ABBA NETWORK

Jerusalem, June 2, 2010 - The Israel Government agreed late on Tuesday the release and deportation of hundreds of foreign activists arrested after the assault on Freedom Flotilla which sought to circumvent the blockade on Gaza Strip. Therefore, Israel deported from tonight and in the next 48 hours to hundreds of activists. The decision was taken after the meeting this afternoon of political-military cabinet in consultation with the Ministers of Interior, Eli Yishai, and Defense, Ehud Barak, stated in the note sent by the Israeli Cabinet. According to a spokesman of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the measure would include activists of the Jewish authorities had threatened to sue.

Among the arrested foreigners who could benefit from this decision, taken after a meeting of Israeli ministers, are the Spanish Tapial and David Manuel Segarra, tonight had to decide whether or not the minutes signed voluntary deportation. Activist Laura Arau signed that act throughout the day, so it provides immediate repatriation.

Israel continues the expulsion of hundreds of pro-Palestinian foreign activists were arrested after the murderous assault commandos of its fleet against international humanitarian Gaza, Army Radio said. Among the passengers of the fleet, 380 were Turks, 38 Greeks, 31 Britons, 30 Jordanians, 28 Algerians, French 9, 7 Irish, Italians and six 3 Canadians.

Some 682 people from 42 countries who were on board the fleet, 45 have been deported Monday and Tuesday. But the eviction process has accelerated Tuesday after the decision of the Israeli security cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Nétanyahou, To renew them at the border in 48 hours. “All foreign nationals who were on board the fleet and were arrested will be deported from Tuesday night”, Said a government statement.

According to Army Radio, 250 activists were being deported Wednesday. Some 120 people, mostly Algerians and Indonesians, have been to Jordan, while 60 Turks were at the airport Ben Gurion Tel Aviv, pending special flights to repatriate them. Seventy other Turkish nationals were on their way from the prison in Beersheba to the airport, the radio said. According to Army Radio, the latest eviction will take place Thursday. Most governments of countries whose nationals were on board ships had called for their immediate release. In addition, 48 foreign nationals were hospitalized in Israel, according to Israel Radio.

OTTAWA - The Quebec Bar Association shall conduct an inquiry into the conduct of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney following the report of the Commission Oliphant says a former head of the agency that oversees Quebec’s professional bodies.
“I would not be surprised if the bar shows an interest in this matter,” said Thomas Mulcair, NDP MP now.

“The findings of the Inquiry were that Mr. Mulroney did not tell the whole truth when he swore under oath to do.”

Mr. Mulcair, who was head of the Office des professions du Québec from 1987 to 1993, said that Mr. Mulroney had an obligation as a member of the Quebec Bar to follow its code of ethics.

“Mr. Oliphant said the sections of the parliamentary code of ethics that have been raped and I think the bar will probably look into possible violations of the Code of Conduct of the Bar of Quebec. ”

Although the Bar Association to act on its own initiative, Mr. Mulcair said that at least one person juggles the possibility of filing a motion for an inquiry into the conduct of Mr. Mulroney.

Under the rules of the Bar Association, requests for investigation into the actions of a lawyer in Quebec are directed to the trustee, who decides whether an investigation is warranted.

The investigation process is confidential. The public is informed only if the trustee decides to file a complaint with the disciplinary committee of the Bar.

The suggestion that the Bar should investigate the conduct of Mr. Mulroney arrives after the filing of the report of Justice Jeffrey Oliphant, who concluded that Mr. Mulroney had failed to disclose that he had a business relationship with Karlheinz Schreiber when he has been interviewed as part of a case he had filed for defamation against the government.

Mr. Oliphant, who has long been a trial judge, concluded that the explanation given by Mr. Mulroney, that government counsel had failed to ask the right questions, was “absurd”.

Meanwhile, the three opposition parties have demanded that Mr. Mulroney repay $ 2.1 million obtained from the Canadian government in 1997 to settle amicably the libel case.

The airline Iberia reduced its losses by 44% in the first three months of the year to 52 million. In the same period last year the red numbers were 92.6 million. EBITDA (interest, amortization, depreciation and taxes, leasing costs stood at 47.2 million, compared to negative 7.2 million for the same period last year.

Revenue was $ 1049.3 million with a decline of 4.4% over the first three months of 2009. Operating expenses fell 9.7% to 1124.7 million. Half of this reduction corresponds to the cost of fuel, while the rest was achieved through capacity adjustments and cost-containment measures applied.

The number of aircraft operated in the quarter was 9.5% lower than the average of the first three months of 2009, with further adjustment in the fleet of short and medium haul. Thus, the use of the fleet continued to increase and stood at 10.5 hours per aircraft per day. The workforce decreased by 5.2% between January and March compared to the same period in 2009, and staff costs decreased by 3.8%.
The CEO, Rafael Sánchez Lozano, announced that during 2010 the capacity will remain virtually flat after a 3.3% increase the long haul, cut short by 4% and 6.2% radio capacity in the domestic sector. The adjusted net debt was reduced Iberia 13.5% to 1073.2 million.

In addition, crew cab (TCP) of Iberia on Friday came a preliminary agreement with the airline on its agreement, final approval of which is now subject to the assemblies convened by the collective.

The wage increase for 2009 is consolidated in tables at 2.5% and the rest (from 4.1% to 1.63%) shall be paid at once, along with the arrears from January 1, 2009 . The allowances will rise above 2.5%.

Or not there are profits in 2010 will be a lump sum equivalent to 1.21% of payroll, as in 2011. Additionally, there will be a consolidation table subject to results. The year 2012 has a 2% Consolidated adjusted upward if the CPI were higher.

In many countries, fiscal adjustment will require significant effort and, sometimes unprecedented. “With this prediction introduces Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF managing director, a report on the fiscal situation that was presented on Friday and whose findings urge resolute response on the part of developed economies to cut their deficits and debt. “If the public debt is reduced to pre-crisis levels, the potential for growth in advanced economies is reduced by 0.5% annually, a very high percentage when accumulates several years. ”

The study, which closed before the Executive Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced their adjustment and therefore do not take into account a deficit projected for Spain in 2015 of 7.7%, the highest of the countries developed. Only Japan, with 7.3% deficit is closer to Spain. In five years, and lack of action, the U.S., a nation heavily in debt and a huge gap in their state and federal government accounts, recorded a deficit of 6.5%.
Carlo Cottarelli, director of fiscal affairs of the Fund, reiterated on Friday during the presentation of this report that the measures adopted in Spain “are going in the right direction” and while acknowledging that there is a fear “that the fiscal adjustment stifle growth” because lower the consumption, this should not occur if the measures taken are credible. The theory is that it manages Cottarelli a credible adjustment may allow interest rates will not go off and generate less volatility.
Additionally, this expert said it is very important at the moment in which the adjustment occurs. “There is nothing wrong with expanding fiscal policy is necessary to stimulate growth and withdraw when you’re up.” “The adjustment is not easy but we have seen countries that have done so without destroying the growth.”

However, Cottarelli remained all the time on a theoretical level without addressing the Spanish plan because this week has started the annual review of the Spanish economy (known as Article IV), which requires a period of silence.
The debt in developing countries will increase to represent 110% of GDP in 2015 as in 2007, before the crisis exploded, was 73%. Projections of this international body to suggest that the debt level down to 60% of GDP in 2030 in advanced economies, the fiscal deficit should improve by 8.7 percentage points.

Cottarelli said that part of the adjustment is to reduce pension expenditure (in two years simply by increasing the retirement age), and cut health care costs. It also suggests cuts in public sector wages, social spending, fuel subsidies and less military spending. In addition to a determined fight against tax evasion, the IMF noted that there are indirect taxes that could be adjusted upwards.

Perhaps many of the more than three million public employees affected by pay cuts announced by the Government this weekend come to the cinema in search of escape. There will be entertained with the latest version of Robin Hood, the British hero who robbed from the rich to give to the needy, the antithesis of how are now a large part of officials to the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

In the film, starring Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe, economic issues are also addressed: the Crown is ruined after embarking on costly adventures beyond their means; urge to do something to restore financial equilibrium. Some suggest debt with foreign banks, not to mention, raise taxes on the wealthy, impossible! y. .. the idea that ultimately triumphs is a military arm and force everyone to contribute, under the premise that “loyalty means that everyone must pay their share in defending the kingdom.” Of course, it suggests this is the villain of the film. How will Zapatero government employees and pensioners?

“The cut is fine with me because I am very concerned that we metiéramos in a spiral like that of Greece and how they were attacking the euro. But the art of politics is to do things without a high social cost. I believe that the forms have been careless, you have to protect pensioners and can not compare a senior official with a base, weighs Elena, professor and head of department at a public university.
The general secretary of the Workers’ Commissions, Ignacio Fernandez, accused Zapatero on Thursday to follow the dictates of “the demands of financial markets.” His counterpart in UGT, Candido Mendez, expressed its “opposition and refusal” to cut the Moncloa that aims to save 15,000 million euros between 2010 and 2011 and bring the public deficit from 11.2% to 6% of GDP. The effort is equivalent to 1.5 percentage points of GDP and has been evaluated positively by the international banks. Both unions, although they maintain the executive’s outstretched hand, have called a strike in the public sector for the next 2 June.

The opposite reaction to unions is that of experts. “In a world of uncertainty, the signals work. What the Government has done is to advance in two years the planned adjustment and this is very important. We need to be aware of that situation was extremely serious,” said José Carlos Diez Chief Economist Intermoney.

The announcement of the executive has effectively moderate debt differential between Spain and Germany, which is now close to one percentage point. This alleviates the cost of finance for the Treasury and Spain needs quiet to be funded with ease, as their financial needs are overwhelming. A study by UBS estimates the country’s total debt by over 350% of GDP, one of the highest relative levels in the world. Most of this debt is not public but private. Although spending has been triggered by the crisis, the State ended 2009 with a debt to GDP ratio of 53.2%, according to Eurostat, well below most of the EU.
Another story is that of households, their indebtedness has spent 20 years in 20% of GDP to 90%. In non-financial companies, the debt stock has tripled to 150% of GDP. Banks also have a higher debt to the Treasury. For all that is necessary to have funding capacity, “as emphasized by Francisco Perez, director of research at the Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas (IVIE). “In two years the fall in government revenue has been brutal, were more linked to the cycle of what is believed and the structural deficit is also higher than thought: it spends more than it is entered in a systematic way and that is sustainable only if someone is willing to financiarte unlimited. A vision is not, “concluded Francisco Perez.

Will it be enough?
For Mario González, a researcher at EAE Business School, the measures are “a right step,” effective in tackling the deficit, but “insufficient” to resolve debt problems. “In relative terms represents 3% of the budgets for state government, local and state, which was about 456 500 million euros in 2009,” says Gonzalez. “At the end of last year, the amount of public debt was approximately 560,000 million euros, so the cuts sought in this case is even less than that 3%. I expect more effort,” warns the researcher.

Mario Gonzalez believes that the budget should be reviewed in all matters affecting less to economic growth.
Professor Gayle Allard, IE Business School, agrees that the proposed adjustment is “a purely temporary” and should be accompanied by other structural reforms, “to prevent future crises affect us much.” Among other actions, Allard proposes to reform the unemployment benefit, to prioritize the search for work on the profile of care that currently characterized predominantly support the strike in Spain. Long ago that economists calling for a change of this aspect, the problem is that the current situation does not seem suitable for implementation. For Professor at Instituto de Empresa, another key is to negotiate collective agreements governing the organization and working conditions in enterprises, to make it centralized, European-style, or completely decentralized (Anglo-Saxon settlement) Spanish avoiding the mixed model. The final assault of this comprehensive reform would go through the public system where, according to Allard, “there are too many ministries and too many officials.”

The impact on growth
The consensus states that Spain needs economic growth rates of GDP of at least 2% to generate employment, which does not seem likely to happen in the coming years. Standard & Poor’s anticipates that the average real growth (discounting inflation) from Spain between 2010 and 2013 is 0.6% short of what is needed to decisively improve the outlook. The Government itself has already acknowledged that the latest measures will affect growth in the short term. “The negative economic impact is undeniable,” confirmed Mario Gonzalez.

Construction companies are emerging as the first losers in the austerity plan, because that will be cut 6.045 million in investments (although the figure could be revised) will mainly affect the Ministry of Development, but it is expected that the Strategic Plan for Infrastructure and Transport (PEIT) offset some losses.

But beyond the numbers are people. The crisis has raised unemployment to 4.6 million people, these are the big hit. In many private companies have implemented numerous wage and self-downs have seen their margins fell precipitously. The tide was coming over to officials and to pensioners, who have not received the news with joy. “It feels really bad,” confirming Albert, a retired police officer. “He contributed much over many years and now I am very angry,” he stresses.
In the group of officials also rife indignation. “Zapatero has spent the money on things like the 400 euros would vote for him or Plan E has not created any wealth. They have managed five times the road you pass every day What is that? Feel that We have been fooled, “complains James, high school teacher in an institute. There is no clean solution to the crisis, all contain a potential harm. But the worst option for the Government would no doubt do nothing.

MADRID. CCOO returns to lead the union protests against the government’s adjustment plan and announced that prepares a general mobilization in the streets and businesses against such measures.

All this, apart from the general strike in the public sector together with UGT called for June 2.
Once again, CC.OO. more belligerent than the Socialist union, which, after the executive committee meet confederal, no mention of general mobilization aimed CC.OO.

In the two papers made public yesterday by the union should be noted that in the first, referred to “… in anticipation of a possible general strike call …». Fifteen minutes later sent a second statement which was missing the word “possible.”
In any event, neither nor CCOO UGT shuffled at the moment to call a general strike in the country. For now, general secretaries, Candido Mendez and Ignacio Fernandez Toxo, prefer to stay in the barrier and their federations have left the public sector to lead the two day strike.
Debate continues
Both unions will continue next week, the internal debate between their bodies. Thus, UGT Confederal Committee, the highest decision making body between congresses, will meet on 26 and 27 of this month.
Both CC.OO. UGT showed yesterday as support for the two day strike in the public sector and calls upon the Government “to redirect the tripartite negotiations of social dialogue”, as adjustment “does not help in the march of social dialogue.”
And while the Government is finalizing the scale of cuts that apply to civil servants, many of these are already receiving through unofficial sources that unofficial possible allocation adjustment.
As reported by ABC officials from different areas of Administration, the cut is considering would be 3% to the lowest levels, below 16, from 5% for levels 16 to 20, from 7% for ranging from 20 to 26. And the highest, from 27 to 30 would cut by 10%.
The reduction of salaries for senior officials, cabinet ministers, deputies and senators would be 15%, as José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced.

No official confirmation
Sources of the majority union officials, the CSIF, explained that there is still no official confirmation that this is the cast and also a reduction in terms of administrative levels would not be entirely fair because the salaries of the same collective such as doctors, which could have the same level, however, are different depending on the regions. This is because each autonomy has specific supplements.

Therefore, if what you want is to cut more public employees who earn more, the rebate should not be linked to administrative levels, but wages.

Caracas, May 9 - The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, today praised that “most” of the countries of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) has closed “continuity ranks against the dictatorship in Honduras” in the face the EU-LATIN AMERICA.

“Most South American bloc countries closed ranks against the continued dictatorship in Honduras” and that “we got a great political victory,” he wrote in his weekly column “The lines of Chavez.”

That success is expressed as “Porfirio Lobo do we prevent an appearance at the Summit meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean-European Union that is to be made (in Spain) on 18 and 19 May,” he said.

After participating earlier this week at the summit of UNASUR made in Argentina set position on this, Chavez spoke directly to the Dominican Republic where on Wednesday explained that “if Europe insists on inviting Mr. (Porfirio) Lobo” as president of Honduras He and other leaders of Unasur not attend the summit in Madrid.

Chavez made the remarks after talks in the Dominican capital with the deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya.
The Venezuelan president said that day that the UNASUR summit was “consensus” but not “unanimous” as to what to do about the invitation to Wolf by the Spanish Government.

“Perhaps there were some exceptions, but we will not because they do not recognize, and respect all governments to recognize the government of Honduras,” he added.

Chavez quoted that day the president of Uruguay, José Mujica, to point out: “We are not asking for much, to reimburse Zelaya, who will recognize all their political rights and citizens. That’s all we’re asking for, nor the sky or anything” he said.
Zelaya was overthrown by a coup d’etat on June 28, 2009 and, after several months taken refuge in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, is located outside their country since 10 January, with a pass to travel to Dominican Republic Wolf offered him, who that day became president.

Nick Clegg yesterday won the backing of his party in its bid to try a pact with the Conservatives and the negotiations forward in a climate ‘very positive and constructive. ” ‘Tories’ and liberals say has not been formally given a deadline to reach an agreement, but would like to have it completed tomorrow and closed before the Wednesday of creation of the new House of Commons.

A few thousand people demonstrated in front of delegations from both parties to push the negotiation, which this morning will be renewed by both parties, and to claim an electoral system of proportional representation, and especially complicated key issue in negotiating the pact.
If it is consumed, probably it would be an external support agreement, not a coalition government. If the talks fail, the more plausible option is a minority government the Conservatives (306 seats), based on time in the Ulster Unionists (8). An absolute majority is 326 members.
An alternative pact between Labour (258) and Liberal Democrats (57), but actively sought by the party of Gordon Brown, is less feasible-it will add to the Scottish Nationalists (6) and Welsh (3) and also Northern Irish Catholics of the SDLP (3) to reach the majority. In addition, Brown’s position begins to weaken, a Labour MP called for his resignation yesterday and his relations with Clegg seems to have deteriorated.

With or without a settlement
The BBC said in a telephone conversation between Brown and Clegg, the Labour leader was shouting to him by his insistence that he must resign. Sources from both formations denied that the conversation had been tense. In any event, the campaign drew a post-election situation Clegg without Brown.
Meanwhile, a growing general feeling that Cameron would have to be prime minister but can not close a deal with Liberal Democrats. In that sense, little more than two-thirds of Britons want Brown to resign immediately as prime minister, according to a YouGov poll published today by ‘The Sunday Times. ”
In meetings with liberal-democratic direction, the parliamentary group and the party’s federal committee, was endorsed Clegg’s position that the first option is an agreement with David Cameron. “Nick wants the whole party is with him on this,” said Simon Hughes, one of the liberal-democratic leaders involved in talks with the Conservatives. Hughes admitted that these are not the “quick natural allies” of his party, but said that “everyone in the United Kingdom expects us to be responsible.”

The main obstacle to a deal is on the electoral system reform. Liberal Democrats call for proportional representation, especially since the existing punishment for minor parties (the lib-dem have achieved 23% of the vote but have stayed with 8.7% of the seats). The “Tories” have been insisting that want to maintain the simple majority single-member system, which rewards the formation of majorities (the consevadores have had 36.1% of the votes and 47.2% of the seats).

Reform is a historical claim of the Liberal Democrats and the party base hardly accept a pact that does not include a compromise of some kind in this line, something that Labour have already offered the hope that a pact fails Cameron-Clegg . Anyway, the Liberal Democrats can not focus all on that point, it would be as an opportunistic look after your interest only when the country’s priority is to establish a government and lay the groundwork for economic recovery.

German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, missing the extraordinary meeting of finance ministers of the EU, which will adopt a rescue fund to curb the spread of the crisis in Greece to countries like Spain and Portugal and has had to be hospitalized in Brussels after a negative reaction to a new medicine he took for the first time on Saturday.

Schaeuble, who is “under observation” has been replaced by the German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, who had to travel to Brussels on an urgent basis to head the German delegation during the negotiations, said a Finance Ministry spokesman .

German Finance Minister is in a wheelchair since 1990 was the victim of an attack.