August 8, 2007  nº 525  -  Vol. 5  
 

“Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong.”

 Mahatma Gandhi

• Top News

Federal judge issues permanent injunction against California violent video game law 

US District Court Judge Ronald Whyte issued a permanent injunction Monday against a 2005 California law  restricting the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, agreeing with the Video Software Dealers Association and the Entertainment Software Association  that the law was an unconstitutional infringement on the industry's First Amendment free speech rights. Whyte indicated that while the court was sympathetic to the state's agenda, the restriction cannot stand absent evidence that violent video games are "more harmful than violent television, moves, Internet sites or other speech-related exposures." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday that his government will appeal the ruling . The bill, signed into law by Schwarzenegger in October 2005, prohibited the sale or rental of violent video games to minors under the age of 17, and required retailers to label violent games. In December 2005, Whyte issued a temporary injunction  against the enforcement of the law after industry groups filed a lawsuit . Judges have struck down similar laws as unconstitutional in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Louisiana .

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• Crumbs!

1 - NY mayor Bloomberg continues jury duty tuesday. (Read more)

2 - Culture clash on the horizon as Wal-Mart comes to Índia. (Read more)

3 - Five hidden summer holiday rip-offs. (Read more)

4 - UPDATE 2-Mortgage buyer Luminent suspends dividend. (Read more)

5 - A-bomb day hears Abe nonnuclear vow. (Read more)

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• MiMIC Journal

Wealth gap 'spreads across Asia'

The gap between rich and poor has widened sharply in China and many other Asian countries as their economies have boomed, research has suggested. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) found that relative inequality had widened more substantially in China than any other Asian country except for Nepal.

China still not remedying rights abuses in lead-up to 2008 Olympics: Amnesty 

China has not kept its promises to improve human rights and press freedom in preparation for the 2008 Olympics  slated to open next August in Beijing, according to a new report  released Tuesday by Amnesty International. Amnesty said that the Chinese government had recently committed an increasing number of rights abuses against political and religious opponents.

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• Historia Verdadera

Flores

Las exportaciones chilenas de flores crecieron 44% en primer semestre, que se traduce en US$ 2,1 mlls., principalmente a Holanda, Estados Unidos y Japón.

DD. HH.

El presidente de México Felipe Calderón Hinojosa recibió a Irene Khan, secretaria general de Amnistía Internacional (AI) quien acudió para hablar de temas relacionados con derechos humanos, especialmente por el conflicto social en la región de Oaxaca.

Bolivia y sus 182 años

Los “Ponchos Rojos” una fuerza militar indígena creada por el presidente Evo Morales resaltaron los 182 aniversario de las Fuerzas Armadas bolivianas. El mandatario, en los diferentes actos actos patrios, ratificó el compromiso de su gobierno de sacar al país andino de la pobreza y prometió convertirlo en un Estado superior a Suiza.

• Brief News

Ukraine becomes first Eastern European country to offer prisons to ICTY convicts 

Ukraine  became the first Eastern European country to offer its jails to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)  on Tuesday, as the two bodies signed an enforcement of sentences agreement  under which Ukraine agreed to imprison convicted criminals in the country. Until Tuesday, only the Western European countries of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK had agreed to do so. ICTY suspects are held at a detention unit  in The Hague during trial, and are then moved to one of the 12 offering countries after conviction.

U.S. to get tougher on employers of illegal immigrants

In a new effort to crack down on illegal immigration, federal authorities are expected to announce tough rules this week that would require employers to fire workers who use false Social Security numbers.

Indian law on generic drugs is upheld

Indian pharmaceutical companies can continue making low-cost generic drugs, ensuring their flow to patients in the developing world, after a seminal challenge to patent laws in India was rejected Monday. Aid organizations declared the ruling a victory for the "rights of patients over patents," but the Swiss drug company Novartis, which filed the case, warned that the judgment would "discourage investments in innovation" and would undermine efforts by drug companies to improve their products. Despite disagreeing, Novartis said that it was unlikely to appeal.

US interest rates left unchanged

US interest rates have been kept on hold, despite mounting fears about the state of the economy. Analysts had widely predicted the US Federal Reserve would leave rates at 5.25% for a 13th month, and that was the unanimous verdict of the Fed panel. Concerns over the economy's health have been mounting amid a rise in bad debts, particularly in the housing sector.

Colombia 'drug lord' held in Brazil 

Brazilian police arrest Ramirez Abadia, known as Chupeta or Lollypop, said to be one of Colombia's most wanted drug traffickers in a major drugs sweep. Brazilian federal police said Abadia's arrest followed a two-year investigation into a Colombian drug trafficking gang that sent huge amounts of cocaine to the US and Europe and laundered the proceeds by buying up property in Brazil.

Federal judge overturns $1.52B verdict against Microsoft in MP3 patent case 

A federal judge Monday overturned a $1.52 billion jury decision  against Microsoft awarded after the jury found that Microsoft violated two digital music patents held by Alcatel-Lucent. The patents govern technology that converts audio input into MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly known as MP3, which Microsoft has incorporated into several variants of its Windows Media Player . US District Judge Rudi Brewster ruled  Monday that the "verdict was against the clear weight of the evidence" and that one of patents at the center of the litigation was not infringed. 

Brazil thieves steal US$10 million from armed transport company.

Thieves used dynamite to blow up a safe and steal nearly US$10 million (€7.2 million) from the office of an armed transport company in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.

Brazil crash victims' identities used for fraud

Documents from several of the 154 people who died a year ago in an airliner crash in Brazil have been used fraudulently to purchase cars, telephones and other goods. The victims' families discovered the identity theft when bills and other documents related to the purchases started coming in after Sep 29, 2006, when a GOL airliner plunged into the Amazon jungle. The case is now in the hands of the authorities trying to discover how others obtained the victims' documents.

Analysts patrol YouTube for copyrighted video

A start-up that employs video analysts to scour YouTube for pirated material on behalf of corporate clients has become a key player in the battle over Internet copyrights.

Backdating Conviction

A federal jury convicted ex-Brocade CEO Gregory Reyes on all 10 counts in the Justice Department's first criminal stock-options backdating trial. The verdict is expected to influence how aggressively the government pursues other executives over alleged backdating.

Backlash hits annuities

Equity-indexed annuities are among the hottest products pitched through seminars and infomercials. Now, insurers that sell them are facing legal claims from investors and regulators who allege the companies are use deceptive marketing or target consumers who are too old.

It's patently obvious: Patent Law is piping hot

Peruse the morning papers and you’d think that you were reading patent-law trade journals. If some of you are wishing that maybe you should’ve taken that third-year elective on intellectual property, you’re not alone.

Dutch scientist accused of environmental crimes freed pending appeal in Brazil

A Brazilian judge has ordered a prominent Dutch scientist freed from prison while he appeals his conviction for environmental crimes and embezzlement, a court official said. Marc Van Roosmalen was convicted on June 15 of trying to illegally auction off the names of monkey species, keeping monkeys at his house without authorization and selling a scaffolding donated to the National Institute for Amazon Research where he worked. He was sentenced to 15 years and nine months in a prison in the Amazon city of Manaus, where he lived.

Petrobras: Suzano deal a major step in Brazil petrochemical consolidation

Oil giant Petrobras said Monday its US$1.1 billion purchase of second-generation petrochemicals company Suzano Petroquimica SA is a major step toward consolidating the sector in Latin America's largest nation.

• Daily Press Review

African troops pledged for Darfur
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England

Court offers unique help scheme for victims
CongoPlanet.com, Independent online news aggregator

British Drug Teens to face court
GhanaWeb, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Spain: Migrant Children at Risk in Government Facilities
Human Rights Watch (Africa), International news press releases

Sleeping baby sets car thief straight
iafrica, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa

Fire MEC or else we will, ANC tells Rasool
Independent Online, News portal, Cape Town, South Africa

Not all in favour of interactive-gambling Bill
Mail & Guardian Online, Liberal, Johannesburg, South Africa

Murder accused 'was jealous'
News24.com, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa

Mexican actor, producer Ernesto Alonso dies
Brazil Sun, Independent online news aggregator

Norris Man beaten by Sizzla entourage
Caribbean News Portal, Online news aggregator

El Salvador: Terrorism Law Misused Against Protesters
Human Rights Watch (Americas), International news press releases

Poverty and Violence in Times of Peace
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy

Parties party - 146 candidates nominated  - Woman killed, two cops shot
Jamaica Gleaner, Independent daily, Kingston, Jamaica

Energy Gas del Peru & Clean Energy Fuels Corp. Form New Company
Living in Peru, News portal, Lima, Peru

Korean leaders to hold second-ever summit
The Globe and Mail, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada

3rd Canadian held in Beijing
Toronto Star, Liberal daily, Toronto, Canada

Indonesia, Vietnam agree to work together on corruption eradication
Antara News, News agency, Jakarta, Indonesia

Malawi Lawyer Says Government Is Intimidating the Judiciary
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea

N-deal final, no negotiations: PM to Left
India Express, News portal, Mumbai, India

Trains on Delhi-Howrah line delayed
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India

Photo of corpse added nothing
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan

Malaysian Idol and OAG hoping to win at the Ikon Asean
Malaysian Star, Online news portal,  Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Leaders of divided Koreas to hold summit
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand

Fenech hit with disqualification
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia

Left “unable  to accept”  123 agreement
The Hindu, Left-leaning daily, Chennai, India

Foot-and-mouth transfer is probed
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England

Mudawin team eye Ebor repeat
BreakingNews.ie, Online news portal, Cork, Ireland

Madeleine's parents face fresh slurs from Portuguese media
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England

Skype introduces video sharing service
DMeurope, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Jail worker caught with heroin
icLiverpool, Online news portal, Liverpool, England

For Russians, rewards and risks of soaring ruble
International Herald Tribune, Independent daily, Paris, France

Crash tragedy pilot's 'love of flying'
Isle of Wight County Press, Independent daily, Isle of Wight, England

Zero tolerance to stop guns
Manchester Online, Independent daily, Manchester, England

2 women killed in horrific M6 crash
News & Star, Independent daily, Carlisle, England

Firm to help hutton create etnrepreneurs and jobs
North-West Evening Mail, Independent daily, Cumbria, England

Tourist of the day - day 2
Radio Prague, Online news portal, Prague, Czech Republic

Madeleine 'Sighting' DNA Test Result
Sky News, Independent newscaster, Middlesex, England

Crackdown on US Travelers?:  EU Considers Retaliatory Online Registration
Spiegel International, Liberal newsmagazine, Hamburg, Germany

Bank of England 'likely to raise interest rates to 6%'
The Guardian, Liberal daily, London, England

Given ruled out for league opener
The Irish Times, Centrist daily, Dublin, Ireland

Police go to Ofcom over mosque documentary
The Scotsman, Moderate daily, Edinburgh, Scotland

Doherty facing jail sentence
The Sun, Conservative tabloid, London, England

Foot and mouth: Allotment link probed
The Telegraph, Conservative daily, London, England

Madeleine mum calls for rapid response team
Times Online, Conservative daily, London, England

Terrorists Could Achieve 9/11-sized Attack with Liquids
Arutz Sheva, Online, right-wing, Tel Aviv, Israel

Afghan Troops 'Ready' for Hostage Rescue
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England

Utah miners' rescue may take a week
Gulf News, Independent daily, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

UN food agency to start farming program in southern Lebanon
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel

LEBANON:  Women in the Frontline for Clearing Mines
IPS Middle East, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy

Injazat exits its investment in Rubicon - UAE
Middle East North African Network, Online financial portal, Amman, Jordan

Bush supporters look like Bush
Nahamet, Online news portal, Beirut, Lebanon

Turkey wins Iraqi pledge to take action against Kurdish militants
The Daily Star, Independent daily, Beirut, Lebanon

Qatar gives one-week time limit for implementing cease-fire agreement - Optimism about ending Sa'ada war
Yemen Times, Independent weekly, Sana'a, Yemen

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