"How soon 'not now' becomes 'never'."

Martin Luther

_____________

100% Migalhas: www.migalhas.com

_____________

• MiMIC Journal

China: Yunnan gas-leak mine 'is illegal'

A Chinese mine where 21 workers were killed on Thursday and 22 more remain trapped was being operated illegally. The pit, in the south-western Yunnan province, lost its license a year ago. The government has tried to shut down illegal mines as it battles to improve the industry's terrible safety record.

China's Sinochem plans $5.5bn IPO

China's Sinochem plans to raise up to 35bn yuan from a share sale in Shanghai, making it the biggest in China this year.

_____________

Tell your friends and colleagues you've read it in Migalhas International

_____________

UN SG calls for universal accession to treaty banning indiscriminate weapons

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Wednesday for universal accession to the Protocol II on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices (Protocol II). "Landmines, booby-traps and other explosive devices aggravate and prolong the horrendous consequences of armed conflict. Both during and after hostilities, they kill indiscriminately many vulnerable civilians and cause excessive, yet random, suffering of combatants. Since its inception, the Protocol has helped shape global efforts to eliminate that scourge."

Senate committee votes to repeal DOMA

The US Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to repeal the DOMA - Defense of Marriage Act, marking the first time a Congressional group has voted to repeal the law banning same-sex marriage.

S&P downgrades France by mistake

Standard & Poor's accidentally released a message to some of its subscribers on Thursday saying that it had downgraded French debt from its top AAA rating. S&P said it was investigating what had gone wrong and stressed that France still had an AAA rating. At the end of Thursday's trading, the yield on a French OAT 10-year bond was 3.456% while the yield on a German 10-year bond was 1.776%.

Nixon's Watergate investigation testimony made public

The US National Archives has released the grand jury testimony of former President Richard Nixon, made after the Watergate scandal forced him to resign. The secret testimony was given in June 1975 and released by order of a US judge following a historian's request. Nixon's testimony was given under oath and contributed to a number of ongoing investigations into the Watergate scandal. The grand jury was collecting evidence to determine whether to issue criminal charges relating to the Watergate case.

Brazil court approves controversial dam construction

A Brazilian federal court ruled Wednesday that work on a dam being constructed on the Xingu River in the Amazon jungle may continue. The Federal Court of the First Region had ordered that dam construction cease until indigenous groups are consulted and given access to environmental impact reports, but the court reversed that decision in a 2-1 vote, upholding the decree issued by Para state authorizing the dam's construction. Maria do Carmo Cardoso, a court judge, held that the indigenous communities are entitled to be consulted, but the law does not say that this must be done before approval of the work.

Australia Senate passes law banning cigarette brand labels

The Australian Senate on Thursday passed the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 which requires that cigarettes be sold in generic olive green packages, without brands or logos. The packages will also have warnings of the potential health risks of smoking. Australia is the first country in the world to pass a law such as this. The bill will now go to the lower house of parliament where it is expected to be passed. Tobacco companies have announced that they plan to challenge the law.

EU censors own Afghan film

The European Union has blocked the release of a documentary on Afghan women who are in jail for so-called "moral crimes". The EU says it decided to withdraw the film - which it commissioned and paid for - because of "very real concerns for the safety of the women portrayed". Some of the women convicted of "zina" are guilty of nothing more than running away from forced marriages or violent husbands. However, human rights workers say the injustice in the Afghan judicial system should be exposed.

EDF fined for spying on Greenpeace

A French court has fined energy giant EDF 1.5 million euros and sent two of its staff to jail for spying on Greenpeace campaigners. The court heard that in 2006 Kargus Consultants, then run by a former member of the French foreign secret service, compiled a dossier on Greenpeace via means that included hacking into a computer belonging to former campaigns head Yannick Jadot. EDF maintained that it had just asked Kargus to monitor the activists, and that the consultants had exceeded their remit. The court handed three-year sentences to both EDF and Kargus staff.

Facebook retreats on privacy

Facebook moving toward changing its policy about privacy settings, abandoning an "opt-out" approach for one in which its members would have to "opt in" to allow strangers to see personal information stored on their profile pages, according to reports. The shift is seen as a response to the Federal Trade Commission's accusation that the social media network deceived its members when it changed its policies in 2009.

French court convicts cyclist Floyd Landis in hacking of doping lab

Tried in absentia, he was found guilty of conspiring to steal data that might clear his name. The judges said there was no direct evidence linking Landis to the crime, but that he benefited from it.

Senate halts bid to repeal 'net neutrality' rules

Republicans had attempted to repeal federal rules designed to prevent Internet service providers from discriminating against those who send content and other services over their networks. The Senate voted against taking up the bill along party lines Thursday.

Blame all around for biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history

From incompetent local officials to the credit crisis and toxic bonds, there is plenty of finger-pointing after Alabama's Jefferson County voted to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

Women lawyers are starting to avoid big firms

Female lawyers aren't just having a tough time at big law firms these days. They're starting to avoid them altogether. That conclusion, from the National Association of Women Lawyers' annual survey on retention and promotion, paints in bold relief the results of sexist personnel practices in law these days that are all too familiar. The study at a big Wall Street firm showed that performance reviews underrated women and held back their careers -- and also that while leaders at the firm didn't doubt the study's results they felt no need to change their procedures.

Glut of criminal cases puts the squeeze on civil litigation

Honestly. If you can count them on more than one hand, you're the exception. Part of the reason is the explosion of criminal prosecutions, which by law take precedence over civil cases. Some of the factors at play: There are more criminal cases related to drugs and immigration crowding the docket. Then there is the proliferation of more-obscure federal criminal laws and regulations that carry criminal penalties. Exacerbating the problem are vacancies on the federal bench. Despite the surge in case loads, the number of authorized federal judgeships has risen just 4% since 1990. Of the 677 district court judgeships currently authorized, about 9.5% are vacant, according to the Journal. Meanwhile, the number of pending federal criminal cases has jumped 70% in the past decade — to over 76,000, according to the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts. The upshot is that fewer civil litigants are having their day in court. Instead of waiting, many are settling their disputes.

SEC plans redo vote on Madoff

While federal prosecutors won't investigate the SEC's former top attorney for participating in the agency's handling of the Bernard Madoff case, the SEC plans additional steps to close out one of its most prominent conflict-of-interest cases.

• Daily Press Review

Syria death toll rises as violence continues
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar

Iran's top leader warns US, Israel against strike
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England

1 dead, several hurt as Yemen protests come under fire
Egyptian Gazette, English-language, Cairo, Egypt

Israeli killed, three wounded in accidental IDF West Bank shooting
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel

PA to publish report on Arafat's death by year's end
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel

New Greek PM pledges euro focus
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England

Will Bangkok's flood defenses protect its heart?
CNN International, London, England

Ex-coal chief faces blast charges
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England

Dina Shacknai's twin sister at mansion in hours leading up to Rebecca Zahau's 'suicide'
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England

Kate Middleton in Temperley Grecian dresss at charity dinner after Wills gets Falklands posting
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England

James Murdoch quizzed again on phone hacking
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France

GREECE: Lucas Papademos named new interim Greek PM
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France

RWE in loss on German nuclear phase-out
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey

The Watergate tape that made Nixon 'blow his stack'
Independent The, London, England

Skolkovo joins fight against cancer
Moscow News The, Independent, Moscow, Russia

Chris Bryant: immigration pilot scheme was 'a bit of a con'
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England

Gary Barlow says X Factor Frankie Cocozza was 'encouraged to be bad'
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England

SET index slightly rises midday
Bangkok Post, Independent, Bangkok, Thailand

Market pressure eases as Italy pledges reform
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan

Young and Old Must Bridge the Communication Gap
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea

Man charged in US for supporting al Qaeda
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India

Autopsy report nails man's role in wife's murder
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India

Risk-averse Noda shuns hallway interviews
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan

300 tonnes of petite Eiffel Towers seized
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand

India, Pakistan 'to open new chapter'
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China

New Zealander convicted of planning Thai child sex tour
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore

Shock death at 130km/h
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia

British television airs the personal doctor of Michael Jackson Conrad Murray documentary
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan

China Vice-Premier Li: Global risks rising
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India

Keystone XL pipeline delay disappoints TransCanada
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Keystone pipeline delay throws a bone to Obama's Democrat base
Globe and Mail The, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada

Asia-Pacific Ministers Press Europe to Act Fast
International Business Times, Business news organization, New York, U.S

ARGENTINA: Fighting 'Machismo' Is a Guy Thing
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy

Wall Street rebounds as corporate news offsets Italy
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S

Japan emperor stays in hospital as temperature rises
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S

Controversial Keystone XL pipeline project delayed
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario

ANC youth leader Malema suspended
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England

____