Fausta's Blog

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May 31, 2017 By Fausta

Argentina: #Nisman was murdered

Alberto Nisman was found dead from a shot in the head in his Buenos Aires apartment on January 18, 2015.

His death has now been declared a murder:

Nisman was found dead one day before he was due to present a complaint to the Argentine Congress accusing leading politicians, including former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, of colluding with Tehran to cover up Iranian culpability for the atrocity. A team of investigators appointed by the Kirchner government concluded — following a controversial investigation that was heavily criticized by Nisman’s family — that the special prosecutor committed suicide using a gun supplied to him by Diego Lagomarsino, a computer specialist employed by Nisman.

But a new report from the Gendarmeria, a federal security force, will put the suicide theory to bed once and for all and show that Nisman was murdered, according to Argentine news outlets. The report’s publication is expected within the next thirty days, the Clarin newspaper said.

Eamonn MacDonagh asserts that this is a major development; long-time readers of this blog know that the case was being investigated as a suicide.

Much as Nisman himself experienced when he began investigating the accusations that President Kirchner had engaged in a cover-up of Iran and its Hezbollah proxy’s responsibility for the AMIA bombing, [prosecutor Eduardo] Taiano has also received threats and warnings not to pursue his inquiries. One text message he received in December last year told him to “stop f__g about with that son of a b__ Jew,” a reference to Nisman, and added, “your days are numbered.”

The complaint Nisman had been due to announce would have implicated Kirchner, former Foreign Minister Hector Timerman and other officials in negotiating a secret pact with the Iranians to absolve Tehran of the AMIA bombing. Nisman’s tenacious investigation — including a log of more than 4,000 monitored phone calls — strongly suggested that in doing so, Kirchner and her colleagues were trying to cover their tracks.

The article points out that “MacDonagh cautioned that numerous “legal roadblocks” could still be placed in front of the Nisman investigation.”

On her part, Cristina Kirchner announced that she’s willing to run for senator. It’s not clear whether, if elected, the post would grant her immunity from prosecution on any charges related to the Nisman murder case itself, or from charges arising from Nisman’s investigations.

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Filed Under: Argentina, Fausta's blog Tagged With: Alberto Nisman, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Eduardo Taiano

May 31, 2017 By Fausta

Back from Orlando

You can stay away from the headlines but sometimes the headlines stay with you: Read my post, Back from Orlando.

Goldman's investment in #Venezuela is very visible. GS should have considered this when they bet on regime change. https://t.co/tcvuSWYyXI

— Prof. Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) May 31, 2017



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Filed Under: Communism, Fausta's blog, Venezuela Tagged With: Da Tech Guy Blog, Goldman Sachs, SeaWorld, Steve Hanke

May 29, 2017 By Fausta

Venezuela: Goldman Sachs bought PDVSA bonds

$2.8 billion worth:

Goldman Sachs Bought Venezuela’s State Oil Company’s Bonds Last Week. Sale comes as embattled government of President Maduro struggles to raise funds

The New York-based bank’s asset management division last week paid 31 cents on the dollar, or about $865 million, for bonds issued by state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela SA in 2014, which mature in 2022, according to five people familiar with the transaction. The price represents a 31% discount on the trading Venezuelan securities maturing the same year.

The investment comes as Mr. Maduro’s detractors lobby hard to block Western financial institutions from doing transactions that support the cash-strapped government, which has been accused by the U.S. and other countries of widespread rights abuses.

Apparently GS is betting that a change in government would double the bonds’ value.

Good luck with that.

This move is peanuts in GS’s $40 billion emerging markets amount out of the $1.3 trillion the asset management branch manages, but Frank Muci at Caracas Chronicles calls it Meth Finance: “It’s like ripping out the electric wiring from the walls of your own house to sell the copper and get your next crystal meth fix.”

The Wall Street Journal’s Kejal Vyas and Anatoly Kurmanaev report that Venezuela’s Central Bank struck a financing deal so bad last week it makes PDVSA’s swap and Fintech’s repo look harmless by comparison.

The government raised $865 million cash by selling $2.8 billion in previously untapped PDVSA bonds held by the Central Bank. The central bank got just 31 cents on the dollar for the bonds from Goldman Sachs’s asset management arm.
. . .
in return for $865 million now, the government committed to dishing out a total of $3.65 billion through 2022, split between $2.8 billion in principal and $756 million in interest. It’s unbelievable. The government now has to fork up the $865 million three times over by 2022 to make good on the $2.8 billion in bonds —and has to pay a crippling $756 million interest on top of that.

The deal has an “internal rate of return” of 48%. That means this is equivalent to taking out a loan at 48% interest… in dollars!

As long as someone is willing to be part of the debt pyramid scheme, it’ll continue. Let’s hope it’s not the U.S.

Previously, the plan by Venezuela and Syria to circumvent Western sanctions on the Middle Eastern nation and ship its crude oil to Aruba to refine it and then market it internationally, including in the U.S., didn’t work.
As you may recall, Caracas, Syria and Iran had secret flights without passport controls, flight manifests and other documents for years among the three countries. It’s unclear whether the flights ceased. Venezuela continued to issue official passports and visas to Syrians and Iranians.

Still, some of the money ends up in Miami,
Controversial Venezuelan tax collector enjoys luxury life in Miami. Numerous ex-officials of the Venezuela’s socialist government have set up businesses and residences in the United States, despite repeatedly blaming Washington for the country’s current political and economic crisis. Ten years ago Jose Cedillo played a major role in targeting opposition TV stations.

UPDATE

How to sell out the #Venezuelan opposition, courtesy of Goldman Sachs https://t.co/q3NngA5e48 @adelegeras @gerasite @EamonnMacDonagh

— Ben Cohen (@BenCohenOpinion) May 29, 2017

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Filed Under: Communism, Fausta's blog, Iran, Syria, Venezuela Tagged With: Goldman Sachs, José Joaquín Cedillo Moreno, PDVSA

May 28, 2017 By Fausta

Sunday palate cleanser: Werther

Staged at the Wiener Staatsoper, November 2015

Werther: Matthew Polenzani
Charlotte: Elina Garanča
Albert: Markus Eiche
Le Bailli: Alfred Sramek
Sophie: Hila Fahima
Schmidt: Peter Jelosits
Johann: Mihail Dogotari
Director musical: Frédéric Chaslin

Music by Jules Massenet, libretto by Edouard Blau, Paul Milliet, and Georges Hartmann.

Libretto

Bonus Massenet:

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Filed Under: entertainment, Fausta's blog, music, opera Tagged With: Edouard Blau, Georges Hartmann, Jules Massenet, Paul Milliet, Werther

May 25, 2017 By Fausta

Busy weekend ahead

Posting will be sporadic, but make sure to drop by for Sunday’s opera.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!



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Filed Under: Fausta's blog

May 24, 2017 By Fausta

Colombia: Supreme Court declares unconstitutional 2 clauses of FARC agreement

Colombia Court Ruling Spells Trouble for FARC Peace Process (emphasis added)

Firstly, the court struck down the clause stipulating Congress could only vote to approve or deny blocks of laws and reforms related to implementing the peace process rather than debating and voting on each point individually.

Secondly, it overturned the clause establishing that modifications to peace legislation can only be made with adjustments to the agreement itself and with the approval of the government.

Both clauses were central elements to the framework established by the government to allow it to fast-track peace process legislation through Congress and begin implementing the accords. However, five out of the eight judges ruled that the two clauses equated to replacing the constitution by altering the deliberative and decision making powers of congress, reported La Silla Vacía.

In other FARC news, the U.S. is offering a $5million reward for FARC negotiator Iván Márquez

El Depto de Estado de los Estados Unidos ofrece U$5'000.000 de dólares por Iván Márquez.
Ya saben dónde encontrarlohttps://t.co/8cZs3S0MHn pic.twitter.com/8itj0UxIhc

— Roque Arismendy J. (@roquearismendy) May 24, 2017

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Filed Under: Fausta's blog Tagged With: Iván Márquez

May 24, 2017 By Fausta

PR parade sponsors refuse to honor unrepentant terrorist

Not supporting terrorist Oscar López Rivera:

  1. Goya Foods
  2. The NYPD Hispanic Society
  3. NYC police commissioner
  4. Jet Blue
  5. New York Yankees

Read all about it.

UPDATE
Add Corona Beer and Coca-Cola to the list.

Univision too.



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Filed Under: Fausta's blog, NY, Puerto Rico, terrorism Tagged With: Oscar Lopez Rivera, Univision

May 24, 2017 By Fausta

Brazil: Temer asks for his investigation to continue

After asking that it be suspended, Brazil’s President Michel Temer has asked the Supreme Court to proceed with an investigation against him for obstruction of justice and corruption.

His lawyers say that a secret recording that appears to incriminate him has been edited 70 times.
. . .
President Temer was secretly recorded by Joesley Batista, president of Brazilian giant meat-packing firm JBS, during a late-night, unscheduled meeting.
The wealthy businessman made the recording as part of a plea bargain with the prosecutor’s office.
On the tape, Mr Temer seems to signal his approval for illegal payments to the former speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, who was jailed for corruption last year.
. . .
Many expected the president to resign once the contents of the tape were made public.

The WSJ lists Five Ways Brazil’s President Could Be Forced Out

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Filed Under: Brazil, corruption, Fausta's blog Tagged With: JBS, Michel Temer

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