Obama warns of force against Iran, but urges diplomacy
Obama says the US "will not hesitate" to use force to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, but says diplomacy could still succeed. Addressing an influential pro-Israel lobby group, Obama also warned against "loose talk" of war in the dispute with Tehran. Earlier, Israeli President Shimon Peres said Iran was "a danger to the world".
Putin celebrates election victory
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Sunday claimed victory in Russia's presidential election before tens of thousands of cheering supporters, even as the opposition and independent observers insisted the vote had been marred by widespread violations. With more than 99% of the ballots counted, he secured nearly 64% of the vote, election officials say. But Golos, a leading independent election watchdog, said the polls could not be considered fair and open. It said there were instances of forced voting, numerous reports of "carousel" voting - in which voters cast multiple ballots - and that campaigning had been insufficiently competitive.
Iceland ex-premier set for trial
Iceland's former Prime Minister Geir Haarde is to go on trial for "negligence" in his handling of the 2008 financial crisis. The country's three main banks collapsed during economic turmoil. The failure of Icesave, which hit thousands of savers in the UK and Netherlands, led to a dispute over compensation, which remains unresolved. Haarde rejects the charges as "political persecution", saying he would be vindicated during the trial.
Egypt parliament debates make-up of assembly to write new constitution
The Egyptian parliament began discussions Saturday regarding the make-up of the constitutional assembly that will be responsible for writing Egypt's new constitution. The newly elected parliament will choose the members of the 100-member council that will ultimately determine the structure of the government and the rights conferred by the constitution. This has caused an intense debate between the parties of parliament who have differing opinions on who should be included in the assembly. The ruling Freedom and Justice Party argues there should be 40 members of parliament and 60 legal experts on the panel. Other parties argue there should be greater representation of minority groups.
Ecuador plaintiffs eye Chevron assets in Venezuela, Panama
The plaintiffs' lead lawyer said that they would first need the countries to recognize the validity of the $18 bln award before trying to enforce the ruling there."
EU sign fiscal treaty
All but two of the EU's 27 leaders have signed a new treaty to enforce budget discipline within the bloc. The "fiscal compact" aims to prevent the 17 eurozone states running up huge debts like those which sparked the Greek, Irish and Portuguese bailouts. To take effect, the pact must be ratified by 12 eurozone states. UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who with the Czechs refused to sign, said the summit had accepted his ideas for cutting red tape and boosting growth. Critics argue that the fiscal treaty is mainly a political gesture aimed at reassuring taxpayers in Germany, the eurozone's dominant economy, where there is reluctance to pay for further eurozone bailouts.
Bankruptcy's odd twist with union contracts
The pilots union has sued AMR, the parent company of American Airlines. And the complaint, at the end of this post, illustrates nicely one oddity in the bankruptcy code with regard to collective bargaining agreements — a point that is relevant in the many other cases pending currently that involve questions of unionized employees. In bankruptcy, a debtor has the choice to assume (perform) or reject (breach) any of its contracts. The benefit of rejecting a contract is that that the code backdates the breach to right before the bankruptcy filing. This means that the counterparty's claim for damages gets paid along with other unsecured claims — at cents on the dollar. In Chapter 11 – and only in Chapter 11 – this rule gets changed a bit for collective bargaining agreements. After a Supreme Court opinion in the 1980s that held that collective bargaining agreements were contracts like any other for bankruptcy purposes, Congress enacted section 1113. In short, the section provides that rejection can only happen after the debtor has tried to negotiate with the union. But section 1113 provides that the court can also order an intermediate step: Namely, "if essential to the continuation of the debtor's business" the court can permit the debtor to make changes to the collective bargaining agreement, while still keeping the agreement in force.
Lockerbie: fresh moves to clear Megrahi
The Libyan jailed for life following the 1988 Lockerbie bombing told investigators he travelled to Malta regularly to have sex. In detailed statement, known as a precognition, given to defense lawyers before his trial in Megrahi talked about how easy it was for him to travel between Libya and Malta. Prosecutors said the bomb, which destroyed Pan-Am Flight 103 was in a suitcase loaded on the island. Evidence not shown to defense team includes details of break-in that could have allowed access to Pan Am luggage. Defense lawyers realized if the original trial had known how easily Megrahi could travel undetected to Malta it could have strengthened the prosecution case. He has always maintained his innocence, and an investigation by the SCCRC - Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission found he may have suffered from a miscarriage of justice. Megrahi was returned to Libya on compassionate grounds in August, 2009 after serving 10 years of a life sentence; he has inoperable prostate cancer.
Three mull first US lawsuits against Murdoch-source
Three people who believe they were targeted by a private investigator working for Rupert Murdoch's News of the World while they were in the United States are considering suing his company in US courts, a source close to the case said. The lawsuits would be the first litigation filed against Murdoch's News Corp empire in the United States and could mark a significant escalation in a scandal that has already shaken Britain's media and political establishment. Murdoch's British publishing arm News International has already handed out millions of dollars in settlements to celebrities and others who had their voice mails hacked by its journalists.
Australian state toughens law for Muslim veils
Muslim women in Australia's most populous state will have to remove veils to have their signatures officially witnessed under the latest laws giving New South Wales officials authority to look under religious face coverings. The laws are a response to a court case last year in which a Sydney woman was convicted of falsely claiming that a traffic policeman had attempted to remove her niqab — a veil that reveals only the eyes. A judge overturned the conviction because the official who witnessed the false claim did not look under the veil of the person who made it, so the judge was not certain that the defendant was responsible.
MEPs call for tougher rules on CRAs
The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee has said that a draft regulation on CRAs - Credit Ratings Agencies should go further - including a ban on 'unsolicited' ratings of a country's sovereign debt.
UN commission reports war crimes by both sides of Libya conflict
The UN International Commission of Inquiry on Libya submitted its findings on Friday, reporting that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by both sides of the recent Libyan conflict. Established in February 2011 by an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Commission was mandated to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in Libya, and to establish the facts and circumstances of such violations and of the crimes perpetrated. With respect to the national Libyan forces of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, the Commission "concluded that international crimes, specifically crimes against humanity and war crimes, were committed ... Acts of murder, enforced disappearance, and torture were perpetrated within the context of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population."
Time
10 Ideas That Are Changing Your Life
Newsweek
150 fearless women. Female tycoons in China.
The Economist
The beginning of the end of Putin
Der Spiegel
Krieg um die Bombe?
L'Espresso
Ci rubano la salute È l'ospedale più grande del Nord. Ha servizi di eccellenza. Ma i reparti sono assediati da sporcizia e degrado. E i fondi servono a finanziare progetti faraonici. Viaggio nel lato oscuro del Niguarda.
Putin returns to Russian presidency
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar
Saudi tries men accused of US Consulate attack
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
Ahmadinejad rivals leading in vote
Egyptian Gazette, English-language, Cairo, Egypt
Romney: Iran will obtain a nuclear weapon if Obama is re-elected
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
Heavy clashes erupt in Syria near Jordan border
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel
Putin celebrates election victory
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Putin claims victory in Russian presidential race
CNN International, London, England
1 dead, 7 hurt in Thai market blast
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England
Indiana tornado 2012: Angel Babcock, 2, on life support after losing entire family to twister
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Mel B's sister Danielle Brown uses Twitter to voice concerns over Spice Girl's 'mental state'
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
China increases law and order spending
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France
RUSSIA: Putin proclaims victory in Russia's presidential vote
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Has the Syrian civil war started already?
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey
Britain 'keen' to see Russian election reports
Independent The, London, England
European cattle ban being considered
Moscow News The, Independent, Moscow, Russia
PC David Rathband: timeline on his fight for life since Raoul Moat shooting
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England
Eddie Izzard to recreate Italian job ending on art gallery roof
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England
PM: Chatuchak rent suitable
Bangkok Post, Independent, Bangkok, Thailand
Russia's Putin faces protests after poll triumph
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Japanese Visitors Turn to Korean Handmade Goods
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Pakistan test fires missile
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India
Two teenagers raped in Bhopal
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
Manning throws during workout
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
Gunmen kill at least 21 policemen in Iraq
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Activists mark 1st anniversary of Fukushima nuclear disaster in Indonesia
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China
After Homs, Syria seen facing Bosnia-style war
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore
Live: Rabbitohs v Roosters
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
Australia: over 4,000 ordered to leave homes as floodwater up with more rain forecast later
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Sri Lanka C. bank: Will act to curb rupee volatility
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India
Mass protest planned against Putin's election
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Baby dropped in field by tornado dies; death toll at 39
Globe and Mail The, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
BSE Sensex Falls by 1 Percent, Banks Lead Losses
International Business Times, Business news organization, New York, U.S
Argentine Women Refused Legal Abortions in Cases of Rape
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
AIG selling $6 billion of AIA shares, to repay bail-out
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S
Aid reaches Homs refugees, Syrians flee to border
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S
Hotel workers struggle to unionize for better pay and benefits
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
'Bad wiring' caused Congo blasts
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
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