World News

The Wall Street Journal

China has issued 580,000 patents in 2009, up 41 percent from last year.

China’s State Intellectual Property Office reported on Wednesday that 580,000 patents were issued in 2009, and that its office was working to increase awareness on the importance of intellectual property rights. The increase in patents was affected by China’s revision of its national patent law in October 2009. However, several multinational companies have criticized China’s movements in stimulating its local high-technology sector claiming that its policies have created protectionist policies that could interfere with many foreign company’s ability and willingness to invest in new state-of-the-art technology. These multinational companies argue that this gives local Chinese inventors the upper hand in the ability to earn profit from new technology. Foreign technology industry officials have said that the new Chinese policies could interfere with Microsoft Corp. and Pfizer Inc., and similar companies that have large investments and research in China. The officials also claim that the Chinese government might have a difficult time distinguishing whether patents are being misused. “There were some improvements made in the patent law, but there’s a lot to be concerned about,” Mark Cohen, an attorney for the Jones Day law firm in Beijing, said, “Owning the patent could subject you to the government expropriating it. What’s the compensation? What’s the process?”

BBC

Several African media organizations have called for the hospitalized Nigerian President to step down.

Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua has been hospitalized for more than 70 days with both heart and kidney problems. The owners of 17 different newspapers have called on him to step down within seven days or be impeached. The media organizations want to see President Yar’Adua transfer power to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan. There have been many efforts to prolong Yar’Adua’s decision. Last week, his cabinet issued a statement that Yar’Adua was still capable of running the country while in the hospital. Following the cabinet’s ruling, the 17 media organizations issued an ultimatum asking the ailing president to step down. “The stakeholders hereby demand that the president cede power to his deputy or resign within seven days,” the news organizations’ statement read, “If he fails to take these obvious constitutional steps… the National Assembly should commence impeachment proceedings against the president for endangering the country.”

Christian Science Monitor

French Citizenship denied to a Muslim man who forced his wife to wear a burqa.

France, who has already recommended legislation against a partial burqa ban, has denied citizenship to a Muslim man with a veiled wife. The man, who remains unidentified, referred to his wife as “an inferior being” and forced her to wear a burqa in public. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in an address to both houses of Parliament, said the burqa was a “sign of subservience, a sign of debasement.” This recent deferment of citizenship shows the seriousness of France’s anti-burqa movement. The burqa ban has been met with resistance, however. “As for curbing radical Islam, there is the risk that the law will lead to more proselytizing, not less, by stigmatizing Muslims. The converts among the burqa-wearers have already been boldly telling the French media how disappointed they are with the ban, and how they intend not to obey it.”

National News

CNN

A Florida woman was arrested Tuesday following the death of a lottery millionaire.

Dorice Donegan Moore, 37, was brought into custody on Tuesday evening by the Hillsborough County Police Department.

Moore was arrested on charges of accessory after the fact of the first-degree murder of Abraham Shakespeare, a 43-year-old $31 million lottery winner.

In statements to CNN, Moore claimed that Shakespeare was reduced to a life of drama because of his lottery winnings, and that she befriended him after the fact to help him write a book detailing his life following the lottery win. According to Hillsborough Country Sheriff, David Gee, Moore is suspected of committing fraud to receive a part of Shakespeare’s winnings.

Gee also said that Moore was searching for someone to help her dispose of the body and that she had bought limestone in efforts to disguise Shakespeare’s corpse, who was later found buried under recently laid concrete.

Moore has denied any connection with Shakespeare’s murder. “I’m deeply saddened for his family,” Moore said.

The Los Angeles Times

Southern California man arrested after impersonating a federal agent to deport his distant cousin’s wife to the Philippines.

Police called Gregory Denny, 37, and requested that he come into the station to be questioned. Authorities say that Denny entered the station wearing a “U.S. Federal Agent” shirt and identified himself as a U.S. Marshall, which did nothing to fool the Hemet Police Department. Denny was arrested on impersonating a federal agent to commit a kidnapping.

“This person is not and never was employed by the U.S. Marshalls Service, and as far as we can ascertain, has never been employed by any law enforcement agency in any capacity,” the Hemet Police Department said. Witnesses have said that Denny arrived at Craig Hibbard’s house, brandishing what was later discovered to be a pellet gun, handcuffed and escorted Hibbard’s wife, Cherrie Belle, and escorted her to a U.S. Border Patrol station where he learned she had no warrants.

Following that incident, Denny drove Belle to an airport where he watched her board a plane.

Denny claimed that the allegations of kidnapping were false, but was unable to provide a motive for his actions. In the day following his arrest, Denny was released on $50,000 bail and was summoned to court on Feb. 16.

The Chicago Tribune

A medical report linking a particular measles vaccine to autism retracted 12 years later.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s report linking a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to the autism disorder was retracted last week after the U.K. General Medical Council’s Fitness to Practice Panel reported that Wakefield had used false information in his report. Wakefield’s report caused vaccination rates to drop in the United States and Britain.

Following the decreased rate of vaccinations, there was a resurgence of the measles among children. Many have criticized Wakefield’s report calling it outrageous, but following the retraction, many researchers have said that they are glad to put the incident behind them.

“This will help to restore faith in this globally important vaccine and in the integrity of the scientific literature,” said Dr. Fiona Goodlee, editor of the British Medical Journal.