International News in Brief
By Sean O'Grady | Oct 31 2012
UK student newspapers censored by Students’ UnionsSeveral student newspapers across the United Kingdom have been placed under restrictions by their respective universities’ students’ union. This prevents them from publishing anything that the union deems unsuitable. The gagging order is in place in universities in Leeds, Sheffield, Lancashire and SOAS in London.The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in particular have seen the editorial team of their paper, Pluto, being presented with a new code of conduct by its union which does not allow its journalists to speak to members of the public without first obtaining written permission from the students’ union media officer. The move has angered students at the paper who say their editorial independence is being infringed on.Leeds University Students’ Union has threatened legal action against its own newspaper to prevent them from giving a full report on a police investigation due to irregularities in the Unions’ financial accounts.Similarly, at SOAS in London have forced the newspaper editor to resign after the Students’ Union removed an article about potential corruption over missing charity money. Six Canadian University Presidents Request Additional $130 million in fundingThe Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia (B.C.) in Canada is asking for $130 million from the government to be given over the course of four years. The money would go towards six of the top research universities across the Canadian province and will be used in several different areas.The Universities hope to open up more spaces for future students. The Council plans on using $51 million each year to create new grants and scholarships for students to make the process of coming to college easier. This bid is being supported by a projection that shows there will be 32,000 unfilled jobs in B.C. that require applicants with third level education by the year 2020. This new information is being used to argue that 11,000 new spaces need to be available for students within the next four years.The current B.C. minister of advanced education, John Yap, has said that currently, there is not enough money for the bid: “All of these recommendations have merit, but first, we need to balance the budget.”Despite the cost, Katie Mariocchi of the Canadian Federation of Students believes the bid is not going far enough: “It’s modest in terms of really addressing the problem.”Study finds Methadone reduces the risk of HIV.A study from researchers at the University of Bristol and several other international bodies has found that people who inject drugs (PWID) reduce their risk of contracting HIV in half by using substitute drugs such as Methadone.It is estimated that 5-10% of HIV infections worldwide are due to injection drug use. The study supports the idea that providing addicts with other drugs such as Methadone, rather than asking them to quit completely, helps provide them with stability in their lives and serves as a platform for addicts to make a full recovery.Researchers have found that this type of therapy, knows as Opiate Substitution Therapy (OST) was associated with a 54% reduction in the risk of HIV infection among PWID. Matthew Hickman, the studies primary researcher at the University of Bristol says: “Increases in HIV incidence have been reported among people who inject drugs in a number of different countries in recent years and there is strong evidence demonstrating the association between OST and the reduced risk of HIV transmission.”The study is part of growing evidence that supports the use of OST for addicts, however it remains a controversial treatment in Britain and around the globe.