18 May 2011

Institute for Commonwealth Studies discusses modernised British colonial arrangements

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ONE DAY CONFERENCE

The United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Continuity and Change

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Chancellor’s Hall, Institute of Commonwealth Studies

School of Advanced Study, University of London

Programme

10.00‐10.15

Welcome – Professor Philip Murphy, Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, and Professor David Killingray, Goldsmiths.

10.15‐11.45
First session – Governance and the UKOTs

The Coalition Government’s Policy towards the Overseas Territories (Ian Bailey, Overseas Territories Directorate, FCO)

An OT government perspective (Janice Panton, Chair of UK Overseas Territories Association)

An EU perspective (Paul Sutton, London Metropolitan University)

11.45‐12.00
Coffee Break

12.00‐1.30
Second session – Constitutional developments

Constitutional reform in the UKOTs (Ian Hendry, Constitutional Advisor,

FCO/Andrew Allen, former Head of Southern Ocean Team, Overseas Territories Directorate, FCO)

Constitutional change in the Dutch Caribbean (Gert Oostindie, KITLV)

Constitutional developments in the French overseas territories (sic) (Nathalie Mrgudovic, University of Aston)

1.30‐2.15
Lunch Break

2.15‐ 3.30
Third session – Economic and Financial Issues

Contingent liability or moral hazard after the Global Financial Crisis: Cayman, Westminster and global finance (William Vlcek, University of St Andrews)

Followed by a Q&A with representatives from the UKOTs

3.30‐4.45
Fourth session – Human Rights and the Environment

Building human rights capacity in the UKOTs (Vijay Krishnarayan, Commonwealth Foundation)

The Environment and the UKOTs (Iain Orr, UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum)

4.45 END

This event has been made possible with the kind support of the Political Studies Association, the University of the West of England, Bristol, and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.







Curacao Replaces former Neth. Antilles in International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)

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 British Virgin Islands, Tokelau and Wallis and Futuna among new applicants


by Michael McElroy

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is now the second largest sports federation in the world. This was as a result of the inclusion of five new members in the ITTF.

It has overtaken the International Federation of Association Football or Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) with 208 members. The ITTF has now 215 members in total and it is almost near to the world's largest sports federation that is the Federation International Volley Ball (FIVB) with a total 221 members.

Recently Mozambique, British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, the Wallis and Futura Islands and Tokelau have recently sent applications for the membership. The membership of the Netherlands Antilles is now transferred to Curaçao.

The President of the ITTF Adham Sharara said, “My knowledge of geography has advanced a great deal”.

The ongoing World Table Tennis Championship has gained the attention of more than 300 journalists from around the World. The Dutch table tennis has never received that much attention from the world media. The publicity will play a key role in making the sport known on international platforms and to attract more youngsters to play the sport.

In the history of sport none of the federations have played any key role in bringing countries together to play on one platform. The ‘Ping Pong’ diplomacy has always worked. In November this year the ITTF will bring India and Pakistan, United States of America and Iran and South and North Korea to play together.

They will not be fighting a war, but will be standing united on the tables to play side by side for the international ping pong tournament. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) along with the Sport Foundation are organising an international table tennis event at Doha, Qatar.

Prince Albert of Monaco, who is one of the members and ambassador of the Peace and Sport organisation, said, “Sport can play an important role in world peace. Look at this tournament; we have got India and Pakistan together and also North and South Korea.”

The membership of Kuwait is suspended by the Olympic Committee. However, the ITTF restored their membership with the federation. The World Table Tennis Championship was also to be held at Qatar, but the ITTF officials decided to hold it in Japan to support the disaster victims.

The ITTF is playing a major role in the development of players, federations and referees. The federation will soon become the top sports federation of the world.