Pesticides tied to ADHD in children in U.S. study

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64G41R20100517?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100

NEW YORK

Mon May 17, 2010 7:35pm EDT

// // //

Related News

• Hearing loss in one ear impairs kids’ language
  Mon, May 10 2010
• Coffee and sodas not tied to colon cancer
  Fri, May 7 2010
• Mom’s depression doesn’t affect kids’ growth
  Thu, May 6 2010
• Obese kids more apt to be bullied, study confirms
  Mon, May 3 2010
• Kidney stones on the rise in South Carolina children
  Wed, Apr 21 2010

// //

A plane disperses pesticide over parts of New Orleans, Louisiana, September 13, 2005.

Credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Children exposed to pesticides known as organophosphates could have a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a U.S. study that urges parents to always wash produce thoroughly.

U.S. |  Health |  Lifestyle

Researchers tracked the pesticides’ breakdown products in children’ urine and found those with high levels were almost twice as likely to develop ADHD as those with undetectable levels.

The findings are based on data from the general U.S. population, meaning that exposure to the pesticides could be harmful even at levels commonly found in children’s environment.

«There is growing concern that these pesticides may be related to ADHD,» said researcher Marc Weisskopf of the Harvard School of Public Health, who worked on the study.

«What this paper specifically highlights is that this may be true even at low concentrations.»

Organophosphates were originally developed for chemical warfare, and they are known to be toxic to the nervous system.

There are about 40 organophosphate pesticides such as malathion registered in the United States, the researchers wrote in the journal Pediatrics.

Weisskopf said the compounds have been linked to behavioral symptoms common to ADHD — for instance, impulsivity and attention problems — but exactly how is not fully understood.

Although the researchers had no way to determine the source of the breakdown products they found, Weisskopf said the most likely culprits were pesticides and insecticides used on produce and indoors.

Garry Hamlin of Dow AgroSciences, which manufactures an organophosphate known as chlorpyrifos, said he had not had time to read the report closely.

But, he added» «the results reported in the paper don’t establish any association specific to our product chlorpyrifos.»

Weisskopf and colleagues’ sample included 1,139 children between 8 and 15 years. They interviewed the children’s mothers, or another caretaker, and found that about one in 10 met the criteria for ADHD, which jibes with estimates for the general population.

After accounting for factors such as gender, age and race, they found the odds of having ADHD rose with the level of pesticide breakdown products.

For a 10-fold increase in one class of those compounds, the odds of ADHD increased by more than half. And for the most common breakdown product, called dimethyl triophosphate, the odds of ADHD almost doubled in kids with above-average levels compared to those without detectable levels.

«That’s a very strong association that, if true, is of very serious concern,» said Weisskopf. «These are widely used pesticides.»

He emphasized that more studies are needed, especially following exposure levels over time, before contemplating a ban on the pesticides. Still, he urged parents to be aware of what insecticides they were using around the house and to wash produce.

«A good washing of fruits and vegetables before one eats them would definitely help a lot,» he said.

(Reporting by Reuters Health, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

U.S.

Health

Lifestyle

Study suggests processed meat a real health risk

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64G5TN20100517?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100

Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO

Mon May 17, 2010 6:23pm EDT

// // //

Related News

• UPDATE 1-Study sharpens focus on Glaxo’s heart drug hope
  Fri, Apr 30 2010
• Study sharpens focus on Glaxo’s heart drug hope
  Thu, Apr 29 2010
• Study sharpens focus on Glaxo’s heart drug hope
  Thu, Apr 29 2010
• Moderate drinking linked to lower diabetes risk
  Tue, Apr 27 2010
• Sixteen firms join NY mayor’s salt-cutting quest
  Mon, Apr 26 2010

// //

Hot dogs are cooked in New York April 15, 2009.

Credit: Reuters/Eric Thayer

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Eating bacon, sausage, hot dogs and other processed meats can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that identifies the real bad boys of the meat counter.

U.S. |  Health

Eating unprocessed beef, pork or lamb appeared not to raise risks of heart attacks and diabetes, they said, suggesting that salt and chemical preservatives may be the real cause of these two health problems associated with eating meat.

The study, an analysis of other research called a meta-analysis, did not look at high blood pressure or cancer, which are also linked with high meat consumption.

«To lower risk of heart attacks and diabetes, people should consider which types of meats they are eating,» said Renata Micha of the Harvard School of Public Health, whose study appears in the journal Circulation.

«Processed meats such as bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs and processed deli meats may be the most important to avoid,» Micha said in a statement.

Based on her findings, she said people who eat one serving per week or less of processed meats have less of a risk.

The American Meat Institute objected to the findings, saying it was only one study and that it stands in contrast to other studies and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

«At best, this hypothesis merits further study. It is certainly no reason for dietary changes,» James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute, said in a statement.

Most dietary guidelines recommend eating less meat. Individual studies looking at relationships between eating meat and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have had mixed results.

But studies rarely look for differences in risk between processed and unprocessed red meats, Micha said.

She and colleagues did a systematic review of nearly 1,600 studies from around the world looking for evidence of a link between eating processed and unprocessed red meat and the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

They defined processed meat as any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or with the addition of chemical preservatives. Meats in this category included bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs or processed deli or luncheon meats.

Unprocessed red meat included beef, lamb or pork but not poultry.

They found that on average, each 1.8 oz (50 grams) daily serving of processed meat a day — one to two slices of deli meats or one hot dog — was associated with a 42 percent higher risk of heart disease and a 19 percent higher risk of developing diabetes.

They found no higher heart or diabetes risk in people who ate only unprocessed red meats.

The team adjusted for a number of factors, including how much meat people ate. They said lifestyle factors were similar between those who ate processed and unprocessed meats.

«When we looked at average nutrients in unprocessed red and processed meats eaten in the United States, we found that they contained similar average amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol,» Micha said.

«In contrast, processed meats contained, on average, four times more sodium and 50 percent more nitrate preservatives,» Micha added.

Last month, the Institute of Medicine urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt added to foods to help Americans cut their high sodium intake.

The FDA has not yet said whether it will regulate salt in foods, but it is looking at the issue.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

UN official sounds alarm on increasingly global nature of organized crime

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34724&Cr=crime&Cr1=

Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director, UNODC

17 May 2010 – As organized crime increasingly transcends national borders, the best way to combat these networks is to strike at the heart of their markets, not just intercept criminal groups, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said today.

Diffuse criminal networks with a global reach have replaced national criminal groups, and the modern crime business model values control over trafficking routes more than control over a single commodity, Antonio Maria Costa said at the start of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which opened its 19th session today in Vienna.

“Arrest a few traffickers and others will take their places as long as there is money to be made by exploiting illicit flows,” he stressed.

Transnational organized crime is increasingly being driven by market forces, and unlike terrorists or insurgents, these criminals do not have a political agenda, he added.

“They are out to make money: they seek to buy low and sell high – maximizing returns and minimizing risk,” Mr. Costa pointed out.

As a result, “countermeasures must disrupt those markets, and not just intercept the criminal groups that exploit them,” he said.

The UNODC Executive Director called for a two-pronged approach to combat organized crime.

First, he said, it is vital that security is bolstered, since traffickers tend to target areas wracked by instability and underdevelopment.

“Peacebuilding and peacekeeping make fragile regions less prone to the conflict that affects crime,” Mr. Costa said. “In turn, fighting crime neutralizes spoilers who profit from instability.”

What is also vital to fighting global criminal networks, he said, is increasing the risks of running criminal operations. The past two decades have shown that governance has failed to keep pace with globalization, resulting in the abuse of the economic and financial systems.

“A laissez-faire system cannot work if the invisible hand of the market is manipulated by the bloody hand of organized crime,” the UNODC chief stressed, calling for enhanced vigilance.

The latest session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will focus on issues ranging from the protection of countries’ cultural heritage from trafficking, as well as on the outcome of a UN gathering last month in Salvador, Brazil, that ended with a call for Member States to adapt their criminal justice systems to changing times, including through the use of new technologies.

“Make no mistake: this review is not housekeeping,” Mr. Costa said today. “It is about building security and development through the rule of law, to ensure your people freedom from fear and freedom from want, in the respect of human rights.”

The five-day conference is slated to wrap up on Friday.

Grecia, cuando tu mismo eres el principal especulador

http://www.gurusblog.com/archives/grecia-especulacion-cds/10/05/2010/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gurusblog%2FFFxc+%28GurusBlog%29

Por Gurus Hucky el 10 Mayo, 2010

6Share

Ya sabemos que los especuladores se están convirtiendo en la excusa o el blanco preferido de los políticos que representan a países cuya deuda soberana está bajo la presión del mercado. Sin ir más lejos, la semana pasada nuestra Vicepresidenta del Gobierno advertía que no iba a consentir que se jugara con el prestigio de España (iba a hacer un comentario sarcástico pero me lo guardo), ni se ponga en riesgo el sistema financiero utilizando “malas artes”. A modo de amenaza explicaba que el nuevo Código Penal castigará este tipo de prácticas.

En fin buenas palabras, nada que objetar, salvo que quizás esos malvados especuladores no estén tan lejos ni formen parte de un consorcio internacional al estilo de Spectre en las películas de James Bond. En el caso Griego, los malvados especuladores no estaban muy lejos.

Concretamente el principal especulador que apostaba por el impago de la deuda soberana griega, no era ningún trader de Londres o New York. El principal comprador de CDS sobre la deuda soberana Griega tiene su sede a un par de calles del Parlamento Griego, y es el Hellenic Post Bank (un banco controlado por el Gobierno Griego).

Parece que desde el pasado mes de Agosto el Hellenic Post Bank adquirió cerca de 1.200 millones de euros en CDS sobre la deuda soberana Griega, cuando el spread con el bono alemán era a 135 puntos básicos. El Hellenic Post Bank poseía  15% del total del volumen de CDS sobre la deuda griega. Uno puede pensar que podía ser una política racional de control de riesgos, ya que seguramente el Hellenic Post Bank tiene unos cuantos miles de millones de euros en bonos de deuda Griega en su balance. Lo más curioso de todo, es que el pasado mes de Diciembre procedió a vender los CDS cuando el spread de la deuda Griega contra el Bund alemán era de 235 puntos básicos, anotándose una interesante ganancia.

Así que se da la paradoja que mientras por aquel entonces el Gobierno griego aseguraba que no iba a necesitar ningún plan de rescate, un banco público griego era el principal comprador de coberturas para protegerse del impago de la deuda soberana…. en fin… lo dicho la culpa es de Spectre, no es una cuestión ni de solvencia ni de credibilidad.

In Brief: Licences of 172 NGOs in Afghanistan revoked

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?Reportid=89089

KABUL, 11 May 2010 (IRIN) – The Afghan authorities have cancelled the operating licences of 152 national and 20 international NGOs, accusing them of not being accountable.

“All NGOs have to report [their activities] to the Ministry of Economy [MoE] every six months but these NGOs have not reported for almost two years and therefore they [their operating licences] have been annulled,” Seddiq Amarkhil, MoE’s spokesman, told IRIN, adding that the NGOs had the right of appeal.

Among the 20 international NGOs are Save the Children Japan, Afghan Children’s Relief Organization, International Dispensary Association and Samaritan’s Purse International Relief.

Over 1,200 national and 301 international NGOs are currently registered in the country, the MoE said in a press release.

President Hamid Karzai has been under a lot of pressure to tackle corruption in his government but officials are also pointing the finger of blame at foreign companies and local and international NGOs.

“The People of Greece Are Fighting for the Whole of Europe”: Tariq Ali and Mark Weisbrot Discuss Greece’s Economic Crisis and Popular Uprising

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/11/the_people_of_greece_are_fighting

The European Union and the International Monetary Fund have approved a nearly $1 trillion package to stop Greece’s debt crisis from spilling beyond its borders into the rest of the eurozone. Stocks surged in Europe, Asia and the United States Monday after EU leaders agreed to a $960 billion package to contain Greece’s financial troubles. Meanwhile, the austerity measures demanded by the IMF and the European Union as a condition of their loan are continuing to exact their toll. Greece’s two main unions have continued to hold protests against the reforms. In a statement, one of the unions said, “The crisis should be paid by…all those who looted public finances.” Last week nearly 100,000 people participated in a mass demonstration and a twenty-four-hour general strike against the austerity measures. [includes rush transcript]

La semana en la que los índices bursátiles se convirtieron en un Chicharro

http://www.gurusblog.com/archives/bolsa-chicarro-quantitative-easing/11/05/2010/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gurusblog%2FFFxc+%28GurusBlog%29

Por Gurus Hucky el 11 Mayo, 2010

9Share

La verdad es que ayer tenía un día un poco complicado en el trabajo y no pude seguir muy bien la jornada bursátil, a media mañana, en un momento de respiro, encendí el ordenador y me fui a la página de Invertia con la intención de darle una rápida ojeada para ver cómo estaban las cosas (lo reconozco uno es animal de costumbres y desde hace años, aún sigo utilizando a Invertia cuando quiero ver como están las cosas de forma rápida y en unos segundos).

Os lo reconozco, no me había pasado nunca, vi el ticker del Ibex35 en verde con un +12%, pensé que era un error, actualice dos veces la página, seguía igual, y os juro que no lo había hecho nunca pero acerque el dedo a la pantalla, los puse encima del ticker del Ibex y le dí unos toquecitos (esos toquecitos que se dan cuando un reloj se ha parado) con la tonta esperanza de que la pantalla del ordenador fuera un viejo dispositivo analógico que puedes arreglar sacudiéndolo un poco.

Seguía  en él +12% sin moverse.

Entre las caídas de la semana pasada y la subida de ayer del Ibex (+14%) y otros índicies, Jazztel, La Seda y otros similares han dejado de ser los chicarros de la bolsa…ahora toda la bolsa se ha convertido en un gran chicarro.La madre de todos los chicarros. Y cuidado que operar en un mercado en estas condiciones es bastante peligroso.

Paquete de rescate de 750.000 millones de euros y compra de deuda soberana por el BCE:

Sin duda el paquete de 750.000 millones de euros, que supone la creación de una especia de bono Europeo que cubre a todos los países de la Eurozona, había sacudido a los que estaban cortos, bien para especular bien para protejerse y había impulsado, mejor dicho propulsado los principales índices bursátiles en la que es la mayor subida en un día que yo recuerde al menos para el caso del Ibex.

Por si los 750.000 millones de euros, os parecen poco, algo más sorprendente es el anuncio que el BCE, que ya empezará a utilizar lo más potente de su arsenal nuclear al anunciar que comprará bonos de deuda soberana directamente en el mercado y no sólo deuda soberana sino también deuda privada.

El BCE y la política monetaria del Quantitative Easing

Posibles peligros… a la posible falta de credibilidad en la que puede entrar el BCE, no hacía ni cuatro días que Trichet se había negado rotundamente a utilizar el BCE para comprar deuda, tenemos quizá la más grave que a medio plazo la compra de deuda por un Banco Central, conocida cómo quantitative easing, suele ser una política monetaria creadora de inflación ya que supone la compra de deuda en el mercado a partir de un dinero creado de la nada. (Vaya que es lo mismo que imprimir billetes).

Ya comentaba que una crisis de deuda se soluciona de dos formas:

1) Quebrando y reestructurando la deuda.

2) Creando inflación.

Parece que nuestras autoridades se decantan por la segunda opción. Que es una especie de muerte silenciosa. Ahora mi gran duda es saber si está inflación será sólo una inflación de activos con la creación de las correspondientes burbujas especulativas o también se trasladará a la economía real.

Uno empieza a tener la sensación que el capitán con tal de tapar las vías de agua, ha decidido desmontar el timón y utilizarlo para sellar el escape…. el problema es que el barco se queda descontrolado sin que se pueda manejar el rumbo.

Who caused sell-off? Space aliens or fat finger

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64A57W20100511?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

Daniel Trotta

NEW YORK

Tue May 11, 2010 4:36pm EDT

// // //

Related News

• WRAPUP 5-US still probing market plunge, but reforms coming
  Tue, May 11 2010
• SEC still probing market plunge, but reforms coming
  Tue, May 11 2010
• SEC, exchanges agree to boost market safeguards
  Mon, May 10 2010
• WRAPUP 4-US SEC, exchanges agree to boost market safeguards
  Mon, May 10 2010
• Market plunge puts spotlight on futures trading
  Mon, May 10 2010

// //

The final numbers of the day’s trading is shown on a board on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, May 6, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson

NEW YORK (Reuters) – «Fat finger» has company.

Oddly Enough

The initial theory that an errant trader caused Thursday’s mysterious stock market plunge isn’t the only dubious hypothesis making the rounds.

Commentators and conspiracy theorists — whether just joking or trying to raise mischief — have cast the blame far beyond the investment community, even naming extraterrestrials and North Korea.

As long as the origin of the rapid, near-1,000-point drop in the Dow industrials remains unexplained, rumors and wild speculation will thrive.

A big U.S. exchange operator said on Tuesday there was no «smoking gun» to explain what happened, while regulators and exchanges solidified plans to adopt circuit breakers to prevent a reoccurrence.

At first the markets were quick to blame a «fat finger,» in which a trader was said to have sparked the rout by mistakenly inputting a massive sell order.

The theory, perhaps because of an obvious association with «fat cat» bankers, seemed to become an allegory for Wall Street Gone Wild. Fat finger was an easy target for people who saw their retirement funds shredded by the financial crisis and then bailed out bonus-collecting bankers with their tax money.

The only problem is that the theory has been largely discredited. Investigators are now looking for intentional trades that may have set off a selling frenzy by computerized, high-volume trading operations that account for at least half of stock market liquidity in the United States.

A congressman from Pennsylvania contributed to the parlor game with a quip on CNBC television.

«I don’t want to cause any panic or fright, but it could be anywhere from a cyber attack to an alien invasion to just stupid programing,» U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski said.

For true believers in the most irresponsible conspiracy theories, there’s always the North Koreans.

A blog item being replicated on the Internet postulates that the sell-off may have been prompted by reports that a North Korean strike force was responsible for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Why stop at just one conspiracy theory? The blog also suggests the United States ordered a «complete media blackout» about the supposed strike.

On the more serious side, The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined a trade in the Chicago options markets.

But even that theory has its intrigue because it involves hedge fund Universa Investments LP, which is advised by Nassim Taleb, author of «The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable,» a book that attempts to explain rare events.

Universa placed a $7.5 million trade for 50,000 options that may have briefly hurt stock prices, leading traders on other side of the transaction to place sell orders in order to offset some of the risk, the Journal said, citing unnamed traders in Chicago.

That could have led to even more hedging sales, triggering even more computer-generating trading. At that point high-speed trading firms pulled out of the market, creating a void of buy orders that allowed some securities to free fall.

Or maybe the space aliens were just shorting the market.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Richard Chang)

Narrando los peores 15 minutos de la historia de la Bolsa

http://www.gurusblog.com/archives/crash-bolsa-nyse-audio/09/05/2010/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gurusblog%2FFFxc+%28GurusBlog%29

Por Gurus Hucky el 9 Mayo, 2010

4Share

Lo que pasó el jueves durante 15 minutos, con el Dow Jones desplomándose cómo si hubiera sido fulminado por un rayo, sigue sin tener explicación. Y cada vez más todo apunta a que no fue causado por ningún error técnico ni humano sino que fue una venta de pánico en toda regla. No quiero ni pensar cómo vivieron aquél momento algunos traders que tenían que ejecutar las órdenes de sus clientes. Si os queréis hacer una idea os dejo la narración que hicieron del desplome desde tradersaudio.com. Simplemente impresionante. Os adjunto el documento de audio para que podías escuchar estos 11 minutos de auténtica locura y un aviso en toda regla.

Crash Bolsa

Wow, es un aviso en toda regla !

Me quedo con las palabras de Mark Fisher, miembro de MBF Asset Management, un trader con más de 35 años de experiencia y que no suele salir en TV.

” He venido a la TV porque he estado haciendo este trabajo desde hace más de 35 años y creo que lo que ha pasado hoy es un claro aviso. Lo que hemos visto este jueves, es sólo la punta del iceberg y nadie puede asegurar que esto no vuelva a suceder una y otra vez si no somos capaces de ralentizar los procesos. Estamos haciendo trading en micro segundos, en el tiempo en lo que tardó en teclear el ordenador, se pueden poner en el mercado 10.000 órdenes. Esto no puede continuar así.”

Expulsados de Israel dos responsables de Festiclown

http://sodepaz.org/component/content/article/27-palestina/1304

Jueves, 29 de Abril de 2010 09:37 Palestina – Palestina

El director del Festiclown (Festival Internacional de Clown de Galicia), con diez ediciones a sus espaldas, viajó al país hebreo para proseguir con las gestiones del FestiClown Palestina 2010, El Primer Festival de Clown que tendrá lugar en Palestina en octubre de este año. Esta expulsión injustificada muestra la voluntad de las autoridades israelís por paralizar el proyecto.

El clown Iván Prado, director de Festiclown y del colectivo Pallasos en Rebeldía, ha sido expulsado de Israel por las autoridades del país, que no han proporcionado al artista gallego ningún tipo de explicación. Prado llegó ayer, lunes 26 de abril, al aeropuerto de Ben Gurion con la finalidad de desplazarse hasta los territorios palestinos y proseguir con las tareas de preparación del FestiClown Palestina 2010, el que será el 1º Festival Internacional de Clown que se celebrará en Cisjordania a finales de octubre y del que es uno de sus principales artífices.

Junto con Iván Prado viajaba también Laila T, ciudadana española que también ha sido encarcelada y expulsada de Israel, sin ningún tipo de justificación ni explicación. Tras más de 6 horas de intensos interrogatorios, Iván Prado y Laila T, son expulsados del aeropuerto y conducidos a un centro de detención a inmigrantes donde pasaron la noche en celdas aislados y separados.

Cinco horas más tarde, y sin pasaportes, los obligan a entrar en un avión que los trae de vuelta al aeropuerto de Barajas, adonde han llegado a lo largo de esta mañana (27 de abril).

Esta actitud es una nueva prueba de la total impunidad del gobierno israelí a la hora de privar al pueblo palestino de sus derechos y libertades. En este caso, la expulsión del director del Festiclown, Iván Prado, obedece al deseo de boicotear la materialización del proyecto Festiclown Palestina 2010, previsto entre el 25 y el 31 de octubre de este año y que incluirá actuaciones, visitas a campamentos de refugiados, acciones artísticas contra el muro, talleres, galas y encuentros. Destacadas figuras del panorama artístico internacional apoyan el proyecto: entre ellos destacan, Leo Bassi y Amparanoia, así como numerosos artistas del mundo del circo y del clown como: Elliot (Bélgica) y Alba Sarraute (Cataluña) o el mago Jorge Blas (Madrid) quienes han confirmado su participación en el festival, por citar algunos.

Iván Prado (Lugo, 1974) es el artífice de esta proyecto, concebido tras la última caravana de Pallasos en Rebeldía a las ciudades de Ramala y Nablús en 2009. En el transcurso de la misma, el grupo desarrolló talleres de clown y risoterapia de los que se beneficiaron alrededor de un millar de personas, principalmente niños, adolescentes y mujeres maltratadas.

Prado, que ha sido director de diversos festivales de clown, atesora una dilatada experiencia como profesor y fundador o cofundador de varias compañías de teatro. El director del Festiclown y del colectivo Pallasos en Rebeldía aterrizó en Israel tras su reciente paso por Baleares, Valencia, Murcia y Tenerife donde ha desarrollado actividades divulgativas sobre el proyecto con el fin de recabar fondos y apoyo para su materialización.

Para más información: Manuel (Pallasos en Rebeldía): 981 582 836
Para profundizar sobre el proyecto Festiclown Palestina 2010:
http://festiclownpalestina2010.wordpress.com/

http://culturactiva.org/index.asp

SWAZILAND: Not much benefit in preferential trade agreement

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?Reportid=88955

Photo: ALAFA

A textile worker

MBABANE, (IRIN) – A decade after the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), a preferential US trade agreement, became law on 18 May 2000, there are questions over the benefits, if any, derived from the initiative.

AGOA was touted by the US government as offering «tangible incentives for African countries to continue their efforts to open their economies and build free markets»; in return, selected countries could access US markets without restrictive quotas or import taxes.

Neither Swaziland nor Lesotho had a textile sector before the advent of AGOA, but the quality of the jobs it created, and the labour conditions and working environment, are being examined by local as well as US authorities.

«We ask: who is the beneficiary of the textile factories that have opened here since AGOA?» said Comfort Gina, secretary general of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), an umbrella body. «Jobs were created, but if you take the basic income versus expenditures of a worker, basics like transport, food and accommodation exceed income.»

The average monthly wage for a textile factory worker is about US$117, according SFTU data. «Workers are paid below the taxable income level, so the national economy at large isn’t benefiting either,» he told IRIN.

The US Department of Commerce said the value of Swaziland’s AGOA exports increased nearly threefold, from $65 million in 2001 to a peak of $199 million in 2005; Lesotho’s exports reached $140 million in 2001 and peaked at $467 million in 2004.

Now the fortunes of both these landlocked countries have declined. By 2007 Swaziland’s AGOA exports were only $141 million, and by 2009 the peak amount had almost halved to $101 million. Lesotho mirrored the trend: AGOA exports were at $339 million in 2008, but dropped to $227 million in 2009, about half the peak level.

During the peak period of Swaziland’s AGOA exports, employee numbers were double the current figure – about 15,000 Swazis, mostly women, are employed in garment factories financed by Taiwanese investors and operated by managers from mainland China.

A strengthening of the local currency – the Lilangeni, which is pegged to the South African rand – combined with the global economic slowdown, resulted in a steep decline in orders.

Factories have closed, some of which were built at government expense and rented at very low cost to induce businesses to set up in the country. Worker housing was not built, and more often than not employees built informal housing as close to their workplaces as possible.

Felicia Dlamini, a developmental economist based in the capital, Mbabane, told IRIN: «From the standpoint that AGOA brought jobs then, yes, it has been a success, though half the jobs are gone now; but we have to look at the quality of the jobs, and other factors that have impacted on the quality of people’s lives.»

Zodwa Mavimbela, Assistant Commissioner for Verifying Audits at the Ministry of Finance, which monitors company tax compliance, commented: «Every country wants its workers to pay taxes – that’s what we hoped when the AGOA factories arrived. Taxes pay for social programmes, but the workers are paid too little to pay much tax, and the companies are unprofitable and don’t pay tax.»

Poor labour conditions

Gladys, 26, who declined to give her last name, is one of six women who share a room within walking distance of a factory in Matsapha, an industrial estate about five kilometres west of Swaziland’s commercial city, Manzini.

They sleep in shifts, heat water on a gas stove, and bathe in a metal tub; their meals usually consist of bread, maize-meal porridge and vegetables – meat is a rarity.

«All of us have to support children and families. Most of us are from the rural areas – we were driven from there by the poverty and drought,» said Gladys, a mother of two who works as a seamstress at the factory.

There is not a single factory that has a collective bargaining agreement with a workers union

«That is why we all have boyfriends – even the married girls – because we need gifts from them to buy clothes and pay for our children’s school needs,» she said.

Swaziland is ruled by sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, King Mswati III, and democratic credentials weigh heavily in determining eligibility for AGOA, but because the country had begun work on democratic reforms, such as drawing up a new constitution, it just made the cut.

Labour law concerns were raised by the US Deputy Trade Representative, Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, at a meeting with government officials in February 2010. A US government official, who declined to be identified, told IRIN that if Swaziland did not improve its labour conditions it could lose its AGOA status.

«There is not a single factory that has a collective bargaining agreement with a workers union. On average, union representation at the factories is 30 percent – far below the 50 percent union membership needed for bargaining power,» said SFTU’s Gina.

«Employers will give the appearance of cooperating with the union when AGOA inspectors come around, but they are doing everything they can to discourage unionization.»

In March, Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini acknowledged the concerns over «the rate of progress by Swaziland in the implementation of international labour agreements, and in particular the effectiveness of monitoring working conditions, and the freedom to organize under the laws of Swaziland.»

jh/go/he

El Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional condena siete crímenes contra periodistas en Honduras

//
//

http://www.argenpress.info/2010/04/el-centro-por-la-justicia-y-el-derecho.html

CERIGUA

El Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL) repudió los crímenes cometidos contra siete comunicadores en Honduras, el último cometido contra el periodista Jorge Alberto “Giorgino” Orellana, el pasado 20 de abril.

En un comunicado CEJIL llamó al Estado emprender investigaciones diligentes y efectivas que conduzcan a la identificación, juzgamiento y sanción de los autores materiales e intelectuales de los crímenes, y demandó al Gobierno un pronunciamiento que condene estos asesinatos y reafirme la necesidad de un clima de respeto y tolerancia en el debate público.

El pasado 20 de abril fue asesinado a balazos el periodista Jorge Alberto “Giorgino” Orellana cuando salía del canal de noticias donde trabajaba en San Pedro Sula, al concluir el programa de debates y noticias que dirigía.

Desde marzo han sido asesinados por pistoleros los periodistas José Bayardo Mairena, Manuel Juárez, Nahúm Palacios Arteaga, David Mez, Joseph Hernández Ochoa y Luis Antonio Chévez; además en el 2009 fueron ejecutados los periodistas Bernardo Rivera, Santiago Murguía y Gabriel Fino Ortega; ninguno de los crímenes ha sido esclarecido.

Según la entidad, las ejecuciones afectan a toda la sociedad hondureña, debido a la intimidación que ejercen sobre el gremio de comunicadores y el efecto supresor de la libertad de expresión que genera; es urgente que el Estado muestre de manera clara y contundente su voluntad de combatir la impunidad de estos crímenes, para evitar nuevos asesinatos y un daño aún más profundo de los derechos fundamentales de los habitantes de Honduras, indicó.

US questions Karzai support, anti-corruption zeal

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28219820.htm

29 Apr 2010 00:15:44 GMT

Source: Reuters

* Afghans back Karzai in a quarter of strategic districts * Real progress on rooting out corruption «elusive» * Karzai to visit Washington from May 10-14 (Updates throughout) By Phil Stewart and Adam Entous WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) – The U.S. military believes that Afghans support President Hamid Karzai’s government in only a quarter of key areas of the country and that political will to tackle corruption «remains doubtful,» according to a Pentagon assessment released on Wednesday. The Pentagon described its 152-page report to Congress as a «sober» evaluation of progress in the more than 8-year-old war. In addition to shortfalls, it flagged gains like increased pressure on the Taliban and improved Afghan views of their own security. Overall, it said there were real signs of progress. Released ahead of Karzai’s May 10-14 visit to Washington, the report put a spotlight on extensive U.S. concerns about the Afghan government as NATO tries to turn the tide in its battle against the Taliban. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For complete coverage of Afghanistan click [nAFPAK] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Perceived corruption, U.S. officials say, is a persistent problem that undermines NATO efforts to win the confidence of Afghans and sideline the Taliban. «While Afghanistan has achieved some progress on anti-corruption … real change remains elusive and political will, in particular, remains doubtful,» the report said. The Pentagon said the population supports the Kabul-based government in only 29 of the 121 Afghan districts considered most strategically important in the war effort. A senior defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said «a majority of the people are on the fence» in those areas. «The objective is to move those people who are on the fence in the direction of the government,» the official added. Karzai has riled Washington in recent weeks by accusing Western countries and officials of perpetrating election fraud in Afghanistan, and by saying there was a fine line between cooperation and occupation. [ID:nSGE63300G] The two countries have since sought to play down tensions, with U.S. President Barack Obama recently expressing confidence in Karzai’s ability to stabilize his country. Questions over the relationship come at an awkward time, when U.S.-led forces are preparing the biggest operation of the war to regain full control of the southern city of Kandahar, Karzai’s home town and heartland of the Taliban. PROGRESS AGAINST TALIBAN The report cited a lack of trainers for Afghan police and army forces that could cast doubt on U.S. plans to hand over security authority to the Afghans. Obama wants Afghan forces to begin taking over security responsibility so U.S. troops can start a gradual withdrawal in mid-2011. But the Pentagon also noted that Taliban insurgents were coming under «unprecedented pressure» leading to tension and sporadic dips in morale. «From the insurgents’ perspective, this strain has been compounded by the recent high-profile arrests of several Pakistan-based insurgent leaders by Pakistani authorities and removal of many Afghanistan-based commanders,» it said. It also flagged opinion polls showing that Afghan people believe that their security situation was improving, despite an increase in violence. «After a number of years of things moving in the wrong direction … we are no longer moving in the wrong direction and there are signs we are moving in the right direction,» the senior U.S. defense official told reporters at the Pentagon. Recent arrests by Pakistan of Afghan Taliban leaders, including the group’s No. 2, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, have «increased insurgent leaders’ concern over the security of their safe havens» and created financial and logistical problems, the report said. The senior U.S. defense official said the arrests have produced «a lot of concerned chatter» among Taliban sympathizers in Afghanistan, but added, «I’ve not seen anything to indicate … that there is a leadership crisis in the Taliban.» (Editing by Will Dunham)

Mexico: Organizaciones responsabilizan a paramilitares por muerte de defensores de DDHH

http://www.adital.com.br/site/noticia.asp?boletim=1&lang=ES&cod=47374

Letra A- A+

Natasha Pitts *

Adital –

Hace dos días, una emboscada y un ataque en la región de La Sabana, en México, sorprendió a una caravana humanitaria constituida por observadores de derechos humanos, líderes comunitarios y comunicadores que se dirigían al municipio autónomo de San Juan Copala, en Oaxaca, para llevar suministros. El atentado costó la vida de Bety Cariño, integrante del Equipo Nacional de Coordinación de la Red Mexicana de Damnificados por la Minería (Rema) y directora del Colectivo (Cactus), y del observador finlandés, Tyri Antero Jaakola.Organizaciones sociales de dentro y fuera de México están repudiando la acción, que tiene como probables autores a los miembro de la organización paramilitar denominada Unión de Bienestar Social de la Región de Triqui (Ubisort) y del Movimiento de Unificación y Lucha Triqui (Mult) encubiertos y favorecidos por grandes propietarios de tierras.

Por la connivencia y falta de acción para resolver los problemas y las dificultades enfrentadas por las comunidades indígenas de la región, también están siendo responsabilizados por los actos criminales Evencio Nicolás Martínez, Procurador General de Justicia, Jorge Franco Vargas, Secretario de Gobierno del Estado, Carlos Martínez, candidato a diputado local por el PRI y el Gobernador del Estado, Ulises Ruiz.Felipe Calderón, Presidente de México, tampoco es olvidado en la lista de los culpables por las muertes y criminalización de los movimientos sociales del país. Es lo que prueba el comunicado del Grito de los Excluidos/as Continental. «Y a este último gobierno espurio no podemos hacer otra cosa que recordarle lo obvio: su naturaleza delictiva y fascista, que no será nunca olvidada y que se despide con cada uno de los actos que ensangrientan más el camino de las luchas populares, haciendo que crezca la rebeldía por todos lados».

Desde Honduras, organizaciones sociales del país repudian el ataque contra la misión humanitaria y los observadores de derechos humanos. Incluso estando todavía en lucha en su país, fortalecen la lucha de las entidades mexicanas y piden que el gobierno y las organizaciones paramilitares sean responsabilizados por el acto. «Exigimos el castigo de los responsables de este abominable crimen y acusamos directamente al gobierno represivo de Ulises Ruiz por ser responsable directo por estos actos de lesa humanidad», exigen y denuncian en un pronunciamiento las organizaciones.

En un comunicado público, el Grito de los Excluidos/as Continental denuncia además el retorno de las torturas, asesinatos, amenazas, desapariciones y persecuciones, hechos constantes en México contra la población que persiste en movilizarse contra las fuerzas represivas que parten del gobierno mexicano.

«México está en guerra, no contra el narcotráfico ni contra la corrupción de los políticos ni el saqueo orgiástico de las transnacionales y de los grupos de poder: está en guerra contra el pueblo pobre, contra el pueblo organizado que lucha desde todos los lugares de esta tierra que fue cuna de la primera gran revolución campesina del mundo hace exactamente un siglo y que, desde entonces, no paró de luchar por su emancipación».

Para responsabilizar al gobierno por el ataque en la región de La Sabana, la Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos inició una campaña internacional de envío de una petición. En la página virtual de la red (http://www.redtdt.org.mx/d_acciones/d_visual.php?id_accion=89) es posible llenar el documento con nombre y e-mail y enviarlo a todos los que están siendo señalados como actores conniventes y encubridores del atentado.

Traducción: Daniel Barrantes – barrantes.daniel@gmail.com

Embajador de la ONU revela campaña de agresión en contra el país

http://www.adital.com.br/site/noticia.asp?boletim=1&lang=ES&cod=47351

Letra A- A+

Adital –

El representante permanente de Venezuela ante la Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU), Jorge Valero, denunció ayer (28), durante un debate en el Comité de Información de la Asamblea General de la ONU, la existencia de una sistemática campaña de agresión lanzada a través de los medios de comunicación de grandes corporaciones multinacionales en complicidad con algunos órganos privados de información venezolanos.Según Valero, los medios divulgan falaces e infundadas campañas contra el modelo de cambios democráticos desarrollado por el Gobierno venezolano. «Son órganos de difusión que incitaron al magnicidio y trabajaron activamente para la desestabilización de la democracia venezolana», destacó.

Fuente: Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias (ABN)