January, 20, 2010 Nº 861 - Vol. 8
"Life improves slowly and goes wrong fast, and only catastrophe is clearly visible."
Edward Teller
(Hungarian nuclear physicist, b.1908)
Insider's view: see how local concerns shape up the global world. Read the daily press review in Migalhas International
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Haiti confronts rising lawlessness after earthquake
Local police struggled to maintain law and order in Haiti while awaiting the deployment of more US troops on Monday, as looting and vigilantism rose among increasingly desperate and frustrated survivors of the earthquake that struck the country last week. The troops arriving Monday are part of a 5,700-strong US contingent expected to arrive by the end of the week to assist the 3,000 police and international peacekeepers deployed to secure the airport, port, and main buildings. Incidents of looting and violence have been on the rise, and the reported lynching of one suspected looter along with shootings Sunday have led to an increase in the number of UN peacekeepers patrolling the streets. The country's legal system and government are largely non-operational in the wake of the disaster. More than 100 US troops landed in Haiti on Friday, distributing supplies to survivors. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti has said that up to 50% of buildings have been destroyed or damaged, including the presidential palace, the UN Mission headquarters, and the main prison, allowing nearly 4,000 inmates to escape.
US grants humanitarian parole to Haiti orphans
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday that the US will allow Haitian orphans into the country to receive needed care in the aftermath of last week's earthquake. The humanitarian parole policy, which grants individuals temporary admission to the US in emergency cases, will apply to certain groups of Haitian orphans, including those in the process of being adopted by Americans.
Microsoft puts a time limit on bing data
Bowing to pressure in Europe, Microsoft said Tuesday that it would comply with regulators and discard all data collected on users of its Bing search engine after six months. The company would introduce the change over the next 18 months. The company aims to satisfy a European advisory group that had been critical of how search engines collect and retain data on individuals for advertising purposes. The concession, relatively painless for Microsoft given its tiny share of the global search market - just 3 percent - is yet another example of an American technology giant's changing its way of doing business to suit stricter European concepts of antitrust and privacy laws.
Kraft snares Cadbury for $19.6 billion
Kraft Foods sealed a friendly deal to buy British candy maker Cadbury for about $19.6 billion after frantic last-minute talks broke an impasse over price. Kraft Chief Executive Officer Irene Rosenfeld injected more cash into her bid and dropped the number of new shares in the offer to win over Cadbury Chairman Roger Carr and mollify billionaire investor Warren Buffett, the U.S. food company's top shareholder. The deal would create the world's biggest confectioner, and analysts see little likelihood of a counterbid. It marks the largest European food and beverage deal on record.
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1 - £2m a day cost of Cadbury deal - plus £12m for the bossBonanza for banks and lawyers involved in deal as company warns of job cuts (click here)
2 - Court mandates 'dignity' in death sentencing (click here)
3 - Supreme Court hears arguments in oil franchise, collective bargaining cases (click here)
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Google postpones China mobiles after censorship row
Google says it has postponed the launch of two Android based mobile phones in China following a dispute with the government over censorship. The formal launch was due to take place on Wednesday.
China jails senior judge for life over corruption
A Chinese court has sentenced a former Supreme Court judge to life in prison for taking bribes and other corruption charges, state-run media have reported. Huang Songyou is the most senior judge to have been convicted in China on such charges. He was convicted of accepting 3.9m yuan($570,000) in bribes while he was deputy head of the Supreme Court.
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Inglés
La multinacional General Electric (GE) descartó instalar en Panamá un centro de exportación de software y servicios para atender a sus clientes de todo el mundo por la falta de personal cualificado en las nuevas tecnologías en el país. Para este proyecto la firma habría requerido entre mil y mil 500 ingenieros e informáticos que dominaran el inglés. Una demanda que el mercado panameño no podía satisfacer.
Contrato
La brasileña Vale firmó un contrato con la multinacional de commodities Bunge, uno de sus principales clientes de logística de carga, para el transporte de alcohol, el mismo que tendrá vigencia por 11 años. El transporte se realizará por la Ferrovía Norte Sul (FNS) para atender a sus clientes del estado de Tocantins.
Banca
HSBC, el mayor banco de Europa, le inyectó a finales de diciembre US$ 700 mlls. en capital a su unidad mexicana para impulsar su crecimiento en el país emergente. Tras esta inyección, HSBC Holding Plc ha invertido en México US$ 3,000 mlls.
Deuda
La presidenta argentina, Cristina Fernández, pidió al Congreso que concrete los trámites necesarios para poder opinar sobre la remoción del presidente del Banco Central, Martín Redrado, conflicto que surgió luego que la autoridad monetaria se negó a traspasar recursos de las reservas -US$ 6.569 mlls.- al Tesoro General para cubrir los huecos financieros de la deuda.
FBI charges 22 over alleged foreign bribery
The US has charged 22 executives or employees of security-related firms with conspiring to bribe an African country over a $15m arms sale. Some 150 FBI agents took part in an operation involving a sting, which led to the arrest of 21 suspects in Las Vegas and one in Miami. Five of those charged are UK nationals and City of London Police were also involved in the operation. The inquiry involves firms trading in arms and law enforcement equipment. US justice officials said the charges represented the largest single investigation and prosecution carried out so far under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Shareholder stakes collapse in law reform
The Australian Federal Government may be getting high-fives from lawyers, bankers and directors for stripping shareholders of their rights when it comes to corporate collapses, but if it is serious about reforming insolvency law it should be looking at ways to speed up company wind-ups. Corporate Law Minister Bowen's legislation is limited to company collapses, and to date shareholders have made a lot of money from class actions against listed companies over breaches of continuous disclosure. When the legislation is in place, directors of listed companies facing big class actions will have the power to give litigation funders a choice: settle for a smaller sum or face an administrator, whose appointment would make the claim null and void. The options include maintaining the status quo, which isn't an option, and relaxing the business judgment rule so directors can continue to manage struggling companies in good faith without exposing themselves to personal risk, making regulation of insolvent trading a priority. The third option is similar to Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States, which gives companies a moratorium to reorganize before entering external administration.
Obama's party slumps to poll loss
The US Republican party's shock win in the Massachusetts Senate race threatens to derail President Obama's healthcare plan. What an anniversary gift! Obama ends his first year in office with Republicans popping the champagne corks - celebrating a victory in Massachusetts they hope will be a harbinger of political gains to come. The State of the Union speech is scheduled for next Wednesday.
Vietnam to try democracy activists for subversion
The trial of leading human rights lawyer Le Cong Dinh and three other democracy activists for subversion has begun in Vietnam. The four are accused of plotting to overthrow the communist government. The subversion charge carries a minimum sentence of 12 years and a maximum sentence of execution. The case has drawn strong criticism from rights groups abroad, who see it as a sign of an increasing clampdown on democracy and freedom of expression.
Brazil govt recommends approval for Itau-Unibanco merger
Brazil's key economic supervisory agencies Monday recommended approval for the merger of Itau and Unibanco to form the country's largest private sector bank, after reports saying that the merger of the two banks "would not bring damage to competition..." in the country's banking sector.
Fearing hackers who leave no trace
The crown jewels of Google, Cisco Systems or any other technology company are the millions of lines of programming instructions, known as source code, that make its products run. If hackers could steal those key instructions and copy them, they could easily dull the company's competitive edge in the marketplace. More insidiously, if attackers were able to make subtle, undetected changes to that code, they could essentially give themselves secret access to everything the company and its customers did with the software. The fear of someone building such a back door, known as a Trojan horse, and using it to conduct continual spying is why companies and security experts were so alarmed by Google's disclosure last week that hackers based in China had stolen some of its intellectual property and had conducted similar assaults on more than two dozen other companies. Given the complexity of today's software programs, which are typically written by teams of hundreds or thousands of engineers, it is virtually impossible to be perfectly confident in the security of any program, and tampering could very well go undetected. Companies are understandably reluctant to discuss their security failures. But one notable episode shows just how damaging the secret tampering with source code can be.
France joins Germany warning against Internet Explorer
France has echoed calls by the German government for web users to find an alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) to protect security. Certa, a government agency that oversees cyber threats, warned against using all versions of the web browser. Germany warned users on Friday after malicious code - implicated in attacks on Google - was published online. But Microsoft said that the risk was minimal. For a web user to be affected, they would have to be using IE6 and visit a compromised website; also, IE8 was the "most secure browser on the market" and people should upgrade.
JAL bankruptcy filing confirmed
Japan Airlines, Asia's biggest air carrier, has filed for bankruptcy protection, in one of the country's biggest corporate failures. Some 15,600 jobs are expected to be cut. All board members have also voted to resign. A state-backed turnaround organization has said it plans to inject about 300bn yen ($3.3 bn) into JAL. Japan's government says flights will continue as normal as the airline begins restructuring.
Modern marriages: the rise of the sugar mama
The joke used to be that some women went to college to get their M.R.S. - that is, a husband. But a study by the Pew Research Center finds that women today are more likely to marry men who have lower education levels and lower income levels than they do. It's all turned the marriage market on its head. Marriage experts say no one should exaggerate women's new economic prowess. They still make 77 cents to a man's dollar, and their earnings can lag over time since women are more likely to cut back to care for children. But this, too, is shifting.
Former UK AG warned Cabinet Iraq invasion may have been illegal
The UK Iraq Inquiry released a 2002 letter on Tuesday from former UK attorney general Peter Goldsmith to former secretary of defense Geoffrey Hoon in which Goldsmith warned the Cabinet that the Iraq invasion was not supported by international law. The letter stated that Goldsmith was having "considerable difficulty" supporting a legal foundation for the Iraq invasion.
Iraq prepared to sue Blackwater
Iraq has begun collecting signatures for a class action lawsuit on behalf of people killed or wounded in incidents involving US security firm Blackwater. About 50 family members turned up at the prime minister's office after being invited to a meeting at which most of them signed powers of attorney, authorizing the government's lawyers to sue the company on their behalf. It will seek compensation for a number of such cases.
Sudan: JEM Denies Making Backdoor Deal with Government
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
Egypt riled by Syria's increasing role in the region
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
MIDEAST: Harsher Gaza War Looming on Horizon?
IPS Middle East, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
Fayyad is attempting to make Fatah weak, movement's officials say
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel
Khalifa Appoints 17
Public Prosecutors
Khaleej Times, English-language daily, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Well-known speakers to attend Gulf eco forum
Middle East North African Network, Online financial portal, Amman, Jordan
Malaysia Police Arrest 8 over Church Attacks
Nahamet, Online news portal, Beirut, Lebanon
Panel formed on Lebanon poll law
Saudi Gazette, English-language daily, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Iran threatens to hit Western warships in Gulf if attacked
The Daily Star, Independent daily, Beirut, Lebanon
Mitchell due in Lebanon at start of Mideast tour
Times of Oman, English-language daily, Muscat, Oman
Obama's party slumps to poll loss
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Willis wary of social networking rise
BreakingNews.ie, Online news portal, Cork, Ireland
Rugby players held over rape claim
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England
First picture of teenage shop assistant murdered in frenzied knife attack as she walked home from work
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Nokia files patent application for flexible mobile phone
DMeurope, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Graham Sankey held over attack on Joe Anderson
icLiverpool, Online news portal, Liverpool, England
Dad 'killed three children in house fire'
Manchester Online, Independent daily, Manchester, England
Czech Republic has lowest poverty rate in EU, study suggests
Radio Prague, Online news portal, Prague, Czech Republic
'There Will Be Food Riots In Haiti By Friday'
Sky News, Independent newscaster, Middlesex, England
Corruption in Afghanistan: UN Report Claims Bribes Equal to Quarter of GDP
Spiegel International, Liberal newsmagazine, Hamburg, Germany
Huge blow for Obama as Republicans take key seat
The Guardian, Liberal daily, London, England
Punchestown fit for racing
The Irish Times, Centrist daily, Dublin, Ireland
Patriarch Blames Crime and Drugs for Haitian Quake
The Moscow Times, Independent daily, Moscow, Russia
Haiti earthquake: two women pulled alive from rubble
The Telegraph, Conservative daily, London, England
William crowned Prince of New South Wales
Times Online, Conservative daily, London, England
Two Indonesians feared drowned while fishing
Antara News, News agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
10th Seoul International Financial Forum Kicks Off
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
No law could be made which perpetuated corruption: SC
Dawn, English-language daily, Karachi, Pakistan
Ex-chairman of Committee for Struggle against Drug Business arrested in Antalia
Gazeta.kz, Official online newspaper
'India may lose patience in case of another 26/11'
India Express, News portal, Mumbai, India
Major fire at Mumbai mill, no casualties
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
Apple may wipe slate clean with new tablet
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
Jasa to disseminate 1Malaysia concept nationwide
Malaysian Star, Online news portal, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Manhunt on for US gunman after eight shot dead
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
South Korea's public debt see sharpest growth
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China
Who's topped list of richest sportsmen again?
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
Tearful farewell to Jyoti Basu
The Hindu, Left-leaning daily, Chennai, India
i-Cable calls for fast free-to-air licensing
The Standard, Business daily, Hong Kong
TRAGEDY AVERTED...Driver escapes serious injury after mid-morning crash
Antigua Sun Online, Independent daily, St. John's, Antigua
Buju Banton held in Miami on cocaine charges
Caribbean News Portal, Online news aggregator
Shame on you, Bahamas PM tells citizens opposed to Haiti help
Caribbean360, Online news portal, St. Michael, Barbados
Corporate exodus continues
Cayman Net News, Online news portal, George Town, Cayman Islands
Dominican rescuers, aid were the first to reach Haiti
Dominican Today, Independent daily, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
ARTS: Cuban Musicians Resuming U.S. Performances
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
We'll back you but ...Bankers say Gov't needs to give more information on economic plan
Jamaica Gleaner, Independent daily, Kingston, Jamaica
Peru: Metallica met the press and promised to rock their fans tonight
Living in Peru, News portal, Lima, Peru
Another reason to eat your fish: it keeps you young
The Globe and Mail, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Canadian sailors reach devastated Haitian town
Toronto Star, Liberal daily, Toronto, Canada
'200 dead' in Nigeria clashes
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
DR Congo says ex-rebel chief Nkunda to be extradited from Rwanda in 2010
CongoPlanet.com, Independent online news aggregator
An ode to grandparents...
Daily Nation, Independent daily, Nairobi, Kenya
NALAG should fulfil development aspirations of the people- Mr Aidoo Mensah
GhanaWeb, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Malaysia nabs 'bombers'
iafrica, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
SA team pull woman, 60, from rubble
Independent Online, News portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Oromia: Student reportedly died during riot
Jimma Times, Online news portal, Jimma, Ethiopia
Pakistan sports minister angered by IPL snub
Mail & Guardian Online, Liberal, Johannesburg, South Africa
SA team frees 5 quake survivors
News24.com, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
Monarch makes case for medium-scale enterprises
Vanguard, Independent daily, Lagos, Nigeria
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