The Limits of Pluralism - Recent Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights with Regard to Minorities: Does the Prohibition of Discrimination Add Anything?

Since the mid-1990s, the European Court of Human Rights has had before it a number of cases concerning the situation of minorities under Article 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights - which aims to secure the enjoyment of rights and freedoms without discrimination inter alia on grounds of association with a national minority. At present, the number of similar cases pending before the Court is growing. Through an examination of cases concerning mainly the nexus between Article 11 and Article 14 as well as Article 8 and Article 14, this article seeks to identify a number of problematic aspects of the jurisprudence of the Court. This, the author argues, includes uncertainty as to when and why the Court chooses to examine Article 14; issues of cumulative violations; issues of evidence; the questionable principle of prevention; issues of indirect discrimination and last, but not least, the potential benefits of the entry into force of Protocol No. 12. To address these problems, the author concludes that there is a need for greater coherency in the positions adopted by the Court with respect to minority issues as well as a need for more legal research

On Body and Soil

If territory is part of the problem in the quest for peaceful relations, it should also be part of the solution. This is the core argument in the present text, where the work of international lawyer Louis Sohn during the Cold War and efforts towards territorial disarmament across time and space are used as starting points for the exploration of possibilities today, including in the global commons and other territories beyond the jurisdiction of individual states. I explore a range of experiences of territorial disarmament already in operation alongside the opportunities currently offered in the nexus between protection of the environment and armed conflicts. Finally, the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Diversity Framework and the UN Principles on protection of the environment in armed conflict developed by the International Law Commission are looked at as opportunities for the successive protection of territories through various forms of disarmament and neutralisation

Visible Light-Driven Water Oxidation Catalyzed by Ruthenium Complexes

A shift in energy dependence from fossil fuels to sustainable and carbon-neutral alternatives is a daunting challenge that faces the human society. Light harvesting for the production of solar fuels has been extensively investigated as an attractive approach to clean and abundant energy. An essential component in solar energy conversion schemes is a catalyst for water oxidation. Ruthenium-based catalysts have received significant attention due to their ability to efficiently mediate the oxidation of water. In this context, the design of robust catalysts capable of driving water oxidation at low overpotential is a key challenge for realizing efficient visible light-driven water splitting. Herein, recent progress in the development within this field is presented with a focus on homogeneous ruthenium-based systems and surface-immobilized ruthenium assemblies for photo-induced oxidation of water

Macro-language planning for multilingual education : focus on programmes and provision

This overview identifies some common features of macro-level language planning and briefly summarises the changing approaches to the analysis of macro-planning in the field. It previews six cases of language-in-education planning in response to linguistic diversity presented by the contributors to this issue. The cases show how macro-planning can either fail to recognise diverse ethnolinguistic identities or work to acknowledge them. Three common themes in language planning for multilingual education can be identified from the contributions: (i) top-down definitions of what counts as mother tongue can have both intended and unintended outcomes; (ii) language-as-problem responses to linguistic diversity can work to reinforce social exclusion; and (iii) the acknowledgement of diversity and minority language rights needs to flow through from statements of intent to on-the-ground implementation if they are to become a reality

Topical NSAIDs for acute pain: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: A previous systematic review reported that topical NSAIDs were effective in relieving pain in acute conditions like sprains and strains, with differences between individual drugs for efficacy. More trials, a better understanding of trial quality and bias, and a reclassification of certain drugs necessitate a new review. METHODS: Studies were identified by searching electronic databases and writing to manufacturers. We selected randomised double blind trials comparing topical NSAID with either placebo or another active treatment in adults with acute pain, and extracted dichotomous information approximating to a 50% reduction in pain at one week, together with details of adverse events and withdrawals. Relative benefit and number-needed-to-treat (NNT), and relative risk and number-needed-to-harm (NNH) were calculated, with sensitivity analyses where appropriate to investigate differences between individual drugs and aspects of trial design. RESULTS: Twenty-six double blind placebo controlled trials had information from 2,853 patients for evaluation of efficacy. Topical NSAID was significantly better than placebo in 19 of the 26 trials, with a pooled relative benefit of 1.6 (95% confidence interval 1.4 to 1.7), and NNT of 3.8 (95% confidence interval 3.4 to 4.4) compared with placebo for the outcome of half pain relief at seven days. Results were not affected by outcome reported, or condition treated, but smaller trials yielded a larger estimate of efficacy. Indirect comparisons of individual topical NSAIDs showed that ketoprofen was significantly better than all other topical NSAIDs, while indomethacin was barely distinguished from placebo. Three trials, with 433 patients, compared topical with oral NSAID (two trials compared the same drug, one compared different drugs) and found no difference in efficacy. Local adverse events, systemic adverse events, or withdrawals due to an adverse event were rare, and no different between topical NSAID and placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Topical NSAIDs were effective and safe in treating acute painful conditions for one week

Sulfur-Directed Olefin Oxidations: Observation of Divergent Reaction Mechanisms in the Palladium-Mediated Acetoxylation of Unsaturated Thioacetals

The Pd-mediated oxidation of unsaturated thioacetals gives either allyl or vinyl esters, depending on the substrate structure. We report the characterization of a range of sulfur-stabilized palladium intermediates via a combined computational and experimental NMR approach, demonstrating that the oxidation proceeds via two divergent reaction mechanisms. We were also able to synthesize an unusual sigma-bound Pd complex, via acetoxypalladation of an unsaturated dithiane, which was characterized by X-ray crystallography