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Savaget: passion for Arabian tales

 São Paulo – It all starts when the director of Cultural Heritage of the International Society for the Rescue of Imagination (Sirf) goes to Baghdad, in Iraq, to save Ali Baba, Sherazade, Aladdin and other characters from the Thousand and One Nights who may be in danger amidst the war in 2003. The same director then goes to Jordan, where she finds the magic lamp minus the genie, and then sets off to Palestine in an attempt to find him. The incessant conflict with Israel could only be explained by the fact that the genie landed in villainous hands.

These three phases, the director’s journey through Iraq, Jordan and Palestine, and her interaction with the characters of the most famous piece of literature from the East, form the plot of the series of three children’s books that Brazilian author Luciana Savaget wrote. The first is called “Operation Rescue in Baghdad – The Battle of the Invisible” and was published in Brazil in 2003; the second, “Operation Rescue in Jordan – The Secret of the Desert”, was launched in 2007; and the third, “Operation Rescue in Palestine – Heritage Conflict”, is from 2010.

The last two books are the result of the journeys the writer made to promote her first book in Arab lands. Apart from Portuguese, original language of the three books, “Operation Rescue in Baghdad” was also published in Arabic, which turned Savaget into an author well-known by Arab children, particularly in Palestine, as the government of that country purchased 100,000 copies for the libraries in refugee camps.

“I went to Palestine twice, once for the book launch and then again for talks with youngsters who read my books. From the first trip came the book “Operation Rescue in Jordan”, where we find Aladdin’s lamp, but not the genie. Imagine if an enemy finds this powerful genie who fulfils his master’s every desire? It could destroy the world,” says Savaget. “And on the second trip we find the genie hidden in Nablus, in the hands of the dream demolishers and enemies of our powerful Sirf association,” tells Savaget.

The writer puts herself in the role of the director of the International Society for the Rescue of Imagination, and thus transfers to her character her passion for the Arab world. “The idea [for the book] came from my passion for Arab tales and stories, which have amazing magic. These tales and the stories of the Thousand and One Nights are part of my childhood. When I wrote “Operation Rescue in Baghdad”, right at the beginning of the American attacks on the Iraqi capital city, I couldn’t have imagined other books would follow to complete the series,” stated Savaget.

According to the author, one book called out for the next. “And they also physically took me to those wonderful lands, where Sherazade spoke of ‘happily ever after in Baghdad.’” In Palestine, the operation Baghdad book was translated by Tamer Literature. In Brazil, all books were published by publishing house Nova Fronteira. “To have a book published in far and conflicted lands such as Palestine was an honor. Until now I have only had one book edited in Arabic, but who knows in the future, perhaps the other ones will be published too,” says Savaget.

The writer states she will keep on dreaming and that Sirf shall not abandon the Arab world. She feels like writing more about the East. Savaget says she felt first hand, when she visited the Arab country, the Palestine people’s difficulty in being acknowledged as a country. According to her, it is unacceptable that at this day and age there are still wars in that region, where Jesus Christ was born. “I am the Sirf director of Cultural Heritage and I fight for dreams and for peace, not only in books, but also in life,” says Savaget.

Born in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Savaget is a journalist and works for Globo News, a cable TV news channel belonging to network Rede Globo. Savaget translated to Portuguese the book “My Life With Pablo Neruda”, written by the poet’s wife, Matilde Urrutia, and has received many awards for her work in journalism and literature. Her books “Dadá, a Mulher de Corisco” (Dadá, Corisco’s Wife, loosely translated) and “Operation Rescue in Baghdad” are among her prized works. The author was also granted the Vladimir Herzog Amnesty and Human Rights Award, in 2002.

*Translated by Silvia Lindsey

Source Article from http://www2.anba.com.br/noticia/21862009/arts/writer-published-three-childrens-books-about-the-arabs/

Las bajas de las estrellas que ha sufrido el equipo nacional de Estados Unidos no se notó para nada en su primer partido amistoso, frente a Brasil, al ganarlo por 95-78.

El encuentro disputado en el United Center de Chicago tuvo como gran aliciente la vuelta a la competición activa del ídolo local, el base Derrick Rose, completamente recuperado de las graves lesiones de rodilla que sufrió las pasadas temporadas.

Rose confirmó que es el nuevo director y líder del juego de Estados Unidos que también confirmó el gran protagonismo del ala-pívot Anthony Davis, de los Hornets de Nueva Orleans, que se convirtió en el máximo encestador al conseguir 20 puntos con siete rebotes y cuatro tapones.

El base estrella de los Bulls, que anotó siete puntos, dijo tras el partido que “todos sabemos que aquí, en Chicago, el deporte del baloncesto lo es todo”. “La sensaciones que tengo de cara a la próxima temporada son también muy buenas, pero ahora nuestro objetivo y concentración está con el equipo nacional, que cada día va a más en todos los aspectos”.

Estados Unidos ante las bajas que ha sufrido con los hombres altos, y la de los encestadores Kevin Durant y Paul George, se decidió por una alineación de bases y aleros que fueron siempre superiores a un Brasil, que también demostró clase y buen juego, pero inferior al estadounidense.

El entrenador de Estados Unidos, Mike Krzyzewski, se decidió por Rose, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kenneth Faried y Davis, que sería la gran figura del partido, como equipo titular.

El mérito de Brasil fue llegar al descanso con sólo ocho puntos abajo en el marcador (45-37) y cinco al concluir el tercer periodo (68-63).

Pero ahí se acabó el intento de Brasil de dar la sorpresa y conseguir la victoria, porque Estados Unidos volvió a incrementar la ventaja por encima de los 10 tantos y todo concluyó como se esperaba, un paseo para el equipo de las barras y las estrellas.

A medida que pasaban los minutos el dominio y la ventaja de Estados Unidos se incrementó y Brasil, a pesar de tener a jugadores de la NBA como los hombres altos Tiago Splitter (San Antonio), Anderson Varejao (Cleveland), Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix) y Nené Hilario (Washington), nada pudo hacer por evitar la derrota.

Estados Unidos antes de viajar a España, donde defenderá en el Mundial el título de campeón, disputará otros dos partidos amistosos en nueva York, frente República Dominicana, el miércoles, y el viernes, ante Puerto Rico, ambos en el Madison Square Garden de Nueva York.

La otra buena noticia es que el pívot DaMarcus Cousins no sufre ningún tipo de daño estructural en su rodilla derecha, la que se lesionó ligeramente el pasado jueves en el entrenamiento con el equipo nacional de Estados Unidos.

Los resultados de la resonancia magnética a la que fue sometido dieron todos negativos y con toda seguridad hará el equipo junto al pívot Andre Drummond, de los Pistons de Detroit, que no vio tampoco acción.

El que podría ser descarte antes de viajar a España será el escolta-alero Gordon Hayward, de los Jazz de Utah.

Source Article from http://www.marca.com/2014/08/17/baloncesto/nba/noticias/1408255876.html

Two people died and three were injured in a stabbing attack in London Friday afternoon, according to the police. Government officials have deemed the stabbings a “terrorist incident.”

The 28-year-old suspect believed to have carried out the attack, and who was wearing a fake suicide bomb vest, died on the scene after being shot by police on London Bridge.

The suspect had been convicted of terrorism-related charges in 2012 after admitting to planning several attacks. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison, and was released on probation last year.

The incident comes just after the UK downgraded its terrorism threat level for the first time since 2014. London Bridge was also the site of a terror attack in 2017, when a vehicle-ramming and stabbing incident killed 11 people, including the three perpetrators.

The story is still developing. Here’s what we know, and don’t, so far.

What we know:

  • The stabbings first began at a building near London Bridge called Fishmongers’ Hall around 2 p.m., during a conference on rehabilitating the formerly incarcerated organized by Cambridge University.
  • The suspect, who was attending the event, began his attack within the hall then moved out toward the London Bridge. According to police, he was wearing a fake suicide vest.
  • As of Saturday, three people were injured and two people have died from the attack.
  • Officers were on the scene within five minutes of being called, and they shot and killed the attacker on the scene.
  • The public helped in detaining the suspect. Social media videos show citizens fighting and holding down the suspect; at least one used a fire extinguisher against the man, another a narwhal tusk. Government officials — including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn — have praised the public for their courage.
  • The police are treating the stabbing as a “terrorist incident.” Authorities are not searching for other suspects.
  • The attacker is 28-year-old Usman Khan, according to the police. Khan, who was previously part of an al-Qaeda-inspired group, was convicted of terrorism offenses in 2012 for planning to bomb bars, attack the London Stock Exchange, and set up a jihadist training camp in Pakistan.
  • Although he received a 16-year sentence, he was paroled in December 2018 on condition that he wear an ankle bracelet and take part in a government rehabilitation program for those previously involved in terrorism.
  • During an emergency security meeting on Friday night, Johnson said, it was a “mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early and it is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists.”
  • Queen Elizabeth II also condemned the attack and sent her “thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to all those who have lost loved ones.”
  • Both Johnson and Corbyn have suspended their campaigns for the UK general elections following the attack.
  • The attack comes days before a NATO summit. President Donald Trump and other leaders are supposed to attend a reception — held by the queen on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace — to commemorate the alliance’s 70th anniversary.

What we don’t know:

Source Article from https://www.vox.com/2019/11/30/20988972/london-bridge-stabbing-terror-attack

Washington — The Senate will begin debate over President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Friday morning, kicking off a flurry of activity aimed at getting a final bill to the president’s desk before several key relief programs expire on March 14. The 628-page bill enjoys support from all 50 Senate Democrats, but Republicans are aiming to make its passage as difficult as possible by forcing votes on a dozens of amendments in a grueling process that could extend into the weekend. 

The so-called “vote-a-rama” will serve as a test of the ability of newly minted Senate Majority Chuck Schumer to keep his caucus in line.

A vote on the motion to proceed to 20 hours of debate succeeded in a party-line vote on Thursday afternoon, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the 50-50 tie. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska who had said she is undecided about whether she will vote for final passage, voted against moving forward with debate.

GOP Senator Ron Johnson immediately asked the Senate clerk to read the entire bill aloud, a process that took almost eleven hours and had to be completed before the debate could begin. The Senate adjourned shortly after 2 a.m. Friday, and is scheduled to reconvene later in the morning.

“We all know this will merely delay the inevitable. It will accomplish little more than a few sore throats for the Senate clerks who work very hard day in, day out to help the Senate function,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday, before the bill was read. “We Democrats want America to hear what’s in the plan. And if the senator from Wisconsin wants to read it, let everybody listen, because it has overwhelming support.”

The bill is broadly popular, with recent polling showing that a majority of Americans support it, particularly the provision that provides $1,400 in direct checks to earners making under $75,000.

“The Senate is going to move forward with the bill. No matter how long it takes, the Senate is going to stay in session to finish the bill this week. The American people deserve nothing less,” Schumer said.

Both parties will have up to 10 hours each to debate the bill, although it is unclear whether all 20 hours will be necessary.

The House passed a version of the bill last week, but the measure considered by the Senate is slightly different. Democrats were still finalizing the bill shortly before the vote to begin debate on Thursday afternoon. 

Some recently added measures, according to a Senate Democratic aide, include $510 million for FEMA and $750 million for states and communities impacted by job and revenue loss in the tourism, travel and outdoor recreation sectors. Another provision sets aside funding for education, including $1.25 billion for evidence-based summer enrichment, $1.25 billion for after school programs and $3 billion for education technology. It would also make COVID-19 student loan relief tax-free.

Congress is using the budget reconciliation process to pass the bill, which limits time for debate and allows legislation to pass with a simple majority, a workaround that avoids the 60-vote threshold that most bills require to advance in the Senate. If every Democrat supports the final bill, with Harris casting a tie-breaking vote, it would pass without any Republican support.

But Republicans are critical of the size of the bill and frustrated that Democrats are using the reconciliation process, arguing that they are taking a partisan route rather than working across the aisle. Democrats reply that they don’t need to waste time negotiating with Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold and pass a smaller package.

In retaliation, Republican senators aim to make the debate and amendment process politically painful for Democrats. The most excruciating part of the process is the “vote-a-rama,” wherein senators will vote on dozens of amendments in quick succession. “Vote-a-ramas” typically take several hours, often ending early in the morning. Johnson told reporters Thursday that he was setting up a three-shift schedule to ensure that “all the amendments that are offered are actually voted on,” possibly extending the “vote-a-rama” for several more hours.

“It seems like we’ve always offered a couple of hundred amendments on the Republican side. You get a couple of those voted on and people tire out. I’m just setting up a process that keeps us from tiring out,” Johnson said. Johnson has also suggested reading out every amendment, which could extend the process for days.

However, it’s unclear how popular this strategy will be with his fellow Republicans. GOP Senator James Lankford told reporters that Republicans would “make decisions as we go” to determine how long senators would be voting on amendments.

“At some point, there has to be an end. And we’re trying to be able to determine what that end is,” Lankford said.

Senator John Thune, the minority whip, told reporters that the “vote-a-rama” could go on for an “indefinite” amount of time. He said it was “possible” that the Senate clerks would finish reading the bill at around midnight, and the Senate would go home to sleep while the debate clock was ticking. Then they could return to Senate on Friday with a few hours of debate left, followed by the “vote-a-rama.”

“That seems reasonable, seems possible. Requires some level of cooperation,” Thune said.

The “vote-a-rama” process allows the minority party to force the majority to go on the record with politically painful votes. However, amendments require support from a simple majority to be added to the bill, and most amendments proposed by Republicans are expected to fail.

“My guess is it’s not likely that many of our amendments will get any Democrat support, so I think it’s very unlikely that that any Republicans will support the final bill,” GOP Senator Mitt Romney said.

The Senate parliamentarian ruled last week that the Senate could not include a provision raising the minimum wage to $15 under budget reconciliation rules, but Senator Bernie Sanders has said he will introduce an amendment to do so during the “vote-a-rama.” Sanders also announced Thursday that he would offer an amendment to raise the tipped minimum wage, which is currently $2.12, to $14.75 over seven years. However, some Democrats have expressed opposition to raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, meaning the amendment may fail.

Jack Turman contributed reporting.

Source Article from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-relief-bill-senate-debate-amdendment-vote-a-rama/

Tunis, Tunisia – Arab leaders meeting in Tunis have issued a renewed call for the establishment of a Palestinian state and condemned a move by the United States to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.

Held in Tunisia’s capital, the 30th Arab League summit kicked off on Sunday against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts, serious divisions and unrest – from the long-running wars in Syria and Yemen to Libya‘s instability, and from mass anti-government protests in Algeria and Sudan to a major diplomatic dispute in the Gulf.

In a speech opening the summit, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia reiterated his kingdom’s support for a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi echoed the king’s speech, reiterating the significance of the Palestinian cause to the Arab world as he issued a call for unity.


“It is unreasonable for the Arab region to continue to be at the forefront of tensions and crises,” Essebsi, the host of the summit, said. 

Arab leaders – including Salman, Essebsi and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi – also condemned US President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel seized in the 1967 war.

“We reiterate our categorical rejection of measures that would undermine Syrian sovereignty over the Golan,” King Salman said.

However, expectations for any concrete action were low, partly due to the close ties regional powerhouses such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have cultivated with the Trump administration, viewing it as a key ally against their main rival, Iran.

“There is very little intention to come up with very clear outcomes other than the usual discourse of establishing Palestine right and the general Arab stance on regional issues,” Majed al-Ansari, professor of political sociology at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera.

“I don’t believe I’ve heard anything that would constitute a new trend in what would come out of the summit,” Ansari said.


No Bouteflika, Bashir

Meanwhile, Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, did not attend the meeting in Tunis. In recent weeks, they have both faced growing calls to step down as thousands have taken to the streets calling for political change.

The readmission of Syria back into the League, from which it was suspended in 2011 following President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, was expected to be on the summit’s agenda.

But officials speaking ahead of the meeting said it was unlikely Syria would be welcomed back any time soon.

The UAE reopened its embassy in Damascus last year, and other Arab states have expressed support for restoring relations.

But Saudi Arabia and Qatar have actively supported the rebels trying to overthrow Assad, and many other states view his government as an Iranian proxy that should continue to be shunned.

Commenting on the calls for unity amid the ongoing divisions and unrest, Ansari noted that the Arab League has a history of hollow statements not followed by actions.

“We also know that the declarations and talk about Arab unity that come out of the summit do not materialise in any shape or form,” he said.

Source Article from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/arab-leaders-call-palestinian-state-condemn-golan-move-190331122623860.html

São Paulo – Brazilian soy exports are expected to go from 54 million tons in the 2014/2015 crop to 55 million tons in the 2015/2016 crop, according to an estimation made by the Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industries Association (Abiove). The demand, which is still high globally, is one of the main reasons for the increase, according to the Market Intelligence director of cereal trading company Cerealpar, Steve Cachia. “The current soy global scenario is marked by an increase in demand, especially in developing countries”, said Cachia.

In mid-December, Abiove revised up its estimate for Brazilian soy beans external sales, which was of 53.8 million tons early in November. The association also estimates higher number of shipments than it expected in November for soybean bran. The product should post exports numbers of 15.4 million tons in the 2015/2016 crop. In turn, soya oil had a lower export estimate, with 1.40 million tons instead of 1.47 million tons.

Cachia reminds that in the last three years there weren’t any climate problems and the prices of soy, considered to be favorable by the producers around the world, caused an increase in planted area and production. Thus, even with the aggressive demand, supply went up in an even faster pace, generating increase in stocks and pressure over prices. “Brazil, as the world’s second largest soy producer and exporter, has an advantage, which is the hike in the exchange rate”, he said, referring to the dollar appreciation, which lends competitiveness to Brazilian soy sales in the global market.

The expert believes that soy prices will continue to be pressured down early next year, but will start to come up a little throughout the year. “The strong demand, climate uncertainty and producers’ dissatisfaction with the current price levels are the main reasons that could support prices”, said Cachia. According to him, some producers could reduce their planted area due to low prices currently being paid for the product.

The Arab market is growing as buyer of Brazilian soy. Data from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (Mdic) indicates that the region bought 1.1 million tons of Brazilian soy from January to November of this year. There was a 30% increase over the 770,000 tons shipped in the same period of last year. The mains buyers were Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

“The demand for Brazilian soy from Arab countries has also been increasing and should continue to follow this trend in 2016. It reflects an improvement in the purchasing power of some consuming countries in the MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa)”, said Cachia. When the director answered ANBA’s questions, in mid-December, he was on a trip to Malta, in the Mediterranean, for meetings of Cerealpar with representatives of these countries. “The goal is precisely to help in trying to shorten this distance between the Arab countries and the Brazilian market”, he said about the trip and business.

*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani

Source Article from http://www2.anba.com.br/noticia/21869961/agribusiness/brazil-to-increase-soy-exports/

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