Torrente no es más el técnico de Newell’s

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

Javier Torrente dejó de ser el técnico de Newell’s después del empate 1-1 como local ante Godoy Cruz de Mendoza en el cierre de la novena fecha del Apertura. La renuncia del técnico fue comunicada por el manager del club, Gustavo Dezzotti, pasada la 0.30 de hoy. «Lo hablamos con los directivos y decidimos aceptar la renuncia», expresó el ex futbolista, quien admitió que no manejaban el nombre del sucesor porque no contaban con un «plan B».

Poco antes, en conferencia de prensa, Torrente había manifestado sus intenciones de continuar en el cargo, al sostener que se sentía «con fuerzas» y que la situación se podía «revertir», aunque aclaró que puso a disposición su renuncia. En el Apertura, Newell’s ocupa el puesto 16 con 9 puntos y el lunes próximo visitará a Banfield, que está último con 4. A partir de ahora, el plantel quedará a cargo del técnico de la reserva, Sergio Giovagnoli.

Fuente: Clarín

Las curiosas estrategias de Burlando en el caso Candela

Chiara Sep 27, 2011

Causó bastante asombro cuando la madre de Candela Rodríguez confesó contar con el patrocinio de un abogado como Fernando Burlando, quien se caracteriza por fijar abultados honorarios. Luego causó aún más confusión al aclarar que el letrado había sido presentado y tal vez financiado por el Padre Grassi.

También sorprendió el cambio de look de Carola Labrador, luciendo lentes de lectura y su desenvoltura frente a los medios.
Pero creo que, al menos a quien escribe estas líneas, le causó estupor, fue la arenga que lanzó el Dr. Burlando al convocar a los presos para que ayuden a esclarecer el infame crimen de la niña de 11 años.
Llamó poderosamente la atención que un abogado penalista lance al aire tan aventurada propuesta, ya que entre los códigos carcelarios la delación se paga con la muerte.
Sin embargo, en tan singular affaire, salpicado con algunas notas de color —como la entrevista de la Presidenta con la madre de la niña asesinada, el despliegue de efectivos de distintas fuerzas de seguridad por parte de los inoperantes gobiernos nacional y provincial, la maratón de artistas y funcionarios en procura de brindar su apoyo en la investigación a cargo de un fiscal y juez incompetentes (también por razones de jurisdicción y materia), y la repentina aparición de tantos supuestos responsables del secuestro y muerte de Candela— que nada es lo que parece.
Resulta absurdo que la causa continúe en el ámbito de la Justicia común cuando hubo un secuestro y corresponde la Justicia federal, y lo que es peor aún es que en la investigación participe la propia policía bonaerense tan cuestionada como sospechada.
Hay que recordar la gaffe monumental de la “mejor policía del mundo” en el desgraciado caso de la familia Pomar, como clara muestra de inoperancia supina.
Nadie duda que la familia de Candela sabe mucho más de lo que dice, como tampoco se duda de la connivencia policial con marginales del narcotráfico y la pedofilia, pero ahora se suma otro ingrediente llamativo: el rumor de que Candela sería una niña apropiada, robada a su madre biológica y que tendría otras dos hermanitas.
En consonancia con esta ensalada, donde se mezcla lo peor de la sociedad, que un profesional experto en leyes pretenda transpolar el juego del “poliladron”, en un asunto de tanta gravedad, que resulta, cuando menos, poco serio.
De prosperar iniciativas semejantes, no tendría sentido mantener a miles de funcionarios y empleados relacionados con inteligencia criminal e investigación y prevención delictual, dejando la seguridad ciudadana y la tarea de auxiliares de la Justicia en manos de personajes de dudosa catadura alojados en nuestras cárceles, aunque la mayoría de esos ciudadanos se hallen detenidos en calidad de procesados conviviendo con otros condenados por los más diversos crímenes.
Llevada al extremo esta idea, ¿lo mejor no sería liberar a los presos y encerrarnos el resto de los ciudadanos desprotegidos por las fuerzas de seguridad?

Fuente: Enrique Piragini/periodicotribuna.com.ar

Evo Morales decide acabar con la marcha indígena: un bebé muerto y 37 desaparecidos

Chiara Sep 27, 2011

El Comité de la Marcha de los pueblos indígenas en defensa del Tipnis informa de la muerte de un bebé de tres meses y 37 personas desaparecidas, de las cuales siete son niños, al disolver la policía la marcha que los pobladores del Tipnis iniciaron hace 40 días para forzar el paro de las obras que han comenzado a ejecutarse sin respetar el derecho a consulta previsto por el propio presidente de Bolivia, Evo Morales.

Según informaciones proporcionadas por los participantes en la marcha, el bebé falleció a causa de los gases lacrimógenos utilizados en la represión policial ordenada por el gobierno de Evo Morales.

“Hoy a horas 16:30 se inició un operático policial y /o militar de cerco sobre el campamento del puente San Miguel a 5 Km de Yucumo, donde estaban descansando alrededor de 800 marchistas, incluyendo más de dos centenares de niños y bebés. Alrededor de las 17 horas empezó una despiadada gasificación contra la gente indefensa, lo que provoco una confusión total y por ese motivo empezaron a extraviarse y desaparecer muchos de los niños que estaban ahí acampados junto a sus madres”, señala un comunicado de prensa del Comité de la Marcha.

“Posteriormente efectivos de la policía procedieron a perseguir a la gente, a acorralarlos, golpearlos, quemando el campamento, deteniendo a periodistas, y obligaron a la gente a subir a camionetas para de esta manera, digna de la peor de las dictaduras, intervenir y acabar con la marcha”, indica el comunicado.

Como consecuencia de la intervención policial “muchos dirigentes se han refugiado en el monte” para evitar ser detenidos, y en el camino “hay madres desesperadas buscando a los niños”.

Amancaya Finkel, enviada especial de Página Siete, ha informado de que alrededor de las 16:30 hora local, la policía atacó el campamento que mantenían los indígenas en las afueras de Yucumo, utilizando palos y gases lacrimógenos. Existe un saldo de 37 desaparecidos, según el comunicado, entre ellos siete niños y un bebé, y una cantidad no determinada de heridos y detenidos. Por momentos la represión fue extremadamente violenta, golpearon a algunos indígenas con saña, según comprobó personalmente.

Muchas personas fueron enmanilladas (esposadas) y otras inmovilizadas con cinta adhesiva. El diputado disidente del MAS Pedro Nuni fue detenido sin respetarse su inmunidad. La cantidad de gases lacrimógenos fue tal que se produjo una gran confusión, ocasionándose el extravío de los niños.

A patadas, los policías lograron meter a varias decenas de indígenas en autobuses y camionetas para llevarlos a San Borja, distante 25 kilómetros al norte. Sin embargo, esa población, como una muestra de solidaridad con los marchistas, bloqueó la entrada e impidieron su paso, incluso provocando un incendio en la carretera. Las iglesias de San Borja empezaron a tocar sus campanas como una forma de alertar a la población y ayudar a los marchistas.

En cuanto empezó la represión en Yucumo, un grupo de indígenas y dirigentes políticos, entre ellos el exviceministro de Tierras Alejandro Almaraz y el mallku del Conamaq, Roberto Quispe, pudieron escapar hacia el monte. Desde allí, lograron contactar con medios de comunicación para señalar que se reorganizarán y volverán a marchar contra el Gobierno: “Ya no marcharemos sólo contra la carretera, sino a favor de la democracia boliviana”, dijo Almaraz. Quispe declaró más tarde que se dirigirán hacia San Borja.

Bajo la supervisión de Boris Villegas, director de Régimen Interior, unos 500 efectivos policiales participaron en esta operación. El subcomandante de la Policía Óscar Muñoz explicó que el detonante para la acción fue la agresividad de los marchistas que pusieron en peligro, con arcos y flechas, la integridad física de los agentes.
Fuente: periodistas-es.org

‘Soria’s win was historic,’ Aníbal Fernández

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

Chief of Staff, Aníbal Fernández, assured early today that victory of Kirchnerite Carlos Soria in Río Negro’s gubernatorial elections held yesterday was “historic.”
Thus, the Minister praised the election made by the former SIDE intelligence service director, who beat former Kirchnerite and now member of the Radical Party César Barbeito.
“Soria won with an estimated margin of 14 percent, and after the final count we can say he obtained around 165,000 votes against the 120,000 that Barbeito obtained. As you can see, we are in front of a historic triumph, not only because of the large margin, but because the Radical Party had ruled the province for the last 28 years.”
buenosairesherald.com

Gaddafi could still destabilize North Africa: Libya PM

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – NATO should continue operations in Libya as long as Muammar Gaddafi’s loyalists are killing civilians, and the toppled leader still could destabilize the region, Libya’s de facto prime minister said on Monday.
U.N. Security Council resolution 1973, passed in March, called for protection of civilians by all available means, leading NATO to launch a campaign of air strikes that played a major role in helping rebels overthrow Gaddafi last month in the oil-producing North African nation.
The NATO actions have been strongly criticized by Russia, China and some developing countries, which have said they exceed the mandate provided by the resolution.
But de facto Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril told a Security Council meeting on Libya that the «mission is far from accomplished» and that «the foundations of (resolution) 1973 continue to be valid.»
Asked later by reporters when the Western alliance should end its operations, Jibril said, «When there is no killing (of) civilians in Libya.» NATO agreed last week to extend its air-and-sea campaign in Libya for up to 90 days.
Jibril heads the executive committee of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC), the voice of the rebel movement that rose up against Gaddafi’s 42-year-rule and drove him from power with support from the West and several Arab nations.
Gaddafi loyalists continue to fight the forces of the NTC in several Libyan cities, including Gaddafi’s birthplace Sirte.
«Gaddafi is still at large. He has a lot of assets — money, gold,» Jibril told the Security Council.
«The simple fact of thinking that he’s still free and he has at his disposal such wealth means that he is still able to destabilize the situation, not only within my country but also in the region of the Sahel in the African desert.»
«Gaddafi … could return to his terrorist practices by providing arms across the continent,» Jibril said. «His arrest is imperative in order to re-establish stability throughout the region.»
Jibril repeated an appeal he made in the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday for the Security Council to completely free up extensive Libyan assets it froze soon after the conflict started in the country.
The council has made a start on unfreezing the assets, releasing some $16 billion, but says the process is complicated and will take time to avoid some assets falling into the hands of Gaddafi, his family or his associates.
Jibril said one result of releasing the assets would be to enable Libya to build up security forces to put a stop to human rights violations such as retaliation against African immigrants who have been suspected of fighting for Gaddafi.
«These vengeful acts do not reflect the policy of the NTC. They are horrendous acts that we vehemently reject,» Jibril said. «Investigations will continue to get to the bottom of this,» he said, adding that some Libyans had also been subjected to similar treatment by «some groups.»
(Editing by Will Dunham)

‘It was not a vendetta,’ Candela’s mother

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

The mother of Candela Rodríguez, the 11-year-old girl murdered over a month ago, talked to reporters and assured that “it was not a vendetta”, and neither her nor her husband are related to drug trafficking.
Likewise, Carola Labrador assured that during the nine days her daughter was held captive, she received “thousands of phone calls, but none of them included a proof of life.”
Asked about the rumours indicating that Candela could have been kidnapped by a prostitution network, Labrador remarked “My daughter was 11 but looked like 14, so I gues they thought she was older”, and added, “They kidnapped her for a reason, and they were going to do something with her.”
Labrador also discarded that her daughter was seeing older people, “Candela did not have any kind of relationship with older people. She had friends of her same age.”
Furthermore, the mother of the victim said that “Candela had given me the phone number of where she was going to stay the day she was kidnapped. So I don’t believe those rumours saying she was actually planning to meet with someone else. Actually her friends came home to pick her up that day.”
To concluye, Labrador stated that “the people who kidnapped Candela must felt really scared as she probably recognized their faces, so they decided to kill her.”
buenosairesherald.com

Argentina to Introduce National Consumer Price Index in 2013

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

Argentina will introduce an index to measure nationwide movements in consumer prices in the second half of 2013, Norberto Itzcovich, technical director of the national statistics agency, said today.
The index wouldn’t replace the current index used to measure prices in Buenos Aires, which would continue to be published, Itzcovich said at a news conference in the capital.
The International Monetary Fund has been pressing President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to introduce data that accurately reflect price movements in South America’s second-biggest economy. Opposition lawmakers on Sept. 12 said that, based on estimates provided by private researchers, year-on-year inflation was 24 percent in August compared with the official figure of 9.8 percent.
“Until we have one, common national CPI index for everybody we may have to use more than one” source of information, Nicolas Eyzaguirre, director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere department, said in Washington on Sept. 23.
Itzcovich said today that the IMF’s planned use of data supplied by private researchers would be a “mess.”
Economists including former central bank President Alfonso Prat-Gay have questioned the official reports since 2007, when then President Nestor Kirchner began changing personnel at the national statistics institute in a bid to “improve operations.”
bloomberg.com

Team will be called ‘Brooklyn Nets’ after move

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

The New Jersey Nets will be renamed the Brooklyn Nets when the National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise moves across the state line and into a new arena next year, minority owner and rap star Jay-Z said.
The Nets, who have played in New Jersey since joining the NBA in 1976, are due to move into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the 2012-2013 season. The arena is under construction.
«From the moment the Barclays Center became a reality, I knew this meant something significant for Brooklyn,» Brooklyn-born Jay-Z told a news conference.
The team had been known as the New York Nets for a few seasons when it played in the defunct American Basketball Association, but now will take on the name of a borough that is part of New York City but maintains its own identity.
buenosairesherald.com

Typhoon hits northern Philippines, 100,000 flee

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon slammed ashore Tuesday in the eastern Philippines where authorities ordered more than 100,000 people to seek shelter from heavy rains and wind gusts of up to 106 miles (170 kilometers) per hour.
Typhoon Nesat made landfall before dawn Tuesday over eastern mountainous Isabela and Aurora provinces facing the Pacific Ocean, packing sustained winds of 87 mph (140 kph), the government weather bureau said.
With its immense 400-mile (650-kilometer) cloud band, the typhoon threatened to foul weather across the entire main Luzon Island as it moves across the Philippines toward the South China Sea late Wednesday or early Thursday and then heads toward southern China.
Heavy downpours and wind prompted the closure of schools and universities in the capital, Manila, while scores of domestic flights were canceled and inter-island ferries grounded, stranding thousands.
One person was injured in a tornado and more than 50 fishermen rescued along eastern shores when their boats overturned in choppy seas, the government disaster agency reported. Forecasters warned of 12-foot-high (4-meter-high) waves.
Power was cut in many parts of Luzon, including in Manila, where hospitals, hotels and emergency services used generators. Tree branches and torn tarpaulins littered the flooded streets. Traffic was light as most people stayed indoors.
About 112,000 people were ordered to leave their homes in five towns prone to flash floods and landslides in central Albay province. By Monday, more than 50,000 had moved to government-run evacuation centers and relatives’ homes, officials said.
«We can’t manage typhoons, but we can manage their effects,» Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said.
Authorities were monitoring farming communities at the base of Mayon volcano in Albay, about 212 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Manila.
Tons of ash have been deposited on Mayon’s slopes by past eruptions, and mudslides caused by a typhoon in 2006 buried entire villages, leaving about 1,600 people dead and missing.
The typhoon bore down on the Philippines exactly two years after nearly 500 people died in the worst flooding in decades in Manila, a city of 12 million, when a tropical storm hit.
Residents commemorated the anniversary by offering prayers and planting trees Monday.
Nesat is the 16th cyclone to lash the Philippines this year. The geography of the archipelago makes it a welcome mat for about 20 storms and typhoons forming in the Pacific each year.

Electoral Justice authorizes ‘Pepe’ Scioli’s senatorial candidacy

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

The National Electoral Justice Chamber reversed a first ruling dictated by La Plata’s electoral Judge Manuel Blanco, and cleared “Pepe” Scioli to launch his candidacy for Senator of Buenos Aires province as member of the Unión Para el Desarrollo Social party (UDESO).

Thus, the electoral justice authorized Scioli’s candidacy after it was questioned by numerous political sectors, which filed complains as the brother of the provincial governor, Daniel Scioli, does not comply to certain candidates’ requirements such as having lived at least two years within the territory they’d aim to represent.
buenosairesherald.com

‘They come with same old medicine that already ruined us,’ CFK bashes int’l lenders

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner attended the opening ceremony of the inauguration of the Comahue-Cuyo 500 kilowatts power line network in Mendoza, and bashed international lenders and rate agencies, “They are looking to give us same medicine they gave us during ten years and made us hit rock bottom.”
During the opening speech, the Head of State addressed the masses with an anachronistic speech, aesthetically speaking, in which the leader remarked that “We are working so that all Argentines can improve their life quality. The arrival of energy brings investment, education and equality for everybody. When energy or natural gas arrives it doesn’t matter if you are Peronist or anti-Peronist. It brings joy to the masses of the people.”
Then was the turn of the international leneders and rate agencies such as IMF and/or the World Bank as the numerous nations struggle before the crisis of capitalism.
“In a collapsing world, they want to give us some lessons, or what is worse, they want to give us the same medicine they gave us during a decade and only served to ruin us and hit rock bottom.”
Likewise, the President stated “They believe that by enforcing spending cuts, nations will start to grow. Come on, that makes no sense!”, and added, “I remember when my husband [former late President Néstor Kirchner] told creditors in 2003 that “no dead man can meet their debts”, so I’d like to tell them that we are only using 2 percent of the GDP to pay foreign currency debt, and thanks God 6 percent of the GDP is being destiny to serve the educational system.”
To conclude, the leader warned lenders that “economic policies are decided at both the Government House and Congress, and not overseas. Only Argentines, and no one else, will forge the future of our society, sons, and grandchildren.»
buenosairesherald.com

Euro zone hope revives optimism on Wall Street

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks rose on Monday as sentiment swung toward hope that European officials would find a way to cut Greece’s debt and shore up European banks.
Shares rallied to session highs in the afternoon after a report said a plan to leverage money from the European Financial Stability Facility was in the works.
Investors were reluctant to make long-term commitments because of conflicting reports about whether or not European officials were preparing to take bold new action to solve the crisis.
«Given how markets have behaved over the past two months, people are interested in the vaguest of rumors because any kind of action being taken would be well-received,» said Michael Church, president of Addison Capital in Yardley, Pennsylvania.
Markets have been highly sensitive to European efforts to cauterize the euro zone’s credit crisis that has Greece teetering near a default. Last week, the Dow had its biggest weekly loss since October 2008 in the depths of the financial crisis, while the S&P 500 shed 6.6 percent for the week.
Financial shares ranked among the session’s best performers, with the KBW Bank Index <.BKX> up 5.3 percent. Dow component JPMorgan Chase & Co advanced 7 percent to $31.65 while Citigroup Inc gained 7 percent to $26.72.
However, the Nasdaq’s gains were limited after a report on Apple suggested the tech company was cutting back on some key orders.
Talk of plans for a 50 percent write-down in Greek debt and improvements in the euro-zone rescue fund buoyed the market, although European officials called the talk premature. A CNBC report cited a top European official, who said the plans involved using leverage and the European Investment Bank to buy sovereign debt to save European banks.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> shot up 272.38 points, or 2.53 percent, to end at 11,043.86. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index <.SPX> jumped 26.52 points, or 2.33 percent, to finish at 1,162.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> climbed 33.46 points, or 1.35 percent, to close at 2,516.69.
The CBOE Market Volatility index <.VIX> fell 5.4 percent but remains more than 20 percent higher for the month.
«These confidence issues make it hard to move forward and will result in more volatility ahead,» said Mark Foster, who helps manage $500 million at Kirr Marbach & Co in Columbus, Indiana.
Apple slipped 0.3 percent to $403.17 after an analyst said the iPhone maker was cutting orders from suppliers of parts for its iPad tablet. The tech bellwether fell as much as 3.2 percent earlier in the session.
«If things slow down on the tablet side, that means that perhaps Apple isn’t immune from the economic slowdown after all,» Foster said.
On the upside, Boeing Co gave a major lift to the Dow a day after the manufacturer delivered its long-awaited Dreamliner jet to its first airline customer. The stock rose 4.2 percent to $62.01.
Warren Buffett’s conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway Inc , will launch a share-buyback program, an unprecedented move from Buffett that comes after months of investor complaints that the stock was undervalued.
Shares of Berkshire Hathaway’s more actively traded Class B stock soared 8.6 percent to $72.09.
In economic news, sales of new single-family home sales fell in August to a six-month low in another sign the U.S. economy is flagging.
About 8.75 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, above last year’s daily average of 8.47 billion.
About 11 stocks rose for every four that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, while about 62 percent of Nasdaq issues rose.

Buenos Aires: must-sees on a stop-over

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

Our resident travel guru, Laura Lindsay of Lonely Planet, answers TNT readers’ travel questions.
Q I’m going to be stopping over for about nine hours in Buenos Aires in November, and I was wondering what top sites to see in such little time. A There are a few things you should consider before planning any sight-seeing.

Assuming that you are flying into Ezeiza Airport (as most international flights do), you need to allow at least an hour each way to get to and from the city centre by taxi. You also need to allow at least two hours to get back through security at the airport as lines are more than often very long.

This leaves you with approximately four to five hours to explore the city itself. I would suggest you choose one region and concentrate on that.

La Boca is on the outskirts of the centre and is one of the city’s most photographed areas. Its brightly coloured corrugated metal houses are synonymous with the city’s energy and excitement. Head to the short street of El Caminito to be at the heart of the action.

Alternatively, head to Florida Avenue. This bustling street in the heart of the city is a great place to start. From here you can easily view the stunning 19th-century French-style shopping centre Galerías Pacíficos and the beautiful main post office building, Correo Central.

Finish up at Plaza de Mayo where the famous pink presidential palace (or Casa Rosada) is located – an essential photo opportunity.

Q Having collected points as part of a frequent flyer programme for several years, I’ve been told they will expire on December 31. I haven’t got enough points to book a free flight, but I do have enough to stay one night at a hotel free of charge. Where shall I go? I live in London and have been thinking of places within the UK as well as Europe.
Ann, via email

A This is a tricky one without knowing a bit more about how much you are prepared to fork out to get to the hotel.

You could opt for luxury accommodation an hour or two away from the city without much additional expense. Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and the Cotswolds are all great options for a weekend away as there is little travel time but you’ll feel a world away from the buzzing city.

Alternatively, you could take the opportunity to stay somewhere in Europe which typically has expensive city centre accommodation – such as Paris, Rome or Barcelona.

Have a glance at the best deals on Eurostar and skyscanner.net and choose a city which won’t take the majority of the weekend or cost the earth to get to.

Personally, I would opt for Edinburgh; you could take the 7am train from King’s Cross on a Saturday morning and be in the city before lunchtime. The beauty of arriving by train is that you arrive directly into the city centre and can explore this magnificent city straight away.

Readers’ tips
Top airport snooze spots in South America

If you’re waiting to board an early morning flight out South America’s airports, I’d advise sleeping in the terminals. Buenos Aires’ local airport has comfortable sofas upstairs, while Santiago’s international airport has wire benches without armrests which double as temporary beds. This avoids checking out of hostels at odd hours only to find transportation to the airport infrequent and possibly unsafe.
Maria, via email

Free NYC

When in New York, research ‘free days’ for the city’s museums. The Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim and the Whitney Museum of American Art all have days on which entry is free. You’ll have to queue around several blocks to get in, but it beats spending hard-earned cash. Also be sure to check out the Brooklyn Museum. Entry is on a ‘suggested donation’ basis, so you’re well within your rights to hand over $1. It holds a big party every first Saturday of the month, too.

tntmagazine.com

S&P may face action over CDO ratings

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

US SEC considers action against Standard & Poor’s for giving top ratings to mortgage-backed investments shortly before they imploded in the financial crisis.
US regulators have warned credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s they are considering taking action over its rating of mortgage-backed investments ahead of the 2008 financial meltdown. It would be the first time a ratings agency has been called to account by a US regulator since the credit crisis.

S&P’s parent company McGraw-Hill confirmed it has received notice that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering action over ratings the agency gave to portfolios of mortgages and other debts known as collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) dating back to the financial crisis.

The ratings agencies received widespread criticism for their role in the financial crisis after giving AAA ratings to investments made up of sub-prime home loans that subsequently imploded. S&P attracted more heat in August when it downgraded the US’s debt. A move that US treasury secretary Tim Geithner said showed «terrible judgement».

The SEC is weighing action over a particular CDO known as Delphinus CDO 2007-1, which was singled out as a «striking example» of what went wrong in the credit crisis by the Senate committee report Wall Street and the Financial Crisis, published in April.

The $1.6bn (£1bn) CDO was downgraded a few months after AAA ratings were issued by both S&P and rival Moody’s. The ratings agencies awarded tranches of the investment their top grade in July and August of 2007 but had begun downgrading them by the end of the year, «and by the end of 2008, had fully downgraded its AAA-rated securities to junk status,» according to the report.

The notification, known as a Wells Notice, allows the company to address issues before any enforcement decisions are made. McGraw-Hill said it is co-operating with the SEC. «S&P has been co-operating with the commission in this matter and intends to continue to do so,» the company said in the statement.

The SEC’s moves comes amid reports that the justice department is investigating the role of the top credit ratings agency in the years leading up to the financial crisis. According to reports the justice department is investigating allegations that analysts were pressured into awarding higher ratings to investments by business managers in other divisions.
guardian.co.uk

Colón draw Lanús

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

Colón drew 1-1 with Lanús in the match for the ninth round of the Apertura Tournament. The game was been held in Sarandí.
Lanús’ Mauricio Pereyra opened the score only a minute after the beginning of the first half of the match, but at 31′ of the second half, Maximiliano Pelegrino managed to net Colón’s goal.

Lanús: Agustín Marchesín; Diego Bragheri, Carlos Izquierdoz and Luciano Balbi; Mauro Camoranesi, Matías Fritzler, César Carranza and Carlos Araujo; Diego Valeri; Silvio Romero and Mario Regueiro. Coach: Gabriel Schurrer.
Colón: Diego Pozo; Salustiano Candia, Ronald Raldes, Maximiliano Pellegrino and Bruno Uribarri; Iván Moreno y Fabianesi, Tomás Costa, Sebastián Prediger and Carlos Luque; Esteban Fuertes and Federico Higuaín. Coach: Mario Sciaqua.
Stadium: Lanús.
Referee: Sergio Pezzotta.

buenosairesherald.com

Argentina Consumer Confidence Nears Record High In September UTDT

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

BUENOS AIRES -(Dow Jones)- Argentina’s Torcuato di Tella University said Monday that its closely watched gauge of consumer confidence rose to its highest level in more than four years this month as Argentines felt more comfortable about their personal situation.

The consumer confidence index compiled by the university hit 59.31 in September, up 3.2% from August and a 21.4% increase from September 2010.

The index is at its highest level since the all-time high of 60.97 observed in January 2007.

President Cristina Kirchner looks set to easily win a second term in October, thanks in no small part to the economic prosperity that Argentines have enjoyed during her government.

UTDT, as the university is known, said its measure of consumers’ personal situation rose 14.4% on the year to 62.77, while their feelings about the overall economy were up 20.1% at 59.18.

Consumers’ willingness to buy real estate and durable goods rose 32% on the year to 55.96, and was up nearly 9% from August, according to the university.

At least some of the demand for property and durable goods like cars is a result of consumers trying to hedge against annual inflation that most private sector economists say is anchored well above 20%.

The survey of 1,205 people was conducted from Sep. 1 through Sep. 9 and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

-By Ken Parks, Dow Jones Newswires

City bill banning parking thugs, squeegee men moves forward

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

The Justice Committee in the City Legislature reactivated a bill looking to ban parking thugs and squeegee men from the streets. The initiative was drafted by the PRO party and is supported by Mayor Mauricio Macri, and looks to punish citizens engaged in these activities with fines or prison.
The bill was sent to the Legislature a year and a half ago but it never made it past a heated debate on the floor.
The PRO caucus has reactivated it after Macri himself demanded it, as the City Government readies to pass a series of bills before December.
One of the bills enables the Metropolitan Police to use the controversial X-26 taser gun and the creation of a genetic database that will store DNA information of all people involved in criminal activities.
Regarding parking thugs and squeegee men, the opposition caucuses are working against the clock in order to draft an alternative bill that, instead of eradicating them, will look to regulate their activities.
“The first step is not prohibition but regulation, and I think that the PRO party started with prohibition,” City lawmaker Gabriela Alegre (Encuentro Popular para la Victoria) said.
The lawmaker, who was present during the Justice Committee meeting, announced that the opposition will issue a different draft bill before Wednesday.
On the other hand, PRO’s Martín Borrelli explained that their draft bill suggests “an amendment to Article 79 in the Misdemeanor Code, which expresses a ban on parking thugs who do not carry a legal authorization, and the inclusion of an addendum banning squeegee men.”
However, opposition lawmakers reject debating such changes unless they engage in talks that look to “provide people with the tools necessary to obtain legal authorization” to perform these activities.
They also said they would reject the addendum looking to ban squeegee men since “you can’t just discriminate people who engage in this kind of work.”
“This bill states that any person asking for change in exchange for cleaning a car’s windshield could be arrested,” lawmaker Francisco “Tito” Nenna warned.
buenosairesherald.com

Alleged instigator of Candela’s crime detained

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

A man was detained accused of being the alleged instigator of the kidnapping and murder of Candela Rodríguez, the 11-year-girl who was found killed on August 31 in Hurlingham.
Judicial sources reported that it might have been a “vendetta” against someone related to the family of the girl. Other sources stated that the man detained is Héctor “Topo” Moreira, who might have had a fight with the father of Candela.
Currently there are seven detained including Guillermo López, Gastón Gómez and Hugo Bermúdez, who, according to the investigators, might be seriously involved in the case.
The attorney of Candela’s mother, Fernando Burlando, partly confirmed this information. “We might have identified the mastermind of the crime. We are working on that,” he told the press and admitted that “a new testimony” was important in order to achieve the arrest.
Referring to the intentions that led to the crime, Burlando said “it’s possible that it was a vendetta against the family and something else.”
buenosairesherald.com

Turn Tetris style action on its head with Blocks Up for iOS

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

[prMac.com] Buenos Aires, Argentina – Apptouch Studios, a premiere mobile applications developer, has today announced the release of Blocks Up for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Blocks Up mixes together puzzle based problem-solving challenges with addicting arcade action to give players a mobile gaming experience that will have them glued to their iPhones for hours. The game tasks players with guiding various quickly appearing shapes, past obstacles, and strategically arranging them at the top of each level as quickly as they can. Think Tetris, just pumped up on adrenaline, and turned on its head! Blocks Up is currently available for download on the Apple App Store for $0.99 in the Games category.

As addicting as it is engaging, Blocks Up represents the new gold standard for kinetic mobile puzzle action. The app’s gameplay is structured much like that of Tetris, but with a few big twists along the way. First, the game’s differently shaped blocks plunge in the screen from bottom to top rather than the other way around. Secondly, Block Up’s game field isn’t an open space. To keep things interesting users aren’t simply tasked with stacking blocks strategically, they need to guide them past barriers and obstacles first! The game includes a nearly unlimited amount of levels – with new levels added daily – as well as an «Endless» mode that challenges gamers to see how long they can last before they finally run into a stage that gets the best of them.

Blocks Up is a well rounded mobile gaming experience to say the least. To keep players immersed in the game, Blocks Up includes a premium quality soundtrack that features an eclectic variety of Latin inspired music ranging from tango to samba, and more! Blocks Up is easy to learn, features ultra responsive touch controls, as well as an intuitive user interface to make navigation throughout the app a breeze. With music, design, vibrantly dynamic graphics, and addicting gameplay, Blocks Up is one mobile gaming experience whose replay value matches the sheer fun of playing it for the first time!

Apptouch Studios
Blocks Up 1.0
Purchase and Download
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Based out of Buenos Aires, Apptouch Studios specializes in producing quality mobile applications that are both high in quality and intelligent in design. (C) Apptouch 2011. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Knee injury set to end Lobbe’s World Cup

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

Argentina’s World Cup hopes were dealt a significant blow when loose forward Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe was diagnosed with a serious knee injury that is highly likely to rule him out of the tournament.
The number eight ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Sunday’s dramatic 13-12 win over Scotland and will need an operation, the team said in a statement late on Monday.
Argentina can reach the quarter-finals with a big win over Georgia in their final game on Sunday. England and Scotland are also vying for the two spots to advance from a tight Pool B.
Argentina were trailing Scotland 6-12 in Wellington before Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino scored a late try which Felipe Contepomi converted to grab the victory which kept alive their hopes of a last eight berth.
However, that win came at the expense of the likely loss of the team’s powerful vice-captain Lobbe, who was central to Argentina’s surprise third-place finish at the World Cup four years ago.
His loss would be a big blow for a small squad that was already forced to deal with the loss of talismanic flyhalf Juan Martín Hernández before the tournament and centre Gonzalo Tiesi during the event.
Also of concern for the South Americans is experienced prop Rodrigo Roncero, who has a right thigh injury which requires further examination and the left ankle of loose forward Juan Manuel Leguizamón.
buenosairesherald.com

Strauss-Kahn seeks dismissal of civil suit by maid

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn asked a judge on Monday to dismiss a civil suit filed by a hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault, saying he was immune from such a suit under international law when it was filed in early August.
His lawyers also argued that the allegations by Nafissatou Diallo impeded the International Monetary Fund «at a time of worldwide financial crisis and instability,» according to the motion to dismiss filed in New York state Supreme Court in the Bronx.
A grand jury had indicted Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF managing director, based on the woman’s accusation that he had forced her to perform oral sex in a luxury suite on May 14.
But prosecutors later asked a judge to drop the criminal charges because they had lost faith in her credibility, and the judge dismissed the case.
Lawyers for the onetime French presidential hopeful argued his position as IMF chief granted him diplomatic immunity that extended even after his resignation until he was free to return to France.
Strauss-Kahn returned home to Paris late last month when prosecutors decided to abandon their pursuit of sexual assault and rape charges against him.
«This court must dismiss the complaint against defendant Dominique Strauss-Kahn because, under controlling international law that all federal and state courts are bound to apply, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was immune from civil suit,» the motion said.
Strauss-Kahn had been a favorite to run as the next president of France before he was hauled from a first-class seat on a flight from New York to Paris and arrested on May 14. He resigned from the IMF four days later, his political plans in tatters.
He still faces the civil suit and a separate inquiry in France from a writer who says Strauss-Kahn forced himself on her during a 2003 interview.
Prosecutors from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance detailed how they lost faith in Diallo, a 32-year-old immigrant from Guinea.
While her account of the assault remained steadfast, Diallo told a series of lies about her past and about what happened immediately after the incident in the $3,000-a-night suite in New York’s Sofitel hotel, prosecutors said.
Strauss-Kahn strongly denied sexual assault from the start and in a recent interview with French television apologized to his country for an encounter he called «moral error» that was consensual. He also vowed to stay out of the Socialist Party’s 2012 election campaign in France.
buenosairesherald.com

Argentine blast kills woman, hurts 9; gas blamed

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—An explosion wrecked two homes, a business and several cars early Monday, killing a woman and injuring nine people on the outskirts of Argentina’s capital.
Early reports by some witnesses that they had seen a ball of fire fall from the sky around the time of the 2 a.m. explosion caused a sensation, but authorities said later that evidence pointed to an explosion of leaking gas.

Officials said a search by the more than 100 police and others turned up a canister of natural gas with a poor connection to a pizza oven.

After the reports of a fireball coming down, the government dispatched the large number of searchers to check for radioactivity and any material that might have come from outer space. Provincial justice and security minister Ricardo Casal said experts were «evaluating all theories, from an explosion to something strange that came from the sky.»

But the experts found no evidence of a crater, and NASA said its satellite that fell to Earth sometime Saturday landed well clear of South America.

Late in the day, the government said it appeared the blast was probably caused by a pizza oven’s poorly connected gas canister.

A young man who had claimed he photographed a space object and gave authorities a picture showing a streak of red light through the night sky was detained for providing false testimony, the Argentine news agency Diarios y Noticias said. The man changed his story under questioning, the report said.
Associated Press

Deere to open tractor factory in Argentina

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

(MarketWatch) — Farm machinery make Deere & Co. DE -0.02% plans to open a tractor factory in Argentina, as the administration of President Cristina Kirchner seeks to reduce the country’s dependence on imported manufactured goods.

President Kirchner is scheduled to meet with Deere senior executive Markwart Von Pentz on Monday night, according to the Presidency’s press office.

The project will be announced after the meeting, a government source said.

Local daily La Nacion said Monday that Deere will invest $100 million to build five tractor and five harvester models at a plant in the farming province of Santa Fe.

A Deere spokesman didn’t respond to emails seeking comment.

Argentina is among the world’s top exporters of soybeans, corn and wheat, and record grain harvests last season and high prices were a boon to farmers.

During the first eight months of the year, grain and derivative product exports totaled almost $22 million, up 30% on the year, according to local consultants IES.

Argentine farm machinery makers are expected to see record sales this year as the country’s farmers plow their profits into new equipment.

Sales of domestically made farm equipment are on track to reach $1.38 billion this year, up from the previous record of $1.35 billion set in 2007, according to the farm machinery chamber Cafma.

Argentina is also a big importer of farm machinery. But the government has been prodding foreign manufacturers that currently import products to make those goods locally as part of its import substitution policy.

Earlier this year, Italy’s Fiat SpA (FIATY, F.MI) said it plans to spend more than $100 million to build a plant to manufacture Case IH and New Holland branded combines and tractors in Argentina through its subsidiary CNH Global NV (CNH, NHL.XE).

Production at the new factory in Cordoba Province is expected to start during the fourth quarter

Bolivian police free Amazon protest marchers

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

RURRENABAQUE, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian police on Monday freed hundreds of Amazon Indians detained during a protest march over a proposed Amazon highway after mobs of local residents blocked roads and an airport runway to prevent authorities from taking the detainees away.
In the Bolivian capital, La Paz, Defense Minister Cecilia Chacon resigned Monday, saying she didn’t agree with the government’s decision to break up the march against the highway, which would traverse an indigenous-inhabited nature preserve.
Hundreds of local residents used barricades to block a landing strip in the Amazon town of Rurrenabaque to stop police from flying the prisoners out of the area.
«Given the attack by hundreds of people, the police pulled back to avoid confrontations,» Interior Minister Sacha Llorenti told a news conference in La Paz.
Police used tear gas and truncheons to break up a march Sunday by some 1,000 activists marching to La Paz, the highlands capital, to protest the proposed 190-mile (300-kilometer) highway that is being financed by Brazil and would connect it with Pacific ports in Chile and Peru.
Police detained the protest’s leaders and loaded them onto buses to return them to the eastern lowlands provincial capital of Trinidad, where the march began in mid-August. But local residents lit bonfires on the roadway, forcing authorities to detour to the airport in Rurrenabaque. Residents of that town, meanwhile, had blocked the runway.
Bolivia’s national ombudsman, Rolando Villena, told Erbol radio «there was excessive use of force» by police. Protest leaders claimed a child was killed and other protesters, including children, had gone missing. Bolivia’s Roman Catholic Church issued a communique saying a child had died but offered no details.
Government officials denied the claim, while Llorenti said police acted Sunday to «evacuate the marchers to guarantee their safety and protect them from physical harm» because pro-government groups were approaching to stop the march.
The proposed highway would traverse the 600-square-mile (12,000-square-kilometer) Isiboro-Secure Indigenous Territory National Park, home to 15,000 indigenous people who live off hunting, fishing, gathering native fruits and subsistence farming.
The locals fear an influx of settlers will destroy their habitats, felling trees and polluting rivers. Environmentalists say the highway will mostly benefit Brazilian commercial interests such as timber exporters while endangering a pristine nature preserve.
Vehement opposition to the road poses a dilemma for President Evo Morales, an Aymara Indian whose support for the highway has alienated many of the indigenous Bolivians whose support was crucial to his landslide re-election in 2009.
Morales, who still leads a coca-growers union and sympathizes with many Indian causes, insists the highway is essential to strengthening Bolivia’s economy.
On Sunday, the president promised to hold a referendum on the issue in the affected Cochabamba and Beni regions, although analysts have noted that Cochabamba is home to the coca growers who still work with Morales and are in favor of the highway.
The crisis has already hurt the president, whose popularity fell to 37 percent this month, its second-lowest level since Morales was first elected in 2006.
Brazil’s government expressed concern Monday in a statement that called for dialogue and stressed its view that «the project is of great important to Bolivia’s integration.»

Britain’s message to Argentina over the Falklands: back off

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

The Israeli-Palestinian issue dominated media coverage of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York last week. But almost completely slipping under the radar was a war of words between London and Buenos Aires over the Falklands sovereignty question. After a good deal of sabre-rattling by Argentine president Cristina Kirchner in the past few months, which included this rant back in June, the UK Mission to the United Nations issued a robust statement underscoring that Britain will not enter into any negotiations over the sovereignty of the islands:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The United Kingdom Government attaches great importance to the principle and right of self determination as set out in Article 1.2 of the Charter of the United Nations and Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. That principle underlies our position on the Falkland Islands. There can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish.
The United Kingdom’s relationship with all its overseas territories is a modern one based on partnership, shared values and the right of each territory, including the Falkland Islands, to determine if it wishes to retain a link to the United Kingdom.
There was also direct and strong criticism in the UK statement of Argentina’s increasingly belligerent stance:
The United Kingdom continues to believe that there are many opportunities for co-operation in the South Atlantic. However, in recent years the Republic of Argentina has rejected these opportunities. It withdrew from co-operation on the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission, and in 2007 repudiated the 1995 Joint Declaration on Hydrocarbons. The Republic of Argentina placed a ban on charter flights travelling to the islands in 2003. It has also introduced domestic legislation to restrict shipping to the islands and penalise companies who wish to do business in or with the Falkland Islands.
Most significantly, Britain sent a clear, unequivocal message to Argentina that it is prepared to use military force to defend the Islands once again if they are threatened:
The United Kingdom has maintained an unchanged defensive military posture in the South Atlantic for over 29 years. This includes routine military exercises. The United Kingdom remains fully committed to defending the rights of the people of the Falkland Islands to determine their own political, social and economic future.
The Argentines would be foolish to launch any kind of military provocation, such as an attempt to blockade the islands, but this scenario cannot be ruled out, especially if Buenos Aires receives support from other Latin American countries. Kirchner’s government is close to Hugo Chavez’s unpredictable regime in Venezuela, a rogue state that has significantly increased defence cooperation with Russia and Iran, including the recent purchase of 1,800 antiaircraft missiles from Moscow, and the hosting of an Iranian missile base in Venezuela. Chavez has made clear his violent opposition to the British presence in the Falklands on numerous occasions, and back in 2007 declared that British history was “stained with the blood of South America’s indigenous people”, while calling for revenge over the sinking of the Belgrano during the 1982 Falklands War.
As a former aide to Lady Thatcher I was heartened by the British government’s firm warning to Buenos Aires at a time when Argentina is becoming increasingly aggressive over the Falklands, which echoed the Prime Minister’s statement to the Commons in the summer. Just last week, Kirchner threatened to suspend a 1999 agreement and bar flights between Chile and the Falkands from landing in Argentina, and once again pressed the Falklands sovereignty matter in her speech to the UN. There can be no room for complacency in London as Kirchner seeks re-election in October. Britain should be prepared for a further escalation in tensions over the Islands if her nationalist and populist administration is returned to office in an emboldened position, and must take all necessary steps to reinforce the Falkland’s defences.
telegraph.co.uk

Messi promises to perform «the best» for Argentina

Felipe Sep 27, 2011

Lionel Messi said on Sunday that he always tries to «give the best performance in every game» of the Argentine team and repeated that his greatest aim is «to be world champion» with his national team.

The forward of the Spanish team FC Barcelona said that his «only reproach» is that «things won’t go on for the coach to continue his job» in the Argentine team, when asked about the reasons for the last coaches’ substitutions.

«We have to win and when we don’t win coaches are changed,» said Messi in a television interview on the local Argentine channel, who has been successively coached by Jose Peckerman, Diego Maradona, Sergio Batista and Alejandro Sabella in the national team.

Messi, 24, replied to the criticism about the fact he has not been able to repeat his brilliant performance in FC Barcelona with the national team. «I don’t know who doubts it, but I always try to perform the best in every game, if this was not true, I would find excuses and wouldn’t play the friendly matches,» he said.

Messi supported the possible summons of Juan Roman Riquelme (Boca Juniors) to play on the next games. He said «the best players always have to be in the national team.»

He denied that some partners of the national team are envious about him and do not pass the ball to him during the games.

Messi will play on Oct. 7 against Chile in the «monumental» River Plate team’s stadium in Buenos Aires, and four days later he will play against Venezuela in Puerto Santa Cruz. These are the first two games of the South American qualifying matches to Brazil 2014 World Cup.

When asked about whether he imagined to win the Brazil 2014, Messi said he has dreamed about it for many times. «It is still a dream for me and for all to be world champions, I have missed it twice but there is still a long way to cross to get there,» he said.
xinhuanet.com/

Tiene fecha el juicio por la desaparición de Marita Verón

Felipe Sep 26, 2011

El juicio oral y público por la desaparición de María de los Angeles «Marita» Verón comenzará el 8 de febrero de 2012, en Tucumán, a casi una década de los hechos. En la causa, según la notificación oficial de la Justicia, hay trece personas acusadas por privación de la libertad y posible promoción de la prostitución.

Verón fue secuestrada en la vía pública el 3 de abril de 2002, cerca de la Maternidad provincial, y la sospecha principal recae en que pudo haber sido raptada por una banda dedicada a la explotación sexual. Su madre, Susana Trimarco, confía en que aún está con vida, y desarrolló una intensa pero infructuosa búsqueda por distintos prostíbulos, incluso en La Rioja.

Trimarco, distinguida por su lucha por el gobierno de Estados Unidos, creó hace un año la fundación María de los Angeles, desde donde brinda apoyo y protección a las víctimas de la trata de personas. Su historia sirvió de inspiración a telenovelas y fue distinguida por distintas organizaciones nacionales e internacionales.

En la causa están acusadas 13 personas por los delitos de privación ilegítima de la libertad en concurso ideal con promoción de la prostitución, y fueron citados más de 100 testigos. El tribunal que juzgará el caso está integrado por Alberto Piedrabuena, Emilio Herrera Molina y Eduardo Romero Lascano, y se calcula que las audiencias demorarán tres meses.

Fuente: TN

Los universitarios chilenos llegan en busca de una educación para todos

Felipe Sep 26, 2011

El crecimiento exponencial de los jóvenes de ese país que se instalan en la Argentina para cursar en universidades no aranceladas muestra la otra cara del conflicto que sacude a la región. Las causas de una migración diferente.

Ya estaban, siempre estuvieron. Muchos llegaron a la Capital en los ’70, y en el sur, ni hablar: cuando la Cordillera de los Andes se hunde en el mar, hay lugares donde la frontera no es más que una línea imaginaria. Pero desde hace un tiempo, son cada vez más visibles en Buenos Aires.

El acento se oye con frecuencia en las calles y va en aumento el número de porteños con “un amigo chileno”. Ahora, la explosión del conflicto en torno a la educación en Chile parece haber dado un nuevo rostro a esta realidad. “Exiliados educacionales”, se hacen llamar. Están organizados y actúan, sobre todo en las aulas de las universidades públicas argentinas.

Fuente: El Argentino

Te aplasta

Felipe Sep 26, 2011

Gales aplastó a Namibia 81 a 7 y de esta forma sueña con los cuartos de final. Además, consiguió la victoria más amplia en su historia. El domingo enfrentará a Fiji.

Gales, con facilidad, derrotó por 81 a 7 a Namibia, en New Playmouth y se ilusiona con estar en cuartos. Además consiguió así un nuevo récord en su historia: la victoria más amplia. La anterior había sido ante Japón por 72-18 en el Mundial 2007.

A los dos minutos de comenzado el partido, Stephen Jones, convirtió un golpe y abrió el marcador. A los ocho, Scott Williams obtuvo el primer ensayo y antes del descanso los galeses ampliaron la cuenta con otros dos de Aled Brew y Toby Faletau, más dos transformaciones de Stephen Jones. Luego, Gales aprovechó para sumar ocho nuevos ensayos, dos de Scott Williams, dos de George North, uno de Gethin Jenkins, Jonathan Davies, Lloyd Williams y Lee Byrne.

Con este resultado, Gales está segundo en su grupo con diez puntos, a cuatro de Sudáfrica. Para pasar a la próxima ronda, Gales deberá vencer a Fiji, el 2 de octubre en Hamilton y al mismo tiempo, Samoa tendrá que perder ante Sudáfrica, campeón del mundo.

Fuente: Olé

Shimon Peres redundó en elogios a Abbas y llamó a negociar un acuerdo de paz

Chiara Sep 26, 2011

El mandatario y premio Nobel calificó al líder como «el mejor presidente palestino que Israel pueda tener» como socio; «Basta de declaraciones», reclamó.
JERUSALEN (ANSA).- El presidente israelí, Shimon Peres, afirmó hoy que Israel no tuvo jamás un socio de paz mejor que el presidente de la Autoridad Nacional Palestina (ANP), Mahmud Abbas.

Peres, veterano de las negociaciones entre israelíes y palestinos y premio Nobel de la Paz en 1994, solicitó al sucesor de Yasser Arafat que retorne a la mesa de las negociaciones, a pocos días de la reunión en el Palacio de Vidrio entre Abbas y el primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, para discutir el pedido de reconocimiento de un Estado de Palestina ante la ONU.

Abbas «es el mejor presidente palestino que Israel pueda tener» como socio, subrayó Peres al reunirse hoy con los embajadores extranjeros en vista del inminente año nuevo judío que comienza pasado mañana con la caída de la primer estrella.

«Invito a Abbas, el presidente palestino, al cual estimo y por el cual tengo simpatía, a retomar las negociaciones de paz, con franqueza y calma, aunque hay divergencias y críticas», subrayó el presidente israelí, de 88 años.

«La situación es la misma que antes (del debate en la ONU): todos estamos a favor de un Estado palestino y de dos Estados nacionales para dos pueblos», agregó.

Para Peres, «es importante ahora traducir ésto en realidad. Basta de declaraciones».