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peppertree's JournalArgentine political prisoner Milagro Sala reimprisoned, flouting IACHR ruling
Argentine Indigenous leader Milagro Sala has been removed from house arrest this morning and taken to prison, in what her lawyer describes as an abduction done without notification or knowledge of the defense.
Her reinmprisonment flouts a July 28 ruling by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) ordering officials to comply with a formal UN request to release Sala from prison. IACHR rulings are legally binding in Argentina.
Sala's defense attorney, Elizabeth Gómez, described the move as an "abduction" by police forces against the elected lawmaker and activist. "It is an absolute illegality, reminding us of the darkest times of our country."
IACHR President Francisco Eguiguren condemned the decision, comparing it to the case of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López, who was arrested on incitement charges in 2014 and who following international appeals was transferred to house arrest this July.
House arrest
Sala had been transferred to house arrest on August 31 pursuant to the IACHR ruling a month earlier.
Jujuy Province Governor Gerardo Morales, who ordered Sala's detention, resisted the IACHR ruling and then "complied" by having her moved to an abandoned house lacking doors, windows, basic amenities, or connections to public utilities.
Following the governor's refusal to fund improvements, private donations were raised for its refurbishment.
The Sala case
Sala, now 53, was ordered arrested on January 16, 2016, by Governor Morales on unsubstantiated charges of “inciting violence” — a charge that was later dropped.
She was charged nearly a year later with embezzlement, extortion, and conspiracy related to government earmarks for housing projects managed by the Túpac Amaru Association and related charges.
Critics note that prosecutors have offered no proof to substantiate charges, relying only on hearsay from individuals including an illiterate man who was later awarded a public contract and an ex-convict who was released despite serving a sentence for murder.
Citing lack of evidence and serious irregularities such as the use of bribed witnesses, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled on October 21, 2016, that Sala's detention is in fact arbitrary, and urged President Mauricio Macri (a close ally of Morales) to release her immediately. The IACHR did likewise on December 4.
At: https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Milagro-Salas-Transfer-Was-An-Abduction-Attorneys-Claim-20171014-0010.html
Trump will scrap critical Obamacare subsidy
Source: Politico
President Donald Trump plans to cut subsidy payments to insurers in his most aggressive move yet to undermine Obamacare after months of unsuccessful repeal efforts on Capitol Hill, according to two sources.
The subsidies, which are worth an estimated $7 billion this year and are paid out in monthly installments, may stop almost immediately since Congress hasn’t appropriated funding for the program.
Scrapping the funding is likely to provide another jolt to the already fragile Obamacare markets. The impact may be cushioned by the fact that many insurers had priced next year's plans higher than they otherwise would have, fearing this decision. Others have already fled the Obamacare markets, which are set to begin open enrollment in Nov. 1 for the 2018 plan year.
Insurers rely on the subsidies to reduce out-of-pocket costs for low-income Obamacare customers. They’re still on the hook to provide the discounted rates to their members under the law, despite no longer receiving the federal funding.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/12/trump-obamacare-subsidy-243736
Argentina's Macri revealed to keep "black list" of 562 public figures
The leading Buenos Aires news daily Clarín revealed the existence of a "black list" being kept by President Mauricio Macri that includes political leaders, judges, trade unionists, businessmen, and even bishops whom he wants to see in prison.
The list, according to Clarín, includes a total of 562 people whom the president, in his alleged words, would like to see "sent up in a rocket to the moon."
The revelation was unusual fare for Clarín, whose support as the country's largest media conglomerate was key to Macri's narrow electoral win in 2015.
The alleged list was denied by Chief of Staff Marcos Peña - though he tacitly admitted its existence by referring to it as "a metaphor."
Macri has faced accusations from both political opponents and human rights NGOs of "weaponizing" the country's judiciary against rivals, while having a string of corruption charges against himself, his family, and his administration dismissed - even in cases, such as the Panama Papers, with documented proof.
Federal prosecutors are investigating at least six cases involving Macri ranging from influence trafficking to money laundering. So far none of the cases has resulted in charges against the president, and he denies wrongdoing; but they've become a headache for his "Let's Change" coalition heading into legislative elections on October 22.
Speaking at a political rally on Monday, the administration's chief political rival, former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, said that she knew she was "at the top of that list."
She called on Macri to "worry less about his black list, and more about the shopping lists of average Argentines" - a reference to a near-doubling in prices since Macri took office two years ago.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hispantv.com%2Fnoticias%2Fargentina%2F356081%2Fcontroversia-lista-negra-dirigentes-politicos-jueces-listas-macri
New convention center with sustainable design opened in Buenos Aires
The new Buenos Aires Exhibition and Convention Centre (CEC) opened on September 28.
One of the city's most important public developments in recent years, its innovative architecture offers versatile column-free exhibition spaces while adding a new, rooftop park.
With a total exhibition space of 18,000 m² (194,000 ft²) and capacity for around 5,000 people, the center's three underground levels include a plenary hall, auxiliary hall, a double-height lobby, and 900 parking spaces.
Located between the University of Buenos Aires Law School and Thays Park, in Buenos Aires' upscale Recoleta section, the center will include a new H-line subway station next year.
Sustainability as a priority
Designed by local architect Edgardo Minond, work began on the CEC in 2014. The CEC replaces the city's antiquated Municipal Exposition Center, built in 1971, and its former parking lot.
The CEC included 5 acres of new park space over the structure, while preserving 100 year-old lapacho (Pau d'arco) trees at the site. Other notable environmental design features include solar panels, numerous skylights, and a system for rainwater collection for watering plants.
The CEC was also welcomed by the city's tourist sector, as Buenos Aires has become a leading convention destination over the last decade. The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) noted that the 103 international conventions and exhibitions held last year - up from 82 in 2015 - made Buenos Aires the top such destination in Latin America.
Cost overruns
The project created some controversy as a result of its sizable cost overruns. Budgeted in February 2014 at 314 million pesos ($39 million at the time), it ultimately cost the city 803 million pesos - roughly $70 million, using the average exchange rate since then.
The city's Ministry of Urban Development, which oversaw the project, blames Argentina's chronically high inflation - currently 26% - but critics note that most construction took place before November 2015, when then-mayor Mauricio Macri inaugurated the center's park and main hall as part of his presidential campaign.
Around 400 million pesos had been spent by then.
At: https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/en/article/buenos-aires-exhibition-and-convention-centre-cec
And: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lanacion.com.ar%2F2030484-el-nuevo-centro-de-exposiciones-abrira-sus-puertas-en-el-tercer-trimestre&edit-text=
United States misses World Cup for first time since 1986
Source: New York Times
Trinidad and Tobago, whose World Cup dreams ended months ago, stunned the United States, 2-1, on Tuesday night.
The result, combined with just-as-shocking outcomes in two simultaneous games in Honduras and Panama on the final day of qualifying for the Concacaf region, ushered in the unthinkable: The American men, mainstays of the World Cup for more than a generation, are out of next summer’s tournament in Russia.
Instead, Panama, which rallied from a one-goal deficit for a 2-1 win over Costa Rica, will join the Ticos and Mexico in Russia. It will be Panama’s first trip to the World Cup.
The United States’ defeat capped a dramatic final day of qualifying on multiple continents, with France and Portugal locking up World Cup spots from Europe and three South American teams — Uruguay, Colombia and, with a monumental sigh of relief, Lionel Messi and Argentina — doing the same.
“We didn’t qualify for the World Cup,” team captain Bruce Arena said after Tuesday’s loss. “That was my job.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/sports/soccer/usmnt-trinidad-world-cup.html
The Trump slump again.
Brazilians in the south asked to vote on secession
Voters in the south of Brazil have been asked in an informal vote whether they want to be part of a new country.
The referendum was organised a week after a similar vote in Catalonia by a secessionist movement called "The South Is My Country." The movement said it set up polls in more than 1,000 municipalities across the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Paraná - which together have 30 million of Brazil's 208 million people and one-sixth of its economy.
The group's leader, Celso Deucher, says he hopes to gather three million votes.
At polling stations in Paraná state, voters told local media they were disillusioned with the federal government and a giant corruption scandal that has seen dozens of politicians and members of the business elite jailed or indicted.
Others complained that the south of Brazil saw little return from taxation which mostly benefitted the poorer northern regions of the country who have bigger voting rights than the south.
The south of Brazil has expressed secessionist tendencies before, ever since Italy's Giuseppe Garibaldi helped it achieve a short-lived semi-independence in 1836. Last year a similar vote in October 2016 organised by the same group gathered 617,500 votes; over 95% of voters in the three states said they were in favour of separation.
Few Brazilians believe the separatist movement will succeed, not least because it is forbidden by the constitution.
At: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41541063
Scandal over $132 million whitewash by president's associates prompts Macri to target whistleblowers
Shaken by revelations that presidential friends and relatives used a recent tax amnesty law to "whitewash" over $132 million in undeclared offshore funds, Argentine President Mauricio Macri has reportedly ordered Public Revenue head Alberto Abad to launch an internal investigation into the leak, first reported by the Buenos Aires news daily Página/12 on August 27.
The news raised concern among press freedom advocates in Argentina.
Macri had unsuccessfully pushed for language in the tax amnesty bill to penalize reporting on its beneficiaries with large fines and jail time. The conservative news daily La Nación - a Macri ally - reported in April moreover that lawmakers, media figures, and even famed football forward Lionel Messi, are routinely spied on by Macri's intelligence agency AFI.
"It can't be that we cannot guarantee tax secrecy," Macri repeated angrily this week according to Casa Rosada sources. "We look ridiculous to everybody."
The Tax Amnesty Law, passed by Congress at Macri's urging in July 2016, was amended by decree that November to allow family, friends, and associates of the administration to take advantage of the offer, which drops all tax evasion charges or potential charges in exchange for a 10% payment.
The amnesty resulted in a record $116 billion in offshore funds being declared by the March 2017 deadline, although 93% remained offshore. Among those who thus "whitewashed" their previously undeclared funds were:
·Nicolás Caputo, the president's best friend and a top public works contractor for the city of Buenos Aires while Macri was mayor between 2007 and 2015: $26.5 million.
·Alejandro Peña, cousin of the president's Chief of Staff Marcos Peña: $6.2 million.
·Manuel Torino, brother-in-law of Pablo Clusellas - Secretary of the President's Legal and Technical Office, and childhood friend: $20 million.
·Marcelo Mindlin, head of the nation's largest private electric company Pampa Energía and reputed cutout for the Macri family since his purchase of their public works contractor IECSA in March: $44 million.
·And Gianfranco Macri, the president's brother: $35.5 million.
Federal prosecutors are investigating at least six cases involving Macri, some of them stemming from his family's extensive business holdings.
Allegations range from influence trafficking to money laundering related to the Panama Papers, the Odebrecht scandal, the purchase of a failing Macri charter airline (MacAir) by Colombia's Avianca in exchange for access to local routes, and an attempted write-off of up to $250 million in Macri Group debts to the Argentine postal service.
So far none of the cases has resulted in charges against the president, and he denies wrongdoing; but they've become a headache for his center-right "Let's Change" coalition heading into legislative elections on October 22.
"The suspicion is that Gianfranco Macri's $35.5 million declaration puts the lie to Mauricio Macri's financial disclosure affidavits," opposition Congressman Darío Martínez said. "The president claims that his capital amounts to $4.7 million, or seven times less than what his brother whitewashed."
"Then only two hypotheses fit: or poor Mauricio was disinherited; or, Mauricio is not as poor as he claims and is hiding much of his estate."
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pagina12.com.ar%2F59215-gianfrancamente-hablando&edit-text=
And: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elintransigente.com%2Fpolitica%2F2017%2F10%2F6%2Fmacri-pone-impaciente-falta-avances-investigacion-afip-459586.html
Gianfranco Macrì, Marcos Peña, Marcelo Mindlin, Nicky Caputo, and Pablo Clusellas.
Factories at the "end of the world" struggle to adapt in Macri's Argentina
Like dozens of factories that have taken root in this sparsely populated land of penguins and glaciers, consumer electronics manufacturer BGH owes its survival to government tinkering.
Special tax breaks and high trade barriers have turned Tierra del Fuego, located at the southern tip of Argentina, into the source of 90% of the air conditioners, cell phones, TVs and microwaves sold in the country - the region's third-largest economy.
Now, it has perhaps the most to lose as President Mauricio Macri lifts some import restrictions and unwinds costly subsidies for electricity and other utilities, hitting electronics sales.
Tierra del Fuego, home to just 150,000 people, is feeling the sting. Amid a deep recession, it shed 6,000 jobs last year - a 13% drop that was the sharpest for any province.
Output has plunged at many of the area's factories, including BGH. The Argentine company's TV set-top box business has dwindled to a single assembly line, down from five a few years ago. Its laptop unit closed last year, and the air conditioner lines run a single shift per day - down from two earlier this year.
Emboldened by trade protections under Macri's center-left predecessor, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the company invested in new equipment and doubled its Río Grande workforce to nearly 2,600 people. Under Macri, BGH has slashed its payroll to just over 1,000 workers and begun importing some electronics from China.
"The government changed the rules of the game," said Diego Teubal, executive director of BGH's consumer division.
The company's woes are emblematic of the pain rippling across Argentina's wider industrial sector, where employment shrank by 4.6%, or 58,000 jobs, between November 2015 (the month before Macri took office) and May 2017, according to Buenos Aires consultancy Elypsis. Unemployment has since increased from 5.9% to 8.7%.
A 30% jump in machinery imports since last year helped push Argentina's trade deficit to a record $1.1 billion in August alone; for all of 2017, the trade deficit may exceed $8 billion - a new record.
Costly tax cuts for agricultural and mining exports, meanwhile, have pushed already-record budget deficits to over $30 billion this year; but have failed to stimulate these sectors despite rebounding global commodity prices.
At: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-4819404/ANALYSIS-End-world-factories-struggle-adapt-Macris-Argentina.html
Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego and southernmost city in the world.
Thousands take to streets in Barcelona protesting police violence over referendum
Source: CBC
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Catalonia on Tuesday to protest against Sunday's violent crackdown by Spanish police on an outlawed independence referendum for the region.
Spain's conservative government has said it will respond with "all necessary measures" to counter the Catalan defiance, and is holding talks with national opposition leaders to find multi-partisan consensus on the response, which could include suspending the region's self-government.
Meanwhile, in Barcelona's Catalonia and University squares, a sea of demonstrators waved flags, most of them "esteladas," embraced by those seeking secession, but there were also plenty of Spanish national flags.
One of the biggest groups concentrated around the Spanish national police headquarters in Barcelona, where protesters called them "occupying forces" and called for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to resign.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/catalonia-barcelona-spain-protests-referendum-1.4318538
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