October 14, 2009 Nº 829 - Vol. 7
"You don't lead by hitting people over the head-that's assault, not leadership."
Dwight David Eisenhower
Insider's view: see how local concerns shape up the global world. Read the daily press review in Migalhas International
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Crisis leaves Europe in slow lane
Two years ago, Europe was growing more rapidly than the United States, and the Old Continent finally seemed prepared to tackle longstanding economic challenges like rigid labor markets, runaway government spending and a rapidly aging population. But as Asia and the United States emerge from the global economic crisis, Europe appears likely to be the world's laggard, threatening a return to the dark days of "Eurosclerosis." Leaders who once spoke optimistically of fundamental changes aimed at enhancing productivity have turned to the more prosaic tasks of protecting jobs and avoiding painful political choices.
Senate panel passes health bill
The Senate Finance Committee votes 14-9 to approve a sweeping remake of the country's health care system, setting up a historic debate on the Senate floor and moving a health care overhaul closer to reality than it has been for decade. Senators voted by 14 votes to nine to pass the bill, with one Republican joining Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee in voting in favor. The reforms, intended to cut costs and make insurance more affordable, are Obama's top domestic priority. The president welcomed the committee's decision, calling it a "critical milestone". The panel's bill, which was drafted after weeks of at times bitterly bipartisan debate, sets out a 10-year $829bn plan to cut health costs and provide affordable health insurance to most Americans. The finance committee's bill must now be combined with a bill drafted by the Senate Health Committee before going to the full Senate for a vote. It is not guaranteed to pass, as it needs all the Democrats, two independents and one Republican to vote in favor.
Youth 'cannot live' without web
In the UK, a survey of 16 to 24 year olds has found that 75% of them feel they "couldn't live" without the internet. The report also found that four out of five young people used the web to look for advice. About one third added that they felt no need to talk to a person face to face about their problems because of the resources available online. Despite high-profile examples of internet security breaches, such as the recent incident of phishing email scams, 76% of the survey group thought the internet was a safe place "as long as you know what you're doing". Probably the middle-aged are the most vulnerable. Children, teenagers and people under their mid-20s have grown up with technology and they understand it deeply. So-called silver surfers have got time to learn about it and understand it as well. One of the biggest problems for children is not that they are vulnerable but that their parents don't know what they're doing. For young people the internet is part of the fabric of their world and does not exist in isolation from the physical world.
Barroso raises pressure on Czechs
The Czech Republic should sign the Lisbon Treaty and not erect "artificial obstacles" to ratification, says EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso. The Czech Republic is the only EU member still to ratify the treaty, which is meant to reform the bloc. Poland ratified the European Union reform pact known as the Lisbon Treaty on Saturday, becoming the 26th country to do so. Eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus last week demanded fresh concessions before he would sign it. Klaus demanded an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights, similar to opt-outs agreed previously for the UK and Poland and raised fears about possible property claims by Germans expelled from the then Czechoslovakia after World War II. The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic announced Tuesday that it will hold a public hearing on October 27 regarding a challenge to the country's signing of the European Union (EU) reform treaty, known as the Treaty of Lisbon. The court will hear arguments against the treaty from various government representatives, including President Vaclav Klaus.
Against storm of criticism, panel defends giving peace prize to Obama
Members of the Norwegian committee that gave President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize are strongly defending their choice against a storm of criticism that the award was premature. Asked to comment on the uproar after Friday's announcement, four members of the five-seat panel said they had expected the decision to generate both surprise and criticism. Three of them rejected the notion that Obama hadn't accomplished anything to deserve the award, while a fourth declined to answer that question. The fifth member didn't answer calls seeking comment.
Nobel prize winners 2009
Peace: Barack Obama
Physics: Charles K Kao, Willard S Boyle and George E Smith
Chemistry: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A Steitz and Ada E Yonath
Physiology or Medicine: Elizabeth H Blackburn, Carol W Greider and Jack W. Szostak
Literature: Herta Muller
Economics: Elinor Ostrom and Oliver E Williamson
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1-Government ban on cigarette displays in shops may fail legal test, QC tells trade (click here)
2-Poland ratifies EU Lisbon Treaty (click here)
3-Congress drops border fence extension from Homeland Security appropriations(click here)
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Chinese economic juggernaut is gaining on Japan
Many economists expect China to replace Japan as the world's second-largest economy next year, five years earlier than previously forecast.
Russia and China sign trade deals
China and Russia have signed trade agreements worth $3.5bn (£2.2bn). About 40 contracts were signed by Russian and Chinese businessmen and officials. The deals included two $500m loans from Chinese banks to Russian financial institutions. One was from the China Development Bank to its Russian counterpart Vnesheconombank, while the other was from the Agricultural Bank of China to Russia's state-run VTB bank. Other deals included investments by Chinese firms in Russian construction facilities. The head of Russia's Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said a preliminary deal had also been struck on supplying 70bn cubic metres a year of gas to China.
Guinea and China 'agree big deal'
Guinea's military rulers have agreed a huge mining and oil deal with China. Mines minister Mahmoud Thiam said a Chinese firm would invest more than $7bn in infrastructure. In return, the company would be a "strategic partner" in all mining projects in the mineral-rich nation.
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Panamá – OEA
Panamá presentará hoy, 14 de octubre, el proyecto de ampliación del Canal ante los países miembros de la OEA.
Eléctrica
Endesa Chile, filial de la empresa energética española Endesa, adquirió 674,3 millones de acciones de la peruana Edegel, equivalentes a una participación de 29,4%, a Generalima, otra subsidiaria de la firma ibérica, por alrededor de US$ 378 mlls.
Crudo
La canadiense Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp anunció que descubrió petróleo en su pozo Quifa-10, en la Cuenca de Los Llanos orientales de Colombia, aunque no precisó la magnitud del hallazgo.
Argentina may default without debt accord
Argentina will be forced to default by 2011 unless the government reaches an accord with investors holding $20 billion of bonds kept out of the last restructuring offer. Kirchner is negotiating terms of an agreement, which the government needs to regain access to international capital markets that it lost after stopping payments on $95 billion of debt in 2001. Since then, Argentina has relied on local markets and loans from Venezuela to meet financing needs, and seized about $24 billion of pension fund assets last year to compensate for falling tax revenue.
Fraud fugitive in Facebook trap
A man on the run, wanted for fraud by US authorities, inadvertently revealed where he was hiding through a series of extravagant Facebook updates. Cameroon-born Maxi Sopo's messages made it clear he was living the high life in the Mexican resort of Cancun. He also added a former US justice department official to his friend list who ended up helping to track him down. US officials say Sopo and an associate falsely obtained more than $200,000 in credit from banks.
Don't pressure Iran, says Russia
Pressuring Iran and threatening further sanctions over its nuclear programme would be counter-productive, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says. Speaking after talks in Moscow with US counterpart Clinton, Lavrov said every effort should be made to continue negotiations. His comments appeared to fall short of the tougher commitment sought by Washington towards Iran. The UN Security Council wants Iran to end uranium enrichment and has approved three rounds of sanctions - including bans on Iran's arms exports and all trade in nuclear material.
Bear Stearns ex-managers on trial
Two former managers at investment bank Bear Stearns are appearing in court in New York facing fraud charges. Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, who managed two failed hedge funds that collapsed in June 2007, could be jailed for 20 years if convicted. They deny allegations that they knew of the funds' problems but did not inform investors, who lost $1.4bn. They are among the first financial executives to face charges since the global financial crisis began. The hedge funds bet on the high-risk sub-prime mortgage market in the US before they collapsed.
Anti-graft crusade a dangerous business in Russia
Medvedev has said Russia's biggest problem is that corrupt officials run the country, and he has urged the public to help fight the endemic graft. But for those who do join the fight, it can be dangerous. In Khimki, a suburb of Moscow, at least three journalists and one civil rights activist have been savagely attacked in the past year. All the victims have at least one thing in common: They had quarreled with the local mayor and were investigating allegations of corruption in the mayor's office.
Uruguay approves sex change bill
Transsexuals in Uruguay will soon be able to legally register a change of name and gender after the country's senate approved a controversial bill. The law, which was passed unanimously, is strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church and opposition conservatives. The bill is the latest in a series of liberal measures promoted by the left-wing Uruguayan government.
New anti-paparazzi law
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a new bill into law that will fine paparazzi for taking photos that invade a celebrity's right to privacy. The law also targets media outlets, which purchase the photos. The new California law makes it a crime to take and sell unauthorized photos of celebrities in "personal or familial activity." Violators face fines up to $50,000. The anti-paparazzi amendment takes effect in January.
Saudis seek payments for any drop in oil revenues
Saudi officials reiterated a call for oil-producing countries to be compensated if rich nations reduce their consumption, in advance of negotiations in December.
Fury at Mexico power firm closure
Workers have staged protests in several Mexican cities against a government decision to dissolve a state-run energy distribution firm. The powerful Electrical Workers' Union declared a state of emergency after federal police seized the offices of Luz y Fuerza del Centro on Sunday. The government accuses the firm of wasting billions of dollars on inflated salaries and pensions for employees. Unions have called for larger demonstrations for later in the week.
E-Mail shows concerns over merrill deal
E-mail messages were handed over to government investigators as Bank of America opened a collection of documents that it had kept secret about the ill-fated merger with Merrill Lynch.
Ghana's Vodafone deal 'illegal'
The sale of Ghana's state-owned telecoms firm to UK's Vodafone was "unconstitutional and illegal", a leaked Ghanaian government report says. The UK-based mobile company bought a 70% stake in Ghana Telecom (GT) and its assets for $900m last year. The report said GT was undervalued and ultimately the price paid for GT was less than $267m. Critics said it was too little for the assets, which included terrestrial, mobile and fibre-optic cable networks and an academy known as Ghana Telecom University.
Mattel settles claims over recalled toys with high lead levels
Mattel Inc., the world's largest toymaker, settled a consolidated group lawsuit by consumers over recalled toys that contained excessive levels of lead. The settlement provides "tens of millions of dollars in monetary relief. " Consumers who participated in the recall will get either a check for 50 percent of the total vouchers they sent in or $10, whichever is greater. Mattel recalled more than 21 million toys made in China. After the recalls by Mattel and other companies in 2007, Congress overhauled consumer regulations, effectively banning lead in toys.
High Court to hear ex-Enron CEO's criminal appeal
The Supreme Court will consider the appeal of former Enron Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling, convicted in 2006 of conspiracy, insider trading, securities fraud and lying to auditors in the collapse of the former energy giant.
Wall Street on track to award record pay
Major U.S. banks and securities firms are on pace to pay workers about $140 billion this year, a record that shows compensation is rebounding.
Justices concerned over class-action costs
Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined two conservative Supreme Court justices in voicing concern over automatically sticking a business with full court costs in a class-action lawsuit.
Merkel Weighs Laws Against Monopolies
Merkel's incoming coalition is considering tougher antitrust rules that would allow the state, in extreme cases, to break up companies that hinder competition.
Argentina president signs controversial media bill into law
Argentinian President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner Saturday signed into law a controversial bill giving her government more power to regulate the media, while limiting the power of private media companies. The executive branch now has the power to appoint representatives to a media regulating board. The new law is said be particularly directed at media conglomerate Clarin, which owns several major newspapers and television channels. Current media holdings will not be grandfathered in, but rather given one year to adjust to the new regulation.
Time
Why It's Time To Retire the 401(k).Last year's market wipeout showed the vulnerability of the popular retirement-savings accounts. But the data are telling us that even in the long run, consumers need better options.
Newsweek
Why Joe is no joke. An Inconvenient Truth Teller. From health-care reform to Afghanistan, Joe Biden has bucked Obama—as only a good Veep can.
Business Week
The Lost Generation. The continuing job crisis is hitting young people especially hard—damaging both their future and the economy.
The Economist
Wake up Europe! It is time for the world's biggest economy to rise from its slumber and play a global role.
Le Nouvel Observateur
Spécial retraite. Dossier spécial. A quel âge pourrez-vous partir ? Comment profiter de la législation ? Et quel sera le montant de votre pension ? Avant le grand débat sur l'avenir de notre système de retraite promis par le gouvernement en 2010, «le Nouvel Observateur»...
Der Spiegel
Auftrag: Weltfrieden. Die unmögliche Mission des Barack Obama.
Middle East
Four Wounded in Israeli Raid on Gaza Tunnels: Medics
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England.
Haaretz exclusive: Palestinian draft resolution on Goldstone, Gaza and Jerusalem
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel.
MIDEAST: Security Council Urged to Take Up Gaza War
IPS Middle East, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy.
Hamas claims Egypt tortured spokesman's brother to death
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel.
18 Months in Jail for Abetting Terror
Khaleej Times, English-language daily, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Iraq- Pure water tank constructed for ID64b
Middle East North African Network, Online financial portal, Amman, Jordan.
Report: Mussolini Was British Secret Agent
Nahamet, Online news portal, Beirut, Lebanon.
Panel formed on Lebanon poll law
Saudi Gazette, English-language daily, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Clinton fails to win Russian pledge on Iran sanctions
The Daily Star, Independent daily, Beirut, Lebanon.
Fatah says signs Egypt s Palestinian unity proposal
Times of Oman, English-language daily, Muscat, Oman.
Europe
Growth in UK unemployment slows
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England.
Teenager signs Sunderland deal
BreakingNews.ie, Online news portal, Cork, Ireland.
Body in garden is missing woman, 25
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England.
Just one in six incapacity benefit claimants 'is genuine' as tough new test reveals TWO MILLION could be cheating
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England.
Nokia launches mini-laptop with AT&T, Best Buy in US
DMeurope, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Deal guarantees continued production for Ellesmere Ports Vauxhall car plant
icLiverpool, Online news portal, Liverpool, England.
Sex abuse monster trapped by fate
Manchester Online, Independent daily, Manchester, England.
Ludvk Kundera awarded Seifert prize
Radio Prague, Online news portal, Prague, Czech Republic.
Unemployment Figures Better Than Expected
Sky News, Independent newscaster, Middlesex, England.
Recycling Atomic Waste: Nuclear Materials Stored In Siberian Parking Lots
Spiegel International, Liberal newsmagazine, Hamburg, Germany.
Trafigura drops bid to gag MP's question
The Guardian, Liberal daily, London, England.
Barrichello confirms Williams talks
The Irish Times, Centrist daily, Dublin, Ireland.
Ps' expenses: Labour MP Alan Simpson openly challenges Sir Thomas Legg
The Telegraph, Conservative daily, London, England.
Further Watching: Secuestro express
Times Online, Conservative daily, London, England.
Asia
Number of fatalities in W Sumatra quake now 1,115
Antara News, News agency, Jakarta, Indonesia.
10th Seoul International Financial Forum Kicks Off
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea.
Around 90,000 flee South Waziristan fearing operation
Dawn, English-language daily, Karachi, Pakistan.
India asks China to stay out of PoK
India Express, News portal, Mumbai, India.
Cops rescue kidnapped Noida official
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India.
New concerns bring fresh hope for renewable energy
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan.
Puteri wants ban on horror, fantasy movies
Malaysian Star, Online news portal, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
After the bombing, drug addiction strikes Gaza
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand.
Nepal to set up National Disaster Management Authority
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China.
Dyson launches bladeless fan
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia.
India expresses concern over China's objection
The Hindu, Left-leaning daily, Chennai, India.
Sausages sizzle on debut
The Standard, Business daily, Hong Kong.
Americas
Antigua and Barbuda seafood export market in jeopardy
Antigua Sun Online, Independent daily, St. John's, Antigua.
Carnival bandleaders not happy with mobile toilet ban
Caribbean News Portal, Online news aggregator.
Antigua's ruling party accused of witness tampering
Caribbean360, Online news portal, St. Michael, Barbados.
Bush - Kernohan meeting at Ritz triggers finance row
Cayman Net News, Online news portal, George Town, Cayman Islands.
New movement: Dominicans must fight for decency in public affairs
Dominican Today, Independent daily, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
GUATEMALA: Only 10 Agents to Fight Human Trafficking Nationwide
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy.
'Charge him!' - Contractor general reports evidence of corruption against Joseph Hibbert
Jamaica Gleaner, Independent daily, Kingston, Jamaica.
Peruvian wins a karate world title in Hungary
Living in Peru, News portal, Lima, Peru.
Retreat leader speaks out over sweat lodge deaths
The Globe and Mail, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada.
Maple Leafs need 'complete reset'
Toronto Star, Liberal daily, Toronto, Canada.
PM expected in court today
Trinidad Guardian, Independent daily, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.
Africa
Guinea: 'Another Strategy' Required to Deal with the Deteriorating Situation - Challenor
allAfrica, Online news aggregator, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ghana plays down Vodafone report
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England.
Congolese activist wins 'alternative Nobel'
CongoPlanet.com, Independent online news aggregator.
Show political will to end rights violations
Daily Monitor, Independent daily, Kampala, Uganda.
Kenya PM defends govt over reforms
Daily Nation, Independent daily, Nairobi, Kenya.
Gov't Runs away from Vodafone Report
GhanaWeb, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
N Korea in rare apology
iafrica, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa.
Video fight in Selebi case
Independent Online, News portal, Cape Town, South Africa.
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