May 11, 2015 nº 1,624 - Vol. 13
"Trying is the first step to failure"
Homer Simpson
Insider's view: see how local concerns shape up the global world. Read the daily press review in Migalhas International
_____________
Read Migalhas LatinoAmérica in Spanish every Tuesday and Thursday. Visit the website at www.migalhas.com/latinoamerica
_____________
Get Migalhas International on your mobile
You can now read the newsletter on your mobile device, through the migalhas.com/mobile website. The content of the main sections is the same as that found on the newsletter, but optimized for small-screen displays on mobile devices. Migalhas International Mobile, advancing legal news.
At Russia's huge WWII remembrance, an absence of western leaders
Victory Day, which commemorates the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, is the biggest annual celebration in Russia. And Saturday's event, marking the 70th anniversary, will be among the largest ever held. The centerpiece was a giant military parade just outside the Kremlin walls in Red Square, where more than 16,000 troops will pass in review before President Vladimir Putin, VIPs and foreign leaders. But the reviewing stand had a lot fewer foreign dignitaries than it has had in the past. Most Western leaders, including President Obama, were absent, unwilling to take part because of Russia's seizure of Crimea last year and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Visit our new 'Magic Eye' page and boost your career
Migalhas International, with the support of executive search firms, brings the best career and professional development opportunities to its readers. We call this service the "Magic Eye". Click here to go to our special webpage and find your next lease on life.
_____________
100% Migalhas: www.migalhas.com
_____________
China cuts interest rates to 5.1%
China's central bank has cut interest rates for the second time this year, amid a continuing economic slowdown. It lowered its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 5.1%, the weakest in 24 years, saying the move was aimed at boosting development. The cut is the third in six months and will take effect from Monday. It follows other measures designed to spur growth in China, including tax cuts.
Chinese firm sends 6,400 employees on French holiday
A Chinese company has paid for 6,400 of its employees to go on a four-day holiday to France. The biggest tour group to visit the country was welcomed in the southern resort of Nice on Saturday. Tiens Group president Li Jinyuan booked up 140 hotels in Paris and more than 4,700 rooms in Cannes and Monaco for their trip. Their holiday included a private viewing of the Louvre museum and a mass visit to the Moulin Rouge cabaret show.
For Chinese tourists behaving badly, a government blacklist
The Chinese have earned a reputation as some of the world's rudest travelers. Now, the government has enacted new rules that include a list of the worst offenders. Not only are the Chinese bemoaning their rudeness at home and abroad, the government has responded with new rules that took effect this week, aimed at keeping loutish travelers in check. And in a major innovation, the government has named four tourists to a new blacklist, which could affect their credit ratings and freedom to travel for years.
_____________
Tell your friends and colleagues you’ve read it in Migalhas International
_____________
Greece seeks "approval of progress"
Greek politicians are hopeful that Eurozone ministers will recognize its fiscal progress, paving the way for bailout funds to be released. Eurozone finance ministers are meeting in Brussels on Monday to continue negotiations on a deal to release a portion of billions of bailout funds. Greek ministers says they will honor a payment of €750m ($834m) to the IMF due on Tuesday. No breakthrough is expected at Monday's talks, with many issues unresolved.
Snowden calls ruling against NSA 'extraordinarily encouraging'
The whistleblower, speaking from Russia, said the importance of the ruling against the US surveillance program he helped uncover "can't be overstated."
Uber fund-raising points to $50 billion valuation
The new capital will not be used primarily for expansion purposes, unlike Uber's previous financing rounds — instead, the funding is strategic, with an eye on partnerships.
In UK, barriers rising against foreign deals
Foreign ownership of top UK companies could face tougher hurdles now that Britain's Conservative Party last week won an outright majority after five years in a coalition government. Warnings against foreign ownership were an unusual feature of the election that ended with Mr. Cameron's Conservative Party winning an outright majority after ruling for five years in a coalition government. In general, the UK's Conservative-led government has been supportive of foreign investment, but it began scrutinizing takeovers of British companies after US-based Kraft Foods Inc. acquired Cadbury PLC, in a £11.9 billion ($19.4 billion) deal in 2010. Following that, the UK's takeover panel, the body that regulates deal making, required bidding companies to provide more details on their intentions toward the target after the takeover, such as repercussions on jobs. Government ministers had no power to block deals on these grounds, but political opposition made life difficult for companies.
EU refugee quotas to be proposed
The European Commission will make the controversial proposal that EU member countries should take in refugees under an EU quota scheme. The UN estimates that 60,000 people have already tried to cross the Mediterranean this year. Migrants are being driven to make the journey by "horrific abuse" in Libya, according to Amnesty International. The European Commission's migration policy, to be announced on Wednesday, will also propose organizing legal means for migrants to come to Europe so they don't turn to traffickers. However, it will need to be agreed by EU states.
Colombia to ban coca herbicide
Colombia has announced it will stop using a controversial herbicide to destroy illegal plantations of coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine. The decision follows a warning by the World Health Organization (WHO) that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic". The product has been used in US-sponsored crop-spraying anti-narcotics programs in South America. President Juan Manuel Santos has said Colombia will need to find other mechanisms to combat coca production.
European Court of Justice is sued over delays
Delays at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) have become so bad that the court is now being sued by some of those who have been kept waiting. The number of cases being lodged has risen dramatically and many of those include trademark disputes. A case at the general court, which upholds European Union (EU) rules, can now take nearly four years to be heard. Five companies have now registered claims for damages against the ECJ because of the delays in settling cases. They include businesses in the Netherlands and France found guilty and fined for running cartels. If successful, compensation payouts could total £20m.
Amazon details drone delivery plans
Details about how Amazon's proposed delivery drones may work have been published by the US Patent Office. According to the patent, the drones will be able to track the location of the person it is delivering to by pulling data from their smartphone. The unmanned vehicles will also be able to talk to each other about weather and traffic conditions. Amazon faces many regulatory hurdles before its plans can be turned into reality.
Visa and Visa Europe are said to consider reunification
The deal, which could be worth up to $20 billion, would rejoin Visa, the world's biggest payment network, with a subsidiary it spun off in 2007.
Time
Why Modi matters
Newsweek
Smuggled from Syria to Glasgow by boat, plane and train: A refugee's story
Business Week
Iterate, iterate, iterate. A fashion designer’s quest to make the perfect wear-anywhere outfit
The Economist
Clever computers. The dawn of artificial intelligence
Der Spiegel
Die Chancenlüge
L'Espresso
Alla corte di Matteo
Saudi King Salman to skip Gulf nation summit in US
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar
Truck driver charged over 8 women's deaths in southern Israel
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
PM to meet backbenchers amid reshuffle
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Traffic stop led to fatal shooting of police duo
CNN International, London, England
Alessandra Ambrosio shows off her model body in a tiny white bikini as she gives a posing masterclass on Greek beach
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Wife watched in horror as her husband was savaged to death by a bull shark while on a sailing trip in New Caledonia†
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
22 killed in Macedonia gun battle
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France
Hollande honours the lives of slaves at Caribbean museum
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Leyla Gencer Voice Competition seeks young talents
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey
Trial over protester's death shows Egypt revolution's open wounds
Independent The, London, England
The ten most expensive paintings in history
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England
Whose Line Is It Anyway? returns for first official UK show in 15 years
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England
Taiwan seen as magnet for FDI leaving China: BBVA
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
N.Korea's New Missile Is a Nightmare Come True
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Michelle Obama recounts tough journey of a black woman
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India
Commuters stranded as DTC drivers go on strike
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
Chinese paper slams Japan for lack of WWII contrition
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
Haiti fixes adoption system, but some fear too few adopted
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Ukraine President cancels trip over protests in eastern Ukraine
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore
Beat the post holiday blues
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
Fresh avalanches force workers to call off search in Nepal
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Moroccan F-16 jet from Saudi-led coalition in Yemen goes missing
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India
U.S. soldier partially blinded during firefight rips Omar Khadr's release
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
EU asks UN to back operations against human trafficking rings from Libya
Globe and Mail The, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Liberty Reserve Brought Down By 'Joe Bogus': How The Feds Arrested Arthur Budovsky
International Business Times, Business news organization, New York, U.S
Caribbean Looks to Paris Climate Summit for Its Very Survival
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
Asia shares rise as China steps up support for economy
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S
Exclusive - Widow of slain U.S.-Bangladeshi blogger lashes out at Dhaka
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S
Ontario employers cashing in on temporary workers
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
SA opposition elects black leader
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
-----
How are we doing?