May 7, 2007 no. 486 - Vol. 5
"Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand who saith, 'A whole I lanned, youth shows but half; Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!'"
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Insider's view: see how local concerns shape up the global world. Read the daily press review in Migalhas International
Conservative Sarkozy Wins French Presidency
French voters give a resounding victory to conservative Nicolas Sarkozy in the final round of presidential elections. Nearly complete returns show Sarkozy with 53 percent of the vote, a comfortable margin over the 47 percent for socialist Segolene Royal. French people agree Chirac was an energetic and effective leader on the world stage, but indecisive and weak when it came to enacting reforms at home.
Many Detainees at Guantánamo Rebuff Lawyers
Many of the detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, are no longer cooperating with their lawyers, adding a largely invisible struggle between the lawyers and their own clients to the legal battle over the Bush administration’s detention policies. Some detainees refuse to see their lawyers, while others decline mail from their lawyers or refuse to provide them information on their cases, according to court documents, writings of some of the detainees and recent interviews. The detainees’ resistance appears to have been fueled by frustration over their long detention and suspicion about whether their lawyers are working for the government, as well as anti-American sentiment, some of the documents and interviews show. "Your role is to polish Bush's shoes and make the picture look good," a Yemeni detainee wrote his lawyer in February.
Fenalaw 2007 lectures – Enroll now!
This year, Fenalaw 2007 features the following high profile seminars and lectures for the legal industry:
Module I: Communications Strategies
• How to determine the best marketing strategy for the office, taking advantage of the opportunities and weighting market risks.
• Reputation: image and ethics in the digital age. The challenge of communications and the relationship with the press to preserve the value and the reputation of the image.
• Legal Tight Spot – how do women manage conflicts in their profession
Module II: The new worth of the legal department
• The challenges of the new legal department.
• How to aggregate value to the legal services provided through social action.
• Leadership in team work
Module III: Differentiation Strategies
• Succession in a family-run business: ?do not become the victim of your own recipes.
• Managing crises in legal offices.
• Growth strategies: mergers, ?associations or partnerships.
Module IV: Multi-disciplinary Market
• What changes will be introduced in the paractice of law by the Judicial Process Computerization Act?
• Carbon credit market: how to operate in this promising market of Clean Development Mechanism (MDL).
• New paradigms in the retrieval process and its applicability – discussion of factual cases.
Module V: Trends and Marketing
• Planning and strategy for lawyers: how to find new markets, how to conquer new niches and areas of operations.
• IPO - Risks and opportunities in going public.
• What is the differential of your business? The experience of the most admired offices in Brazil.
Module VI: Perspectives for the Practice of Law
• Joint Executions –in the search of the best satisfaction of the credit – winning theme of the FGV's III Innovare Award.
• How to recruit, how to remunerate and how to keep lawyers on the team: policy and new market trends.
• The profile of the young lawyer and how to get ready for the profession.
For enrollment to the seminars and lectures cycles, please visit the website at www.fenalaw.com.br or call +55 (11) 3078-2397
Form May 15 to 17, Fenalaw is also the unique exhibition in Sao Paulo of the most advanced products and services targeted at the management of legal offices and legal departments. Admission to the exhibition is free.
Note: Michael Ghilissen, editor of Migalhas International, will be speaking at Fenalaw on marketing strategic planning (module V on 5/17). Please come and meet him there!
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China claims major oil field find
China's biggest oil firm, PetroChina, says it has made the country's largest crude discovery in a decade. PetroChina said the find off China's north eastern coast had proven reserves of almost three billion barrels. Western analysts said that while the field, called Jidong Nanpu, would probably produce less than a quarter of that amount, it was still a major find.
China Toils Over New Labor Law
China is putting the final touches on its most significant overhaul of workplace regulation in a decade, in an unusual process that has sparked debate on the trade-off between economic growth and worker protection. The debate has been heated at times. Business groups that commented on the draft law became a lightning rod for criticism by international labor groups, which accused them of trying to water down much-needed protection for Chinese workers. But the process shows how China's government is increasingly seeking to involve interest groups and the public at large in the formation of laws. The cautious steps toward greater transparency reflect both the state's desire to retain popular support of its rule and its need to tap a wider base of expertise to ensure laws are suited to the ever-more-complex economy and society.
Mass graves found in Colombia
Colombian authorities have uncovered the mass graves of more than 100 people believed to have been killed during the country's long-running civil conflict.
Legal troubles mount for YouTube
The English Premier League is to sue video-sharing site YouTube for alleged copyright infringement. The football organisation said YouTube had "knowingly misappropriated" its intellectual property by encouraging footage to be viewed on its site. Google-owned YouTube already faces a $1bn lawsuit from media giant Viacom, accusing it of illegally showing clips from its TV shows. YouTube has denied those claims, saying the suit threatens the internet.
Alcoholic beer taster gets payout
Ambev has been ordered to pay $49,000 to an alcoholic beer taster who claims the company failed to prevent his condition. The man said the company did not provide him with adequate health care to stop him from developing alcoholism. The employee says he drank between 16 and 25 small glasses of beer during each eight hour shift at the company, and was also given a bottle of beer at the end of each shift. Judge Jose Felipe Ledur said the company was negligent because an alcoholic should have never been employed as a beer taster. He added that the man's alcohol dependency had worsened in recent years, and that he felt like drinking the same amount on holiday as he drank at work.
Brazil Nixes Online Ad for Sale of Wife
The government has ordered an Internet auction site Mercado Livre, partially owned by eBay Inc., to remove an advertisement in which a Brazilian man offered to sell his wife for about $50 and warned it was violating a law banning the offer or sale of "human organs, people, blood, bones or skin." It was posted by a man who gave his name as Breno and said: "I sell my wife for reasons I prefer to keep short ... I really need the money." He described his wife physically and listed her qualities as a homemaker and companion. He reportedly said she was 35 and "worth her weight in gold."
Yahoo shares up on Microsoft talk
Shares in Yahoo have risen by as much as 14% upon media reports suggesting the internet firm had been approached by Microsoft about a potential tie-up. US reports suggested Microsoft was keen to pair up with Yahoo in a deal which could be worth up to $50bn
Conflict of Interest?
A pair of companies owned by Rudy Giuliani represented both a debtor and a creditor in a recently concluded bankruptcy proceeding, a potential conflict of interest that wasn't disclosed to the federal judge overseeing the case, records show.
Dow Jones Trading Probe
New York's attorney general and the SEC are investigating suspicious trading in Dow Jones stock and options prior to the public disclosure of News Corp.'s $5 billion offer for the company. Separately, a Dow Jones shareholder filed suit, claiming Dow Jones directors breached fiduciary duty through a "hasty" rejection of the bid.
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Africa
University entry points set
Daily Monitor, Independent daily of Kampala, Uganda
Plane wreckage found
East African Standard, Liberal daily of Nairobi, Kenya
Hawa lives on
Ghanaian Chronicle, Independent, published in Accra, Ghana
Sarkozy wins mandate for reform
Mail and Guardian, Liberal daily of Johannesburg, South Africa
Papal nuncio preaches serious dialogue
Times of Zambia, Government-owned daily of Lusaka, Zambia
Americas
Child Month begins with lunch service
Barbados Advocate, Independent daily of St Michael, Barbados
French election offers clear left-right choice
Buenos Aires Herald, Liberal daily of Buenos Aires, Argentina
The final showdown
The Globe And Mail, Centrist daily of Toronto, Canada
Deadbeat dads SOS - Delinquent fathers urged to come home
Jamaica Gleaner, Centrist daily of Kingston, Jamaica
Mexico reforms outdated immigration laws
The Guadalajara Colony Reporter, Independent weekly of Guadalajara, Mexico
Asia Pacific
1 killed, 19 hurt in roller coaster crash
Daily Yomiuri, Conservative daily of Tokyo, Japan
Sarkozy wins French presidential race
People's Daily Online, Pro-government daily of Beijing, China
Threats shut down campus
The Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily of Sydney, Australia
Speaker Nemwang Asks Maoists to Behave in House
The Himalayan Times, Independent daily of Kathmandu, Nepal
Binay escapes ax
The Manila Times, Pro-government daily of Manila, Philippines
Astro increases monthly subscription fees
The Sun, Independent daily of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Europe
Merkel Congratulates Sarkozy, Hopes for Stronger Ties
Deutsche Welle, International broadcaster of Cologne, Germany
Pilots next of kin no longer seek damages from Copterline
Helsingin Sanomat, Centrist daily of Helsinki, Finland
Georgian premier returns from USA after heart surgery
Interfax, Government-owned news agency, Moscow, Russia
Ahern statement by Friday
Irish Examiner, Centrist daily of Cork, Ireland
EU Casts Cloud Over WTO Bid
The Moscow Times, Independent, English-language daily of Moscow, Russia
Mothers' Day in Portugal, and a family pleads: Pray for our missing Madeleine
The Scotsman, Centrist daily of Edinburgh, Scotland
Summertime elections not seen to affect turnout
Turkish Daily News, Independent daily of Istanbul, Turkey
Middle East
Iraq's other war
Al-Ahram Weekly, Semi-official, English-language weekly of Cairo, Egypt
Abdul Majeed's Funeral Today
Arab News, Pro-government, English-language daily of Jidda, Saudi Arabia
Siniora calls on all Lebanese to rally behind state
The Daily Star, Independent, English-language daily of Beirut, Lebanon
Sarkozy pledges change
Gulf News, Independent daily of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Jihad claims rocket that struck home in Sderot
Ha'aretz, Liberal daily of Tel Aviv, Israel
Rafsanjani: Negotiations the best means to resolve regional issues
Islamic Republic News Agency, Government-owned news agency of Tehran, Iran
Nasrallah denies former MK ever spied for Hizbullah
The Jerusalem Post, Conservative daily of Jerusalem, Israel
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