New York split on horse welfare

United States: Supporters and opponents of a move to ban carriage horses in New York City both held rallies on Monday to make their cases on a Bill that would get rid of the industry.

“These animals have been stripped of the ability to do anything that comes naturally to them,” said activist and filmmaker Donny Moss.

But the Teamsters union disagreed. “We are not going to stand by and let the administration just wipe out an industry,” said official George Miranda.

Bid to recover tax from Deutsche Bank

United States: Federal authorities sued Deutsche Bank and other financial entities yesterday, alleging they dodged more than $100 million (£63.82m) in taxes.

The lawsuit seeks to recover more than $190m (£121.22m) in taxes, penalties and interest, alleging that Deutsche Bank used shell companies to make tax liabilities disappear nearly 15 years ago.

The bank claims it addressed the government’s concerns in a 2009 agreement with the IRS.

Graft-buster: I’ve had enough

Brazil: The head of the federal government’s anti-corruption agency announced his resignation on Monday amid an ongoing corruption scandal at Brazil’s largest company, the state-run oil giant Petrobras.

Jorge Hage made the surprise announcement at an event in Brasilia, telling reporters that after 12 years at the comptroller general’s office, it was time for him to move on. Budget cuts, he suggested, had made it harder for the agency to fulfil its mission.

Lorry giant cuts 3,000 more jobs

Sweden: Business daily Dagens Industri said yesterday that lorry-builder Volvo will cut about 3,000 staff to boost profitability.

The Gothenburg company plans to make £298 million in cuts by the end of next year following an earlier savings package.

The company has already cut 4,400 white collar jobs from its workforce of 110,000.

Anti-mine leader ‘was murdered’

Ecuador: A tribal head said on Monday that indigenous leader Jose Tendetza was slain just days before he planned to travel to UN climate talks in Peru.

He had intended to protest against the Condor Mirador open-pit copper mine being developed on his community’s ancestral lands.

Shuar Federation president Jose Chumapi said Mr Tendetza’s body was found in a river last week.

Mr Chumapi said that Mr Tendetza had stridently opposed mine development on property controlled by the Ecuacorriente company but claimed by his community.

Rights warning over prison overcrowding

Cyprus: Europe’s leading human rights body warned yesterday that the island nation needs to take action to alleviate overcrowding at the country’s sole prison complex.

The Council of Europe’s committee for the prevention of torture said overcrowding remains a problem that strains relations at Nicosia’s central prisons facility.

It said authorities should consider alternatives to prison and ensure migrants are held in appropriate detention centres instead of police stations.

Old nazi dodges massacre trial

Germany: A court threw out the case of a former SS man accused of involvement in the largest civilian massacre in nazi-occupied France, saying yesterday that there was not enough evidence to bring the 89-year-old to trial.

Cologne resident Werner C was charged with murder and accessory to murder in connection with the 1944 slaughter in Oradour-sur-Glane, south-western France, where 642 men, women and children were killed.

Driller owns up to environment crimes

United States: A company that operated a drill ship off Alaska’s Arctic coast has agreed to plead guilty to environmental crimes as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Noble Drilling US will plead guilty to eight felony counts and pay an $8.2 million (£5.23m) fine plus $4m in community payments.