Berlusconi enfrentaría más cargos por el caso ‘Ruby’

BerlusconiLa justicia italiana podría acusarlo de corrupción de testigos y manipulación de pruebas.

No cesan los problemas judiciales para Silvio Berlusconi. Dos días después de que el Senado votó a favor de su expulsión del Parlamento por su condena por evasión fiscal en el caso Mediaset, el viernes se supo que la Justicia estaría planteándose añadir dos nuevos cargos en su acusación al magnate por el caso ‘Ruby’: corrupción de testigos y manipulación de pruebas.
En este proceso ya fue condenado en primer grado a siete años de cárcel e inhabilitación perpetua para ejercer cargos públicos por los delitos de abuso de poder y prostitución de menores. Según los magistrados, ‘Il Cavaliere’ mantuvo relaciones sexuales con ‘Ruby’, alias de Karima El Mahroug, cuando esta aún no había cumplido la mayoría de edad.
La conexión ‘Ruby’
Tras el arresto de la joven de origen marroquí por haber cometido un robo, el entonces primer ministro llamó a la comisaría donde estaba retenida y exigió su puesta en libertad.
‘Ruby’ era una de las prostitutas que participaban en los “bunga bunga”, los bacanales que el líder de la derecha italiana celebraba en su mansión de Arcore, cerca de Milán.
Las fiestas las organizaban tres personas de su entorno que fueron condenadas por inducción a la prostitución y proxenetismo.
Se trata del agente de artistas Lele Mora y de Emilio Fede, acérrimo periodista “berlusconiano”, condenados ambos a siete años de prisión, y de la exconsejera regional de Lombardía Nicole Minetti.
Minetti, que conoció a Berlusconi cuando trabajaba como higienista dental en un centro médico donde acudió Il Cavaliere, era la supuesta madama de los “bunga bunga”. A ella le dieron cinco años de cárcel.
En las motivaciones de la sentencia de primer grado que condena a Mora, Fede y Minetti los jueces aseguran que encontraron indicios de que Berlusconi habría cometido otros dos delitos: manipulación de pruebas y corrupción de actos judiciales. Por ello, pidieron a la Fiscalía que investigue el caso para saber si se debe acusar formalmente al magnate de estos crímenes.
Los magistrados creen que Il Cavaliere y sus letrados les indicaron específicamente a las prostitutas lo que tenían que testificar en el proceso por el caso ‘Ruby’.
Las mujeres habrían recibido por su colaboración alrededor de 2.500 euros al mes, además de una vivienda gratuita para cada una y con todos los servicios pagos.
Berlusconi no niega que haya entregado dinero y casas a las jóvenes, pero lo explica por su generosidad: dice que era un resarcimiento por la persecución mediática y judicial sufrida por haber acudido a Arcore.

Fuente: El Tiempo

EE.UU. destruirá las armas químicas más peligrosas de Siria en el mar

ministroEstados Unidos se hará finalmente cargo de la destrucción de las sustancias químicas más peligrosas del arsenal sirio, un proceso que llevará a cabo a bordo de un buque, según anunció ha anunciado este sábado la Organización para la Prohibición de las Armas Químicas (OPAQ).

Esas sustancias deben salir de Siria antes de fin de año, de acuerdo con el plan pactado entre los miembros de la organización con sede en La Haya.

La OPAQ ha explicado a través de un comunicado que EE.UU. «ha ofrecido la tecnología de destrucción, total apoyo operativo y financiación para neutralizar los químicos prioritarios de Siria».

«Las operaciones de destrucción serán llevadas a cabo en el mar a bordo de un barco estadounidense utilizando hidrólisis. Actualmente un buque de la marina adecuado está siendo modificado para las operaciones y para acoger actividades de verificación por parte de la OPAQ», ha señalado la organización.

Las fases del plan
Mientras, el resto de los productos químicos acumulados por el régimen de Bashar al Assad serán eliminados posteriormente por empresas privadas.

La OPAQ ha explicado que hasta 35 compañías han expresado su interés en el proyecto y ahora serán evaluadas para definir cuáles se harán cargo de las tareas, que incluyen la neutralización de sustancias químicas de uso común en la industria.

«Las compañías que aspiran a participar en el proceso de eliminación deberán cumplir con todas las regulaciones internacionales y nacionales aplicables en cuanto a seguridad y medio ambiente», ha explicado la OPAQ.

La organización, que ha puesto en marcha un fondo para financiar ese proceso, ha animado a los países miembros a contribuir económicamente.

«Antes de iniciar cualquier proceso de adjudicación debemos estar seguros de que tendremos los fondos suficientes para afrontar los costes de la destrucción», ha indicado el director general de la OPAQ, Ahmet Ümzücü.

El plan de la OPAQ prevé que todas las sustancias químicas -con la excepción del isopropanol- salgan de territorio sirio como muy tarde el 5 de febrero y se neutralicen durante la primera mitad de 2014.

El ofrecimiento de Estados Unidos a hacerse cargo de las armas consideradas prioritarias llega después de que varios países rechazasen destruirlas en su territorio, entre ellos Albania, que se opuso a última hora ante las protestas de la población.

La destrucción del arsenal químico forma parte del plan negociado por Washington y Moscú para eliminar esa amenaza de Siria, que el régimen de Damasco aceptó para evitar un ataque internacional sobre el país.

Fuuente: ABC

La Policía escocesa confirma un fallecido y 32 heridos por la caída de un helicóptero sobre un bar en Glasgow

policia escocesaLa BBC informó de tres fallecidos. «No hubo bola de fuego ni oí ninguna explosión. Cayó como una piedra», relata uno de los testigos

La Policía escocesa ha confirmado que al menos una persona ha muerto y otras 32 han resultado heridas en el accidente del helicóptero de la Policía que se estrelló ayer en un bar de Glasgow (Escocia) y teme que el número de fallecidos aumente en las próximas horas.

El ministro principal escocés, Alex Salmond, dijo hoy en una rueda de prensa que la trágica caída supone «un día negro para Escocia».

Salmond compareció ante los periodistas con el inspector jefe de la Policía de Escocia, Stephen House, que confirmó la muerte de un ciudadano y advirtió de que se espera que «el número de víctimas mortales suba en las próximas horas».

La cadena pública BBC había informado previamente, y citaba fuentes de la investigación, de que al menos tres personas habían muerto después de que el helicóptero se precipitara sobre el techo del pub The Clutha de Glasgow a las 22:25 GMT del viernes.

House confirmó que los 32 heridos han sido trasladados a tres hospitales escoceses, Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow Royal Infirmary y el Western Infirmary, mientras los servicios de emergencia continúan su trabajo para rescatar a las personas atrapadas en el interior del edificio.

«No podemos decir si hay gente dentro con vida. Estamos aún en una fase de búsqueda y rescate», declaró el jefe policial.

Al igual que el policía, Salmond envió sus «condolencias» a las familias de los afectados y destacó la «rapidez y eficiencia» con que los servicios de emergencia escoceses han respondido al suceso.

«Este es un día negro para Glasgow y para Escocia pero también es el Día de San Andrés (patrón escocés) y podemos sentirnos orgullosos de cómo respondemos a la adversidad», afirmó el ministro principal, flanqueado por representantes de los servicios de bomberos y ambulancias.

House señaló que «ha empezado una investigación sobre las causas de este trágico accidente», pero advirtió de que «llevará un tiempo» finalizar el registro del edificio.

Un Eurocopter EC135 T2 de la Policía de Escocia, ocupado por dos agentes y un piloto civil, cayó anoche, a las 22,25 horas GMT, sobre el tejado del pub de una planta situado a orillas del río Clyde en Glasgow, cuando se calcula que había unas 120 personas dentro.

Varias de esas personas consiguieron escapar mientras que otras fueron evacuadas, pero se cree que aún hay ciudadanos atrapados dentro del local.

Un equipo de unos 125 bomberos trabaja para apuntalar el edificio, cuya estructura es muy inestable, a fin de poder penetrar en su interior y rescatar al resto de las víctimas así como evaluar los daños, indicó el inspector jefe.

El líder del Partido Laborista en el Reino Unido, Ed Miliband, calificó el suceso de «horror inimaginable» y transmitió su solidaridad a las familias de los afectados.

El primer ministro, el conservador David Cameron, dijo anoche a través de su cuenta de Twitter que sus «pensamientos están con todos los afectados por el accidente de helicóptero en Glasgow y los servicios de emergencia que están trabajando».

Varios testigos presenciales describieron cómo el helicóptero se precipitó desde el aire sin ninguna explosión.

«Cayó como una piedra»
El director de la edición escocesa del periódico «The Sun», Gordon Smart, vio lo ocurrido desde un aparcamiento cercano y, en declaraciones a Sky News, describió la caída del helicóptero como «precipitándose desde una gran altura a gran velocidad».

«No hubo bola de fuego ni oí ninguna explosión. Cayó como una piedra», manifestó.

El diputado laborista Jim Murphy se percató del accidente al pasar en coche cerca del pub y colaboró en formar una cadena humana para sacar del interior a personas con heridas «en la cabeza» y unas cuantas «inconscientes».

Otro testigo presencial señaló que la banda de ska Esperanza estaba actuando en el local en el momento de los hechos, mientras que un mensaje en la página de Facebook de este grupo informa de que sus miembros «están bien».

Este es el tercer accidente de un helicóptero de la Policía en Escocia en más de dos décadas: hubo uno en 2002, cuando un aparato Eurocopter EC-135 cayó sobre un campo de Ayrshire sin causar víctimas, y otro en 1990, cuando un Bell Jet 206 se estrelló por mal tiempo en Newton Mearns, en East Renfrewshire, con la muerte de un sargento.

Fuente: ABC

Merkel and SPD clinch coalition deal

dealChancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) clinched a coalition deal early today that puts Germany on track to have a new government in place by Christmas.

The agreement was struck roughly two months after Merkel was the clear winner in national elections but fell short of a parliamentary majority, forcing her into talks with the arch-rival SPD, with whom she ruled in an awkward «grand coalition» during her first term as Chancellor from 2005-2009.

The deal, spelled out in a detailed 185-page policy document, will not be final until approved over the coming weeks by a postal ballot of the 474,000 card-carrying SPD members, many of them skeptical about partnering with Merkel again.

But the agreement will be greeted with a sigh of relief in other European capitals. The lengthy talks have delayed movement on major European reforms, including the creation of a «banking union», an ambitious project designed to prevent a recurrence of the euro zone’s crippling debt crisis.

«The result is good for our country and has a conservative imprint,» said Hermann Groehe, secretary general of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU). «No new taxes and no new debts.»

Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament and a senior SPD negotiator, called it an «excellent result» for his party.

Merkel and other party leaders will present details of the deal at a news conference at 12 p.m. (1100 GMT) on Wednesday. The allocation of cabinet posts is expected to be announced later.

To clinch the deal, Merkel agreed to SPD demands for a minimum wage of 8.50 euros per hour, which some economists have warned could push up unemployment, particularly in eastern Germany.

In order to prevent that, the wage will be phased in over a period of years, with sector-specific exceptions allowed until 2017, when the wage formally kicks in nationwide.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Italy Senate expels Berlusconi from parliament after conviction

BerlusconiThe Italian Senate expelled Silvio Berlusconi from parliament following his conviction for tax fraud, in what the centre-right leader called a day of mourning for Italian democracy.

The Senate speaker declared he was ineligible for a seat in parliament after the house rejected a series of challenges by Berlusconi’s supporters to a proposal for his expulsion. No formal vote was held.

Berlusconi was sentenced in August to four years in prison, commuted to a year under house arrest or in community service, for masterminding an illegal scheme to reduce the tax bill of his media company Mediaset.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

US affirms support for Japan in islands dispute with China

USThe United States pledged support for ally Japan in a growing dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea and senior US administration officials accused Beijing of behavior that had unsettled its neighbors.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel assured his Japanese counterpart in a phone call that the two nations’ defense pact covered the small islands where China established a new airspace defense zone last week and commended Tokyo «for exercising appropriate restraint,» a Pentagon spokesman said.

China’s declaration raised the stakes in a territorial standoff between Beijing and Tokyo over the area, which includes the tiny uninhabited islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

The United States defied China’s demand that airplanes flying near the islands identify themselves to Chinese authorities, flying two unarmed B-52 bombers over the islands on Tuesday without informing Beijing.

It was a sharp reminder to China that the United States still maintains a large military presence in the region despite concerns among US allies that President Barack Obama’s «pivot to Asia» strategy has borne little fruit.

In a previously announced trip, Vice President Joe Biden will visit China, Japan and South Korea next week. He will seek to ease tensions heightened by China’s declaration, senior administration officials said.

Washington does not take a position on the sovereignty of the islands but recognizes that Tokyo has administrative control over them and the United States is therefore bound to defend Japan in the event of an armed conflict.

Some experts say the Chinese move was aimed at eroding Tokyo’s claim to administrative control over the area.

China’s Defense Ministry said it had monitored the US bombers. A Pentagon spokesman said the planes had not been observed or contacted by Chinese aircraft.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Britain protests to Spain over Gibraltar diplomatic bag incident

Gibraltar55Britain accused Madrid of a «serious infringement» of international protocol, saying Spanish police had opened a British diplomatic bag on the border with its contested territory of Gibraltar.

Madrid denied that its officers had opened any diplomatic bag, which are typically used to carry official correspondence.

Spain lays claim to Gibraltar, a small rocky outcrop on its southern coast that it ceded to Britain 300 years ago, and tensions have been running high in recent months over the British overseas territory.

Britain’s Foreign Office said the incident happened last Friday and marked the first time a fellow European Union member and NATO ally had broken international rules by opening a diplomatic bag. The last time such an incident occurred was in Zimbabwe in 2000, it said.

«We take very seriously any reported abuse of the protocol surrounding official correspondence and the diplomatic bag,» the Foreign Office said in a statement. «Official correspondence and diplomatic bags are inviolable.

«We have asked the Spanish authorities to investigate what occurred and take action to ensure it does not happen again.»

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo denied that police had opened any diplomatic bag. «There is no incident,» he told local media, in comments broadcast by radio stations. «If it is not a diplomatic bag, there is no diplomatic incident.»

«A bag was opened, which was not a diplomatic bag,» he said.

Opening a diplomatic bag would be a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a treaty signed in 1961 that sets out the rules on how countries should treat each others’ diplomats.

Tensions over Gibraltar flared up during the summer when Spain complained that an artificial reef being built there would block its fishing vessels.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Las «esclavas» conocieron a sus captores por compartir una ideología política

policia londresLas mujeres que permanecieron más de 30 años en régimen de esclavitud doméstica en una casa de Londres conocieron a sus captores porque compartían la misma «ideología política», según indicó hoy Scotland Yard.

La Policía Metropolitana de Londres (MET) informó de que está investigando, casa por casa, la zona donde las tres mujeres fueron liberadas, el área de Lambert, al sur de Londres.

El caso ha conmocionado al Reino Unido desde el pasado jueves, cuando la policía informó de que había detenido a un hombre y una mujer de 67 años por haber mantenido durante tres décadas en cautividad a una mujer malasia de 69 años, una irlandesa de 57 y una británica de 30, que fueron liberadas el 25 de octubre.

Steve Rodhouse, jefe policial de Scotland Yard, informó hoy de que los captores, que están en libertad bajo fianza, son de origen indio y tanzano, llegaron al Reino Unido en la década de 1960 y que infligieron a las mujeres «abusos emocionales y físicos».

Según Rodhouse, el hombre de 67 años conoció a dos de las mujeres, las de mayor edad, a través de «una ideología política compartida» y todos comenzaron a vivir juntos en «un régimen colectivo» en la casa.

El responsable de la MET indicó que este caso es «extremadamente complejo» y que la investigación será «difícil».

«La gente involucrada, la naturaleza de ese régimen colectivo y cómo operaba es algo que está sujeto a nuestra investigación, y estamos poniendo juntas las piezas, de forma lenta y dolorosa», agregó el jefe policial.

«De alguna manera ese régimen de colectividad llegó a su fin», apuntó Rodhouse, quien señaló que la única documentación oficial recuperada de la mujer de 30 años fue su certificado de nacimiento.

«Pensamos que ha vivido toda su vida con los sospechosos y las otras víctimas, pero en este momento inicial de la investigación estamos buscando más pruebas», manifestó el policía.

No se darán detalles de la identidad de las mujeres, que se encuentran «frágiles desde un punto de vista emocional y muy vulnerables», agregó.

Según el diario «The Guardian», la mujer de 30 años podría ser hija del hombre de 67 años y de la «esclava» irlandesa, si bien este dato no ha sido confirmado.

Las mujeres fueron rescatadas por la policía cuando salieron de la casa en ausencia de los captores el pasado 25 de octubre, después de que una de ellas hiciera días antes una llamada de teléfono a la organización no gubernamental «Freedom Charity».

Scotland Yard ha informado de que los captores las pegaban y abusaban de ellas emocionalmente, si bien está descartado el componente sexual o de tráfico de personas pues no fueron traídas al país por la fuerza.

La fundadora de «Freedom Charity» (dedicada a ayudar a menores vulnerables), Aneeta Prem, ha asegurado que las mujeres vivieron en «horribles condiciones» en la casa.

Según Prem, la irlandesa fue la que hizo la llamada a «Freedom Charity» el pasado 18 de octubre para decir que había estado retenida en contra de su voluntad durante más de 30 años.

Fuente: EFE

Se derrumbó un centro comercial en Letonia: al menos 50 muertos

derrumbeCasi 24 horas después de derrumbarse el techo de un centro comercial en la capital de Letonia, Riga, el número de muertos no deja de aumentar y los equipos de rescate continúan trabajando entre los escombros .

Casi 24 horas después de derrumbarse el techo de un centro comercial en la capital de Letonia, Riga, el número de muertos no deja de aumentar y los equipos de rescate continúan trabajando entre los escombros en busca de víctimas o supervivientes.

De acuerdo a los últimos datos difundidos por el portal informativo letón Delfi.lv, las víctimas mortales ascienden ya a 50, aunque se teme aún haya gente atrapada bajo los restos del edificio, un supermercado construido hace apenas dos años y situado en el barrio de Solitude.

La tragedia comenzó a fraguarse a última hora del jueves, cuando se produjo un primer derrumbe del techo, que se desplomó sobre los clientes, y los servicios de socorro fueron avisados.

Eran aproximadamente las 18.00 hora local (16.00 GMT), un momento en que numerosos habitantes de Riga se dedicaban a hacer sus compras después de su jornada laboral.

Las primeras noticias no apuntaban a una gran catástrofe, pero una vez que se encontraban en el lugar de los hechos los equipos de rescate y bomberos, se produjo un segundo derrumbe de una pared que alcanzó de llenó a los grupos de salvamento.

Entre los muertos confirmados hay tres bomberos, según los servicios de emergencias, así como cuatro trabajadores del supermercado Máxima, mientras más de una treintena de heridos siguen ingresados en los hospitales.

Se trata del suceso más trágico ocurrido en Letonia desde que el país báltico -que es miembro de la Unión Europea y de la OTAN desde 2004- obtuvo la independencia de la Unión Soviética en 1991.

Las autoridades letonas han decretado tres días de luto nacional en señal de respeto por las víctimas de la catástrofe.

Los servicios de emergencias siguen trabajando a destajo para rescatar a posibles supervivientes y se ha montado un hospital de campaña para tratar a los heridos en el mismo lugar.

Enormes grúas pueden verse levantando grandes piezas del techo derrumbado, y la zona afectada por el desplome abarca unos 500 metros cuadrados.

«La superficie de los trabajos de rescate es extremadamente amplia, y las labores de desescombro se llevan a cabo muy despacio y con mucho cuidado, porque las estructuras derrumbadas recuerdan un castillo de naipes. Levantar un bloque de hormigón puede provocar la caída de otros», explicó a la televisión letona la portavoz de los servicios de rescate, Inga Vetere.

Los servicios de emergencias señalan que la mayoría de las víctimas de la tragedia tenían entre 25 y 40 años.

Una empleada de Máxima que declinó identificarse dijo a Delfi.lv que tres de sus amigas estaban en el centro cuando se hundió.

«Justo estaba hablando con ellas ayer, y ahora se han ido». «No puedo creerlo», se lamentaba.

Larisa, una habitante local desde cuyo piso puede verse el centro comercial, se mostraba incrédula ante el panorama apocalíptico.

«Es terrible. Quién podría creer que esto iba a ocurrir. Era la hora en que la gente termina de trabajar, por lo que siempre está lleno. No puedo creerlo, por mucho que lo miro, no lo creo», señalaba.

En los alrededores, algunas personas aguardan aun para tener noticias de sus familiares o amigos que pueden estar atrapados bajo los escombros, mientras se ha montado un servicio de ayuda psicológica.

La cadena de supermercados Máxima informó de que, tras la catástrofe, va a inspeccionar cada una de sus tiendas en Letonia. La compañía también ha dicho que pagará compensaciones a las víctimas, según su director general, Gintaras Jasinskas.

El jefe adjunto del Servicio Estatal de Bomberos y Rescate, Normudn Plegermanis, apuntó durante la madrugada que la estructura sufría nuevos derrumbes cada cierto tiempo.

Las autoridades municipales de Riga han apuntado a las obras de ajardinamiento en la azotea del centro comercial como una de las causas más probables del derrumbe, una posibilidad que ya investiga la policía y que ha sido tajantemente rechazada por la empresa constructora.

Fuente: La Razón

China: Explosión de un oleoducto deja 44 muertos y 166 heridos

explosionPekín. Al menos 44 personas murieron y 166 resultaron heridas, 65 de gravedad, por la explosión de un oleoducto en la ciudad costera de Qingdao, en el este de China, informaron las autoridades locales a la agencia oficial Xinhua.

El siniestro se produjo ayer, viernes, hacia las 10:30 (2:30 GMT) en el distrito de Huangdao, cuando unos trabajadores reparaban una fuga en el oleoducto que se había iniciado de madrugada.
El gobierno local ha descartado que se trate de un ataque orquestado, mientras la Administración Estatal para la Seguridad ha enviado un equipo de trabajo al lugar de la catástrofe para ayudar a los grupos de rescate.
El presidente chino, Xi Jinping, pidió el «máximo esfuerzo» en la búsqueda de supervivientes, y también urgió a las autoridades locales a que «no cejen en sus esfuerzos de rescatar a los heridos, encontrar las causas del accidente y reforzar la seguridad».
El primer ministro, Li Keqiang, emitió un comunicado similar, divulgado por la agencia oficial Xinhua.
Algunos residentes de las localidades cercanas, dice Xinhua, «han sido evacuados por miedo a que ocurra una segunda explosión», mientras los hospitales próximos, como el del distrito de Huangdao, están saturados por la llegada de heridos (más de 50, según este centro).
Casi todos los heridos son, por el momento, a causa de la explosión en el oleoducto, propiedad de la mayor petrolera china (Sinopec), que destrozó una carretera contigua, esparció restos de cemento y otros materiales a varios metros a la redonda y rompió cristales de numerosos automóviles cercanos.
El Gobierno local ha pedido calma a los habitantes de zonas vecinas a la explosión, asegurando que por ahora no hay indicios de que el suceso haya generado contaminación en la zona, próxima al mar.
Uno de los puentes marítimos de la zona ha sido cerrado a consecuencia del siniestro, y el tráfico ha sido desviado para facilitar el paso de los vehículos de emergencia.

Fuente: EFE

Estados Unidos realiza homenajes en honor a John F. Kennedy

Estados UnidosEs un enfoque reverente que se repetirá en Boston, donde la Biblioteca y Museo JFK abrirá una pequeña muestra de objetos nunca antes expuestos del funeral de estado de Kennedy y celebrará un homenaje musical que no estará abierto al público. Barack Obama se reunirá en privado en la Casa Banca con líderes y voluntarios del programa Cuerpos de Paz.

Dallas, EEUU.- Estados Unidos conmemoró solemnemente el viernes el 50 aniversario del asesinato del presidente John F. Kennedy con recordaciones en su tumba y el lugar en el centro de Dallas donde el joven presidente fue abatido en su limusina descapotada.

Las banderas flamearon a media asta, y se preveía realizar un minuto de silencio a la hora de los disparos. También hubo actos en su patria ancestral, Irlanda, informó AP.

Poco después del amanecer, el secretario de Justicia, Eric Holder, concurrió a la tumba recientemente refaccionada de Kennedy en el Cementerio Nacional de Arlington, donde un oficial de caballería británico montaba guardia y sonaban gaitas junto a la llama eterna.

Una hora después, Jean Kennedy Smith, de 85 años, la última hermana sobreviviente, acompañada por una decena de miembros de la familia, colocó una ofrenda floral. Tomados de las manos, rezaron en silencio contemplados por algunos cientos de turistas.

El viernes era un día frío, húmedo y ventoso en Dallas, muy distinto de la jornada soleada cuando murió Kennedy.

Se emitieron unos 5.000 boletos gratuitos para la ceremonia en la plaza Dealey, flanqueada por el Depósito de Libros Escolares de Texas donde acechaba el francotirador Lee Harvey Oswald.

El escenario de la ceremonia, al sur del edificio, estaba decorado con un gran cartel con el perfil del presidente asesinado. Pantallas de video mostraban imágenes de Kennedy con su familia.

La gente arribó con horas de anticipación.

«El presidente Kennedy siempre ha sido venerado en nuestra familia», dijo Colleen Bonner, de 41 años. «Quiero honrar su memoria y ser parte de la historia».

El coro masculino de la Academia Naval actuaba en honor al servicio militar de Kennedy durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial y se preveía un sobrevuelo de aviones de la Fuerza Aérea.

La actividad del viernes incluirá una breve alocución del alcalde, se harán sonar las campanas de iglesias y el escritor David McCullough leerá fragmentos de los discursos del presidente.

Es un enfoque reverente que se repetirá en Boston, donde la Biblioteca y Museo JFK abrirá una pequeña muestra de objetos nunca antes expuestos del funeral de estado de Kennedy y celebrará un homenaje musical que no estará abierto al público. En Washington, el presidente Barack Obama se reunirá en privado en la Casa Banca con líderes y voluntarios del programa Cuerpos de Paz, creado por Kennedy

El comité convocado por el alcalde de Dallas, Mike Rawlings, para planear el evento en la ciudad quería centrarse «de una forma positiva en el legado del presidente Kennedy», dijo Ron Kirk, ex alcalde y miembro del panel.

Este año se celebraron numerosas actividades alrededor de Dallas para conmemorar el aniversario, como paneles en que participaron algunas personas que estaban presentes ese día, conciertos y exhibiciones en museos.

Julian Read, ayudante de prensa del gobernador John Connally, estaba en un autobús con representantes de los medios varios vehículos detrás de la limosina presidencial. Después de los disparos, vio alejarse el descapotable en que iban Kennedy, herido de muerte, y el gobernador, lesionado de gravedad. Read publicó este año un libro en que contó su experiencia y asistió a varios de los eventos, que calificó de catárticos.

«Aunque tenía muchos pensamientos melancólicos, todo va mejorando, me consuela mucho más que en cualquier momento desde 1963», dijo Read, que estará en la ceremonia oficial el viernes.

La Coalición sobre Asesinatos Políticos, un grupo que opina que la muerte de Kennedy fue parte de una confabulación, por lo general se reúne en el lugar para un minuto de silencio cada 22 de novimbre. Pero como el pequeño promontorio donde por lo general se celebra la reunión estará cerrado el público este año, el director ejecutivo John Judge -quien acudió por primera vez a la Plaza Dealey para el quinto aniversario en 1968- dice que ha llegado a una cuerdo aceptable con el gobierno municipal.

El grupo -que planea vestir camisetas con una imagen de la cabeza de Kennedy con un orificio de bala y el lema «50 años de negación son suficientes»- se reunirá a pocas cuadras de distancia y se acercará a la plaza cuando termine la ceremonia oficial.

Fuente: http://www.eluniversal.com/

Democrats change Senate rules to pass Obama’s stalled nominees

Lindsey GrahamThe Democratic-led US Senate, in a historic rule change, has stripped Republicans of their ability to block President Barack Obama’s judicial and executive branch nominees.

On a nearly party-line vote of 52-48, Democrats changed the Senate’s balance of power by reducing from 60 to 51 the number of votes needed to end procedural roadblocks known as filibusters against presidential nominees, except those for the US Supreme Court.

The action underscored the bitter partisan divide in Congress, which has produced unprecedented gridlock and an approval rating of less than 10 percent for the institution.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, led the charge on the rules change, accusing Republicans of obstructionism and saying the American public is right to believe that «Congress is broken.»

Reid said of the 168 filibusters against presidential nominees in US history, half were held against Obama’s picks.

«It’s time to change,» Reid said.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell insisted that there was no reason for a rule change, saying Republicans had confirmed the vast majority of Obama’s judicial nominees.

McConnell also accused Democrats of taking the action to divert attention from the botched launch of Obama’s new healthcare law known as Obamacare.

«On this point, the similarities between the Obamacare debate and the Democrat threat» to change Senate rules «are inescapable,» McConnell said just before the vote.

«They muscled through Obamacare on a party-line vote and didn’t care about the views of the minority. And that’s just what they’re doing here, too,» McConnell said.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Yellen clears first Senate hurdle to become next Fed chair

Janet YellenThe Senate Banking Committee today approved Janet Yellen’s nomination to become the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve, sending it to the full Senate for a final vote.

If she is confirmed, as is widely expected, the current No. 2 at the central bank will replace its chairman, Ben Bernanke, when his term expires on January 31, making her the most powerful woman in world finance.

The vote was 14 in favor and 8 against. Three Republicans voted in favor of her nomination and one Democrat voted against.

Nominated by President Barack Obama, Yellen is viewed as a monetary policy dove who puts more weight on driving down high unemployment than on the risk this will ignite future inflation.

She will preside over a central bank that has taken dramatic and unconventional steps to spur U.S. growth and hiring, measures that have stirred fierce complaints among critics fearful of future inflation and the potential for asset price bubbles.

The Fed has held benchmark US interest rates near zero since late 2008 and has quadrupled the size of its balance sheet to $3.9 trillion through three massive bond purchase campaigns aimed at lowering the cost of long-term borrowing.

This has made the Fed a target for Republican lawmakers worried that these ultra-easy policies have enabled big spending by the Obama administration.

«The long-term costs of these policies are unclear and frankly worrisome,» Republican Senator Michael Crapo told the committee before voting ‘no’.

Despite those concerns, she is expected to handily win confirmation when the full Senate considers her nomination, likely in December.

Democrats control 55 of the 100 votes in the Senate, which means she would need the backing of only a handful of Republicans to secure the 60 votes that would be needed to clear any procedural hurdles that might be thrown in her way.

She looks well on the way to reaching that threshold.

Yellen received support from three Republicans on the banking committee: Bob Corker of Tennessee, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mark Kirk of Illinois. In addition, Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have also indicated they are inclined to back her in the full Senate.

The Democrat who voted against her in committee was Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Colombia’s Santos says he will stand for re-election in 2014

Juan Manuel SantosColombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he would seek a second term in office next May, a widely expected decision that could offer him another four years to pursue a peace process he initiated with Marxist FARC rebels.

«I want a Colombia that is at peace and prosperous for all,» Santos said in an address to the nation.

Santos, 62, a Harvard-educated journalist and son of one of the nation’s most influential families, will take on opposition candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga in a campaign likely to focus on how peace with the rebels would transform Colombian society after five decades of war.

Neither candidate is likely to upset investors as both are former finance ministers and seen as market friendly. Economic growth has slowed in the last year on the back of weak overseas demand for local industrial goods but output is expected to pick up in the coming months, and provide a boost to Santos.

Still, Zuluaga, a one-time senator and provincial mayor, charges that FARC negotiations have damaged the $360 billion economy. He accuses Santos of offering the rebels too many concessions and pushing talks so as to enter the history books.

Santos began negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) a year ago.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Police hold suspect over Paris shootings

French policeFrench police are holding a man on suspicion he opened fire with a shotgun at the offices of a left-wing newspaper and a major bank in Paris, judicial sources revealed.

The suspect was arrested in the evening in his car in the parking lot of a Paris suburb, one source said.

A second source said the man was thought to be under medication and was not in a state to be questioned immediately, but police were testing his DNA against traces found on cartridges left behind by the gunman.

The gunman seriously wounded a 23-year-old photographer’s assistant in the lobby of the Liberation newspaper on Monday before fleeing.

Shortly afterwards, he fired at least three shots into the lobby of the headquarters of Societe Generale in the La Defense business district. There were no casualties.

The gunman later vanished into the crowds of Paris’ Champs-Elysees boulevard after forcing a driver at gunpoint to take him there.

With a vast manhunt under way, police have received hundreds of tip offs from the public after circulating photographs from security cameras, including some of his face.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Afghanistan, US reach draft security agreement

1The United States and Afghanistan reached a draft agreement laying out the terms under which US troops may stay beyond 2014, one day before Afghan elders are to debate the issue.

A draft accord released by the Afghan government appears to meet US demands on such controversial issues as whether US troops would unilaterally conduct counterterrorism operations, enter Afghan homes or protect the country from outside attack.

Without the accord, Washington has warned it could withdraw its troops by the end of next year and leave Afghan forces to fight a Taliban-led insurgency without their help.

Thousands of Afghan dignitaries and elders are due to convene in a giant tent in the capital Kabul on Thursday to debate the fate of US forces after a 2014 drawdown of a multinational NATO force.

«We have reached an agreement as to the final language of the bilateral security agreement that will be placed before the Loya Jirga tomorrow,» US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in the US capital, referring to the gathering.

Intense negotiations between Kabul and Washington have provoked frustration among the Afghan tribal and political elders who made perilous journeys from all over the country to the capital Kabul for a grand assembly to debate the pact.

Efforts to finalise the pact stalled on Tuesday amid disagreement over whether US. President Barack Obama had agreed to issue a letter acknowledging mistakes made during the 12-year Afghan war.

Kerry denied any discussion about the possibility of a US apology to Afghanistan for US mistakes or Afghan civilian casualties, a move that would likely draw widespread anger in the United States.

«The important thing for people to understand is there has never been a discussion of or the word ‘apology’ used in our discussions whatsoever,» Kerry said, adding that Afghan President Hamid Karzai had also not asked for an apology.

It was unclear where the notion of an apology originated.

A US official said that when Kerry declined Karzai’s invitation to attend the Loya Jirga, the Afghan leader asked for US reassurances to the council on the future security relationship that would also address civilian casualties.

Kerry suggested outlining the US position in a letter. When Karzai asked if the letter could come from Obama, Kerry said he would check, this official added.

The secretary of state said «it is up to President Obama and the White House to address any issues with respect to any possible communication» between the two presidents.

Susan Rice, Obama’s national security adviser, insisted on Tuesday that an apology was «not on the table.»

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

US says ‘very hard’ to clinch deal as Iran nuclear talks resume

Catherine AshtonBig powers resumed talks today on a preliminary agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear programme with the United States warning it would be «very hard» to clinch a breakthrough deal this week and Tehran citing «red lines».

Keen to end a long standoff and head off the risk of a wider Middle East war, the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany came close to winning concessions from Tehran on its nuclear activity in return for some sanctions relief at negotiations in Geneva earlier this month.

Policymakers from the six nations have since said an interim accord on confidence-building steps could finally be within reach, despite warnings from diplomats that serious differences persist and could still thwart an agreement.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the remaining gaps were narrow. «It is the best chance for a long time to make progress on one of the gravest problems in foreign policy,» he told a news conference during a visit to Istanbul.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier: «We hope the efforts that are being made will be crowned with success at the meeting that opens today in Geneva.»

But a senior U.S. official appeared more cautious, telling reporters: «I think we can (get a deal), whether we will, we will have to see because it is hard. It is very hard … If it was easy to do, it would have been done a long time ago.»

The official, with an eye to strong sceptics of deal-making with Iran, including Israel and hawks in the US Congress, said the vast majority of sanctions would remain intact after any initial pact and Washington would «vigorously» implement them.

Western governments suspect Iran has enriched uranium with the covert aim of developing the means to fuel nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies. Refined uranium is used to run nuclear power stations – Iran’s stated goal – but cam also constitute the core of a nuclear bomb, if enriched to a high degree.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech as Western negotiators gathered in the Swiss city that the Islamic Republic would not step back from its nuclear rights and he had set «red lines» for his envoys in Geneva.

He added, according to his official website: «We want to have friendly relations with all nations and peoples. The Islamic system isn’t even hostile to the nation of America, although with regards to Iran and the Islamic system, the American government is arrogant, malicious and vindictive.»

Khamenei also criticised France, which spoke out against a draft deal floated at the Nov. 7-9 round, for «succumbing to the United States» and «kneeling before the Israeli regime». France said the comments were unacceptable.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Syria-linked suicide attacks kill 23 near Iran embassy in Beirut

SyriaTwo suicide bombings rocked Iran’s embassy compound in Lebanon today, killing at least 23 people including an Iranian cultural attache and hurling bodies and burning wreckage across a debris-strewn street.

A Lebanon-based al Qaeda-linked group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, claimed responsibility and threatened further attacks unless Iran withdraws forces from Syria, where they have backed President Bashar al-Assad’s 2-1/2-year-old war against rebels.

Security camera footage showed a man in an explosives belt rushing towards the outer wall of the embassy in Beirut before blowing himself up, Lebanese officials said. They said a car bomb parked two buildings away from the compound had caused the second, deadlier explosion. The Lebanese army described both blasts as suicide attacks.

In a Twitter post, Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the religious guide of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, said the group had carried out the attack. «It was a double martyrdom operation by two of the Sunni heroes of Lebanon,» he wrote.

Lebanon has suffered a series of sectarian clashes and bomb attacks on Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim targets which have been linked to the Syrian conflict and which had already killed scores of people this year.

Today’s bombing took place on the eve of more talks between world powers and Iran over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme. They came close to agreeing an interim deal during negotiations earlier this month.

The bombs also struck as Assad’s forces extended their military gains in Syria before peace talks which the United Nations hopes to convene in mid-December and which Iran says it is ready to attend.

Shi’ite Iran actively supports Assad against mostly Sunni rebels, and two of its Revolutionary Guard commanders have been killed in Syria this year. Along with fighters from the Lebanese Shi’ite movement Hezbollah, Iran has helped to turn the tide in Assad’s favour at the expense of rebels backed and armed by Sunni powers Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Gunman on loose in Paris after newspaper, bank shootings

parisFrench police officers cordon the area next to newspaper Liberation»s headquarters in Paris.

Police were hunting a lone gunman on the loose in central Paris today after he opened fire at the offices of a left-wing newspaper and a major bank before hijacking a car to take him to the Champs-Elysees avenue.

The shaven-haired assailant, who police said was filmed by video-surveillance cameras, fired shots at the office of Liberation daily, seriously injuring a photographer’s assistant before fleeing, police and staff at the newspaper said.

About 90 minutes later, he opened fire outside the suburban headquarters of Societe Generale in the La Defense business district 10 km (6 miles) west of the centre, wounding no one, police and a spokeswoman for the bank said.

There was no immediate indication of his motive.

Shortly afterwards, the same man hijacked a car nearby and forced the driver to drop him on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in central Paris, the driver told police.

Police said the description of the car-jacker fitted that of the gunman, who was armed with a hunting rifle or similar weapon. Cartridges found after both attacks corresponded.

«As long as this person is still on the loose and we do not know the motives, this represents a threat,» Interior Minister Manuel Valls told reporters outside Liberation’s offices. «We must move fast.»

A police helicopter hovered over the Champs-Elysees area to help in the manhunt after the gunman melted into the crowd.

President Francois Hollande, on an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, said «all means» would be deployed to catch the attacker.

Earlier, Liberation managing editor Fabrice Rousselot said witnesses described the assailant as a short-haired man in his 40s. Police said he was «of European type».

The wounded photographer’s assistant was hit in the chest, a police official said.

«He walked in, fired twice and left,» Rousselot told reporters.

Deputy editor-in-chief Fabrice Tassel said in a tweet that the young male victim was fighting for his life in hospital.

Police deployed outside the offices of other media outlets in the French capital.

The mid-morning incidents came days after an armed intruder entered the offices of the BFM TV channel, threatening journalists before disappearing. Police said video surveillance footage showed it was the same man.

Liberation’s offices near the Place de la Republique in east-central Paris were cordoned off as forensics experts investigated.

source: Buenos Aires Herald

Putin tells Iran’s leader there is ‘real chance’ for nuclear deal

putinRussian President Vladimir Putin has told Iran’s Hassan Rouhani there was a «real chance» for a nuclear deal, two days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers, hoping to end a decade-long standoff over its atomic programme.

Russia is one of six world powers negotiating a proposal that would ease sanctions on Tehran if it suspends some parts of a programme that many countries, particularly in the West, fear is aimed at developing nuclear weapons capability.

«Vladimir Putin underlined that at the moment a real chance has appeared to find a solution to this long-running problem,» the Kremlin said after Putin telephoned Rouhani, elected president in June vowing to mend Iran’s international relations.

Israel opposes any deal to lift sanctions and France, one of the world powers at the talks, has said it would not back any such deal unless it were certain Iran has renounced any nuclear weapons programme.

Iran denies it is seeking weapons. But its refusal so far to curb its programme and lack of full openness with UN inspectors have drawn several rounds of U.N. sanctions and much harsher measures from the United States and Europe.

Two of the steps Western powers want Iran to take in the initial phase of any deal are to stop producing uranium enriched to a fissile concentration of 20 percent – a relatively short step from weapons-grade material – and to produce less 3.5 percent enriched uranium.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested Iran was prepared to do both.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Protesters rally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square against security forces

CairoAbout 1,000 people marched in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to condemn the actions of Egyptian security forces and some voiced rare criticism of the army chief, raising tension on the eve of planned mass protests.

Large numbers of demonstrators were expected to turn out tomorrow, extending turmoil that has dogged Egypt since the army ousted elected Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and has wrecked investment and tourism in the major, US-allied Arab state.

Today’s rally began in the afternoon to commemorate people killed in clashes with security forces two years ago, then turned into chanting against General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose forces toppled Morsi in July.

Army and police who had been stationed by armoured personnel carriers after sealing off Tahrir melted away by the time the protesters arrived at the square, the heart of the 2011 popular uprising that ejected autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

«A word in your ear, Sisi, don’t dream of being my president!» the protesters yelled. It was not clear why army and police units made no attempt to stop the demonstrators.

Sisi has become wildly popular in Egypt since Morsi’s exit, and many believe he would win if he runs for president in elections expected next year.

But some Egyptians are opposed both to Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood and the current military-steered government, and they dominated the Tahrir Square rally.

Tomorrow’s expected mass protests will commemorate the second anniversary of the deaths of 42 people opposed to the military council ruling Egypt at the time in clashes with security forces on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, near Tahrir.

The army toppled Morsi a year after he took over from the generals who have dominated Egypt for decades.

The army says a political roadmap will lead to free and fair elections and stability to Egypt, where the revolt that brought down Mubarak in February 2011 raised prospects for democracy after decades of authoritarian rule.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

McCartney asks Putin to help free Greenpeace activists

McCartneyFormer Beatle Paul McCartney said he had written to President Vladimir Putin to enlist his help in securing the release of a group of Greenpeace activists detained in Russia.

Twenty-eight activists and two others face seven years in jail over a protest by the environmental group against oil drilling in the Arctic in which some tried to scale a Russian rig. McCartney said they were not anti-Russian or violent.

«It would be great if this misunderstanding could be resolved and the protesters can be home with their families in time for Christmas. We live in hope,» McCartney wrote on his website.

He said Putin, whom he met when he first performed in Moscow in 2003, had not replied to the October 14 letter beginning «Dear Vladimir» but the Russian ambassador to London had responded by saying their plight was not properly represented by the media.

«Vladimir, millions of people in dozens of countries would be hugely grateful if you were to intervene to bring about an end to this affair,» he wrote in the letter.

Quoting from the Beatles’ song «Back in the USSR», which he composed 45 years ago, he wrote: «That song had one of my favorite Beatles lines in it: ‘Been away so long I hardly knew the place, gee it’s good to be back home’.»

«Could you make that come true for the Greenpeace prisoners?» he asked.

The Prirazlomnaya oil rig which the Greenpeace activists tried to scale on September 18 is owned by state energy company Gazprom and is at the heart of a drive to tap into the Arctic’s natural resources to help expand Russia’s economy.

The 30 face charges of hooliganism. Investigators have said they have dropped piracy charges, which carry a 15-year jail term, but Greenpeace says those charges still formally stand.

The Netherlands has asked an international tribunal to order the release of the group, which include people from 18 nations.

McCartney has previously expressed support for the Pussy Riot protest group which performed a «punk prayer» in Moscow’s main cathedral last year against Putin’s close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Appeals for leniency by McCartney and other international artists including Madonna failed to help them escape a two-year jail sentence. Two band members remain in jail.

Critics accuse Putin of using the courts to punish opponents but the Kremlin denies this.

Among the activists held in Russia are Argentineans Camila Speziale and Hernán Pérez Orsi.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Obama offers fix to troubled healthcare law

obamaPresident Barack Obama has offered a fix to his troubled healthcare law that would allow insurance companies to extend for one year the health plans of Americans that would otherwise face cancellation.

Struggling to convince citizens he is on top of the growing crisis around the Affordable Care Act, Obama disclosed that he was not informed directly that the glitch-prone website might not work the way it was supposed to work when enrollment began on October 1.

He declined to say that all problems with the website would be ironed out by a November 30 deadline but said there would the improvements would be «marked and noticeable.»

In remarks in the White House briefing room, Obama said he has not been happy about the healthcare law’s rollout and that he understands Americans’ frustration with it.

To those Americans who have already had their health plans canceled and complained about it, «I hear you loud and clear,» he said.

In a message to congressional Republicans who are pushing an alternative to his healthcare plan, Obama said he would not accept «brazen» legislative attempts to undermine the law.

Asked if the public’s trust in government was being lost because of the rollout problems, Obama said: «No doubt that people are frustrated.»

«This one is deserved, it’s on us,» he said.

Obama said he would work hard to win back the public’s confidence in his leadership.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Typhoon relief starts, Philippine president Aquino under pressure

Philippine armyA US aircraft carrier «strike group» started unloading food and water to the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines as President Benigno Aquino faced mounting pressure to speed up the distribution of supplies.

While relief efforts picked up, local authorities began burying the dead – an important, if grim, milestone for a city shredded by one of the world’s most powerful typhoons and the tsunami-like wall of seawater believed to have killed thousands.

«There are still bodies on the road,» said Alfred Romualdez, mayor of Tacloban, a city of 220,000 people reduced to rubble in worst-hit Leyte province. «It’s scary. There is a request from a community to come and collect bodies. They say it’s five or 10. When we get there, it’s 40.»

Many petrol station owners whose businesses were spared have refused to reopen, leaving little fuel for trucks needed to move supplies and medical teams around the devastated areas nearly a week after Typhoon Haiyan struck.

«The choice is to use the same truck either to distribute food or collect bodies,» Romualdez added.

The nuclear-powered USS George Washington aircraft carrier and accompanying ships arrived off wind-swept eastern Samar province, carrying 5,000 crew and more than 80 aircraft, after what strike force commander Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery called a «high-speed transit» from Hong Kong.

It is moored near where US General Douglas MacArthur’s force of 174,000 men landed on October 20, 1944, in one of the biggest allied victories of World War Two.

«Operation Damayan» started with the George Washington and two cruisers taking up position off Samar to assess damage and provide logistical and emergency support such as fresh water.

Ships carried 11 pallets ashore – eight containing 1,920 gallons of water and three containing food – at Tacloban airfield. Several pallets of water were taken to Guiuan, home to home to 45,000 people, which was also badly hit by the storm.

The carrier moved some fixed-wing aircraft ashore to make more room for the helicopters on the flight deck.

«One of the best capabilities the strike group brings is our 21 helicopters,» Montgomery said in a statement. «These helicopters represent a good deal of lift to move emergency supplies around.»

Britain also said it would send a helicopter carrier, HMS Illustrious, to help in the relief effort. Japan was also planning to send up to 1,000 troops as well as naval vessels and aircraft, in what could be Tokyo’s biggest postwar military deployment.

Outside Taclaban, burials began for about 300 bodies in a mass grave on Thursday. A larger grave will be dug for 1,000, city administrator Tecson John Lim told Reuters.

The city government remains paralyzed, with an average of just 70 workers compared to 2,500 normally, he added. Many were killed, injured, lost family or were simply too overcome with grief to work.

The government was distributing 50,000 «food packs» containing 6 kg (13 lb) of rice and canned goods each day, but that covers just 3 percent of the 1.73 million families affected by the typhoon.

Aquino has been on the defensive over his handling of the storm given warnings of its projected strength and the risk of a storm surge, and now the pace of relief efforts.

He has said the death toll might have been higher had it not been for the evacuation of people and the readying of relief supplies, but survivors from worst-affected areas say they had little warning of a tsunami-like wall of water.

Aquino has also stoked debate over the extent of the casualties, citing a much lower death toll than the 10,000 estimated by local authorities. Official confirmed deaths stood at 2,357 on Thursday, a figure aid workers expect to rise.

City administrator Lim, who on Sunday estimated 10,000 likely died in Tacloban alone, said Aquino may be deliberately downplaying casualties. «Of course he doesn’t want to create too much panic. Perhaps he is grappling with whether he wants to reduce the panic so that life goes on,» he said.

The preliminary number of missing as of Thursday, according to the Red Cross, remained at 22,000. It has cautioned that that number could include people who have since been located.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Pope meets Italy’s Napolitano, warns about world crisis ‘painful’ effects

Pope FrancisPrio to his meeting with with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano today, Pope Francis warned about the effects of the global crisis, considering unemployment one of its “most painful” consequences. “It is necessary to multiply efforts in order to strengthen any sign of recovery,” the pontiff stated.

The head of the Catholic Church delivered a speech at Italy’s Quirinale presidential palace in which he also expressed concern about migrants’ situation. Francis has made the defence of the vulnerable a cornerstone of his papacy, lately urging world leaders to “respect” the rights of migrants and refugees.

In that sense, the Argentine pope said he keeps “printed” in his mind the images of his first visits to Italy and his recent trip to Lampedusa, the tiny island off Sicily that has been the first port of safety for untold thousands of migrants crossing by sea from North Africa seeking a better life in Europe.

“I have seen laudable testimonies of solidarity there”, he said.

The pope also referred to the ties between the Holy See and Rome affirming his presence there confirmed the “excellent state of reciprocal relations.”

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Abbas confirms Palestinian peace negotiators resigned

PalestinianPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said his peace negotiators had resigned over the lack of progress in US-brokered statehood talks clouded by Israeli settlement building.

The development would mark a new low point for the talks with Israel that resumed in July and which officials from both sides have said have made little headway.

In an interview with Egyptian CBC television, Abbas suggested the negotiations would continue even if the Palestinian peace delegation stuck to its decision.

«Either we can convince it to return, and we’re trying with them, or we form a new delegation,» he said.

It was unclear from Abbas’s interview when the Palestinian negotiators had quit, but Abbas said he would need about a week to resume the talks.

In a statement to mediam chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat did not elaborate on the report of his resignation, but said the sessions with Israel were frozen.

«In reality, the negotiations stopped last week in light of the settlement announcements last week,» he said.

Since the talks got underway after a three-year break, Israel has announced plans for several thousand new settler homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The disclosure that Israel’s Housing Ministry had commissioned separate plans for nearly 24,000 more homes for Israelis in the two areas raised US concern and drew Palestinian condemnation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an advocate of settlement construction, intervened late on Tuesday, ordering a halt to the projects and saying he had no prior knowledge of them.

Netanyahu said he feared such settlement activity could trigger an international outcry that would divert attention from Israel’s lobbying against a deal between world powers and Iran that would ease economic sanctions on Tehran without dismantling its nuclear-enrichment capabilities.

Nuclear talks resume in Geneva on November 20. Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear power, accuses Iran of pursuing atomic weapons. Iran says its nuclear program has only peaceful purposes.

A statement announcing Netanyahu’s move made no mention of the Palestinians or the land-for-peace negotiations. Most countries say Israeli settlements built in areas captured in the 1967 Middle East war are illegal.

But Israeli Energy Minister Silvan Shalom, a member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, made clear that Israel would continue settlement building, while being more careful in the future about announcing it.

«The question is always about the timing. Is the timing right? Is the timing wrong?» Shalom told Israel Radio. «We need the support of the United States on the Iranian issue and have to do our utmost to lower any tensions with it.»

Erekat said through its settlement activity, Israel was trying to destroy US Secretary of State John Kerry’s diplomatic efforts to achieve a peace deal.

Palestinians seek to establish a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, an area now controlled by Hamas Islamist opposed to Abbas’s peace moves, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They fear Israeli settlements will deny them a viable country.

Israel cites historical and biblical links to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where more than 500,000 Israelis live alongside 2.5 million Palestinians.

In an attack that drew calls by far-right Israeli politicians to suspend the peace talks, a 16-year-old Palestinian stabbed to death an Israeli soldier on a bus in northern Israel this week.

Police said the Palestinian, who lives in the West Bank, told investigators he carried out the attack because his uncles are in prison in Israel.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

‘Pink Star’diamond sells for world record at auction

Pink StarThe «Pink Star», a huge flawless pink diamond, was auctioned for 68 million Swiss francs ($73.99 million) in Geneva, a world record price for a gemstone, Sotheby’s said.

The oval-shaped diamond, mounted on a ring, weighed in at 59.60 carats.

«Ladies and gentlemen, 68 million is the world record bid for a diamond ever bid and it’s right here,» Sotheby’s David Bennett said to applause as he brought down the hammer in the Geneva salesroom.

Sotheby’s said it was still calculating the final price.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Toronto Council asks Mayor Rob Ford to take leave of absence

Rob FordToronto City Council asked embattled Mayor Rob Ford to take a break from his job to deal with «personal issues», which he admits include both buying illegal drugs and smoking crack cocaine.

The nonbinding vote came on a day during which both Ford’s opponents and his former allies interrogated the mayor on his suitability to lead Canada’s largest city. Ford said he won’t quit.

«I am not an addict of any sort, so I am not quite sure why you are saying that I need help,» Ford told councillors during an hour-long grilling.

Speaking after the vote, he issued the latest in a string of apologies, and added: «I really effed up.»

Ford, elected in 2010 on a promise to end the City Hall «gravy train», admitted last week that he had smoked crack cocaine in «one of my drunken stupors».

He insisted he has zero tolerance for drugs and gangs. But asked if he had bought illegal drugs in the past two years, he paused for several seconds and replied somberly: «Yes, I have.»

Councillors voted 37-5 in favor of a formal, but nonbinding, motion urging Ford to take a leave of absence, and also urged him to apologize for «misleading» Toronto residents.

«There’s no question that the residents of this city are opposed to the mayor’s behavior. I am, you are, we are,» Councillor Karen Stintz said.

«Because of the mayor’s behavior, I’m explaining to my nine-year old what crack cocaine is. Because of my mayor I’m explaining that it’s not okay to lie and then apologize when you get caught.»

Council has no power to force the mayor to step down or take a break from his job unless he is convicted of a crime. Ford insists he has no plans to go, or to seek treatment.

As the questions continued at council, hundreds of protesters gathered outside City Hall, many of them calling on Ford to step down.

An Ipsos-Reid poll conducted for several TV and radio stations showed that 76 percent of Toronto voters think Ford should step down or take a leave of absence, while only 24 percent agreed with Ford’s insistence on staying in his job.

Source; Buenos Aires Herald

Hawaii legalizes gay marriage

HawaiiHawaii’s governor signed into law a bill extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, capping 20 years of legal and political rancor in a state regarded as a pioneer in advancing the cause of gay matrimony.

The new law, which takes effect on Dec. 2, makes Hawaii the 15th US state to legalize nuptials for gay and lesbian couples, rolling back a 1994 statute defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

«In Hawaii, we are all minorities, and we all deserve the same aloha,» state Representative Chris Lee, a leading proponent of the measure, said before Governor Neil Abercrombie signed the bill.

Abercrombie said that despite misgivings by opponents who felt their religious beliefs were infringed, the measure served the «greater good» by more fully embracing gay and lesbian members of society, who had long felt marginalized.

«Now all those who have been invisible will be visible to themselves and the world,» the governor said before sitting down at a table inside an auditorium of the Honolulu Convention Center near the city’s beachfront Waikiki area to sign the bill, as supporters erupted in cheers.

The measure gained final approval from the Democrat-controlled state legislature on Tuesday, 15 days after the start of a special session called by Abercrombie, a first-term Democrat and former congressman, to consider the bill.

About a week before Hawaii lawmakers approved same-sex marriage, Illinois’ General Assembly gave final approval to a gay marriage bill, but Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is not expected to sign that measure until later this month.

The path to legal gay marriage in Hawaii, long a popular wedding and honeymoon destination, has been long and bumpy.

The state Supreme Court ruled in 1993 that barring same-sex marriage was discriminatory, in a landmark opinion that spurred the gay rights movement nationwide but sparked a backlash that until now kept matrimony restricted to heterosexual couples in Hawaii.

In recognizing the legal milestone of that 1993 decision, Abercrombie handed the pen he used to sign the bill to former state Supreme Court Justice Steven Levinson, who wrote the opinion in the case known as Baehr vs. Lewin.

The decision was later trumped by enactment of a 1994 statutory ban on gay nuptials, followed by a voter-approved state constitutional amendment reserving for the legislature the power to define the institution of marriage.

The latest reversal by Hawaii lawmakers comes at a time of increasing momentum for gay marriage in the courts, at the ballot box and in statehouses across the United States.

The trend has gained steam since the US Supreme Court ruled in June that married same-sex couples are eligible for federal benefits, striking down a key part of the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act.

But the justices stopped short of declaring a nationwide right to same-sex marriage. Proponents and opponents of gay marriage have vowed to continue their battle state by state.

A Hawaii state court judge last week refused a request from opponents for a temporary restraining order to block action on the legislation but said he would examine the constitutionality of the bill once it was enacted.

Allowing gay couples to marry has been vehemently opposed in Hawaii by religious conservatives, as elsewhere in the country.

«You can try to force people to do something they don’t believe in, but you can’t make it so,» said Sam Slom, the lone Republican in Hawaii’s state Senate, before that body gave final legislative approval to the bill on Tuesday in a 19-4 vote. Slom joined three Democrats in opposing the measure.

The House of Representatives passed the legislation last Friday, 30-19, with a package of amendments aimed at better addressing religious concerns.

The bill explicitly exempts clergy from having to perform gay weddings if doing so would conflict with their religious beliefs. It also grants immunity from liability to religious organizations and officials for refusing to provide goods and services, or their facilities or grounds, for same-sex weddings and related events.

Massachusetts led the way in legalizing gay marriage by becoming the first state to do so in 2003. A year ago, only six states and the District of Columbia recognized gay marriage, but the number has since more than doubled, due in most cases to litigation over the issue.

Three states – Maine, Maryland and Washington – became the first to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples by popular vote with passage of ballot initiatives last November.

Last month, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dropped his legal opposition to gay marriage, making his state the 14th to legalize same-sex weddings.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Kerry advierte de que EEUU mantendrá las sanciones a Irán

KerryEl secretario de Estado norteamericano, John Kerry, ha asegurado este domingo que Washington mantiene su escepticismo con respecto a la voluntad de Irán de alcanzar un acuerdo sobre el contencioso nuclear de la República Islámica y ha advertido de que no levantarán las sanciones impuestas mientras no se logre un consenso.

«No somos ciegos y no creo que seamos estúpidos. Creo que somos bien conscientes de cómo medir si estamos o no actuando por el bien de los intereses de nuestro país y del mundo», ha afirmado Kerry en declaraciones a la NBC.

Así, Kerry ha defendido un acuerdo que interrumpa el desarrollo nuclear de Irán como primer paso para un desmantelamiento completo del programa nuclear iraní. Mientras tanto, ha indicado Kerry, Washington mantendrá las sanciones. «Nadie ha hablado de acabar con la actual arquitectura de sanciones. La presión seguirá ahí», ha argumentado el jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense.

Las negociaciones entre Teherán y el conocido como Grupo 5+1 (Estados Unidos, Reino Unido, Francia, Rusia, China y Alemania) estuvieron a punto de fructificar en un acuerdo durante las reuniones celebradas en Ginebra entre el jueves y el sábado.

El principal escollo sería la postura de Francia, que considera que la iniciativa pactada no neutraliza debidamente el riesgo de desarrollo de una bomba nuclear. En cualquier caso, ambas partes han reconocido importantes avances y esperan poder cerrar un acuerdo en la próxima reunión, prevista también en Ginebra para el 20 de noviembre.

Estados Unidos y sus aliados acusan a Teherán de intentar desarrollar armamento nuclear, mientras que la República Islámica defiende que su programa de enriquecimiento de uranio tiene fines meramente civiles, tanto energéticos como sanitarios y de investigación.

Fuente: EuropaPress