Parliament's sci-tech committee faces permanent recess
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Science orphaned in Whitehall overhaul The Science and Technology Committee is fighting a rearguard action to save itself after Gordon Brownâs overhaul of government departments terminated the Whitehall tentacle it was covering.â¦
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SAN FRANCISCO A panel of leading computer scientists has warned in a report that unless the federal government significantly increases support for advanced research on supercomputing, the United States will be unable to retain its lead on that
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Chaos at MoD continues In the latest blow to a beleaguered MoD, the influential Parliamentary Defence Committee has release a stinging review of the ongoing Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) project.â¦
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Â· Vote would block funds for eastern Europe projectÂ· Committee says system too costly and untested
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STRASBOURG: A majority of the European Parliament appeared Tuesday to be preparing to reject the incoming commission proposed by President-designate JosÃ© Manuel Barroso - the most serious rebellion against a new commission in the history of the European
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(InfoWorld) - TheÂ U.S. congressman who chairs a House Judiciary subcommittee says Congress could pass an immigration reform bill by July, including lifting the limit on how many high-tech engineers can come to the U.S. for jobs. Representative Howard Berman, a Democrat from California, made the prediction while speaking at the first ever Tech Industry Summit in San Jose, California. "It could pass both houses by July, go to conference, and be on the president's desk by September," Berman said. Immigration reform deals largely with the 12 million illegal immigrants living and working in the U.S., but another provision of the bill affects technology companies in particular. Tech companies want the limit on H1-B visas raised to 115,000 per year, from 65,000, a limit that has already been reached for 2007. H1-B is the type of visa granted to skilled foreign workers in "specialty occupations," including IT, so that they can work in the U.S. "There is significant urgency on this issue," said Pamela Passman, vice president of global corporate affairs for Microsoft, also speaking at the summit. About half the students enrolled in engineering schools in the U.S. are foreign nationals who have to return to their home countries after earning their degrees, depriving U.S. companies of the chance to hire them,Â  Passman said. Republican President George W. Bush proposed a guest worker program for illegal immigrants, but opposition from within his own party kept the legislation from passing in 2006. Now, with Democrats in control of both houses of Congress and Democrats generally endorsing the guest worker program, passage is more likely, Berman said. Berman is chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, which will be considering patent reform legislation. Tech companies have long complained about people who buy up patents just to collect license fees, but many small inventors own patents and don't have the means to bring the patented products to market, so they license the patents to others. Reform is also expected to focus on the quality of patents granted. Tech groups have pushed for better funding for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a post-patent review process as a way to challenge patents that may not be deserved. "I think determining validity and infringement could be settled more quickly in a nonfederal court system environment," said Berman. The Tech Policy Summit is expected to draw 300 people to Silicon Valley, including technology industry figures, organizers of technology lobbying groups in Washington, D.C., and lawmakers. Technology companies had not been active in lobbying the federal government 20 years ago but have been forced to get involved as Internet-related issues like privacy protection, cybersecurity, and intellectual property disputes have emerged, said Gary Fazzino, vice president of governmental affairs at Hewlett-Packard.
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A panel of leading computer scientists has warned in a report that unless the US government significantly increases support for advanced research on supercomputing, the United States will be unable to retain its lead on that technological front.
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TEHRAN (IRNA) -- Iran&#39;s top nuclear official went to parliament Monday to brief its National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on the process of work on the country&#39;s peaceful nuclear program.
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The UK's security could suffer if investment in defence research is not increased, a committee of MPs says.
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The House committee is postponing a hearing featuring  Roger Clemens and other players until Feb. 13.
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Committee chairman 'very concerned' at veto of SFO involvement in US corruption investigation.
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The Department of Transport is failing to meet most of its targets, according to a report by a committee of MPs.
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A new report released by an American Physical Society (APS) Special Committee on NASA Funding for Astrophysics has questioned the space agency's Moon, Mars and Beyond initiative. The APS assessment warns that t  he cost of overcoming technological challenges to make real the plan could far exceed budgetary projections and that numerous&nbsp;approved science programs could be jeopardized.
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A parliamentary committee says the government must drop its plans on extending terror detention limits.
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Government plans to dispose of nuclear waste are attacked as "incoherent and opaque" by a committee of peers.
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Like many schoolchildren, members of Congress were due back at their desks Tuesday after a summer break. Unlike the students, lawmakers will immediately face major tests: on Iraq, children's health care, a home mortgage crisis and the budget.
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An otherwise routine power shift on the Senate Judiciary Committee could have far-reaching implications for high-tech firms, movie studios, record companies and the future of downloading. -washingtonpost.com