"We should have a great fewer disputes in the world if words were taken for what they are, the signs of our ideas only, and not for things themselves."

John Locke

A Wednesday without Grammatigalhas is like a day without sunshine! We are sorry we cannot produce the column this week. Reason: travel complications. We will return next week.

• Top News

China legislature considers legal practice reforms

China's National People's Congress Sunday began considering measures to codify legal ethics, improve criminal suspects' access to defense lawyers and evidence, and allowed experienced lawyers to establish individual private law firms. The reforms, which guarantee lawyers the right to meet defendants in all cases with the exception of those involving state secrets, were proposed by the Ministry of Justice and will most likely be approved. The proposals also prohibit the state from conducting surveillance of the defendants meeting their lawyers, and grants defense lawyers legal immunity for statements in court provided that statements do not constitute slander or threaten national security. Lawyers with more than five years experience and no record of license suspension will also be permitted to establish individual private law firms. Legal ethnics prohibiting lawyers from representing clients if they have a personal conflict of interest will also be specifically codified for the first time in China . The proposed reforms to China's Law on Lawyers if approved, will be the first amendments to the law since its implementation in 1997.

UN Council eyes role of natural resources

The Security Council examined the role of natural resources such as diamonds, poppies and oil in driving conflicts and destabilizing nations, angering some countries that accused the U.N.'s most powerful body of trying to undermine their sovereignty. The council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, has a responsibility to address the issue because of an "intimate link" between natural resources and conflict. But Qatar, Brazil and China argued that the council was overstepping its mandate, infringing on national sovereignty and on other U.N. bodies.

New EU states attacked over graft

The European Commission is to criticise Bulgaria and Romania for failing to tackle deep-rooted corruption and reform their judiciary. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU six months ago. A report by the Commission highlights the lack of convictions in high-level corruption cases and voices concern about contract killings in Bulgaria. The report stops short of calling for sanctions. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU on the strictest terms ever but the report shows that, in the last six months, judicial reforms have had little or no result.

Google urges US government to treat Internet censorship as trade barrier

Google is urging the US government, including the Departments of State and Commerce, the Office of the US Trade Representative, and various House and Senate committees, to fight the rise of global Internet censorship, according to Monday reports. Google's Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs Andrew McLaughlin said in a statement that censorship acts as a non-tariff trade barrier for industries that depend on the free flow of information to deliver their services across borders.

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• Crumbs!

1 - Court to hear Web cigarette sales fight. (Read More)

2 - Court rules for cleaners in $54 million pants suit. (Read More)

3 - Court backs school on speech curbs. (Read More)

4 - US firms reject Venezuelan deal. (Read More)

5 - Man jailed 2 years sues over Queens prosecutions. (Read More)

6 - Basell buys Huntsman for $5.6 billion. (Read More)

7 - Supreme Court to weigh limits on cases involving medical devices. (Read More)

8 - Immigration bill advances in Senate. (Read More)

9 - Experian to buy Brazil's Serasa. (Read More)

10 - Heineken extends partnership with Femsa in Brazil until 2017. (Read More)

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• MiMIC Journal

Danone faces Chinese legal threat

China's largest soft drinks maker, Wahaha, has threatened to counter-sue French firm Danone in an escalating dispute between the two firms. Danone is suing Wahaha, accusing it of illegally selling copies of its drinks, and Wahaha has now responded with a threat of its own lawsuit.

Wahaha and Danone have been partners since 1996 but their relationship has deteriorated in recent months.

Tires Are Latest Chinese Recall in U.S.

Another Chinese product in the U.S. is under scrutiny. Federal officials ordered a recall of 450,000 Chinese-made tires. The Chinese maker of tires that are the target of a massive US recall denied Wednesday that it supplied faulty products and accused its American distributor of making the claim to gain an advantage in a commercial dispute. New York Times reporter David Barboza was held in a toy factory last week while covering the Thomas the Tank Engine recall.

Congo and China Forge Economic Partnership

China and Congo are enjoying an era of economic cooperation, swapping cut-rate financing for infrastructure projects with oil and timber. But critics charge is the exchange is unequal.

• Brief News

Protests at Iran fuel rationing

A petrol station is set on fire in Tehran, after a surprise Iranian government move to ration petrol. Iranians were given only two hours' notice of the move that limits private drivers to 100 litres of fuel a month. Despite its huge energy reserves Iran lacks refining capacity, forcing it to import about 40% of its petrol.

US firms reject Venezuelan deal

Two major US companies have rejected a deal that would keep them working in Venezuela's most important oil field, according to state oil firm PDVSA. The government is taking over majority control of operations in the Orinoco Belt, as it extends state control. PDVSA said four firms - BP, Chevron, Total and Norway's Statoil - had signed deals to take minority stakes, but Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips had not. Chavez set Tuesday as a deadline for foreign firms to agree.

Bolivia reclaims oil refineries

Bolivia has taken full control of two oil refineries from the Brazilian state-owned energy company, Petrobras, after a compensation deal last month. The head of the state energy company, YPFB, said Bolivia had taken back "what we never should have lost". The $112m buy-back is part of Morales' wider energy nationalization, giving the state more control and a larger slice of profits. Bolivia has South America's biggest natural gas reserves after Venezuela.

Court eases TV ad election curbs

The US Supreme Court has eased campaign finance restrictions in a ruling that will allow issues-led groups to run TV adverts right up until elections.

Mobile phone firms lose tax case

Mobile phone firms have lost a legal battle to reclaim tax they said they paid for expensive licenses in the UK. The auction of 3G spectrum - enabling firms to offer video and internet services through handsets - raised more than £22bn for the British government. The plaintiffs, which also included O2 and T-Mobile, argued that they were entitled to recover tax since their customers were the ultimate beneficiaries of the deal. But the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the award of licenses, in itself, did not constitute an economic activity on which tax was paid.

CIA Papers Detail Assasination Plots, LSD Testing

Details of a CIA plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro and of the spy agency's wiretapping campaign against U.S. journalists, civil rights activists and anti-Vietnam war protesters were among hundreds of pages of internal reports released Tuesday.

CAR children 'seized for ransom'

Armed gangs are seizing children for ransom in the Central African Republic, Amnesty International says.

Germany imposes ban on Tom Cruise

Germany has banned the makers of Tom Cruise's new movie from filming at military sites in the country because the actor is a Scientologist. The German defense ministry said Cruise has "publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult". Scientology masquerades as a religion to make money, Germany said, but leaders of the church reject this.

Wealthy Gay Donors a New Force in Politics

A new force is emerging in American politics: wealthy, gay political donors who target state-level races. Last year, they funneled millions of dollars into dozens of carefully selected campaigns. Their goal: to elect gay-friendly governors and lawmakers.

Mexico's Police Corruption Investigation

On Monday, the Mexican government temporarily replaced all 284 of its top federal police officers pending investigations into corruption. What's behind President Felipe Calderon's purge of his federal police force?

Judge Rebuffs Google's Request To Extend Oversight of Microsoft

A US District Court judge yesterday declined to address a petition by Google that asked the government to extend its antitrust oversight of Microsoft.

Chirac to face corruption inquiry

French ex-President Jacques Chirac is to be questioned over claims of corruption while he was Paris mayor.

Brazil offers morning-after pill to poor

Brazil's government has added "morning after" pills to its newly expanded birth control program in hopes of helping poor people reduce unwanted pregnancies and dangerous illegal abortions. Lula said the government would provide cheap birth control pills at 10,000 drug stores across the country.

Cosan files for Wall Street listing

Cosan, Brazil’s biggest sugar and ethanol producer, is to raise up to $2bn on the New York Stock Exchange in a further demonstration of the rapid growth of the industry in Brazil. Last Friday the Wall Street Journal carried an interview with a senior executive of Archer Daniels Midland, the agribusiness group, who said the company had not ruled out trying to buy Cosan.

Gerdau group wants to enter Chinese market and sets up partnership with Indian company

Brazilian group Gerdau is interested in setting up a steelworks in China, with a capacity of 1 million tons per year in partnership with a Chinese state company.

Gol to rebrand Varig for business

Gol, the Brazilian low-cost airline, plans to relaunch the Varig brand as a dedicated business carrier serving domestic routes alongside its existing no-frills service. The highly unusual move marks the first time a low-cost carrier has set up a dedicated subsidiary for premium traffic. Legacy airlines around the world – ranging from United and Lufthansa to All Nippon Airways – have created their own subsidiaries in recent years to stem the erosion of passengers to low-fare rivals.

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• Historia Verdadera

The messages that appear in this newsletter are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to be and should not be considered legal advice nor substitute for obtaining legal advice from competent, independent, legal counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.

Transmission of this information is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. The information contained on this list may or may not reflect the most current legal development.