viernes, 21 de agosto de 2015

CARLOS MENEM AFIRMA QUE NO PUEDE DECLARAR “LO QUE SABE” SOBRE EL ATENTADO A LA AMIA

CARLOS MENEM AFIRMA QUE NO PUEDE DECLARAR “LO QUE SABE” SOBRE EL ATENTADO A LA AMIA

Con la excusa de la seguridad de Estado


El ex presidente Carlos Menem, acusado por el encubrimiento del atentado a la AMIA.
Imagen: Télam
Omar Daer, defensor del ex presidente en el juicio por el encubrimiento del ataque, dijo que la declaración de su cliente sería una amenaza para los intereses nacionales y romper la convivencia pacífica con otros países. La querella de Memoria Activa rechazó el planteo.
 Por Ailín Bullentini

“Lo que sabe” el ex presidente Carlos Menem sobre el atentado a la AMIA implica “una amenaza para la seguridad del Estado”, según advirtió su abogado defensor, Omar Daer, durante la tercera audiencia del juicio que juzga a su cliente y a otros doce imputados –el ex juez federal Juan José Galeano y los ex fiscales Eamon Müllen y José Barbaccia, entre ellos– por encubrir el ataque a la sede porteña de la mutual judía, hace 21 años. Desde Memoria Activa no lo dejaron pasar. “Si sabe muchas cosas y las calló durante 21 años, que las diga de una buena vez en honor a las víctimas”, enfatizó el abogado Rodrigo Borda. Así como la de Menem, las defensas de Galeano, los ex fiscales, el ex titular de la SIDE Hugo Anzorreguy y el duplicador de autos Carlos Telleldín solicitaron la nulidad de las acusaciones en contra de sus clientes. La fiscalía y algunas de las querellas rechazaron los planteos. El juicio retomará su curso en dos semanas; entonces, el Tribunal Oral Federal N°3 resolverá las cuestiones.
La expectativa por las declaraciones indagatorias atravesó el inicio de la audiencia de ayer, la tercera del debate en el que el TOF 3 definirá qué grado de participación tuvieron los 13 acusados –a los ex funcionarios estatales y judiciales se le suman el ex dirigente de la DAIA Rubén Beraja, la ex mujer de Telleldín Ana María Boragni y su ex abogado Víctor Stinfale– en la decisión de correr a la “pista siria” de la línea de investigación del atentado y la invención y concreción de una “pista falsa” que la reemplazara. La posibilidad de que el ex presidente hablara ante el TOF quedó trunca cuando el secretario del tribunal informó que la videoconferencia con La Rioja no había podido establecerse “por problemas técnicos”. Por su parte, el abogado de Anzorreguy planteó que su cliente se debía internar –justo ayer a las 10– para someterse a unos estudios médicos. Boragni tampoco estuvo presente. También alegó problemas de salud. El cierre de la jornada estuvo a cargo de la fiscalía, para la que ninguno de los planteos esgrimidos por las defensas constituyeron “cuestiones preliminares” y rechazó todos los argumentos. En la mayoría de los casos, por “no advertir cuál sería el perjuicio que se ocasionaría a las partes”. El Ministerio de Justicia recordó que “hace 15 años que se sustancia la causa, se abusó de los recursos procesales” por parte de los acusados. La semana próxima no habrá audiencia, con lo cual el resto de las querellas continuará con sus respuestas a los planteos de las defensas a principios de septiembre.
El argumento de Daer para justificar sus planteos previos al debate fue que se ha violado el debido proceso en contra de Menem, que el hecho por el que se lo acusa ha prescripto y que la acusación en su contra es nula. Como lo había hecho la defensa de Galeano horas antes, criticó la lectura de los resúmenes de los requerimientos de las querellas y el Ministerio Público Fiscal, y reclamó una “lectura clara de la requisitoria fiscal y la prueba que hay en contra” de su cliente. Luego empezó a dar vueltas sobre el procesamiento del ex presidente, a explicar por qué está “mal hecho”, hasta que la querella de los ex policías bonaerenses José Ubeira reclamó: “No estamos acá para hablar del procesamiento”.
El TOF le dio la razón y Daer culminó su exposición, no sin antes tirar una bomba de humo que, por un instante, permita confundir el eje del debate: el ex presidente está acusado de desviar la investigación sobre el atentado a la AMIA por lo que se le imputan los delitos de encubrimiento, abuso de autoridad, falsificación de elementos de prueba. Daer planteó que Menem “tuvo acceso a información de la investigación” del atentado mientras fue primer mandatario, por haber “permitido intervenir y estar cerca de” los servicios secretos de diferentes países, entre los que mencionó Estados Unidos, Reino Unido e Israel. Su declaración al respecto “es una amenaza para la seguridad del Estado”, advirtió. “Si no se lo releva de la obligación de mantener el secreto –decisión que le atribuyó al Congreso– y no se toman los recaudos necesarios, su declaración podría romper la convivencia pacífica con algunos Estados intervinientes (en el hecho), ya sea presuntos partícipes del atentado o investigadores.”
A su turno, la fiscalía rechazó la advertencia del defensor de Menem y recordó que el propio tribunal, por “falta de fundamentación y de especificación de los peligros posibles”, había actuado de igual manera cuando la defensa había planteado el secreto de Estado del ex mandatario. Sin embargo, la respuesta más dura provino de la querella de Memoria Activa, que además de recordar el mismo argumento que la fiscalía desafió al ex presidente: “Si Menem sabe muchas cosas del atentado y las calló durante 21 años quizá este juicio sea el espacio en el que, por honor a las víctimas, las diga de una vez para que ellas puedan encontrar un mínimo resarcimiento”, advirtió Borda. “Que diga lo que sabe de una vez por todas”, concluyó.
Los abogados de Galeano, Daniel Rubinovich y Darío Vezzaro, inauguraron los planteos preliminares, que en su mayoría fueron largueros, repletos de ejemplificaciones y justificaciones. Respecto de Galeano, Rubinovich apuntó que la acusación contra su cliente por el pago de los 400 mil dólares a Telleldín para que “inventara” una historia que permitiera desviar la investigación judicial del atentado es “cosa juzgada”.
El abogado se refirió al sobreseimiento que el ex juez Gabriel Cavallo le había dictado a su cliente cuando lo investigó por los videos que lo mostraban negociando con el duplicador de autos en su despacho salieron a la luz. Ese sobreseimiento había quedado firme, con fallo de Corte Suprema incluido. Pero luego llegó el juicio que dirigió el TOF 3 –en el que los imputados fueron cuatro de la quincena de ex bonaerenses que hoy son querellantes–, anuló el debate y advirtió sobre el armado de una pista falsa. Entonces, la Justicia comenzó a investigar la mentira y Galeano estaba en la mira. Su defensa sacó la carta del sobreseimiento; los familiares de las víctimas del atentado, el Ministerio de Justicia y la querella de los ex policías bonaerenses plantaron que aquella sentencia era “injusta”, un argumento que se encuentra en la base del concepto de “cosa juzgada írrita”. El juez federal a cargo de la instrucción, Ariel Lijo, les dio la razón a las querellas. Años después, las Cámaras actuaron igual, y así también la Corte Suprema, en abril pasado. La defensa del ex juez imputado dijo ayer que no existe tal cosa en Derecho Penal. La fiscalía rechazó la cuestión recordando el fallo de la Corte.
Luego, consideró que los otros delitos de los que se lo acusa a Galeano –encubrimiento, abuso de autoridad, ocultamiento y destrucción de elementos de prueba, privación ilegítima de la libertad– “no deben ser tomados como delitos de lesa humanidad”, ya que no cumplen con los requisitos de esa definición, según el Estatuto de la Corte Penal Internacional. Luego, Vezzaro solicitó la nulidad de los requerimientos de elevación a juicio de todas las partes acusadoras por considerar que las síntesis que se leyeron en el marco del debate fueron “carentes de claridad, precisión y circunstanciación de los hechos”. “¿Cuánta relajación del Código Procesal Penal se puede permitir en hechos como éste?”, se preguntó el defensor. Borda retrucó que “suena raro que se sientan agraviados por lecturas de síntesis de acusaciones de las querellas cuando el Código no prevé que se lea nada de esas partes”.
La defensa oficial de los ex fiscales Eamon Müllen y José Barbaccia solicitó la nulidad parcial de los requerimientos de las querellas por entender que todos recurren a la “falta de acción”. “Citan hechos en los que no fueron ofendidos”, explicó el defensor Santiago Marino Aguirre en el planteo al que adhirieron las defensas de Menem, Anzorreguy y Telleldín. Para la defensa, los familiares de las víctimas del atentado pueden actuar como querellantes respecto del encubrimiento del atentado, pero no de la privación ilegítima de la libertad y la coacción a dos testigos en los primeros años de la causa; tampoco podrían acusar por peculado porque “no está bajo su tutela la administración del erario público” y lo mismo ocurre con la fiscalía. La “falta de acción” afecta el derecho a defensa de los ex fiscales ya que “no es lo mismo defenderse de una querella que de seis”, apuntó Marino Aguirre. Para la fiscalía, esa interpretación es “restrictiva”, por lo que solicitó su rechazo. Desde el Ministerio de Justicia destacaron que se trata de una “maniobra general integrada por muchas conductas delictivas imposible de escindir”.

http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-279797-2015-08-21.html

"Conquistó Roma, ahora conquistará el Paraíso" la muerte de un mafioso

"Romans were outraged by the funeral of a purported local mafia boss. The farewell included a gilded horse-drawn carriage, flower petals tossed from a helicopter and the theme music from The Godfather playing outside the church."


Disgust in Rome at mafia don's glamour funeral complete with Godfather music

Vittorio Casamonica farewelled with gilded horse-drawn carriage, flower petals tossed from helicopter and banner on church saying he would ‘conquer paradise’
Romans aghast at revelations of official corruption tied to the mafia found new reason for outrage after the Hollywood-style funeral of a purported local crime boss – replete with a gilded horse-drawn carriage, flower petals tossed from a helicopter and the theme music from The Godfather playing outside the church.
Hundreds of tearful mourners paid their final respects to Vittorio Casamonica, 65, at the San Giovanni Bosco church on Rome’s outskirts.
The Casamonica clan has been accused of racketeering, extortion and usury. Rome city hall said on Thursday that Vittorio Casamonica himself was the subject of “many investigations into Roman criminality”.
“Never again. Rome cannot be defaced by those who want it to became the set of the Godfather,” said Matteo Orfini, president of the ruling Democratic party.
“You conquered Rome, now you’ll conquer paradise,” read a banner affixed to the entrance of the church. “King of Rome” read another, featuring Casamonica’s image, the Colosseum and St Peter’s Basilica.
A banner showing Vittorio Casamonica and reading King of Rome hangs from the facade of the Don Bosco church in Rome.
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 A banner showing Vittorio Casamonica and reading King of Rome hangs from the facade of the Don Bosco church in Rome. Photograph: Massimo Percossi/AP
Mayor Ignazio Marino called Rome’s prefect demanding to know how such a scene could have taken place and said it was “intolerable that funerals are used by the living to send mafia messages”.
The parish priest, the Reverend Giancarlo Manieri, said he had no control over what happened outside the church and that inside the funeral was celebrated normally, the Ansa news agency reported.
Lawmakers expressed outrage at the scene, which played out on TV newscasts all afternoon and evening: six black horses pulling an antique black-and-gold carriage to a stop in front of the church as a band played music from The Godfather and mourners tossed bouquets of flowers as the casket was carried into the church.
A man plays a trumpet in front of a banner showing Vittorio Casamonica and reading 'You conquered Rome, now you'll conquer paradise'.
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 A man plays a trumpet in front of a banner showing Vittorio Casamonica and reading: ‘You conquered Rome, now you’ll conquer paradise.’ Photograph: Massimo Percossi/AP
At one point a low-flying helicopter dropped red rose petals on the crowd below. More were thrown from the back of a lorry.
The funeral came a day after a judge set 5 November as the start date for the trial of 59 people charged in a spiralling mafia investigation in the capital, in which local criminal bosses allegedly managed to cement ties with city politicians over lucrative public contracts.
Rosy Bindi, president of the parliamentary anti-mafia commission, said it was “alarming” that a funeral for someone purportedly caught up in the mob could be “transformed into an ostentatious show of mafia power”.
She said it was proof that the mafia had firmly infiltrated Rome and called for a redoubling of efforts to rout it from public administration.
The hard-left SEL party called on interior minister Angelino Alfano to explain how such a funeral could take place. “These funerals might seem like a folkloric custom, but in reality they send a clear message of impunity on the part of the clans: we still exist and we are powerful,” SEL politicians Arturo Scotto and Celeste Costantino wrote in a statement. “That is unacceptable in a democratic state.”
Police said the mourned patriach had led the Casamonica clan active in the south-west part of the capital but they played down his importance, saying he had been “on the margins” of organised crime overall and had not emerged as a suspect in recent mafia investigations.
Rome’s corruption has long thrived on the connivance of city politicians, administrators and local gangsters, who have no formal ties to the traditional southern crime syndicates. A prosecutor famed for fighting Sicily’s Cosa Nostra has been enlisted to help root out city hall corruption. The mafia fighter was enlisted following dozens of arrests since late 2014 of city politicians and businessmen with links to the political right and left.
Flowers are tossed in front of the Don Bosco church for Vittorio Casamonica's funeral.
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 Flowers are tossed in front of the Don Bosco church for Vittorio Casamonica’s funeral. Photograph: Massimo Percossi/AP
On Thursday several commentators noted the irony that a reported mob boss was allowed an elaborate funeral at the church while the Archdiocese of Rome refused to allow a funeral at the same church in 2006 for Piergiorgio Welby, then the symbol of Italy’s right-to-die movement.
Welby, who had muscular dystrophy and was unable to eat, speak or breathe on his own, got his wish to die in December 2006 when a doctor disconnected his respirator. His case split the overwhelmingly Catholic nation but the local church defended its decision to deny him a Catholic funeral, arguing that allowing it would have legitimised attitudes contrary to God’s law.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/21/disgust-in-rome-at-mafia-dons-glamour-funeral-complete-with-godfather-music?CMP=fb_gu

jueves, 20 de agosto de 2015

26 Former Jewish Leaders Call on Congress to Approve Iran Deal

Group of senior Jewish leaders, including a former AIPAC director, have expressed support for Iran deal in a full page ad in the New York Times they hope will show that the Obama administration enjoys wide support among Jews.

26 Former Jewish Leaders Call on Congress to Approve Iran Deal

Full page ad in New York Times is sure to spark controversy in Jewish communities and a vehement reply from deal’s critics.

Chemi Shalev Aug 20, 2015 2:00 PM
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.672059?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook

People take part in the 51st annual Israel parade in Manhattan, New York May 31, 2015. Reuters


Some 26 senior American Jewish leaders have signed a public declaration calling on Congress to support the nuclear deal with Iran. Their statement, published in a full-page ad in Thursday’s New York Times, is meant to signal to Congress that the Iran nuclear deal enjoys substantial support in the Jewish community.

It is sure to spark a vehement reaction from other Jewish leaders, including AIPAC officials, who have been lobbying lawmakers to disapprove of the deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Citing former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon’s view that the accord with Iran is “the best option” to deal with Iran’s nuclear problem, the ad's signers declare that the Iran nuclear deal “cuts off Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear weapon.” While acknowledging that Iran remains “unflinchingly anti-Semitic and an unapologetic state-sponsor of terrorism” a nuclear armed Iran, the ad says, “would be even more dangerous.”

Full page NYT ad signed by 26 senior U.S. Jewish leaders expressing support for Iran deal 
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“While not perfect, this deal is the best available option to halt Iran’s nuclear program”, the ad notes.
Although most of the signatories to the petition are identified with the center or left, they brandish impressive credentials of past positions at the most senior levels of the American Jewish establishment.
Organizers of the statement said that it is meant to dispel any claim of monolithic Jewish opposition to the deal. The ad showed that the Obama administration’s deal with Tehran enjoys wide support among Jewish leaders as well as general Jewish public opinion, they said.

Perhaps the most provocative name of the list of signatories is that of Thomas Dine who served as AIPAC’s executive director for 13 years, from 1980-1993 and is widely credited with having built up the lobby to the powerhouse that it is today.
Other on the list include three past chairmen of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations - Alan Solow (2009-2011), Seymour Reich (1989-1990) and Theodore Mann (1979-1980); three past presidents of the American Jewish Committee - Robert Goodkind (2004-2007) Alfred Moses (1991-1994) and Robert Rifkind (1994-1998); five past residents of major Jewish Federations: Michael Adler, Miami, (2004-2006), Stanley Gold, Los Angeles (2008-2009), Alan Jaffe, New York, (1992-1995), Larry Zicklin, New York, (2001-2004) and Alan Solomont, Boston (2003-2005).
The list also includes past executives of the United Jewish Appeal: Marvin Lender, Chair (1990-1992) and Rabbi Brian Lurie, CEO, 1991-1996, who was later affiliated with the New Israel Fund; two religious leaders: Rabbi Eric Yoffie, former President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and Rabbi Itamar Schorsch, former Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS); billionaire philanthropist S. Daniel Abraham; Robert Arnow, former Chair of Ben Gurion University’s Board of Governors; former U.S. Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, former U.S. Congressman Mel Levine of California and former Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida; two former chairs of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (1983-1986) and Lynn Lyss (1994-1996); Nancy Ratzan, former Chair of the National Council of Jewish Women (2008-2011); Greg Rosenbaum, current Chair of the National Jewish Democratic Council; and Mark Stanley of the Foundation for Jewish Culture.

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Why did Israel appoint one of its notoriously most-undiplomatic politicians to be one of its top diplomats?

Israel Is Mocking the United Nations
Why Israel appointed one of its notoriously most-undiplomatic politicians to be one of its top diplomats.

Asher Schechter 20.08.2015 15:12 Updated: 3:13 PM

Danny Danon in his office in Tel Aviv, August 14, 2013.APread more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.672149?


“What was he thinking?”
This, without a doubt, was the first question many Israelis and non-Israelis alike had in mind upon first hearing the news that Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to appoint the ultra-nationalist Likudnik firecracker and incumbent Minister of Science, Technology and Space Danny Danon as Israel’s new ambassador to the United Nations.
The appointment had been largely anticipated, yet still unbelievable enough to shock many, even journalists and insiders who knew beforehand that Netanyahu was considering both Danon and Ofir Akunis, another hardline Likudnik like Danon, for the role.

The second question on many minds, in Israel and abroad, was “why?” As in, why would Netanyahu appoint Danon, one of the biggest ultra-nationalist hawks in Israeli politics, a man who seemingly lacks even the slightest level of finesse and subtlety required of a senior diplomat, known for his brashness and anti-intellectualism, a staunch opponent of the two-state solution and a fervent supporter of the annexation of the West Bank, a man he himself had sacked just a little over a year ago from his previous role as deputy defense minister for being a loose cannon, calling him “irresponsible”?
This seemingly makes no sense.
In an effort to find an explanation for Netanyahu’s decision, many pundits chose to focus on Netanyahu’s internal troubles. By transferring one of his biggest political rivals within Likud, a man who has repeatedly challenged his leadership and even went so far as to attack his “leftist flaccidity” in the past, Netanyahu is essentially removing one of the biggest threats to his power, before he becomes an even bigger threat.

This line of thinking has a lot going for it. The appointment of someone as ill-suited for the delicacy of diplomacy as Danon has certainly shown, once again, Netanyahu’s predilection for political survival, even when ensuring it seemingly contradicts national interests. It also goes a long way toward solving the great mystery of this strange, seemingly-inappropriate decision. Why else, after all, would Netanyahu appoint a provocateur like Danon to a role as sensitive as UN ambassador?
Whatever his reasons, the outcome is the same: Dear people of the world, Israel is mocking you.
The world as an afterthought
To be clear: Danny Danon was not appointed UN ambassador to spite the international community. Internal politicking likely played a bigger part in this decision than anything else.
Nevertheless, the appointment of a person like Danon as one of the chief communicators of Israeli policies amounts to a cruel joke at the expense of the world’s perception and criticism of Israel, a finger in the eye of an international community that is having an extremely hard time balancing its longtime sympathy for Israel with the growing evidence of what this sympathy has allowed Israel to become.
Simply put, countries that truly care about how they are perceived worldwide as much as Israel says it does don’t appoint someone like Danon to a role as delicate as that a UN diplomat.
Danon, who believes Israel should annul the Oslo Accords and annex the entire West Bank, owes his meteoric ascension to the higher echelons of Israeli politics to a long series of provocations aimed against the left wing, asylum seekers and, of course, Palestinians. (“Not every Arab is a terrorist”, said Danon in 2012, “but within Israeli reality, every terrorist is an Arab.”)
He has repeatedly lambasted the Obama administration, his new working partner, advocating an adversarial, hard-line stance and openly calling for Israel to spurn its biggest ally. After Barack Obama was reelected in 2012, Danon declared “the State of Israel will not bend before Obama. We cannot trust anyone but ourselves.” In his 2012 book “Israel: The Will to Prevail,” he wrote of his future workplace: “The UN has been at the forefront of delegitimizing” Israel, a state it helped legally found.”
In Israel, Danon is largely known as a national punchline, the subject of countless memes and online parodies that portray him as a dimwit and mimic his unique personal style. His appointment as minister of science caused a deluge of satire in social media. His appointment as UN ambassador surely gave many Israeli humorists heart palpitations.
In a few short weeks, Danon will enter the shoes of one of Israel’s top diplomats, in charge of defending Israeli policies in a largely-hostile environment where Israel is constantly forced to struggle for legitimacy, at a highly sensitive and precarious time.
It doesn’t take an oracle to see that Danon as a senior diplomat is a disastrous choice. He may owe his new job to his bitter political rivalry with Netanyahu, but this decision could not have been made without the climate in which it was decided, in an Israel that cares less and less what the world thinks of it.
It is the same climate that has allowed the appointments of Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister in 2009, the two-state opponent Silvan Shalom as a chief negotiator with the Palestinians, and Netanyahu’s decision in April to name himself as his own foreign minister.
All three of these controversial appointments were made not to send the rest of the world a message, but due to domestic political calculations. Nevertheless, they became possible thanks to a process during which Israel’s foreign policy has become largely an afterthought, the identity of its foreign service officials inconsequential since the battle is already lost. They were made possible because Israelis voted again and again for politicians like Netanyahu, like Lieberman, like Danon and his compatriots in the Likud’s extremist wing, whose agenda could be defined as complete disregard of what the rest of the world thinks Israel should do.
Danny Danon, in short, owes his recent appointment, as well as much of his success, to the fact Israel has largely given up on trying to convince the world it is right.
The upside
Back in March, Israelis reelected Netanyahu and gave the right wing a clear majority in the Knesset, thereby sending the international community, who hoped Israelis would make a different choice, a clear message. Five months later, with Netanyahu’s appointment of Danon, the message is a similar one. The gist of it: “We don’t care what you think.”
In recent years, many Israelis have become convinced that the world is hostile to Israel, no matter what it does. This common perception has made many Israelis disregard the international debate regarding Israel, and contributed to the increasing popularity of hard-line, hawkish, isolationist politicians like Danon, who claim Israel is completely and utterly alone in the world.
Despite the grimness of this type of thinking, there is an upside to this. After years of sending smooth-talking, camera-friendly professional diplomats like, well, Netanyahu himself when he served as ambassador to the UN, Israel will finally have a UN ambassador that truly, unreservedly represents its views.
Danon may be extremist in his views and undiplomatic in his demeanor, but he is also an appropriate representative of Israel, circa 2015, its perception of itself and the way it sees its place within the world. This gives the world an opportunity to deal with Israel as it is, not what it purports to be.
Throughout his political career, Danon has been shy to speak his mind, and one hardly expects him to do so now. If expectations of him are correct, he will apply no sweet-talk, no sugarcoating, no flattery. At the UN podium he will tell the rest of the world what Israel thinks of it: very little.
What the rest of the world will do with that information remains to be seen.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.672149?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook


Europa democrática

"A algunos no les gusta pero somos amigos y compañeros luchando por una Europa democrática. Syriza Podemos: Venceremos http://t.co/nGxc0Sj3XC

Calling on the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims to do their part to eliminate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and turn toward renewable energy sources

"A group of leading Islamic scholars have issued a declaration calling on the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims to do their part to eliminate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and turn toward renewable energy sources."

Islamic Leaders Take on Climate Change, Criticizing "Relentless Pursuit of Economic Growth"


http://www.democracynow.org/2015/8/20/islamic_leaders_take_on_climate_change

A group of leading Islamic scholars have issued a declaration calling on the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims to do their part to eliminate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and turn toward renewable energy sources. The declaration urges world leaders meeting in Paris later this year to commit to a 100 percent zero-emissions strategy and to invest in decentralized renewable energy in order to reduce poverty and the catastrophic impacts of climate change. The declaration comes on the heels of the publication of Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment earlier this year, which also calls for sweeping action on climate change. Like the encyclical, this declaration, endorsed by more than 60 leading Islamic scholars, links climate change to the economic system, stating: "We recognize the corruption that humans have caused on the Earth due to our relentless pursuit of economic growth and consumption." We speak to Bangladeshi climate scientist Saleemul Huq, one of the contributors and signatories to the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change.

TRANSCRIPT

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to a sweeping climate change declaration issued by the world’s leading Islamic scholars, calling on the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims to do their part to eliminate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and turn towards renewable energy sources. The declaration urges world leaders meeting in Paris later this year to commit to a 100 percent zero-emissions strategy and to invest in decentralized renewable energy in order to reduce poverty and the catastrophic impacts of climate change.
The declaration comes on the heels of the publication of Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment earlier this year, which also calls for sweeping action on climate change. Like the encyclical, this declaration, endorsed by more than 60 leading Islamic scholars, links climate change to the economic system, stating, quote, "We recognize the corruption that humans have caused on the Earth due to our relentless pursuit of economic growth and consumption." It places special emphasis on richer countries and communities, noting that the risks of climate change are, quote, "unevenly distributed, and are generally greater for the poor and disadvantaged communities of every country, at all levels of development."
AMY GOODMAN: To talk more about the significance of this declaration, we go to London to speak with Saleemul Huq, one of the contributors and signatories to the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change, a climate scientist at the International Institute for Environment and Development in London, and director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh.
Saleemul Huq, welcome back to Democracy Now! Talk about what prompted the declaration, who wrote it, and who were the major signatories on it.
SALEEMUL HUQ: I think the origin of this came some—a few months ago, when the Climate Action Network, a group of climate activists, got together with the Islamic Relief Worldwide, a humanitarian Islamic organization that does quite a lot of work with vulnerable communities around the world. And they agreed that this was something that they should take up, and got in touch with Islamic scholars and leading clergy around the world, and started drafting a potential declaration of this kind. And then they held a two-day symposium in Istanbul, which ended just a day or so ago, where they brought about 60 international scholars, Muslim scholars, leading clergy from different countries, and we—and then invited me as a climate scientist to join them, also a Muslim, as well. And we honed the final declaration, which came out and has been released.
And it’s aimed very much at the 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, bringing to their attention the verses of the Holy Qur’an, which enjoin Muslims everywhere to preserve the environment as stewards of the environment, and at the same time not cause harm to other people by their own pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and so, at a personal level, to reduce our emissions, and, at a global level, to join efforts by all faiths and all countries to bring down the fossil fuel use to zero as soon as possible.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, last month, Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley made headlines by suggesting that the rise of the so-called Islamic State came about in part because of the effects of climate change. He was speaking on Bloomberg TV. Let’s go to a clip.
MARTIN O’MALLEY: One of the things that preceded the failure of the nation-state of Syria and the rise of ISIS was the effect of climate change and the mega-drought that affected that region, wiped out farmers, drove people to cities, created a humanitarian crisis. It created the symptoms, or, rather, the conditions, of extreme poverty that has led now to the rise of ISILand this extreme violence.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Dr. Saleemul Huq, your response? I mean, to what extent do you think the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, etc., Yemen, are exacerbated by climate change? Can the creation of ISIS really be attributed to the effects of a changing climate?
SALEEMUL HUQ: I think that—I don’t think there’s a direct attribution of the rise of ISISas an organization to climate change, but there is no denying the underlying logic of the statement that we just heard, which is that there was a continuing drought for quite a few years in Syria that predates the conflict, the civil war, and the rise of ISIS, and caused migration and refugees going from the rural areas to urban areas. And that’s the kind of thing that climate change is likely to cause in future, and almost certainly will cause future conflicts.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Dr. Huq, what does the declaration call on some of the Muslim-majority oil-producing countries to do? They’re the ones with among the least incentives to cut down on fossil fuels, since they’re dependent on them for their economy.
SALEEMUL HUQ: Well, first of all, it enjoins all the Muslims in those countries, as individuals, to do what they can to reduce their own carbon footprints and also to help their fellow Muslims, who very often are amongst the most vulnerable people to the impacts of climate change, people like Muslims living in Pakistan, in Bangladesh, my country, and in parts of Africa. Many of these are Muslims who are suffering the consequences, and therefore those of us who are better off have a duty to help them, protect them and to stop causing the pollution that is causing the impacts on them, and at the same time hope to influence the leaders of these countries that it’s in their own best interest to move away from fossil fuels in the long run. And indeed, this is beginning to happen. If you look at the leaders of Abu Dhabi, for example, they are investing heavily in solar energy and in renewable energy, because they know that their oil is not going to last forever.
AMY GOODMAN: Saleemul Huq, we want to thank you for being with us, one of the contributors and signatories to the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change, climate scientist at the International Institute for Environment and Development in London, director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we’re going to be talking about a prisoner who was killed by a "Beat Up Squad" in prison. Who were these guards? And also, what happened to the prisoners at Dannemora once two prisoners escaped? Now, prison authorities have been arrested and let go at Dannemora, but prisoners were beaten up. We’ll get the latest. Stay with us.

Decían que eran unas manzanas podridas pero parece que se trataba del modus operandi en el PP


El juez del ‘caso Púnica’ investiga a 12 alcaldes de grandes ciudades

La Audiencia Nacional reclama documentación a Ayuntamientos de tres comunidades

Madrid y Valencia, entre las capitales investigadas

 Madrid 20 AGO 2015 - 22:40 CEST
Operación Púnica
Francisco Granados abandona su domicilio, tras ser detenido en octubre de 2014. / CLAUDIO ÁLVAREZ
El juez Eloy Velasco, instructor del caso Púnica, ha abierto nuevas líneas de investigación sobre esta trama corrupta y multidisciplinar. El magistrado ha solicitado ingente documentación a 12 grandes ayuntamientos bajo sospecha, entre ellos Madrid y Valencia, gobernados por Ana Botella y Rita Barberá respectivamente, cuando ocurrieron los hechos investigados.
La información solicitada tiene relación con los contratos que el empresario Alejandro de Pedro, imputado en la causa, logró de estos ayuntamientos a través de las sociedades Madiva y Eico.
La Guardia Civil remitió en julio pasado un informe al magistrado en el que señalaba que De Pedro consiguió que todos esos municipios le pagaran dinero público a cambio de insertar publicidad institucional en sus diarios digitales. Documentos intervenidos en las sedes de Madiva y Eico acreditan que De Pedro controlaba hasta 20 diarios digitales en diversas localidades de Madrid y Comunidad Valenciana. “En realidad”, sostiene la Guardia Civil, “[la inserción de publicidad en los medios digitales de De Pedro] era un pago en especie por trabajos de reputación para autoridades y cargos públicos”.
Los gobiernos de esos 12 ayuntamientos -Dénia, Gandia, Valencia, Collado Villalba, Cartagena, Madrid, Elche, Valdemoro, Majadahonda, Castellón, Alcobendas y Coslada- contrataron con De Pedro diversos servicios que servían para financiar trabajos de reputación que beneficiaban a los alcaldes de esas localidades, según la tesis defendida por los investigadores. En su informe al juez, la Guardia Civil detalla los hechos que ha podido comprobar en relación con las supuestas corruptelas y pide el auxilio del magistrado para lograr la documentación oficial con la que poder apuntalar todas sus sospechas.
Dénia. La Guardia Civil investiga si la exalcaldesa de Dénia Ana María Kringe contrató a una periodista para sus intereses particulares y la pagó a través de Alejandro de Pedro, a quien habría adjudicado contratos de publicidad institucional del Ayuntamiento.
Gandia. La investigación sostiene que De Pedro cobró de este ayuntamiento a través de un contratista municipal que se prestó a facturar por servicios no prestados al consistorio y pagar ese dinero al dueño de Madiva y Eico.
Valencia. De Pedro insertó en 2014 en su diario digital Ahora Valencia publicidad institucional del ayuntamiento que presidía Rita Barberá. “Con ese contrato de publicidad”, sostiene la Guardia Civil, “se pudiera haber realizado reputación a responsables políticos del Ayuntamiento de Valencia”.
Collado Villalba. “Empresas de Alejandro de Pedro”, según la investigación, “habrían realizado servicios a este ayuntamiento sin contratación administrativa previa, desconociéndose si los trabajos consistían en mejorar la reputación de cargos públicos de esa localidad”. La Guardia Civil basa sus sospechas en conversaciones telefónicas del empresario De Pedro.
Cartagena. “Con los datos que se conocen se puede apuntar un pacto entre Alejandro de Pedro y Pilar Barreiro, alcaldesa de Cartagena, para sufragar trabajos de reputación a cambio de 3.000 euros. Queda por confirmar si se han realizado con dinero público”, señala la Guardia Civil.
Madrid. La empresa Irismedia resultó adjudicataria de un contrato de 1,165.000 euros para gestionar la publicidad del Ayuntamiento de Madrid. Irismedia pagó a Madiva, empresa de Alejandro de Pedro, 7.669 euros por insertar publicidad institucional en el diario digital Madrid Actualidad. “Alejandro de Pedro habría realizado trabajos de reputación de la exalcaldesa Ana Botella para lo que habrían mediado José Antonio Conesa y Eduardo Zaplana (…) Las comunicaciones whatsapp evidencian la realización de informes sobre presencia en Internet de Ana Botella así como la creación de diarios digitales en la Comunidad de Madrid y en el Ayuntamiento de Madrid”, señala la Guardia Civil.
Valdemoro. Un concurso amañado, según la Guardia civil, permitió a Eico, firma de Alejandro de Pedro, ganar un concurso por 10.600 euros en 2013 para hacer un estudio sobre implantación de redes sociales en Valdemoro. Además, otra firma del empresario De Pedro, Madiva facturó durante varios trimestres 1.089 euros a este ayuntamiento bajo los conceptos “publicidad, noticias, Valdemoro”.
Coslada. La Guardia Civil ha localizado hasta cinco facturas de 2014 a favor de Madiva por campaña de publicidad online consistente en incluir “dos banner publicitarios en el diario Noticias Coslada”. En 2011, la otra firma bajo sospecha, Eico, facturó 22.320 euros por “servicios de auditoría y guía de normas de uso de redes sociales y presencia en Internet del Ayuntamiento de Coslada”.
Alcobendas. Entre 2011 y 2014, el Gobierno municipal de Alcobendas, presidido por el diputado autonómico del PP Ignacio García de Vinuesa, pagó más de 60.000 euros a Madiva y Eico por inserción de publicidad institucional en diarios digitales y por informes de posicionamiento en redes sociales
Majadahonda. Entre 2011 y 2014, las empresas de Alejando de Pedro facturaron con este ayuntamiento 56.000 euros, según la Guardia Civil.
Elche. Según las conversaciones del empresario Alejandro de Pedro intervenidas por orden judicial, éste logró contratos del Ayuntamiento de Elche tras la intermediación de Eduardo Zaplana. Sin embargo, la Guardia Civil advierte que “no se tiene la certeza de qué trabajos se hubieran realizado y si efectivamente se hubieran materializado”.
Castellón. “Alejandro de Pedro realizó trabajos relacionados con campañas de publiciad para el ayuntamiento de Castellón y, de manera simultánea, servicios de reputación para su exalcalde, Alfonso Bataller”, señala el informe de la Guardia Civil.
El informe preliminar de la Guardia Civil sobre los 12 ayuntamientos bajo sospecha concluía solicitando al juez autorización para recabar toda la documentación necesaria de estos municipios. El juez Velasco aceptó la petición tras considerar “constatado que Alejandro de Pedro realizaba trabajos de reputación en la red para autoridades y cargos electos que generan una deuda a su favor que más tarde se sufraga por dichos cargos públicos por procedimientos irregulares, ya sea mediante el pago directo o facturación de terceras empresas, adjudicatarias de la administración, o mediante la inclusión del coste de estos trabajos de reputación en contratos públicos previstos para otro propósito y que luego se facturan a empresas de Alejandro De Pedro”.
El juez, en una resolución del pasado julio, destaca que la investigación ha podido acreditar que existen "indicios racionales de delitos en algunos de los ayuntamientos que han contratado con Alejandro de Pedro".
El caso Púnica que instruye Eloy Velasco en la Audiencia Nacionalmantiene a 92 personas imputadas, entre ellas una decena de ex alcaldes y dos exconsejeros autonómicos madrileños. Dos de los imputados llevan presos desde octubre pasado: Francisco Granados,exsecretario general del PP-Madrid, exsenador y exconsejero autonómico; y su amigo David Marajaliza, empresario de Valdemoro. Ambos serían, según la investigación, los cabecillas o cerebros de las distintas tramas de corrupción que han desarticulado la Fiscalía Anticorrupción y el magistrado Eloy Velasco.
http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2015/08/19/actualidad/1439979489_676442.html