“As blushing will sometimes make a whore pass for a virtuous woman, so modesty may make a fool seem a man of sense.”

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)

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• Top News

EU citizens want referendum on treaty

Plans by Europe's leaders to push a reworked European Union constitution on to the statute book without further referendums are strongly opposed by European citizens, according to a recent opinion poll. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, will seek an outline agreement this week on a replacement for the EU constitution, shot down by French and Dutch voters in referendums in 2005. But this time Ms Merkel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, wants member states to ratify a new "simplified" treaty through national parliaments to avoid further public rejections.

Latin American prisons are overflowing

Latin America's prisons are overflowing with men, women and children who have not been put on trial, much less convicted. The justice systems differ greatly from that of the United States, where defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and many cases go before juries. In Latin America, Napoleonic Code-based systems require defendants to prove they are not guilty if an investigation results in their arrest. Throughout prisons in Latin America, overcrowding often overwhelms guards and leaves gangs to run life on the inside. There are 172,000 prisoners awaiting trial in Brazil alone. In Brazil, newcomers sleep with the rats on bathroom floors and riots lead to massacres. An Amnesty International investigator said Minas Gerais state police stuff 15 inmates into roofless cages to be drenched by the rain. A jail there built for 16 people was found to be holding 160.

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• MiMIC Journal

China Uproots Child Slave Labor Ring at Brick Plant

Police in northern China say they have now arrested more than 160 people accused of involvement in slave labour in illegal mines and brick factories. For years, boys as young as eight have been working in horrifying conditions. But authorities have just begun to free the workers and make arrests. Boys as young as eight years of age were reportedly sold for about $65 each. President Hu Jintao has ordered an inquiry amid widespread media outrage.

• Brief News

Russia warns Nato on arms treaty

Russia has warned Nato it could freeze its participation in a key arms control treaty in Europe, after talks on the issue ended in deadlock. The talks in Vienna were aimed at reviewing the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, which limits the number of non-nuclear weapons. Nato states are first demanding the withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia and Moldova, but Moscow says the issues are not linked.

Law Panel Disbars D.A. in Duke Lacrosse Case

The prosecutor who pursued the misguided rape case will lose his North Carolina law license. Mike Nifong broke several rules of professional conduct while prosecuting three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, a disciplinary committee ruled Saturday.

Top aide to Deputy AG McNulty resigns

Mike Elston, chief of staff to US Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty , announced his resignation Friday, making him the fifth Department of Justice (DOJ) official linked to the controversial firing of at least eight US Attorneys to resign. Elston, whose resignation becomes effective at the end of next week, is accused of making threatening phone calls to at least four of the dismissed former US attorneys, urging them to remain silent about the circumstances of their firings.

Amazon river 'longer than Nile'

Researchers in Brazil are claiming to have established as a scientific fact that the Amazon is the longest river in the world. The Amazon is recognized as the world's largest river by volume, but has generally been regarded as second in length to the River Nile in Egypt. The claim follows an expedition to Peru that is said to have established a new starting point further south. It puts the Amazon at 6,800km compared to the Nile's 6,695km.

Rio favela fashion wows catwalks

It has been a long journey for AfroReggae from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to the catwalks of Sao Paulo fashion week.This week in front of a packed venue at Sao Paulo Fashion Week, AfroReggae took its brand for the first time to the fashion world, and won a standing ovation from an audience that included Sao Paulo State Governor Jose Serra. The clothes were created by one of Brazil's leading designers, Marcelo Sommer, who drew together his ideas by going to work among the communities in Rio. He dismisses the idea of "Favela chic".

Colombia congress passes bill recognizing rights of same-sex partners

Colombia's Congress approved legislation giving same-sex couples who have cohabited for over a period of two years similar rights as regular common law marriages Thursday, which will guarantee equal rights in areas such as welfare benefits and property inheritance. The measure, opposed by the Roman Catholic church but supported by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe , will not allow same-sex marriage or allow same-sex couples to adopt children.

Clintons sell off stock holdings

Bill and Hillary Clinton have sold the stocks held in their blind trust to avoid any conflict of interest as she runs for the US presidency, aides say. The Clintons would not reinvest the proceeds, valued from $5m to $25m.

The missing seat at the M&A table: Marketing

Pulling off a successful merger or acquisition is a daunting management challenge. Only about one in five deals actually succeeds in creating shareholder value.

First Test

A criminal trial that could determine how aggressively the government will pursue other executives for backdating stock options is set to begin Monday in San Francisco. The federal case against Brocade's former CEO is likely to be watched by executives, lawyers and scores of other corporations caught up in the options scandal. It is expected to provide the first indication whether a jury considers backdating options a serious crime.

Japan Recommends Fines In Insider-Trading Case

Japan's Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission on Friday recommended that the Financial Services Agency fine employees of the former companies UFJ Central Lease Co. and Diamond Lease Co. for alleged insider stock trading. The SESC said the staff, who engaged in the execution of the merger, allegedly bought each other's shares three months before it was announced that the companies would tie up, knowing that it was insider trading.

SEC files suit against lawyers in penny stock scheme

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said Thursday that it has filed suit against the heads of a technology company and two lawyers who assisted the company in an illegal "pump and dump" penny stock scheme. Arizona lawyer David Stocker and Texas lawyer Phillip Offill Jr, the latter a former SEC enforcement officer, are alleged to have assisted Michigan-based AVL Global in issuing millions of shares of stock, promoting the company without disclosing the fact that it was was all but defunct. Most of the stock was purchased by Peter Fisher, father of AVL president N. Tyler Fisher, who sold it to the market, costing investors at least $160,000. The allegations filed in the Eastern District of Michigan claim the participants in the scheme violated numerous laws, including federal security and antifraud provisions. The SEC seeks injunctive relief, reclamation of the illegally obtained funds, and punitive damages. N. Tyler Fisher settled the civil case against him, paying a $25,000 penalty and agreeing to refrain from overseeing public companies or participating in penny stock offerings for the next five years. The suit against Stocker and Offill marks the first time where the SEC is seeking damages from those who execute the legal logistics of such schemes without actually selling stock.

Sarkozy secures mandate for reform

President Nicolas Sarkozy won a solid parliamentary majority to push through his reform agenda, in spite of a surprise rebound by France’s opposition Socialists who had stoked last-minute fears of the government’s tax-raising plans.

Treasure Hunters Hit Mother Lode Off Florida

Divers off Florida's Marquesas Key discovered at least $1 million worth of gold chains, bars, rings and other artifacts last weekend. The booty belonged to the Spanish galleon the Santa Margarita, which was lost in a hurricane 385 years ago.

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• Weekly Magazines Review

Time

Who needs Washington? Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger: The New Action Heroes. The New York City mayor and California's governor are doing the things that gridlocked Washington won't

Newsweek

Why Gaza matters? The violent takeover of Gaza by Hamas is not just a death knell for Israeli-Palestinian peace, splitting Bush's dream of a Palestinian state into two armed camps.

Business Week

Telecom: Back From The Dead. All those YouTube videos and MySpace pages zipping back and forth on the Net have revived the telecom industry—and charged up the economy

The Economist

Biology's Big Bang. What physics was to the 20th century, biology will be to the 21st—and RNA will be a vital part of it.

L'Express

La Bible : derniers mystères

Der Spiegel

Die ungeliebten Nachbarn.
Wie die Polen Europa nerven.

• Daily Press Review

Africa

Credibility test for ODM elders
East African Standard, Liberal daily of Nairobi, Kenya

Bolgatanga blues from National Organiser Lord Commey breaks aspirants hearts
Ghanaian Chronicle, Independent, published in Accra, Ghana

Gazans stock up on petrol and food
Mail and Guardian, Liberal daily of Johannesburg, South Africa

Zambia records decrease in maize production
Times of Zambia, Government-owned daily of Lusaka, Zambia

Americas

New services sector underway
Barbados Advocate, Independent daily of St Michael, Barbados

Flight from Gaza
Buenos Aires Herald, Liberal daily of Buenos Aires, Argentina

7 children feared dead in Afghan air strike
The Globe And Mail, Centrist daily of Toronto, Canada

Stop for Jesús' sake! - Halting hotel construction costing millions, says envoy
Jamaica Gleaner, Centrist daily of Kingston, Jamaica

Fears surface over US role in Mexican drug war
The Guadalajara Colony Reporter, Independent weekly of Guadalajara, Mexico

Asia Pacific

Waseda's 'prince' grabs royal victory
Daily Yomiuri, Conservative daily of Tokyo, Japan

168 nabbed in slavery crackdown
People's Daily Online, Pro-government daily of Beijing, China

Deadly shooting in crowded street
The Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily of Sydney, Australia

Maoists Reject PM's Proposal on Monarchy
The Himalayan Times, Independent daily of Kathmandu, Nepal

Lupao execs' slays blamed on politics 
The Manila Times, Pro-government daily of Manila, Philippines

Abim: Lift ban on Armstrong books
The Sun, Independent daily of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Europe

Sarkozy Wins French Poll But Gets Reduced Majority for Reforms
Deutsche Welle, International broadcaster of Cologne, Germany

SDP working group faults party leaders for election campaign failures
Helsingin Sanomat, Centrist daily of Helsinki, Finland

Russians in Palestine should have right to return home - Moscow
Interfax, Government-owned news agency, Moscow, Russia

Staffing crisis at 'five-star' maternity hospital
Irish Examiner, Centrist daily of Cork, Ireland

FSB Probes Britain in Spy Flap
The Moscow Times, Independent, English-language daily of Moscow, Russia

Vietnamese leader on first state visit to US
The Scotsman, Centrist daily of Edinburgh, Scotland

Kiwis or ships, pick one
Turkish Daily News, Independent daily of Istanbul, Turkey

Middle East

After the shouting
Al-Ahram Weekly, Semi-official, English-language weekly of Cairo, Egypt

'King Abdullah Has Become a Household Name in Poland'
Arab News, Pro-government, English-language daily of Jidda, Saudi Arabia

Army tightens noose on Fatah al-Islam
The Daily Star, Independent, English-language daily of Beirut, Lebanon

Barak 'planning Gaza attack'
Gulf News, Independent daily of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Abbas to ask Israel to free Barghouti, bolster Fatah
Ha'aretz, Liberal daily of Tel Aviv, Israel

Majlis speaker: Enemies seeking to divide Shiite, Sunni Muslims
Islamic Republic News Agency, Government-owned news agency of Tehran, Iran

Olmert says he will release frozen tax funds to the PA
The Jerusalem Post, Conservative daily of Jerusalem, Israel

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