November 25, 2009 Nº 844 - Vol. 7
"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."
Andrew Carnegie
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Read Migalhas LatinoAmérica in Spanish every Tuesday and Thursday. Visit the website at www.migalhas.com/latinoamerica
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Migalhas Christmas 2009!!!
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UN unveils Network of Men to fight abuse of women
Wednesday is the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women. UN chief Ban Ki-moon has unveiled a Network of Men Leaders to act as male role models in a campaign opposing violence against women. He urged all men to join the campaign, saying about 70% of women experience some form of physical or sexual violence from men. The 14 men currently in the network include Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho and Norwegian Justice Minister Knut Storberget. They had all demonstrated a commitment to oppose violence against women. "Break the silence," he said. "When you witness violence against women and girls, do not sit back. Act. Advocate. Unite to change the practices and attitudes that incite, perpetrate and condone this violence." Moon said it was unacceptable that so many women experienced some form of physical or sexual violence from men - mostly from their husbands, intimate partners, or someone they knew.
Before you open the door to the boardroom, peek through the keyhole!
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1- FBI report shows reported hate crimes in US up two percent (click here)
2- Kenya committee unveils new draft constitution (click here)
3- London police settle with family of man mistaken for terrorist (click here)
4- Woman to fight insurance company over Facebook(click here)
5-Bank gave RBS and HBOS 'secret' £62bn loan (click here)
6-GM pays back Germany, signals fewer job cuts(click here)
7-Economy Is Forcing Young Adults Back Home in Big Numbers, Survey Finds(click here)
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China executes tainted milk pair
China executes two people over a scandal involving tainted milk powder that resulted in six children dying, state media say.
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Energía
La española Elecnor se adjudicó el contrato de concesión para la construcción una línea de transmisión eléctrica en Chile. El proyecto implica la construcción, operación y mantenimiento de 258 kilómetros de líneas de transmisión entre la región de Maule y la Región Metropolitana de Santiago.
Deuda
Distribuidora argentina de gas natural Emgasud posterga pago de US$16 millones de capital de una deuda derivada de una emisión de Obligaciones Negociables (ON), además de enmendar parcialmente los términos y condiciones de la emisión. La empresa dijo que en nueve meses ya canceló más de 21 millones de dólares de capital más intereses sobre una deuda total de US$ 115 mlls. de la misma moneda.
Negocios
La brasileña Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) informó que adquirió una participación minoritaria de 16,3% en el capital de la australiana Riversdale Mining Limited.
Banks await overdraft charges ruling in Supreme Court
The UK Supreme Court will hand down a judgment on Wednesday that could lead to billions of pounds being refunded to millions of bank customers. Lord Phillips will reveal the Court's decision on an appeal by seven banks and the Nationwide building society. They want to stop the Office of Fair Trading using consumer protection rules to investigate the fairness of their charges for unauthorized overdrafts. The decision follows more than two years of test case litigation.
Lula urges Iranian nuclear solution
Brazil has reaffirmed its support for Iran's right to a civilian nuclear program, but called for a "just and balanced" solution with the West. During a visit to Brazil by the Iranian president, Lula criticized attempts to isolate Iran over its nuclear ambitions. But he also urged Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to engage with the West. Western powers fear Iran is developing nuclear weapons technology, rather than civilian uses as it claims. Lula said he opposes further sanctions on Iran, and called for diplomacy instead.
Iraqi VP threatens veto of election law
Iraq's Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi says he may veto a proposed electoral law, which was amended Monday by parliament. The head of Iraq's electoral commission says failure to pass the law will delay elections by "at least a month" from their original January date.
US economic growth revised down
The US economy grew by far less than originally forecast between July and September, according to revised official figures. The latest estimate said the economy grew at an annual pace of 2.8%. That compared with the 3.5% the Department of Commerce initially forecast earlier this month. The change in the gross domestic product figure came partly because imports, which count as negative, were higher than thought. Imports increased at an annual rate of 21%, the biggest gain since the second quarter of 1985, and a big jump on the 16% first thought.
The spies of Warsaw? Walesa says not a chance
Former Poland President Lech Walesa is suing the current president for libel after Lech Kaczynski hinted that Walesa had once been a communist spy.
Like a dress code, social media policy can prevent excess exposure
When potential clients Google your law firm, do you want a paralegal's MySpace page featuring "unprofessional interests and photos" to be the first hit they get? Obviously, the answer to this question is no. But that's exactly what happened when attorney Greg Ripple looked up a law firm he didn't know a few years ago. The situation illustrates the need for law firms and other employers to have a social media policy that helps them present their best professional face to the world, the publication notes. “Clearly, she thought this was her personal site,” says Ripple, an associate of Miller Johnson in Grand Rapids, of the paralegal's inappropriate MySpace page. “But it doesn’t change the fact that when someone Googled her employer, that was the No. 1 hit. So it became the public face of that law firm. Companies don’t like that—or they shouldn’t like that.” Although some employers are concerned that visiting social media sites can be an unproductive use of work time, this generally isn't a major issue, according to the article. More likely to cause concern are comments that, while perhaps well-intentioned, reveal confidential business information or simply interfere with the manner in which the employer wanted to present itself to the world.
FBI report shows reported hate crimes in US up two percent
Reported hate crimes in the US increased by approximately two percent in 2008, the greatest reported increase since 2001, according to the 2008 Hate Crime Statistics released by the FBI on Monday. The FBI reported 7,780 single-bias hate crime incidents in 2008, up from the 7,621 reported in 2007. The FBI noted that the increase does not necessarily reflect an actual rise in incidents, because the number of law agencies participating in the study increased in the last year. Racial discrimination accounted for 51.3 percent of reported hate crimes, a slight increase over the 50.8 percent reported in 2007. Hate crimes motivated by religion also increased slightly while crimes motivated by sexual orientation were reported with approximately the same frequency as in 2007. The only category to show a decrease was in ethnicity- and nationality-based crimes. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded by issuing a statement calling for "a coordinated campaign to prevent, deter, and respond effectively to criminal violence motivated by bigotry and prejudice."
Kenya committee unveils new draft constitution
The Kenyan Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review unveiled the initial Harmonized Draft Constitution last week. The changes are intended to reduce the widespread injustice throughout the country, and specifically address issues that led to the violence following the 2007 presidential elections.
Israel Supreme Court bans for-profit prisons
The Israeli Supreme Court banned privately-run prisons on Thursday, ruling that they violate prisoners' fundamental rights by introducing an element of profit into the prison system.
Argentina legislators approve bill to decriminalize defamation
Argentina's Chamber of Deputies has passed a bill that would decriminalize defamation, bringing the government's policies more in line with the American Convention on Human Rights and garnering praise from international human rights groups. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner proposed the bill in September, but the Senate must pass the bill before it can become law. The legislation would eliminate prison terms and lessen fines for libel and slander as part of a broader plan to increase freedom of expression in Argentine telecom-munications.
Leaked documents question legality of UK involvement in Iraq
UK government reports leaked on Sunday revealed many shortcomings in the country's involvement in the Iraq War, some possibly rising to the level of illegality. The documents show that the UK's plans for invasion of Iraq began secretly in February 2002, while former Prime Minister Tony Blair misled the public by saying there was no planned military action, but rather a plan for disarmament. Notably, the planning began before a UN resolution was endorsed and the materials suggest that the clandestine operation was rushed and lacked coherence. The reports also indicate that the operations were inadequately supplied, stating that some troops went into battle with only five bullets each and noting that the Foreign Office post-war planning unit was not set up until well after the war began. Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price stated that the UK government should submit itself to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if its actions are found to be illegal.
Prisoner Swap Deal Stalled Over One Detainee
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
Shalit deal gives Palestinian prisoners unprecedented media exposure
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
BRAZIL-IRAN: New Boost to South-South Diplomacy
IPS Middle East, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
Egyptian banks sue Israel over King David Hotel
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel
Experts Call for Review of Human Trafficking Law
Khaleej Times, English-language daily, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi's Aabar inks $1.6b loan pact
Middle East North African Network, Online financial portal, Amman, Jordan
Rwandan Genocide Militia has Global Support Network, U.N.
Nahamet, Online news portal, Beirut, Lebanon
Panel formed on Lebanon poll law
Saudi Gazette, English-language daily, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Over two million Muslim pilgrims arrive in Mecca
The Daily Star, Independent daily, Beirut, Lebanon
Iran says nuclear rights non-negotiable
Times of Oman, English-language daily, Muscat, Oman
Domestic violence 'school plan'
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Fresh injury woes for Gunners
BreakingNews.ie, Online news portal, Cork, Ireland
Former royal aide back in custody
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England
One in three schools failing, poor teachers and £5bn of waste: Labour's lessons in incompetence fail two million children
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Tata Communications plans Gulf cable system
DMeurope, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Graham Sankey held over attack on Joe Anderson
icLiverpool, Online news portal, Liverpool, England
GMP slammed over botched terror arrests
Manchester Online, Independent daily, Manchester, England
Czech health care 20 years on: better, more expensive and in need of serious reforms
Radio Prague, Online news portal, Prague, Czech Republic
Killer Ex-Royal Aide Andrews Back In Custody
Sky News, Independent newscaster, Middlesex, England
Picture This: In the Name of Allah
Spiegel International, Liberal newsmagazine, Hamburg, Germany
'Cruel, illegal, immoral': UK's role in torture
The Guardian, Liberal daily, London, England
Congo mission has failed - UN
The Irish Times, Centrist daily, Dublin, Ireland
Jane Andrews: former royal aide on run found near prison
The Telegraph, Conservative daily, London, England
Gloria Arroyo supporter named as prime suspect in Philippines massacre
Times Online, Conservative daily, London, England
Japan to accept up to 500 Indonesian healthcare workers in Fy 2010
Antara News, News agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
10th Seoul International Financial Forum Kicks Off
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Political crisis continues as Taliban loom
Dawn, English-language daily, Karachi, Pakistan
India-US sign six MoUs on counter-terrorism
India Express, News portal, Mumbai, India
Mumbai still lacks emergency services
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
The shame of growing hunger
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
NRD counter services close for 3 days
Malaysian Star, Online news portal, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Church robber: 'Sorry but I'm poor'
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Security law to prevent scattered rioting in mid-April from reoccurring: Thai deputy PM
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China
Escort rates Berlusconi's bedroom performance
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
Fully committed to implementing civil nuclear deal, says Obama
The Hindu, Left-leaning daily, Chennai, India
EPI in talks for Mendoza oil refinery
The Standard, Business daily, Hong Kong
PORT WORKERS DOWN TOOLS
Antigua Sun Online, Independent daily, St. John's, Antigua
Obama and Hu may attend CHOGM in Trinidad and Tobago
Caribbean News Portal, Online news aggregator
Minister admits corruption a problem in Jamaica
Caribbean360, Online news portal, St. Michael, Barbados
Tom Jones sub lays off 88
Cayman Net News, Online news portal, George Town, Cayman Islands
Sunken treasure hunt yields fabulous baubles off Dominican coast
Dominican Today, Independent daily, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
BRAZIL-IRAN: New Boost to South-South Diplomacy
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
Hold your horses - Off-track betting barred on Sundays Raceday still on
Jamaica Gleaner, Independent daily, Kingston, Jamaica
Arrest of Former Peru's Housing Minister discredits Peru, Chancellor says
Living in Peru, News portal, Lima, Peru
Nortel auctions off another piece of itself
The Globe and Mail, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Cox: A son's secret, Brian Burke's love
Toronto Star, Liberal daily, Toronto, Canada
First Citizens wins 'Best Bank' 2009 award
Trinidad Guardian, Independent daily, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
DR Congo UN operation 'failure'
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
ICC: Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui trial starts on Tuesday
CongoPlanet.com, Independent online news aggregator
Uganda's oil prospects excite experts
Daily Monitor, Independent daily, Kampala, Uganda
Don't derail reform talks, MPs warned
Daily Nation, Independent daily, Nairobi, Kenya
Iranian Embassy to support education of Muslim girls
GhanaWeb, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
China mine blast kills 107
iafrica, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
'They plotted to kill me'
Independent Online, News portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Ethiopia Asks Death Penalty For 40 "Ginbot 7" members
Jimma Times, Online news portal, Jimma, Ethiopia
Washington Post to close US bureaus
Mail & Guardian Online, Liberal, Johannesburg, South Africa
Nigerians in Diaspora remit $10bn in 2008
Vanguard, Independent daily, Lagos, Nigeria
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