Ex Interpol head Ronald Noble refutes claim that Cristina Kirchner sought Iran Red Notices lifted

The former Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald K. Noble, repudiated claims made by an Argentine judge that former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President Mauricio Macri's chief political rival, sought to have Interpol Red Notices lifted against Iranian officials implicated in the 1994 AMIA terrorist attack in Buenos Aires.

The three year-old claim, dismissed by Argentine courts in seven instances - including two appeals - was revived on Thursday by Federal Judge Claudio Bonadío, who indicted Mrs. Kirchner for “treason” and asked that the Senate expel her in order to facilitate her arrest.

“A biased Judge Bonadío report cannot change the truth,” Noble tweeted earlier today. “INTERPOL was never asked by Argentina or (former Foreign Minister Héctor) Timerman to remove the AMIA Red Notices!”

Regarding Bonadío's claim that “Noble's impartiality should be doubted” and other assertions, Noble, 61, declared that he “is not ill and does not need immunity to speak the Truth - which is that INTERPOL was never ever asked to remove the AMIA Red Notices.”

Red Notice red flags

The claim that the Kirchner administration sought to “cover up” alleged Iranian complicity in the AMIA attack by asking Interpol to lift Red Notices against implicated Iran officials was originally made on January 12, 2015, by the late AMIA prosecutor Alberto Nisman.

Nisman was vehemently opposed to a 2013 memorandum of understanding signed with Iran for their cooperation in the case - still unsolved after 23 years.

Noble noted on January 15, 2015 - as he did again today - that no such requests had been made, however, and that on the contrary, the Kirchner administration had “stated on each occasion that Interpol should keep the red notices effective.”

“Prosecutor Nisman's assertion,” Noble declared, “is false.”

Facing a congressional subpoena over the scandal, Nisman was found dead four days later of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation into Nisman's death remains ongoing.

Bonadío had been exposed in 1996 as a “napkin judge” - a shortlist of judges who lent themselves to politicized trials at the behest of then-President Carlos Menem and his Interior Minister, Carlos Corach.

Bonadío was recused from the case in 2004 for use of false evidence and for failing to move the AMIA case forward. Nisman accused Bonadío, Corach, and former Macri-appointed Police Chief Jorge Palacios of having threatened his life over the case in 2010.

At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicargentina.com%2Fnotas%2F201712%2F23910-interpol-desmintio-a-bonadio-y-aseguro-que-nunca-ordeno-levantar-las-alertas-rojas.html&edit-text=

Former Argentine Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman and former Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble discuss the AMIA case in 2013.

Argentine legislator shot from behind by police during demonstration

A violent eviction by police against workers occupying a shuttered sawmill in the city of Neuquén, in southwestern Argentina, resulted in seven injured demonstrators - among them Provincial legislator Raúl Godoy, who was shot in the ankle from behind.

"I identified myself as a legislator; but the police ignored me," Godoy recounted after being treated in a local hospital. "An officer came up behind me and shot me in the leg, wounding me in the ankle and fracturing the fibula."

Police, who arrived in heavy riot gear, had refused to show Godoy the judicial warrant as Argentine law requires. He was reportedly shot while mediating between police and the evicted workers.

Godoy had joined representatives from social advocacy groups and leftist political parties to lend their support to the 97 employees at the Maderas Al Mundo (Wood to the World) sawmill, who have kept the 30 year-old facility running since its closure by its private owners in July.

Godoy, 52, was appointed to Neuquén Province Legislature in 2012 to fill a vacant seat, and was confirmed in the post by voters in 2015. He had worked since 1993 in the FaSinPat ceramics plant, whose recovery by workers in 2001 after its owner abandoned the firm was brought to international awareness by Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis' 2004 documentary, The Takeover.

Some 350 firms have been similarly recovered by their own workers after a decade of free-trade policies resulted in the country's worst economic crisis in modern history in 2001. They grew to employ around 25,000 by 2013.

At: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.diarioregistrado.com%2Fsociedad-%2Fun-diputado-fue-baleado-por-la-policia-de-neuquen-en-una-violenta-represion_a5a2acedda4d76178ffbd29af

Neuquén Province Legislator Raúl Godoy after being shot from behind by police yesterday

Virginia Democrats seek new election in contested House seat

Source: WHSV

Virginia Democrats have asked a federal judge to order a new election for a contested House of Delegates seat.

Republican Robert Thomas beat Democrat Joshua Cole by 82 votes in the Fredericksburg-area 28th District race. Election officials have said some voters were given the wrong ballots.

The Washington Post reports that Democrats on Wednesday filed an amended complaint to a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order preventing authorities from certifying results. The newspaper says the judge denied the request but did not dismiss the lawsuit. The elections board certified results last week.

Three Democratic candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates have filed for recounts. If current results hold, Republicans would have a 51-49 advantage in the chamber. The GOP had a 32-seat majority heading into the November election.

Read more: http://www.whsv.com/content/news/Virginia-Democrats-seek-new-election-in-contested-House-seat-462842373.html

Another one to keep an eye on is the Simonds-Yancey race in Newport News (southeast VA). Yancey is trying to hold on to a 10-vote margin by - what else - tossing out ballots using technicalities.

Argentine Supreme Court rules Milagro Sala cannot be held in prison; move to house arrest ordered

The Argentine Supreme Court ruled today that social activist Milagro Sala cannot be held in prison, and must be returned to house arrest.

The decision upholds a July 28 ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), which had argued her already poor health could worsen should she continue being held in “preemptive custody” in Jujuy’s Alto Comedero Prison.

IACHR rulings are legally binding in Argentina per a 1984 agreement.

Sala, 53, has been in prison since her arrest on January 16, 2016, for “instigating criminal activity and disorder” after setting up camp in front of the provincial government building protesting a decree defunding her neighborhood association, Tupac Amaru.

The arrest was ordered by Jujuy Province Governor Gerardo Morales, a long-standing political enemy of Sala’s.

Although she was cleared of the initial charges a few days after the events took place, Sala has remained in custody since. Further accusations of fraud and extortion were brought against her while she was in prison due to the original charges.

Provincial prosecutors have provided no evidence in nearly two years, however, and both the IACHR and the UN consider her two-year detention to be arbitrary.

The indigenous rights activist had already been granted house arrest on August 31 of this year, pursuant to the IACHR ruling a month earlier. A local judge revoked the benefit on October 14, however, arguing she had broken the imposed rules to her arrest by – allegedly – refusing to undergo medical checks.

Critics point instead to an interview held days earlier in which she criticized the right-wing Mauricio Macri administration - an ally of Governor Morales - for the death of 28 year-old artist Santiago Maldonado while military police forces charged an indigenous protest camp in Patagonia on August 1.

A similar incident on November 25 resulted in the death of 21 year-old Rafael Nahuel, who was shot in the back by the same federal forces.

At: http://www.thebubble.com/supreme-court-milagro-sala-ruling/

Argentine political prisoner Milagro Sala

A Florida Man Was Arrested After Allegedly Planning A Mass Shooting At A Mosque

Source: BuzzFeed

A 69-year-old Florida man was arrested last week after allegedly planning to carry out a mass shooting at a Florida mosque, authorities announced Monday.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said his office received a tip in late October that Bernandino Bolatete had expressed "strong anti-Islamic sentiment" and planned a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida. An undercover detective began speaking to Bolatete and other state and federal agencies began to take steps to prevent an attack.

In one conversation, the detective and Bolatete drove past the mosque on their way to the firing range. Bolatete said he expected bad news about his remaining kidney at an upcoming doctor's appointment and would then go to the mosque to kill worshippers, according to a transcript of the conversation in court documents:

"I have to bring my ... my long guns there and uh, stay at that, uh, tower. Keep shooting those Muslims, you know, on Friday. (laughing)"

Bolatete revealed he had considered how to access the minaret at the Islamic center, the documents said. And he told the detective he had five rifles.


Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/a-florida-man-has-been-arrested-for-allegedly-planning-a?utm_term=.aiJ0aNm2Q#.eizdp5q3X

Will the GOP tax bill lower home prices in California?

As Republicans worked Monday to reconcile conflicting versions of their tax plans, a prominent group of realtors is warning that both the Senate and House proposals will slash home prices and values in California and beyond.

The proposed cuts to real estate-focused tax deductions could cause prices in the Golden State to drop between 8 and 12%, leading to a loss in home value of between $37,710 and $56,550 for the typical home owner, according to the National Association of Realtors, which continued to opposed the bills as Republicans moved closer to a final plan over the weekend.

While a price drop may sound like good news to Bay Area residents bemoaning the region’s soaring housing prices, the trade group says plummeting prices could bring new troubles — including a reluctance to sell that could further squeeze an already tight supply of homes.

Affordable housing advocates also worry the tax overhaul will gut California’s efforts to house its low-income residents.

So how would the tax proposals affect our housing market?

One of the key provisions is the mortgage interest deduction — the tax break homeowners get for the interest paid on a mortgage.

Under current law, homeowners can deduct interest on purchases of up to $1 million for a primary residence and one other home, plus an extra $1 million for equity debt. The Senate bill would keep the former cap in place, but eliminate the equity debt deduction, Forbes reports. The House plan would grandfather in existing mortgages; but would cap new mortgages at $500,000. In addition, homeowners would get no deductions for a secondary residence.

Halving that deduction cap could impact as many as half of Californians who have a mortgage, according to the National Association of Realtors. Last year 49% of housing units with a mortgage were worth more than $500,000. Homeowners who claimed the mortgage interest deduction saved an average of $3,070, the association said.

Another controversial housing-related item in the tax proposals is the capital gains provision. Under current law, homeowners can exclude up to $250,000 (or $500,000 for married couples) in capital gains on the profit from the sale of a home — if they have lived in the house for two of the last five years. Both the House and Senate proposals would change that — homeowners must have lived in the house for five of the past eight years to qualify for the savings.

At: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/04/will-the-gop-tax-bill-lower-home-prices-in-california/

Pope Francis: A nation which mistreats its elderly, is a nation without a future

Pope Francis on Monday released a video message accompanying his prayer intention for the month of December: “For the elderly.”

“A nation which mistreats its elderly, is a nation without a future,” Francis warned in his short video message.

“The elderly have wisdom. We have entrusted them with the responsibility of passing down their life experiences - family histories, the stories of their communities and their peoples.”

“Let us keep in mind our elders, so that sustained by families and institutions, may with their wisdom and experience collaborate in the education of new generations.”

It has become the custom of Pope Francis to release a video message detailing his new prayer intention each month. The monthly videos are promoted by the Worldwide Prayer Network of the Apostleship of Prayer, an organisation dedicated to spreading the Pope’s prayer intentions for the challenges facing humanity.

Francis' message to the elderly resonated strongly in his native Argentina, where Congress is set to pass a change in the formula used to pay retirement benefits that would cut cost-of-living increases by half.

The bill is sponsored by the right-wing Mauricio Macri administration, with whom Pope Francis has often been at odds.

Critics charge that the proposed changes would undermine the nation's 7 million retirees at a time when inflation remains at 25%. The Macri administration had already terminated the 'Remediar' free prescription program in March.

At: http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/12/04/pope_francis_prayer_intention_for_december/1352744

Argentine journalists repudiate trial by media, racism, and crackdowns on dissent

In a joint statement, a number of leading Argentine journalist unions and independent media associations warn of deteriorating civil liberties conditions brought about by growing use of trial by media against opposition figures, appeals to racism, and crackdowns on dissent.

The statement, published yesterday, refers not only to the Mauricio Macri administration's use of security forces to quash protest and of the courts to intimidate critics; but also to right-wing media for "justifying and encouraging" police violence.

This trend was underscored in recent weeks by the August 1 death of artist Santiago Maldonado, who drowned as security forces charged a protest camp, and the November 25 death of Rafael Nahuel, who was shot in the back under similar circumstances.

Both men, one white and one of Mapuche descent, were taking part in peaceful demonstrations against encroachment on sacred Mapuche lands by foreign buyers.

Their deaths were, in both cases, followed by media attacks against the victims and the Mapuche people in general by Argentina's largely right-wing corporate news outlets - particularly the Clarín Group and its cable news unit TN, which were instrumental in Macri's narrow electoral victory two years ago.

"Indigenous peoples are being reframed as domestic enemies by feeding prejudice," the statement noted.

These smear campaigns, as well as those against opposition figures in politics and the media, were echoed by a well-financed "troll farm" working under the newly-created 'Undersecretary for Public Outreach' overseen by Macri Chief of Staff Marcos Peña.

Their social media posts and tweets, according to local social network consultant Pablo Sirvén, can account for up to 98% of posts appearing to side with the government in any given controversy.

Besides violence, opposition figures allege malicious prosecution and arbitrary detention.

Some of the best-known such cases include that of indigenous rights leader Milagro Sala, who was jailed without charges nearly two years ago and whose imprisonment is deemed arbitrary by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the UN, as well as the imprisonment of Congressman Julio de Vido and former Vice President Amado Boudou - neither of whom were under formal investigation by the courts.

All three, as well as former President Cristina Kirchner, have, however, faced years of corruption allegations on right-wing media - though no evidence has ever surfaced.

Numerous lawmakers and public figures, including some Macri allies, have pointed out that a double standard is being applied.

"Had the same standard been applied toward those currently in power," Carlos Pagni, a senior commentator for the conservative La Nación wrote in a recent editorial, "Macri and half his cabinet would be in jail."

At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.infonews.com%2Fnota%2F312052%2Fmanifiesto-de-periodistas-contra-las-operaciones&edit-text=

Senate GOP shields prominent conservative college from endowment tax

Source: Politico

Senate Republicans plan to exempt Hillsdale College, a prominent conservative institution led by a Heritage Foundation board member, from a controversial new tax on university endowments.

An amendment offered by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) — and incorporated into a package of changes Republicans unveiled Friday evening to their tax plan, H.R. 1 (115) — would exempt all colleges that don’t accept federal student aid from the endowment tax.

The school’s president, Larry Arnn, is influential in conservative intellectual circles and was floated last year as a potential pick to be President Donald Trump’s Education secretary. Arnn has served as a Heritage Foundation trustee since 2002. The school also has close ties to the family of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Democrats blasted the move as a giveaway to a school with ties to powerful conservative donors.

“This is a very limited provision written for a very special person,” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said on the Senate floor, noting the school’s connections to the DeVoses. Betsy DeVos' brother, Erik Prince, is a Hillsdale graduate, according to the college website.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/01/senate-tax-bill-hillsdale-college-endowment-275980

World Cup groups revealed - England to face Belgium as draw throws up mouthwatering Iberian derby

Source: The Independent

England were handed a favourable draw for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after being chosen to face Belgium, Panama and Tunisia in Group G. After avoiding Argentina, Brazil and Germany, England were the penultimate team picked from Pot 2 by Diego Maradona in the draw ceremony in the Kremlin's State Palace.

Elsewhere in the draw, hosts Russia were placed in Group A alongside Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay, with neighbours Portugal and Spain in Group B with Morocco and Iran.

France, Australia, Peru and Denmark make up Group C, with Group D perhaps the closest to a so-called 'Group of Death' as it contains Argentina, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria.

Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia were drawn in Group E, with defending champions Germany in Group F with Mexico, Sweden and Korea. Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan make up Group H.

Read more: https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/world-cup/world-cup-groups-revealed-england-to-face-belgium-as-draw-throws-up-mouthwatering-iberian-derby-36370920.html

2018 World Cup draw results (comments? predictions?):