Hillary Clinton and the media are questioning the Wikileaks. They contradict the facts given about how much of a threat Iran is to the world. Noam Chomsky provides specific details on how much of a threat Iran really is. He says a poll taken a few months ago on Arab opinions from The Brookings Institute show 80% think Isreal is the biggest threat to the region. The second major threat is the U.S. at 77%, 10% regard Iran as a major threat. This news is not reported in mainstream papers, but it is familiar to the English, Israeli and the U.S. governments.
Chomsky notes that one of the most interesting cables was a cable from the U.S. ambassador in Israel to Hillary Clinton, which described the attack on Gaza, which we should call a U.S.-Israeli attack on Gaza, December 2008. It states that—correctly, that there had been a truce. It does not add that during the truce, which was really not observed by Israel, but during the truce, Hamas scrupulously observed it. According to the Israeli government, not a single rocket was fired. That’s an omission. But then comes a straight lie: it says that in December 2008, Hamas renewed rocket firing, and therefore Israel had to attack in self-defense. Now, the ambassador surely is aware—there must be somebody in the American embassy who reads the Israeli press, the mainstream Israeli press, in which case the embassy is surely aware that it’s exactly the opposite: Hamas was calling for a renewal of the ceasefire. Israel considered the offer and rejected it, preferring to bomb rather than to have security. Also omitted is that while Israel never observed the ceasefire, it maintained the siege in violation of the truce agreement. On November 4th, the U.S. election, 2008, the Israeli army entered Gaza, killed—invaded Gaza and killed half a dozen Hamas militants, which did lead to an exchange of fire, in which all the casualties, as usual, are Palestinian. Then in December, Hamas—when the truce officially ended, Hamas called for renewing it. Israel refused, and the U.S. and Israel chose to launch the war. What the embassy reported is a gross falsification and a very significant one, since it has to do with the justification for this murderous attack, which means either the embassy hasn’t a clue what’s going on or else they’re lying outright.
Chomsky recognizes that a major reason for secrecy in the government if to protect itself from its own population. These papers are allowing Americans to know things that the government did not want them to know. He even states that this particular Iranian threat reveals the profound hatred for democracy that our political leadership has demonstrated.
Title: Chomsky challenges Clinton’s response to the Wikileaks Source: Allvoices, Dec. 02, 2010 Author: Northsunm32 Article: http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-7507031/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kZW1vY3JhY3lub3cub3JnLzIwMTAvMTEvMzAvbm9hbV9jaG9tc2t5X3dpa2lsZWFrc19jYWJsZXNfcmV2ZWFsX3Byb2ZvdW5k
Student Researcher: Cheryl Fonseca, Sonoma State University Faculty Evaluator: John Hudson SBN 107623
Iranian demonstrators on Sunday threatened to destroy the tomb of the biblical Jewish queen Esther if Israel damages the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, AFP reported.
"Muslims beware that they have started the destruction of Al-Aqsa mosque while their second sacred site in Iran, the Esther and Mordecai tomb is at peace and no Muslims make a sound," the student protesters said in a statement.
Archaeological projects around the Aqsa mosque have lead some in the Musim world to believe that Israel is endangering the site.
Ela foi abandonada perto do número 231 da Estrada da Barra da Tijuca. Esquadrão Antibombas recolheu e desativou o artefato neste domingo (12).
Uma granada foi encontrada na tarde deste domingo (12) na calçada ao lado de um condomínio na Barra da Tijuca, na Zona Oeste do Rio. De acordo com informações da Polícia Militar, o artefato explosivo estava abandonado próximo ao número 231 da Estrada da Barra da Tijuca.
Após denúncia recebida pelo 190, policiais do 31º BPM (Barra da Tijuca) estiveram no local e isolaram a área. Agentes do Esquadrão Antibombas foram acionados, recolheram e desativaram a granada, que não precisou ser detonada no local, ainda segundo a polícia.
Em uma semana, 124 presos, 148 detidos, 37 mortos em confronto, 215 armas e 178 artefatos explosivos apreendidos e 103 veículos incendiados, além de quatro policiais baleados. Este foi o saldo das operações das forças de segurança no Complexo do Alemão, na Zona Norte do Rio, entre os dias 22 e 30 de novembro, de acordo com a Polícia Militar.
O único número que não foi divulgado até o momento é o de desaparecidos na região que era considerada o Quartel General (QG) da facção criminosa Comando Vermelho (CV) – possuindo acessos pelos bairros Penha, Bonsucesso, Ramos, Olaria e Inhaúma e composta pelos morros do Alemão, da Baiana, do Adeus e dos Mineiros e pelas favelas Vila Cruzeiro, Alvorada, Matinha, Nova Brasília, Pedra do Sapo, Palmeiras, Fazendinha, Grota, Chatuba, Areal e Chuveirinho.
Moradores do Complexo do Alemão afirmam que alguns corpos foram retirados do local dentro de veículos blindados, mas denunciam que ainda há vários – principalmente na localidade conhecida como Vacaria, que fica entre as favelas Vila Cruzeiro e Chatuba.
O PAUTA DO DIA conseguiu entrevistar, com exclusividade, um jovem que integrava a quadrilha responsável pela venda de drogas na região. Aos 18 anos de idade, ele era um dos soldados do tráfico e recebia R$ 500 por semana para impedir invasões de facções rivais e retardar a aproximação de viaturas para que os chefões conseguissem fugir, no caso de incursões policiais.
Como, além de não ter antecedentes, não fazia parte da liderança e nem ocupava função importante na quadrilha – que, segundo ele, tinha centenas de integrantes – não foi identificado pela Polícia e não possui mandado de prisão.
“Quase morri. Tive a maior sorte. Larguei as peças (armas) e consegui chegar em casa”, relembrou.
“Perdi minha parada toda. Geral perdeu tudo e nem todo mundo conseguiu escapar com vida. Dei sorte de passar batido e conseguir chegar em casa vivo”, disse.
Ele confirmou a denúncia de moradores de que muitos traficantes saíram do conjunto de favelas em viaturas policiais – tanto da Polícia Civil como da Militar, inclusive no blindado.
“Quem tinha dinheiro pra perder saiu vivo”, afirmou.
Um dos criminosos que teria conseguido ajuda policial para fugir do Complexo do Alemão é o traficante Alexandre Mendes da Silva, o Polegar ou Paraibinha, 35 anos. A informação foi repassada, através de telefonema anônimo, ao Ministério Público. Na ligação, o denunciante informou que o bandido havia sido levado para a Região dos Lagos e deu, inclusive, a placa do automóvel – um Gol preto. Após levantamento, descobriu-se que a placa era de uma viatura descaracterizada da 126ª DP (Cabo Frio).
“Demos prioridade à essa denúncia, pois ela trouxe elementos robustos. A informação do destino bate com a origem dessa viatura”, ressaltou o ouvidor-geral do MP, promotor Gianfilippo Pianezzola, que recebeu a denúncia e a encaminhou à 1ª Central de Inquérito do órgão, setor que assumiu as investigações sobre o caso.
A fuga de Polegar teria ocorrido no dia 26 de novembro. Dois dias depois, o blindado do 16º BPM (Olaria) também teria sido usado como táxi por criminosos. A Corregedoria da PM investiga viagens realizadas pelo veículo, sem autorização, do Complexo do Alemão até o Morro do Chapadão, na Pavuna, também na Zona Norte. O trajeto foi percorrido várias vezes, do início da noite do dia 28 até às 5h do dia seguinte.
Caso seja comprovado que os PMs de plantão naquele horário auxiliaram na fuga de bandidos, como os dois traficantes mais procurados atualmente no Estado do Rio – Fabiano Atanásio da Silva, o FB, 33 anos, e Luciano Martiniano da Silva, o Pezão, 31 – todos podem ser expulsos da corporação.
Os corpos dos muitos que não conseguiram escapar com vida ou não puderam pagar para fugir também estariam espalhados pela Serra da Misericórdia – que liga a Favela da Vila Cruzeiro ao Morro do Alemão e por onde a tentativa de fuga de centenas de traficantes foi flagrada por imagens aéreas de emissoras de televisão.
“Tem muita gente desaparecida. Ficamos sabendo que os policiais vão esperar passar alguns meses e depois vão falar que encontraram um cemitério clandestino. Só que esses mortos foram eles que deixaram”, revelou o soldado do tráfico.
“Os policiais interditaram uma parte do Areal. Ninguém pode passar por lá. Não dá pra ver, mas o cheiro está forte. Na Vacaria, os porcos já comeram muitos corpos. Mais de 100 irmãos foram mortos”, garantiu.
Além das mortes, que representam perda para a quadrilha que antes era conhecida como “Bonde do Trem Bala”, o prejuízo financeiro com a apreensão de armas e drogas provocou racha entre os líderes da facção.
“Deu o maior caô. O FB queria matar o Faustão e o Branquinho e chegou a sair no tapa com o Mica”, disse, referindo-se ao chefe do tráfico na Vila Cruzeiro – FB – e aos traficantes Ricardo Severo, o Faustão, 31, e Tássio Fernandes Faustinho, o Branquinho, 26, que seriam os números 2 e 3 na hierarquia da quadrilha na localidade.
Os dois foram presos na madrugada do dia 27 de novembro ao tentar furar um bloqueio na Rua Canitá. Enquanto Branquinho foi baleado na coxa, Faustão foi atingido na barriga. Os dois receberam atendimento médico no Hospital Estadual Getúlio Vargas, na Penha, e foram liberados horas depois, sendo transferidos para a Penitenciária Federal de Catanduvas, no Paraná.
“Eles preferiram se entregar para não acabarem mortos”, ressaltou o soldado do CV.
Já o traficante Paulo Roberto de Souza Paz, o Mica ou MK, 32 – amigo de infância do jogador Adriano, que teria comprado uma moto no valor de R$ 35 mil e registrado em nome da mãe do criminoso – ficou famoso após condenar quatro comparsas que atearam fogo em um ônibus matando cinco pessoas, em novembro de 2005. A idéia do ataque foi de Anderson Gonçalves dos Santos, o Lorde, em represália à morte de um comparsa, no Morro da Fé, na Penha.
O quarteto que participou do crime foi executado por Mica e os corpos foram deixados próximo à extinta Delegacia de Repressão a Entorpecentes (DRE), no Grajaú, também na Zona Norte do Rio. Preso meses depois, Lorde foi condenado a 444 anos de prisão.
“Estão falando que o FB não tem mais vez aqui. Os cara do Jacaré estão boladão porque deixaram prender o Lambari (Marcos Vinícius da Silva) e a Sandra Sapatão (Sandra Helena Ferreira Gabriel). Tem uns mano na Nova Holanda que vão mandar umas paradas pra cá pra ver se dá pra abrir a boca só de noite”, revelou.
“Acho que nunca mais a Penha e o Alemão vão voltar a ser o que era. Foi perda total”, finalizou.
ACCRA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Oil production off the Ghanaian coast, which is set to begin next Wednesday, would start with a daily production of only 5,000 and 8,000 barrels and could reach 120,000 barrels a day by next April, the Minister for Energy Joseph Obteng Adjei told Xinhua in an exclusive interview here on Sunday.
"The 120,000 barrels is the peak and we will stay there for about three years and descend" due to technical impediments including the lack of infrastructure, the minister said.
However, Adjei said production would be increased gradually with additional wells entering into production in the next few years.
Contrary to the high expectation of many Ghanaians, annual oil revenue was officially put at 550 million U.S. dollars, which represents only 1.9 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or 6 percent of the estimated annual revenue in 2011.
The oil revenue could be increased three years after with the inauguration of the phase two of the Jubilee Oil Field. Adjei disclosed that his ministry has been working to use the gas and other natural resources to create a very viable aluminum industry, which could provide tens of thousands of jobs.
On the development of infrastructure, the minister emphasized the need to expand infrastructural development if the country were to create another economic growth pole with the emerging oil industry.
"We have to open the roads so that people who would want to go to that part (the western oil industrial area) to work can easily go there, we have to make sure electricity is available for the subsequent companies that would operate there, we have to ensure that there is enough water, rail and other infrastructure," he said.
Relatório revela detalhes de como serviço de inteligência dos EUA protegeu criminosos nazistas após a Segunda Guerra. Diante da Guerra Fria, EUA passaram a estar menos interessados em punir tais criminosos já em 1946.
Documentos recentemente liberados da CIA e das Forças Armadas norte-americanas confirmam que, após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, autoridades aliadas protegeram antigos nazistas e criminosos de guerras, caso provassem que poderiam ser úteis e cooperativos.
"Sem dúvidas, o advento da Guerra Fria outorgou à inteligência norte-americana novas funções, novas prioridades, e novos inimigos. Prestar contas com alemães ou com seus colaboradores se tornou menos urgente. Em alguns casos, isso se tornou até contraproducente", afirma o relatório divulgado na última sexta-feira (10/12) pelo Arquivo Nacional dos Estados Unidos.
Afghan villagers tending to opium poppies in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province, in southern Afghanistan, in 2007. A top Afghan drug lord jailed in the United States since 2008 was for years on the US payroll as an informant for the CIA and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The New York Times said Saturday.
AFP - A top Afghan drug lord jailed in the United States since 2008 was for years on the US payroll as an informant for the CIA and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The New York Times said Saturday.
Hajji Juma Khan was paid lavishly to provide information on the Taliban, Afghan corruption and other drug traffickers in his country, and was even brought secretly to the United States at one point, federal prosecutors, current and former US officials told the daily.
The US secret relationship with Khan, said the daily, illustrates how the war on drugs and the war on terrorism sometimes collide in Afghanistan, where drug traffickers, the government and the insurgency often overlap.
A small time drug peddler when the US-led invasion of Afghanistan was launched in 2001, Khan -- described as in his mid-50s -- grew to a major drug trafficker in the opening years of the foreign military campaign, as US forces focused on anti-insurgent and anti-terrorist forces in the country.
Over the years, Khan grew in influence, buying off the Taliban and corrupt Afghan government officials to protect his expanding drug trade until he became one of the country's biggest drug lords, the daily said.
At the same time, Khan became an informant for the CIA and the DEA, who were interested in Taliban and drug trafficking operations in the country respectively.
In 2006, he was brought to the United States to see if his role as an informant could be taken to a higher level, a former US official said.
He was not arrested because there were no charges pending against him in the United States, officials said, and during the visit Khan took a side trip to New York for some sightseeing and shopping.
Officials said it was unclear just how much intelligence Khan provided on other drug traffickers and the Taliban leadership, but his relationship continued for some time after that.
Everything changed in 2008, when anti-insurgency pressure eased somewhat and US forces shifted some of their attention to rampant drug trafficking in Afghanistan.
Some US officials said Khan had become too big a trafficker to be ignored, while others said he never provided breakthrough intelligence to his handlers.
Khan was lured to the United States in 2008 for another meeting with the DEA and even paid for his flight to Jakarta, where he was arrested instead and flown to the United States where he is now in plea negotiations with authorities.
He was arrested under a 2006 narco-terrorism law that makes it easier to go after foreign drug traffickers who are not smuggling into the United States, but who can be shown have ties to terrorist organizations, the Times said.
Khan's lawyer denied to the newspaper that his client ever supported the Taliban or worked for the CIA, while a CIA spokesman said the agency "does not, as a rule, comment on matters pending before US courts."
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer checks a security perimeter in front of the Parliament building in Ottawa in 2009. The foreign ministry on Sunday summoned Canada's charge d'affaires over the murder in Ottawa of Iranian citizen Yazdan Ghiasvand, the official ISNA news agency reported.
AFP - The foreign ministry on Sunday summoned Canada's charge d'affaires over the murder in Ottawa of Iranian citizen Yazdan Ghiasvand, the official ISNA news agency reported.
The ministry "protested about the murder of this Iranian citizen and demanded a speedy inquiry," the agency said, without elaborating on the circumstances of the murder.
Canada's public broadcaster CBC News reported that a teenager named Yazdan Ghiasi was shot dead in the capital on December 6, and that three men had been charged in connection with his death.
Relations between Tehran and Ottawa are rocky, with Canada denouncing the human rights situation in Iran.
On Friday, Canada's First Lady Maureen Harper said she was "deeply saddened" that an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery had not been released as reported earlier.
It’s been called “the first case of WikiLeaks being exploited for propaganda purposes.” So, I thought I was braced for the propaganda ride when I clicked on the offending story on the Web site of the Pakistani daily, The News.
But nothing - I repeat, nothing - could have prepared me for the sheer treat that lay in store.
Two grafs into the story and I was chuckling. Four graphs in and I was chortling with that “rather a geek” comment. Seven grafs and I was exclaiming, “But this is funnier than The Onion!”
By the end of the 2,000-odd word piece I was wiping my eyes – tears of mirth or tears of sheer exasperation, I really can’t say.
In case you’re wondering what the fuss is all about, it’s the story of several leading Pakistani newspapers publishing front-page pieces of fake WikiLeaks cables earlier this week.
The story was broken by The Guardian’s Declan Walsh, who discovered that none of the purported US assessments could be found on the WikiLeaks database. The Guardian, a British daily which has all the leaked WikiLeaks cables, could find no match for any of the claims made in the Pakistani press.
Now that’s hardly surprising. Whatever you may think about US State Department officials, on reading the WikiLeaked cables, you have to admit, as Roger Cohen put it in his New York Times op-ed, US diplomats write “clear, declarative English sentences”.
So if a US diplomat sends a cable calling a former Indian Army chief an “incompetent combat leader and rather a geek” with a “much far from reality” war doctrine of eliminating China and Pakistan, someone should have smelt a rat.
The stories were apparently generated by the Islamabad-based Online wire agency, that is known for its close links to the Pakistani intelligence services.
The Pakistani mainstream media’s willingness to toe the official military-intelligence line has been much noted, and is a subject worthy of discussion by other people – especially editors of international dailies such as the International Herald Tribune, whose Pakistani affiliate, Express Tribune, published the piece followed by a front-page retraction.
I’ve spent enough time locked in journalistic integrity discussions. This time, I simply want to enjoy the “journalistic” farce.
Click here for more on how the ‘secretive’ ISI thinks – and dreams
Much has been said about “the secretive Pakistani spy agency, the ISI” and the “shadowy network of military-intelligence agencies that control the Pakistani state”.
But if you’d like some idea of how these shadowy spy chiefs think – or dream – check The News piece.
For one, ISI honchos have an exalted self-image. The discredited News story claims US diplomatic cables hailed ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s term extension, calling it “a good omen” that would “enhance the agency’s abilities to combat the anti-terror war”.
In reality, US diplomats in Islamabad were warning Washington of official Pakistani double-dealing on the anti-Islamist terror front, but never mind. The ISI boys see themselves as the ultimate bulwark against the militant Islamist groups they try, but in reality barely manage, to control.
Go get the Quetta shura
Another howler comes from the Nation’s story, which claims US diplomats were pressing India, “the key ally in the war on terror” to do more to “eliminate the sanctuaries of the so-called Quetta shura”.
Whaa? Whaa? Whaa?!! I almost spurted my coffee on this one.
The Quetta shura of course refers to the close circle around Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who is believed to be based in, or around, the Pakistani city of Quetta.
To quote former US President George W. Bush, Pakistan - not India - is the key US ally in the war on terror. What’s more, Quetta is firmly in Pakistani territory. What’s India got to do with eliminating the leadership of a movement that New Delhi despises in a Pakistani city?
Aha! Welcome to the convoluted world of Pakistani spy honchos.
Pakistani officials have long maintained that Indian intelligence services are mucking around in the troubled Pakistani province of Baluchistan. Quetta is the provincial capital of Baluchistan. The Baloch have a long, troubled relationship with Islamabad and the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani military establishment.
The fake US cables are full of “enough evidences of Indian involvement in Baluchistan” as the title of The News story declares.
Indian intelligence services might well be mucking around in Baluchistan, I really don't know. Remember, this is the "shadowy world" of rival spy agencies. But I doubt that if they ever get their hands on Mullah Omar, they'll need Washington to press them to get rid of him.
So who killed a top cop during the Mumbai attacks?
Time now for the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks and the Pakistani intelligence take on “26/11” as the attacks are called on the subcontinent.
This is a circuitous one, but I’ll try to simplify it.
Washington apparently believes the Taliban, al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba -- the group New Delhi blames for the Mumbai attacks -- are “peanuts” compared to extremist Hindu groups based in India.
I have long bitched and moaned about the international community’s failure to pay attention and condemn India’s alarming extremist Hindu groups. There are few organizations that make my skin crawl more than the Shiv Sena, the Mumbai-based right-wing Hindu organization that killed the spirit of India’s once truly cosmopolitan city. But even I have to concede that the Shiv Sena is peanuts compared to al Qaeda. But that was in the dark old days.
The so-called US cables go on to suggest that Hemant Karkare, a senior Mumbai police official who was killed in the first few hours of the Mumbai attacks “was eliminated in a pre-planned ambush during the Mumbai attacks”.
The culprit? A senior Indian Army official who was in cahoots with Hindu extremist groups.
Mind-boggling stuff – I leave the reader to chew on this one.
My only explanation is a rather weak India and Pakistan are arch-enemies locked in an often farcical rivalry in a mind-boggling part of the world.
Days after international news organizations such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, the BBC and the Associated Press covered the story of the faked cables, some - but not all - of the hoaxed Pakistani newspapers retracted their stories.
But I’m not sure how many people who read the original stories will continue to believe the old version. Some may even believe the retractions were forced by the USA to appease New Delhi. As we well know, when in doubt in Pakistan, just blame the USA.
( dinheiro vai para o ralo e o policial vira alvo mais facil ainda! )
A partir de segunda-feira, os cerca de 250 integrantes do Batalhão de Campanha que atuam no Complexo do Alemão passarão a usar um uniforme diferente do usado pelos demais policiais militares no local. O objetivo é facilitar a identificação pelos moradores.
Os policiais do Batalhão de Campanha são responsáveis pelas buscas de criminosos, armas e drogas na região, que foi ocupada pelas forças de segurança em 28 de novembro.
Atualmente, o Batalhão de Campanha está operando na sede do 16º BPM, em Olaria, mas o plano da polícia é criar três sedes dentro do complexo de favelas, usando para isso casas abandonadas por traficantes.
Segundo a assessoria de imprensa da Polícia Militar, o novo uniforme é camuflado em tom de azul, com camiseta amarela, boina cinza e braçal amarelo com o logotipo do Batalhão de Campanha e com o símbolo da PM.
Chuvas pesadas e ventos fortes atingiram os países do Oriente Médio neste fim de semana. Um navio afundou no litoral de Israel e uma mulher morreu por causa da queda de uma árvore sobre seu carro, no Líbano. Outras cidades da região enfrentaram alagamentos. As tempestades forçaram o fechamento de portos e muitos voos que tinham aeroportos do Oriente Médio como destino ou origem sofreram atrasos.
Com as fortes chuvas, as temperaturas na região despencaram e na capital da Síria, Damasco, estradas tiveram que ser interditadas por causa da neve. As tempestades deram fim a um longo período de secas no Líbano, na Síria e em Israel. No Egito, ventos de mais de 60 km/h forçaram o fechamento da maioria dos portos, incluindo o maior do país, em Alexandria. As informações são da Associated Press.
Reportagem do ‘Estado’ contabilizou 14 parlamentares que propuseram mais de R$ 5 milhões cada um para eventos com dinheiro público
Marta Salomon, de O Estado de S.Paulo
BRASÍLIA - O deputado Wilson Santiago (PMDB-PB) contabiliza entre seus feitos políticos a liberação de R$ 2 milhões de dinheiro público para promover forrós em seu Estado, a Paraíba. Ele obteve do Ministério do Turismo o pagamento integral das emendas para a realização de eventos "geradores de fluxo turístico", pivô de denúncias de desvio de verbas do Orçamento da União.
Santiago queria mais dinheiro público no patrocínio de festas juninas em municípios de sua base eleitoral. A pedido de prefeitos, chegou a propor a aplicação de R$ 6,2 milhões para promover forrós, mas foi contido por um corte fixado pelo governo, em março, para esse tipo de gasto.
Esse apetite, crescente nos últimos anos, está disseminado entre os partidos aliados ao governo e na oposição. Santiago está entre os campeões na apresentação de emendas para a realização de eventos em 2010. A reportagem do Estado contabilizou 14 parlamentares que propuseram mais de R$ 5 milhões cada um de gastos para as festas bancadas com dinheiro público.
No início do ano, as autorizações de gastos para os tais eventos turísticos passavam de R$ 700 milhões, infladas por emendas parlamentares, mas foram limitadas à cota de R$ 2 milhões por congressista. Restaram para festas cerca de R$ 300 milhões.
Na semana passada, o ministro Paulo Bernardo (Planejamento) atribuiu o corte à percepção de fragilidade na aplicação do dinheiro, detectada pela Controladoria-Geral da União desde 2008. Na exposição de motivos que encaminhou ao presidente Lula, porém, o ministro atribuía o corte às restrições da Lei Eleitoral.
Desde sexta-feira, estão suspensos novos convênios com entidades privadas sem fins lucrativos para promoção de eventos, numa reação às denúncias de desvios. Mas, no ano que vem, o dinheiro do contribuinte ainda poderá financiar R$ 257 milhões em festas, organizadas por prefeituras ou Estados, que continuam liberados para os convênios.
"Os eventos que causam problema são os vinculados a entidades privadas sem fins lucrativos; quem pôs dinheiro em ONG é que teve problema", alega Santiago, que rateou as verbas do Orçamento entre 62 municípios . "A Paraíba tem atração muito grande por festa junina."
Já o deputado Vadão Gomes (PP-SP) optou pelos rodeios em sua base política. Mais de R$ 1,8 milhão foi aplicado em rodeios, por conta das emendas de Vadão, outro integrante do grupo dos que mais apresentaram propostas para gastos com eventos.
Também do time, Marcos Antônio (PRB-PE) lamenta só ter conseguido a liberação até aqui de R$ 1,4 milhão para eventos em Pernambuco. Pleiteava R$ 8,6 milhões para promover o turismo em seu Estado. A atração pelo patrocínio de eventos é consequência da atividade do deputado. Marcos Antônio é cantor gospel.
Institutos repetem até erros de português nas três cartas de autoridades exigidas para se obter recursos
11 de dezembro de 2010 | 18h 01
Leandro Colon, de O Estado de S.Paulo
BRASÍLIA - O esquema fraudulento de institutos fantasmas com dinheiro do Orçamento é sustentado por uma indústria de atestados de idoneidade que levam as assinaturas de parlamentares, delegados de polícia e até de um ministro de Estado, conforme revelou a reportagem do Estado na sexta-feira, 10. São documentos que passam pelo crivo dos ministérios e dão respaldo para a liberação dos recursos destinados a shows e eventos culturais.
O conteúdo dos papéis revela mais indícios de um esquema organizado e premeditado, com ou sem a anuência de seus autores. Os textos são idênticos - só mudam o nome, os dados e os endereços do instituto. As datas, as assinaturas e os carimbos também são iguais (veja fac-símile ao lado).
Manobra
A artimanha é uma forma de cumprir a exigência legal para que os institutos apresentem pelo menos três cartas de autoridades atestando seu funcionamento. É mais uma manobra, já que os institutos negociam estatutos de entidades antigas para cumprir outra regra prevista em lei, a de no mínimo três anos de atuação.
A reportagem obteve os atestados de funcionamento de pelo menos sete entidades que receberam, em 2010, cerca de R$ 18 milhões do governo.
O deputado Geraldo Magela (PT-DF) "atesta", por exemplo, o funcionamento dos institutos Renova Brasil, Inbraest, Brasil Sempre à Frente e Planalto Central - todos de fachada e com parentes distribuídos em suas diretorias. Os quatro documentos foram produzidos às 17h35 do dia 17 de maio de 2010 e têm o mesmo registro eletrônico de protocolo, sob o número 3.544. Só o nome da entidade é trocado. Até os erros de português são repetidos. O nome de Magela aparece em todas as declarações. Trata-se de uma assinatura digital, uma prática comum na burocracia de Brasília.
Na terça-feira, confrontado apenas com o documento do Inbraest, o deputado afirmou que assinou a pedido de um assessor. Três dias depois, o Estado voltou a procurar Magela e mostrou então as três cartas apresentadas por outras entidades.
Magela recuou, pediu para retificar a declaração anterior e afirmou ser vítima de uma fraude. "É uma fraude grosseira", afirma o petista. Ele avisou que vai acionar a Polícia Federal para investigar o caso e decidiu divulgar o caso antes de sair a reportagem do jornal.
Magela admitiu, no entanto, que assinou o atestado de funcionamento do Inbrasil, cujo documento não segue o padrão dos outros institutos acima citados. Essa entidade, também fantasma, usou ainda a assinatura do ministro Alexandre Padilha (Relações Institucionais) em documento parecido.
Segundo o petista, o publicitário André Fratti, dono de uma empresa que faz os eventos do instituto, pediu sua ajuda para a realização do Festival de Inverno. Padilha, no entanto, nega a autoria da assinatura, enquanto os representantes do Inbrasil garantem que receberam o apoio do ministro.
Modelo
A indústria das cartas envolve não só as assinaturas de autoridades políticas. Um policial aparece nos documentos dos institutos. O delegado Mauro Aguiar Machado atesta, segundo os convênios, o funcionamento dos institutos Renova Brasil, Planalto Central e Educar e Crescer. Os papéis também seguem o modelo dos outros casos: cabeçalho, carimbos e assinaturas idênticas, só alterando o endereço e o nome das entidades.
Procurado pela reportagem, o delegado Aguiar Machado disse que já assinou atestados para organizadores de eventos, mas nega ter apoiado essas entidades envolvidas nas denúncias. "Isso é fraude, não conheço essas pessoas. Vou tomar providências", disse Machado.
Alegando redução da burocracia nas parcerias entre governo e sociedade, presidente eliminou da LDO de 2010 e 2011 necessidade de declaração do Fisco que comprovasse o funcionamento de institutos que quisessem receber recursos
Marta Salomon, de O Estado de S.Paulo
BRASÍLIA - O desvio de dinheiro público por meio de entidades de fachada foi estimulado por vetos do presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Os vetos abrandaram as exigências para o repasse de verbas do Orçamento a entidades privadas sem fins lucrativos, a pretexto de reduzir a burocracia nas parcerias entre o governo e a sociedade.
Em agosto de 2009, Lula vetou dispositivo da Lei de Diretrizes Orçamentárias (LDO) que cobrava das entidades candidatas a receber dinheiro público a apresentação de cópia de declaração de informações econômico-fiscais emitida pela Secretaria da Receita Federal. Com o veto a essa exigência, as candidatas ao repasse ficaram obrigadas a apresentar apenas uma declaração de funcionamento "emitida por três autoridades locais".
Reportagens do Estado publicadas na semana passada revelaram que entidades existentes só no papel foram contratadas para realizar eventos culturais sem licitação e com preços superfaturados. Os gastos foram autorizados por emendas parlamentares. As denúncias já derrubaram do cargo o relator-geral do Orçamento, senador Gim Argello (PTB-DF), na terça-feira.
Ainda não se sabe a dimensão da fraude, mas o veto à exigência de comprovação pelo Fisco do funcionamento das entidades facilitou a liberação de dinheiro público. No Orçamento deste ano, R$ 2,7 bilhões já foram pagos, de um total de R$ 4,5 bilhões de gastos autorizados. Contratadas em grande parte sem licitação, essas entidades têm sido personagens de sucessivos desvios de dinheiro público.
Entrave. Em mensagem enviada ao presidente do Senado em 12 de agosto de 2009, Lula anunciou uma série de vetos à LDO, que dita regras para as despesas do governo em 2010. Alegou "contrariedade ao interesse público e inconstitucionalidade".
O ministro do Planejamento, Paulo Bernardo, foi quem deu os argumentos a Lula para o veto ao artigo 36 da LDO para 2010. "A exigência poderá trazer mais um entrave burocrático às parcerias entre o poder público e a sociedade organizada", diz a mensagem de Lula. Procurado na sexta-feira à noite, o ministro não respondeu à reportagem.
O texto alega que a exigência poderia ser dispensada porque qualquer cidadão pode acompanhar a execução dos convênios na internet, por meio do Portal dos Convênios. O acesso ao sistema, no entanto, é bastante limitado.
Mais importante: o texto defende que o funcionamento regular de uma determinada entidade pode ser atestado apenas pela declaração de autoridades locais. "Entende-se que as autoridades locais têm legitimidade para demonstrar e atestar o efetivo funcionamento das entidades privadas sem fins lucrativos que farão parcerias com a União."
O Congresso voltou a propor a exigência de declaração de funcionamento emitida pela Receita na LDO para 2011. A exigência foi mais uma vez suspensa por veto de Lula. A mensagem enviada ao Senado em agosto de 2010 alega que a exigência "contraria as medidas adotadas para desburocratizar as parcerias".
Irregularidades em convênios do Ministério do Turismo com entidades já vinham sendo apontadas pela Controladoria-Geral da União desde 2008. A própria CGU reconhece que ainda existem possibilidades de fraudes.
Quando Lula usa e abusa da expressão “sine qua non”, ele pode estar certo de que a imensa maioria dos brasileiros não faz ideia do que isso significa. Nesses momentos, Lula fala, com orgulho, para a elite. Se é impossível para o brasileiro médio entender as sutilezas de um texto em português, o que dirá em latim? A presidente eleita Dilma Rousseff precisará redirecionar seus gastos se quiser tirar o povo da ignorância. Pode começar desistindo do Aerodilma.
Mesmo com um avanço no segundo mandato de Lula, não há como festejar o resultado brasileiro na última avaliação de estudantes de 15 anos em 65 países. São seis os níveis de conhecimento da pesquisa conhecida como Pisa, na sigla em inglês (Programa Internacional de Avaliação de Alunos). Em matemática, 69,1% dos alunos brasileiros não passaram do nível 1, o pior de todos. Em leitura, quase metade (49,6%) dos brasileiros também ficou no nível 1. O estudo é feito a cada três anos e envolve países da OCDE (desenvolvidos) e convidados. O Brasil ficou em 53º lugar, atrás de Bulgária, Romênia, Tailândia, México, Chile, Uruguai e Turquia, entre outros. O melhor Estado brasileiro, o Distrito Federal, ainda ficou abaixo da média internacional.
Nosso pior Estado, Alagoas, só foi melhor que o lanterninha no Pisa, o Quirguistão, um país que quase ninguém no Brasil nem sequer sabe localizar no mapa. É inacreditável que, depois de oito anos de mandato de um presidente de esquerda, uma economia pujante como a brasileira ainda esteja na rabeira do mundo em educação. Quando um aluno do 3º ano do ensino médio, Evanildo da Silva Costa, com 18 anos, não sabe quanto é 8 dividido por 4, o país inteiro deve ficar constrangido.
Na média, a nota do Brasil em leitura melhorou entre 2000 e 2009. Mas as porcentagens escondem uma crueldade: na prática, segundo o relatório oficial, quem melhorou foram os alunos ricos, que já eram bem avaliados dez anos atrás. Os outros continuam com muita dificuldade para ler, entender, discernir.
Existe em nosso país uma inversão assustadora de valores. Quando o palhaço Tiririca recebeu a maior votação de um deputado federal, mesmo sem saber ler e escrever direito (ou talvez por causa disso), políticos demagogos se apressaram em apresentar projetos para permitir a candidatura de analfabetos no Brasil. Como se fosse preconceito impedir alguém que não sabe ler de ocupar uma cadeira no Congresso.
É claro que cultura não rima necessariamente com honestidade, sabedoria e inteligência. Há os cultos que são ladrões e mal-educados. E os incultos que são honestos e educados. Mas o fato de um ex-torneiro mecânico ser o presidente mais popular da história do Brasil não pode tornar a falta de instrução uma qualidade. O escritor Marçal Aquino acha um erro que as escolas obriguem alunos a ler livros totalmente fora do contexto de sua vida – e a decorá-los: “O aluno acha a leitura um troço chato e passa a odiar o escritor”. Mais dramática é a situação de nossas escolas rurais, sem recursos. Professor de geografia dá aula de matemática. Aluno chega com fome e não consegue prestar atenção em nada. Isso é, para a oitava economia do mundo, uma humilhação.
Em novembro do ano passado, num congresso científico, Lula afirmou que “a educação é condição sine qua non para o crescimento”. E continuou, arrancando risos: “Eu tô falando sine qua non porque o Caetano Veloso vai ouvir que tô falando sine qua non, e vai dizer ‘porra, como o Lula tá culto’”. O presidente agora adotou de vez a expressão, que quer dizer “indispensável”.
Para Lula, hoje, “humilhação” é o avião presidencial precisar fazer escala em suas viagens internacionais. Deve ser constrangedor, não? Por isso, cinco anos depois de comprar um Airbus por US$ 57 milhões, o governo negocia a compra de outro Airbus por US$ 300 milhões. Nossos alunos de matemática podem tentar fazer uma conta simples: a diferença entre o Aerolula e o Aerodilma daria para construir quantas escolas e para alfabetizar quantos brasileiros em um ano?
Ruth de Aquino é diretora da sucursal de ÉPOCA no Rio de Janeiro
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A group of Iranian university students gathered on Sunday in front of the British Embassy in Tehran to protest against what they called Britain's involvement in assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist.
The angry students set ablaze the flags of Britain and the U.S. in site in protest of the so-called "plot," the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.
The students carried placards and chanted slogans, according to the report.
In two separate incidents in northern Tehran late November, Iranian nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari was killed and another scientist Fereidoon Abbasi was wounded, both on their way to work.
Iran accused Israel and Western countries' intelligent services of being behind the terrorist attacks.
London (CNN) -- Protesters made "some contact" with Prince Charles' wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during a demonstration in London last week, Home Secretary Theresa May said Sunday.
May, whose responsibilities include domestic security, refused to confirm Camilla was "poked with a stick," as some British media have reported.
Charles and Camilla's car was hit with paint and a window was cracked as the vehicle drove through protesters en route to a show in central London on Thursday night. Neither of them was injured, although the duchess looked shaken as she got out of the car.
May has not offered to resign over the incident, she said Sunday on Sky News.
Police released images Sunday of 14 people they want to question in connection with violence at the demonstration, which was to protest government plans to let universities triple their tuition fees.
"We want the public to help us identify these people who may have been involved in violent disorder, attacking police officers and smashing buildings, shops and windows," Detective Chief Superintendent Matthew Horne said in a statement.
"The vast majority of the people we are seeking are suspected of committing serious offences of violent disorder and criminal damage," he said, without specifying whether any were directly involved in the attack on the royals' car.
A total of 34 people were arrested at the demonstration Thursday, the fourth in a series of protests against the planned tuition increase.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday that protesters who resorted to violence will "feel the full force of the law," and blamed them for wreaking havoc in London during the pre-Christmas weeks.
Addressing reporters, Cameron defended the government's contentious move to triple tuiton at UK universities and said protesters, not the police, should be blamed for the chaos.
"I immediately rang the Prince of Wales," Prince Charles, said Cameron. "We need to learn the lesson of this incident," he said.
On Friday, police sifted through rubble strewn over London's Parliament square, searching for clues and culprits in Thursday night's protests, where students and their supporters, enraged by the tuition hike, broke windows and ambushed the royal vehicle.
"It is not the fault of the police," said Cameron. "It was the fault of those who tried to smash that car."
Members of the National Union of Students condemned any forms of violence, including from the police, they said in a statement on their website.
"Regarding many of the scenes that were witnessed yesterday, whilst it is clear that there were a small number of people involved who were inciting violence, many people were contained for a long period of time when attempting to take part in peaceful protest," the NUS stated.
"We are calling on the Metropolitan Police to have a full investigation into the clashes yesterday between protesters and the police and for it to look again at its tactics for policing demonstrations," it said.
A photo of the royal couple, dressed in evening wear, made headlines as it showed the startled expressions on their faces as they sat in their Rolls-Royce before exiting for a Royal Variety Performance.
The royal couple escaped unhurt. Police said the route had been cleared minutes before the royal couple was due to make their journey.
The high-profile incident came late in a day of violent protests that left at least 12 officers and 43 demonstrators hurt.
London's Metropolitan Police issued a statement Friday condemning the protests and alleged vandalism that took place Thursday night, claiming protesters intimidated Christmas shoppers and bystanders.
"This has nothing to do with peaceful protest," the statement said.
"Students are involved in wanton vandalism including smashing windows in Oxford and Regent streets."
The protests followed a vote in the House of Commons to approve a plan to raise the existing cap on tuition rates charged by universities from £3,000 to £9,000 a year. In U.S. dollars, that's a nearly $10,000 a year increase -- from
roughly $4,700 to $14,000.
Lawmakers approved the plan in a 323-302 vote.
The measure awaits approval by the House of Lords and a signature by the queen before it can become law.
Fees protester made 'contact' with Camilla says May
Camilla and Charles found themselves in the middle of the protest
Home Secretary Theresa May has confirmed there was "contact" between the Duchess of Cornwall and one of the protesters who attacked her car.
But she did not confirm reports the duchess was poked with a stick during student protests on Thursday.
The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson, has spoken to Prince Charles following the incident.
Overnight the police have issued images of 14 alleged rioters.
The BBC understands there have been some positive responses from members of the public to the release of the photos.
The protesters launched an attack on a car carrying Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall as it passed along Regent Street.
Their Rolls-Royce was kicked, splashed with paint and a window was cracked to chants of "off with their heads".
There were reports Camilla was poked with a stick, through one of the car windows as the royal couple made their way to the London Palladium.
Mrs May told Sky News: "I'm not sure about the term 'poked with a stick'. I understand there was some contact made.
No resignation
Mrs May said the Rolls-Royce may no longer be "appropriate transport"
"Again this is an incident that needs to be looked at by the Metropolitan Police. That is what they are doing. So we will very soon have the details of that.
"And obviously it will be for them to look at what happened and decide whether there are any lessons that need to be learned."
She said had not considered offering her resignation over the incident and added: "Of course that's an incredibly regrettable incident that took place.
"We should praise the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for their response - they carried on with the engagement they were doing that evening so they didn't let down the people who were expecting them."
A Clarence House spokesman confirmed Prince Charles and Sir Paul spoke following Thursday's incident.
A Scotland Yard spokesman declined to confirm reports the commissioner apologised personally to the Prince.
There have been 'positive responses' from the public to the release of the images
There has been speculation in the wake of the incident that the Prince of Wales may trade in his Rolls-Royce for a more secure vehicle.
Mrs May said the Phantom VI might not be "appropriate" for the purpose any more.
The car was a gift from the Car Association to the Queen in her Silver Jubilee year of 1977, but Mrs May said: "One of the issues that may very well be looked at is the question of the appropriate transport that is used by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall."
Prime Minister David Cameron has said protesters who engaged in violence should face the "full force of the law".
Ms May is due to make a statement on the tuition fees protests in the House of Commons on Monday.
Officers have reviewed hours of CCTV footage as part of their investigations into the disorder and have appealed for the public's help in identifying suspects.
Detective Chief Superintendent Matthew Horne said: "The vast majority of the people we are seeking are suspected of committing serious offences of violent disorder and criminal damage."
He added: "The rights of protest and expression are important to us all.
"However, people breaking the law, endangering those protesting peacefully and committing offences such as this are criminals."
Scotland Yard has launched a "major criminal investigation", called Operation Malone, into all the tuition fee protests held from 10 November, when students stormed Tory headquarters in Millbank, up to Thursday's demonstration in Parliament Square.
A total of 175 people were arrested during the four demonstrations, including 34 who were detained on Thursday.
Police are urging people who can identify any of the suspects whose pictures it has released to call 020 8358 0100 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Swedish police said on Sunday that two explosions in central Stockholm were an act of "terrorism" by what appeared to be a suicide bomber, who killed himself and injured two people. A car exploded in the city centre near Drottninggatan, causing panic among Christmas shoppers. Shortly afterward, a second explosion was heard higher up on the same street. Police would not comment on a motive for Saturday's attack on a busy street, but Swedish news agency TT has reported receiving an email ten minutes before the blasts, saying "the time has come to take action", referring to the country's soldiers in Afghanistan and to a case of a cartoon of Islam's prophet Muhammad that outraged the Muslim world.
Plibersek breaks ranks to demand action against WikiLeaks founder
A minister in the Gillard government has defended the push to charge Julian Assange for publishing secret UScables on his WikiLeaks website.
Human Services Minister Tanya Plibersek told Sky News' Australian Agenda the leaks were very serious and threatened the workings of international diplomacy and the quality of advice public servants were willing to give. She broke ranks with some of her factional colleagues in the Labor Left, who told The Weekend Australian the government had overreacted to the leaks and should stop treating Mr Assange like a criminal. Backbencher Laurie Ferguson said the information the 39-year-old Australian had released was crucial to democracy and to exposing the truth.
Ms Plibersek said yesterday that at the heart of the issue was the fact that the documents were classified and had been stolen.
"I don't think that it's a terrific thing for world security for people to go stealing classified documents and sticking them on the internet," she said.
"I think everyone in the Left of the party, the Right of the party and the Australian public would expect that Julian Assange would face the law, as any other Australian citizen would face the law."
Ms Plibersek said the language used by those calling for Mr Assange to be assassinated and accusing him of being a terrorist was extreme and unwarranted.
"But the Australian government has not said those things. The Australian government has said that this is based on an original criminal act, which is a theft of classified documents," she said.
"It's yet to be seen who has stolen those documents, and those are matters best left to the police, both in the United States and here."
Ms Plibersek said anyone publishing anything had to apply a degree of responsibility.
"If we find that someone, say a businessman in Iran who is pro-American, is strung up by the Iranian government because these documents have been published, do you say that Julian Assange has no responsibility for that?
"I think the first principle to go back to is they are stolen documents. It is irresponsible just to whack them up on the internet without knowing what's in them, without knowing what the consequences are."
About 300 people rallied outside South Australia's parliament yesterday in support of WikiLeaks and to demand fair treatment for Mr Assange, who is being held in a London jail.
Event organiser Richard Bergin told the rally people were not accepting the claim that WikiLeaks was a threat.
"An attack on Assange is an attack on WikiLeaks and an attack on WikiLeaks is an attack on us and our right to know the truth," Mr Bergin said.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said it seemed Julia Gillard had either misheard or misunderstood the Australian people on the issue and they were outraged.
JERUSALEM, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is deploying more troops along the Gaza border in response to recent cross-border clashes, and a spike in missile and mortar attacks against Israeli civilians over the last week.
On Saturday evening, two Palestinian militants were killed and an IDF paratrooper was moderately wounded in an exchange of fire along the Gaza border after the former were spotted attempting to infiltrate into Israel. The army said the Israeli trooper was wounded by a Palestinian sniper.
Several rockets were fired from Gaza at Israeli communities near the border during the weekend and landed in open fields, causing no casualties.
On Thursday, the Israeli Air Force bombed three Hamas targets in Gaza in retaliation to a mortar attack which wounded an Israeli. In a separate incident earlier in the week, an IDF tank sustained damage after being hit by an anti-tank missile fired by militants.
The IDF Spokesman's Office reported on Saturday that about 200 projectiles landed in Israel since the beginning of the year, eight of them in the past six days.
"The current state of the Gaza Strip border is delicate. We are seeing acute deterioration in security. Violent activity has increased on the northern border as well," IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said on Wednesday.
Meeting with soldiers from an IDF paratroop unit, Ashkenazi said the army plans to step up its operations in the Gaza area near future.
"There will be more problems. It's inevitable. Conflict around the fence will continue and we must be prepared, because that's what will ultimately decide the outcome of the battle, the next round of fighting will be bigger," said Ashkenazi.
*OK, so they weren't really flying. Except when Isaac threw one after he decided he was done. But I digress...I first found this idea as just a picture on the internet. I'm sure the picture was from a recipe somewhere, but I didn't see the recipe. On the other hand, the picture wasn't that complicated. A box of spaghetti, a package of hot dogs, and voila! I decided to make it with smoked turkey sausages and it was every bit as easy as it looked. Not to mention ridiculously fun to make. And eat.
Flying Spaghetti Monsters Ingredients:
1/2 box of spaghetti
1 package of sausages or hot dogs
Marinara sauce (optional)
Directions:
Cut the sausages into quarters.
Break the spaghetti in half.
Gleefully impale each piece of sausage with as many pieces of spaghetti as you want.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and follow the cooking directions for the spaghetti.
Drain and serve!
Notes: We didn't have any marinara sauce, but they were still pretty good. The sausage gave the water a lot of flavor, which was partially absorbed by the spaghetti. Isaac absolutely loved them, and I think they'll be a lot of fun to make with him when he gets a little bit older.
Os diplomatas americanos descrevem a situação na fronteira do México com a Guatemala de "dramática", um território onde narcotraficantes e contrabandistas de armas são popularmente respeitados e os aviões carregadas com cocaína aterrissam em plena luz do dia, segundo documentos secretos revelados pelo site WikiLeaks.
A Polícia é "ineficaz ou corrupta e a população, abandonada secularmente pelo Estado, decidiu aceitar a proteção de grupos criminosos tão poderosos como Los Zetas (cartel mexicano)", acrescentam os dados, vazados pelo WikiLeaks e publicados pelo jornal espanhol El País.
Várias correspondências diplomáticas muito minuciosas, elaboradas "in loco" por diplomatas americanos em serviço no México e Guatemala, constatam que nenhum desses dois países "trabalha seriamente para que se cumpra a lei".
Enquanto os 3 mil quilômetros de fronteira entre Estados Unidos e México são vigiados por 30 mil agentes americanos (dez funcionários por quilômetro), o México só conta com 125 agentes para os mil quilômetros da fronteira sul (um policial a cada oito quilômetros), acrescenta a informação.
Os diplomatas americanos usam a palavra "dramática" para descrever a situação dessa fronteira.
"Os oficiais mexicanos confirmaram repetidas vezes que eles não têm os recursos humanos para dirigir os esforços de maneira efetiva ao longo da fronteira sul", aponta a informação.
Spanish online supporters of Julian Assange called for worldwide demonstrations Saturday to press for the release of the WikiLeaks founder, who is in a London jail awaiting possible extradition to Sweden to face rape charges.
The Spanish website Free Wikileaks urged rallies at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) in eight Spanish cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, while similar demonstrations were planned in Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Bogota and Lima.
In a manifesto entitled "For freedom, Say No to State Terrorism," it demanded "the release of Julian Assange in the United Kingdom" and "the restoration of the WikiLeaks domain."
"Given that no one has proved that Assange is guilty of the offences he is accused of and that Wikileaks is not implicated in any of those," the website also urged that credit card giants Visa and Mastercard rescind their decisions to cut off payments from the whistleblowing website's supporters.
Assange is due to appear in a London court for a second time Tuesday after being arrested on a warrant issued by Sweden. Prosecutors there want to question him about two women's allegations of rape and sexual molestation.
WikiLeaks insists the allegations are politically motivated because the website has enraged Washington and governments around the world by releasing a treasure trove of 250,000 confidential US documents, believed to have been supplied by a junior US army intelligence analyst.
The 39-year-old Australian has been transferred from the main section of Wandsworth prison to an isolation unit, according to Jennifer Robinson, one of his legal team.
In the Netherlands, 75 people gathered in central Amsterdam to show their support for WikiLeaks, police spokesman Rob van der Veen told AFP.
The Amsterdam rally was sponsored by the Dutch Pirates Party "to call for protection of freedom of the press" and "to express displeasure with the attempt to silence" sites such as WikiLeaks.
Assange supporters in Lima scheduled their demonstration outside the British embassy.
Meanwhile new leaked US diplomatic cables revealed a row between the Vatican and Ireland over a child abuse inquiry.
The Holy See hit back after cables released by WikiLeaks indicated it had refused to cooperate with an Irish probe into child sex abuse by Catholic priests in Dublin.
According to another leaked cable made available to The New York Times and other news organizations, US diplomats believe that some top members of the Vatican's hierarchy still harbor anti-Semitic views.
"Naturally these reports reflect the perceptions and opinions of the people who wrote them and cannot be considered as expressions of the Holy See itself, nor as exact quotations of the words of its officials," it said.
"Their reliability must, then, be evaluated carefully and with great prudence, bearing this circumstance in mind."
In other disclosures, mining giant BHP Billiton was said to have lobbied the Australian government hard to bring down a proposed 19.5 billion US dollar deal between its rival Rio Tinto and China's Chinalco.
Spokesmen for BHP and Rio Tinto refused to comment on the US diplomatic cable published in The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday.
Assange's attorneys meanwhile complained that their client was getting no recreation time in the prison and was having difficulties getting phone calls out. "He is on his own," Robinson she said.
The former computer hacker was not allowed to have a laptop in his cell, but his lawyers have requested one.
Assange was described as in "very good" spirits but "frustrated" that he could not answer the allegations that WikiLeaks was behind cyber attacks launched on credit card firms that have refused to do business with the website.
"He told me he is absolutely not involved and this is a deliberate attempt to conflate WikiLeaks, which is a publishing organisation, with hacking organisations which are not," Robinson said.
And Assange's mother said she was worried for her son because "massive forces" were ranged against him. She dismissed the rape accusations, but told Australia's Seven Network she was concerned about what would happen to him.
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BBC MUNDO RADIO
Quando Lula usa e abusa da expressão “sine qua non”, ele pode estar certo de que a imensa maioria dos brasileiros não faz ideia do que isso significa. Nesses momentos, Lula fala, com orgulho, para a elite. Se é impossível para o brasileiro médio entender as sutilezas de um texto em português, o que dirá em latim? A presidente eleita Dilma Rousseff precisará redirecionar seus gastos se quiser tirar o povo da ignorância. Pode começar desistindo do Aerodilma.
