June 1, 2016 nº 1,749 - Vol. 13
 

"Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating."

Karl von Clausewitz

Read Migalhas LatinoAmérica in Spanish every Tuesday and Thursday. Visit the website at www.migalhas.com/latinoamerica

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  • Top News

Europe and US in race to keep TTIP on track

Washington and Brussels are scrambling to rebuild momentum for a landmark trade accord, amid signs that it is faltering under an increasingly bitter onslaught from politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, travelled to Paris on Tuesday to sell potentially the world’s biggest trade deal to one of the toughest political constituencies in Europe — a convention of France’s mayors. He reassured them that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership would not undermine their interests. Frustrated by hardening opposition from Germany’s influential socialists and the French government, Juncker has called for the 28 member states to reconfirm their commitment to the deal at a summit in June. The commission argued that the countries must show they are “all rowing in the same direction”. Britain and Italy are strong supporters. Michael Froman, US President Barack Obama’s trade tsar, warned that there was no “Plan B” if talks were not concluded this year. “We either work together to help set the rules of the world or we leave that role to others.” TTIP’s supporters have also been blindsided by increasing opposition to trade deals in the US, where Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has built his campaign around an antitrade message and Democrat Hillary Clinton, facing a challenge from the left, has abandoned her support for a similar Pacific trade pact. With the clock running out on Obama’s presidency, officials on both sides now believe that the window is closing for a deal to be reached and approved in legislatures in Europe and the US before the end of the year. EU officials stress that they want to agree a working text by July.

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  • Historia Verdadera

Inversiones

La canadiense Torex Gold invertirá más de US$ 500 mlls en la construcción de la nueva mina Media Luna, ubicada en el estado de Guerrero, con lo cual espera convertirse en el primer o segundo mayor productor de oro de México, compitiendo con la también canadiense Goldcorp. Alfredo Phillips, gerente de Torex Gold México, informó que el desembolso comenzará a registrarse en el 2017.

Demanda colectiva

Barrick Gold Corp acordó pagar US$140 mlls. para solucionar una demanda colectiva en Estados Unidos, en la que se acusa a la minera de oro de ocultar problemas en la mina Pascua-Lama, ubicada en Chile, e inflar fraudulentamente el valor de mercado de la empresa. (Presione aquí)

Acciones

La siderúrgica Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp planea una división de activos de producción de la acería brasileña Usiminas con otro accionista, Ternium SA. De acuerdo a la propuesta extraoficial filtrada por la prensa, Nippon Steel tendrá una planta de Usiminas en Ipatinga y Ternium se quedará con la de Cubatão en el estado vecino de São Paulo. Usiminas ya cerró una de sus dos principales plantas siderúrgicas, desaceleró el trabajo en sus minas y despidió a miles de empleados, con sus problemas agravados por la peor recesión de Brasil.

  • Brief News

Online shareholders’ meetings lower costs, but also interaction

Not one shareholder showed up to Intel’s shareholders’ meeting last week. In person, at least. Instead, Intel’s annual meeting was entirely virtual. There was no in-person gathering site, the questions were submitted in advance, and management and the board made all of their presentations online. Virtual meetings are a growing phenomenon, but although technologically feasible, they are a bad idea. Companies are adopting this technology for a number of reasons. There are the obvious cost savings, because they do not have to pay for a location and serve food (however meager, although some companies are known for their shareholders’ meeting spreads). And having a virtual meeting allows people to “attend” who would not otherwise want to make the trip. The company can also better track shareholder attendance and participation. Perhaps more important, a virtual shareholders’ meeting allows the company to manage troublesome shareholders and their often uncomfortable questions.

Samsung suffers symbolic blow from Seoul court

A South Korean appeals court unexpectedly sided with minority shareholders on last year’s $8 billion merger of two Samsung Group affiliates, ordering an increased payout.

Top EU court adviser backs workplace Muslim headscarf ban

Employers in the EU may be able to ban Muslim staff from wearing headscarves to work as long as it is part of a general prohibition on all religious symbols. The opinion was issued by Juliane Kokott, an Advocate General to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). It came after a Belgian court sought clarification on what is banned by EU anti-discrimination laws. In the Belgian case, a receptionist was fired for wearing a headscarf to work. Samira Achbita claimed she was being discriminated against on the grounds of her religion. The opinion by Juliane Kokott is not a binding ruling and judges at the ECJ - the EU's highest court - are now considering what final guidance to issue. A legal adviser to the European Court of Justice issued an opinion Tuesday finding that an employer may ban an employee from wearing a headscarf for religious purposes.

OAS head calls emergency meeting over crisis

Venezuela's government came under renewed pressure on Tuesday when regional body Organization of American States called for an emergency meeting. OAS head Luis Almagro wants members to evaluate whether Venezuela has suffered an "unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order". Venezuelan opposition politicians had urged the OAS to call the meeting. The move could lead to Venezuela being suspended from the OAS.

Second minister in new Brazil government quits

The anti-corruption minister in Brazil's interim government has resigned after a recording suggested he tried to derail a corruption probe into state oil company Petrobras. Fabiano Silveira is the second interim minister to step down, a week after Planning Minister Romero Juca resigned over a similar leaked recording. Silveira says his remarks were taken out of context. Both ministers were appointed by interim President Michel Temer.

Brazil billionaire ready to 'sing like a canary' about Petrobras scandal

Incarcerated for orchestrating the crime of the century, a Brazilian billionaire named Marcelo Odebrecht seeks revenge and promises to bring down as many as 50 politicians in the processes.

Data watchdog rejects EU-US Privacy Shield pact

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has said a data transfer pact between the EU and US needs "significant improvements". The EU-US Privacy Shield agreement was supposed to safeguard EU citizens' personal information when stored in the US. The agreement was designed to replace the Safe Harbour pact, which the EU Court of Justice ruled invalid in 2015. But the EDPS Giovanni Buttarelli warned Privacy Shield was "not robust enough". The Privacy Shield agreement, negotiated by the US and the European Commission, was intended to be ratified in June.

World tourism rises faster than trade for fourth year

The UN World Tourism Organization says tourism spending has outpaced global trade for the fourth year in a row. The US followed by China are the world's most popular destinations, followed by France and Spain. According to the UNWTO's figures, released earlier this month, international tourism grew by 4% in 2015 generating $1.4trn ($966bn). In comparison, global trade increased by just 2.8% in 2015 according to the World Trade Organization. Tourism is today a major category of international trade in services, it accounts for 7% of the world's total exports.

Judge finds Michael Dell, Silver Lake underpaid for dell in 2013

Michael Dell and Silver Lake underpaid by more than 20% when they took Dell Inc. private three years ago for $24.4 billion, a Delaware judge ruled.

Volkswagen reports profit drop as it grapples with emissions scandal

The results come as the German carmaker takes steps to recover from its diesel emissions scandal, while pushing through an overhaul across its 12-brand group.

Supreme Court to hear State Farm appeal in Hurricane Katrina false claims case

The US Supreme Court granted certiorari Tuesday in State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. v. United States ex rel. Rigsby, a case concerning allegations that the insurance company defrauded the government in assessing damage following Hurricane Katrina. The court limited to grant to question 1: "What standard governs the decision whether to dismiss a relator's claim for violation of the's seal requirement?" Section 3730(b) of the False Claims Act (FCA) permits a private person (relator) to bring a civil action in the name of the US government for violation of the act. The complaint "shall be filed in camera, shall remain under seal for at least 60 days, and shall not be served on the defendant until the court so orders." There is a circuit split on the standard for determining whether to dismiss a relator's claim for violation of the seal requirement.

Amazon CEO sides with media in Gawker case

Jeff Bezos said he doesn’t support efforts by billionaires to undermine the media by funding legal campaigns.

Mexican President signs law for special economic zones

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Tuesday signed a new law for the creation of special economic zones that will offer tax breaks together with trade and other benefits to attract investment into areas with undeveloped economic potential in poor southern states of the country.

Clinton aide declines to answer questions about email server

A top aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declined last week to answer questions from private lawyers about the setup of her email server, citing her subsequent role as Mrs. Clinton’s attorney.

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