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New whistleblower reward program has law firms gearing up
Law firms are wasting little time in alerting potential clients to a program tucked into the recently passed financial regulatory overhaul that rewards individuals for reporting fraud to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Plaintiffs law firms are touting their services to potential whistleblowers while firms that represent corporate interests are making executives aware of the possible consequences. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which President Obama signed into law on July 21, created a bounty program that rewards individuals who provide "original information" to the SEC with up to 30 percent of any successful enforcement action that exceeds $1 million. Given the size of penalties levied against wayward companies -- Germany engineering conglomerate Siemens paid a record-breaking $800 million in 2008 for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act -- the potentially lucrative incentive for employees to report fraud is causing companies to proactively rethink their internal compliance policies. "The way that the act is structured, some employees may perceive that it is in their interest to very quickly report any perceived problems directly to the SEC as opposed to quickly informing their own employers or compliance officials."
Protesters denounce Google plan for 'two-tier internet'
Around 100 people have rallied outside Google's California offices to protest against controversial proposals to alter how data is treated over the web. Google and Verizon suggest treating fixed line services differently to wireless and some specialized content. This would allow net providers to give priority to certain online traffic. Protesters outside the famed Googleplex said this would create a "pay-to-play" service and urged Google to live up to its famous motto "don't be evil".
South American airlines to merge
Two major South American airlines, Brazil's TAM Linhas Aereas and Chile's LAN, plan a merger that will create the biggest carrier in the region.
Changing court procedures won't work
In New Zeeland, the Law Society said the Government must be careful proposed changes to defendants' access to jury details do not breach their rights. "The ability for an accused person to know who the jury panel is and their occupations and generally where they live is a very important right. For instance, it may be that there is some sort of geographical feature of a trial which means local knowledge is important," Law Society spokesperson Jeremy Krebs told One News. The Government is looking at a potential tightening of court procedures after a convicted killer contacted a member of a jury which found him guilty of kidnapping.
Canadian lawyers oppose bill requiring Supreme Court justices to be bilingual
The Canadian Bar Association passed a resolution at its annual meeting Saturday opposing a federal bill that would require Supreme Court of Canada. justices to speak both French and English. The private member's bill recently passed the Canadian House of Commons by a slim majority and is now before the Senate. Proponents of the bill argue that high court judges risk misunderstanding legal arguments by using translators and translation devices. Opponents argue that requiring bilingualism will cause otherwise qualified candidates for Canada's top tribunal to be overlooked and will place more importance on language than expertise and merits. The resolution, introduced by lawyers from mostly English-speaking western Canada, stated that bilingualism is something to consider, but should not prevent an individual from being appointed to the bench.
Judicial spending doubles in last decade
Campaign fundraising for elections to the nation's top state courts has doubled to more than $200 million over the last decade, fueled partly by super-spending individuals and groups investing big money to influence down-ticket races. Between 2000 to 2009, campaign spending for state Supreme Court posts surged to $206.9 million compared with $83.3 million in the previous decade. The report also found 20 of the 22 states with Supreme Court contests had their costliest-ever campaigns. "These corporations and trial lawyers have millions of millions of dollars at stake, and they feel if they can just spend a few million dollars to influence the outcome, it's worth it." "We're sort of playing with fire when you're putting this much money into our courts."
Ministers to scrap double jeopardy law by next year
The centuries-old law that prevents Scots being tried for the same crime twice will be scrapped in its current format and reformed in a new bill. The move to change the rules on double jeopardy could allow convicts to be brought back to court over notorious crimes. Scottish ministers plan to introduce a bill to change the rule at the end of September and hope that it could become law as soon as next year. Under the proposals, suspects could be tried for a second time only under specific conditions.
UN staff protection treaty coming into force after UK ratification
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday praised the United Kingdom's recent ratification of a treaty designed to extend legal safeguards to UN and humanitarian personnel participating in relief efforts. With the UK's formal approval of the instrument last month, the minimum threshold of 22 signatories to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel is met, allowing it to enter into effect. The Protocol is scheduled to become operational August 19, 30 days after ratification by the UK.
Irate law school grads say they were misled about job prospects
As they enter the worst job market in decades, many young would-be lawyers are turning on their alma maters, blaming their quandary on high tuitions, lax accreditation standards and misleading job placement figures. Unless students graduate from schools like Harvard or Yale, they "might as well be busing tables." The angry rants first surfaced last summer on blogs.: "It's really just a big Ponzi scheme." "They're just cranking kids out for $45,000 a year." The outrage stems from graduating with more than $100,000 of debt but meager job prospects. School administrators, who admit to keeping tabs on these so-called "scam blogs," which now number in the dozens, bristle at the charge that they run diploma mills. Not every graduate can land a six-figure job at a big-name law firm — especially during the current downturn — but many still find fulfilling careers in and out of the legal field.
No-fault divorce becomes law in New York
New York was the only state in the country that didn't allow for one side to file for divorce without a finding of fault, such as adultery or abandonment, or if both spouses agreed on a separation and lived apart for a year or more. The new law permits no-fault divorce after a marriage has "irretrievably" broken down for six months or more and after all financial and custody issues are resolved.
Petrobras share sale to replenish capital as debt nears high end of target
Petrobras said its plan to sell as much as $25 billion of new shares next month will replenish capital after debt rose to the upper limits of its target last quarter. Petrobras's debt as a percentage of equity climbed to 34 percent, compared with 32 percent in the previous quarter and 28 percent in the year-earlier period.
U.S. rules bar banks that violate Iran sanctions
The Treasury Department released new regulations on Friday that could bar foreign banks or companies from accessing the financial system in the United States if they did business with entities or people subject to United Nations and United States sanctions. The regulations, which grew out of legislation Congress passed in June, effectively bar foreign banks from doing business in dollars if they engage in transactions with anyone suspected of involvement in Iran's nuclear or missile programs. The entities include Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Time
Great American novelist. Jonathan Franzen offers his take on five novels that inspired him recently.
Newsweek
We're mad as hell. What's behind workers' growing antagonism toward employers?
Business Week
The Popularity Issue. A guide to America's favorite stuff: the food we eat, the sneakers we wear, the churches we visit, the colors of the cars we drive. Not the coolest or best—just the ubiquitous, omnipresent No. 1s.
The Economist
Radical Britain. Britain has embarked on a great gamble. Sooner or later, many other rich-world countries will have to take it too.
L'Express
Omment protégere votre vie privée?
Der Spiegel
Allein gegen Hitler - Wie Winston Churchill die Nazis stoppte.
Troop deaths top 2000 in Afghan war
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar
Arab Nations Lobby U.S. on Anti-Israel Vote
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
UN's Iran sanctions: US to hold talks with UAE, Bahrain and Lebanon
Gulf News, Independent daily, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Court indicts Israeli man suspects of killing his 3 children
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
Food Cartels Feast on Ramadan Profits
IPS Middle East, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
IHH lauds new Hamas Gaza terror group
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel
Officials keep tabs on commodity prices
Khaleej Times, English-language daily, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Minimum taxi fare in Sharjah will be Dh10
Middle East North African Network, Online financial portal, Amman, Jordan
Taliban Call for Joint Probe into Afghan Civilian Deaths
Nahamet, Online news portal, Beirut, Lebanon
Panel formed on Lebanon poll law
Saudi Gazette, English-language daily, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Hackers siphon $1m from British accounts
The Daily Star, Independent daily, Beirut, Lebanon
Gunmen kill 4 Iraqi policemen and burn two bodies
Times of Oman, English-language daily, Muscat, Oman
Job Vacancies
Yemen Observer, Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
The OPEC Fund for International Development Scholarship
Yemen Times, (Independent weekly), Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
Mixed-sex wards 'to be scrapped'
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Lohan mentoring rehab patients
BreakingNews.ie, Online news portal, Cork, Ireland
Fireworks factory blast kills two
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England
Japan GDP slumps behind China in Q2 economy figures
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Safaricom's M-Pesa customers up 60 percent
DMeurope, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Pakistan: UN chief urges 'generous support' for ravaged Pakistan
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Ukrainian journalist association threatens to call strike
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey
Julia Roberts' Week Of Style
Look Magazine, London, England
Carlisle couple criticise how 999 call was dealt with
News & Star, Independent daily, Carlisle, England
Reports: Afghan Man, Woman Stoned To Death
Radio Free Europe, Prague, Czech Republic
Obama And The Muslim World
Sky News, Independent newscaster, Middlesex, England
Covering Up the Wildfires: The Kremlin's Smokescreen
Spiegel International, Liberal newsmagazine, Hamburg, Germany
Dirtiest coal power plants win government reprieve
The Guardian, Liberal daily, London, England
Oil field discovered in Afghanistan
The Independent, London, England
Group calls for reform of Leaving Cert
The Irish Times, Centrist daily, Dublin, Ireland
Putin Warns on Bread Prices
The Moscow Times, Independent daily, Moscow, Russia
Dozen it just make you sick
The Sun, London, England
Necklace owned by Jackie Onassis sells for GBP 30,000
The Telegraph, London, England
Thousands of straight-A students could miss out on university
The Telegraph, Conservative daily, London, England
Two foreign ministers discuss Peninsula situation
Antara News, News agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
Pro-independence groups stage anti-ECFA protest
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
10th Seoul International Financial Forum Kicks Off
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Donkeys come to the rescue in floods
Dawn, English-language daily, Karachi, Pakistan
Weekly Commodities Review
Gazeta.kz, Official online newspaper, Kazakhstan
Indians in America debate over mosque near 9/11 site
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India
Scare at Home as dangerous virus stalks ministry computers
India Express, News portal, Mumbai, India
AP cops to brush up skills
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
Anti-global warming push also best for the economy
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
Poll: Reckless drivers the biggest menace on highways
Malaysian Star, Online news portal, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Gillard launches re-election bid
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Commander surrenders
Pajhwok Afghan News, (Independent news agency), Kabul, Afghanistan
Poll shows Australian Labor Party clinging to narrow lead
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China
Nepal apex court demolishes Sobhraj's marriage claim
Sify News, Chennai, India
Herb's horror is a joke
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
China observes day of mourning for mudslide victims
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Yilan children's folk festival wraps up
Taiwan Today, Government Information Office, Taipei, Taiwan
RJD to project Lalu Prasad as CM candidate
Thaindian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Manmohan: dialogue is the only option
The Hindu, Left-leaning daily, Chennai, India
Tamil died during voyage from Sri Lanka
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Haiti electoral mission begins
Caribbean360, Online news portal, St. Michael, Barbados
Farming to be third leg of economy
Cayman Net News, Online news portal, George Town, Cayman Islands
Dominicans flock to the beaches during long weekend
Dominican Today, Independent daily, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Chile: Salmon Industry Won't Give Up
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
'No to terrorists'
Jamaica Gleaner, Independent daily, Kingston, Jamaica
Peru south remembers third anniversary of Pisco earthquake
Living in Peru, News portal, Lima, Peru
Zsa Zsa Gabor asks for last rites
The Globe and Mail, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Thailand lifts emergency rule in 3 more provinces
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
T&T sweeps Cazova vball crowns.
Trinidad Guardian, Independent daily, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
South Africa opposition parties to merge
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
African Champs League wins for TP Mazembe and Dynamos
CongoPlanet.com, Independent online news aggregator
Timber loggers cry foul
GhanaWeb, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
'Yes we will' - Oz PM
iafrica, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Mom witnesses son's death
Independent Online, News portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Dr. Merera Gudina says he is "fed up of complaining"
Jimma Times, Online news portal, Jimma, Ethiopia
All eyes on Zim at SADC summit
Mail & Guardian Online, Liberal, Johannesburg, South Africa
Judge: Agliotti affidavit inadmissible
News24.com, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
East-West Road: Stakeholders groan over slow pace of work
Vanguard, Independent daily, Lagos, Nigeria