Trudeau. Verosimile voto di sfiducia. L’affaire SNC-Lavalin.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-28.

L’affaire era nell’aria già da tempo.

Canada former AG quits amid political interference controversy

«Canada’s former attorney general resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet on Tuesday amid controversy over the prosecution of construction and engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.

“With a heavy heart, I have submitted my letter of resignation to the prime minister as a member of cabinet,” Jody Wilson-Raybould said in a Twitter message.

Wilson-Raybould had been the nation’s first indigenous attorney general and justice minister until last month when she was shuffled to the veterans affairs portfolio, ahead of October elections.

The Globe and Mail newspaper, citing unnamed sources, last week reported that Trudeau’s office had tried to pressure her to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case, but she refused to ask prosecutors to settle with the company to avoid a costly trial.»

* * * * * * *

Poveretto Mr Trudeu! I suoi nemici populisti, lebbrosi, hanno imparato più che bene i metodi liberal socialisti.

Canada. Ontario. I populisti di Mr Doug vincono 76 seggi contro i 7 dei liberal.

Fu una débâcle memorabile.

G7. Volano gli stracci. Figuraccia di Trudeau il trombato.

Poi gli era caduta addosso l’accusa delle accuse, quella che da sola vale una sentenza all’ergastolo passata in giudicato.

Justin Trudeau, premier canadese, si era palpeggiato Mrs. Rose Knight.

Se almeno Mr Trudeau si fosse palpeggiato un gitone sarebbe stato in armonia con i tempi e con il suo credo politico: invece aveva cercato di apprezzare le carni glutee di una femmina, Mrs Rose Knight.

Tutti sanno che l’aver soppesato le carni muliebri genera in queste una terrificante sequela di orrifiche e persecutorie stigmate che alla fine impediscono loro di svolgere il proprio servizio di ierodule, con severi danni economici, che solo una congrua riparazione milionaria può lenire. E noto che i poveracci non siano mai citati per sexual harassment.

*

Adesso la persona che Mr Trudeau si era coccolata, perché femmina e perché indigena, gli si è rivoltata contro come la serpe in seno.

Se non fosse una frase da peccato mortale maschilista, si dovrebbe dire: “vatti a fidare delle femmine liberal”!

Canada’s Trudeau denies pressuring justice minister on SNC-Lavalin [Reuters]

*

«Canada’s former attorney general on Wednesday accused Justin Trudeau’s inner circle of attempting to head off the fraud prosecution of an engineering giant – a case that has caused the prime minister major embarrassment eight months before elections»

*

«Jody Wilson-Raybould made her accusations before the House of Commons justice committee, which is investigating purported political meddling in the prosecution of the Montreal-based firm »

*

«”I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, in an inappropriate effort to secure a deferred prosecution agreement with SNC-Lavalin,” one the world’s top construction and engineering firms »

*

«She also told the committee that she faced “veiled threats” and advice from Canada‘s top bureaucrat, Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick, that “a collision with the prime minister on these matters should be avoided.”»

*

«For weeks, Trudeau’s government has been rocked by allegations first reported by The Globe and Mail newspaper that undue pressure was put on the former attorney general for an out-of-court settlement with SNC-Lavalin»

*

«The Canadian company was charged in 2015 with corruption for allegedly bribing officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to secure government contracts during former strongman Moamer Kadhafi’s reign. The firm, its international arm and another subsidiary are accused of having offered Can$47 million (US$36 million) in bribes to officials and of defrauding the Libyan government of Can$130 million (US$98 million). The charges relate to the world’s largest irrigation project — the Great Man Made River Project — to provide fresh water to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi and Sirte»

*

«The Canadian company was charged in 2015 with corruption for allegedly bribing officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to secure government contracts during former strongman Moamer Kadhafi’s reign. The firm, its international arm and another subsidiary are accused of having offered Can$47 million (US$36 million) in bribes to officials and of defrauding the Libyan government of Can$130 million (US$98 million). The charges relate to the world’s largest irrigation project — the Great Man Made River Project — to provide fresh water to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi and Sirte»

*

«The prime minister asked me to help out, to find a solution for SNC, citing that if there is no DPA (deferred prosecution agreement), there would be many jobs lost and that SNC would move from Montreal»

* * * * * * * *

Si tratta di un siluro pesante lanciato ad otto mesi dalle elezioni politiche, il risultato delle quali apparirebbe al momento incerto.

Ma questa volta l’accusa è quella di truffa, più tutti i soliti reati di conserva.

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→ France 24. 2019-02-28. Trudeau faces calls to resign amid claims of interference in fraud case

Canada’s former attorney general on Wednesday accused Justin Trudeau’s inner circle of attempting to head off the fraud prosecution of an engineering giant – a case that has caused the prime minister major embarrassment eight months before elections.

*

Trudeau responded that he “completely disagrees with the former attorney general’s characterization of events.”

Jody Wilson-Raybould made her accusations before the House of Commons justice committee, which is investigating purported political meddling in the prosecution of the Montreal-based firm.

“I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, in an inappropriate effort to secure a deferred prosecution agreement with SNC-Lavalin,” one the world’s top construction and engineering firms, Wilson-Raybould said.

She also told the committee that she faced “veiled threats” and advice from Canada‘s top bureaucrat, Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick, that “a collision with the prime minister on these matters should be avoided.”

Wilson-Raybould, who also was minister of justice, said she believes she was shuffled to another portfolio in January over her refusal to take action in the case.

For weeks, Trudeau’s government has been rocked by allegations first reported by The Globe and Mail newspaper that undue pressure was put on the former attorney general for an out-of-court settlement with SNC-Lavalin.

The Canadian company was charged in 2015 with corruption for allegedly bribing officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to secure government contracts during former strongman Moamer Kadhafi’s reign.

The firm, its international arm and another subsidiary are accused of having offered Can$47 million (US$36 million) in bribes to officials and of defrauding the Libyan government of Can$130 million (US$98 million).

The charges relate to the world’s largest irrigation project — the Great Man Made River Project — to provide fresh water to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi and Sirte.

SNC-Lavalin has argued that those responsible for alleged wrongdoing left it long ago, and that holding it accountable for their criminal actions would severely hurt its business.

Trial set to proceed

It heavily lobbied the government, including senior officials in Trudeau’s office, for an out-of-court settlement that would include paying a fine and agreeing to put in place compliance measures.

But Wilson-Raybould refused to ask prosecutors to settle, and the trial is set to proceed.

She quit Trudeau’s cabinet earlier this month. Trudeau’s longtime friend and principal secretary Gerry Butts also resigned days later. Questions remain over their specific reasons for leaving.

After her four hours of testimony, which the opposition called damning, Tory leader Andrew Scheer urged the Liberal prime minister to resign, saying Trudeau “can no longer and in good standing with a clear conscience lead this nation.”

He also called for a federal police investigation into possible obstruction of justice by Liberal officials.

Trudeau has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, saying again Wednesday that he had made clear to his former attorney general that the “decision around SNC-Lavalin was Jody Wilson-Raybould’s and hers alone to make,” which she confirmed in her testimony.

“I strongly maintain, as I have from the beginning that I and my staff always acted appropriately and professionally,” he said.

Wilson-Raybould testified, “The prime minister asked me to help out, to find a solution for SNC, citing that if there is no DPA (deferred prosecution agreement), there would be many jobs lost and that SNC would move from Montreal.”

“I told him that I had done my due diligence and had made up my mind on SNC and that I was not going to interfere with the decision of the director (of public prosecutions),” she said.

Wilson-Raybould went on to say that 11 government officials, including the finance minister, raised similar concerns that SNC-Lavalin might move its headquarters to London without a deal, or could face massive job losses if it was found guilty at trial — in an election year.

They “urged me to take partisan political considerations into account, which was clearly improper,” she said.

And they continued to “hound” her from September to December after she made her decision not to offer SNC-Lavalin a deal and had made it known.

That pressure was “not illegal,” she opined, but “raised serious red flags in my view.”

Francia. Castaner. ‘Destitution du président de la République’.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-26.

Mr Christophe Castaner è stato per anni sindaco di Forcalquier, dal 16 ottobre 2018 ha sostituito a Ministro dell’Interno il dimissionario Mr Gérard Collomb. Ha militato nel partito socialista francese fino al 2016.

 «Le ton monte encore entre la majorité et le Sénat. Christophe Castaner, délégué général de La République En Marche, accuse la commission d’enquête du Sénat sur l’affaire Benalla de chercher à outrepasser son rôle «pour faire tomber» le Président»

Ecco alcune sue dichiarazioni

*

«Si certains pensent qu’ils peuvent s’arroger un pouvoir de destitution du président de la République, ils sont eux-mêmes des menaces pour la République»

*

«le Président de la République ne peut être destitué qu’en cas de manquement à ses devoirs manifestement incompatible avec l’exercice de son mandat»

*

«La destitution est prononcée par le Parlement constitué en Haute Cour»

*

«Ce ne sont pas des pressions. Le président du Sénat apprécierait assez peu» soutient le numéro 1 de LREM, «et vous connaissez suffisamment Emmanuel Macron pour penser qu’il ne serait pas idiot et qu’il sait très bien comment aujourd’hui avoir des échanges respectueux avec les deux présidents de l’Assemblée et du Sénat»

*

«il y a aujourd’hui – c’était notamment le sens de l’entretien entre le Président de la République et le Président du Sénat – certaines personnes, et ce n’était pas le cas du président du Sénat, qui confondent la mission du Parlement, qui est de contrôler le gouvernement, avec une mission que le Parlement s’auto-attribuerait, qui serait de contrôler l’exécutif et la présidence de la République. L’essence même de la Ve République, c’est celle de la séparation des pouvoirs et celle d’un Président qui doit rendre des comptes aux Français»

*

«Il ajoute que si le Sénat «avait le pouvoir d’interférer dans le fonctionnement de l’Elysée, il pourrait inventer une forme d’impeachment, et faire tomber le président de la République. Je souhaite rappeler que la Constitution française implique le respect de cette séparation des pouvoirs. Je crois que c’est le message qu’a voulu passer le président de la République», dont l’appel visait simplement à «rappeler les fondamentaux constitutionnels»»

*

Bene.

Da quando si sono aperti i casi Benalla e dei Gilets Jaunes si inizia a sentir parlare di

«Destitution du président de la République».

Nessuno intende mettere il carro avanti ai buoi, ma prima non c’era il caso Benalla, prima non c’erano i Gilets Jaunes e prima non si parlava per nulla di destituzione del presidente Macron.

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→ Public Senat. 2019-02-24. Affaire Benalla : Castaner accuse les sénateurs d’être «des menaces pour la République» s’ils cherchent à «destituer» Macron

Le ton monte encore entre la majorité et le Sénat. Christophe Castaner, délégué général de La République En Marche, accuse la commission d’enquête du Sénat sur l’affaire Benalla de chercher à outrepasser son rôle «pour faire tomber» le Président.

*

Il remet une pièce dans la machine. Pour sa conférence de presse de rentrée, repoussée deux fois pour cause notamment de remaniement, le délégué général de La République En Marche, Christophe Castaner, a durement attaqué les travaux de la commission d’enquête parlementaire du Sénat sur l’affaire Benalla. Répondant à une question de publicsenat.fr, il a affirmé :

«Si certains pensent qu’ils peuvent s’arroger un pouvoir de destitution du président de la République, ils sont eux-mêmes des menaces pour la République»

Il ajoute qu’«une commission d’enquête qui aurait des ambitions politiques et penserait qu’elle pourrait jouer de ses fonctions de contrôle du gouvernement pour faire tomber un président de la République, commettrait une faute constitutionnelle» (voir la vidéo, images d’Adrien Develay).

Les mots sont forts. L’attaque peut surprendre. Celui qui est aussi secrétaire d’Etat chargé des Relations avec le Parlement sait très bien que le Parlement n’a pas le pouvoir de destituer le chef de l’Etat ainsi. Selon l’article 68 de la Constitution, «le Président de la République ne peut être destitué qu’en cas de manquement à ses devoirs manifestement incompatible avec l’exercice de son mandat». «La destitution est prononcée par le Parlement constitué en Haute Cour» précise le texte. C’est le seul cas de destitution.

«Ce ne sont pas des pressions»

Au risque de donner un sentiment de fébrilité, les déclarations de Christophe Castaner arrivent après celles de Benjamin Griveaux et de la ministre de la Justice, Nicole Belloubet, au sujet de la commission, et surtout l’appel d’Emmanuel Macron à Gérard Larcher pour se plaindre de la tonalité des travaux de la commission (voir notre article).

«Ce ne sont pas des pressions. Le président du Sénat apprécierait assez peu» soutient le numéro 1 de LREM, «et vous connaissez suffisamment Emmanuel Macron pour penser qu’il ne serait pas idiot et qu’il sait très bien comment aujourd’hui avoir des échanges respectueux avec les deux présidents de l’Assemblée et du Sénat».

Mais selon le délégué général de La République En Marche, qui fait l’exégèse du coup de fil présidentiel, «il y a aujourd’hui – c’était notamment le sens de l’entretien entre le Président de la République et le Président du Sénat – certaines personnes, et ce n’était pas le cas du président du Sénat, qui confondent la mission du Parlement, qui est de contrôler le gouvernement, avec une mission que le Parlement s’auto-attribuerait, qui serait de contrôler l’exécutif et la présidence de la République. L’essence même de la Ve République, c’est celle de la séparation des pouvoirs et celle d’un Président qui doit rendre des comptes aux Français». Il ajoute que si le Sénat «avait le pouvoir d’interférer dans le fonctionnement de l’Elysée, il pourrait inventer une forme d’impeachment, et faire tomber le président de la République. Je souhaite rappeler que la Constitution française implique le respect de cette séparation des pouvoirs. Je crois que c’est le message qu’a voulu passer le président de la République», dont l’appel visait simplement à «rappeler les fondamentaux constitutionnels».

La commission d’enquête empêche l’Elysée de tourner la page Benalla

Selon RTL, Emmanuel Macron aurait notamment appelé Gérard Larcher pour se plaindre de propos de Philippe Bas, président LR de la commission d’enquête, qui aurait affirmé que «le Parlement contrôle l’exécutif». Le sénateur de la Manche défend de son côté le bien-fondé de la commission d’enquête. A ses yeux, elle s’intéresse uniquement aux dysfonctionnements qui ont pu avoir lieu dans l’organisation interne de l’Elysée et notamment pour l’organisation de la sécurité du Président.

Mais en reprenant ses travaux après l’été, au cours duquel le Président a vu sa cote de popularité plonger, la commission d’enquête empêche Emmanuel Macron de tourner la page Benalla. L’ancien chargé de mission sera d’ailleurs auditionné la semaine prochaine, entretenant le feuilleton. Ce sont surtout ces conséquences politiques, dont les sénateurs ont évidemment bien conscience, qui gênent l’Elysée. Et non pas un risque de destitution.

Germania. Basf annuncia -23% sui profitti.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-28.

L’Unione Europea ha due grandi malate croniche: la Francia e la Germania.

Se la malattia della Francia si Chiama Macron, quella della Germania si chiama Merkel. Il quadro sindromico è simile: aderenza all’ideologia liberal socialista che si esprime in uno statalismo che soffoca la produzione con tasse e burocrazia.

Germania. Non è povera. È misera. – Financial Times

Germania. La demografia che stritola. Mancano tre milioni di lavoratori. – Vbw.

Germania. Metà Dax-30 è in mano straniera. – Handelsblatt.

Cina. Grande Muraglia contro la Germania. – Handelsblatt.

Germania. La policromia dei debiti dei comuni. Qualcuno deve pagarli.

Germania. Destatis. Ordini all’industria. Variazione grezza a/a -10.8%.

Germania. Confindustria punta il dito contro Frau Merkel.

*

Con un calo del 10.8% degli ordinativi all’industria, sarebbe stato da sprovvidi sperare che i fatturati non calassero di conserva.

La Basf ha annunciato che nel 2018 i profitti sono scesi del 23%.

«Il gruppo chimico tedesco Basf ha registrato un utile netto in calo nel 2018, a causa delle difficolta’ nel settore auto con l’entrata in vigore di nuovi test delle emissioni e delle tensioni commerciali, e si aspetta una prima meta’ del 2019 difficile. Il gruppo di Ludwigshafen ha registrato un utile netto di 4,7 miliardi di euro, in calo di circa il 23% su base annua mentre l’ebit e’ sceso lo scorso anno del 21% a 6,03 miliardi di euro, con un forte calo del 67% nel quarto trimestre. Le vendite annuali sono leggermente aumentate del 2,4% rispetto al 2017, a 62,7 miliardi. A pesare l’anno scorso, spiega il gruppo, anche la lunga siccita’ estiva, che ha portato a un livello storicamente basso del Reno, che ha “praticamente fermato” la produzione nel principale sito tedesco di Basf a Ludwigshafen. Il 2019 viene dichiarato un “anno di transizione” per consolidare il gruppo. Nonostante l’esercizio moderato, Basf aumentera’ il suo dividendo annuale a 3,20 euro per azione, contro 3,10 euro nel 2017.» [Sole 24 Ore]

*

Il 34.92% delle azioni è posseduto da istituzioni. Se la sede legale è in Germania, ma la proprietà è internazionale.

La politica di Frau Merkel ha depauperato la Germania in modo del tutto impressionante. Un -10.8% negli ordini all’industria è un segnalo chiaro e netto di come stiano procedendo le cose.

Ma un -23% sugli utili nel settore della chimica di base suona come le campane a morto.

Non può esistere un comparto produttivo senza un governo che lo appoggi.

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→ Deutsche Welle. 2019-02-26. BASF profits fall 23 percent in 2018 amid trade wars, climate change

The world’s largest chemical producer saw its profits dive 23 percent in 2018. The firm said global trade conflicts, adverse weather conditions and the flagging auto industry were partly to blame.

*

German chemical conglomerate BASF announced on Tuesday that its annual profits had taken a serious tumble in 2018.

The major fall came in the fourth quarter with a nearly 60 percent drop in operating profit due to a sharp decline in earnings at its basic petrochemical-making unit. Fourth-quarter group earnings before interest and tax plunged 59 percent to €630 million ($715.37 million)

Overall for 2018, BASF’s profits fell 22.6 percent to €4.7 billion, well below market expectations.

The Ludwigshafen-based firm said it was facing the domino effects from global trade conflicts and a slowdown in auto sales linked to new emissions’ standards in Europe.

“2018 was a year characterized by difficult global economic and geopolitical developments and trade conflicts,” the company said in a statement.

“Slowdown in key markets, especially the automotive industry” had hindered growth, BASF said, adding that the trade war between Beijing and Washington had exacerbated the problem.

Dry rivers impede deliveries

Another issue was the low levels of water on the Rhine river due to climate change.

“For much of the third and fourth quarter, it was nearly impossible to receive deliveries of raw materials via ship” after Germany suffered one of its worst heat waves in history in the summer of 2018.

“We are tackling these challenges,” said CEO Martin Brudermueller. “We will use 2019 as a transitional year to emerge even stronger. This year, we are adapting our structures and processes, and focusing our organization clearly on the needs of our customers.”

Italia. Occupati. 9.568 milioni sono occupati a meno di 40 ore settimanali.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-28.

Istat fornisce la seguente definizione per il termine ‘occupati’:

«Occupati: comprendono le persone di 15 anni e più che nella settimana di riferimento:

– hanno svolto almeno un’ora di lavoro in una qualsiasi attività che preveda un corrispettivo monetario o in natura;

– hanno svolto almeno un’ora di lavoro non retribuito nella ditta di un familiare nella quale collaborano abitualmente;

– sono assenti dal lavoro (ad esempio, per ferie o malattia). I dipendenti assenti dal lavoro sono considerati occupati se l’assenza non supera tre mesi, oppure se durante l’assenza continuano a percepire almeno il 50% della retribuzione. Gli indipendenti assenti dal lavoro, ad eccezione dei coadiuvanti familiari, sono considerati occupati se, durante il periodo di assenza, mantengono l’attività. I coadiuvanti familiari sono considerati occupati se l’assenza non supera tre mesi.»

*

Come si constata, il termine occupato riscontrabile nei report statistici ufficiali non pertiene a quanti con un lavoro continuativo a pieno orario possano mantenere sé stessi e la propria famiglia: è sufficiente che la persona abbia svolto almeno una sola ora lavorativa in una qualche maniera retribuita. È una definizione invero molto ampia.

Nel report Occupati e Disoccupati, dicembre 2018, l’Istat rilevava un totale di 23.269 milioni di occupati, 13.493 milioni di maschi e 9.777 di femmine. Il tasso di occupazione sarebbe quindi del 58.8%.

*

È uscito anche un altro interessante Report:

Quelli che lavorano 10 ore la settimana sono 592mila

«Il fatto sorprendente è che le 40 ore a settimana, le classiche 8 ore al giorno che da sempre hanno rappresentato quasi un’ovvietà per chi entra nel mondo del lavoro, sono una realtà “solo” per 11 milioni e 605mila italiani»

*

«9 milioni e 568mila sono occupate per meno di 40 ore settimanali.»

*

«Affrontando poi la “zona 40”, dei 13 milioni e 349 mila lavoratori uomini italiani, il 62,9%, ovvero 8 milioni e 409mila, lavora almeno 40 ore»

*

«4 milioni e 3 mila, ovvero il 29,9% è sotto la fatidica soglia»

*

«Per quanto riguarda le donne, su 9 milioni e 674mila lavoratrici italiane, sono 3 milioni e 196mila con un carico lavorativo di almeno 40 ore (33%), mentre sono ben 5 milioni e 564 mila sotto soglia 40, cioè il 57,5%.»

*

«Per 592mila italiani la settimana lavorativa consiste in un orario che va da un minimo di 1 a un massimo di 10 ore che, certamente, non garantisce un reddito soddisfacente»

* * * * * * * *

Eliminiamo immediatamente una possibile obiezione.

Se è vero che in talune circostanze alcune persone ricercano per loro motivi personali un lavoro non troppo impegnativo come orario, sarebbe altrettanto vero chiarire subito che tale quota non supera il 15% del totale, ossia 1.435 milioni. I restanti 8.133 milioni vorrebbero poter lavorare a tempo completo, ma non lo trovano.

*

Il fatto che su sessanta e passa milioni di abitanti lavorino a tempo pieno solo 11 milioni e 605mila italiani dovrebbe fornire ampio materiale di meditazione.

Nessuno poi si stupisca se il fatturato industriale sia sceso del -7.3% a/a: se non si lavora, non si produce nulla da vendere.

Similmente, nessuno poi si scandalizzi che l’Inps sia in dissesto: solo 11.605 milioni di lavoratori versano pieni contributi: i restanti 9.568 milioni versano contributi ridotti i base alle ore lavorate. Spesso poco o nulla.

*

Non ci si illuda che una simile situazione possa durare a lungo nel tempo.

Dal nostro sommesso punto di vista, l’unico modo per uscire da questo stallo è la generazione di posti di lavoro reali, produttivi: sia ex-novo, sia facendo transitare da parte time a full time i lavoratori.

Compito dello stato dovrebbe essere quello di generare un clima tale per cui la gente sia invogliata ad istituire posti di lavoro: e da questo punto di vista la riduzione di tasse e burocrazia sono mandatorie.

Titoli di Stato. Asta. Decennale al tasso di 2.81%.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-27.

Prosegue lento ma inesorabile il riallineamento dei tassi di interesse, che si attestano adesso sul decennale al 2.81%.

«tutti i bond governativi emessi oggi hanno visto un incremento degli yield sui precedenti collocamenti»

*

Ci si rende perfettamente conto dei problemi al momento sul tappeto: pa partire dalle prossime elezioni n Basilicata e poi quelle europee, così come dei travagli che attanagliano il Movimento Cinque Stelle.

Ci si rende anche perfettamente conto del fatto che questa attuale Commissione Europea avversa in ogni modo e maniera il governo italiano per motivi di infima bottega politica elettorale  misto all’invidia per partiti che abbiano largo consenso popolare, mentre i membri delle Commissioni sono sulla via del disarmo e dell’oblio.

Pur tuttavia il dato odierno è inquietante, specie poi se proiettato nel futuro prossimo.

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Aste titoli di Stato: ricominciano a salire i rendimenti

Il Ministero del Tesoro ha comunicato di aver registrato il tutto esaurito nelle aste odierne. Informazioni negative sul fronte dei rendimenti: tutti i bond governativi emessi oggi hanno visto un incremento degli yield sui precedenti collocamenti.

*

Andando nello specifico, per quanto riguarda l’asta dei BTP a 5 anni, scadenza al primo ottobre 2023 (codice ISIN IT0005344335) e coupon al 2,45%, sono stati collocati tutti 2 miliardi di euro offerti dal Tesoro.

Con una domanda pari a 2,923 miliardi di euro, il rapporto di copertura tra ammontare richiesto dagli investitori e quantitativo offerto è stato pari a 1,46. Il bid-to-ask ratio in questione è il più alto da ottobre 2018.

Il prezzo di emissione è stato pari a 103,82 e prevede un rendimento lordo all’1,59%, dato che risulta in crescita se confrontato con la precedente asta del 30 gennaio 2019.

Per quanto riguarda il titolo di Stato per antonomasia, il BTP a 10 anni con scadenza al primo agosto 2029 (ISIN IT0005365165) collocato questa mattina ha fatto segnare il tutto esaurito. Il prezzo medio dell’emissione è uguale a 101,85 e il coupon è al 3%.

A fronte di una domanda pari a 5,24 miliardi di euro sono stati collocati tutti i 4 miliardi di euro offerti dal Tesoro, per un rapporto di copertura a 1,31, ai livelli più bassi da giugno 2018.

L’asta odierna del decennale italiano ha visto salire i rendimenti al 2,81%: nella precedente emissione del 30 gennaio, questo fattore si attestava al 2,60%.

Sul fronte CCTeu con scadenza al 15 gennaio 2025 (codice ISIN IT0005359846), l’asta odierna si è conclusa con l’assegnazione di 1,25 miliardi di euro di titoli.

Questa emissione ha visto una richiesta degli investitori internazionali pari a 2,026 miliardi di euro, con un rapporto bid-to-cover a 1,62. Lo yield si attesta all’1,83%, in crescita rispetto all’1,65% del precedente collocamento.

Marine Le Pen ed il nuovo parlamento europeo.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-27.

Avvicinandosi i termini per le elezioni europee si stanno moltiplicando report e sondaggi, i risultati dei quali sono frequentemente anche molto contrastanti. Questo fenomeno, ben comprensibile, genera però una grande confusione.

Un fenomeno emergente è la drammatizzazione di quanto potrebbe accadere: ciascuna sponda dipinge la controparte come un mostro assatanato, alcune volte a ragione ma spesso in modo financo grottesco e ridicolo.

Però gli allarmismi sembrerebbero fare presa maggiore dei discorsi pacati.

*

Si stanno confrontando la visione che avrebbe voluto trasformare l’Unione Europea negli Stati Uniti Europei e la visione invece di un’Unione Europea cui aderiscono stati sovrani collegati solo ed unicamente dal punto di vista economico.

Al momento gli identitari, i sovranisti, sembrerebbero non essere ancora in grado di prevalere, ma non è questo il punto centrale. Verosimilmente potranno ottenere tra i 120 ed i 160 eurodeputati, ma gli attuali equilibri sono rotti.

Non solo.

Tutti si stanno preoccupando di una improbabile vittoria degli identitari, mentre il problema vero è il tracollo dei partiti tradizionali: partito popolare europeo e partito socialista europeo, che perderebbero, grosso modo. una cinquantina di seggi ciascuno.

Ma questo solo uno dei tanti aspetti.

Questo anno si voterà in sette stati dell’Unione, e così cambierà la composizione del Consiglio Europeo, sommo organo decisionale.

Infine, sia Mr Macron sia Frau Merkel sono molto deboli nelle rispettive patrie: ma contando poco in casa loro contano ancor meno in Europea.L’Asse francogermanico è solo uno sbiadito ricordo.

* * *

Se gli argomenti su esposti fossero realmente chiari, alcune frasi di questo articolo diverrebbero immediatamente vivide nelle loro asserzioni.

«European Parliament: what role does it play as part of a broader euroskeptic boost across Europe?»

*

«Now, the party is eyeing another crucial test: the elections for the European Parliament in May, which may give it and other populist forces in the region a powerful boost, potentially reshaping the EU’s makeup and decision-making»

*

«I think Europe is moving toward a return of nation-states, and we’re part of this great political movement supporting this shift»

*

«They could potentially go up to or beyond one-third of the seats in the European Parliament»

*

«pro-EU parties will continue to dominate the parliament, the combined total tallies of the two main groups will drop to less than 50 percent.»

*

«From once-shunned political outsider, the National Rally is now almost respectable, and has assumed the spot as France’s top opposition party since the implosion of the mainstream center right and left in the 2017 elections.»

*

«Le Pen’s euroskeptic party has also traditionally fared well in past EU elections, earning a quarter of the seats in the 2014 vote»

*

«I think Europe is moving toward the return of nation states, and we’re part of this great political movement supporting this, …. Our goal is to turn the EU into a cooperation among nations, and not this kind of European super state»

*

«A strong showing “would give them access to places on committees, the ability to form a political group” giving nationalist parties access to funds and work as a block on key areas like the European budget and rule of law»

*

«It might also give populists a say in appointing European Commission members …. so the executive body of the EU could have anti-European members.»

*

«People no longer have faith that by playing within the current framework that things will get better. So they’re throwing their lot with newer insurgent parties, in some cases putting them into government»

* * * * * * * *

Ma tutti i conti dovrebbero essere fatti con l’oste presente. Ed in questo caso è un oste nerboruto, fortemente irritabile, che vuole essere pagato, ed anche subito.

Se è vero che i liberal socialisti portano abbastanza regolarmente in piazza una manciatina di persone, sempre le stesse facce osservando attentamente le fotografie ed i filmati, il Popolo sovrano sta iniziando ad alzare la testa ed a farsi le sue ragioni in piazza.

Si pensi solo agli sconquassi accaduti in Catalogna, oppure ai Gilets Jaunes in Francia.

Si faccia attenzione! Con il venti percento della popolazione che vive nella fascia della povertà la probabilità di severi tumulti di piazza p tutt’altro che remota, anzi!

Questa Europa è tutto fuorché stabile, ce lo si ricordi bene.

Nota.

Per meglio comprendere cosa stiano provando i liberal socialisti, sarebbe suggeribile rileggere questo articolo.

Dopo averlo letto, provate a rileggerlo invertendo i termini.

Liberal. Si sono resi odiosi per i reati di opinione.

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→ Deutsche Welle. 2019-02-25. France’s Marine Le Pen stokes anti-EU sentiment

Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party hopes to surge in May’s elections for the European Parliament. What role does it play as part of a broader euroskeptic boost across Europe? Elizabeth Bryant reports from Paris.

*

Two years ago, France’s far-right National Rally party suffered a crushing defeat when the political newbie Emmanuel Macron and his movement swept presidential and parliamentary elections. But, now, the party has bounced back, with a new name and rejuvenated image aimed to consolidate its place as the country’s biggest opposition force.

Now, the party is eyeing another crucial test: the elections for the European Parliament in May, which may give it and other populist forces in the region a powerful boost, potentially reshaping the EU’s makeup and decision-making.

“I think Europe is moving toward a return of nation-states, and we’re part of this great political movement supporting this shift,” National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said in an interview with Anglophone journalists recently, as she called the European Union a failure in every way.

Though Le Pen’s rhetoric is not new, she is no longer a lonely voice on the European landscape. And today some experts share her predictions that May’s vote may usher in a political sea change.

“They could potentially go up to or beyond one-third of the seats in the European Parliament [there are currently 751 seats in the EP — the ed.],” said Susi Dennison, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank and co-author of recent reports citing the dangers of “anti-Europe” forces in paralyzing EU institutions and policy. “Complacency will be very dangerous with these elections.”

Other analysts are not as alarmed, although a new poll found that, though pro-EU parties will continue to dominate the parliament, the combined total tallies of the two main groups will drop to less than 50 percent.

Continuing a trend

For populist parties, this election season looks set to continue a surge in voter support that has put some in government in countries such as Hungary, Italy, Austria and Poland. Spain has its first far-right party since the Franco dictatorship, while the far-right Alternative for Germany holds a steady 13 percent support in recent polls.

In France, Le Pen has fundamentally revamped her party’s image after taking control in 2011 of a movement her father founded nearly five decades ago. Under her leadership, the party has softened its pugnacious rhetoric to secure broader support. Last year, it adopted a slight name change from its original moniker, the National Front.

Read more: Can Marine Le Pen’s Front National make a comeback?

From once-shunned political outsider, the National Rally is now almost respectable, and has assumed the spot as France’s top opposition party since the implosion of the mainstream center right and left in the 2017 elections.

For the European Parliament vote, the National Rally has tapped 23-year-old Jordan Bardella to head the party’s list, considered a team player and staunch Le Pen supporter, in a bid to offer a fresh face and potentially gain younger votes. Recent polls put the National Rally and Macron’s Republic on the March party neck-and-neck in the race for the vote in May.

Riding on past success?

Le Pen’s euroskeptic party has also traditionally fared well in past EU elections, earning a quarter of the seats in the 2014 vote.

“I think Europe is moving toward the return of nation states, and we’re part of this great political movement supporting this,” Le Pen said. “Our goal is to turn the EU into a cooperation among nations, and not this kind of European super state.”

A strong showing “would give them access to places on committees, the ability to form a political group” giving nationalist parties access to funds and work as a block on key areas like the European budget and rule of law, said Dennison. It might also give populists a say in appointing European Commission members, she added, “so the executive body of the EU could have anti-European members.”

The growing clout of populists comes as polls show a mixed report card for the EU on the part of its citizens. A pair of Eurobarometer surveys show that while two-thirds of Europeans believe their country has benefited from being part of the bloc — a 35-year high — only four in 10 have a positive image or trust in it. Those underwhelming results may bolster support for euro-skeptic parties, along with another trend seen among European voters — of going against the status quo, Dennison said.

“People no longer have faith that by playing within the current framework that things will get better. So they’re throwing their lot with newer insurgent parties, in some cases putting them into government.”

The yellow vest factor

In France, the National Rally’s prospects may be complicated by the anti-government yellow vest protest movement. Some members are eyeing a run for parliament, but the movement is leaderless and disorganized, and the idea of turning grassroots action into a political force is deeply controversial.

“I don’t consider the yellow vests a threat,” said Le Pen, adding the movement is merely expressing the grievances her party has championed for years. “If they want to run for elections, that’s democracy.”

Others are not so sure.”The yellow vests present both a threat and an opportunity for Marine Le Pen,” said political scientist Jean Petaux, of Sciences-Po Bordeaux University. “They could offer her party a chance to enlarge its audience as the party that listens to their grievances.”

But if the movement is able to organize for the EU elections, he said, it could also steal votes from the National Rally, especially if there is a low voter turnout. “Because when you have a low turnout, it is usually those who are against who mobilize — not those who are for.”

Top Model. Il 40% è quasi alla fame, le altre son cariche di debiti.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-27.

Se è vero che le grandi sartorie vendono prodotti di alta qualità ed ottima fattura, è altrettanto vero che praticano prezzi davvero molto elevati. Sicuramente stoffe ed accessori sono molto costosi, altrettanto sicuramente l’artigianato di quel livello richiede stipendi adeguati, ma i loro bilanci indicano il grosso delle spese in quelle di rappresentanza.

Per una casa di moda le sfilate sono il clou di quasi un anno di lavoro: un errore lo si pagherebbe molto caro. Ma le sfilate costano, e costano assai. Ecco quindi che una accurata ed oculata gestione diventa mandatoria.

Qui entrano in gioco le modelle, usualmente ragazze molto giovani, abbacinate da quanto i rotocalchi riportano delle fortune che alcune di loro hanno avuto la sorte di accumulare.

Nelle sfilate servono per motivi pubblicitari delle top model, strapagate: se non ci fossero le inventerebbero. Nei fatti molte delle così dette top model sono una costruzione fasulla, come delle quinte teatrali.

Domandiamoci allora chi sia la vera top model.

Sfonda, ed alle volte anche alla grande, la ragazza che fa vendere il maggior numero dei capi che indossa alla sfilata. Deve convincere le donne presenti che senza quell’abito non possono praticare vita sociale.

È un banale esercizio di tenuta contabile.

Se sicuramente la casa di mode affida i capi migliori a queste ragazze, queste hanno solitamente un fascino personale, un glamour ed un charme non indifferente. Poi, il battage pubblicitario fa il resto.

Ma per una modella che sfonda ce ne sono migliaia che recitano solo la parte delle comparse, nella speranza di poter ottenere un successo che mai sarà loro concesso.

Le ragazzine sono affascinate dal mondo della moda, e se ne son fatte un’immagine illusoria.

Intanto, un primo problema è saper tenere la linea. Nessuno ingaggerebbe una modella cicciottella, anche perché nella sfilata altro non è che un attaccapanni ambulante: o sono magre, scarne, oppure nulla da fare. La ragazza rafigurata nella foto dovrebbe essere eloquente.

Poi il secondo requisito, difficilissimo da trovare ed altrettanto difficile da raggiungere: saper camminare. Le ragazzine, m anche le donne, odierne camminano come armadi a rotelle trascinati da un trattore: impossibile mandarle in passerella. Non a caso ci sono scuole, costosissime, che insegnano il portamento. Ma se la ragazza non lo ha nel sangue ha ben poco da esercitarsi. Uno dei più severi ostacoli sono le scarpe con il tacco: di regola tacco 12, ma spesso maggiore. Se la ragazza non ci si abitua portandole di routine alla fine vien fuori la sua scarsa dimestichezza con questo mezzo di lavoro.

Infine le case di moda operano tramite degli intermediari, delle agenzie di collocamento delle modelle.

Entrarci è davvero difficile, meno di una su duecento, e di regola devono anche essere ben presentate e quanto mai duttili.

Ma se è difficile entrare, è facilissimo uscire. Basta una minima sbavatura.

Il lavoro per le sfilate di moda perdura per la durata della sfilata, dalla fase preparatoria ai servizi fotografici successivi: dalla settimana ai venti giorni al massimo. Una modella molto ben ammanicata può sperare di ottenere da tre a cinque ingaggi all’anno. Poi deve arrangiarsi a trovarsi da mangiare: può fare la fotomodella di basso rango, oppure la hostess in qualche mostra. Ma alla fine il pranzo non quadra con la cena.

Non solo.

«But many will go home financially worse off than when they arrived»

*

«The problem for fashion models is that while their agencies will typically pay for their flights, accommodation and expenses up front, it is standard industry practice that they want the money back»

*

«So if a model travels to the latest London Fashion Week, which starts on Friday, and doesn’t get work, they will be in debt to their agency for the amount it spent getting her or him there»

*

«The problem is the girls are seen as “disposable” by many agencies»

* * * * * * *

Riassumendo e concludendo.

La grande maggioranza delle fashion model passa i migliori anni della propria esistenza inseguendo il sogno chimerico di un successo che mai le bacerà sulla fronte.

Si ritrovano così che non hanno finito un regolare ciclo di studi e restano disadattate a reinserirsi nell’ambiente da cui avevano cercato di emergere.

Tutto ciò che loro resta sono i debiti da pagare. Si sono giocate la giovinezza per una chimera.

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→ Bbc. 2019-02-14. The fashion models struggling with a life of debt

As fashion weeks follow hot on each other’s heels in New York, London, Milan and Paris, hundreds of models are travelling to the four fashion capitals in the hope of getting work.

But many will go home financially worse off than when they arrived.

Anna (not her real name) has worked as a model since she was 17, appearing on the catwalk for Prada, Mulberry, Comme des Garcons and many others.

But after three years, she still hasn’t managed to pay off all the £10,000 she owes to her modelling agencies.

“My debt situation started right away when I started modelling,” she tells the BBC.

The first agency Anna signed with, in her European home country, advanced her £350 for taking test photographs, a cost that was added to an account in her name.

Later she was flown to London for a casting, and that cost was also added to her account, including accommodation and living expenses. The amount she owed mounted.

“They would ask me if I wanted a driver, without being clear that this is very expensive, and that I have to pay for it,” she says.

The problem for fashion models is that while their agencies will typically pay for their flights, accommodation and expenses up front, it is standard industry practice that they want the money back.

So if a model travels to the latest London Fashion Week, which starts on Friday, and doesn’t get work, they will be in debt to their agency for the amount it spent getting her or him there.

Anna had this problem, when aged 18 she flew to the US for castings at New York Fashion Week, but ultimately couldn’t attend any due to falling sick.

For two years she says she received next to no pay, as her agencies in Paris, London and New York directed her fees to pay off all the money she owed.

Ekaterina Ozhiganova says it’s time to address the hidden problem of debt that models rack up as they try to make a career in one of the most precarious professions in the world.

A Russian model working in Paris, she co-founded Model Law, the first French association working to protect models’ rights.

“It used to be that sexual violence was taboo,” she says.

“Now everyone is shouting on every corner about sexual exploitation, but no-one wants to talk about money. Everyone is shutting their mouths about it.”

Because success in the industry is partly measured by the amount you earn, working models rarely want to speak out about the problem.

But behind the scenes, Ms Ozhiganova says Model Law is helping models better understand their finances.

“The lack of information is the main problem” she says. “The models don’t know what they are supposed to receive.”

How easy is it to make a living as a model?

While models from all countries can get into financial difficulties, those from poorer nations can be more vulnerable.

“It’s like any worker who comes from abroad to a more prosperous economy,” says Ms Ozhiganova.

“There’s a big difficulty in language, they can’t read the paperwork, the contract. They are jumping into a void.”

Compounding the problem, the pool of aspiring models is so large that work is spread thinly and pay can be very low.

Some jobs in magazines, for example, are unpaid. Otherwise fees can range from £50 a day, to £1,000 or more for a taking part in a show during a fashion week or tens of thousands for featuring in a brand’s campaign.

However, model debt is not debt in any ordinary sense of the term, says John Horner, director of the British Fashion Models Association, representing UK agencies.

If a young model fails to make it and leaves the industry, she isn’t pursued for the money she “owes” he says. Instead the agency writes off the investment.

“It is not hanging round the models like [UK payday loan provider] Wonga,” he says. “We carry the debt.”

He says the London-based agency he runs, Models 1, has £60,000 of models’ debt sitting on its books, which may never be paid off, if the models’ careers don’t take off.

He says agencies are obliged to give models monthly itemised bills listing the charges to their accounts, but he’s not sure they always get read.

Most successful models soon pay off the initial investment and start earning on their own account, he says.

Esther Kinnear-Derungs is the co-founder of Linden Staub, a small agency set up in London three years ago to pioneer ways to treat models better.

She says that advancing and recouping costs is the “nature of the business”.

The problem is the girls are seen as “disposable” by many agencies, she says, and it’s an open secret that at fashion weeks some big agencies take the approach that hundreds of girls can be “thrown against the wall to see what sticks”.

She says it’s often girls from eastern Europe who are most vulnerable.

Their parents are happy to send them abroad, believing it’s their “big break”, and they don’t ask enough questions. The girls themselves have no experience at managing their own finances or careers.

“We believe we have a responsibility to educate the model from day one, whether she was scouted in Siberia, Africa or London,” says Ms Kinnear-Derungs.

Candice [also not her real name], is a French model of east African descent. She says she had no idea when she started out that she was being charged for travel and expenses.

“When you get your first job, that’s how you realise it wasn’t free.

“You go and ask about your pay and they say, you don’t have money because you’re in debt. Then you understand,” she says.

She says even if agencies are ultimately carrying the financial risk, there’s a psychological burden on the models.

“It always feels like a gamble to make the journey to fashion week with the risk you’ll go home owing more than when you arrived,” she says.

“Maybe 40%, maybe more, go home with zero. That is why it is so stressful.”

Dodici superpetroliere in zavorra. Il petrolio è un problema complesso.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-27.

Il problema del petrolio o, più in generale, dei combustibili fossili, mal si presta a generalizzazioni avventate che sicuramente sembrerebbero facilitare la comprensione dei fenomeni ma altrettanto sicuramente tendono ad enfatizzare  aspetti parziali quasi estinguessero il tutto.

Uno dei più misconosciuti problemi è l’intimo legame che intercorre tra il crudo estratto e la raffineria che lo trasformerà in idrocarburi utilizzabili. Ogni tipo di estratto necessita di essere lavorato in una sua propria raffineria, che potrebbe essere collocata in un altro continente. In parole miserrime, il produttore di petrolio conta ovviamente molto, ma senza l’accesso alle raffinerie, conta poco o punto.

«Ships are sailing without cargo after producers cut exports»

*

«Booming U.S. shipments still need to go to Asian refineries»

*

«They are slowly plowing their way across thousands of miles of ocean toward America’s Gulf of Mexico coastline»

*

«As they do, twelve empty supertankers are also revealing a few truths about today’s global oil market.»

*

«In normal times, the vessels would be filled with heavy, high sulfur Middle East oil for delivery to refineries in places like Houston or New Orleans. Not now though. They are sailing cargo-less, a practice that vessel owners normally try to avoid because ships earn money by making deliveries»

*

«The 12 vessels are making voyages of as much as 21,000 miles direct from Asia, all the way around South Africa, holding nothing but seawater for stability because Middle East producers are restricting supplies. Still, America’s booming volumes of light crude must still be exported, and there aren’t enough supertankers in the Atlantic Ocean for the job. So they’re coming empty»

*

«The U.S. both exports and imports large amounts of crude because the variety it pumps — especially newer supplies from shale formations — is very different from the type that’s found in the Middle East. OPEC members are likely cutting heavier grades while American exports are predominantly lighter»

* * * * * * * *

The great oil paradox: too many good crudes not enough bad ones.

«The shale boom has created a world awash with crude, putting a lid on prices and markedly reducing U.S. dependence on imported energy. But there’s a growing problem: America is producing the wrong kind of oil.

Texas and other shale-rich states are spewing a gusher of high-quality crude — light-sweet in the industry parlance — feeding a growing glut that’s bending the global oil industry out of shape.

Refiners who invested billions to turn a profit from processing cheap low-quality crude are paying unheard of premiums to find the heavy-sour grades they need. The mismatch is better news for OPEC producers like Iraq and Saudi Arabia, who don’t produce much light-sweet, but pump plenty of the dirtier stuff.

The crisis in Venezuela, together with OPEC output cuts, will exacerbate the mismatch. The South American producer exports some of the world’s heaviest oil and Trump administration sanctions announced this week will make processing and exporting crude far more difficult. American refiners are scrambling for alternative supplies at very short notice.»

*

Già.

Problemi che, se banalizzati, sembrerebbero essere semplici, all’improvviso evidenziano dei paradossi conflittuali: le vecchie regole sono inadatte a descrivere il fenomeno attuale.

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→ Bloomberg. 2019-02-23. Twelve Empty Supertankers Reveal Truths About Today’s Oil Market

– Ships are sailing without cargo after producers cut exports

– Booming U.S. shipments still need to go to Asian refineries

*

They are slowly plowing their way across thousands of miles of ocean toward America’s Gulf of Mexico coastline. As they do, twelve empty supertankers are also revealing a few truths about today’s global oil market.

In normal times, the vessels would be filled with heavy, high sulfur Middle East oil for delivery to refineries in places like Houston or New Orleans. Not now though. They are sailing cargo-less, a practice that vessel owners normally try to avoid because ships earn money by making deliveries.

The 12 vessels are making voyages of as much as 21,000 miles direct from Asia, all the way around South Africa, holding nothing but seawater for stability because Middle East producers are restricting supplies. Still, America’s booming volumes of light crude must still be exported, and there aren’t enough supertankers in the Atlantic Ocean for the job. So they’re coming empty.

“What’s driving this is a U.S. oil market that’s looking relatively bearish with domestic production estimates trending higher, and persistent crude oil builds we have seen for the last few weeks,” said Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy at ING Bank NV in Amsterdam. “At the same time, OPEC cuts are supporting international grades like Brent, creating an export incentive.”

The U.S. both exports and imports large amounts of crude because the variety it pumps — especially newer supplies from shale formations — is very different from the type that’s found in the Middle East. OPEC members are likely cutting heavier grades while American exports are predominantly lighter, Patterson said.

Gasoline Glut

By industry standards, American oil is considered light and low in sulfur, making it great for churning out gasoline, with the result that a glut of the automotive fuel is starting to build up. By contrast, Middle East crude often needs more processing — not a problem for Gulf of Mexico plants that were designed specifically for that task — but it can have a smaller gasoline yield.

“There is still going to be a lot of growth from U.S. tight oil this year,” said James Davis, director of short-term global oil service at Facts Global Energy. “This will continue to push U.S. exports up.”

Shippers are counting on the U.S. exports to help the tanker market withstand supply restrictions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia. Industry analysts, who actually raised their estimates for what they think the ships will earn this year after the OPEC+ pact was announced in December, are citing rising American shipments as a contributing factor.

There are usually three or four empty supertankers — very large crude carriers in industry jargon — that would sail empty to the U.S. at any one time, according to shipbrokers.

The shift has produced knock-on effects around the shipping market. Daily earnings for the VLCCs, which can haul two million barrels of oil, on the benchmark Middle East-to-China route doubled since last week to $29,494, according to Baltic Exchange data.

“Following a fixing frenzy from the U.S. Gulf Coast late last week, most available tonnage in the Atlantic basin has been soaked up,” said Espen Fjermestad, an analyst at Fearnley Securities AS in Oslo. “With ships ballasting West, rates have shifted up also in the East.”

Si sono accorti ora che Putin è presente nell’europarlamento.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-26.

Tutti farebbero carte false per avere una stagista così.

Per farla breve, Mrs Elizaveta Peskova, a soli 21 anni è già donna di successo per le sue innovazioni stilistiche, per vorticosi giri di affari, per una vita privata definita ‘molto intensa’.

Eppure questa fanciulla  da poco meno di un anno si accontenta di 1000 euro al mese come stagista nell’europarlamento, a supporto di Mr Aymeric Chauprade: è stato l’europarlamento stesso che ha votato a suo favore per accoglierla nel suo seno. Può anche accedere ai documenti riservati.

È un gesto di rara umiltà e modestia, di certo ereditata dal padre, Dmitry Peskov, portavoce di Mr Putin di cui si dice sia anche il braccio destro.

A Bruxelles ha saputo farsi apprezzare e voler bene da parte di tutti i funzionari non dell’altra sponda e dalle funzionarie che la tampinavano con vogliosi appetiti da soddisfare. Essendo di animo nobile e generoso, la Peskova cercava di mettere tutti a loro agio, li rilassava e stava semplicemente ad ascoltarli. Una persona che sa ascoltare si fa presto la fama di persona intelligente ed arguta.

*

Ah!! Le donne russe hanno certamente una marcia in più rispetto tutte le altre, come diceva quel galantuomo di Beria, un vero superesperto in materia.

* * * * * * *

«The daughter of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has been hired as an intern by a French MEP, in a move attacked as bad taste by some and a security risk by others.

Elisaveta Peskova, the 21-year old daughter of Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, took up her post in the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels in November on a contract with French MEP Aymeric Chauprade that is due to end in April.

 She is being paid €1,000 a month, as well as expenses for her monthly trips to the EP’s other building in Strasbourg, which normally amount to another €700 or so.

Peskova is better known to her 79,000 followers on Instagram for posing in designer clothes in Paris or Moscow.

But she has also posted pictures of herself eating and dancing with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who stands accused of human rights abuses.

She posted images of herself with shipyard workers in Russia-occupied Crimea, where she briefly worked as a PR consultant.

And she posed for a photo among the ‘yellow vest’ protests in the French capital, which she described as “a kind of bacchanal … in the main street of Western Europe … cool”.»

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Figlia di Peskov al Pe, è polemica

«BRUXELLES, 26 FEB – Sta destando polemiche a Bruxelles la notizia che la figlia di Dmitry Peskov, portavoce del presidente russo Vladimir Putin, ‘lavora’ come stagista al Parlamento europeo, in un momento in cui le relazioni fra Mosca e Bruxelles sono contraddistinte da uno scontro politico senza precedenti. L’Ue teme interferenze, in particolare dalla Russia, in vista delle elezioni europee di fine maggio. A renderlo noto è la stessa Eurocamera, che precisa che Elizaveta Peskova, 21 anni, sta conducendo uno stage per conto del deputato francese Aymeric Chauprade, (ex Front national e ora con Les Français Libres), che fa parte del gruppo Efdd, lo stesso dove siedono il M5S. Secondo quanto si apprende, la stagista non avrebbe accesso a informazioni sensibili, e tutta la responsabilità politica del suo operato ricade sul parlamentare che ha deciso di prenderla per uno stage. Chauprade ha precisato che “il Parlamento europeo ha convalidato il contratto” e che “tutte le procedure sono state rispettate”.»

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*Putin Spokesman’s Daughter Interning at EU Parliament

BRUSSELS — The daughter of the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin has secured an intern’s job at the European Union’s legislature at a time of increasing political confrontation between the EU and Russia.

Right-wing French lawmaker Aymeric Chauprade on Tuesday defended his decision to hire Elizaveta Peskova, the daughter of Dmitry Peskov, saying she is a trainee studying law and international relations in France.

“The European Parliament has validated the contract and all procedures have been respected,” Chauprade said, adding that the criticism amounts to “conspiratorial Russophobia.”

The European Parliament said interns do not get access to sensitive information. The story was first reported by RFE/RL Radio Free Europe.

The EU and Russia are currently at loggerheads over a series of issues ranging from Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula to energy policies.

Chauprade said in an interview with The Associated Press that Peskova started working for him last November and plans to leave at the end of April.

Chauprade is on the EU parliament’s foreign affairs committee, the security and defense sub-committee and the EU-Russia parliamentary cooperation delegation.

When questioned about the fact that Peskov is high up in the Kremlin hierarchy, Chauprade said that “yes, he has a very important position,” but insisted that neither he nor any of his staff has access to confidential information about Russia.

He said that the 21-year-old Peskova’s work is not centered on Russian issues and that she is working just as much on relations with Senegal and Morocco, among others.

Asked about the controversy that his daughter’s internship has caused, Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that “this is about an ordinary student and an ordinary internship” and refused to comment further on his private life.

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Putin spokesman’s daughter working in EU parliament

Elizaveta Peskova, the daughter of Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, is working in the European Parliament (EP) as a “trainee” for a French far-right MEP, Aymeric Chauprade. The revelation came on Monday from Latvian MEP Sandra Kalniete, who said Peskova might be a security risk as she would have access to internal EP information. Peskova has a popular Instagram account, with some 78,000 followers.

Diamanti. Lo scandalo si allarga. – Bloomberg.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-02-26.

Diamanti. Chi vive di illusione muore di certezze. Investimento opinabile.

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Il vero problema dei truffatori consiste nel selezionare con cura il potenziale truffato, poi serve dirgli ciò che questi vuole sentirsi dire. In caso contrario non si spiegherebbero le decine di denuncie giornaliera che la polizia riceve da incauti acquirenti del Colosseo.

Questo caso è da manuale.

«In 2014, Massimo Balestra received a call from an employee at his bank, offering a risk-free investment “as secure as a wall safe.” The resident of a small northern Italian town ended up spending 6,945 euros ($7,876) on a diamond that he says he hasn’t seen since»

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«Balestra is one of almost 100,000 Italians who bought so called “investment diamonds” at the urging of their banks in a widespread arrangement that’s now the target of a criminal investigation by the country’s financial police, according to people with knowledge of the matter»

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«Investigators allege that Italy’s biggest banks hooked up their clients with diamond brokers who sold them stones for as much as double their market price»

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«Banks acted as intermediaries, putting diamond brokers in touch with their clients and earning fees on the sales. The contracts were often signed in the lenders’ branches, giving clients the impression that the banks were counterparties to the deals»

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«Prosecutors will allege that the diamonds were sold at prices far above their assessed value and that the banks didn’t meet their legal obligations of informing investors of the risks, the document showed»

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«Employees of UniCredit and Banco BPM allegedly received at least 99,000 euros of gifts from IDB, including antiquities, smartphones, trips to spa hotels and diamond rings»

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Che poi l’acquirente non abbia mai visto il diamante acquistato, la conta lunga.

Nessuno si stupisce che dei funzionari di banca abbiano montato un giro truffaldino: l’occasione rende ladre anche persone che fino ad allora si erano comportate onestamente e rettamente.

Si resta invece davvero perplessi nel sentirsi raccontare che proprio nessuno si fosse accorto di quanto stava succedendo. I direttori delle filiali e delle agenzie avrebbero ben dovuto notare quello strano viavai: si parla di quasi 100,000 persone truffate, non di quattro gatti.

Se poi un bel giorno si vedesse un funzionario da poche migliaia di euro al mese adornato di un diamante al dito e di ritorno da un giro da favola in alberghi di lusso, un direttore dovrebbe bene alzare le orecchie: nulla si genera dal nulla.

Le indagini proseguono, ma se se ne è occupato anche Bloomberg, la faccenda è forse più ampia di quanto non si voglia dire.

P.S.

Banca Alietti è scomparsa dall’articolo di Bloomberg.

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→ Bloomberg. 2019-02-22. Diamond Scam Probe Reopens Scandal Italian Banks Want to Forget

– Finance Police seize $840 million from five banks, brokers

– Intesa, UniCredit, Paschi, BPM said targets of Milan probe

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In 2014, Massimo Balestra received a call from an employee at his bank, offering a risk-free investment “as secure as a wall safe.” The resident of a small northern Italian town ended up spending 6,945 euros ($7,876) on a diamond that he says he hasn’t seen since.

Balestra is one of almost 100,000 Italians who bought so called “investment diamonds” at the urging of their banks in a widespread arrangement that’s now the target of a criminal investigation by the country’s financial police, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Investigators allege that Italy’s biggest banks hooked up their clients with diamond brokers who sold them stones for as much as double their market price.

Police on Tuesday confiscated more than 740 million euros from UniCredit SpA, Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Banco BPM SpA and one of its units, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA as well as two diamond brokerages in connection with the case, according to a court document seen by Bloomberg.

Representatives for UniCredit, Intesa, and Monte Paschi declined to comment. Banco BPM SpA said in a statement that the company and current and former executives including General Manager Maurizio Faroni are targets of the probe and that authorities had seized 84.6 million euros in the investigation. The bank said it is cooperating with the investigation.

A lawyer for Intermarket Diamond Business SpA, or IDB, the brokerage selling diamonds through UniCredit and Banco BPM, declined to comment. Lawyers for Diamond Private Investment SpA, or DPI, the reference broker for Intesa and Monte Paschi, didn’t respond to emails and calls seeking comment.

Ugly Spotlight

The probe reopens an embarrassing chapter for the banks as they confront challenges including unloading soured loans, boosting profitability and convincing clients to invest their savings when the euro zone’s third-largest economy is sputtering. Four of the five banks targeted in the investigation were hit by fines imposed by the country’s antitrust authority two years ago over the diamond sales.

Among the scheme’s victims is Italy’s most popular rock star, Vasco Rossi, who bought about 2.5 million euros of diamonds from 2009 to 2011, the document showed.

‘Investment Diamonds’

Italian banks went into the business of investment diamonds en masse after 2010 as they sought to boost profitability amid the country’s worst recession since World War II. Customers committed their savings, enticed by bank promotions and employees who reassured them the investment carried no risk and would provide attractive returns.

Banks acted as intermediaries, putting diamond brokers in touch with their clients and earning fees on the sales. The contracts were often signed in the lenders’ branches, giving clients the impression that the banks were counterparties to the deals.

Prosecutors will allege that the diamonds were sold at prices far above their assessed value and that the banks didn’t meet their legal obligations of informing investors of the risks, the document showed. To deceive potential buyers, the brokers took out ads in the business pages of Italian newspapers that displayed their inflated prices in a format that made it appear that they were market quotes.

Criminal Charges

About 70 people, including several top managers of the lenders, face possible charges of fraud and so called self-laundering. The banks and brokerages themselves are also suspects because companies in Italy can be held responsible if they are shown to have failed to prevent, or didn’t try to deter, a crime by their top executives.

Balestra, who’s bank is among those charged in the case, said he was told to expect an annual yield of 3 percent to 4 percent on a diamond that would be held in the broker’s vault. He said he inquired about the investment six months ago and was told by a bank employee that the diamond broker was close to failure after negative publicity about its activities in the Italian media but his investment wasn’t at risk because the diamond business was doing well in the rest of Europe.

A few months later, he was surprised to receive a letter saying that the broker, Intermarket Diamond Business, which is named in the criminal case, had collapsed and he had the right to seek custody of the diamond. “After five years, not only did I not receive any return, but I also haven’t been able to get my diamond back. I only have a photo of my diamond with a certificate from the International Gemological Institute.”

Milan-based Banco BPM said that it has made “adequate provisioning in 2018 to reimburse clients and cover risks and charges related to the probe.”

Perks, Gifts

Employees of UniCredit and Banco BPM allegedly received at least 99,000 euros of gifts from IDB, including antiquities, smartphones, trips to spa hotels and diamond rings, according to the document.

Regulators first started investigating the sale of diamonds through bank branches in 2016. The next year, the country’s antitrust authority imposed total fines of 15 million euros on Intesa, UniCredit, Monte Paschi and BPM as well as brokers Intermarket Diamond Business and Diamond Private Investment for defrauding savers by selling diamonds to them at vastly inflated prices without informing them of the risks.

While the antitrust authority was completing its investigation, Milan prosecutors opened a separate probe on the matter, digging into the practices of diamond sales between 2012 and 2016. That culminated in the asset seizures last week.

While the fines and the seizures are manageable for the lenders, the risks to their reputations may be higher. Balestra said he’s pessimistic about getting back his investment. “I don’t trust anyone at the banks anymore. In the future, I’m going to put my savings under the mattress.”