ICANN publishes bylaws amendments and documents to implement NomCom2 review - ITREALMS

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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has opened a new public comment proceeding on the bylaws amendments and documents towards implementing the NomCom2 review, reports ITREALMS.

Certain recommendations, ITREALMS gathered from the second organizational review of the Nominating Committee (NomCom2 Review) require amendments to the ICANN Bylaws and the creation of a NomCom Standing Committee.

ITU opens more documents with new ‘Access to Information’ policy

ITRealms:

The governing council of the International Telecommunications Union (​​ITU) has approved that more information and documents and documents held, managed, or generated by ITU, to be openly available online, reports ITRealms.

​Head, Corporate Communications, at ITU, Mr. Paul Conneally, confirmed this to ITRealms, saying that the Union started the New Year by launching a new access to information policy, thus committing to make more information and documents openly available online.

This decision, he said, was made by ITU's governing Council in 2016, which aims at bringing public access to information for ITU's main conferences and meetings in line with other international organisations like the World Bank, UNDP, and UNESCO.

“The decision will enhance transparency to ITU's decision-making processes,” he said.

He quoted ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, as saying that the ITU Council decision provides more information and insight into ITU's working methods and decision-making procedures to the general public and promotes greater transparency and accountability.

"One of the powers of ICTs is their ability to make organizations more trustworthy. ITU aims to lead by example" he said.

Zhao also said that as of 1 January 2017, input documents, summaries of decisions, reports and other output documents would be available to the public through ITU's website.

This process, he said, will be a standard feature of ITU's main conferences and meetings in the coming years, including ITU Council Working Groups, ITU Advisory Groups Meetings, the upcoming World Telecommunication Development Conference 2017 and the ITU principle governing body, the quadrennial Plenipotentiary Conference, the next one of which is scheduled for the last quarter in 2018.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Oronsaye: Prosecution, defense counsels disagree on admissible documents

ITRealms:

The resumed hearing of the on-going trial of Nigeria’s former Head of Service, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye before Justice Olasumbo Goodluck of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, Wednesday, witnessed another setback as counsels to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the defendant had a heated argument over the admissibility of documents presented by the Commission, reports ITRealms.

Leading a witness, Bello Hammadhama in evidence, Prosecution Counsel, I.O. Uket had tendered four statements allegedly made by the accused while in EFCC custody, urging the Court to admit them in evidence.

Relying on section 52 of the Evidence Act, he argued that the leader of the EFCC investigating team, who had earlier appeared in Court as Prosecution Witness (1) administered the word of caution on the defendant before extracting the statements from him.

“It is in evidence that the statements sought to be tendered were made by the defendant himself. The four statements were made on: 25/8/2015; 27/8/2015; 3/9/2015 and 29/2/2016. The defendant signed these statements as the maker, while PW 1 signed clearly as a witness. ”

Objecting to the admissibility of the documents, leader of the defence team, A.I. Ola (SAN) urged the Court to reject the document, adding that Prosecution Witness (6) was not the proper person to present same to the Court. He cited section 83, sub-sections 1, 2 and 4 of the Evidence Act, among other authorities, in support of his argument. 

“The defendant is prejudiced. PW 6 cannot be giving witness for PW 1. The Statement was recorded by the PW 1. She has been before this Court to testify. The opportunity was there for her to tender the documents. The defence counsel did not cross-examine her on this document because it was not tendered. Now, the prosecution is trying to present it through the back door. Prosecution deliberately denied us the opportunity of cross-examining the PW 1. I urge your lordship to reject the document.”

In her ruling, the presiding Judge, O.O. Goodluck held that: “the documents sought to be tendered are statements of the defendant while in custody. This Court has exhaustively looked at the arguments from both the defence and prosecution counsels and is of the opinion that the documents could be admitted. However, caution must be applied in attaching value to its contents.”

The case was adjourned to 29^th September, 2016 for continuation of hearing and cross-examination of the PW 6 by the defence Counsel.

Destiny Ugorji/GEE

 

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Computers, documents carted away, publisher arrested by DSS

ITRealms: 

Some personal computers and documents belonging to Chief Jones Abiri, the publisher of the Weekly Source, who was also arrested over undisclosed offences at the weekend  by security operatives suspected to be members of the Department of the State Services (DSS), were carted away, ITRealms reports.

ITRealms gathered that the armed security operatives, arrived the publishing house in the early hours of Thursday in three cars with registration numbers SAG 391AA, PBT 480 AA and Lagos 193 DN, disregarded questions from Journalists and members of the Nigeria Union of Journlaists (NUJ) and bundled the publisher to an unknown destination.

Also, correspondent learnt that after much pressure from the Journalists present at the scene, one of the security operative simply uttered that Chief Abiri was arrested on national security issues.

An eye witness informed that the security men made away with several documents from Abiri’s office and left with the publisher, “while the search lasted, the security personnel didn’t allow anyone into the office.”

Attempts by some colleagues from the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to confirm the whereabout of Abiri was not successful as the State headquarters of the DSS and other relevant security agencies denied knowledge of the arrest.

“We have searched and could not trace his whereabouts. But a source at the DSS said no security agent can come to the state and effect any arrest without prior information to them,”  the source was quoted.

Uboshe Uboshe with additional reports from 247UReport/GEE

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Pix: Acting IGP Ibrahim Kpotun Idris