested and showed alcohol in 29% (≥ 0.01 g/100mL) and drugs in 35%. The positive rate for the three drugs prohibited by legislation was 12.5%. The prevalence of THC, MA and MDMA was 9.8%, 3.1%, and 0.8%, respectively. The range of THC concentrations in blood was 2-42 ng/mL (median 7) of which 70% had a concentration of 10 ng/mL or higher. The range of concentrations for MA and MDMA was 0.02-0.4 and 0.03-0.3mg/L (median for both drugs was 0.05 mg/L). Drugs of any type were detected in 35% of cases. The other drugs were largely prescribed drugs such as the antidepressants (9.3%) and benzodiazepines (8.9%). Neither 6-acetylmorphine nor cocaine (or benzoylecgonine) was detected in these cases.     

The problem of the straits

Siberian Development and East Asia. Threat or Promise? By Allen S. Whiting. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. 1981. Pp. 276. Index, notes, maps. Price $22.50 (hardback).     

Wegfall des dringenden Wohnbedürfnisses des Eintrittsberechtigten während des Kündigungsverfahrens

Aus der Rsp zur Eigenbedarfskündigung des Vermieters, nach der der Eigenbedarf sowohl zum Zeitpunkt der Kündigung als auch zu jenem des Schlusses der mündlichen Verhandlung erster Instanz im Kündigungsprozess vorliegen muss, kann nicht der Schluss gezogen werden, dass die Kündigung eines nach dem Tod des ursprünglichen Mieters mit der Verlassenschaft fortdauernden Mietverh?ltnisses dadurch rechtswirksam würde, dass der an sich eintrittsberechtigte Angeh?rige im Laufe des Kündigungsverfahrens sein dringendes Wohnbedürfnis an der aufgekündigten Wohnung verliert. Gegenstand des Kündigungsverfahrens ist ausschlie?lich die Berechtigung der vom Vermieter (gerichtlich) ausgesprochenen Kündigung, die jedenfalls das Vorliegen eines Kündigungsgrundes zum Kündigungszeitpunkt voraussetzt. Ein im Todeszeitpunkt des früheren Mieters bestehendes Eintrittsrecht eines Angeh?rigen kann nicht im Nachhinein dadurch wieder wegfallen, dass das zum ma?geblichen Zeitpunkt bestehende Wohnbedürfnis sp?ter auf Grund einer anderen Wohnm?glichkeit wegf?llt. Die Frage des Wohnbedürfnisses des Eintrittswerbers ist nach den Verh?ltnissen im Zeitpunkt des Todes des Hauptmieters zu beurteilen, wogegen nachtr?gliche ?nderungen – wenn überhaupt – nur zu Gunsten des Mieters zu berücksichtigen sind.