• Environment - South Africa

  Fast tracking water use licences for mining operations

  In a recent parliamentary question and answer session the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs announced an agreement with the Department of Mineral Resources to issue water use licences and mineral authorizations in parallel in an effort to ensure that mining does not commence before a water use licence has been issued.

• Media & Entertainment - USA

  Courts weigh in on Twitter debate

  Due to the growing use of social networking website Twitter, on which users (or 'tweeters') post messages (or 'tweets'), the courts are increasingly being asked to rule on issues raised by the site. In recent cases the courts have considered the impact of Twitter on fundamental constitutional rights and the question of whether tweets can constitute libel.

More

• $282 million rights issue

  First Pacific Company Ltd Davis Polk & Wardwell - William F Barron, Eugene C Gregor, James C Lin; Richards Butler LLP
  Syndicate of underwriters

• €2.2 billion acquisition

  EQT III fund Hengeler Mueller - Maximillian Schiessl, Wolfgang Meyer-Sparenberg; Clifford Chance LLP - Alan Inglis
  GIC Fund Hengeler Mueller - Maximillian Schiessl, Wolfgang Meyer-Sparenberg
  Springer Science+Business Media Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP - David Sonter

More