American and British regulators are likely to charge several banks with rigging interest rates, including Citigroup, the third-largest U.S. bank, and London-based HSBC Holdings, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority were preparing a final round of civil charges against the banks for rate manipulation in the Libor scandal, the newspaper reported, citing people close to the investigation.   read more

Argentina’s main farm group on Friday took complaints against Monsanto to local regulators, accusing the company of abusing its dominant position in the market by ordering exporters to inspect soy cargos for second-generation genetically modified seeds. The Argentine Rural Society filed the complaint before the National Commission for the Defense of Competition, or CNDC. The SRA argues that under local law farmers must pay for Monsanto technology only at the time they originally buy seeds.   read more

About 4 billion people face severe water shortages during at least one month every year, far more than was previously thought, according to new research. Half of the 4 billion people who experience conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year live in either China or India. Of the remaining 2 billion, the majority live mostly in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico and the western and southern parts of the United States, such as California, Texas and Florida.   read more

The Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law asked the State Department in September 2015 for records on the “type and amount” of financial aid it provides to Mexico’s immigration agency, the Instituto Nacional de Migración. Center for Human Rights president/attorney Peter Schey said that anecdotal evidence indicates that about 97% of asylum-seekers detained at the Mexico-Guatemala border are deported.   read more

"If we brought mortality from car crashes, firearm injuries and drug poisonings down to levels that we see in these other countries, we'd gain about a year of life expectancy," said lead author Andrew Fenelon. The injury data include accidental and intentional deaths and suicides, and deaths from prescription medications and illicit drugs. The study bolsters the argument that improving U.S. life expectancy will require addressing premature deaths among younger ages   read more

Talks focused on letting UK agencies, such as MI5, serve orders on U.S. firms demanding data for “live intercepts” in inquiries involving UK citizens. UK agencies might also be able to ask U.S. companies to turn over stored data, such as emails. Rep. Adam Schiff said Congress should monitor any privacy and civil liberties issues, "including making sure these British orders do not cover U.S. persons or individuals within the U.S., do not permit bulk collection, and have due process protections."   read more

Canada has stopped its electronic spy agency from sharing some data with key international allies after discovering the information mistakenly contained personal details about Canadians, government officials said on Thursday. Ottawa acted after learning that the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) agency had failed to properly disguise metadata - the numbers and time stamps of phone calls but not their content - before passing it on to their international partners.   read more

TI attributed the overall global improvement to the work of citizen activists fighting corruption in places such as Guatemala, Sri Lanka and Ghana - all countries which were able to improve their ratings in 2015. "Corruption can be beaten if we work together," said TI chairman Jose Ugaz in a statement. "To stamp out the abuse of power, bribery and shed light on secret deals, citizens must together tell their governments they have had enough."   read more

Since the beginning of the campaign, 120 allegations of civilian casualties had been received, 87 of which were deemed not credible. This latest news brings the total number of civilians likely killed to 16. In one case an air strike targeting 16 bridges likely killed a civilian driving a truck with a trailer, said Central Command. In another case, a secondary explosion from a vehicle near the intended target probably killed a civilian. Four others were wounded in strikes in Syria and Iraq.   read more

To help the incumbent's chances at Sunday's poll, Prime Minister Abe's government has dangled prospects of a bigger budget for Okinawa, backing for a Disney resort and aid for impoverished children. Defeat would galvanize resistance to moving the airbase to the less populated Henoko area as agreed with the U.S. two decades ago. The opposition candidate, like Okinawa's governor and many island voters, resents hosting the majority of U.S. troops in Japan and wants the base off Okinawa altogether.   read more

From medical marijuana growers to pot private equity firms, many weed entrepreneurs see Mexico as a tempting new business opportunity even though cannabis is still illegal and the market is currently controlled by ruthless drug cartels. Daniel Sparks of BioTrackTHC, a U.S.-based marijuana software firm, said that just as bootleggers gave up on illicit moonshine after Prohibition ended in the U.S., Mexico's drug gangs would have little interest in a legal marijuana market.   read more

Securing sufficient assurances U.S. spies will not access Europeans' personal data indiscriminately once it is transferred across the Atlantic has been a big sticking point in two years of talks between Brussels and Washington on a new framework for protecting data shifted to the U.S. Revelations two years ago from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden of mass U.S. surveillance programs caused a political storm in Europe, leading the European Commission to demand changes to Safe Harbour.   read more

By far, the U.S. is the country with the largest portion of the world's migrants: 47 million. Germany and Russia had about 12 million each, followed by Saudi Arabia (10 million), Britain (9 million) and the United Arab Emirates (8 million). Asia is the biggest regional source of international migrants, with 104 million. Europe contributed 62 million. Migrants made up just 3.3% of the global population in 2015, yet global migration is growing faster than the world's population,   read more

President Mattarella reduced Lady's sentence to seven years from nine. He also wiped out the entire penalty — three years — faced by another American convicted in the case, Betnie Medero. They are among 26 Americans convicted in absentia in the kidnapping of Muslim cleric Abu Omar from a Milan street. The palace said Mattarella took into consideration Obama's ending the practice of renditions, which the European Union considers "incompatible with the fundamental principles of a State of law."   read more

Blau conducted a year-long investigation into the financing of the settlements. He found 50 pro-Israeli settlement nonprofits aided by U.S. donors had funneled more than $220 million to Jewish communities in the West Bank from 2009 to 2013. The organizations spent the money, much of which was tax-deductible, on everything from air conditioners to supporting the families of convicted Jewish terrorists.   read more

Thailand’s military government is investigating U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies for his criticism of a Thai law that bans criticism of the monarchy. Davies got into trouble for a speech last month highlighting the prison sentences, which can exceed 25 years, that Thais have received for making remarks perceived as criticism of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is revered by Thais.   read more