Posts by Jaime Ortega-Simo:
The United States and Britain suspend military aid to Syrian rebels
December 12th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
Alarmed by the rise of Islamic extremists and the chaos of the opposition , the U.S. and UK have decided to suspend all aid to groups fighting the Assad regime in northern Syria. Donors step back for the recent kidnaps and fighting between the guerrillas.
President Barack Obama has always been skeptical about the divided and often brutal opposition to Assad and against the criterion of his security team , that has resisted arming rebel groups. But since spring U.S. had doubled its assistance (up $ 250 million , about 182 million Euros at current exchange rates ) and donated military hardware protection to the rebels.
Any such assistance , which includes food and medicine , is now frozen in northern Syria , the area controlled by the opposition and where the more moderate group called Free Syrian Army , is losing ground to more radical opponents.
The Islamic Front , which aims to establish a theocracy in Syria has failed to neutralize the warehouse base with close pitch to weapons called Bab al- Hawa located between Syria and Turkey where it enters international aid, as confirmed by the U.S. Department of State . The Free Syrian Army is also facing groups claiming to represent Al Qaeda , and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) , whose members are believed to have kidnapped journalist.
More than 30 journalists have disappeared in Syria , including 20 foreigners.
A human rights lawyer was kidnapped Tuesday with her husband and two other activists to the Damascus suburbs. Razan Zeitouneh was one of the first leaders of the opposition (and one of the few women), that documented abuses by extremist groups . His captors , masked men have not yet been identified, but it is feared that the group belong to extremist dedicated to punish those who do not share their ideas.
The U.S. State Department says it is ” concerned” about the kidnapping of the lawyer in a zone controlled by Islamic extremists and says it has no information about her ” whereabouts ” . Last week, a group close to Al Qaeda assassinated the Iraqi journalist Yasser Faisal for reporting and critiquing extremist behavior.
In this context , the U.S. cannot trust even the most pro -Western opposition because it fears that the military equipment will lead into the hands of murderous anti- Western extremists .
The State Department is still trying to figure out what exactly happened at the headquarters of the opposition and in their stores in northern Syria and if it is true that moderate fled before the assault of radical last Friday. U.S. says it does not know if the extremists have got weapons , whether or not his.
” We are very concerned ,” said on Wednesday the State Department spokesman , Jen Psaki , at a press conference . He also indicated that the State Department is working with the moderate opposition to check the ” inventory “and the resources sent by the United States and other countries to moderate groups . Still, the Obama administration says they’re ” supporting ” the opposition.
UK also announced Wednesday that it will not send more aid while the moderate opposition do not control the area. Both the British and the Americans do not send weapons, but only means of protection, such as bulletproof vests , radios and radars. But do not want anything that is used by extremists.
“We have no plans to provide any equipment while the situation remains so unclear . We will monitor the matter closely ,” said a spokesman for the British Embassy in Ankara.
United States does not want to suggest when or if he will send assistance to the opposition in the area.
Humanitarian aid to civilians has not been interrupted and continues to be distributed through the United Nations and NGOs. United States also continues to send military aid to other parts of Syria. ” It is in our interest,” said Psaki the spokesman .
Iran warns the U.S. about new sanctions
December 10th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
Iranian foreign advisers warn the U.S. about the possibility of incurring into new sanctions and how that may affect future negotiations to their nuclear program.
Iran’s foreign minister says the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and world powers would be “dead” if the U.S. Congress slaps fresh sanctions on Iran, even if they do not take effect for six months.
Speaking to the U.S. news magazine, “Time”, Javad Zarif said Tehran would not “negotiate under duress.”
On November 24 in Geneva, Iran and six world powers struck an interim deal, under which Tehran would curb its nuclear program in exchange for limited relief from international economic sanctions.
Time Magazine reported Monday that Zarif said in an interview over the weekend that any new sanctions mean the Nov. 24 interim agreement – which calls for Iran to dial down its nuclear program in exchange for loosened trade barriers over the next six months – goes bust.
“The entire deal is dead,” Zarif said in response to possible new sanctions, even those that take time to materialize.
A group of US senators is preparing legislation to enact new economic constraints on Iran once the agreement’s six months are up and no new deal is reached.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D) and Sen. Mark Kirk (R) are near a deal to target Iran’s remaining oil exports, foreign exchange reserves and strategic industries, congressional aides told Reuters.
The White House opposes the senators’ plan, as it would limit President Barack Obama’s ability to waive sanctions on Iran. It would also revive certain sanctions if Tehran does not follow through with the agreement in Geneva with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany – known as the P5+1 group of world powers.
Zarif told Time Magazine Iran will hold firm.
“We do not like to negotiate under duress,” he said. “If Congress adopts sanctions, it shows lack of seriousness and lack of a desire to achieve a resolution on the part of the United States.
“I know the domestic complications and various issues inside the United States, but for me that is no justification. I have a parliament. My parliament can also adopt various legislation that can go into effect if negotiations fail,” he continued. “But if we start doing that, I don’t think that we will be getting anywhere.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry will voice the Obama administration’s opposition to any new sanction agreement during congressional testimony Tuesday on Capitol Hill.
“We do feel that putting new sanctions in place during the course of negotiations, even those that are delayed, would be counterproductive, and could unravel the unity of the P5+1,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told Reuters
“It could certainly put the negotiations that we have all worked so hard on, that we believe is the best chance we’ve had in a decade to achieve a peaceful outcome, at risk,” she included.
The deal struck in Geneva allows time for Iran and the P5+1 to come to a final agreement that the US says should limit Iran’s nuclear program to peaceful uses and that Tehran says should lead to a relief of all economic sanctions.
The US estimates assets of nearly US$7 billion will be unfrozen over the next six months under the interim agreement, compared to the US$100 billion frozen worldwide.
“The six-month agreement, which offers Iran about $7 billion in relief from sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, leaves in place banking and financial measures that have hampered the OPEC member’s crude exports. Sanctions on sales of refined products also remain, while Iran gains access to $4.2 billion in oil revenue frozen in foreign banks,” the White House said after the deal was announced.
Sanctions have cost Iran US$120 billion in lost revenue since 2010, when the western powers imposed high hurdles on Iran and countries that engaged in trade with the Gulf state, according to the US Treasury.
Looting’s in Argentina call for a new financial strategy
December 9th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
December is still a sensitive month in Argentina . The holidays arrive followed by the summer holidays and is more evident when social inequalities become latent after hundreds of youngsters ransacked shops all over Buenos Aires.
It was in the great crisis of December 2001 when it produced the highest looting the country is ever experienced. In the race of holding wages and inflation, wages tend to get exhausted by year-end because most of the agreements are signed in the first half . The economic situation has improved a lot since 2001. But in 2011 it began to be rumored that there could be more lootings as inflation kept going up. The government refused and kept the official price statistics around 10 , but the private consultants estimated at around 25%.
In September 2012 , a student at Harvard University asked President Cristina Fernandez for inflation. She said, ” If the numbers of inflation were from 25% to 26% the country would blow up in the air.” Three months later, in December 2012 , looting broke out in the city of Bariloche, and spread by other municipalities that killed at least four people .
Cristina Fernández then saw the hand of some union Peronist facing the Government . “We have fires in our forests and also have some out there who want to start fires . ( … ) This attempt has become the decadent version of what happened on December 2001 – . ( … ) And the fact that those were not spontaneous lootings that ended very badly and forced the early departure of Dr. Raúl Alfonsín . ”
The economy suffers from a lack of concern currency . No foreign investments fall
Now, in addition to inflation , the economy suffers a lack of concern to its currency . It does not enter foreign outside investments . The government has done everything from late 2011 to no longer abound foreign investors, at least not the dollars that trade abroad.
The country is loaded with taxes from up to 35 % card purchases from abroad visitors and has even passed a law that allows those who launder their dollars to become illegal. The president proposed ” pesificar ” the economy , encouraged savers to buy pesos with dollars. To give such weight became three million dollars had a fixed deposit . But the vast majority of Argentines continued their distrust ability to save on weight and saving dollars.
Between many problems, the foreign exchange reserves of the Central Bank fell from 52,000 million dollars in 2010 and has recently reached up to 31,000 million. The new economic cabinet created by Cristina Fernandez has proposed to combat the shortage of foreign exchange trades . One way is to go get credits from China, where the economy minister , Axel Kicillof resides. i
Another way is to lead gradually to the devalue of the peso depreciation against the dollar. Whereupon, the citizen find that their pesos are worth increasingly less than a few years ago. And the government is increasingly using less resources to keep pace with wage inflation. If GDP growth in 2011 was around 7% today private consulting estimates it between 3% and 4% .
Nevertheless , even the most critical of the Government economists believe that there is no real objective conditions for a financial meltdown to the one experienced on December 2001.
Steven Hansen answers questions about the present and future of the economy
December 9th, 2013
Interview by Jaime Ortega.
Steve Hansen
He is an international business and industrial consultant specializing in turning around troubled business units; consults to governments to optimize process flows; and provides economic indicator analysis based on unadjusted data and process limitations
1) Many politicians endorse the idea that the economy has gradually recovered after the 2008 global recession, but other financial experts are warning that things will get much worse at one point. Which prediction in your opinion, resembles the facts behind the financial recovery and the future problems some economist foretell?
I am not sure either answer is correct. What we have done is paper over the problem, and there is no certain way to gauge what has happened behind the wallpaper.
I want the extraordinary monetary and fiscal policies to end so that we can get an accurate view of the economy. And yes, the economy will slow as these measures are stopped — And then we can work on specific fixes instead of shotgun approaches.
2) What would be the best solution for the economy to recover once and for all if any? And are politicians really taking the steps necessary to see the recovery these changes require?
I believe the core problem is jobs — And the only solution is allow easy access to starting businesses by Joe sixpack. Small business is the generator of jobs. To do this, we must relax the regulations which bar market entry.
Basically anyone should be able to start a business without license — And post a caveat emptor sign saying this business is not regulated and you use this at your own risk.
We have made our society such that if you do not have a job, all you can do is go look for a job (you cannot make your own job). Yes, it will be messy what I am proposing — But we are turning the entrepreneurial spirit loose.
3) Many skeptics attack President Barack Obama for not ‘regulating banks as he promised long ago’ and blame him for the financial troubles the economy has experienced lately. But in reality just by observing the never ending borrowing debt from a logistical point of view, It seems unlikely for any candidate to successfully help the economy triumph regardless of what they promise. Is the future U.S. consumerism going to be affected by the current borrowing dilemma?
I blame every president and every congress who has been on the payroll of the banking system — This is how they are elected.
We have allowed the banking system to tax us with their fees. We have allowed them to grow until they are all powerful. I am afraid it will take a constitutional amendment on the election process to limit campaign funding to a very small sum.
4) The U.S. owes a lot of money not just to China, but to India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and other countries where U.S. transnational corporations trade billions of dollars worth of interest. Will the U.S. ever repay these countries? And if the U.S. doesn’t repay these countries that it owes money, what would be the consequences?
I guess I am the wrong person to ask — Because I do not see this as a problem. the U.S. has a sovereign fiat currency and can literally do whatever it wants.
5) Some predict a few financial dark horses impacting all at once. Pensions funds crisis, Student loans crisis, farming crisis, climate crisis and others (…) Will all these problems really impact sooner or later? Or are these warnings taken out of proportion to sell books?
Things hardly every turn out as bad as the worst postulated scenario. That is not to say that each of these issues should not be worked on individually. My nightmare scenario is GMO — Where they accidentally poison the food chain. GMO is a moving target as the plants are constantly in a state of evolution. it may be ok today, but the next change sets off a cascade.
6) People speak of Beijing replacing US standardized trade markets. Can any foreign market realistically take over Wall Street, and is there any foreign market getting any closer to achieving such dream?
I would never say this will not happen, but china has a controlled currency. Banks all around the world create us dollars– They do not do this with any other currency.
It is the global financial markets which will decide on things –Not china or the U.S.. Remember a few years back they thought it would be the euro which would be the successor to the dollar. Personally, I do not see the advantage as once a currency is globalized, a country loses control of its monetary policy.
The U.S. will not recognize the new air defense force traced by China
December 8th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
U.S. Vice President , Joe Biden , said in Seoul that Washington ” will not recognize ” the new air defense zone traced by China, source of tension in Northeast Asia that unleashed protests in South Korea and Japan.
The air defense area ( ADIZ ) was drawn unilaterally in late November by Beijing in the East China Sea ” and will not affect U.S. operations in the region ,” said Biden during a speech on foreign policy at the prestigious Yonsei University South Korean capital.
He stressed that the U.S. ” is very clear to the commitment to our allies” , Seoul and Tokyo , which also recognize the ADIZ and so far refuse to report to Beijing on the flight plans of its aircraft in the area.
China responded with negative manners when South Korea and Japan had requested Biden to reconsider the layout of the ADIZ invasion because of its air defense zones , in addition to the Senkaku – Diaoyu islands, controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing, and South Korean island submerged called Ieodo.
In any case, the Vice President called on all parties to “take practical steps to lower the temperature ” of this conflict.
“Not only for us but for the world, we will make things right with China ,” he said , noting the importance of maintaining good ties with the Asian giant.
Biden , who is visiting South Korea as the last part of a tour around Northeast Asia that has also taken him to Tokyo and Beijing , on Wednesday met with the President of China, Xi Jinping , who reported the U.S. position in this conflict and called for more cooperation and dialogue to resolve tensions.
The U.S. leader also alluded in his speech today to the nuclear threat from North Korea , a country that once again urged to renounce nuclear weapons.
“Do not accept a nuclear North Korea ,” Biden said , who promised to ” do whatever it takes to defend our allies from aggression ” of the regime of Kim Jong -un.
Before his speech at the university, Biden met with the South Korean president , Park Geun- hye, an oriented coordinate positions on major issues of bilateral interest, especially in the fields of security and economy appointment.
Joe Biden will also meet Friday with South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong -won, and Saturday will visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ ) , the fortified strip of the 38th parallel that divides the two Koreas, before returning to the U.S..
NSA collects 5,000 strains of data almost everyday
December 5th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
The National Security Agency (NSA ) collects about 5,000 million strains of data on hundreds of millions of mobile phones worldwide . This was disclosed on Wednesday by the Washington Post , which explains why intelligence services and information stored in a huge database allows them to track the movements and relationships of anyone that sparks their interest .
The Daily Journalist believes this data base to be part of Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA), Total Information Awareness program (TIA) which is a massive store unit that clusters all of the worlds intercepted data by different intelligence agencies.
The original story that the ‘Post’ revealscan be found in the documents stolen by Edward Snowden . But its journalists have contrasted the details interviewing various members of the NSA , which confirmed the extent of the spying program and defended its legality.
The law does not allow the NSA to spy on Americans . But the agency accesses some data through the cables that connect mobile phones all over the world can serve to intercept U.S. citizens traveling abroad.
The U.S. intelligence can detect the whereabouts of any mobile anywhere in the world, find their movements and examine the relationships of its owner. Current tools allow the NSA to trace a phone at any time of the day and can keep track of a person anywhere thanks to GPS technology.
“The only way to hide the place where you are, is to be disconnected from the system of modern communications and live in a cave ,” said Chris Soghoian , chief technology officer of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU acronym in English ) .
The NSA began collecting the locations of U.S. citizens tracing their phones as part of a pilot program in 2010 . General Keith Alexander , director of the spy agency , said in October during a Senate hearing that the plan ended in 2011 because it had no ” operational value ” .
“It may be something we need in the future for the country but not right now ” , Alexander said back then, adding that such work “is now a job of the FBI” , which controls the suspects after obtaining a court order.
The agency officials insist that their systems do not track mobile data of U.S. citizens. But admit that they gather a lot of data on a routine basis and thoroughly track the movements of any person who change phone often or use tools to encrypt their messages on phones or computers.
Protesters in Thailand raid police offices and camp next to the government’s building
December 3rd, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
After two days of fierce battles between police and protesters , protestors have gained entry tonight without resistance, at the headquarters of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police and the Government House in the Thai capital.
The officers deployed have voluntarily set aside installed barriers that have shown no opposition , thus obeying the mandate made public Monday by the head of the metropolitan authority , General Kamronvit Thoopkrachang , who said that in the present journey agents would not use tear gas and allow the protesters to enter the headquarters of the authorities to remain as long as they want .
“The offices belong to the people and were built with your tax dollars ,” said the police chief on the information collected by the ‘ Bangkok Post’ .
The leader of the opposition movement , former deputy prime minister in the Government of the Democratic Party (2008-2011) Suthep Thaugsuban called his followers to focus their forces in the police station during his speech last night.
At least eight police trucks have reported burning at the entrance to Government House , according to Ef, after heavy fighting between the two sides during the night, in which dozens of anti petrol bombs and rockets were launched against the authorities.
Two days of clashes
During the days of Sunday and Monday the police tried to disperse the rioters with tear gas , water cannons and firing rubber bullets while Suthep followers responded with stones , bottles and homemade explosives trying to remove the concrete barriers surrounding the buildings.
During the ‘Blue Sky’s broadcast’ , which endorses the demonstrations against the government , anti-government groups could see the retreat of riot police as protesters attempted to remove barriers and barbed wires to access the government compound.
After gaining access , several protesters and members of the riot were greeted with hugs, hand shakes and snapshots between group protesters and authorities.
The Erawan Emergency Center said in its latest report that 119 people were injured during clashes on Monday , three of them from gunshot wounds , most with problems arising from the inhalation of toxic gases.
Resignation
Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra , has made clear that she will resign from office but only after anti-government protesters offer dialogue to overcome the political crisis.
Yingluck described as ” unacceptable ” and contrary to the Constitution to demand unwanted leaders to cede power to popular advice. Suthep said after meeting Monday night at a meeting led by the heads of the Army.
The anti government accuse the elected government of corruption and refer to the problem as “handled in the shadows” by the prime minister and elder brother of the current Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
At least three people were killed during clashes between supporters and opponents of the Executive last Saturday around Ramkhamhaeng’s University and Rajamangala state in the northwest of the capital.
Thailand carries a serious political crisis since the bloodless military coup in 2006 overthrew the government of Thaksin .
Thaksin and his sister have wide support among the lower classes and rural areas of the Northeast , while most of his opponents come from the urban middle and upper classes, near army and the monarchy sectors.
Contraband sparks fury in Colombia’s border
December 1st, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
Tachira state bordering Colombia , located on ” arrechera ” , woke up with enraged Venezuelans . The decree issued by the governor, the military José Vielma Mora , to stop the leak and smuggling from neighboring products did not receive positive approval among the residents of the area.
“The decrees hit more than just people smuggling ,” complained Rep. Miguel Angel Rodriguez . This was perceived by the people, who in the early hours of the morning began to show identification ( passport , residence card , tax registration and utility bills) required by governor to purchase foods .
A few miles away, in Cucuta , Colombia ‘s most important city on the border , “Made in Venezuela ‘ , was out of stock for smuggling. The weakness of the native currency makes them subject for preferential consumption among Colombia’s neighboring market.
A portion of the Mercal , the state subsidized market , “allegedly controlled the government has ” still many products , says WO The young man who prefers to hide his name for obvious reasons since he is a border expert and part of the contraband underground. From words to action goes a long border between living smuggling and corruption .
Among the Venezuelan boxes are two very hard to find products in Táchira. The famous ‘ bread flour ‘ , starring many of the lines that are repeated during 2013 throughout Venezuela , located in Cucuta to 500% of its original price.
“In the Tachira border with Colombia it has been institutionalized violence and corruption : people worth what you have ,” said Abelardo Díaz , oppositing the MP . ” Smuggling is our daily bread , where civilian and military government and even agencies end up being the beneficiary of big business that it generates.”
Corruption has form a bond in recent months with the famous ‘ black dollar ‘, that border is achieved at 60 bolivars per greenback when the official exchange rate is 6.30 . Dirty Business ” are increasingly attractive because of the huge profits generated by the exchange rate differential ,” confirms Diaz.
Food and commodities now compete with gasoline smuggling on the border , which also yields huge profits . The regional government has tried to stop it by installing a chip that limits the sale of subsidized fuel and raises its price . But pimpineros and bachaqueros , as the smugglers are known, are moving to the bridge of Cúcuta, where is acquired without much problem . If Venezuela 20 liters cost two bolivars in Colombia it cost 400.
With a mixed population , it’s not hard to get Venezuelan bonds or letters of residence in order to handle the chips for gasoline. Both locals and opposition politicians said the National Guard is allowing traditional smuggling accomplices in exchange for commissions , otherwise known as the famous ‘ rattles ‘ .
The sophistication of the local mafia has led to Cucuta to ‘ raspatarjetas ‘ or ‘ exchange tourists ‘ , although Colombia is one of the countries that receives less allocation . No matter : there are places where Venezuelans can activate their preferential dollars through fake companies domiciled in Panama or Spain , passing credit card information as if they were in those countries. The percentage charged to deliver the $ ranges between 14% and 24%.
Vladimir Putin not happy with Ukraine’s possible integration to the EU
November 29th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
Vladimir Putin said that the disintegration of the USSR had been ” one of the greatest catastrophes of the twentieth century ” and stated that he was not giving permission to Europe to the appropriated remains of Soviet wreck. In fact , the Russian president believes that the best of the old days can still come back , though not under the same red flag but under the umbrella of a trade and military cooperation between old comrades.
Therefore, the interest of the European Union for its orbit to attract countries such as Ukraine , Georgia and Moldova has worried the Kremlin with a strong fist on the table. Ukraine, which industry is intertwined with Russia dependent on gas has got the message and has preferred to solve their problems at the expense of Moscow park’s a thinking of Brussels.
Kiev ‘s resignation to enter the club of EU trade at the moment is a headache for the Ukrainian European roots while it is more than a historical concept. Last year Ukraine imported products and services from the EU amounting to 23,800 million Euros, while trade in the opposite direction grazed 15,000 million.
Economic dependence on the European bloc has doubled since 2003 and the EU represents one of their best customers when exporting raw materials and industrial products. With these figures, the economy is the best weapon of persuasion that Brussels has to deal with the conflict that broke out last week by the Ukrainian waived trade agreement that would eliminate 99% of tariff barriers. So the Commissioner for Enlargement , Stefan Fuele , yesterday warned the Ukrainian authorities to his rejection of free trade agreement with the EU ” threatens its economic future.”
The sudden change in direction that the Ukrainian government took last week is, according to Brussels, to ” external pressure ” that the country is suffering from neighboring Russia . The truth is that without Ukraine , the trade union that Putin pushes to Belarus and Kazakhstan would take a negative toll for Russia’s plan. The 45 million Ukrainian consumers with its own industry and agriculture are historically important ,and make the Ukrainian republic whose floor was the founding core of the Russian – piece of history that the Kremlin cannot yield .
On the horns of a dilemma
Moscow knows that Georgia or Moldova may not go much further than a privileged partnership with the EU which can always be reversed in the future. But Ukraine has enough value to be considered a member of the EU, and become part of the EU’s plan to keep growing financially. You could even join NATO : one of the nightmares of Moscow , as it lost military cooperation in the Black Sea.
” We are not prepared to open our market to European goods,” Putin acknowledged this week during a visit to Italy. And he said that Russia fears that a trade association of Ukrainians with the EU indirectly could splash the Russian market , because there are too many veins between the two republics communicating vessels. Moscow has long been exerting pressure on its strategic partner , remembering that if Kiev gives step change not only will hurt their relations with the Russians, but with member countries of the Customs Union , ” then they would have to think of some protectionist measures,” according Putin said. In fact, Russia has already anticipated this bitter medicine of Ukrainians vetoing some imports . The Central European country , mired in the economic crisis , has accused the coup and the loss of jobs .
For Ukraine the ballot is very difficult especially during these last 24 hours left for the lights of medieval chandeliers to summit to the Lithuania agreement. The former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko , who is serving in a hospital far from Kiev, is on hunger strike for her country for not embracing the European hand and asked community leaders to accept Ukraine as a club member even without complying with the tacit agreement to allow their departure to treat her serious health problems in Germany.
While 10,000 people demonstrated last night on the streets of Kiev and the Ukrainian society … appears to incline slightly in favor of a rapprochement with the EU , the EU authorities hope to attract , to varying degrees , to six countries in the former Soviet perimeter called Vilnius.
Georgia and Moldova , the following
If finally the EU and Ukraine fail to close the negotiations of free trade agreement , Georgia and Moldova will only give a step forward initiating association paperwork . Azerbaijan , Armenia , Belarus are more long-term projects with a commercial importance which is mixed with weak political equilibrium that embodies each of them by long terms.
The EU insisted that its hand is stretched out to Yanukovich , who has come to Vilnius despite the bad response shown these past days. But in the case of Ukraine, Russia is the main destination for Ukrainian exports and trade and cultural ties are much closer , despite the growing presence of EU companies in the country. So the Ukrainian government fears that economic reprisals from Moscow are more damaging than the potential benefits of the EU. The Ukraine has to solve a financial paradox.
China ‘ monitored ‘ U.S. aircrafts flying over their aerospace
November 27th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
The Chinese Defense Ministry has revealed that It” has monitored ” and ” identified ” the two planes of the U.S. Air Force that flew the new Chinese air defense area , which includes the Diaoyu / Senkaku Islands, disputed between Beijing and Tokyo .
In a statement, the Chinese Defense Ministry said Tuesday that ” American planes flew near the Air Sea area of Eastern China. They flew from south to north and from north to south, 200 kilometers east of the Diaoyu. ”
“China is able to conduct surveillance and impose control” , it says in the text, which does not detail possible reprisals by the action of the two American B-52 bombers .
According to the Pentagon , two aircraft were interned on Monday afternoon ( Tuesday and Chinese times ) in the ” area of air defense identification ” china from Anderson Air Base in Guam (Pacific).
The two bombers took off from the base of Guam and flew Monday on Washington 19.00 ( 00.00 GMT Tuesday , 08.00 local time in Beijing ) the area of Chinese air defense warning to Beijing.
Last weekend, China announced the expansion of its ” air defense identification area ” in the East China Sea to include a chain of islands under Japanese control but whose sovereignty is disputed by Beijing , known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese .
The two B -52 performed a flyby planned within military exercises known as ” Lightning coral” and ” was part of an operation planned long ago” , said Pentagon sources .
None of the bombers carrying weapons was escorted by fighters.
At no time did the Army or the Chinese authorities contact the bombers, who returned to Guam without reporting any incident during the flight , the Pentagon said .
Meanwhile , the Japanese government announced Tuesday its national airlines need not submit their flight plans to China to cross the new air defense zone unilaterally decreed by Beijing, defining the sovereignty of the Chinese announcement .
China now requires that all aircraft previously submitted flight paths remain identified in the enlarged radio area, which has not only heightened tensions with Japan and Taiwan, which also claims the islands, but also with the U.S. , that maintains a bilateral defense treaty with Tokyo.
The U.S. Vice President Joe Biden made a trip to Japan , China and South Korea over the next 2 and December 7 , which is expected to engage with the authorities of the countries involved in the conflict of the uninhabited islands, but believed to hold important oil reserves.
Other countries spied on Merkel’s cell phone
November 25th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
The mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has been subject to eavesdropping by five secret services of different countries , shown on the report published Sunday by the German magazine ‘Focus’ .
The controversial espionage monitored by other European countries, and orchestrated by the NSA, sparked last month a series of warnings directed to alert Germany’s counter intelligence services and consider Germany’s role with its close allies.
Under this pretense, the German intelligence authorities would be persuaded that, in addition to U.S. espionage services countries like China , Russia , North Korea and the UK intercepted conversations of the mobile phone of the German Foreign Minister.
Until now, it had been reported that Angela Merkel ‘s cell phone was in the list of objectives of the National Intelligence Agency (NSA ) from 2002, three years before she won his first election.
According to various German media networks , the U.S. intelligence services tapped her telephone given by her political party, the Christian Democratic Union , the same phone the Chancellor used between October 2009 and July this year.
It is still unclear how Germany and the EU will react to the reports provided by Edward Snowden, the NSA’s worst nightmare and what impact will it have with future negotiations.
Iran strikes nuclear deal with the west
November 24th, 2013
Posted by The Daily Journalist.
Read document: Iran strikes nuclear deal with the west
Ukraine “stops” their integration to the EU
November 22nd, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
The Ukrainian government has closed the door of the EU just to prevent opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko for her to escape . Hours before the Ukrainian parliament rejected to pass a law that would allow former Prime Minister who is jailed to transfer her political problems abroad, the Ukrainian government has announced that it temporarily suspended the work to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union .
The treaty, which is key to an economy adrift to the current Ukrainian financial crisis, was initialed to go on the 28-29 of this month in Vilnius (Lithuania ) , but the EU demanded that before the agreement Timoshenko’s case was finally fixed a she turns her seven years in prison for abuse of office in a trial widely criticized by the West. The explanation given by the Ukrainian government to grind to this decision is that they want to analyze well the impact of the agreement on industrial production ( designed primarily for former Soviet republics ) and in trade with Russia.
In recent months, pressure from Moscow for Kiev to not sign has been enormous. Russia is building its own customs union with other members of the USSR such as Kazakhstan and Belarus. In the EU, Russian replica Ukraine is a very coveted piece , but Kiev had to choose one of two sides. The European Union requirements threaten the political future of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich , with Tymoshenko’s release because before the upcoming 2015 presidential election it would allow her to be back on the political race who he most fears : the charismatic blonde combative frustrated with the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the assault on the power of the head of state .
Tension with Russia
Relations with Moscow also are complicated for Yanukovych. The Kremlin has threatened Ukrainian rulers with a new ‘gas war ‘ that could leave the country frozen in winter. And has imposed various barriers to Ukrainian products . In this tug of war Russian President Vladimir Putin offered little before the announcement of a tripartite committee that would be presented in Ukraine, the EU and Russia. But with the requirement that the entity could only be formed before any agreement is signed .
President Yanukovych , who was visiting Austria today, has said his country will follow the path to the EU as Ukrainian service reports from the RFERL news portal . But some voices from Brussels to Kiev , have advised that the more it takes Ukraine to make a decision, they might may not enjoy another opportunity to get closer to the European institutions.
This maneuver can boot Yanukovich , in the future with juicier agreement by the EU: its approach to European markets would close many doors in existing commercial circuits in which it operates : mainly those of the former Soviet Union . Today’s decision is in the background between two games . On one hand, the struggle between Russia and the EU to attract Ukraine. On the other, the war between the opposition and the Party of Regions , which supports the government.
The details concerning the future of Timoshenko have shipwrecked the agreement. Although in the past the Ukrainian president has been willing to release her to a clinic in Germany to treat her serious back ailment, the opposition does not want the former prime minister to return to Ukraine past the treatment. For days, pressure has mounted knowing that Yanukovych was running out of time and could opt for a pardon . But Ukraine has finally returned to stand in the road that separates it from Moscow and Brussels .
Two bombs blast Beirut
November 19th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
Two strong explosions have caused casualties in Dahye this morning , the famous stronghold of Hezbollah in Beirut . This is the third attack, one of the most impregnable of the Lebanese capital in the past five months and it seems once again that this terrorist cell is linked to the opposition to society created between the Lebanese Shiite militia , the regime Assad and Iran in neighboring Syria .
The number of victims registered so far is at least 23 ( including a child ), according to medical sources consulted by Naharnet and other local media . The number of wounded would be around 150 .
As reported by the state news agency NNA , the first blast occurred when a suicide bomber was slain in the vicinity of the Iranian Embassy , located in the suburbs of Beirut . Immediately thereafter, a second charge has detonated a vehicle full of explosives approaching a building in the Bir Hassan neighborhood. This second attack was much more devastating.
Associated Press has reported meanwhile that the black gate entrance to the Iranian embassy has blown up and that there’s significant damage caused to the facade. Local TV Al- Mayadeen , which is located very near the place where the events occurred , reported that a cleric and several of his bodyguards were injured by the blast.
Among the bodies recovered , as confirmed to TV station Al- Manar Lebanese ambassador to that country, was Sheikh Ibrahim Ansari from Iran, according to Rokn Ghazanfar Abadi : ” Al- Ansari has died of wounds received during the attack. [ … ] . All other colleagues at the embassy are in perfect health [ … ] . Agents of the Zionist entity of Israel are behind this incident but it will not affect us . This will make us stronger and will study our options. ”
Iran accuses Israel
Marzieh Afkham , spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry , has spoken in the same vein as his colleague Ambassador in Beirut : ” The terrorist act occurred before. The Iranian death is an inhuman crime and hatred filled by the Zionists and its mercenaries. ”
The prime minister , Najib Mikati , has condemned the “terrorist and cowardly ” attack , meaning that the only purpose of this is to raise sectarian tensions in the country and use it ” like a mailbox ” . The prime minister also called for ” calm ” and it will be the Lebanese security forces which bring to justice the perpetrators of these attacks.
Hezbollah parliamentarian , Ali Ammar – usual when making controversial statements on such attacks , said that ” the aim of the explosion was the axiom of the Resistance who supports the Palestinian cause .”
Damascus has condemned what happened through a statement on state television and SANA news agency : ” The Syrian Executive strongly condemns the terrorist attack near the Iranian Embassy in Beirut.”
The past months of July and August witnessed similar attacks in the city of Dahye – Hezbollah – stronghold , the first leaving 50 injured and the second about twenty killed and another hundred affected.
Excess of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility the bombing
Abdullah Azzam Brigades , a branch of the international terrorist organization in Lebanon , has claimed the attack in Dahye according to what was published in the Twitter account of a radical cleric affiliated with the group.
” Abdullah Azzam Brigades and cells Hussein Bin Ali , please God , they are behind the explosions at the Iranian embassy in Beirut ” has been read in the message posted on the social network of Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat . These commands threatened with more action until Iran Syria withdraw its forces and liberated prisoners of them.
Berlusconi’s party splits
November 18th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
It was only a few minutes at the end of a speech that lasted a total of one and a half hours that Silvio Berlusconi’s team finally split up after dealing with many scandals. Berlusconi looked weak and faltered, the victim of a slight discomfort that forced his personal physician to climb to the stage from the speaker and categorically ordered that he drink from a glass of water.
The slam came from Angelino Alfano, deputy prime minister of the minister of interior who for years held the title of ‘ political son ‘ and ‘ dolphin ‘ from ‘ Il Cavaliere ‘ . Alfano was tired of the irresponsibility of Berlusconi , and their continued attempts to bring down the Italian government despite the poor economic situation being experienced Italy.
Seconded by five ministers, 30 senators and 25 deputies , chose not to join Forza Italia , the old political party that Berlusconi entered 20 years ago and was yesterday dusted in a desperate attempt to reinvent it.
‘ A painful decision ‘
“It was a painful and bitter decision ,” Alfano said yesterday about his divorce with Berlusconi. ” But we could not think of plunging the country into a condition which would have worsened the situation of the Italians ,” he added in a clear reference to his refusal to endorse Berlusconi plans to bring down the coalition government led by Enrico Letta to form the center-right party .
“This government has stood six months and a half. To Judge him now would be like naming the champion of the Football League after just 10 games, or the winner of the Giro d’Italia after only four or five stages. You cannot judge him for six months and a half as it’s not enough time. To propose a deal to Italians : see if in 12 months the Government has achieved its objectives. ”
The split between ‘Il Cavaliere ‘ and Alfano was hatched on 2 October when overwhelmed by their legal problems and in the process to be expelled from Parliament after being convicted of tax fraud, Berlusconi tried to take a pulse challenging the Government of Enrico Letta and his downfall from retaliation for not helping them solve their issues .
However, ‘Il Cavaliere ‘ was met already with a genuine internal rebellion led by Alfano and in the name of stability and political accountability who refused to bring down the government. The revolt was so extensive that Berlusconi decided at the last minute to support the survival of the government rather than face the ridicule of being defeated by his own party colleagues .
A tension that has continued to grow
Since then the tension between Berlusconi and Alfano has not stopped growing. Especially since ‘Il Cavaliere ‘ has renewed its desire to bring down the Government , in view of the vote that the next 27 will decide on his expulsion from Parliament (and by all indications will lose ) . But again destabilizing desires had run into opposition from those who abet him .
Alfano ‘s decision to abandon Berlusconi unleashed a veritable witch hunt against him among the ‘Il Cavaliere ‘ loyalty . “It’s like Captain Schettino , leaving the ship in times of difficulty,” he devoted Michaela Biancofiore. But Berlusconi tried to temper the fury of those who consider Alfano a “traitor” . In the half hour speech yesterday in Congress that was marked as the certified the resurrection of Forza Italia , with no shortage of jokes or attacks on the judiciary , Berlusconi tried to stop the attacks against the former ‘ dolphin ‘ . ” Do not make statements against this new formation, because we have to make a coalition together ,” said ‘Il Cavaliere ‘ in reference to Alfano’s group.
Maduro becomes more like Chavez
November 15th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
Nicolas Maduro found yesterday one of its main political dreams : to have an enabling law that grants him superpowers and allows him to rule by decree for one year. A law equated to his predecessor , Hugo Chavez.
” Today more than ever the Enabling act will be a weapon of justice and protection for our working people ,” his party encouraged Maduro. The 98 Chavez parliamentarians , who joined the now famous 99 deputy from the opposition , approved in the first reading in congress the much awaited law which in the history of Venezuela is linked only to powerful presidents . Next Tuesday the act will be confirmed in a second round and ” delivered to the president in a march with the people “, said Diosdado Cabello, president of the Assembly.
The path chosen by Maduro policies is marked by the Supreme Commander . On Wednesday , even Maduro dressed in military uniform to get on one of the ” powerful tanks of our Bolivarian army , the army of liberators ” and pointed a gun towards sophisticated bourgeois in the imaginary horizons.
With the same style , as if he drove the country from a tank, the president meets the first week of civil-military offensive against ” economic war parasitic bourgeoisie ” . Maduro used the new powers to enact a law on prices, costs and profits in order to ” lower prices in all areas , at least 50 % in all hefty price .”
Magical Surrealism
As so often in the magical surrealism shown Venezuela’s political class , the government shut already in 2011 , and Chavez launched a cost law which established the fight against inflation . The results are plain to see : 5.1 % inflation in October for annual skied above 50%.
Chavez prepared a historical discourse that become his ever usual proselytizing party with revolutionary songs and dressed in T-shirts with the slogan “I am 99 ” , referring to the Deputy for they lacked the necessary majority. This took away the immunity of opposition Maria Aranguren , with the complicity of Attorney and Supreme. Even swore secretly to substitute Carlos Flores, who finally showed his face to the country after weeks in a military hideout.
He voted in a blue shirt, without the same shirt as his peers , with a couple of cries against and acclaimed for his new political fellow travelers.
Chavista deputies lied to people’s consciousness : none of them were the 99 , as Carlos Flores sold his vote to make Chavez win. And not content to forcefully past their resolutions they blackmailed the law that grants full powers to allow social disputes. They insulted ( ” paramilitaries ” , ” thugs ” ) and threatened , even the deputy Ricardo Sanguino called on people to ” identify and locate ” who opposed the adoption of the law as desired by the president.
And it was the only blatant lie. The soldier Pedro Carreño , parliamentary group leader of Chavez , showed a picture of Henrique Capriles with the “owner” of Daka , the first store operated and looted with appliances to demonstrate the support of the opposition speculators. Hours earlier, he had denied Capriles own image , as he is a Mexican senator.
The government MPs used the session to emphasize the relationship with speculators opponents detained in recent days. Figueroa ‘s response was so overwhelming that public television cut the signal when the deputy supermarkets wielded the premiums in state : 128% rice, eggs 141% , 146 % lentils … A TV designed to serve the interests of Chavez supporters.
Chinese leaders promote new goals for China
November 13th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
The Chinese Communist Party is committed to gradually increase the role of the market in the economy to promote the ” great revival of the nation” to ensure their own survival. The Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee , which closed on Tuesday after four days of deliberations in Beijing , agreed a roadmap for the next decade that passes through grant a “decisive” role to markets and reform to the judicial system by assigning property rights to farmers on the land .
Despite reformist winds , the Chinese leaders showed clearly enough that some things never change . ” The most important thing is to persist in the Party’s leadership , we must persevere on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” reads the policy document , which emphasizes the ” predominant role ” in state in the economy.
The president, Xi Jinping , Premier , Li Keqiang , and the other 370 senior leaders issued an ambiguous estament , full of administrative rhetoric . It covers areas such as culture , defense, administration , agriculture or the tax system. Only two specific measures emerge above strategic principles : the creation of a central committee to monitor the implementation of the reforms and the establishment of a national security council.
The first would be paramount . “In the past , the ministries themselves had to reform themselves ,” said Dang Guoying , a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “The creation of this committee reinforces the central control , which could help to overcome the obstacles of interest groups ,” explains.
A lime and sand
The program gives a lime and sand in the economic sphere . On the one hand , a commitment to ” give more rights to peasants ” , ” improve pricing mechanisms for market share” , ” remove access barriers for investors ” , ” speed up the construction of regional free trade ” encourage” consumer choice ” and establish ” fair competition ” among all stakeholders , public and private firms .
On the other hand , support the leaders “primordial role” that the government must continue to play in the economy. You have to ” persevere in the development of the state economy ,” increasing “influence , control and vitality to the public” and ” promote the improvement and modernization of state enterprises ,” states the policy document .
“The key will be to see to what extent the state withdraws and leaves more room for the market,” says Wang Fuzhong , an economist and professor at the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing. ” I do not see any particular reform movement ,” he says . Statements openness and reform of the leaders in the past have not always been accompanied by concrete results.
Transparency in the budget
Another of the key points of the roadmap is to reform the administration. The Communist Party believes in ” transparency in budgets ” of the different levels of government – an area where they have already taken some steps , ‘ ” fight against corruption” , ” deepen the reform of the judicial system ” , “improving protection of human rights “and ” deepen the reform of the tax system . ”
On this last point , the paper argues the need to allocate tax revenues to levels of government that have expenditure responsibilities . So far , the municipalities, which are responsible for many public services were obliged to be financed through the sale and redevelopment of land.
The ultimate goal of this long -term plan of the Communist Party is summarized in one sentence: ” Achieving the dream of the great renaissance of the Chinese nation .” A concept invoked by Xi Jinping and most Asian leaders like Sun Yat -sen .
If the plan succeeds , the communist leaders could rule at the end of the decade on the world’s largest economy and finally recover from the colonial humiliation suffered at the hands of the West during the nineteenth and early twentieth Centuries.
Birth Of A Star: Never Seen Before
November 12th, 2013By Alton Parrish.
Combined observations from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the newly completed Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile have revealed the throes of stellar birth, as never before, in the well-studied object known as HH 46/47.
Herbig-Haro (HH) objects form when jets shot out by newborn stars collide with surrounding material, producing small, bright, nebulous regions. To our eyes, the dynamics within many HH objects are obscured by enveloping gas and dust. But the infrared and submillimeter wavelengths of light seen by Spitzer and ALMA, respectively, pierce the dark cosmic cloud around HH 46/47 to let us in on the action.
The Spitzer observations show twin supersonic jets emanating from the central star that blast away surrounding gas and set it alight into two bubbly lobes. HH 46/47 happens to sit on the edge of its enveloping cloud in such a way that the jets pass through two differing cosmic environments. The rightward jet, heading into the cloud, is plowing through a “wall” of material, while the leftward jet’s path out of the cloud is relatively unobstructed, passing through less material. This orientation serves scientists well by offering a handy compare-and-contrast setup for how the outflows from a developing star interact with their surroundings.
“Young stars like our sun need to remove some of the gas collapsing in on them to become stable, and HH 46/47 is an excellent laboratory for studying this outflow process,” said Alberto Noriega-Crespo, a scientist at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. “Thanks to Spitzer, the HH 46/47 outflow is considered one of the best examples of a jet being present with an expanding bubble-like structure.”
Noriega-Crespo led the team that began studying HH 46/47 with Spitzer nearly 10 years ago when the telescope first began observing the heavens. Now, using a new image processing technique developed in the past few years, he and his colleagues have been able to render HH 46/47 in higher resolution.
Meanwhile, the fresh views of HH 46/47 by ALMA have revealed that the gas in the lobes is expanding faster than previously thought. This faster expansion has an influence on the overall amount of turbulence in the gaseous cloud that originally spawned the star. In turn, the extra turbulence could have an impact on whether and how other stars might form in this gaseous, dusty, and thus fertile, ground for star-making.
A team led by Hector Arce at Yale University, New Haven, Conn., carried out the ALMA observations and their analysis was published recently in The Astrophysical Journal.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Spacecraft operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. For more information about Spitzer, visit http://spitzer.caltech.edu and http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of Europe, North America and East Asia in cooperation with the Republic of Chile.
Cattle Farming Began In China More Than 10,000 Years Ago
November 12th, 2013Posted by Alton Parrish.
The domestication of cattle is a key achievement in human history. Until now, researchers believed that humans started domesticating cattle around 10,000 years ago in the Near East, which gave rise to humpless (taurine) cattle, while two thousand years later humans began managing humped cattle (zebu) in Southern Asia.
However, the new research, which is published in Nature Communications, reveals morphological and genetic evidence for management of cattle in north-eastern China around 10,000 years ago, around the same time the first domestication of taurine cattle took place in the Near East. This indicates that humans may have started domesticating cows in more regions around the world than was previously believed.
A lower jaw of an ancient cattle specimen was discovered during an excavation in north-east China, and was carbon dated to be 10,660 years old. The jaw displayed a unique pattern of wear on the molars, which, the researchers say, is best explained to be the results of long-term human management of the animal. Ancient DNA from the jaw revealed that the animal did not belong to the same cattle lineages that were domesticated in the Near East and South Asia.
The combination of the age of the jaw, the unique wear and genetic signature suggests that this find represents the earliest evidence for cattle management in north-east China; a time and place not previously considered as potential domestication centre for cattle.
The research was co-led in the Department of Biology at the University of York by Professor Michi Hofreiter and Professor Hucai Zhang of Yunnan Normal University.
Professor Hofreiter said: “The specimen is unique and suggests that, similar to other species such as pigs and dogs, cattle domestication was probably also a complex process rather than a sudden event.” Johanna Paijmans, the PhD student at York who performed the DNA analysis, said: “This is a really exciting example of the power of multi-disciplinary research; the wear pattern on the lower jaw itself is already really interesting, and together with the carbon dating and ancient DNA we have been able to place it in an even bigger picture of early cattle management.”
As well as researchers from the Departments of Biology and Archaeology at York, the research team also included scientists from Yunnan Normal University, Kunming; Peking University, Beijing; Northwest A & F University, Yangling, and the Museum of Haelongjiang in China, Trinity College, Dublin and the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen.
Contacts and sources:
David Garner
University of York
Citation: The paper ‘Morphological and genetic evidence for early Holocene cattle management in North-Eastern China’ is published in Nature Communications. Link DIO: 10.1038/ncomms3755
Typhoon claims thousands of people in the Philippines
November 10th, 2013
By Jaime Ortega.
It seems unlikely that the Filipino people will overcome the misfortune caused by the type five typhoon that struck the island. Following the devastating passage of Super Typhoon ‘ Yolanda ‘ last Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned of the arrival of Hurricane ‘Pudol ‘ , also called by the Philippine Atmospheric Institutions ‘ Zoraida.’
Panic seizes the Philippines , that started through social networks to alarm of the next typhoon with a mixture of helplessness, shock and hysteria. National newspapers have to make emergency runs to warn of the situation.
Schools remain suspended with the maximum state of emergency and the authorities have organized each ‘ barangay ‘ (municipality ) in record time to prepare a new evacuation. The most disadvantaged areas to are set to abandon their slums and shelter homes and go inside schools to be safe.
The 360 MPH winds devastated the Central Visayas and hit with greater intensity in northern Mindanao. According to the media Tacloban City in Leyte province , know recalls the affected zone as a ghost town that has been the most affected by the wrath of nature explains Leyte Governor ” are more than 10,000 dead and do not know the specific amount of disappeared . ”
The northern part of Cebu has also been devastated by the storm , and its citizens want the press to help focus not all aid in Tacloban . Also, on the island of Samar , the number of fatalities has increased within hours , from 200 to over 400 , and is required for blood donations to meet the hospitals.
blocked roads
” It is now essential within this emergency to plan fast, effective and direct help, but it is very difficult to access places that we need because the roads are blocked by trees, roofs torn off , debris and remnants of the tragedy ,” says Leo Mercado , volunteer development aid .
The most powerful families in Cebu, many of them of Spanish origin , have made available their boats , homes and machinery to rebuild the country as soon as possible . According Butch Barangay Cebuano entrepreneur Mactan Island , ” is now essentially immediate assistance , we need tarps, screws, tools , rice , canned foods , water , antibiotics , food for babies and children and work material to open the sidewalks on the streets and building again . ”
The communications in the most affected are intermittent and do not yet have electricity , no running water and almost no immediate hope.
Hundreds Corpses
In addition to the strong winds had to withstand floods which rendered survival of people who were at home but at ground level . The bodies are in the hundreds and identification will be extremely slow and unsustainable .
Most of the victims are people of extreme poverty , whose houses of straw, cardboard, or plastic palm trees have disappeared , and their unique lifestyles, farms, ‘ jeepneys ‘ ( the minibuses Filipinos use as means of transport) , the fishing boats …
This catastrophe only adds to misery , lack of preparation , infections , major looting malls, homes and hotels. The news that appear in newspapers and on television about missing deaths and every misfortune in particular are so alarming that it is impossible to remain unscathed from their pain.
According to Ara Sumalignon , Divine Word Hospital nurse in Tacloban , “I had never experienced anything like this , we could not meet the number of people begging for help, did not have enough blood and the number of casualties was so high , we filled the emergency room , we had no power and the generators were not working , I thought it was the end of the world, could only pray and mourn . ”
‘ They look like hungry zombies ‘
Overwhelming is the testimony of a fisherman holding the body of her eldest daughter of only 9 years while wandering barefoot and injured with the rest of her family. Do not let anyone touch your child and only repeated the name of his wife and the rest of her seven children .
GMA Network television is one of the few that has accessed the destruction by boat , after facing major storms , and described the situation as ” apocalyptic , zombies seem hungry , injured , dehydrated and completely in shock .” Thanks to the advent of cameras to the island we have been able to see the messages left y its inhabitants written on chalkboards , walls and roofs to inform their families of the neighboring islands that were still alive.
Thus being distributed lists and generating virtual databases to find people. The movement could find your loved one ‘ and is receiving massive visits . The whole country is keen to help and a powerful sense of patriotism flies the flag in the social profiles in the media that are permanently connected to events and in general in the Philippine environment .
Now is the time to rebuild , to fight again , to go out with machetes , ropes and the few tools they have, and rebuild their homes . People so accustomed to misfortunes that on success . With their faith and gentle nature people show a smiling face to a cruel natural catastrophe that may not end yet .