March 23, 2016 nº 1,723 - Vol. 13
"Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.'
Mature love says: 'I need you because I love you'."
Erich Fromm
Read Migalhas LatinoAmérica in Spanish every Tuesday and Thursday. Visit the website at www.migalhas.com/latinoamerica
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Supreme Court hears arguments in Puerto Rico bankruptcy case
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in two cases. In Puerto Rico v. Franklin California Tax Free Trust, consolidated with Acosta-Febo v. Franklin California Tax-Free Trust, the court is considering whether federal bankruptcy law preempts a Puerto Rico law intended to allow the commonwealth's public utilities to restructure their debts. The issue before the court is whether Chapter 9 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code preempts a Puerto Rico statute creating a mechanism for the commonwealth's utilities to restructure their debts. Puerto Rico argued that Congress, in creating Chapter 9, defined the term "state" to include Puerto Rico, except for the purposes of determining who may be a debtor under Chapter 9. This simply means that Puerto Rico is outside the scope of Chapter 9 and therefore in light of Chapter 9's 1984 amendment, Puerto Rico is categorically precluded from passing through the "gateway into chapter 9." Therefore, as Congress has excluded Puerto Rico from Chapter 9, they are not subject to Chapter 9's preemption provision. Respondents in turn argued that Congress created clear textural provisions stating that Puerto Rico is viewed as a state except for one singular purpose in Chapter 9 of defining who may be a debtor. Respondents further argued that to deem Chapter 9 otherwise would be to give Puerto Rico the power to write their own municipal laws on such matters, which no state has possessed since 1946.
1 - 2016 Election is ‘Judgment Day’ for Federal Bench - click here.
2 - U.S. Says ‘Outside Party’ Could Unlock Terrorist’s iPhone - click here.
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China vaccine scandal: 37 arrested
Thirty-seven people have been arrested in eastern China over a huge vaccine scandal, state media report. It comes after police in Shandong announced last month they had arrested a mother and her daughter accused of buying and selling vaccines illegally. The estimated $88m worth of vaccines were not properly refrigerated or transported. The illegal vaccine ring, said to have been in operation since 2011, has sparked widespread anger in China. The scandal has led to a crackdown, with checks ordered on vaccine makers, wholesalers and buyers.
Chinese web users mock Zuckerberg visit
Chinese social media users have taken to popular microblog Sina Weibo to mock media coverage of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's visit, since Facebook is blocked in China. Whilst outlets praised Zuckerberg's "sincere" acts of diplomacy, web users mocked the activities he has taken part in during his China visit. Chinese media have devoted extensive and surprisingly open coverage to Muckerberg's visit. The Breaking News account on Sina Weibo, which has over 49 million followers, asked users the question: "Will Facebook this time successfully enter the Chinese market?"
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Energía
El grupo Dow Argentina invertirá US$ 123 mlls. destinados a desarrollar un parque eólico que permitirá colaborar con la diversificación energética del país. La primera fase del proyecto implicará una inversión de unos US$ 50 mlls. que incluye la instalación de cinco molinos, en tanto que en la segunda fase se alcanzarían las 20 turbinas con una potencia instalada de 50 megavatios.
Oro
Venezuela exportó unos US$ 456 mlls. de oro en febrero, según datos aduanales difundidos el martes, en momentos en que el Banco Central del país sudamericano adelanta varios canjes de oro monetario en búsqueda de recursos para capear su crisis económica. Los datos de la aduana de Suiza no detallaron si el mineral sería utilizado para realizar operaciones financieras. (Presione aquí)
Préstamo
Abengoa Concessions Investments (ACi) filial del grupo de energías renovables, asumió un préstamo por137 millones de euros. La Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV). El préstamo, suscrito con fondos de inversión y sobre el que la sociedad presta ciertas garantías, vence el 23 de septiembre o 12 meses después de la fecha de disposición. El tipo de interés será del euríbor más 14,5% y tendrá un interés de demora del 5% sobre la tasa anterior.
Attacks underscore Europe’s vulnerability
More than 30 people are dead and more than 200 wounded after explosions struck Brussels during the Tuesday morning rush hour. Two blasts hit the international airport; another struck a metro station. Belgium issued a Level 4 alert, denoting "serious and imminent attack." ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks. French President Francois Hollande said "terrorists struck Brussels, but it was Europe that was targeted — and all the world that is concerned." The slow-but-steady strategy to defeat the Islamic State is clawing back a little territory in Syria and Iraq but is doing nothing to dent the charismatic appeal of the militant group, disrupt its propaganda or prevent it from killing Europeans. The approach posits that the Islamic State can be beaten before European and American societies are undermined. Belgium is among Europe’s biggest per capita contributors of jihadis to Syria, who then drift back to wreak havoc. It is also an institutionally weak country suffering from poor intelligence and security coordination in the fight against a sophisticated enemy. The Islamic State effect is powerful in psychological and political terms. Europe and the United States already bear scars. A united Europe, the great achievement of the second half of the 20th century, is in imminent danger of fraying. The latest attack will play into the hands of anti-European rightist politicians. It will increase calls for borders to be reinstituted and the Schengen accord allowing free movement among more than two dozen European countries to be scrapped. It will challenge Europe’s liberties. It raises again the easily conflated specter of migration, Islam and terror. The union is already fissuring as a result of a huge migrant flow from Syria and elsewhere, combined with an economic crisis. There are no easy answers. But today at least the West’s ponderous wait-them-out approach to the murderous fanatics of the caliphate looks like capitulation.
Dilma Rousseff calls impeachment a 'coup attempt'
Dilma Rousseff has said impeachment proceedings launched against her in Congress amount to a coup attempt. The speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, agreed in December to open impeachment proceedings against her. In a speech to pro-government lawyers, Rousseff said Brazilian democracy was under attack. "I have committed no irregularity. I will never resign," she said. Opposition lawmakers are seeking to remove her over allegations that she manipulated government accounts to hide a growing deficit.
Obama invokes 'future of hope' for Cuba
Obama has invoked "a future of hope" for Cuba in an unprecedented live TV address delivered from the Grand Theatre in Havana. He said he had come to Cuba "to bury the last remnants of the Cold War" after decades of conflict. He told Cuban President Raul Castro that he did not need to fear a threat from the US nor from "the voice of the Cuban people". He urged Cubans to "leave the ideological battles of the past behind" and to define themselves not through their opposition to the US but just as Cubans. Obama is the first sitting president to visit Cuba in 88 years.
Turkish president calls for ICC prosecution of Syria president Assad
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday urged the prosecution of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Speaking on a live broadcast on the TRT state news network, Erdogan called for Assad to be charged with state terrorism, claiming that the Syrian president is responsible for the death of 500,000 people. The Turkish president spoke out in anger, questioning how Assad can receive red carpet treatment in Russia while killing his own people with IED barrel bombs.
UK lawmaker proposes rules to protect london taxis from Uber
Proposed legislation to protect London’s black cabs from Internet-based challengers such as Uber Technologies Inc. was introduced to the UK parliament on Tuesday. The “Ten Minute Rule Bill” would require additional training for all taxi drivers and make operators rather than drivers responsible for insuring vehicles. While such bills have little chance of becoming law, they can push governments to act.
DOJ asks for postponement in Apple iPhone unlocking case
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday requested a postponement of a hearing scheduled for Tuesday to determine whether Apple must comply with an order to unlock the San Bernadino shooter's iPhone. The DOJ stated that they may have another method to unlock the shooter's phone and therefore would not need Apple to comply wit the order. They asked for a postponement in order to test this new method.
Ukrainian pilot given 22-year sentence
A Ukrainian pilot has been found guilty in Russia of charges relating to the deaths of two Russian journalists. Nadiya Savchenko was sentenced to 22 years in jail after being convicted of directing artillery fire which killed them in eastern Ukraine in June 2014. She burst into a folk-style protest song in the courtroom, as she was finally pronounced guilty after the judge's two-day reading of the verdict. She denied all the charges and her case has become internationally notorious. Ukraine would never recognize the "so-called" verdict, President Petro Poroshenko said, describing the trial as "infamous".
Ryanair and EasyJet urge action over French strike
Ryanair and Easyjet are urging governments and the European Commission to take action over a strike by French air traffic controllers. Hundreds of passengers flying with Ryanair, Easyjet and British Airways will continue to face flight cancellations until Tuesday. Ryanair said it had cancelled about 200 flights while Easyjet said it had cancelled 145 flights on Monday. The strike is in protest at planned staff cuts. Ryanair and Easyjet are two of the five founding members of the newly formed lobby group, Airlines for Europe; the others are Air France KLM, International Airlines Group and Lufthansa. Easyjet said in a statement that the group was working with the other carriers "to call on governments and the EU to develop an action plan to minimize the impact of air traffic control strikes on passengers." Ryanair, said: "It's grossly unfair that thousands of ordinary European consumers have their travel and holiday plans disrupted by the actions of a selfish few."
Brazil oil giant Petrobras posts record quarterly loss
Brazil's Petrobras, which is at the centre of a massive corruption scandal, has posted its biggest ever quarterly loss due to the plunge in oil prices. The state oil firm's net loss widened to 36.9bn reais ($10.2bn) in the three months to December. The company had to write down billions of dollars from assets like oil fields and drilling rigs after crude prices fell by more than 40%. Petrobras shares fell by nearly 6% in after hours US trading on the results. Its chief executive said in a press conference that 2015 was "an extremely difficult year for the oil industry".
Bangladesh Bank eyes NY Fed lawsuit after cyber theft
Bangladesh Bank (BB) - the country's central bank - is considering filing a lawsuit against the Federal Reserve Bank of New York after cyber hackers stole $81m from its account. BB has hired a US lawyer, but has not yet filed a lawsuit. In February, hackers succeeded in instructing the New York Fed to transfer money from BB's account to accounts in The Philippines. After the theft, the NY Fed said the breach did not occur in its system. It also said that the payments were vetted through the "standard authentication protocols." "To date, there is no evidence of any attempt to penetrate Federal Reserve systems in connection with the payments in question, and there is no evidence that any Fed systems were compromised," the bank said.
Are stun guns protected by Second Amendment? Supreme Court suggests yes
The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed without dissent that a controversial gun law permitting citizens to keep a gun for self-defense also applies to a stun gun.
Ohio groups recommend criminal justice reform
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center (OJPC) released a report on Tuesday with recommendations on reforming the criminal justice system in Ohio. The report details six headlines of focus: limit harsh, automatic punishments; prioritize rehabilitation; release innocent people from jail; decriminalize poverty; limit collateral consequences; and reform community control. Steven JohnsonGrove, the deputy director of OJPC, spoke on the negative financial impact Ohio's mass incarceration problem has on other fields that influence the criminal justice system
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