All posts by Carmen Gomaro

Carmen Gomaro - leading international news and investigative reporter. Worked at various media outlets in Spain, Argentina and Colombia, including Diario de Cádiz, CNN+, Telemadrid and EFE.
INTERNATIONAL

The Belgian Minister of Justice resigns after admitting that the request for extradition to Tunisia of the terrorist who killed two Swedes was not processed

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The Belgian Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne, presented his resignation this Friday at a press conference organized in the presence of the Attorney General of Brussels, Johan Delmulle.. His departure comes after information published this morning, which indicated that on August 15 of last year, Tunisia requested the extradition of Abdesalem Lassoued, the jihadist terrorist who last Monday killed two Swedish citizens and injured a third after declaring his loyalty to the Islamic State. But a magistrate, the person responsible, did not process the request, which ended in a tragedy for which he now assumes political responsibilities.

In a few days it became known that Lassoued arrived in Europe, via Lampedusa, in 2011, and that he had been in the EU irregularly since then.. First in Italy, then in Sweden, where he spent two years in prison, and finally in Belgium. Here they knew since 2016, from reports from intelligence services from other countries, that he was dangerous and had become radicalized, threatening to kill another person in a shelter.. He was on the radar and set off alarm bells, but Belgium didn't do much to locate him. Not even when the man presented the papers in one of the communes of Brussels to register.

“It is an individual, monumental and unacceptable error,” said the minister, assuming with his resignation the political responsibilities of the Ministry and the Government.. Van Quickenborne had been on the tightrope for months and had exhausted his political capital. He miraculously saved the position after a major political scandal occurred, especially in Flanders, known as the “pipigate”, when images were leaked of several guests at his 50th birthday party urinating while laughing in the patrol car parked next to his living place.

The security forces, who have experienced several incidents with Flemish politicians in recent months, complained of a lack of respect. The Police were there to escort the politician after he received death threats last year that were considered very credible, from international trafficking gangs, those who control the ports through which the bulk of central Europe's cocaine enters.

“From the beginning, my team and I gathered all the details of this case to clarify any errors that may have been made (…) This morning at 9 a.m. I was able to verify the following elements: August 15, 2022 there was an extradition request from Tunisia for this man. This request was transmitted on September 1, as it should have been, by the legal expert to the Brussels public prosecutor's office. The competent magistrate did not respond to this extradition request and the file was not processed. This is an individual error. A monumental mistake. An unacceptable mistake. An error with dramatic consequences,” the minister said in statements reported by the newspaper Le Soir.

“The independence of a judge is the basis of our rule of law. I have always defended this principle and I will continue to defend it. As Minister of Justice I cannot in any way interfere in the decisions of a judge. Although it is the job of a judge individual and independent, I want to take responsibility for this unacceptable error. I am not looking for any pretext at all. I don't look for excuses. I feel like it's my duty to do it,” he added.

In 2022, a total of 31 international extradition requests were transmitted to this magistrate. Thirty of them were prosecuted, but the only one that was not, Van Quickenborne said, was that of the terrorist. “A regrettable combination of circumstances has occurred,” prosecutor Johan Delmulle lamented at his side.

The minister had been questioned a lot but in the Belgian political class there are doubts that he is ultimately responsible for what happened. However, in 2016, Belgium already endured harsh criticism, inside and outside the country, for the functioning of its security and intelligence services, for the errors of the Police, the Prosecutor's Office and the courts.. Due to errors, the permissiveness of the system or regulations that prevented, for example, raids after nine at night, even in cases of extreme seriousness.. With his decision he wants to settle the controversy and avoid the anxiety of the Government, since these days speculation has already begun about the survival of the so-called Vivaldi Coalition, which brings together seven parties from both linguistic communities and all kinds of political lines, from socialists to liberals through environmentalists and Dutch Christian democrats.

“This new information from the Prosecutor's Office touches my heart, because I have done everything possible to improve our Justice system. I conveyed this information to the Prime Minister and informed him that I would be tendering my resignation as Minister of Justice.. I sincerely want to apologize in the name of Justice to the victims and their loved ones.. I would also like to apologize in the name of Justice to the Swedish people and our fellow citizens,” he said goodbye.

ECONOMY

Germany reinforces the control of pressure groups in politics with fines of up to 50,000 euros

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Germany has tightened the registration of lobbyists and expanded the information obligations of depression groups, an amalgam of companies, banks and organizations of all kinds that have some 13,000 lobbyists and invest more than 800 million euros annually to influence legislative projects or in defending their interests. Failure to comply with the new rules could result in fines of up to 50,000 euros.

“The representation of interests does not have to be bad, but it must be transparent and this shows how strong and intense the efforts to influence us are,” says Social Democratic MP Johannes Fechner.

The amendments approved by the Bundestag to the register of pressure groups in force since the beginning of 2022 aim to provide transparency to the actions of lobbyists and their relationship with politicians, especially with public officials. loud ones like that of former chancellor Gehard Schroeder, who shortly after leaving office became head of the supervisory board of the Russian energy company Gazprom. He hasn't been the only one. Torsten Albig, former head of the government of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, and now lobbyist for American tobacco company Philip Morrislbig. They are joined by deputies involved in mask businesses during the covid pandemic, for influence peddling or for lobbying for American computer companies, such as the conservative Phillip Amthor.

Among the loopholes closed by the amendments approved in the Bundestag and which, once they pass the control of the Bundesrat, will come into force in January, is the obligation for lobbyists to indicate, for example, which specific legislative project they want to influence, reveal how much money they have and declare whether they represent the interests of their real client or those of a third party. This will also apply if the lobbying work is related to European Union legislation.

The coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz was especially committed to this, because the position taken by the German Government in Brussels on important issues such as climate and energy policy, agriculture or the regulation of chemicals is of great importance, for the Government, but also for business pressure groups.

The registry of pressure groups has been maintained on the German Bundestag website since the beginning of 2022. Since then, 5,500 companies, associations, networks and even individuals have registered, but not all will be subject to the same obligations and that is one of the points that criticizes the anti-corruption organization Transparency Germany. “Many small steps forward are being taken, but a big bang is missing,” they say.. Transparency criticizes the renunciation of the figure of the lobby commissioner as an independent control body, the fact that federal ministries are not subject to the rule and that there is an exemption from it for business associations, unions and churches.

The law requires information on the financing of pressure groups. The names of the donors and the value of the respective donation must be revealed in the lobby register if the legal threshold of 20,000 euros is exceeded individually or in total. All financial disclosures are now mandatory, but Transparency International maintains that with the new regulation, in many cases even very large donations remain in the dark, facilitating the covert financing of lobbying initiatives and hiding underlying interests.. Thus, donations of more than 10,000 euros, which do not represent more than ten percent of the total donations, would no longer have to be published.

For the conservative opposition, “this would lead to a situation in which “green-left apron organizations” such as Greenpeace, BUND or Deutsche Umwelthilfe would no longer have to reveal how they are financed.

The opposition also criticizes the amendments approved with the majority of the parties in the government coalition, social democrats, liberals and greens because they lead to more opacity and more bureaucracy. “This law is a complete disaster”. adventure Patrick Schnieder, from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

The digital association Bitkom criticized the reform for overreaching. “The new documentation requirements impose a disproportionately high administrative burden.”

However, they should not be a problem for large pressure groups and among the hundred most powerful and active are banks, insurance companies, investment companies, the automobile industry and energy companies.. According to the “Finanzwende” movement, the main pressure group is the German Insurance Association (GDV). It has up to 150 different lobby groups and in 2021 alone it invested 15 million euros for this purpose.

SPAIN

The senior lawyer who opposed the amnesty in Congress leaves and Armengol looks for a replacement

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The senior lawyer of the Cortes Generales, Carlos Gutiérrez, has asked to leave office after nine and a half years at the head of the legal team. This is corroborated by various parliamentary sources to this newspaper.. Gutiérrez wants to step aside and has made this known to the president of Congress, Francina Armengol, who is already looking for a replacement for him.

This position, also called general secretary of the Congress of Deputies, is of vital importance for the future of parliamentary activity, due to the important role played by lawyers.. Above all, in terms of legal and technical advice. They resolve possible doubts that the Presidency, the Board or the deputies may have.. In addition, they issue non-binding reports and opinions on the rules, agreements and actions of Congress.. His refereeing role is not minor.

Among the possible substitutes that are being considered in the internal “pools” of the legal team of the Lower House, Mercedes Araújo, currently attached to Gutiérrez, stands out.. The name of Mercedes Cabrera Orejas, general director of Relations with the Courts in the Ministry of the Presidency, has also been used, but the sources consulted do not see her with options because it would imply a greater share of power for Minister Félix Bolaños. At least two other people surveyed have rejected the position. One of them, José Antonio Moreno, the opto assistant to the senior lawyer.

Five years old

The Regulation states that general secretaries must have more than five years of seniority as Cortes lawyers.. Armengol (PSOE) will have to choose his legal right hand at a time of tensions in the Board, after the four members of the PP complained about his decision to declare “null” the erroneous vote – later corrected – of Eduard Pujol in the Feijóo investiture vote. Furthermore, the PP is accusing the president of the Chamber of blocking its initiatives and of having implemented the use of co-official languages before approving it.

Hence the importance of the figure of the senior lawyer at the current time.. Not in vain, we must remember that Gutiérrez signed a very clear report against the amnesty in 2021, and his departure could occur before another opinion has to be prepared on a new bill for amnesty for the crimes of the process.. The fact that Gutiérrez already asked Meritxell Batet to leave office confirms that the general secretary of Congress is not leaving for this reason. It simply coincides in time.

Two and a half years ago, in March 2021, the Congressional Committee examined an organic law proposal from ERC, Junts, PdeCAT and the CUP to wipe the slate clean on all crimes “of political intention” since 2013.

The lawyers of Congress, led by Carlos Gutiérrez, forcefully rejected the norm by ensuring that it entered into a “glaring contradiction” with the Constitution.. Specifically, with article 62, which prohibits “general pardons”. With that report in hand, the PSOE voted against the processing of the measure and, then, dried up any possibility of a general amnesty.

In fact, the PSOE leaders who are negotiating the possible amnesty have this report very much in mind and are trying to ensure that the amnesty is not a general pardon, but rather a kind of agreement with “conditionality” in which the independentists commit to “security.” legal». For now, this obstacle has not been overcome.

SPAIN

The amnesty will return to the Senate before the end of the year with the Debate on the state of the Autonomous Communities after 18 years

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The PP leaves satisfied with its display of “territorial muscle” in the General Commission of the Autonomous Communities, but with the bittersweet feeling of having boxed in the mirror. Sin rival. The absence of the PSOE barons stole the hand-to-hand debate on the amnesty, so that the interventions of the 11 popular regional presidents, the presidents of Ceuta and Melilla and the vice president of the Canary Islands became a concatenation of speeches whose success was measured by accumulation, rather than by contrast.

Only the presence of Pere Aragonès offered any option for parliamentary fencing, but the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia wanted to show that he had nothing to debate with the leaders of the PP and left the forum as soon as he finished his speech.. In any case, in Genoa they are satisfied for two reasons. Firstly, because they believe they have stated more clearly than ever “that territorial power belongs to the PP” and that this is going to be the constant tone of the legislature.. The second, because “defending the equality of citizens before those who want privileges and doing so from the institutions, with a sense of state, shows that there is an alternative to Sánchez's souk.”

For this reason, the PP is not going to stop there and, as EL MUNDO has confirmed, it is going to resurrect the Debate on the state of the Autonomous Communities before the end of the year, most likely in November, according to the sources consulted.. This is a discussion forum that has not been convened since 2005.. 18 years later, the PP wants to use it as the second parliamentary battering ram against the amnesty, after yesterday's commission.

This debate, similar to the State of the Nation Debate held in Congress, but focused on territorial policies, has only been held three times so far, according to sources from the Upper House.. In 1994, with Felipe González; in 1997, with José María Aznar; and in 2005, with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The Senate Regulations establish that the General Commission of Autonomous Communities can hold, once a year, a Debate on the state of the autonomies. After this debate, the different parliamentary groups can present motions for debate in the Plenary Session of the Upper House.

On the three occasions in which it has been held, the format was the following: first, a debate session within the framework of the General Commission of the Autonomous Communities with the participation of the President of the Government and the regional presidents; and, later, a Plenary session dedicated to the debate and approval of motions resulting from the session held in the Commission.

Frontal opposition to the amnesty

With this decision – already firm – the popular people want to maintain their frontal opposition to the amnesty, especially at a time when the PSOE is negotiating its constitutional fit with Junts and ERC, as a key to access to the investiture.

The PP's plans are disrupted by the fact that the PSOE does not attend the Senate debates, like yesterday, which is why they are going to revive this obsolete format, since they believe that the president would be morally obliged to attend, since that is what they did. his two socialist predecessors, González and Zapatero. “It would have to come,” they categorically maintain in the popular parliamentary leadership.

«Aragonès has acted as a perfect spokesperson for Sánchez and has been clear about the referendum and that they are political prisoners.. The PSOE cannot remain silent in the face of this and leave it without responding,” they judge the leadership of the PP.. But the truth is that the socialists have avoided an uncomfortable debate that could not only harm them internally, but also make the investiture itself more expensive.. “It is evident that they cannot respond to Aragonès because they are assuming everything,” they conclude, in reference to the amnesty and the possibility of an agreed consultation.

SPORTS

A relentless New Zealand overwhelms Argentina (6-44) and goes to the final of the Rugby World Cup

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The most questioned All Blacks of the last decade will compete in the World Cup final in France. If in the last two years, with their ups and downs, they had shown that, in addition to being charismatic, they are mortal, in this championship they certify that, when results matter, they are screwed on the podium. Solid in defense, very sharp in attack, this Friday they confirmed it by defeating Argentina with indisputable resoundingness. On Saturday they will play their fifth final.

The Pumas were approaching this clash as the team with the highest percentage of possession and territory in the championship. And they started bossily, advancing by pushing into the rival 22 to take, on the second attempt, a converted punishment blow (min 5, 3-0). On the downside, indiscipline: two infractions in a row have given the All Blacks air. The black team had barely touched the oval and they already had a throw-in five meters from the try line, where they behave like sharks. Jordan score and comeback (min.10, 3-7).

Argentina insisted, transformed into a tractor. Short march, towards the front, overcoming obstacles, gaining the lead line and looking little to the sides. But with the test in sight, a lost ball showed him the cruelest lesson. The New Zealanders hunted it down, they accelerated like motorcycles, they opened wide, and from their dizzying excursion they returned with the second essay, by Jordi Barret (min. 15, 3-12).

If Cheika's Argentina exhibits anything, it is conviction in his plan. Until now, except against England, it had served him. Back on track, almost always at hand and in short order. In front, the New Zealand defense, although it retreated, never lost its position. After half an hour, the insistence of the Pumas, tough up front, had a smaller reward. The three points from a penalty blow (min 34, 6-12) were not enough, they had been one finger away from landing.

It took the New Zealanders less than three minutes to reestablish the safety margin (min, 38, 6-15) and they still added a third try, by Fritzell, before the break (3-20). Wait for the moment, swallow meters, add points. This is how the All Blacks machinery smokes.

In some way, the first half summarized the trajectory of both throughout the championship. The Americans had scored 17 tries and the Oceanians, 41. It is much more difficult for the Argentines to score points, this Friday they have not been bad with the ball in their hands; His problem began when, due to defense or fatigue, he slipped away. Then the black display at the sprint dismasted them.

After conceding three goals in 40 minutes, the Pumas were forced to perform heroics in the second half. His chances were extinguished in minutes. The men in black easily dominated a scrum on the edge of the 22 and their number 9, Smith, showed experience and ability to go to the closed side (min. 43, 6-27).

It didn't take long for the other medium, Mounga, to demonstrate that he is a master at space intuition. The offensive began that led to the fifth black goal and a very eloquent score (min. 50, 6-34). The match was a monologue, Will Jordan won the sixth (min. 62, 6-39). And the seventh, in a counterattack (min. 74, 6-44) There is no limit to this player's voracity: 31 marks in 30 international matches. Legendary numbers for the World Cup's top scorer.

The oceanic exhibition has been a somewhat excessive punishment for Argentina. She was excited at the beginning, she looked confident, she even fulfilled the first commandment of imposing her lead. He could not, on the contrary, avoid New Zealand's rapid transitions. The contained score to which he aspired was a chimera.

The clash ended uncontrollably, with the Pumas trying to find the test of honor. They didn't get it. Already defunded, they were dominated even in territory and possession. The South Americans had conceded seven goals throughout the tournament, seven more they received this Friday. All, with the dedication of the All Blacks. When they step on the opposite 22, there is no mercy possible for the rival.

SPORTS

Nadal and his return: "My first option would be in January, in Australia, but I don't know for sure"

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Rafael Nadal acknowledged that the pain from the psoas injury that has kept him out of competition all year has not yet completely disappeared, but he stressed that in training he can “do more things.”

The winner of 22 Grand Slams pointed to the Australian Open as an idea of returning to competition, although he did not guarantee it, in an event at the Madrid Costume Museum where he presented a line of food supplements together with Juan Matji, president of Cantabria Labs , with whom he shares the initiative.

“There is still no return date. The Davis Cup no longer, because we are eliminated and November could not have been. I go day by day because I don't have the ability to know how my body will be in a few months.. “My first option right now would be in January, in Australia, but I don't know for sure,” Nadal said.

“I can train a little more and that is already progress. I have less pain, but I still have discomfort. If I didn't have pain I could give a date. But I do things that I couldn't do before, I train a little more,” added the Manacorí tennis player.

Nadal was cautious but optimistic: “I'm on the right path. Although it is an injury that I have not had before. But I am excited, which is the most important thing.. It's an injury that's new to me and it's uncharted territory.. “I tried to come back in the gravel season and it wasn't possible, that's why I don't know and I can't say when I'm going to return.”

INTERNATIONAL

Israel, to its soldiers: "You see Gaza from afar, but soon you will be inside"

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While the Israeli Air Force continues to hit any objective that is related to the military and institutional infrastructure of the fundamentalist group Hamas, also with the objective of paving – or destroying – the ground for the ground offensive, the civilian population of the Gaza Strip hopes that a of its doors open today to receive humanitarian aid.

The green light from Israel, after pressure from the US, will allow the entry of between 20 and 30 trucks with water, food and medicine through the Rafah border crossing. For several days, different NGOs have been waiting in the Egyptian control zone to be able to enter an enclave radically different from the one they knew before October 7 when Hamas launched its most lethal attack and killed 1,400 people in southern Israel.

“The volunteers were very excited to go to Gaza in order to help them there with whatever it takes, but day after day goes by and they are disappointed and angry because they feel helpless, they want to help and they see that they can't get in,” lamented Heba Rashed. , from the NGO Mersal Foundation, by phone from Rafah to Efe.

According to the Ministry of Health controlled by Hamas, the hospitals of Beit Janun, Al Durra, Al Karama and the International Ophthalmology have stopped functioning. Its spokesman assured that 44 employees have died since the start of the war in a death toll that has exceeded 3,500.. “Beyond what is going to come in, fuel is also needed for hospital generators, ambulances and desalination plants,” requested the World Health Organization.

Every day that passes is a test of survival for a Gaza under bombardment in which a million people have already left their homes in search of refuge.. The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees set up tents in the southern area.

When will the ground offensive take place? This is the question asked by many of the tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers deployed near the border with the Strip.. Beyond the embrace of President Joe Biden, which is so close that it also serves as a means of control and restraint, the army does not want to rush because it is not just another escalation in which the objective is to end it in a few days or weeks at most. hit militias and restore calm in front of Hamas' Gaza. Now the goal is calm without Hamas in Gaza. And this requires different operational plans since ending both the regime and the armed wing of Hamas and Islamic Jihad may require months.

Israeli kidnapped

More reasons: fear for the lives of the more than 200 Israeli hostages in a densely populated territory in which the Tsáhal plans to break in with a very intense opening of fire, allowing a greater evacuation of Palestinians from the north to the south and giving more time to the Air Force to clean accesses, roads and infrastructure, some of them mined by the militias who, as one of their spokespersons warns, have been preparing for this scenario for years.. For example, with the famous tunnels that shield thousands of Hamas and Islamic Jihad troops.. And Whoever decided to send 1,500 militiamen to murder and kidnap in Israel took into consideration that the response would be enemy soldiers in the streets of Beit Lahia, Beit Janun and Gaza.

The Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, visited a meeting and preparation center of the Givati Brigade to advance the soldiers: “Now you see Gaza from afar and soon you will be inside. Continue training, the order will come. “The campaign will not be short or easy but in the end Hamas will be destroyed.”

“Almost two weeks ago, terrorists murdered our children, wives, parents and friends. They committed atrocities and broadcast them to deter us. There is no forgiveness,” he added.

Among the dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets bombed in Gaza including two buildings, the Air Force killed the head of the Islamist power's security service, Jihad Mahsin, the leader of the Popular Resistance Committees militia in Rafah, Rafat Harb Hussein, and the first woman to be part of the Islamist politburo in Gaza, Jamila Al Shanti. Born in 1957 in the Jabalia refugee camp, she was also known as the widow of one of the founders of Hamas, AbdelAziz Rantisi.. Aware of always being under the permanent Israeli radar for his participation in attacks, Rantisi once said: “I would rather die from an Apache helicopter attack than from a heart attack.”. This was the case in 2004 in a targeted assassination in Gaza.

24 hours after Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Israel to express his “strong support against the terrorist group Hamas”. Just as the US has done, the United Kingdom shows solidarity with the population of Gaza “kidnapped by Hamas” and reinforces its military presence in the region.

The Israeli army has increased by 203 the number of kidnapped people held by Hamas, including 30 children and between 10 and 20 elderly people.. An unprecedented figure that varies depending on Intelligence and especially the discovery of bodies of missing persons.. One of the bodies found yesterday was that of Nitzan, a 19-year-old young man who was murdered like his father.. A relative of yours who gave us an interview a few days ago expected you to be among the hostages.. “They found the body in the Kfar Aza Kibbutz that was razed by terrorists. My heart is broken and I feel angry and sad,” he now tells EL MUNDO on the same day the bodies of the autistic girl Noya Dan (12) were found. ) and his grandmother Carmela (80) murdered by Hamas. It is estimated that there are still between 100 and 200 missing.

Agents from special units are permanently in the southern area due to the more than likely presence of Hamas sleeper cells. They would be among those who, after their massive infiltration, did not manage to return to Gaza nor were they killed or detained in Israel, which yesterday was once again the target of the projectiles fired by Hamas.

INTERNATIONAL

21 journalists have died in Gaza and Israel in two weeks

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At least 21 journalists have died in Gaza and Israel in just two weeks, more than those killed by media coverage of the conflict in the Middle East in the last two decades, according to data from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).. The worrying data has coincided with the approval of emergency measures by the Israeli Government to promote the closure of the Al Jazeera network, accused of “disseminating pro-Palestinian propaganda”, and threatening other media with actions that “could harm the security of the state.” “, amid growing harsh criticism of the BBC for its coverage.

The first three journalists killed were Israelis, during the Hamas attacks on October 7 that caused at least 1,400 fatalities.. The majority of the deceased information professionals, seventeen in total, are however Palestinians who are among the 3,785 killed in the Israeli air offensive in Gaza. A Lebanese cameraman has died while covering Hezbollah skirmishes on the border with northern Israel.

“Journalists in the region are making great sacrifices to cover this harrowing conflict,” warned Sherif Masour, CPJ's Middle East coordinator.. “All parties must take measures to ensure the safety of professionals, who are civilians doing important work in times of crisis and should not be targeted.”

The lethal count began on October 7 during the Hamas attacks on Israeli soil. Yaniv Zohar, photographer for the newspaper Israel Hayom, was murdered along with his wife and two daughters. The other two deceased were Shai Regev, Culture Director of the Maáriv publication, and Ayelet Arnin, 22, editor of the state channel Kan, who is among the more than 200 victims of the Supernova festival.

Three Palestinian journalists were killed in the bombings launched by Israel on October 9 on the Rimal district, west of Gaza, where several local media outlets were based.. The three were identified as Saeed Al-Taweel, editor-in-chief of the Al-Khamsa news portal; Mohammed Sobh and Hisham Alnwajha, photographer and editor at the Khabar agency.

Assaad Shamlakh, a freelance journalist, also died in the first days of the Israeli offensive when a bomb destroyed his home and also killed his nine family members in Sheikh Ijlin, southern Gaza.. On October 10, Salam Mema, chairwoman of the Committee of Women Journalists at the Palestinian Media Assembly, died.. His lifeless body was recovered three days later among the victims in the Jabalia camp.

In southern Lebanon, a cameraman, Issam Abdallah, who worked for the Reuters agency, died this week, supposedly due to fire coming from Israel.. Eight other journalists have been injured and at least three are missing.. CPJ is also investigating numerous reports of other news professionals detained or threatened, as well as damage caused to media offices or journalists' homes.

CPJ has also warned of the numerous impediments to entering the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attacks.. The only entry point for informants in Erez remains closed, and the only information from the Palestinian side has since come from local journalists.

“Working in Gaza right now is extremely difficult and that is in large part because our staff are not just covering the stories but trying to stay safe and protect their families,” said Julie Pace, executive director of the AP agency.

For its part, Benjamin Netanyahu's government approved emergency measures on Friday to promote the closure of media that “could harm the security of the state.”. The measure is intended to directly facilitate the closure of the Al Jazeera channel, based in Qatar and with great influence in the Arab world.

“The closure of Al Jazeera in Israel comes from evidence that it is assisting the enemy, with propaganda serving Hamas to Arabic and English audiences around the world, as well as the dissemination of sensitive information and useful to our enemies,” read an official statement.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karai went even further and declared that Israel “is in a war on multiple fronts, including information and perception.”. “We are not going to tolerate the media putting the security of our nation at risk,” he warned.. “The measures that are under consideration give us authority to close channels, seize equipment and withdraw credentials from journalists.”

The Israeli authorities have also attacked the BBC for “perpetuating a pattern of blood libel”, for its coverage of the al-Ahli hospital explosion in Gaza and for describing Hamas members as “militants”, but not directly as ” terrorists” (despite emphasizing that the British Government considers them as such). In an interview with British media, Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the BBC's coverage as “atrocious” and asked directly: “What other type of torture do they want to decide that we are dealing with a terrorist organization?”

ECONOMY

The foreign sector exhausts its recovery and its contribution to GDP next year will be zero

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After three consecutive years of growth and contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the foreign sector is beginning to show signs of weakness, especially in the sale of goods abroad, and experts already predict that its contribution to the economic growth of Spain next year will be null or even negative.

Exports of goods have fallen 3.7% year-on-year in volume – quantity sold – in the first eight months of the year, according to data from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism published this Thursday based on Customs information updated until August.. The general increase in prices, however, has allowed the country to have invoiced a total of 1.8% more for sales to other countries, since although we have sold less, we have sold it more expensive. The decline is not only due to the weakness of demand, but also to the fall in the base of exporting companies, since there has been a decline in the number of companies that export sporadically due to the feeling of insecurity and inflation..

The automobile sector (vehicles and components) is the one that best resists uncertainty and the drop in international demand, with an increase in sales in monetary terms of 27.9% year-on-year; while exports of capital goods have risen 11.8% – with a special rebound in the sale of transport equipment -; and food, beverages and tobacco have been exported 5.7% more – in this group sales of all products have increased, except for oils and fats, whose sales have dropped 8.1% due to their exorbitant rise in prices. .

They are the only three groups that keep Spanish exports afloat, since so far this year we have sold fewer energy products (-22.4%), raw materials (-17.6%), non-chemical semi-finished products (-11 .1%), durable consumer goods (-0.6%) and consumer manufacturing (-0.4%). In these last two groups, the drop in sales of household appliances (-8.3%) and clothing (-6.7%) stands out.

By geographical area, sales to the European Union are holding up (they are 3.3% higher so far this year) despite the economic slowdown that the continent is experiencing and it is striking that despite the technical recession in Germany during the last quarter of 2022 and the first of 2023, exports to that country have been 11.7% higher than last year and in August they were still in growth territory. Sales to the rest of Europe (+8.9%) and those to Latin America (+16.8%) also remain positive, while those to North America (-2.3%) and especially Asia and Africa (-7.1% and -7.8%, respectively).

The drop in exports of goods so far this year has been partially offset by the rise in exports of services, both tourist and other types: transportation, logistics, telecommunications, consulting, patent and trademark services, repair, maintenance , health, financial, etc.. The evolution of these sales abroad is recorded in the trade balance data of the Bank of Spain, which is published quarterly..

According to the latest update, for the second quarter, tourism income (what foreign tourists spend in Spain) has increased by 25.2% in the first half of the year, to 35,643 million euros, due to the recovery of international travelers , the increase in overnight stays and the rise in prices. For their part, exports of non-tourist services (services offered by Spanish companies and hired by non-residents) have increased by 14.2%, up to 46,677 million euros in the first half of the year..

“Non-tourism services have more capacity to incorporate margins than the industry, due to competition and by their very nature.”. The indicators we have, with all caution, indicate that they have gone quite well, contributing positively and in a certain way counteracting the commercial deterioration of the balance of payments. Today there is a decoupled behavior between both types, although sooner or later they can be affected,” Raúl Mínguez, director of the studies service of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, doctor in Economics and specialist in foreign trade, explains to EL MUNDO..

Zero or slightly negative contribution

This expert warns that if the drift in exports of goods “was contagious to that of services, not because of a fall but because of less dynamism, foreign trade could have a slightly negative contribution to economic growth next year.”.

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce will update its growth forecasts at the beginning of November and Mínguez already points out that the contribution of foreign trade for this year will be revised downwards, but that it will be compensated by the good performance of domestic demand. For 2024, however, it warns that it will have “a zero contribution”, or even a slightly negative one, which “will not have the prominence that it has had in other times, which represents a weakness for the Spanish economy”, since a A healthy growth pattern is one that is supported by both internal and external demand..

Funcas agrees with this forecast, warning this Thursday that “the deceleration will be evident more clearly in 2024, due to the carryover effect of the last stretch of this year, and the lower momentum of some of the current growth factors: normalization of tourism and the agreements to recover the purchasing power of salaries, with its corollary in terms of disposable income of households and private consumption (…) GDP will advance by 1.5% and growth will come mainly from demand internal, while the contribution from the foreign sector will be zero”.

In recent years, exports have been key to supporting the recovery after the pandemic and, in particular, those of services. “Spanish exports increased by 12.9% from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2023. The weight of exports in GDP, in real terms, has increased from 34.5% to 39% (in nominal terms it has gone from 34% to 42.4%). When the evolution of Spanish exports (+12.9%) is compared with those of the Eurozone (9%), the main difference is found in the advance of sales of services abroad (+33.9% compared to + 10.1%), since those of goods have had a moderately worse performance (5.4% compared to 8.1%). In real terms, goods have gone from representing 23.7% of GDP to 25%, while services have gone from 10.8 to 14.5%,” BBVA Research states in a report on foreign trade published this June.