This bibliography in nine topical sections includes selected English-language publications on Chinese law regarding trade, investment and intellectual property rights from 1990 to 2003. The objective of this compilation is to provide interested non-Chinese-speaking scholars and practitioners with an account of secondary materials in this field. Titles of primary Chinese law materials are not included.

Today, there are literally hundreds of online resources which contain information on Mexican law and related subjects with varying degrees of authoritativeness, accuracy and accessability. This note does not include information on Mexican legal materials provided by commercial companies, paid subscribers or law firms in the U.S. or Mexico.

On May 1, 2004, ten new countries joined the European Union (EU), bringing the number of members from fifteen to a total of twenty-five. This expansion was the largest expansion ever undertaken by the EU, raising serious questions regarding the integration of different cultures, economies, political systems, and legal regimes into a very Westernized EU. These issues are further complicated by the fact that eight of the ten accession countries, namely Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, are all Eastern European nations that have only been independent states since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. Still coping with the transition from socialism to capitalism and from oppression to democracy, each of these nations encountered unique challenges as they approached the date of formal EU accession.

The advent of the global digital revolution and the phenomenal advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs), have today provided an opportunity for the much-vaunted African renaissance and a chance for the continent to leapfrog over some of the enormous barriers of underdevelopment and claim a place in the post-industrial economy. The new technology has not only liberated the human brain from many mundane tasks but it has enhanced our productivity in many dramatic ways. It is becoming increasingly clear that the availability and use of ICTs is pre-requisite for economic and social development in this era of globalization.

The State of Israel has been subjected to numerous terrorist attacks since its establishment in 1948. The issue of rehabilitation, treatment, and compensation of victims of terrorism has been extensively regulated by its law. Special state funds for compensation of victims of terrorism have been established. This brief will describe the management and distribution of state funds to such victims. In addition, the right of victims to collect damages from those responsible for terrorist attacks will be analyzed. Specifically, this brief will explore whether victims of terrorism in Israel, as a precondition for filing for state compensation, are required to waive their rights to sue those responsible for the attack, and whether the State is entitled to reimbursement for money paid to victims. In addition, the right of Israeli victims of terrorism to sue knowing or unknowing tortfeasors and to sue terrorist states or quasi states will be analyzed. Special attention will be made to the application of the doctrine of foreign sovereign immunity to states and bodies responsible for terrorist actions.

The University of Cape Town is delighted to host the 2003 IALL Meeting. We have put together a program, which we hope, you will find moving, interesting and thought-provoking, and we hope that you will enjoy your visit to our beautiful city. Librarians from more than 20 countries on five continents have gathered here for a few days, giving us a wonderfully enriching opportunity to learn from each other and to share our wide diversity of experience. We are especially happy to welcome so many African delegates, and pleased that the African venue has enabled the participation of law librarians who struggle to fund trips further abroad.

Russian society is currently struggling on its road towards recognizing the rights and freedoms of the individual, as well as towards establishing the rule of law and institutions, norms and procedures of a civil society. The current poor state of the legal profession is due significantly to lawyers with substandard qualifications. This fact has delayed the speed of progressive social, political and spiritual reforms, and has complicated the quest for freedom and legal rights by the Russian people. An analysis of the previous Russian experience and a creative interpretation of state and legal traditions might be useful to solve current problems. One such lesson may be learned from studying the history of the Bar (Advokatura), which once used to influence the social and political life in Russia.