Over the last years, the number of commercial space activities has increased tremendously. Technological developments have been the main reason in the emerging of new services that use space infrastructure. In order to provide these new space services, it is necessary to launch and operate spacecraft. / Complying with the laws and regulations of the launching and operating activities is one of the most relevant issues that prospective spacecraft operators may face in this complex industry. / This work compiles the legal sources to effectively launch and operate spacecraft destined for commercial space applications. Its goal is to identify common constraints that operators may find in the process of licensing and acquiring orbits or radio frequencies and the national/international legal principles, which govern spacecraft operations.

The existing air navigation services have many shortcomings and a reform was necessary. The new systems (CNS/ATM systems) will be largely dependent on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) which can bring significant benefits to air navigation in terms of safety, efficiency, capacity, and economy. However, GNSS have weaknesses which can be reduced but will never be fully eliminated. Depending solely on a system that can be disrupted is not acceptable for safety of life applications, such as aviation. The implementation of GNSS also raises unique legal issues and ICAO has been working on the establishment of a legal framework for GNSS since 1992. Nevertheless, disagreement between states on the need for an international convention remains significant. Legal discussions should not slow down the implementation of GNSS which, when used in conjunction with terrestrial navigation aids, have the potential to revolutionize air navigation.

This thesis is composed of major parts, as well as the introduction and conclusion. / The second part of this thesis provides an overview the offence of aircraft hijacking, providing the foundation for this thesis. This part defines and introduces the terminology of aircraft hijacking, the relationship between hijacking and aerial terrorism, the categories of aerial terrorism, a comparative analysis of the concept of aircraft hijacking, the historic evolution of hijacking, and the present situation and characters of hijacking. / Next, the third part will conduct a comprehensive study of the international Conventions available for combating hijacking, including the Tokyo Convention, The Hague Convention and the Montreal Convention. / The fourth part will study domestic laws available for combating aircraft hijacking, including those of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, the Russian Federation, and the People's Republic of China. / Finally, the fifth part of this thesis will analyze the concerted enforcement of international Conventions for combating hijacking.

The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the bilateral air services agreements of Sri Lanka under the existing legal, regulatory and the infrastructural framework of civil aviation in Sri Lanka. In order to achieve this objective, this thesis is divided into following chapters, Chapter One - Deals with the history and evolution of bilateral air services agreements in the history of world civil aviation. / Chapter Two - This Chapter has two sections. Section one addresses briefly the history and evolution of the air transport industry of Sri Lanka. Section two looks into the legal and regulatory framework within which the air transport industry works in Sri Lanka. Negotiation and Conclusion of bilateral air services agreements is also explained in this section. / Chapter Three - Contains a detailed analysis of the main provisions of the bilateral air services agreements concluded by Sri Lanka. / Chapter Four - The existing infrastructure and the prospects for the future is discussed in this chapter along with the challenges faced and to be faced in the future. / Finally, the findings of this research are presented with recommendations for the betterment of air transport industry of Sri Lanka.

Satellite telecommunications, global navigation and remote sensing systems are key drivers in the ongoing transformation of an industrial based global economic order to one increasingly dominated by information services. A growing number of States are establishing an independent presence in outer space and all States (and indeed, individuals) can access a broad range of affordable space-related products and services (e.g., Google Earth imagery, GPS receivers, and global voice and data transmissions). Consistent with broad historical trends, these technologies are inevitably influencing the way States think about, plan for, and conduct warfare. Inspired by the prospect of seizing the ultimate "high ground" of outer space and achieving "information superiority" over an enemy, militaries around the world are rapidly pursuing independent space capabilities and adapting their strategies, doctrine and force structures to reflect these capabilities. These trends have prompted various political and legal efforts to ban the placement and/or use of weapons in outer space. As these efforts have failed to gain traction and seem unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future, this thesis argues that existing bodies of international law grounded in a pragmatic acceptance of armed conflict must be consulted if humankind wishes to mitigate the impact and spread of warfare conducted in, from and through outer space. In particular, this thesis will examine how the traditional customary principles underlying the law of neutrality may be reconceptualized by States to serve as a mechanism to mediate competing claims of belligerents and neutrals during armed conflict in outer space. After a brief introduction, Chapters One and Two will develop the economic and military trends discussed above. Chapter Three will provide an overview of the relevant international law governing military activities in outer space. Chapter four will analyze the law governing State responsibility for outer space activities to determine which State(s) will bear primary international responsibility for satellite support provided to belligerents during armed conflict. Chapter Five will provide a detailed overview of the law of neutrality and attempt a preliminary analysis of how belligerent and neutral States may seek to adapt this law to suit their interests during armed conflict in outer space. Concluding that the law of neutrality may serve to mitigate the impact and spread of armed conflict in outer space, this thesis offers various proposals designed to facilitate the application of this law.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the distributional side of environmental risks and burdens and, more particularly, to explain the significance of including intergenerational and intragenerational equity concerns within the fashioning of a legal regime governing the transboundary movement of radioactive waste. The thesis focuses on fairness and equity considerations between generations (intergenerational equity) and within contemporary generations (intragenerational equity) in the context of transboundary movements of radioactive wastes. First, a detailed exploration of the emergence of intergenerational and intragenerational equity principles is conducted. Then, the implementing principles of intergenerational and intragenerational equity with regard to environmental risk and burden distribution are put forward. Further, sensitive to the equity dimensions of the transboundary movement of radioactive waste, the thesis explains transboundary movement within a broader political and economic framework, and illustrates the potential transboundary and transgenerational externalities arising from transboundary movement. Management strategies available to help prevent or reduce transboundary and transgenerational externalities are examined. In addition, the evolution of the legal regime governing transboundary movements is reviewed and proposals for reform of the current regime are presented. Finally, the thesis concludes with concrete observations and recommendations. Through the lens of intergenerational and intragenerational equity, the thesis evaluates the fairness of environmental risk and burden distribution, spatially and intertemporally, in the context of transboundary movements of radioactive wastes.

No description available.

One of the unique aspects of education in Quebec is a strong private sector. It is well rooted in the province's history and tradition. This study offers a preliminary examination into the historical development of policies in the area of private education in Quebec. / The first two pieces of legislation governing private schools provided subsidies of 100% at par with the public sector. These early laws were repealed and replaced by the Act respecting Private Education. / In August 1991, the government proposed a new and comprehensive piece of legislation. Following the first reading of this Bill a parliamentary commission was established to study the proposed law. Over 15 groups expressed their reactions in briefs to this commission. The Bill was harshly criticized by those opposed to public funding of private schools. It was also criticized by those in favor of the private sector. Given the negative reactions from groups opposed and groups in favor, government ministers decided that the Bill must be changed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

No description available.

Standards are complex phenomena that exist in almost every area of human life, whether in the form of language, stock scenes in literature and films, computer user interfaces or protocols that allow data transfer over the internet. They are important building blocks for any form of human activity. Property rights in standards, provided by the laws of intellectual property, can foster their development by giving incentives to create technologies or works that are capable to become standards; but property rights can also impede further innovation since they allow the owner to exclude others from the use of the protected standard. Furthermore, standards are perceived to offer higher returns in form of royalties than "regular" technologies. In this context, standardization has been used as an argument to reduce the scope of protection for standard technologies with respect to computer user interfaces. / The thesis evaluates the soundness of a general argument of standardization for weaker protection in intellectual property law. It elaborates the arguments that are put forward to justify weaker protection in standards regarding the characteristics of standards and standardization as well as the justifications for intellectual property. It analyses the applicability of trademark, copyright and patent law to both already existing as well as developing standards. In particular, the concepts of genericness and descriptiveness in trademark law, the merger and scenes a faire doctrines in copyright law and the doctrines of patent misuse and patent abuse in patent law are discussed.