Police powers and human rights in the context of terrorism

Purpose – The object of the paper is to analyse the justifications for the modification of police powers in response to terrorist threats, placing this issue in a European context. Design/methodology/approach – The paper consists of a critical examination of provisions relating to terrorism emanating from the European Union and the Council of Europe (European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)), and the relevant English law on police powers of stop and search, arrest, and detention. Findings – Nothing in European law requires the amendments to police powers contained in English law; European law requires respect for human rights, even in dealing with terrorism; a shoot-to-kill policy is prohibited by the ECHR; and balance is an unsatisfactory method of resolving conflicts in this area. Research limitations/implications – The research was limited in its scope to certain areas of police powers, and to certain fundamental European documents. Future research should consider the issue in relation to wider areas. Originality/value – It challenges the idea of balance between liberty and security, proposing a test based on necessity instead

Too many presidents "spoil the broth"?- What role for the European Commission in global climate change politics?

The European Union is the only supranational organisation to have both implemented ‘domestic’ climate change policy and provided leadership for the international community on adaptation and mitigation measures. Although the competence for action in climate change is shared between the national governments and the supranational level of the European Union, on behalf of the EU the European Commission has played a prominent role in international climate change negotiations. The Lisbon Treaty (in force December 2009) brought a number of changes to the institutional framework of the European Union, most significantly to the European Council and the external role of the EU. These changes appear to have added to the complexity which surrounds issues of the external representation of the EU and not simplified them – are there too many ‘Presidents’ of these institutions vying for a role? This paper questions the extent to which these changes will impact on the Commission headed by Jose Manuel Barroso, Barroso II Commission (2009-2014), particularly on Barroso’s ability to provide leadership on ‘domestic’ climate change policy and hence direction to the approach which the EU takes in global climate change politics

Security of energy supply in the New Europe : a role for the European Atomic Energy Community in the European Union’s Neighbourhood Policy

Abstract External energy relations are essential components of both the European Union (EU)’s search for an overall energy strategy (EPE) and the development of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). In this article questions are posed about the role for the use of nuclear technology as the means of meeting some of the objectives of both areas of policy. As both the EPE and the ENP are dependent on the negotiation of international agreements with third parties for their effectiveness the focus of analysis presented will be on the EU’s legal and constitutional framework for action and in particular the EURATOM Treaty which established the European Atomic Energy Community in 1957

The Politics of Nuclear Energy in the European Union. Framing the Discourse: Actors, Positions and Dynamics

The submission presents a body of work analyzing the impact of changes to the political environment in which the European Union (EU)’s nuclear energy policy operated during a period of dramatic change for the EU from the late 1990s to the late 2010s. In the late 1990s/early 2000s the process of enlargement taking the EU from 15 to 28 Member States by 2013 began, and brought with it significant energy policy challenges for all the states involved. As the 2000s advanced, hegemonization of climate change in the energy discourse further challenged the EU’s policy makers searching for EU policy for sustainable, secure and competitive energy. Both events brought changes to the context in which the EU’s nuclear energy policy operates and were formative moments in the policy process. The publications were underpinned by three broad based and inter-linked themes, the: - ‘stickiness” of the Euratom Treaty that provides the legal framework for EU nuclear energy policy, - impact of the fifth enlargement of the EU on both EU internal nuclear energy policy and EU external nuclear energy policy, - impact of the hegemonization of climate change in the energy discourse. Notions underpinning the research – that history matters, institutions matter and ideas matter - were unpicked within the analysis. The use of nuclear energy in the EU’s energy mix is highly controversial and deeply divides the governments and citizens of the Member States of the EU. As it was an integrative model first devised in the 1950s there is no apparent justification for the EU’s model of nuclear integration to continue in the twenty-first century. I have argued in my work however, that despite many controversies surrounding the use of nuclear technology, it is in the interests of all EU states, nuclear generators and non-nuclear generators to support the model of nuclear integration that has evolved

Survey on Visual Impairment and Refractive Errors on Ta’u Island, American Samoa

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of presenting visual impairment and refractive errors on the isolated island of Ta′u, American Samoa. Methods: Presenting visual acuity and refractive errors of 124 adults over 40 years of age (55 male and 69 female) were measured using the Snellen chart and an autorefractometer. This sample represented over 50% of the island′s eligible population. Results: In this survey, all presenting visual acuity (VA) was uncorrected. Of the included sample, 10.5% presented with visual impairment (visual acuity lower than 6/18, but equal to or better than 3/60 in the better eye) and 4.8% presented with VA worse than 6/60 in the better eye. Overall, 4.0% of subjects presented with hyperopia (+3 D or more), 3.2% were myopic (‑1 D or less), and 0.8% presented with high myopia (‑5 D or less). There was no significant difference between genders in terms of visual impairment or refractive errors. Conclusion: This study represents the first population-based survey on presenting visual acuity and refractive errors in American Samoa. In addition to providing baseline data on vision and refractive errors, we found that the prevalence of myopia and hyperopia was much lower than expected

Cryo-EM Structures of HIV-1 trimer bound to CD4-mimetics M48U1 and BNM-III-170 adopt a CD4-bound open conformation

Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1), the causative agent of AIDS, impacts millions of people. Entry into target cells is mediated by the HIV-1 envelope (Env) glycoprotein interacting with host receptor CD4, which triggers conformational changes allowing binding to a coreceptor and subsequent membrane fusion. Small molecule or peptide CD4-mimetic drugs mimic CD4’s Phe43 interaction with Env by inserting into the conserved Phe43 pocket on Env subunit gp120. Here, we present single-particle cryo-EM structures of CD4-mimetics BNM-III-170 and M48U1 bound to a BG505 native-like Env trimer plus the CD4-induced antibody 17b at 3.7Å and 3.9Å resolution, respectively. CD4-mimetic-bound BG505 exhibits canonical CD4-induced conformational changes including trimer opening, formation of the 4-stranded gp120 bridging sheet, displacement of the V1V2 loop, and formation of a compact and elongated gp41 HR1C helical bundle. We conclude that CD4-induced structural changes on both gp120 and gp41 Env subunits are induced by binding to the gp120 Phe43 pocket

Mosaic nanoparticles elicit cross-reactive immune responses to zoonotic coronaviruses in mice

Protection against SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-related emergent zoonotic coronaviruses is urgently needed. We made homotypic nanoparticles displaying the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 or co-displaying SARS-CoV-2 RBD along with RBDs from animal betacoronaviruses that represent threats to humans (mosaic nanoparticles; 4-8 distinct RBDs). Mice immunized with RBD-nanoparticles, but not soluble antigen, elicited cross-reactive binding and neutralization responses. Mosaic-RBD-nanoparticles elicited antibodies with superior cross-reactive recognition of heterologous RBDs compared to sera from immunizations with homotypic SARS-CoV-2–RBD-nanoparticles or COVID-19 convalescent human plasmas. Moreover, sera from mosaic-RBD–immunized mice neutralized heterologous pseudotyped coronaviruses equivalently or better after priming than sera from homotypic SARS-CoV-2–RBD-nanoparticle immunizations, demonstrating no immunogenicity loss against particular RBDs resulting from co-display. A single immunization with mosaic-RBD-nanoparticles provides a potential strategy to simultaneously protect against SARS-CoV-2 and emerging zoonotic coronaviruses