Syria opposition alleges massacre of more than 100

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

Foes of President Bashar Assad say security forces surrounded and killed Syrians in a hail of tank and machine-gun fire in Idlib province.

In one of the single deadliest episodes reported during the 9-month-old uprising, Syrian security forces surrounded and killed more than 100 people in a hail of tank and machine-gun fire in a valley near the Turkish border, opposition activists said.

The attack Tuesday near the village of Kfar Owaid came as government forces pressed an offensive against a mountainous region in Idlib province, in northwestern Syria, that has been gripped for weeks by protests and fierce clashes with military defectors.

Opposition groups say that all told, more than 200 people have been killed in two days of violence in the region. They accuse the government of trying to crush resistance to President Bashar Assad’s government before an advance team of Arab observers arrives Thursday to monitor implementation of a regional peace initiative.

Journalists are heavily restricted in Syria and it was not possible to independently verify the accounts by activists and witnesses. The official Syrian Arab News Agency said authorities in Idlib and the southern province of Dara had «stormed dens of armed terrorist groups,» arresting dozens of wanted men and seizing large quantities of weapons, ammunition, explosives, communications equipment and night-vision goggles. A number of others were killed or wounded in clashes, it said.

Syrian officials regularly blame such bloodshed on armed gangs, which it charges are incited and supported from abroad.

The White House said it was «deeply disturbed» by the reports of Tuesday’s attack, and it renewed its demand that Assad step down. France called it a «massacre.» Turkey, formerly a close ally of Assad, said the slaying of so many people was unacceptable after Syria had agreed to the Arab League peace plan. And the 22-member league reminded Damascus of its responsibilities to protect civilians under the initiative.

The Jabal Zawiyah mountains near Turkey are a haven for fighters who have come together under the banner of the Free Syrian Army. They have been waging an escalating insurgency against Assad’s forces in Idlib, Homs, Dara and other opposition strongholds. The group’s leadership is based across the border in Turkey.

Activists reached Wednesday in Idlib said government forces flooded the region with reinforcements over the weekend and started attacking villages that had been providing refuge and support to the insurgents.

«As the troops were passing through all the cities and towns in the area, they were firing artillery and tank shells and heavy machine guns, randomly and continuously,» said an activist reached via a satellite connection, who gave his name as Raid. He said he was hiding in woods near his village of Kafr Nabel with scores of other activists and residents. «Daily, we live with the voices of missiles and explosions,» he said.

Khalid Ibrahim Aslan, a Syrian laborer reached at a hospital in Turkey, said he was shot in the legs when security forces stormed his village of Shinan on Monday.

«I lost consciousness, but some young people lifted me and carried me to a safe place and then smuggled me to a hospital in Antakya,» he said. «I was lucky. When I was running I saw that people were not able to help the wounded. They would leave them and run.»

As many as 86 army conscripts tried to defect Monday and were killed in heavy shelling that also claimed the lives of 12 civilians in the village of Kansafra, said Mousab Azzawi of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On Tuesday, he said, forces assaulted Kfar Owaid, sending activists and residents fleeing into the wooded valley north of the village, where they were surrounded and pummeled for hours with tank and machine-gun fire.

Activists said they had collected the names of 56 of the 111 people killed in and near Kfar Owaid. They included an imam whose head was said to have been hung on the door of a mosque, according to Rami Nakhle, a member of the Syrian National Council, the country’s most prominent opposition bloc.

«The word ‘massacre’ seems like too small a word to describe what happened,» said Raid, the activist sheltering in the woods.

As many as 100 more army defectors were also injured or killed in clashes Tuesday with security forces, activists said. Explosions reverberated across the area Wednesday as the assault continued, they said.

The Syrian National Council called on the Arab League and the United Nations on Wednesday to protect civilians, saying nearly 250 people had been killed in the country in the 48 hours ending Tuesday.

The council is pressing for the creation of safe zones, enforced by the international community, to protect civilians and insurgents fighting Assad’s forces. His regime has fiercely opposed the involvement of international forces, possibly out of fear that it could lead to the kind of military campaign that helped topple the late Moammar Kadafi in Libya.

Under mounting pressure, Syria said Monday that it would admit observers to monitor the Arab League peace plan, which calls for the withdrawal of security forces from urban areas and dialogue with the opposition.

Opposition activists dismissed the move as a ploy to buy more time for a crackdown that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 5,000 people since March, when largely peaceful antigovernment protests began. The government disputes the figure, and says more than 1,100 security forces have been killed in that period.

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Paul and Marrouch are special correspondents.

Source: Los Angeles Times

CFK raises ANSeS funding for pension loans

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced that ANSeS controlled funding would be raised for pensioner loans and that interest tax charged by private loan companies to pensioners would be limited, during a ceremony held at the inauguration of a new social security office in Lomas de Zamora today.

“I wanted to announce here at this event, the inauguration of this ANSeS office, that I have come to take responsibility of a problem that currently affects 2 million people. It has to do with the rules on discounts for pensioners, who have to pay user taxes,” stated the head of state over national television.

According to the head of state, there are 589 agencies entitled to give out loans, including cooperatives, associations and unions. Between January and June, 95% of what was lent, only 12% was given to these agencies. The total amount of credit granted comes to a total of $10,910 million pesos.

When she announced the fact that “certain agencies take advantage” of pensioners, Fernández de Kirchner also assured that they charged up to 122% interest, while the average taxation rate elsewhere is at 70%.

“The taxation rate for loans given by the ANSeS can only be 5% higher than what the National Bank charges for the same loan,” stated the President, also sustaining that the Total Financial Cost (CFT) should include the price of the social installment.

“Let’s not commit socialism with everyone else’s money, because in Argentina there are many people who accept this kind of treatment. We believe in giving loans, not the overcharging and abuse of the system,” underlined the head of state.

Furthermore, Fernández de Kirchner’s speech took an emotional this afternoon, when she paid homage to the late Iván Heyn, who committed suicide yesterday.

The President spoke of the late foreign trade undersecretary, labelling him a “brilliant economist and tireless activist,” using him as an example for the young people of today.

Heyn yesterday committed suicide in his hotel room in Uruguay, where he was participating in the Mercosur Summit.

The head of state furthered that without the presence of economist, the Government would keep “strong, standing and without rushing.”

“We must keep ourselves strong and standing, without allowing ourselves to faint, without rushing ourselves. We defend the interests of the 40 million Argentines, and that’s where I will remain a soldier. Nobody will move us from that role,” expressed the President.

The ceremony began this morning in Lomas de Zamora, where ANSeS executive director Diego Bossio, Lomas de Zamora mayor Martín Isurralde, Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina, and Buenos Aires Province Governor Daniel Scioli were all present.

Fernández de Kirchner will later attend handing over of badges and delegations to the new heads of the Security Forces in the White Salon at the Government House.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

40 Years On, the Triumphs and Challenges of America’s ‘War on Cancer’

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

(HealthDay News) — Jack Whelan first knew something was wrong when it got harder and harder to walk from the train station in Boston to the financial district where he worked.
He knew something was terribly wrong when he started getting nose bleeds.
A consultation with an oncologist confirmed Whelan’s fears: He had advanced Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, a rare form of blood cancer that affects only about 1,500 people in the United States each year.
Forty years ago, Whelan would have had five years to live — at the outside — and who knows what his quality of life would have looked like.
But today, five years after his diagnosis and almost 40 years to the day that President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act declaring «war» on cancer, Whelan, 63, is power-walking, raking leaves, shoveling snow and back at work as a marketing executive.
Whelan is just one of the millions of Americans who have benefited from continued advances in cancer research. He has participated in four different clinical trials and is currently taking an experimental drug called LBH589 which, Whelan said, makes him «feel like Popeye the sailor after having spinach.»
Just this month, scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where Whelan is being treated, discovered a single gene mutation present in 90 percent of patients who have this rare type of cancer, raising the hope that an even more targeted treatment will soon be able to attack the disease.
Since Dec. 23, 1971, and the passage in Congress of the National Cancer Act, research has made tremendous progress against what is still one of the world’s foremost killers, experts say.
«Back at that time point, cancer essentially was a death sentence,» said Dr. Raymond N. DuBois Jr., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
That’s no longer the case, however, thanks to advances in early detection, improved therapies and a better understanding of the genetics driving different forms of cancer, he said.
«Forty years ago, fewer than one-third of patients with a diagnosis of cancer lived five years. Almost no children with a diagnosis of the most common form of childhood cancer, acute leukemia, lived [that long],» said Dana-Farber president Dr. Edward Benz Jr. «In 2011, nearly 90 percent of children diagnosed with acute leukemia will be cured and nearly two-thirds of all people diagnosed with cancer will live at least five years.»
Since 1991 alone, there’s been more than an 18 percent reduction in deaths from cancer, added Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.
An ounce of prevention
Much of this progress may have started with prevention.
Declines in smoking rates, helped by the landmark U.S. Surgeon General’s Report in 1964 linking smoking to cancer, have continued over the decades, preventing countless cases of lung malignancies and other forms of cancer.
Colonoscopies to detect pre-cancerous polyps have not only reduced mortality but prevented many cases of colorectal cancer outright.
The adoption of regular mammography screening for breast cancer is another success story in its own right, as is screening for cervical cancer.
Thanks to, first, the Pap smear (which looks for abnormal cells on the cervix) and now the HPV test (which detects the human papillomavirus that can cause cervical cancer), death rates from cervical cancer in the United States plummeted more than 60 percent between 1955 and 1992, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
No doubt, incidence and mortality from cervical cancer will continue to decline with the advent of another major weapon: newly approved vaccines that prevent infection with the strains of HPV that cause most cases of this type of cancer.
These vaccines (two have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) have great potential to reduce head and neck cancers, as well as anal cancer deaths, which can also be caused by HPV, Brawley said.
But advances in detection have been complemented by improvements in treatment, the experts added. These include better surgical techniques. For example, studies suggest that women who have a lumpectomy to conserve their breast along with radiation typically have as good a prognosis as women who undergo a full mastectomy.
Targeted radiation has also made treatment much less onerous for prostate cancer patients, and new chemotherapies often arrive with drastically fewer side effects than in decades past.
The age of «targeted therapies» or «personalized medicine» — an era ushered in by anti-estrogen breast cancer therapies such as tamoxifen (which debuted in the 1980s) — is here, Brawley said. Those highly targeted medications were later joined by aromatase inhibitors as well as Herceptin (trastuzumab) to attack a specific form of Her2neu-positive breast cancer.
Scientists are also finding new targets for lung, colorectal and other cancers. For example, studies show that Tarceva (erlotinib) can improve the average survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer by about two months. That may not sound like much but, in lung cancer, it represents a huge stride.
«Wonder drug» Gleevec, a medicine used to push certain blood cancers into remission, is another targeted-therapy success story. In fact, a colleague of Whelan’s was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia while still in his 20s and subsequently died. Had he been diagnosed a few years later, after the discovery of Gleevec, he would have lived, Whelan believes.
Brawley agrees that «personalized medicine is the future,» and he predicts many more advances in this area in the next five years.
Dubois added: «We are doing molecular fingerprinting of each individual tumor and, although we’re not using that right now to direct cancer care, the idea is once we have that information we will be able to use it to figure out exactly which treatments a patient needs so they’re not being given unnecessary treatment. And the treatment they do get is going to be much more effective on the first round of therapy when it really makes the biggest difference.»
Doctors now also know that «multi-modality» therapy — meaning the combined use of surgery, radiation and drug therapy — «has given people the best chance for good outcomes for particular kinds of cancer,» said Benz.
Progress lacking on some fronts
But while there’s been undisputed progress, «it’s very incomplete progress,» Benz and others acknowledged.
«If you look over the past 40 years, on some fronts we’ve actually been winning and on some fronts we’re losing terribly,» said Brawley. «We are our own worst enemy in terms of battling cancer with tobacco control, diet and exercise and getting everybody adequate preventive screening and treatment.
«In excess of 200,000 of the 500,000 lives that will be lost from cancer this year could have been avoided if we simply adopted all the cancer-control technologies that we’ve learned over the last 40 years,» he added.
Although the smoking rate has declined dramatically since publication of the U.S. Surgeon General’s 1964 report, it’s been stalled at about 20 percent for 10 years now, Brawley said.
There are also lingering disparities in both prevention and treatment by race, socioeconomic status and urban versus rural locations, said Brawley.
Cancer therapies are also becoming increasingly complicated and expensive «at a time when the trend in health care and in support for cancer research is going down,» added Benz. «I worry that we’re going to see increasing disparities as cancer and personalized medicine becomes more complicated and expensive. It will be harder and harder to offer it to everybody who needs it.»
Clinical trials may also become more difficult and expensive to conduct, as scientists recognize more and more subtypes of cancer. That means fewer people fit each particular subtype, Benz said.
Nevertheless, the overall message is a positive one.
«It’s been a huge evolution since 1971,» said DuBois. «It’s just incredible.»
More information
There’s more on the National Cancer Act at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

North Korea’s military to share power with Kim’s heir

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

BEIJING (Reuters) – BEIJING (Reuters) – North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week’s death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.
The source added that the military, which is trying to develop a nuclear arsenal, has pledged allegiance to the untested Kim Jong-un, who takes over the family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since it was founded after World War Two.
The source declined to be identified but has correctly predicted events in the past, telling Reuters about the North’s first nuclear test in 2006 before it took place.
The comments are the first signal that North Korea is following a course that many analysts have anticipated — it will be governed by a group of people for the first time since it was founded in 1948.
Both Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung were all-powerful, authoritarian rulers of the isolated state.
The situation in North Korea appeared stable after the military gave its backing to Kim Jong-un, the source said.
«It’s very unlikely,» the source said when asked about the possibility of a military coup. «The military has pledged allegiance to Kim Jong-un.»
North Korea’s collective leadership will include Kim Jong-un, his uncle and the military, the source said.
Jang Song-thaek, 65, brother-in-law of Kim Jong-il and the younger Kim’s uncle, is seen as the power behind the throne along with his wife Kim Kyong-hui, Kim Jong-il’s sister. So too is Ri Yong-ho, the rising star of the North’s military and currently its most senior general.
The younger Kim, who is in his late 20s, has his own supporters but is not strong enough to consolidate power, analysts said.
«I know that he’s been able to build a group of supporters around himself who are of his generation,» said Koh Yu-hwan, president of the Korean Association of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
«So it is not entirely elders in their 70s, plus some like Jang in their 60s, who are backing him. These young backers will be emerging fairly soon.»
Koh said the coterie was put in place by Kim Jong-il before he died. «The relative calm seen these few days shows it’s been effective. If things were not running smoothly, then we’d have seen a longer period of ‘rule by mummy’, with Kim Jong-il being faked as still being alive.»
He said the younger Kim would accept the set-up, for now. «Considering the tradition of strongarm rule by his father and grandfather, things can’t be easy for him,» he said.
«REGIME SURVIVAL»
Ralph Cossa, an authority on North Korea and president of the U.S. think tank Pacific Forum CSIS, said it made sense that the ruling group would stick together.
«All have a vested interest in regime survival,» he said. «Their own personal safety and survival is inextricably tied to regime survival and Kim Jong-un is the manifestation of this. I think the regime will remain stable, at least in the near-term.»
He added in a commentary that the new group may be inclined to reform, but stressed this was far from confirmed.
«Over the long term, there appears to be some hope, primarily emanating from Beijing, that Kim Jong-un will take North Korea down the path of Chinese-style reform, apparently based on the belief that Jang is or will be a ‘reformer’.»
«Who knows, this may be true. While this could relieve the suffering of the North Korean people over time, it will do little to promote the cause of denuclearization, however.»
The high-level source also said North Korea test-fired a missile on Monday to warn the United States not to make any moves against it. Pyongyang however had no immediate plans for further tests, barring an escalation of tensions.
«With the missile test, (North) Korea wanted to deliver the message that they have the ability to protect themselves,» the source said.
«But (North) Korea is unlikely to conduct a nuclear test in the near future unless provoked» by the United States and South Korea, the source said.
The unpredictable North’s nuclear program has been a nagging source of tension for the international community.
Pyongyang carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, and has quit six-party talks with South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia on abandoning its nuclear program and returning to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The high-level source also said Beijing was only notified of Kim’s death earlier on Monday, the same day North Korean state television broadcast the news. Kim died on Saturday.
A leading South Korean newspaper reported on Wednesday China learned of Kim’s death soon after it occurred.
China has given no official comment or even hints suggesting it was told of Kim’s death before the public announcement.
Beijing, the North’s closest ally and biggest provider of aid, has pulled out the stops to support the younger Kim.
The government has invited him to visit and, in an unusual gesture, President Hu Jintao and Vice-President Xi Jinping also visited the hermit state’s embassy in Beijing to express their condolences. Roads leading to the embassy were blocked.
Mainly, the prospect of instability on its northeastern border worries China and it sees the younger Kim and his coterie as the best prospect for keeping North Korea on an even keel.
North Korea has been pressed by China to denuclearize and is willing to do so on condition that North and South Korea, the United States and China sign an armistice replacing a 1953 ceasefire agreement, the source said.
The two Koreas have been divided for decades and remain technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice but no peace agreement. The United States backed the South, while China supported the North in that conflict.
Pyongyang is also convinced there are U.S. nuclear weapons in South Korea and demands Washington pull them out, the source said.
(Additional reporting by Jack Kim in Seoul; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Jonathan Thatcher) will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week’s death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.
The source added that the military, which is trying to develop a nuclear arsenal, has pledged allegiance to the untested Kim Jong-un, who takes over the family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since it was founded after World War Two.
The source declined to be identified but has correctly predicted events in the past, telling Reuters about the North’s first nuclear test in 2006 before it took place.
The comments are the first signal that North Korea is following a course that many analysts have anticipated — it will be governed by a group of people for the first time since it was founded in 1948.
Both Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung were all-powerful, authoritarian rulers of the isolated state.
The situation in North Korea appeared stable after the military gave its backing to Kim Jong-un, the source said.
«It’s very unlikely,» the source said when asked about the possibility of a military coup. «The military has pledged allegiance to Kim Jong-un.»
North Korea’s collective leadership will include Kim Jong-un, his uncle and the military, the source said.
Jang Song-thaek, 65, brother-in-law of Kim Jong-il and the younger Kim’s uncle, is seen as the power behind the throne along with his wife Kim Kyong-hui, Kim Jong-il’s sister. So too is Ri Yong-ho, the rising star of the North’s military and currently its most senior general.
The younger Kim, who is in his late 20s, has his own supporters but is not strong enough to consolidate power, analysts said.
«I know that he’s been able to build a group of supporters around himself who are of his generation,» said Koh Yu-hwan, president of the Korean Association of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
«So it is not entirely elders in their 70s, plus some like Jang in their 60s, who are backing him. These young backers will be emerging fairly soon.»
Koh said the coterie was put in place by Kim Jong-il before he died. «The relative calm seen these few days shows it’s been effective. If things were not running smoothly, then we’d have seen a longer period of ‘rule by mummy’, with Kim Jong-il being faked as still being alive.»
He said the younger Kim would accept the set-up, for now. «Considering the tradition of strongarm rule by his father and grandfather, things can’t be easy for him,» he said.
«REGIME SURVIVAL»
Ralph Cossa, an authority on North Korea and president of the U.S. think tank Pacific Forum CSIS, said it made sense that the ruling group would stick together.
«All have a vested interest in regime survival,» he said. «Their own personal safety and survival is inextricably tied to regime survival and Kim Jong-un is the manifestation of this. I think the regime will remain stable, at least in the near-term.»
He added in a commentary that the new group may be inclined to reform, but stressed this was far from confirmed.
«Over the long term, there appears to be some hope, primarily emanating from Beijing, that Kim Jong-un will take North Korea down the path of Chinese-style reform, apparently based on the belief that Jang is or will be a ‘reformer’.»
«Who knows, this may be true. While this could relieve the suffering of the North Korean people over time, it will do little to promote the cause of denuclearization, however.»
The high-level source also said North Korea test-fired a missile on Monday to warn the United States not to make any moves against it. Pyongyang however had no immediate plans for further tests, barring an escalation of tensions.
«With the missile test, (North) Korea wanted to deliver the message that they have the ability to protect themselves,» the source said.
«But (North) Korea is unlikely to conduct a nuclear test in the near future unless provoked» by the United States and South Korea, the source said.
The unpredictable North’s nuclear program has been a nagging source of tension for the international community.
Pyongyang carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, and has quit six-party talks with South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia on abandoning its nuclear program and returning to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The high-level source also said Beijing was only notified of Kim’s death earlier on Monday, the same day North Korean state television broadcast the news. Kim died on Saturday.
A leading South Korean newspaper reported on Wednesday China learned of Kim’s death soon after it occurred.
China has given no official comment or even hints suggesting it was told of Kim’s death before the public announcement.
Beijing, the North’s closest ally and biggest provider of aid, has pulled out the stops to support the younger Kim.
The government has invited him to visit and, in an unusual gesture, President Hu Jintao and Vice-President Xi Jinping also visited the hermit state’s embassy in Beijing to express their condolences. Roads leading to the embassy were blocked.
Mainly, the prospect of instability on its northeastern border worries China and it sees the younger Kim and his coterie as the best prospect for keeping North Korea on an even keel.
North Korea has been pressed by China to denuclearize and is willing to do so on condition that North and South Korea, the United States and China sign an armistice replacing a 1953 ceasefire agreement, the source said.
The two Koreas have been divided for decades and remain technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice but no peace agreement. The United States backed the South, while China supported the North in that conflict.
Pyongyang is also convinced there are U.S. nuclear weapons in South Korea and demands Washington pull them out, the source said.
(Additional reporting by Jack Kim in Seoul; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Jonathan Thatcher)

Fitch: 2012 Outlook: Argentine Insurance Industry

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Dec 21, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The sector has been faced with new insurance regulations, with greater government intervention adding uncertainty to this market. Fitch believes that there is a chance for more regulatory changes going forward and will, therefore, closely monitor the impact that these could have on the sector’s performance. Fitch understands that the purpose of these amendments is not to improve the sector’s creditworthiness or the functioning of the insurance market, but rather to address macroeconomic issues arising from exchange rate distortions.

After strong economic growth in 2011 (Fitch expects a full-year rate of 7.5%), Fitch is forecasting a more subdued expansion of 4% for 2012-2013. Risk factors for the medium term include: 1) an acceleration in the inflation rate, 2) a slowdown in the global economy, and 3) a deterioration in fiscal balances.

Fitch believes that premiums written will continue to show a positive trend, albeit at a more modest pace, in line with the overall economy. Given the more moderate growth projected for the industry as a whole, competition is likely to increase in an attempt to compensate lower overall growth with an increase in market share, which in turn may lead to less stringent underwriting standards.

The Argentine insurance market continues to be the least concentrated in Latin America, with the 30 largest insurers (there are 179 companies in total) comprising nearly 72% of total premiums.

Over the past few years, profitability in the insurance sector has been driven by the companies’ investment income, which has compensated for operating losses recorded during that time. Profitability in this industry will continue to be subject to volatility in the companies’ investment income, although low-risk investments (term deposits) are becoming more attractive due to the current high interest rates in the local market.

Reserves are currently adequate – but with an estimated increase in inflation and risk appetite- as companies are faced with higher competition. A significant decline in the reserves/earned retained premiums ratio would increase the companies’ risks stemming from inadequate reserve coverage.

Source: Fitch Ratings – marketwatch.com

Officials investigate Heyn’s mobile phone, computer

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

In the midst of the commotion caused by the sudden death of 34-year-old Iván Heyn, the Uruguayan Judiciary began the investigation of the causes that led the Argentina foreign trade undersecretary to commit suicide on Tuesday. Following the first results of the autopsy, officials were analyzing Heyn’s mobile phone and personal computer.
Montevideo police’s press chief José Luis Roldán said that the judge investigating the case is analyzing two cell phones and a notebook to find any kind of clue that could guide them to the reason why Heyn took this tragic decision. He added that there was no written letter left.
Uruguayan police sources unveiled that the results of the autopsy of the economist’s body, who was found dead in Uruguay in the midst of the Mercosur Summit, showed the official’s death was caused by “hanging.” Meanwhile, they keep investigating if there’s any substance that could have had influence in his decision.
“There are no signs of defence, the body is healthy,” he affirmed. It was not ruled out the possibility of a homicide and assured that the suicide is almost and exclusive hypothesis.
Also, the Radisson Hotel security chief, Alejandro González, talked to the press and stated that the staff in charge of the mini-fridge tried to enter the room, but the door was “locked.” When they managed to open it, they found the official’s corpse.
González added that after they opened the door they found Iván “naked, with a belt on his neck.” Besides, he added that there were no “phone calls” made from his room’s telephone. “I don’t know about his cell phone,” he assured.
buenosairesherald.com

“Malvinas is a global cause” because it involves the grabbing of natural resources

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

“Malvinas is not an Argentine cause, it’s a global cause because they are taking our fisheries and oil resources” said Argentine president Cristina Fernandez on taking the Mercosur rotating chair for the next six months.

During her speech to the summit, the Argentine president thanked all Mercosur members and associate states for their support in the Malvinas sovereignty dispute with the UK, which she added is also an open cause in support of multilateralism.

“I want to thank the immense solidarity for Malvinas. This support is not only for Argentina, but in self-defence because they are taking away the mineral and oil resources and when they’ll need more they are going to look for them anywhere,” she continued.

In her speech, the president added that the UK “does not respect any of the resolution” of the international organizations” because it happens to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council”.

The final round of speeches at the Montevideo summit was delayed following the death of a member of the Argentine delegation who was found dead in his hotel room, apparently having committed suicide.

In her speech the new Mercosur chair highlighted that “we must have a vision beyond the commercial one, we have to rely on the region to know that we have to protect each other.”

Cristina Fernandez reminded that “it’s the tenth anniversary of the day in which more than 35 Argentines died” in Argentina, referring to the violent clashes of the police and protesters on December 19-20 of 2001, when the Argentine economy collapsed and the country defaulted.

Argentina went through that experience because for years “we followed the prevailing liberal economics policies which are currently foundering Europe” said CFK who added that since 2003 the emphasis in Argentina has been growth with social inclusion.

Source: Mercopress

Argentine soy prices up boosted by Chicago gains

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s closing soy prices and trends on Wednesday:

* Soy prices in Rosario closed up for the fifth straight session, at between 1,190 and 1,230 pesos per tonne ($277-$287) versus 1,218 pesos in the prior session boosted by gains at the Chicago market, traders said.

* Trade volume rose to 9,000 tonnes from 5,000 tonnes on Tuesday.

* US soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade closed higher for a fifth day, touching a one-month top as traders covered short positions and fretted over dry weather in South American crop regions.

* Much-needed rain fell over Argentina’s farming belt on Tuesday and showers are also expected on Wednesday offering relief from dry conditions, although they will not be enough to normalize moisture levels, a metereologist said.

* In Rosario, soybeans for May 2012 delivery, priced in US dollars, closed at $275-$278 per tonne from $270 per tonne a day earlier.

Following is a list of grains of oilseed prices in Argentina’s main ports. Values from the previous session are in parentheses. All figures listed are in pesos per tonne.

Source: brecorder.com

La Plata: Martínez accuses prosecutor of not looking for the truth

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

Osvaldo Martínez.
The sole detainee of the La Plata quadruple murder, Osvaldo Martínez, claimed he is innocent and said he doesn’t feel imprisoned, but “kidnapped.”
“I don’t feel imprisoned, but kidnapped,” Martínez said in 12 page letter in which he also blasted public prosecutor Alvaro Garganta, whom he accused of “not searching for the truth, but what is convenient for him.”
He also criticized remise driver Marcelo Tagliaderro, who recognized Martínez after a identity parade- and said he was the man he saw the night of the crimes when he left a client in a house along street 28 in La Loma neighbourhood of La Plata.
“What he says has no logic. This man saw me in the newspaper and in all TC channels. I suggest a new identity parade, but only with voice, with faces hidden and naked torsos,” Martínez stated
Fernando Burlando, lawyer of the family of Marisol Pereyra, one of the murdered women, assured that investigators must look into the victims’ acquaintances to find the murderer. Burlando insisted that it is not up to him to find the murderer, but clarified what he considered a search hypothesis.
“I would analyze DNA samples of 40 million Argentines,” after the DNA samples collected from the crime scene failed to match those taken from Martínez, Tagliaterro and family members of the victims.
Judge Guillermo Atencio ordered preventive custody for Martínez, charging him a primary participant of the four crimes, although didn’t accuse him of being the perpetrator.
“We have certain doubts about the killer. These femicides were committed out of spite, as treason. The crime scene represents another matter, different of a person that worked to do so,” Burlando added.
Susana de Bártoli, her daughter Bárbara Santo, her granddaughter Micaela and family friend Marisol Pereyra were murdered November 27th.
buenosairesherald.com

Yellow alert, storm warnings issued due to heat wave

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

The weather forecasting service issued a yellow alert today due to the sudden heat wave in the city.
After a very hot afternoon in which the temperature reached a high of 36 degrees, rain started falling in the City. Earlier today, the National Weather Forecast Service (SMN) issued yellow alert and storm warningsin several provinces due to the heat wave.
Meanwhile, storm warnings were issued for the centre, south and northeastern areas of Buenos Aires province, southern Córdoba, south of Santa Fe and the northeastern area of La Pampa.
Yellow alert is issued as a health warning, as the heat can be particularly dangerous for people aged over 65 and for babies and young children, and those suffering from terminal illnesses.
buenosairesherald.com

Chávez: ‘Venezuela’s full membership doesn’t have to be decided today’

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

The 57-year-old socialist leader aims to quell concerns over his health after doctors removed a large tumor from his pelvis and gave him chemotherapy.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez arrived in Uruguay today to push for his country’s incorporation into the Mercosur trade bloc, in his first official trip abroad since undergoing cancer surgery in June.
He played down, however, expectations that Venezuela’s complete membership would be approved during the summit. ‘Venezuela’s full membership doesn’t have to be decided today,’ he told reporters.
“It was Mujica’s idea to put it up for negotiation. But it was never a goal to have it passed today,” the Venezuelan leader said referring to Uruguayan President José Pepe Mujica’s willingness to incorporate his country to the bloc.
“I bring my modest contribution to the integration,” he remarked. Chavéz also welcomed Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa´s request for full Mercosur membership. “It would be a Mercosur expansion towards the pacific and Andes,” he said.
The 57-year-old socialist leader aims to quell concerns over his health after doctors removed a large tumor from his pelvis and gave him chemotherapy. He plans to run for another six-year term in an October presidential election.
«I’ve overcome the most difficult phase of this cancer,» Chavez told reporters upon arrival in Montevideo. «I’m fully back on my feet and here to make a strong play for Latin America’s integration and unity.»
Presidents from Mercosur countries meet in Uruguay’s capital to discuss ways to protect themselves from a renewed global economic crisis. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are the only full members of the bloc. Venezuela has been aiming for the same status for years, but congressional approvals have been slow to come and Paraguayan legislators continue to block the move.
Chavez appealed to the bloc’s smaller members, saying «the day we have full membership in Mercosur, Uruguay and Paraguay will be able to sell much more to Venezuela.»
Apart from visits to Cuba for medical treatment Chavez had not been abroad since he was operated on six months ago. He canceled a trip to Argentina and Brazil earlier this month, citing floods in Venezuela.
buenosairesherald.com

Boxer Mayweather to serve 90 days in jail for attack

Felipe Dic 22, 2011

A Las Vegas judge sentenced boxer Floyd Mayweather on Wednesday to six months behind bars for a 2010 attack on the mother of his children, but half of that jail term was suspended, officials said.
Mayweather, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, pleaded guilty to one count of battery and no contest to two counts of harassment after reaching a deal with prosecutors, said Mary Ann Price, spokeswoman for the Clark County Courts.
Those charges were part of a criminal complaint against Mayweather, 34, that originally included charges of robbery, grand larceny and coercion over an altercation at the home of his former girlfriend, Josie Harris.
Las Vegas Judge Melissa Saragosa sentenced Mayweather to six months in jail, but she only ordered him to serve three months behind bars, officials said.
Saragosa suspended the other three months of the sentence, but if he is arrested again or fails to complete certain parts of his sentence he would have to spend those three months in jail, said Tess Driver, spokeswoman for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office which prosecuted the case.
The judge ordered Mayweather to complete 100 hours of community service and attend a 12-month domestic violence program, officials said.
Mayweather, who lives in Las Vegas, must report to court on Jan. 6 to be transferred to jail, officials said.
An attorney for Mayweather could not be reached for comment.
Mayweather originally faced a maximum sentence of over 30 years in jail in the case, Driver said.
A criminal complaint against Mayweather states he battered Harris in November 2010, when he grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the floor and struck her. The robbery and larceny charges against Mayweather related to allegations that he took Harris’ cell phone.
Five-division world champion Mayweather, a flamboyant fighter renowned for his trash-talking before bouts, is widely regarded as the best defensive fighter of his generation.
The boxer known as «Money» improved his professional record to a perfect 42-0, including 26 knockouts, with a fourth-round knockout of Victor Ortiz in Las Vegas in September to claim the World Boxing Council welterweight title.
He is due back in court for a separate case next week, when he is expected to plead guilty to a charge of misdemeanor battery against a security guard, Driver said. That would carry a $1,000 fine, she said.
buenosairesherald.com

Encontraron la avioneta en Córdoba y los dos tripulantes están muertos

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

La aeronave era buscada por la policía de Córdoba en la zona de Las Varillas, en el este provincial, luego de que se perdiera contacto con el piloto. Esta mañana fue hallada siniestrada en la zona de Villa María.

Una avioneta con dos personas a bordo que era buscada por la policía de Córdoba luego de que se perdiera contacto con el piloto, fue hallada siniestrada cerca de Villa María. Los dos tripulantes estaban muertos.

El avión es un Piper PA-60 que se desplazaba de Buenos Aires a la ciudad de Córdoba, y había hecho una escala en Rosario. A las 4:30, el piloto emitió un llamado de emergencia, aparentemente por un desperfecto, según lo informado por la radio Cadena 3.

«Es un avión bimotor Aerostar con capacidad para seis personas, pero que traía dos ocupantes. Sabemos que venía de Rosario a Córdoba», dijo el comisario mayor Daniel Ferreyra.

De acuerdo con las fuentes, la avioenta fue hallada esta mañana al norte de Córdoba, cerca de Villa María, donde ahora están trabajando peritos de la Policía que buscan establecer los motivos del accidente.

Fuente: Online-911

En Racing, Bianchi está descartado y Bauza entra en la lista de candidatos

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Gastón Cogorno, nuevo presidente de la Academia, contó que sondearon al Virrey y recibieron un no; la máxima autoridad nombró a Bauza, Basile, Ardiles y Martino como DT que le gustan

Diego Simeone se marchó y dejó interrogantes en la Academia, que en épocas de fiestas mira, analiza y deberá decidir un sucesor. Gastón Cogorno, presidente del club, dice que quiere un técnico trabajador, equilibrado y deja su lista de nombres como hincha, aclara. «Bianchi, Basile, Bauza, Martino y Ardiles, esos serían mis nombres», dijo anoche en Radio Cooperativa.

Pero cada nombre tiene una historia. «De Bianchi, sondeamos a su entorno, pero nos dijeron que no», señaló el nuevo presidente de Racing esta mañana en Radio Uno. Gerardo Martino por estas horas está más cerca de dirigir a la selección colombiana y, en general, dejó en claro que si dirige en el fútbol argentino, lo hará en Newell´s.

Entonces, empiezan a tomar fuerza los nombres de Basile, Ardiles, Bauza e incluso algún otro que acerque otro dirigente como José Pekerman. Por lo pronto, Racing intentará cerrar hoy la llegada de Roberto Ayala como nuevo coordinador del fútbol profesional del club. El Ratón opinará sobre el próximo DT.
Fuente: Cancha Llena

En Nochebuena, voluntarios recorrerán la Ciudad para brindar con quienes viven en la calle

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Familias enteras, parejas y abuelos ya se inscribieron en la movida organizada por Red Solidaria. También se puede colaborar acercando alimentos, bebidas y juguetes.

Mientras la cabeza de la gran mayoría está puesta en qué regalarle a ese primo lejano que uno sólo ve para las Fiestas, en desempolvar la receta del vitel toné y en qué estrenar el 25; el director de Red Solidaria, Manuel Lozano, se preguntó “¿por qué no juntarse con los que no tienen con quién juntarse?”. Con aquellos a quienes los planes de la comilona les es ajena y que se enterarán de que dieron las 12 cuando el cielo bajo el que duermen cada noche se ilumine con los destellos de la bulliciosa pirotecnia.

El interrogante se convirtió en decisión tomada y Manuel convocó a un grupo de voluntarios que abandonaron sus planes navideños tradicionales para sumarse a la cruzada de pasar Nochebuena bajo las estrellas. “Así que el 24 de diciembre a partir de las 9 de la noche vamos a estar recorriendo las calles para acompañar a los que viven allí y están solos y vamos a picar algo con ellos”, explicó.

A dos días de lanzada la campaña, ya se habían inscripto 60 voluntarios. Él, que de manos solidarias sabe, se confiesa “sorprendido” por el poder de convocatoria que está teniendo la iniciativa. “Nos contactaron familias enteras que van a hacer la recorrida, parejas, algún abuelo también escribió. Va a ser un grupo de voluntarios heterogéneo y creo que la vamos a pasar bien, ellos y nosotros”, afirmó.

Para Manuel y otros tantos, esta será la oportunidad de reencontrarse “con cada uno de los amigos de la calle que fuimos conociendo en las recorridas por el frío”. Es que durante 140 noches con temperaturas cercanas al cero, 1500 voluntarios patearon la Ciudad para acercarles algo caliente a quienes viven a la intemperie. Esta vez, no saldrán emponchados hasta la nariz y el menú será diferente: habrá budines, pan dulces y algo para brindar.

La cita es a las 21, en la esquina de Riobamba y Mitre. “La idea es arrancar por la zona donde hay mayor densidad demográfica de gente en situación de calle como Congreso, Microcentro y demás, pero después nos vamos a ir extendiendo. Yo espero que con la cantidad de gente que se está anotando podamos cubrir toda la Capital, como hacemos en invierno”, afirma Manuel.

Quienes elijan pasar una Navidad tradicional, tienen la chance de colaborar acercando a Red Solidaria alimentos (pan dulces, budines, confituras, etc.) y bebidas (no alcohólicas) para que los voluntarios distribuyan. También se reciben juguetes para repartir entre los chicos. La idea es que nadie pase la noche sin chocar la copa y sin el deseo de ¡Feliz Navidad!

Fuente: Clarín

México: hallaron cuerpos descuartizados en bolsas plásticas

Chiara Dic 21, 2011

Al menos dos cadáveres cercenados en múltiples partes fueron hallados en bolsas plásticas tiradas en diferentes sitios del poblado mexicano de Temixco (centro), informó la fiscalía del estado de Morelos. Esa ciudad, a 95 km de la capital mexicana, se ha visto envuelta los dos últimos años en una creciente ola de crímenes atribuido por autoridades a disputas de bandas por el control de un cartel.
por AFP

Bulgheroni elaborará aceite de oliva en Uruguay

Chiara Dic 21, 2011

El empresario argentino dueño de la petrolera Pan American Energy, Alejandro Bulgheroni, y su mujer y socia, Bettina Bulgheroni, invirtieron U$S18 millones en una planta boutique de elaboración de aceite de oliva extra virgen en el vecino país. El desarrollo forma parte de la empresa agropecuaria Agroland y planea una producción para 2012 de 150.000 kilogramos de aceite. Tienen 4.000 hectáreas.
Ubicada en la cercanía del pueblo Garzón (zona próxima a Punta del Este) el titular de Pan American Energy, Alejandro Bulgheroni y su mujer y socia, Bettina Bulgheroni, invirtieron u$s 18 millones en una planta boutique de elaboración de aceite de oliva extra virgen “Colinas de Garzón”.

El desarrollo forma parte de la empresa agropecuaria Agroland (compañía agroindustrial del petrolero argentino en Uruguay) y planea una producción para 2012 de 150.000 kg de aceite. La producción importante comenzará dentro de 10 años, cuando se complete el crecimiento de los olivares en las 4.000 hectáreas que tiene el desarrollo y que incluye la plantación de viñedos y la elaboración de vinos de alta calidad.

En total, para el proyecto olivícola se han seleccionado 12 variedades de cultivo proveniente de Italia, España, Francia, Israel y la Argentina. El equipo de la planta tiene una capacidad de molienda superior a las 70 toneladas de aceitas por día.

“La inversión corresponde para la puesta en marcha del equipo industrial y el proyecto olivícola, no incluye la tierra”, explicó el empresario a El Cronista.

“Nuestra intención es crecer a medida que se vayan desarrollando los negocios”, agregó Bulgheroni frente a la consulta de nuevas inversiones.

Sin embargo, no se descarta que en la misma extensión de tierra, en donde también hay un parque eólico, almendros, castaños y pecanes; se lleve adelante un hotel boutique.
En el evento de inauguración que contó con la presencia del presidente de Uruguay José Mujica “además de personalidades de la política, los negocios y la cultura de la Argentina y Uruguay” el empresario argentino afirmó que “esto es lo que tiene que hacer Uruguay para salir al mundo, apostar a la mano de obra intensiva con capital intensivo”. Y le aseguró al presidente Mujica que “seguirán” con los proyectos porque “Uruguay se los merece”.
mdzol.com

El dólar cotiza a 4,31 para la venta

Chiara Dic 21, 2011

La Bolsa de Comercio porteña subía 0,13% al inicio de las operaciones y se situaba en 2.445,51 puntos. En tanto, en las principales casas de cambio del microcentro porteño el dólar al público se cotizaba a un promedio de 4,27 pesos para la compra y a 4,31 pesos para la venta.
diariohoy.net

Acuerdo Místico

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Javier Cantero se reunió con Ramón Díaz y confirmó lo que se esperaba: el Pelado sigue en Independiente. Tras dos horas de charla, el flamante presidente y el técnico llegaron a buen puerto.

Javier Cantero ya lo había avisado antes de coronarse como presidente de Independiente con una elección récord. «La idea es que Ramón Díaz continúe. Los contratos están hechos para respetarse y eso es lo que haremos», había soltado. Finalmente, luego de ser electo, puso manos a la obra.

Tras dos horas de reunión con el Pelado, el nuevo mandamás del Rojo logró sellar su continuidad. En la cabeza del técnico estaba la idea de seguir, pero faltaba la confirmación oficial. Ahora, con todo acordado, quedó claro: Ramón y su cuerpo técnico siguen.

Fuente: Olé

EEUU censura investigación sobre gripe aviar por miedo «a su uso terrorista»

Chiara Dic 21, 2011

“Investigadores tienen sus dudas sobre la recomendación de Consejo Asesor para la Bioseguridad de Estados Unidos, pero la respetarán”, han dicho desde La Haya. EE.UU recomendó a la revista científica «Science» que no publique la metodología usada por los virólogos holandeses, porque de llegar a manos de terroristas, podría ser usada para fabricar un arma biológica.
Científicos del Centro Médico Universitario Erasmo de Rotterdam han accedido a publicar solamente de forma parcial los resultados de su investigación sobre gripe aviar, censurada en EEUU por miedo a que sea usada para elaborar armas biológicas.

«Los investigadores de Rotterdam tienen sus dudas sobre la recomendación de Consejo Asesor para la Bioseguridad de Estados Unidos, pero la respetarán», indicó anoche el centro médico en su pagina de Internet.

Ese organismo asesor estadounidense recomendó a la revista científica «Science» que no publique la metodología usada por los virólogos holandeses, porque de llegar a manos de terroristas, podría ser usada para fabricar un arma biológica.

Dirigida por el virólogo holandés Ron Fouchier, la investigación ha descubierto cinco mutaciones genéticas que el virus H5N1 puede sufrir para su contagio entre las personas, lo cual podría tener altos riesgos para la salud pública.

El objetivo del estudio, que ha sido financiado por el Instituto Nacional de Salud Estadounidense, perseguía conseguir la información necesaria para evitar una posible pandemia originada por esa variante de la gripe, que antes solo se contagiaba entre aves o de los animales a las personas.

Fouchier declaró a la televisión pública NOS: «Por lo menos sabemos cuáles son las mutaciones que debemos analizar en caso de que haya un brote y así poder pararlo» y dijo no tener «más remedio que aceptar» la opinión del consejo asesor norteamericano.

Los resultados de la investigación son un arma de doble filo porque por un lado sientan la base para elaborar medicamentos y vacunas contra el virus, pero por el otro aporta la información necesaria para crear un virus letal.

Al censurar la metodología, se quiere evitar la publicidad sobre cómo llegar a conseguir la peligrosa mutación del virus.

El equipo de Fouchier trabaja ahora en una versión de la investigación que se ajuste a las exigencias estadounidenses y que con toda seguridad se publicará en «Science».

Fuente: EFE.

Detienen a un chico de 15 años por el asesinato de un adolescente en Mar del Plata

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Estaba siendo buscado por el crimen de un joven de 17 años, a quien mató de un balazo tras una fuerte discusión. Luego de estar varios días prófugo de la Justicia, el acusado fue detenido en su casa.

Un chico de 15 años fue detenido acusado de matar de un balazo a un adolescente hace siete días en la ciudad bonaerense de Mar del Plata, tras una fuerte discusión, informaron fuentes policiales a Online-911.

Según los pesquisas, el acusado está sospechado de haber matado a Alejandro Mendieta, de 17, con quien mantuvo el 13 de diciembre pasado una discusión. Durante la pelea, el chico de 15, le efectuó un disparo con un arma de bajo calibre a la altura del corazón.

En tanto Mendieta había sido trasladado al HIGA donde finalmente murió. Después de varios días de búsqueda, efectivos de la DDI de Mar del Plata lograron dar con el paradero del menor, quien fue detenido en su domimcilio, ubicado en la calle 212, entre French y Brandsen.

Fuente: Online-911

El pedido de fin de año de Grondona: un nuevo formato de torneo para 2012

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Dijo que quiere un torneo largo a partir de julio del año que viene y un mayor número de ascendidos para llegar a 28 equipos en Primera dentro de cuatro temporadas; en dos años, se eliminarían los promedios

Mientras en la última reunión de Comité Ejecutivo de AFA despedían el año ayer, Julio Grondona volvió a insistirle a los clubes que revean sus posiciones con respecto a los torneos largos. El máximo dirigente del Fútbol planea aumentar, gradualmente, el número de equipos en Primera, incluida la vuelta al viejo formato que existía en la Argentina.

Para el próximo Clausura, todo se mantendrá como hasta ahora. Los cambios comenzarían recién a partir de la temporada 2012/2013. La primera idea es modificar los ascensos. Que en el Nacional B, de dos pasen de ser cuatro fijos (sin promociones). Los equipos que descenderán serán dos, y así buscarán llegar a un torneo con 28 equipos, cuatro temporadas más tarde. Estos equipos pelearán en un torneo de un año entero, algo que los dirigentes deberán tratar en 2012.

Otro de los pedidos del presidente de la AFA es que desde la temporada 2013/2014 desaparezcan los promedios, uno de los pedidos más fuertes de varios clubes. Con la modificación de los ascensos, de dos a cuatro, el sistema que funciona ahora, quedaría anulado.

Por presión del Gobierno Nacional, en la temporada que viene comenzarían las auditorias externas a los clubes, para controlar de una mejor manera las finanzas. Este pedido será obligatorio para otorgar el dinero de las transmisiones del Fútbol para Todos.

Además, en las primeras reuniones de Comité Ejecutivo del año próximo, los clubes debatirán la distribución de los 825 millones de pesos que le otorga el Gobierno Nacional por las transmisiones de fútbol.

Fuente: Cancha Llena

Se puede realizar por internet el trámite para sacar un vehículo fuera del país

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

La declaración de salida temporal de un automóvil se puede hacer ahora en forma on line. Los viajeros podrán imprimir y presentar directamente la autorización en la Aduana al momento de su salida. Conozca el instructivo

Desde hoy, todos los turistas podrán completar a través de internet los formularios exigidos por la AFIP para la salida temporal de su vehículo y los formularios para dicho trámite ya se encuentran disponibles en la página web del organismo.

Desde la AFIP recordaron que los formularios (OM 2261, OM 1856 y OM 1748 PST – Permiso de Salida Temporal) tienen el carácter de declaración jurada de retorno dentro del plazo que otorgue la autoridad aduanera al momento de la salida, y que deberán ser presentados a su regreso para la cancelación del trámite.

La agilización del trámite se suma a la iniciativa implementada a partir de Semana Santa para la confección del OM 121 para la declaración de equipaje. «Los viajeros que deseen salir del país con su vehículo y lleven además objetos transportados como equipaje, podrán confeccionar ambos formularios en forma anticipada y en el mismo momento», explicó el organismo.

Cómo realizar el trámite

La declaración de vehículos es similar a la de declaración de objetos: se debe acceder a www.afip.gob.ar y seleccionar «Declaración de objetos y/o vehículos», en el menú «Accesos más Utilizados». Allí se deberán detallar los datos personales, de salida y datos del vehículo (ver link relacionado).

Finalmente, en función al país de destino, el sistema imprimirá el formulario correspondiente, que deberá ser presentado en el punto fronterizo de salida junto con la documentación respaldatoria como la cédula verde o azul, DNI o CI, y demás documentos.

Fuente: Infobae

Vacaciones: cuál es la documentación necesaria para salir del país con chicos

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Desde octubre pasado, la Dirección Nacional de Migraciones introdujo una nueva exigencia para las partidas de nacimiento. Antes de emprender un viaje con sus hijos, conozca los requisitos que debe cumplir

Siempre que los padres pretendan salir con un menor de edad del país la legislación vigente exige, además de los documentos que acrediten la identidad, la partida de nacimiento, la libreta de matrimonio o la autorización de viaje originales, con el fin de demostrar la filiación.

De hecho, para chicos en cuyas partidas de nacimiento sólo figura uno de los papás, precisamente el que viaja, se pide que la partida no tenga una antigüedad mayor de 6 meses.

Además, cuando el menor viaja solo o en compañía de sólo uno de sus padres es necesario, además del documento original que demuestre la filiación, un permiso de viaje del padre faltante. El permiso se tramita ante un escribano público y debe legalizarse.

Para ir en auto hay que llevar la copia del título de propiedad, la cédula verde, el seguro extensivo del Mercosur, las últimas tres patentes pagas y el registro de conducir. Además, otro dato a tener en cuenta: la cédula azul (para quien no es el propietario del auto) se reconoce como válida en Uruguay, pero no en Brasil. Y a no olvidar verificar que los cristales del vehículo estén grabados.

Fuente: Infobae

Expulsan de Chile a un boliviano que ingresó a una base militar

Chiara Dic 21, 2011

Las autoridades chilenas han expulsado del país a un ciudadano boliviano que ingresó sin autorización a una base militar en la norteña ciudad de Iquique, dos semanas después de que cuatro peruanos fueran retenidos en un hecho similar, según informa hoy el diario El Mercurio. Durante la audiencia de formalización, Vidal, el ciudadano boliviano, dijo que trabajaba como mesero (camarero).

El joven, de 28 años e identificado como Rómulo Alfredo Vidal Brito, fue sorprendido en la tarde del lunes a unos 300 metros al interior del perímetro de la base aérea Los Cóndores, que está cercada por alambres de púa y ubicada en el aeropuerto Diego Aracena de Iquique.

Vidal Brito fue retenido por una patrulla de la Fuerza Aérea de Chile (Fach) y entregado a Carabineros.

Ayer fue formalizado en el Tribunal de Garantía de Iquique por infringir la Ley de Control de Armas y Explosivos, que castiga a quienes ingresen sin permiso a un cuartel, recinto militar o polvorín.

Durante la audiencia de formalización, Vidal, que entró al país el pasado 10 de diciembre como turista, dijo que trabajaba como mesero (camarero) y que cuando fue retenido estaba buscando un lugar para pescar.

Como el joven cometió un delito mientras permanecía en Chile con visa de turista, la Intendencia (gobernación) de la región de Tarapacá decretó su expulsión del país, que se produjo en la noche del martes a través del paso de Colchane, en el extremo norte de Chile, añadió el diario.

En un hecho similar, cuatro ciudadanos peruanos ingresaron sin autorización el pasado 11 de diciembre al recinto militar del Fuerte Condell en Punta Gruesa, cerca también de Iquique, por lo que fueron retenidos y puestos a disposición de la Fiscalía.

Los cuatro afirmaron también que habían salido a pescar y negaron que estuvieran en labores de espionaje.

Dos de ellos fueron expulsados porque infringieron la citada ley estando en Chile con visa de turista, mientras que la situación de otros dos, que estaban tramitando su residencia definitiva en el país, está pendiente de resolución.
por EFE

Yahuar se reunió con Buzzi y prometió un nuevo esquema para comerciar trigo

Chiara Dic 21, 2011

El ministro de Agricultura, Norberto Yauhar, anticipó que en un plazo de 30 días esperan poder presentar un esquema de comercialización para el trigo y el maíz. Lo aseguró luego de reunirse con el titular de Federación Agreria, Eduardo Buzzi.
El ministro de Agricultura, Norberto Yauhar, anticipó hoy que en un plazo de 30 días esperan poder presentar un esquema de comercialización para el trigo y el maíz. En diálogo con Télam, señaló que mañana mantendrá un encuentro con el secretario de Comercio Interior, Guillermo Moreno, para avanzar en el tema.

Tras una reunión con autoridades de la Federación Agraria Argentina (FAA), el ministro explicó que «la prioridad pasa por asegurar los 7 millones de toneladas de trigo y las 8 millones de maíz para el consumo interno, y que el resto sea destinado al comercio exterior».

«Queremos que el ingreso por exportaciones llegue de forma más eficiente al productor y no se quede en la cabeza de la cadena», destacó Yahuar.

El nuevo esquema mantendría los ROEs, pero le aseguraría a los productores una mayor competencia entre los exportadores, por lo que el mercado terminaría pagando un precio mayor por los granos. Respecto a los plazos, desde la cartera agropecuaria explicaron que «se trata de tiempos cortos por la cercanía de la cosecha de estos granos».

A la reunión de Yauhar con Moreno se le sumará mañana un encuentro que las autoridades de la Asociación de Agricultores Federados (AFA) mantendrán con funcionarios de la cartera agropecuaria. De las distintas reuniones también podrían participar funcionarios de la AFIP.

Por su parte, el titular de la FAA, Eduardo Buzzi, se mostró de acuerdo con una modificación en el esquema de comercialización para estos granos. «El Estado no puede estar afuera del mercado», destacó.

Sin embargo, aclaró que la intervención debe darse en el sentido de «asegurar una mayor ganancia a los productores frente a las cerealeras».

Consultado acerca de la oposición de las demás entidades agropecuarias a la intervención del Estado en el mercado de granos, Buzzi defendió la postura de la Federación Agraria.

Por otra parte, recordó que «hay malestar en los productores trigueros y maiceros del interior por este tema». «Tiene que haber una solución en las próximas dos semanas», señaló.
lapoliticaonline.com

Una pareja de jubilados fue asaltada en el barrio de Agronomía

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Cuatro delincuentes sorprendieron a la mujer de 61 años en la calle, la tomaron del cuello e ingresaron a su vivienda. En el interior, la encerraron en un baño junto a su esposo, mientras saqueaban el lugar. Un vecino alertó a la Policía y lograron detener a los ladrones

Al menos cuatro delincuentes sorprendieron a una mujer de 61 años que se encontraba en la vereda de su casa, la tomaron del cuello y la obligaron a ingresar a la vivienda, donde la encerraron en el baño junto a su esposo de 70, mientras asaltaban el lugar. Un vecino que presenció el forcejeo, alertó a la Policía y lograron detener a los asaltantes.

El hecho ocurrió en un la esquina de Argerich y Asunción. Los delincuentes golpearon a las víctimas. Según relató el hermano de la mujer, «tuvo que ser medicada» por el impacto del robo. Además, contó que cuando los delincuentes se percataron de que se acercaba la Policía, intentaron escapar po la parte de atrás de la vivienda.

Uno de los asaltantes resultó herido al golpearse con una reja. En tanto, la mujer golpeada por el ladrón fue asistida por los médicos de su obra social y se recuperaba en su vivienda, al igual que su esposo. «Ella está cansada y estaba muy nerviosa», contó.

Fuente: Infobae

Crimen de Tomás: el asesinato del niño tuvo una «brutalidad enorme»

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Las marcas en su cuerpo muestran que intentó defenderse del ensañamiento con el que fue golpeado en la cabeza, advirtió ayer el juez de Garantías de Junín, José Luccini. El magistrado resolverá la situación judicial del imputado Adalberto Cuello entre hoy y mañana

En tanto, el abogado de la madre del niño de 9 años, Carlos Torres, estimó que «el jueves estaremos teniendo la prisión preventiva de Cuello por el delito de homicidio calificado por ensañamiento y alevosía en la persona de Tomasito Santillán», perpetrado el 15 de noviembre en Lincoln.

Por su parte, el juez a cargo de la causa dijo que están pendientes los resultados de las pericias de ADN y el dictamen pericial del psiquiatra.

«Le aplicaron diferentes golpes en la cabeza y había signos de defensa en sus manos. Se quiso cubrir la cabeza. El hecho es de una cobardía y de una brutalidad enormes», destacó Luccini en declaraciones radiales.

El juez manifestó que «por ese motivo (el delito) está agravado por ensañamiento y alevosía: actuar sobre seguro y con crueldad ante el dolor y la agonía».

El magistrado tiene cinco días para aceptar o rechazar el pedido del fiscal del caso, Javier Ochoaizpuro, quien reclamó el viernes el procesamiento de Cuello con prisión preventiva.

«Antes del viernes voy a tomar una resolución sobre si continúa detenido, si hago lugar a las nulidades planteadas o no, a las peticiones de deformación de causa por falso testimonio y encubrimiento, a la libertad por falta de mérito y a una morigeración de prisión preventiva», expresó Luccini.

El juez advirtió que «resta por recepcionarse las pericias de ADN que se remitieron al Departamento de San Martín, donde la fiscalía tiene un sistema de pericias para delitos complejos».

«Hay restos de ADN en un auto que supuestamente fue el utilizado», además de otros elementos, y si se comprueba que existe «rastro del menor, se complicaría enormemente la situación del imputado», expresó el magistrado.

Luccini, al referirse al vehículo, recordó que se trata de «un auto rojo que era propiedad del padre de la última pareja de Cuello», María Inés Márquez.

Asimismo, sostuvo que «también falta agregarse a la causa el dictamen pericial del psiquiatra» y recordó que se trata de «la única persona que yo autoricé para que estuviera en la audiencia (del lunes) y observara las expresiones de Cuello en el transcurso de la misma».

El abogado de la madre, por su parte, consideró «un éxito desde el punto de vista técnico» la audiencia a la que asistieron el imputado y su representada, Susana Santillán, y sostuvo que causó «estupor» en la sala cuando Cuello dijo que «no sabía por qué estaba ahí».

Torres cuestionó el pedido de la defensa del imputado que busca el «procesamiento por falso testimonio» de María Inés Márquez, última pareja del acusado, al manifestar que «a esta altura de la investigación está demostrado que actuó solo».

El niño fue asesinado a golpes el 15 de noviembre después de salir de la escuela Sarmiento, a la que concurría en Lincoln, y su cuerpo fue hallado dos días después en las afueras de esa ciudad.

Fuente: DyN

Encuentran asesinado a un cobrador de préstamos con su auto en marcha en Laferrere

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

La principal hipótesis es que se trataría de un ajuste de cuentas. La víctima trabajaba para una empresa crediticia de la zona. Según los investigadores, el cuerpo fue encontrado en el asiento del conductor de su vehículo

Un cobrador de préstamos fue encontrado asesinado de dos disparos en la cabeza en el interior de su auto en la localidad bonaerense de Laferrere, partido de La Matanza y la principal hipótesis es que se trataría de un ajuste de cuentas, informaron fuentes policiales a Online-911.

La víctima fue identificada como Fabián Jiménez, de 41 años, quien trabaja para una empresa crediticia de la zona. Según los investigadores, el cuerpo – que se encontraba sin su calzado- fue encontrado en el asiento del conductor de su vehículo, un VW Bora, que estaba en marcha.

De acuerdo a la principal hipótesis, los disparos se habrían accionado desde el asiento trasero, por lo que se presume que el asesino era llevado por el prestamista.

La víctima tenía en su poder tanto su billetera como el celular, aclararon los informantes, que descartan por ahora la hipótesis del robo.

Fuente: Online-911

Caos de tránsito en los accesos a la Capital por piquetes sindicales

Felipe Dic 21, 2011

Manifestantes y activistas de Uatre, el gremio que lidera Gerónimo «El Momo» Venegas, bloquearon durante 2 horas en forma total la Autopista Riccheri. Ante la presencia de efectivos de Gendarmería se retiraron. También hubo cortes en la Panamericana, en el Puente Pueyrredón y frente al Congreso. En total, hubo protestas en 29 puntos del país

Miembros de la Unión Argentina de Trabajadores Rurales y Estibadores (Uatre) realizaron diversos piquetes en los principales accesos a la Capital Federal y en varios puntos del país, en protesta por la posible aprobación del Estatuto del peón rural, que se trata en el Senado y que es impulsado por el gobierno nacional.

El primer corte se realizó en la Autopista Panamericana Ramal Pilar, a la altura del kilómetro 50 y en ambos sentidos. En tanto, la misma organización bloqueó totalmente la Autopista Buenos Aires-La Plata, en el kilómetro 20, a la altura de la localidad de Quilmes, donde incendiaron neumáticos, aunque posteriormente la liberaron.

De igual forma, los activistas de Uatre, cuyo titular es el duhaldista Gerónimo «Momo» Venegas, realizaron un piquete en la Autopista Riccheri, frente al Mercado Central y en el puente Pueyrredón, lo que complicó el acceso a la Ciudad a miles automovilistas desde la zona zur del Conurbano. Además, cortaron la Ruta 9, a la altura de la localidad de San Pedro.

En total, realizaron 29 cortes en varios lugares del territorio nacional, que incluye piquetes en distintos puntos de las Provincias de Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa Fe, Río Negro, La Pampa, San Juan, Misiones, Corrientes y Chaco.

Al respecto, el secretario de prensa del gremio dijo: «Estamos en protesta, por esta ley maliciosa. Es en señal de protesta, porque consideramos que ésta no es la forma de aprobar una ley».

Sobre la creación del estatuto del peón rural, Venegas en reiteradas oportunidades dijo que destruiría a su gremio «porque lo divide en 8 organizaciones gremiales». «Hay que respetar el Gobierno porque lo votó mucha gente, pero todas las medidas que toman son contra el bolsillo de los trabajadores», dijo.

«Estamos de acuerdo con que hay que modificarla, pero el gobierno modifica maliciosamente nuestro proyecto porque quiere quedarse con la caja del Renatre (Registro Nacional de Trabajadores Rurales y Empleadores)», advirtió.

Fuente: Infobae