New CEO of State Chamber Targets Business Climate
Randy Zook, the new president and CEO of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas, is keeping an eye out for legislation or regulations that might hurt businesses in the state. More »
AEDC Reports Increased Economic Development
Last year was a banner year for economic development in the state, according the Arkansas Economic Development Commission's annual activity report for 2007. More »
Walton Stock Regains 12-Digit Value; Hunt Family No. 2
For the first time since 2000, the Walton family's shares of Wal-Mart stock are valued at more than $100 billion. More »
Boston Goes Bankrupt in Northwest Arkansas
Michael Boston, who owns M&T Wood Specialties Inc. of Pea Ridge, listed $3.4 million in debts and $1.2 million in assets. More »
LR Attorney Sued Over Derailed Sign Purchase
A Hot Springs sign company is suing Little Rock businessman and lawyer S. Gene Cauley for allegedly backing out of a deal to buy the 100-year-old company. More »
Lawsuit Stems Over Similar Sounding Names
One title company is northwest Arkansas is suing another over a similar sounding name. More »
Jobless Rate Jumps to 5-year High of 6.1 Percent
The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike. More »
Ghana: Condemning Corruption
Last week, Professor Maxwell Owusu of the University of Michigan, a political scientist and researcher, at a public forum in Accra, expressed the view that, after 50 years of independence, Ghana seems to have made little progress. He blamed this largely on the corrupt actions of political leaders and public officers. More »
Liberia: CDC Opposes Frances Johnson-Morris
The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has vehemently opposed the appointment of Cllr. Frances Johnson-Morris to head the Anti-corruption Commission, alleging that she would be a "presidential puppet". More »
Somalia: Top UN Envoy Speaks Out Against Piracy Off Coast
The top United Nations envoy to Somalia today said that he is extremely alarmed by the rise in piracy off the Horn of Africa nation's coast and deplored the destabilizing effects of the attacks in the region. More »
Namibia: AirNam Wraps Up Probe
AIR Namibia has completed its probe into allegations of extortion against a cabin-crew member on its July 11 flight to Luanda, Angola. More »
Namibia: Roessing Man Accused of Assaulting Child
A CHARGE of assault has been laid against the assistant director of the Roessing Foundation, Bonadei Thekwane, after he allegedly beat a 10-year-old schoolboy from Westside Primary at Swakopmund with a belt in front of several children. More »
Namibia: Delays in Tourist Murder CaseTest Court's Patience
A WINDHOEK Magistrate yesterday warned that the Police should get on with the job and wrap up their investigation of the case in which two men are charged with robbing and murdering a German tourist west of Windhoek in July last year. More »
Namibia: Fire Minister - RDP Youth
THE youth wing of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) has called on the Head of State to sack a Cabinet minister who allegedly fired shots in the direction of his nephew. More »
Database rights are too tough on business, says expert
The European Union's Database Directive is too restrictive and has the opposite of the desired effect of boosting e-commerce, an intellectual property expert has warned. More »
Some IP Attorneys Look to Make Their Mark as Patent-Holders
Having seen the fortunes earned by small patent-holding companies, some lawyers are playing the patent litigation game as principals, not just advisers. At least 10 law firm lawyers have filed suits to protect their own "inventions" in recent years. Firms seem to have been caught flat-footed by the trend: They have systems to avoid conflicts of interest when it comes to client matters, but they haven't routinely required IP attorneys to disclose patents they own or litigation they're pursuing as individuals. More »
Abramoff Gets Four Years for Corruption
Jack Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist at the heart of a far-reaching political corruption scandal, was sentenced on Thursday to four years in prison, a term longer than had been sought by prosecutors. Abramoff appeared crestfallen as the judge handed down the sentence, saying later, "My name is the butt of a joke, the source of a laugh and the title of a scandal." Abramoff could appeal the sentence because Justice Department infighting is partly responsible for the lengthy prison term. More »
What's Next for Wolf Block After Second Failed Merger Attempt?
Now that Wolf Block and Akerman Senterfitt have announced that merger talks are off, there's speculation as to what killed the talks and what's next for Wolf Block. The more than $426 million deal was called off, according to Wolf Block Chairman Mark Alderman, due to about $10 million each in insurance work for both firms -- but not everyone believes that's the full story. As for what's next, Alderman says that in February the firm will refocus on its strategic plan, which could still mean a merger. More »
Federal Judge Dismisses Suit Alleging Cancer Risk From Cell Phone Use
In a major victory for cellular phone manufacturers and service providers, a federal judge has dismissed a consumer class action suit that accused the companies of conspiring to hide evidence that the radio frequency emissions from cell phones pose biological hazards including the risk of brain cancer. The judge concluded that the suit is pre-empted by federal law because the Federal Communications Commission has the exclusive power to set the standards for radio frequency radiation in cell phones. More »
Culvahouse Emerges From O'Melveny Fray
O'Melveny & Myers' policy committee has selected Arthur Culvahouse to lead the firm for another four-year term, according to a Thursday morning e-mail to the partnership. Current and former partners expect the selection to be ratified, despite Culvahouse not winning a majority of support in the informal survey. When he was first elected chairman in 2000, Culvahouse faced a similarly swamped field, but was re-elected without opposition in 2004. More »
Tax Attorney Charged in Prostitution Case
The Manhattan DA's office on Thursday announced the indictment of a tax lawyer for allegedly promoting prostitution. Prosecutors claim solo practitioner Louis Posner and his wife ran an unlicensed strip club at which dancers offered to have paid sex with customers, including undercover police officers. The Posners also allegedly falsified business records and used sham corporations to cover up their illegal activities. More »
If a Scratch-Off Is a Rip-Off, Litigation May Be the Prize
If your scratch-off is a rip-off, prepare to pay up. A host of lawsuits have been filed by disgruntled lottery and sweepstakes consumers, including a business professor who is suing the Virginia Lottery for allegedly selling roughly $85 million in defective scratch-offs where the top prizes had already been claimed. Similar lawsuits are pending in four other states. Private attorneys are warning companies that want to use lottery tickets as a way to boost sales to beware of botched-up games. More »
Judge Tentatively Refuses to Dismiss Internet Suicide Case
A federal judge has tentatively rejected two motions to dismiss charges against a woman in a MySpace hoax that allegedly led to a 13-year-old girl's suicide and said he will consider a third motion to dismiss. The government wants to prosecute Lori Drew under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which has never before been used in connection with a Web site's terms of service prohibiting misrepresentation by users setting up new accounts. The statute has mainly been used for crimes like computer hacking. More »
$10 Million Settlement Reached in Class Action Over Overtime, Work-Break Pay
Fastenal Co. says it will pay a $10 million class action settlement to former employees who sued the company last year for unpaid overtime wages and work-break pay. According to estimates made by an attorney for the plaintiffs, more than 2,000 current and former employees of the Minnesota-based industrial supplies seller may have been entitled to back pay from as far back as 2003. More »
In Possible First for Texas, Woman Sues Over Predatory Lending
Alpha Mortgage USA and American Home Mortgage Servicing engaged in a racially targeted predatory lending practice called "reverse redlining," according to a lawsuit filed in federal court by a black suburban Houston woman. The woman alleges she refinanced the adjustable rate mortgage on her family's first home purchase, only to be victimized by a loan with onerous terms because of her skin color. The lawsuit may be the first of its kind in Texas. More »