May 16, 2011 nº 1,041 - Vol. 9
Sex and power are no strangers.
"Power is an aphrodisiac, as is well known, and we know as well that power in one sense is often presumed to be power in another sense."
James Walston
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EU acts over alleged Chinese subsidies
The European Union will this week raise tariffs on Chinese exports of high-end glossy paper used for magazines and catalogues. The case marks the first time that the EU has penalized China for using what it says are illegal state subsidies to boost its industries. The bloc has previously relied on penalties for dumping, when a company exports its goods below cost.
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Strauss-Kahn court appearance delayed
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and a possible candidate for president of France, was yanked from an airplane moments before it was to depart for Paris and arrested in the alleged sexual assault of a hotel maid. DSK has juggled careers as an economics professor, lawyer and Socialist politician. In a New York minute French politics changed. DSK was the front runner to be the next French president although he had not yet declared himself a candidate. His high-profile American lawyer said he "denies all the charges against him" but, almost certainly, he is politically dead. It would take a rapid unraveling of the maid's accusation of sexual assault for him to have a future in French politics. As the hours go by old stories are being dusted down and re-told about a man who is openly called in France the "great seducer". The arrest of DSK may bolster a drive by Brazil and other emerging markets for a greater voice in the selection of the IMF and World Bank chiefs. The IMF's limited immunity provision is unlikely to protect Strauss-Kahn from prosecution for sexual assault, an expert in international law argued. "Acts immunity only covers actions taken in the course of his duties. One possible legal defense strategy for Strauss-Kahn could be to try to apply the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations, which grant broad immunity from prosecution to diplomats serving in foreign jurisdictions. Article 31 of the convention says "a diplomatic agent shall enjoy immunity from the criminal jurisdiction of the receiving State." The U.S. ratified the treaty in 1972. The treaty also renders diplomats immune from prosecution in civil and administrative matters, with some exceptions. Under the convention, diplomats are not immune from "action relating to any professional or commercial activity exercised by the diplomatic agent in the receiving State outside his official functions."
At long last, government case against Microsoft has ended
The antitrust judgment landed by the Department of Justice 10 years ago against Microsoft officially expired on Thursday, marking the end of one of the most famous antitrust cases in U.S. history. The company is free of federal oversight. But looking back, a decade later, can we determine whether the case and resulting agreement really helped competition, and hence consumers? judging from a note issued by the Justice Department on Wednesday, the government certainly thinks so: "Nearly every desktop middleware market, from web browsers to media players to instant messaging software, is more competitive today than it was when the final judgment was entered. We've seen the emergence of an entirely new field called IP antitrust. It's had a fairly dramatic impact.
EU cartel fines elicit human-rights argument
Companies are trying a new argument against European Union's fierce antitrust regulators—arguing that the EU's methods are so flawed it shouldn't be permitted to dispense big penalties at all. None of these challenges has so far succeeded, and EU courts that have heard them remain skeptical. But lawyers say they will gain in significance as the EU moves to join the European Convention on Human Rights, an international agreement that provides wide protection for defendants.
UK judge issues first gag order naming Twitter
A British judge has banned Twitter users from identifying a brain-damaged woman in one of the first attempts to prevent the messaging website from revealing sensitive information.
Swiss vote could call time on 'suicide tourism'
Switzerland has become the final destination of choice for citizens of nearby countries determined to end their own lives in peace. Voters in Zurich have rejected the proposed bans on assisted suicide and "suicide tourism". Assisted suicide has been legal in Switzerland since 1941 if performed by a non-physician with no vested interest in the death. Assistance can be provided only in a passive way, such as by providing drugs. Active assistance - helping a person to take or administer a product - is prohibited.
Brazil Congress again delays vote on key forest law
Brazil's Chamber of Deputies has again postponed a vote on controversial changes that would ease a key law on forest protection. After a marathon 12-hour debate that saw renewed splits over the proposals, the vote was put off for several days. The Forest Code currently requires that 80% of a landholding in the Amazon remain forest, 20% in other areas. Proponents of change say the law impedes economic development and Brazil must open more land for agriculture.
Brazil to triple electricity payments to Paraguay
The Brazilian Senate has given final approval to a deal tripling the amount Brazil pays Paraguay for energy from their joint Itaipu hydroelectric dam. Brazil's yearly payments to Paraguay will rise to $360m from the current $120m. The deal was reached in 2009 by Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo and Lula, ending a long-running dispute. Critics say the move will mean Brazilian consumers paying more.
US tax fears prompt overseas M&A rush
US multinational companies are stepping up efforts to deploy their overseas earnings in cross-border mergers and acquisitions as they seek to avoid the tax hit from repatriating their so-called "trapped cash". The activity has prompted debate among bankers over whether tax issues are distorting business decisions, potentially leading US companies to favor overseas investments over opportunities at home.
Record companies reach settlement with file-sharing site LimeWire
Several major record companies announced Thursday that they have reached a $105m settlement with music file-sharing website LimeWire. A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York had issued a permanent injunction in October to prevent the site from providing online users with the software necessary to share copyrighted files. The district court ruled that the RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America has suffered and continues to suffer irreparable harm to its business and that even a permanent injunction will not give RIAA adequate remedy for its potential future injury as a result of continued peer-to-peer file sharing.
SEC requests more money to fight fraud
The Securities and Exchange Commission is asking Congress for another $222m to properly police financial markets next year — an increase of more than 15% over its current budget. Without the added funding, could the agency miss the next Bernie Madoff?
DOJ petitions federal appeals court for rehearing in wiretapping decision
The US DOJ - Department of Justice on Thursday petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to reconsider a ruling that plaintiffs in Amnesty v. Blai had standing to sue the US government over surveillance. The plaintiffs, including attorneys, journalists and rights organizations, facially challenged Section 702 of the FISA - Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was added by the FISA Amendments ACT of 2008. The law created procedures to allow electronic government surveillance of individuals living outside of the US for foreign intelligence purposes, which the plaintiffs alleged was violative of the Fourth Amendment, First Amendment and Article III of the Constitution. A 2009 ruling from the US District Court in Manhattan dismissed the suit after finding the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue because they did not suffer an injury in fact.
Bangladesh high court rules former martial law regime unconstitutional
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh on Sunday struck down the nation's Seventh Amendment which legitimized the military rule of General HM Ershad. The court declared Ershad's martial law rules, regulations and orders to be illegal, void and unconstitutional, upholding a decision by the lower court. The court said, however, that international treaties formed during that period will still stand. Siddique Ahmed, who was convicted for murder by a martial law court in 1986, challenged the constitutionality of the Seventh Amendment and sought to have his conviction overturned. The Supreme Court cancelled Siddique's trial and conviction and ordered a retrial in a lower court. The court also granted Siddique bail to be released from jail. He was serving a sentence of life imprisonment.
Bosnian Serb leader cancels referendum on war crimes court
Milorad Dodik, president of the Bosnian Serb Republic, Republika Srpska, announced on Friday that he has cancelled a referendum on the legality of the war crimes court that was set to take place next month. The referendum would have gauged support amongst citizens of Republika Srpska for the federal judiciary as well as the international envoy. Proponents of the referendum insist that the judiciary is biased against Serbs in war crimes cases. Critics of the referendum questioned its legality, arguing that it is a violation of the Dayton Accords, which separated Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) into two entities—Republika Srpksa is a mostly Serbian entity, and the Bosniak-Croat Federation is composed of mostly Muslims and Croats.
Time
We were stuck with Pakistan. Frenemies. The U.S.-Pakistan relationship is no love match. But it will survive the raid on Osama bin Laden.
Newsweek
The Real Running Mates. What candidates' wives want. What we demand of them. The state of the political spouse.
Business Week
Why Facebook Needs Sheryl Sandberg. Mark Zuckerberg's second-in-command provides "adult supervision" at the company, trying to keep growth at an optimum level.
The Economist
The new tech bubble. Irrational exuberance has returned to the internet world. Investors should beware.
Der Spiegel
Geheimakte Love Parade - Die verhängnisvollen Fehler der Polizei
Saudi diplomat killed in attack on Saudi Arabia consulate in Karachi
Al Arabiya, Online news, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Scores injured at 'Nakba' rally in Cairo
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar
Gunmen kill Saudi diplomat in Pakistan
Arab News, Pro-government, Jidda, Saudi Arabia
Any Arab cooperation in upsetting to Iran- Former UAE Forces Commander
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
Dozens wounded in 'Nakba' clashes?
Egyptian Gazette, English-language, Cairo, Egypt
Israel Police arrest Syrian trying to cross into Israel
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
Expectations build for Obama mideast policy speech
IPS Middle East, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
West involved inEconomic terror
Iran Daily, English-language, reformist, Tehran, Iran
Lebanon complaint to UN: Israel attack was a hostile act
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel
Iran ready for nuclear talks, but 'without concessions'
Nahamet, Online news portal, Beirut, Lebanon
Israeli occupation army opens live fire on Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese civilian demonstrators on al-Nakba Day
Sana, Syrian Arab News Agency, Damascus, Syria
New attacks for al-Qaeda in Yemen leave deaths and injures
Yemen Observer, Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
IMF chief faces tests over sex charges
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Veteran republican Price due in Derry court
BreakingNews.ie, Online news portal, Cork, Ireland
IMF chief faces arraignment
CNN International, London, England
Cathay Airbus in engine-fire drama
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England
IMF boss denies sex assault charges
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France
FRANCE - USA: IMF chief faces medical exam amid sexual assault charge
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Detained Chinese artist allowed family visit
Independent The, London, England
Saudi diplomat killed in Pakistan
Irish Times The, Centrist daily, Dublin, Ireland
Iran's Ahmadinejad denies rift with Supreme leader
Radio Free Europe, Prague, Czech Republic
ICC requests arrest warrants for Gaddafi
Sky News, Independent newscaster, Middlesex, England
Dominique Strauss-Kahn to appear in New York court over alleged sex attack on hotel maid
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England
Jeremy Clarkson in favour of super-injunctions
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England
Massacre in Guatemala, 27 People Killed
WNC News, London, England
Three people killed in El Salvador small plane crash
Antara News, News agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
DOH to combat gender-selective abortion
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Broader policies needed to help N.Korean defectors
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Select Committee majority recommends telco bill
Computer World, IT information, Fairfax, New Zealand
Karnataka Governor sends special report to Centre
Hindu The, Left-leaning daily, Chennai, India
Bhardwaj again makes a case for Presidents Rule
India Express, News portal, Mumbai, India
Airbus catches fire mid-flight
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
French politicians urge prudence over sex probe on IMF chief
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China
After tornadoes, junk donations become challenge
Sify News, Chennai, India
G8 get mixed marks on meeting 2005 Africa aid plans
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore
Culture of creativity puts Taiwan in world spotlight
Taiwan Today, Government Information Office, Taipei, Taiwan
Mitsubishi Electric net profit drops by 75.5% to $94m in March quarter
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India
IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn vows to fight sexual assault charges
Times of India, Conservative, New Delhi, India
Alberta wildfires force evacuation of Slave Lake
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Dominican police, U.S. federal agents arrest man wanted in 2008 death
Dominican Today, Independent daily, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Four Canadian soldiers injured in Afghan helicopter crash
Globe and Mail The, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Obama warns of worse crisis if no debt ceiling rise
International Business Times, Business news organization, New York, U.S
BRAZIL: Amnesty highlights 'entrenched inequalities'
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
What Pakistan would have gained by protecting bin Laden
Maclean's, Centrist newsmagazine, Toronto, Canada
U.S. Senator Kerry has tough questions for angry Pakistan
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S
Richmond Hill student, 15, discovers cystic fibrosis treatment
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
UDS Alumni remind Gov't of unfulfilled promises
GhanaWeb, Online news portal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Osama 'was a US prisoner'
iafrica, Online news portal, Cape Town, South Africa
LIBYA: Looming threat of scattered munitions in the east
Irin News, Humanitarian news and analysis, Nairobi, Kenya
Egypt's foreign minister elected as Arab League SG
Sudan Tribune, Khartoum, Sudan
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