October 5, 2016 nº 1,799 - Vol. 13

"When you judge another, you don't define them. You define yourself."

Wayne Dyer

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

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  • Top News

Supreme Court denies rehearing on Obama immigration policy

The US Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition to rehear United States v. Texas, further stalling implementation of the Obama administration's immigration policy. The case represents a challenge to the administration's policy creating a program centered on deferred action, wherein around four million immigrants would be allowed to work legally and remain in the US. The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit had previously blocked the administration's policy. The Supreme Court heard argument in the case in April and decided the case in June, holding simply that "[t]he judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court." Monday's decision of the court was not a surprise to the government, as it acknowledged in its petition that the current 4-4 split would most likely be insurmountable. The question presented was whether a state providing subsidies to undocumented immigrants had standing to challenge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in regards to its guidance on establishing a process for considering deferred action for more undocumented immigrants. DHS issued guidance calling for creation of a deferred action program for undocumented immigrants that have lived in the US for five years and either came to the US as children or have children that are US citizens or permanent residents. Those challenging the policy, including 26 states that have joined Texas in the lawsuit, have argued the policy will create further deferred action immigrants, leaving the states to foot the bill for maintaining them in their system. (Click here)

Paris climate deal: EU backs landmark agreement

The European Parliament has backed the ratification of the Paris climate deal, paving the way for the world's first global agreement. The deal aims to limit greenhouse gas emissions and keep global temperature increases "well below" 2C. It was approved with 610 votes in favor, 38 against and with 31 abstentions. The vote, attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, paves the way for the pact to come into force globally. The deal on Tuesday means national ministers can now ratify the agreement on behalf of the EU later this week.

IMF warns of hit to UK economic growth

The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for UK economic growth next year as it warned that the global recovery remains "weak and precarious". Although the IMF raised its prediction for UK GDP growth this year to 1.8%, the figure for 2017 was cut to 1.1%. Its assumptions are based on "smooth post-Brexit negotiations and a limited increase in economic barriers". The IMF's latest World Economic Outlook predicts "subpar" global growth this year of 3.1%, rising slightly in 2017. Chief economist Maurice Obstfeld said: "Taken as a whole, the world economy has moved sideways. Without determined policy action to support economic activity over the short and longer terms, sub-par growth at recent levels risks perpetuating itself."

  • Crumbs

1- Apple launches Apple Pay payment service in Russia - click here.

2 - Facebook launches Marketplace to rival eBay, Gumtree and Craigslist - click here.

3 - Ericsson to cut 3,900 jobs in Sweden - click here.

4 - Court grants full parental rights to unmarried gay woman - click here.

5 - Uber faces pressure in Dubai as regulator signs deal with rival - click here.

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  • Historia Verdadera

Petrobras

Petróleo Brasileiro SA y la noruega Statoil ASA están expandiendo una asociación existente para ayudar a la firma brasileña con presencia estatal a frenar un declive en la producción en pozos viejos en el yacimiento costa afuera de Campos. A fines de agosto, Petrobras y Statoil firmaron un memorando de entendimiento que desde entonces se enfocó en pozos antiguos. Ambas firmas están discutiendo bajo qué términos Statoil podría tomar participación en algunos yacimientos a cambio de nuevas inversiones y cooperación tecnológica, afirmaron.

Citibank

El banco estadounidense Citigroup invertirá más de US$ 1,000 mlls. en su unidad mexicana Banco Nacional de México, cuyo nombre cambiará a Citibanamex, como interés de reforzar el negocio a largo plazo. El monto de inversión será completado a US$ 1,500 mlls. hasta 2020, dentro del compromiso asumido en septiembre de 2014. Informó que las inversiones serán dirigidas a cinco áreas incluyendo banca digital, plataformas de tecnología de información, sucursales y cajeros automáticos.

Acero

El gobierno federal de México optó por "blindar" a la industria del acero mexicana contra las prácticas comerciales desleales. A partir de hoy se extenderá la cuota compensatoria de 15% a seis familias de este producto por un lapso de seis meses. (Presione aquí)

  • Brief News

Spain opens 'biggest corruption trial'

Thirty-seven people, including leading members of Spain's ruling Popular Party, have gone on trial in Madrid accused of involvement in a massive corruption network. Three former PP treasurers are among the defendants in Spain's biggest corruption trial for years. Businessman Francisco Correa is alleged to have been the ringleader who handed out bribes in exchange for contracts. The suspects were heckled as they arrived at the national court.

Yahoo 'secretly scanned emails for US authorities'

Yahoo secretly scanned millions of its users' email accounts on behalf of the US government, according to a report. The firm built special software last year to comply with a classified request. "Yahoo is a law abiding company, and complies with the laws of the United States," the tech firm said. The allegation comes less than a fortnight after Yahoo said hackers had stolen data about many of its users. Yahoo is in the process of being taken over by Verizon Communications in a $4.8bn deal. The telecoms provider declined to comment on the report. (Click here)

UK PM suspends European human rights laws for British soldiers

UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced Tuesday that European human rights laws that have led to "vexatious" claims against British soldiers will no longer apply on the battlefield. The action taken by the government will free armed forces from two articles of the European Convention on Human Rights: Article 2, the right to life, and Article 5, the right to liberty. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon announced the intention to derogate from the Convention at the Conservative Party conference. May stated that the move is meant to give confidence to British soldiers, "to do what is necessary to keep us safe and to defend this country." May added that credible allegations will continue to be investigated. (Click here)

Duterte tells Obama to 'go to hell'

Obama can "go to hell" over his criticism of the Philippines brutal war against drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte says. The European Union - another critic - "better choose purgatory, hell is filled up", he said. Duterte's drugs war has caused thousands of extrajudicial killings. In a speech to local officials and business executives Duterte said he was disappointed with the US for criticizing the Philippines' tactics to combat the drug trade. He also described Washington as an unreliable ally.

Farc ceasefire will end this month

The ceasefire with Farc rebels will end on 31 October, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said. Negotiators have resumed talks in Cuba to try to resurrect a peace deal following its rejection in Sunday's referendum. "I hope we can move forward to realize the necessary agreement to find a solution to this conflict," Santos said. All sides in Colombia want an end to more than 50 years of fighting. However opponents of the government insist on a renegotiation of part of the peace deal. Led by the former President, Alvaro Uribe, they say they do not want the rebels to be guaranteed seats in Congress, or their leaders offered immunity from prison.

Germany drops Turkey President Erdogan insult case

German prosecutors have dropped an investigation into a TV comedian accused of insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The prosecutors in the western city of Mainz said they had not found sufficient evidence to continue the inquiry against Jan Boehmermann. In a statement on Tuesday, the prosecutors said that "criminal actions could not be proven with the necessary certainty". It was "questionable", the statement added, whether Boehmermann's poem constituted slander, given the satirical context in which the comedian recited it.

Myanmar scraps stringent emergency law

Myanmar has scrapped a stringent law which had been used by the former military leaders to silence opponents. The Emergency Provisions Act was introduced in 1950 after independence from Britain. It allowed the authorities to detain people without charge and prescribed jail or execution for a wide range of offences considered treason. It allowed punishments of up to seven years for crimes like disrupting public morality or spreading false news.

Ohio to resume executions using a three-drug combination in January

The US state of Ohio is set to resume executions in January using a three-drug combination after stalling lethal injections for nearly three years. Ohio has not executed anyone since January 2014, in part due to death row lawsuits and a drug shortage. A new execution policy is expected to be announced at the end of the week.

Thailand opens specialized corruption court

Thailand on Monday opened a specialized corruption court in hopes of finalizing cases more quickly and possibly expanding the reach of the cases that can be tried. Government corruption was one of the rationales provided for the military coup two years ago, and this dedicated court is one route to implementing Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha's recent promise to eliminate corruption within 20 years. The court will hear any case dealing with corruption in the private or public sector. While there are hopes of success for the court, some believe it is only a symbolic move intended to gain public support for the government.

Government drops ICANN control

The United States is ceding its controlling stake in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which controls the domain names for the Internet. Starting tomorrow, ICANN will be an autonomous organization after its 18 year contract with the US Commerce Department expires, and will operate in the same way, except without as many governmental pressures. Republican lawmakers have already spoken out against the change, warning that the US is "giving away the Internet," and the Attorney Generals of Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas and Nevada filing a federal lawsuit to block the transition.

Obama hails enforcement on trade deals to win support for T.P.P.

Actions have been taken against Chinese grain exports, India's barriers to solar-panel parts, European subsidies for airliner manufacturing and foreign fishing subsidies.

Judges push brevity in briefs, and get a torrent of arguments

The Constitution of the United States clocks in at 4,543 words. Yet a number of lawyers contend that 14,000 words are barely enough to lay out their legal arguments. That's the maximum word count for briefs filed in federal appellate courts. For years, judges have complained that too many briefs are repetitive and full of outmoded legal jargon, and that they take up too much of their time. A recent proposal to bring the limit down by 1,500 words unleashed an outcry among lawyers.

EU tightens ban on torture equipment

The European Parliament has voted to tighten up legislation banning exports of torture equipment from the EU. The vote in Strasbourg is intended to close loopholes in the EU's 2005 anti-torture regulation, and the move is backed by EU governments. The ban includes items such as portable electric shock devices, shackles and handcuffs modified to inflict pain. The changes extend restrictions on chemicals used in executions and ban training in torture techniques. The EU's prohibition on the death penalty has already limited US prison authorities' access to some chemicals used to kill death row prisoners by lethal injection. The new legislation also seeks to block the transit of torture equipment through EU countries.

Antitobacco groups sue to require graphic labels on cigarette packs

Antitobacco groups have filed a lawsuit against the US Food and Drug Administration to push the agency to require graphic warning labels on cigarettes.

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