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03/14/13 - Prensa Latina (Habana) - DIRECT FROM HAVANA, PM

LATIN AMERICAN NEWS AGENCY, SA
P R E N S A   L A T I N A
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Evening Transmission
                                            Thursday, March 14, 2013
CUBA NEWS
Nicaragua and Cuba Strengthen  Scientific Cooperation
Cuba for Promoting Culture as Tool for Integration, Dignity

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN STORIES
Dominican Journalists Congratulate Ecuadorian President
More than 81 Per Cent of Ecuadorian Electors Voted
Ecuador:  New National Plan for Planning and Development
Uruguayan President Criticizes Media Distortion of Reality
Venezuelan Gonzalez Joins Marussia as 2013 Reserve Driver
Colombia Seizes More than Eight Tons of Cocaine
Uruguay to Donate Haiti One Dollar for Every Uruguayan Citizen
Murders Spike in 2013 in Trinidad-Tobago


OTHER INTERNATIONAL STORIES
At Least 40 Years to Dismantle Japan  s Fukushima Nuclear Plant
S. Korea Chemical Plant Blast Kills Five and Injures 11
Police Arrests  New Suspect in Dutch Art Heist
USA: Some Two Trillion USD Spent in Iraqi War
Spanish Gov ó t Required to Stop Evictions Immediately
Russian Police Captures Kidnapper and Accomplice
Days of Demonstration in Brooklyn  After Death of Kimani Gray
Thailand Promises to End Elephant Hunting
UN Admits Extrajudicial Executions and Torture in Libya
Repercussion in the World After Election of Pope Francis
France and United Kingdom to Arm Illegal Syrian Groups
Unemployment Increases in the European Union and Eurozone
Signing of Pact to Establish Israeli Govt. Delayed
Argentina Keeping Third Place in FIFA Ranking
Syrian Prime Minister Highlights News Role Against Media Campaign
Intl Blockade Against Syria is Immoral and Inhuman
Malaysia Strengthens Permanent Security in Invaded Territory
Parliament Appoints New Chinese President
Prime Minister of Luxembourg Admits Possible Social Explosion
Australia Gets First Aboriginal Government Leader
At Least 40 Years to Dismantle Japan  s Fukushima Nuclear Plant



FULL STORIES
CUBA NEWS
Nicaragua and Cuba Strengthen  Scientific Cooperation

Managua, Mar 14th (Prensa Latina) Nicaragua and Cuba have new bases today for extending their collaboration on meteorological investigations and seismology, through the updating of a bilateral agreement on a wide range of scientific-technical cooperation matters.

 The agreement also include topics related to management and preservation of natural resources, particularly in adapting to the effects of climate change, extremely topical issues due to the current global situation, said Cuban Minister of Science, Technology and Environment (Citma) Elba Rosa Perez.

 According to Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, head of the National System for the Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters (Sinapred), last year, due to Nicaraguan strong seismic movements, the Cuban government agreed to send specialists, establishing a basis for the new agreements between institutions.

 The document expresses this willingness to cooperate and will help to strengthen the capability of Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies in different areas of the nation, said the Sinapred's executive secretary.

 Bonds of this nature respond to integrity and unity efforts supported by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), say authorities.
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Cuba for Promoting Culture as Tool for Integration, Dignity

Paramaribo, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Cuba called today for promoting culture as a tool for integration and dignity during the First meeting of Culture Ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

 In his speech at the inaugural session of the two-day forum, attended by 25 countries, Cuban Culture Minister Rafael Bernal said that in the current situation of global crisis, it is more important than ever to give significant distinction and enrich cultures of the region.

  ó Ignoring the role of values, putting off our contribution to the sense of responsibility that we must form in every citizen are today incompatible positions; demanding more just relations, a more responsible behavior and a more decent life for all are essentially cultural tasks, ó  he said.
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LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN STORIES
Dominican Journalists Congratulate Ecuadorian President

Santo Domingo, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The Dominican Union of Bolivarian Journalists (UDPB) delivered today to the Ecuadorian Embassy here a document congratulating President Rafael Correa for his re-election to the post.

 According to the text, the organization salutes Correa with the highest admiration for being a Latin American example and helping revive hope in regional nations.

  ó Correa has undertaken deep changes to build a participative State for Ecuador ó s poor and needy, says the text also referring to social gains, including universal access to quality education, according to international standards, and the development of public health, ó  says the text.

 The document was given to Ecuadorian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Carlos Lopez, by President of UDBP Jose Mendez.
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More than 81 Per Cent of Ecuadorian Electors Voted

Quito, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) About 81.09 percent of Ecuadorian electors voted during elections of February 17, said today the National Electoral Council (CNE in Spanish).

 The CNE stated that of the 11.65 million voters registered on the electoral roll, some 9.46 million people exercised their right to vote.

 Quoted by the website Ecuadorinmediato, the CNE explained that low turnout decreased from previous elections, with an 18.91 percent lower than the 24.72 percent in 2009 and 27.80 in 2006.

 More than 98 percent of Ecuadorians with voting rights did it within the national borders and 1.41 percent did it abroad.

 Other data showed that 7.23 percent of the votes were invalid and 1.89 percent were blank.
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Ecuador:  New National Plan for Planning and Development

Quito, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The National Office for Planning and Development of Ecuador (Semplades) announced Thursday it is working on the creation of a new national plan, called Buen Vivir, which will cover the 2013-2017 government period.

 One of the main reasons for the success of the government in the last six years has been a good planning.

 The Constitution of Montecristi forces the government to plan development and with these plans, build a productive matrix, eradicate poverty and transform the society.

 Semplades assured that the efforts to reduce inequality and the educative revolution will be deepened, consolidating the relation with the citizens and improving public services in all the places.
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Uruguayan President Criticizes Media Distortion of Reality

Montevideo, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) President Jose Mujica criticized today media organizations that distort information, thus threatening objectivity of opinions about the country ó s reality.

 In his opinion, they  ó go from freedom of the press to do whatever they want, half truth abounds, as abounds the constant elimination of contexts and the lack of effort to verify the veracity of the news. ó  

He lamented that, as a result of media distortion, Uruguayans  ó fail to recognize the positive image of Uruguay that is perceived from abroad. ó  

During his customary weekly radio address to the public, Mujica said that nearly on a daily bases, foreign delegations value the country very favourably, and cited as an example the most recent mission of Saint Petersburg, Russia, in Montevideo.
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Venezuelan Gonzalez Joins Marussia as 2013 Reserve Driver

Moscow, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Russian team Marussia have signed Rodolfo Gonzalez as their reserve driver for the 2013 season.

 Gonzalez joins the team with effect from this weekend ó s season-opening 2013 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

 The 26-year-old Venezuelan, who has competed in the GP2 Series and GP2 Asia Series for the past three seasons, will attend each of the 19 Grands Prix on the 2013 calendar.

 In addition, as a member of Marussia's young driver programme, Gonzalez will take part in selected FP1 sessions and this season ó s young driver test.

 He said that it was a very important moment in his career,but very sad times for his people because of the death of president Hugo Chavez, so he hopes that this news will serve for the people to feel better and that is was a pity that he could not share it with Chavez himself.
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Colombia Seizes More than Eight Tons of Cocaine

Bogota, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) National Navy sources reported in this capital that 8,200 kilos of hydrochloride of cocaine have been seized so far this year in the Colombian Caribbean.

 Among the most recent seizures, there are 79 kilos seized on board of the boat Dole Europa, with Bahaman flag, while it was carrying out a banana loading operation in the Gulf of Uraba, in the northern department of Antioquia, with Costa Rica as destination.

 The drug was detected by coastguard personnel when they were checking a container in which 80 packages with broken security seals.

 According to the source, the packages underwent the Preliminary Equivalent Drug Test, the results of which confirmed the presence of drug.

 In February, 162 kilos of the same substance were seized on the boat Star Leader, with Singaporean flag, which was carrying banana to Costa Rica.
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Uruguay to Donate Haiti One Dollar for Every Uruguayan Citizen

Montevideo, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Uruguay will donated Haiti, which country suffered a devastating earthquake in 2010, 3. 477 770  U.S. dollars, corresponding to one dollar for every citizen of Uruguay.

 The Foreign Ministry yesterday issued a resolution to that effect, signed by President Jose Mujica, with the intention to work with the Haitian authorities against damage caused by the natural disaster.

 The resolution emphasizes that the figure is due to the request of the Uruguayan president to donate a dollar for every person in the country, a decision that came to fruition late last year, when the Ministry of Finance and economy ordered the action.

 Uruguay also has a significant number of soldiers in the UN peacekeepers contingent in Haiti.
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Murders Spike in 2013 in Trinidad-Tobago

Port of Spain, 14 Mar (Prensa Latina) There was a "spike" in murders for the first two months of this year compared to last year, but a decrease in serious offences, reported Leader of Government Business in the House Dr Roodal Moonilal.

 According to The Trinidad Express he said that during january and february of 2012 67 people were killed and 83 during the first two months of this year.

 He said there was a 22 per cent decrease in robbery, 34 per cent drop in breaking and burglary, 35 per cent drop in fraud offences, 23 per cent fall in general larceny and a 38 per cent drop in narcotic offences.

 He pointed out the Opposition and others condemn the Government without putting foward other alternatives.

 He stressed that by controlling crime in these areas, there will be a significant decrease in the overall crime rate, and the protective services must be supported when they target these divisions.

 Moonilal noted the Bill, which seeks to grant soldiers police powers, was part of a multipronged approach to crime which included police training, construction of eight new police stations and providing police with vehicles and equipment.
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OTHER INTERNATIONAL STORIES
At Least 40 Years to Dismantle Japan  s Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Tokyo, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Japan faces costs between $ one and 2.5 billion dollars to dismantle the Fukushima plant, according to documents of the Citizen Center for Nuclear Information, based in Tokyo.

 According to information provided to the press, that figure includes the decontamination work, cleaning and compensation, which should last no less than 40 years since the disaster in 2011.

  ó People's lives were destroyed and we will pay trillion yen of taxpayers for that reason, ó  said Hisayo Tanaka, who is an activist of Greenpeace Japan.

 According to the broad report, the nuclear industry and its suppliers made billions with the construction and operation of the six reactors at Fukushima, rated one of the largest of its kind in the world.

 The business sector, including the Tokyo Electric Company (TEPCO) that operates the facility have not paid anything because it is protected by the laws without regard to citizens, said Tanaka.

 Philip White, from the Citizen Center, said they warned that nuclear plants in Japan may be subject to higher or similar earthquakes and were not designed for that purpose.

 For Alexander Likhotal, president of Green Cross International, these dangers were ignored by the plant owners, despite being released by Japan ó s Atomic Energy Organization.
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S. Korea Chemical Plant Blast Kills Five and Injures 11

Seol, 14 Mar (Prensa Latina) Five workers were killed and 11 injured on Thursday when a storage tank exploded at a chemical plant in South Korea in Yeosu, firefighters said.

 The tank, containing inflammable material, exploded around 19:00 (1200 GMT) at a Daelim Industrial plant in the southern coastal city of Yeosu.

 there is an investigation going on to determine the cause of the explotion according to Yonhap news agency.

 Yonhap news agency said the workers had been engaged in welding when the tank storing the plastic polyethylene exploded.
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Police Arrests  New Suspect in Dutch Art Heist

Ámsterdam, 14 Mar (Prensa Latina)German police said today they arrested a man after he allegedly tried to sell seven paintings taken in a Netherlands heist, including a Picasso and two Monets, back to their Dutch owner.

 The 46-year-old German is suspected of blackmail for allegedly offering to broker the return of the paintings to the Triton Foundation, a collection of avant-garde art.

 The seven paintings, which also included a Matisse and a Gauguin, were grabbed in the early hours of Oct. 16 in a lightning theft from the Kunsthal gallery in Rotterdam where they were on display.

 The paintings, worth tens of millions of dollars, have not been recovered.

 Cologne ó s head prosecutor Ulrich Bremer, said that the man was arrested on a warrant from his office on Wednesday near the city of Freiburg in southwestern Germany. He would not release the man ó s name.

 At least four more suspects were arrested for being involved in the robery which is considered one of the most important in history.

 This arrest could take police to new leads.

 The Triton Foundation collection was put together by multimillionaire Willem Cordia, an investor and businessman, and his wife, Marijke Cordia-Van der Laan. Willem Cordia died in 2011.
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USA: Some Two Trillion USD Spent in Iraqi War

Washington, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The war in Iraq will cost US taxpayers over 1.7 trillion USD and at least 190,000 deaths, including civilians and militaries, according to a report from the Watson Institute for International Studies.

 The Institute, at Brown University, says that the sum might reach six trillion USD in the next four decades due to the interests of debts incurred by the US government in that war.

 The document was drafted by some 30 scholars and experts, and comes just a few days before the tenth anniversary of the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq, on March 19, 2003.

 The report says that Washington had little concrete result of the war, in which Iraq suffered multiple traumas in a conflict that also reactivated radical Muslim militias in the region, took women ó s rights back and weakened an already precarious health system.
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Spanish Gov ó t Required to Stop Evictions Immediatly

Madrid, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Social and political organizations applauded today the decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to declare Spanish law on housing evictions are illegal and demanded their immediate cessation.

 In a ruling issued Thursday, the ECJ, based in Luxembourg, found that Spanish measures regulating eviction processes for non-payment of a mortgage violate EU laws on consumer protection.

 Ada Colau, a spokeswoman for the Stop Evictions platform that has worked doggedly to halt evictions across the country, welcomed the ruling and said it could be used by judges and lawyers for mortgage debtors to put thousands of current cases on hold.

 Spanish legislation infringes EU law as it does not allow courts to halt eviction orders on the basis of possible unfair terms in mortgage agreements, according to the ECJ.

 Colau said the public has had much patience and urged the executive to rectify even later.

 She anticipated that the PAH studies legal actions to reclaim the Moncloa Palace (seat of the central government) about the grave situation of legal insecurity of people affected by the evictions, which is considered the most dramatic side of the crisis in Spain.

 From Brussels, where he is attending a EU summit of, Rajoy promised to adapt Spanish legislation to the ECJ ó s recommendations.
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Russian Police Captures Kidnapper and Accomplice

Moscow, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) A police operation in Astrakhan town concluded today with the arrest of the kidnapper of four people in a school and his accomplice, allegedly a student girl, confirmed sources close to the investigation.

 After threatening with carrying a revolver and explosives, the captor, identified as Alexander Kuptson, 25, took four people as hostages and demanded some pizza, some snack and 50,000 rubles (little over 1,660 USD), said officials of the regional Investigation Committee.

 The hostages included two adults and two student girls. Other sources indicated that first there were five hostages.

 According to a Russian TV Channel 24 report, the aggressor justified the kidnapping with the desire to leave town and he could not see any other way to do it.

 Police failed to provide detail on the individual ó s mental state or if he was acting under the influence of stimulants.
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Days of Demonstration in Brooklyn  After Death of Kimani Gray

Washington, 14 Mr (Prensa Latina) New York Police arrested more than 50 people during the fourth day of demostrations for the killing of an african american youngster.

 Kimani Gray, 16, was killed by a police patrol last saturday in a polemic incident that relatives call racist and hiding evidence on the part of policemen.

 His cousin Ray Charles,that the story of the police is very strange because he was a very non violent kid that hated weapons and all of the sudden they say he was packing a 38 revolver.

 Authorities said he was acting suspicious and plain clothes officers approached him. According to police, Gray pointed a 38-caliber revolver at them, and they opened fire. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

 The medical examiner's office ruled that Gray was hit seven times, and had wounds in both the front and back of his body, including his shoulder, rib cage, forearm and legs.

 The demonstrations are taking place in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, started on monday.
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Thailand Promises to End Elephant Hunting

Bangkok, Mar 14th (Prensa Latina) Thai Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra promised to end the national ivory market under the pressure exerted today by several ecological groups that denounced the elephant poaching increase in this country.

 The non-governmental organizations (ONG) Foundation of Asian Elephants of Thailand and Friends of Asian Elephants demanded that the authorities took urgent measures to stop elephant hunting before it was too late.

 There are around 3,000 domestic specimens in the country and a similar number of wild others, said the Elephant Protection Center said that in Thailand. According to estimations, there were 100,000 free elephants in the then Kingdom of Siam.

 According to media reports and this ONG, the most recent victim of poachers was a female elephant between seven and ten years old, which was shot with AK46 and M16 rifles in the southern province of Petchaburi.

 Authorities believe that poachers were after her offspring which could be sold in $33,000 US to tourists or private zoos.
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UN Admits Extrajudicial Executions and Torture in Libya

United Nations, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The UN Security Council warned today of reports of reprisals, arbitrary detentions, mistreatment, torture and extrajudicial executions in Libya and welcomed what has been described as positive advances in that country.

 In a resolution adopted today, the UNSC demanded the immediate release of all foreigners illegally held and reminded Libyan authorities of their responsibility in the protection of the population, including African immigrants.

 However, the 15-member body decided to lift the embargo to military supplies, technical and financial assistance and training, in force since March 2011.

 In this regard, the resolution urges the Libyan government to intensify the watch over the armament and related material they receive, and extended for 12 months the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya to assist the authorities and  ó establish national priorities and needs and look for strategic and technical advice in line with them, as well as to negotiate a the process of democratic transition ó  and the preparation, drafting and approval of a new Constitution.
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Repercussion in the World After Election of Pope Francis

Vatican, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The recently elected Pope Francis prayed to Virgin Mary today during a visit to the Basilica of Saint Mary Maggiore in Rome during his first day as a Pope.

 According to the Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, the Pope, Argentinean Jorge Mario Bergoglio, will receive on Saturday the press in the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican, where all people are allowed to enter.

 Uruguayan President Jose Mujica described as historic the election of a Pope from Latin America.

 Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko expressed he is confident the relations between his country and the Vatican strengthen under the pontificate of Francis and invited him to visit Belarusia.

 Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Pope Francis I and expressed his conviction that the cooperation between Russia and the Vatican will continue to be successful.

 South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria also congratulated the Pope as well as China and Australia, while the Japanese government expressed its hope to move forward in its relation with the Vatican.

 Some heads of State and Government announced their visit on Tuesday to the Papal Inauguration Mass of the Pontificate of Pope Francis, to be held at 9:30 (local time) in Saint Peter ó s Square.

 Argentinean leader Cristina Fernandez, who wishes the Pope can achieve more brotherhood among all peoples and religions, will attend the ceremony.

 Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Spanish President Mariano Rajoy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will also attend the mass.
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France and United Kingdom to Arm Illegal Syrian Groups

Paris, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) France and the United Kingdom announced today their intention to supply weapons to the Syrian opposition, something labeled in Damascus as flagrant violation of the international law.

 French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said London and Paris are willing to lift the armaments embargo from the opposition, although they would not be able to convince the rest of their allies in the European Union (EU).

 Fabius asserted that the French and the British maintain "an identical stance" and considered that the EU should make a statement quickly about this issue.

 Referring to this topic, the Syrian SANA news agency called this decision a flagrant violation of the international law.

 France was the first country to recognize the so-called National Coalition for the Forces of the Revolution and the Syrian Opposition, a project that according to Damascus, is used by foreign powers to destroy the country.

 The Syrian Foreign Ministry denounced this week at the UN the increase of international weapon supplies to the mercenary groups that are trying to overthrow the government of Bashar al Assad.

 According to the Foreign Ministry, there is evidence to prove that the country's infrastructure is being destroyed with European armaments, although the EU countries say they maintain an embargo on military-equipment exports.
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Unemployment Increases in the European Union and Eurozone

Brussels, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The unemployment in the European Union (EU) and the Eurozone worsened during the fourth quarter of 2012, without an immediate solution that may be glimpsed amid the economic crisis affecting the region.

 According to data disclosed today for the office Eurostat, in the EU the employment level fell by 0.2 percent in the analyzed segment, in comparison with the three precedent months.

 For the case of the Eurozone, the setback was of 0.3 percent, compared to 0.1 percent  in the previous quarter.

 In annual terms the generation of jobs experienced a decrease of 0.4 and 0.8 percent in the EU and in the countries that share the unique currency, respectively.

 Also, Portugal and Lithuania were the nations with the biggest decrease of jobs in the last quarter of 2012, with two percent, followed by Bulgaria (1.5) and Spain (1.4).

 Only Germany, considered the locomotive of Europe, registered an increase in the creation of jobs, by 0.1 percent.
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Signing of Pact to Establish Israeli Govt. Delayed

Tel Aviv, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Last minute problems delayed today the signing of the agreement that will give birth to the new Israeli Government, set up yesterday alter intensive negotiations by Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.

 The ceremony was postponed because of the unexplained absence of ultranationalist Natfali Bennet-led Habait Hayehudi, which has triggered speculation.

 To form a viable team, Netanyahu was forced to rely on the surprise of January polls, media mogul Yair Lapid, whose party got 19 seats in the latest elections, second to the Likud-Beitenu coalition (31), 10 below expected.

 One of the versions says that the focus of the dispute is the appointment of deputy prime ministers in the team, also including Foreign Minister Tzipi Llvni-led Hatnua and minority Kadima, which barely got two seats in the latest polls.

 The issue is expected to be solved in negotiations among the parties, but in case Netanyahu fails to reach an agreement, he will barely have 48 hours to form a new Cabinet, taking into account that the two-week deadline given by President Shimon Perez is to expire on Saturday, which would force him to convene a new consultation.

 Even in case that emergency arises, the prime minister would have the option to resort to ultra-orthodox groups, the customary shoulder for Israeli premiers in trouble to cry on, which would mean concessions to the religious circles.
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Argentina Keeping Third Place in FIFA Ranking

Zurich, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The Argentine soccer national team kept itself in the 3rd place of the world ranking made by the International Soccer Federation (FIFA) after the publishing of its recent update Thursday.

 In the top of the ranking still is Spain, World and European Champion, for a week more in this list, which did not have any change in the 10 first places.

 Spain if the first place with 1,610 points, being followed by Germany (1,473) and Argentina (1,309).  The fourth place is occupied by England (1,174) and Italy is the 5th (1,173) to complete the so-called  ó top five ó .

 Colombia is the 6th after breaking a tie with Portugal, a team that went down to the 7th.

 Ecuador climbed up two places and now is in the 11th place, just one place from its best placing ever.

 List of the first 10 teams in the FIFA World Ranking: 

 1.- Spain.- 1,610 points.

 2.- Germany.- 1,473 

3.- Argentina.- 1,309 

4.- England.- 1, 174 

5.- Italy.-       1,173 

6.- Colombia.- 1,159 

7.- Portugal.-  1,133 

8.- Holland.-  1,106 

9.- Croatia.-   1.080 

10.- Russia.-  1,064.
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Syrian Prime Minister Highlights News Role Against Media Campaign

Damascus, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaki, today praised the role played by the mass media and the national media to expose what he saw as a conspiracy and international media campaign to destroy this Arab country.

 He stressed that journalists here face a media war devulging a lot of falsehoods, with which they used credible and transparent news to fight them.

 At the same time praised the how the press had managed to promote a culture of dialogue and national property among citizens.

 The prior emerged from a meeting in Damascus between Ministerial Commission "led by al-Halaki-in charge of promoting the political program to realize the peace plan, with the president of the Syrian Journalists Union Elias Murad, and the head of the National Media Council, Taleb Kadi Amin, along with members of both entities.

 The Premier explained to those present the results of the efforts of the negotiating body he handles, which makes consultation meetings with all political and social forces of the nation in order to realize a roadmap to end the dispute here that is already two years.

 He explained that to achieve the desired national reconciliation is necessry to opt choose national unity, rejection of violence and terrorist acts by armed groups and to have faith that the peaceful and political solutions are the only possible to get rid of the crisis without interference from abroad.
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Intl Blockade Against Syria is Immoral and Inhuman

Damascus, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Minister of Higher Education and Research Mohammed Yahya Mualla described today as immoral and inhuman the international blockade that seeks to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad administration and has turned the Syrian people into its main victim.

 The regulations imposed by the United States, the European Union and countries of the Middle East caused the suspension of most of the contracts to supply medical equipments and import some medicines for people with terminal illnesses.

 This action is unjust, immoral and inhuman, underlined the official today during a meeting with Samir Ben Yahmed, director of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

 Both figured assessed the needs of university teaching hospitals as well as joint action mechanisms to fulfill the needs of health and medicine and equipments supply in the current conditions of crisis.

 The minister recalled that many hospitals that are part of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research have been targets of attacks, destruction and lootings by armed groups that are backed and supplied by the West.

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Malaysia Strengthens Permanent Security in Invaded Territory

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The recent invasion of Philippines in Sabah territory, Malaysia, led the government to strengthen its security meassures, with the establishment of a permanent military base to prevent similar subsequent incidents.

 Indicated the defense minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, while the army continues fighting armed supporters of Sultan Sulu, which are still active, raising sovereign claims.

 Last week, the prime minister, Najib Razak had announced the creation of a special security area that will  cover 1,440 kilometers of coastline in more than two thirds of the Saba area, in the north of Borneo island.

 The independant analyst on defensive issues, Dzirhan Mahadzir told the media here that the new base could be a small part of a wider review of Malaysia policy in this regard, as a result of the crisis.

 According to the source the country has one  facility of this type in Kota Kinabalu which houses two Scorpene submarines and three more in different parts of the coast.

 The Malaysian armed forces chief Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said in press conference that during clashes in recent weeks, 57 Filipinos were killed of the so-called  royal army of Sulu, plus one soldier and nine policemen.
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Parliament Appoints New Chinese President

Beijing, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The Chinese parliament appointed Xio Jinping today as new President of China and the Central Military Commission, confirming him as the top leader of this country of more than 1.3 billion inhabitants and the second economy in the world.

 Xi assumed the General Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the 13th Conference held in November to replace Ju Jintao. He also replaced Jintao as Head of State.

 Chinese laws establish two five-year terms of office as the maximum period for occupying important posts and current parliamentary deliberations include replacing the president, vice presidents, prime minister, cabinet members and members of the National People's Assembly (NPA).    The leadership of the Political Consultative Conference of the Chinese People was also replaced, concluding two days ago with the election of Yu Zhengsheng, member of the CPC Permanent Committee as its president.

 In the elections held today in the 12th NPA, Li Yuanchao, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party Central Committee, was elected Vice President of China.
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Prime Minister of Luxembourg Admits Possible Social Explosion

Brussels, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) The Prime Minister of Louxemburg, Jean Claude-Juncker, admitted today the possibility of a social explosion in Europe and called to look for a balance between the policies of austerity and growth.

 When attending a summit of the European Union in this capital, Claude-Juncker considered that the imperious need to combat the fiscal deficit and the public debt and to look for an interaction between the policies of austerity and those of economic impulse, should be better explained.

 The statements of the ex-president of the Eurogroup coincides with demonstrations summoned by the European Confederation of Unions against the adjustment measures applied by the nations of the old continent, now in a deep recession for almost five years.


 When concluding 2012, contrary to some optimistic forecasts, the economies of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece registered negative figures of growth, in spite of the application of drastic cuttings in social plans that rather increased the unemployment and the abandonment.

 Last March 2nd, demonstrations in Portugal against the measures of austerity applied by the government of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho were registered, in one of the most recent demonstrations of rejection extended in all Europe in the last months.


 Claude-Juncker ended up carrying out, on the other hand, parallelisms with the situation observed last century in Europe, before the World War I began.

 In statements to German magazine Der Spiegel, the Luxembourgian Head of Government pointed out that in 1913 there was full trust in the firm impossibility of a world conflagration because of the level of existent economic interdependence in the European region.

 But the appearance of nationalism and the problems of the economy can be "a reminiscence of the situation in Europe before World War I", the statesman considered.
sgl/ef/tac/rc/to

Australia Gets First Aboriginal Government Leader

Canberra, 14 Mar (Prensa Latina ) Australia first indigenous head of government Adam Giles wants his entire administration to focus on indigenous affairs.

 Australia now has its first Aboriginal leader of a provincial government, and has made some effort in recent years to recruit Aboriginal candidates. He won with the Liberal Party.

 Prime Minister, Julia Gillard,greeted this first victory during a speech in Parliament.

 There were around a million aboriginals in Australia when the british colonial power took over in 1788 a now there are only 500 thousand of a total population of 22 million australians.
sgl/jf/arc

At Least 40 Years to Dismantle Japan  s Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Tokyo, Mar 14 (Prensa Latina) Japan faces costs between $ one and 2.5 billion dollars to dismantle the Fukushima plant, according to documents of the Citizen Center for Nuclear Information, based in Tokyo.

 According to information provided to the press, that figure includes the decontamination work, cleaning and compensation, which should last no less than 40 years since the disaster in 2011.

  ó People's lives were destroyed and we will pay trillion yen of taxpayers for that reason, ó  said Hisayo Tanaka, who is an activist of Greenpeace Japan.

 According to the broad report, the nuclear industry and its suppliers made billions with the construction and operation of the six reactors at Fukushima, rated one of the largest of its kind in the world.

 The business sector, including the Tokyo Electric Company (TEPCO) that operates the facility have not paid anything because it is protected by the laws without regard to citizens, said Tanaka.

 Philip White, from the Citizen Center, said they warned that nuclear plants in Japan may be subject to higher or similar earthquakes and were not designed for that purpose.

 For Alexander Likhotal, president of Green Cross International, these dangers were ignored by the plant owners, despite being released by Japan ó s Atomic Energy Organization.
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