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Prince William and Kate Middleton called Prince Harry a puppet Meghan Markle

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When at the end of March, Prince Harry heard his father’s alarmed voice in the telephone, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

The 35-year-old Duke of Sussex, who escaped with his wife Meghan Markle from Britain first in To Canadaand then in USAheard the terrible news. Prince Charles, 71, said his coronavirus test was positive.

“Harry at that moment realized that Charles and the Queen would not be around forever. Harry’s biggest fear is not to be in Of England the moment his grandmother Elizabeth II dies. ”

On the last day of June, another book dedicated to the British royal family – War in the Royal Family: the story of the shocking breakup between Harry and Megan with the Windsor House – is being published. This time, her heroes were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Prince William and Kate Middleton. Authors Andy Tillett and Dylan Howard are trying to get to the bottom of the truth – which caused the Dukes of Sussex to refuse the rank of members of the British royal family.

Once in the USA and sitting in a luxury mansion in LosAngelesPrince Harry sank into depression. He is trying to find his salvation in yoga classes. But being eight thousand kilometers from the royal family, Harry feels guilty before his family for his flight to the States, especially now, when the threat of the coronavirus epidemic still hangs over the world.

“Megan assures Harry that when everything settles down, he will like their new life in Los Angeles. She plans a joint trip, tells him about the local polo club and how Harry will love surfing, ”the authors write, referring to a source surrounded by the Dukes of Sussex.

The refusal of Harry and Megan from the title of members of the royal family, which became known in January, not only upset Queen Elizabeth II, but also aggravated the already difficult relationship between the families of the two brothers. Prince William and Kate Middleton were indignant at learning about the decision of Harry and Megan, because of this they had doubled the “social burden” – attending official events.

“They consider it unfair that Harry and Megan can enjoy being part of the royal family without any effort,” the book says. – Kate is in a panic, not understanding how she will combine the additional burden with family chores.

At the same time, William and Kate immediately understood who Harry had contacted: 38-year-old Meghan Markle will skillfully manipulate her husband, who is known as far from the smartest man.

“They are sure that Megan treats Harry like a puppet,” says another person close to the royal family. “They accepted that Harry was lost for their family soon.”

Close friends Meghan Markle said that the American actress never planned to stay in Buckingham Palace. At her originally there was a plan – to return to the USA.

“Megan has always dreamed of her own brand – to be recognizable. But I don’t think that she married Harry only because of his surname and image, although this, of course, was a decisive factor, ”say close actresses.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle settled in the mansion of the Hollywood movie mogul

The house is estimated at $ 18 million (details)

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Toyota RAV4 on LPG after 200 000 km of mileage: a car Enthusiast has shared his ownership experience

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Regular oil change and a relaxed style of riding without fear allow you to put gas in the “Japanese”.

Photo: 2013 Toyota RAV4 source: Toyota

Japanese brand in the minds of Russian drivers has long been a standard of reliability, but how realistic is it to drive a gas Toyota RAV4 200 000 km little or no investment? Such a car is shown leading the “Technical channel club service” on YouTube, which talked to the owner.

The subject of discussion was the most common in Russia version of the model – front-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4 in 40-m body with 2.0-liter engine and a CVT. Crossover, purchased in 2013, only had one owner who installed the LPG for another 22 000 km. The choice was made in favor of Italian equipment.

For all time of operation has never had to change any suspension components except struts of the rear stabilizer. To date, “Rapchik” only needs to be replaced longitudinal ragachow two bushes and one lower control arm. The rest of the car has not had a problem with suspension.

Photo: engine compartment Toyota RAV4, source: “Technical club of the service channel” on YouTube

Thanks regular replacement motor oil is 7 500-8 000 km the engine is not presented with unpleasant surprises. According to the motorist, to top up the oil between servicing Toyota RAV4 he does not have.

The driver prefers a relaxed style of ridingso CVT also showed itself as a reliable unit. 98 000 km were made by partial replacement of the transmission oil, and after 200 000 km – full replacement with a new gasket and filter.

Benefits from gas owner to call difficult, but the savings on Toyota RAV4 the money he was able to purchase 19-inch wheels and tires to make noise insulation and shading, set a new multimedia system with 10-inch display.

“Japanese” is known weak head opticsbut the motorist has corrected this deficiency by replacing the factory halogen lenses on the Bi-LED.

Photo: 2013 Toyota RAV4 source: Toyota

Though reflex area is left untouched, the light was much better. In the future, the owner plans to do the polishing headlights and stick them on the protective film.

For example, the Toyota RAV4, the ownership experience shared by the motorist, you can see that when caring for Japanese cars can’t hurt installing LPG.

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Suddenly all clubs want to end the season

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VA good two months ago, “Patient One” tested positive for the corona virus in Codogno in Italy’s Lombardy. This Wednesday, the country crossed another sad threshold in the fight against the pandemic: more than 25,000 people have now died of Covid 19 lung disease, a good half of them in Lombardy alone in the north of the country with the severely afflicted capital Milan. Most Italians are aware of these circumstances. Nevertheless, impatience and resentment are growing in the country.

Matthias Rüb

Matthias Rüb

Political correspondent for Italy, the Vatican, Albania and Malta based in Rome.

The government in Rome under Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has passed a dozen emergency laws and decrees. More than six weeks ago, it imposed the strictest national curfew in all of Europe on the country’s 60 million inhabitants and had the comprehensive shutdown of the Italian economy – with the foreseeable consequence of the worst recession in the euro zone. And yet it gives a picture of persistent indecision and growing helplessness.

Unanimously for continuation

In contrast, the Serie A clubs presented a closed front in the debate about the resumption of professional football operations. At their latest video conference, the representatives of the twenty first division clubs unanimously agreed to continue the season that had been interrupted since March 12 and to determine the remaining twelve match days Champions and relegated players as well as the participants in the European competitions.

As early as the morning before the conference, seven clubs were in favor of ending the season – six of them are located in the regions most affected by the pandemic in the north of the country. One can assume that the skeptics were primarily motivated by the money argument to change their minds.

The broadcaster Sky wants to negotiate with the premier league clubs about a reduction in the outstanding last installment of 156 million euros for the broadcast rights for the 2019/2020 season. But the league does not want to (and cannot) grant a discount because many clubs themselves are in financial difficulties. If game operations are resumed, there will initially only be ghost games without paying spectators in the stadiums, so that each “TV euro” is worth twice or three times.

In any case, the premier league clubs and their stakeholders, as well as the FIGC football association, went into negotiations with the government in Rome on Wednesday: Training should resume as soon as possible after the general curfew has been relaxed on May 4, and game operations will then be in late May or early June. The responsible ministers for sport and health did not (or could not) make a decision. First, the government’s technical-scientific committee and a number of other government experts and advisors had to be heard.

Italian media reported on Thursday that the government would only allow (team) training from May 18 and games only from June 6 or 13. It is disputed how to proceed in the event of infection of a single player, coach or coach with the corona virus after the resumption of training and game operations. There can actually be no exclusion of the entire club concerned from further operation, because otherwise the competition as a whole would have to be broken off.

Show the flag: Romelu Lukaku and Inter Milan have agreed.


There was a kind of ceasefire on Wednesday evening between the Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku and his club Inter Milan. In an Instagram conversation with Lukaku, the moderator Katrin Kerkhofs, the wife of the Naples professional Dries Mertens, had insinuated an undetected infection of almost the entire Inter team with the corona virus. Before the game against Cagliari Calcio on January 26, “23 out of 25 players” were sick, said Lukaku: “Everyone coughed and had a fever.” He himself felt feverish. His Slovakian team-mate Milan Škriniar had to be replaced after a quarter of an hour with breathlessness and high fever. The club’s management said that Škriniar was sick with the flu in January, like a handful of other players.

The club refrained from punishing the center forward for his claim, which Lukaku has since withdrawn. It was said that there was great understanding of Luke’s concern. He himself has pointed out that his mother is diabetic and particularly at risk of contracting the virus. So Lukaku returned to Milan earlier this week without his mother and son Romeo from Belgium.

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The black hole of training rights in women’s football

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  • SERGIO R. VIAS

A loophole in the agreement allows clubs to ask for the money they want for sub’23 players who end their contract. Levante claims 500,000 euros for two footballers and Athletic, 250,000


Ona Batlle, Levante player.The league

An invented case: YesFerran Torres, who has been in the Valencia academy for six years (he is now 20), would end his contract on June 30 and another Spanish club would like to sign him with the letter of freedom, he should only pay 90,000 euros in training rights. Now a real case:Eva NavarroandOna Batllethey end their contract with Levante on June 30. They are 19 and 20 years old and have only had two in the granota club, which signed them for their first team and already with a professional contract in both cases. Well, if a Spanish club wants to sign them with the freedom letter, they must pay 500,000 euros for each of them.

The disproportion between one case and another, needless to say, is absolute. The reason must be found in the historic first collective agreement for women’s football, signed just two months ago. The article referring to the training rights that a club can claim for a sub’23 footballer who has just signed a contract was copied almost word for word of the men’s soccer agreement. The difference, more than substantial, lies in the fact that FIFA limits the maximum amount that a men’s soccer club can claim for this concept, which in the case of the Spanish League is 90,000 euros. In women’s football, on the other hand, the governing body of world football has not developed any regulations, so there is no limit.

In short, a women’s football club can request whatever it wants for the training rights of its footballers. The only self-limitation is the requirement to increase the player’s salary by 7% of the amount claimed by her if she finally renews her contact. In this way, in the first ‘Compensation List’ of Spanish football, Levante decided to request 500,000 euros for Navarro and Batlle, Athletic 250,000 forDamaris EgurrolaandMaite Orozand Bara 100,000 for five of its players. Logroo, Madrid CFF and Espanyol, for their part, are asking for considerably more reasonable amounts, ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 euros. As a reference, the highest amount ever paid by a Spanish footballer was the 50,000 euros that Barcelona paid to Atlético for the transfer ofMapi Len.

In practice, amounts such as those requested by Levante, Athletic and Barcelona impede the freedom of movement of sub’23 footballers in the Spanish market, forcing them to renew their contracts with their current club or to emigrate abroad, where the obligation does not govern to pay compensation for training rights. The collective agreement, tremendously beneficial for soccer players in many aspects, has left this black hole that, for now, has not been remedied and the conflict can end in the National Court if there is no agreement that seems difficult right now.

The judicial path of the conflict

“It is not a question of my daughter or the rest of the players on the list, this affects all players under 23 years of age in the coming years. All young Spanish talent should be very concerned with all this. There should not be no precedent, “he notesPablo Egurrola, father of Damaris, player for whom Athletic claims 250,000 euros and who has already taken the firm decision not to continue his career at the Bilbao club.

The situation is generating surreal situations, such as that of Eva Navarro. Last summer, the Tacn (future Real Madrid) wanted to pay 50,000 euros from its termination clause to sign it, but she decided to stay at Levante. Now that the contract ends and that in theory she is free to decide her future, the club that wants to must pay 500,000 euros. “Some have withdrawn their offers due to the uncertainty generated. Now she values ​​any possibility, both going abroad and remaining in Spain, although she has not yet decided whether she wants to continue in Levante. Both she and the rest have earned the right to decide their future and they are not allowing it, “he explainsJos Manuel Mirror, representative of Navarro. If he chose to go abroad, he would have to do it for four years, since the training rights will remain in force in Spain until he turns 23 and is now 19.

Several of the affected footballers demand that AFE, within the framework of the joint commission with the Association of Clubs, negotiate the inclusion of an annex that limits the amounts that the clubs can claim. The majority union, however, argues that it is not possible. “The text of the agreement will take place when a negotiation process is opened, we are not at that time now. We have to work with the content that we have in the agreement,” explains Tania Tabanera, AFE women’s soccer delegate.

The minority union, Footballers ON, however, has taken a different position and publicly acknowledged that it was a mistake to accept the inclusion of the article as it stands. Likewise, it claims the nullity of the ‘Compensation List’, since it was notified to the joint committee on March 4, when the agreement states that it must be done before day 1. It also claims that, since it was not published in the BOE , the agreement does not apply to Athletic and Barcelona, ​​clubs that are not part of the Club Association.

Some of the affected players feel totally unprotected by AFE, which understands that “they are individual conflicts and must be resolved as such,” either through an agreement with the clubs, or by going to court, and in no case collectively, as they claim. footballers. Rabanera also states that at first they sought an agreement with the clubs, but that the leak of the conflict made it difficult. “We demand that they solve this situation by negotiating with the employers an annex with stipulated amounts,” explains Egurrola, who has extensive experience in the trade union world of his time as a professional pelotari player. AFE affirms that this is not possible and now the players, if the joint commission does not solve the conflict at the request of the ON Footballers claim, they are considering requesting the mediation of SIMA and, as a last option, go to the National Court. “If it were necessary to defend their rights, of course we will,” Egurrola guarantees.

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Mesut-Özil adviser criticizes clubs for waiving salary

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SPlayer adviser Erkut Sögüt, who, among others, represents the former German national soccer player Mesut Özil, has asked clubs to be more transparent when it comes to foregoing salary in the Corona crisis. “If a club asks its players to cut their wages, then in my opinion the club must also be totally transparent with regard to the financial circumstances,” said Sögüt im Podcast “Steilcast” of the online magazine “The Athletic”, “So that all players can make a well-informed decision about how much they can be expected to help the club through the coming months.”

Sögüt complained that some clubs would put pressure on their players through the media if they proposed percentage cuts. But giving percentages is not enough. “The club has to explain how it gets these percentages,” said Sögüt. The professionals should understand what is happening and what they are committed to. “If the players have all these insights, then they will also be able to make an informed decision as to whether it is right to agree to cuts.” It is also important to know what other measures the clubs are taking in the age of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sögüt expressly did not comment on his own clients with regard to the subject of waiving salary. “I can’t talk about the situation of individual players or clubs, it’s confidential,” he said. Arsenal FC, with Sögüts client Özil playing, announced an agreement with players and coaches on Monday to forego a wage drop of 12.5 percent. In the coming days, this will also be contractually regulated, said the Londoners. Southampton FC and West Ham United previously agreed with their players on a deferral.

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Amateur football: “A club like AS Saint-Priest, you can’t shoot it like that!”

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Stade Jacques Joly of AS Saint-Priest, March 7. The pennant team (in N2, fourth echelon of French football) narrowly bowed at home against RC Grasse (2-3), and fell to 14e place (out of 16) in the ranking. At this moment, the players do not know it yet, but they have just disputed their last meeting of the season. Worse: this precise defeat condemns them to relegation to national 3, while there are still nine games to play on the calendar. Consequence of the decision made by the French Football Federation (FFF) last Thursday to stop net the amateur championships due to the epidemic of Covid-19, by freezing the classification on the day of the interruption while maintaining the system of three ascent-descent… only for passages from N2 to N3 and vice versa For all other championships, there will only be one ascent, one descent. “I’m scared, it’s an aberration. We add woe to woe ”, fulminates Patrick Gonzalez, president of this popular club in the Lyon suburbs.

Already hard to swallow, the defeat turns to undrinkable. During the first 21 days, Saint-Priest was almost never relegated and had just faced the formations at the top of the table. “The calendar was much more favorable for us then. The following weekend, we played Marignane, one point ahead of us, and we recovered six injured », rages the leader, for whom a white season – the championships purely and simply canceled, with no rise or fall between divisions – would have been more logical. Definitely poissard, AS Saint-Priest: its team B, in regional 2 (7e division), first at the truce, third at the time of the glaciation, will not be promoted.

Sad irony of fate: the leader san-priod had co-written two successive letters at the beginning of the month with Eric Thomas, president of the French Association of Amateur Football (Affa), for the attention of Noël Le Graët, so that several measures are taken in order to best manage the end of the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Approved in the meantime by some 3,000 amateur clubs, the letters went unanswered. “The instances [districts, ligues, fédération, ndlr] never consulted us, castigates Patrick Gonzalez, for five years at the helm of the club. Now we’re going to open the cages, let go of the lions. ”

Three-quarters less employees next season

Such an unexpected descent would be catastrophic for the club. From 1.050 million euros, the budget would drop to around 500,000 euros. A drop of half to be linked with those of the town hall grants (300,000 euros today) and the withdrawal of many sponsors. Without forgetting the aid from the Federation, divided by 4 in the event of demotion (from 35,000 to 8,000 euros, allocated to team travel every weekend).

At the same time, an amateur club like Saint-Priest pays a subscription of 70 euros for each of its 650 licensees, or around 45,000 euros which are found each year in the coffers of the FFF. To this must be added the costs of arbitration (20,000 euros), training, but also fines (around 10,000 per year) … “A large amateur club pays between 80,000 and 100,000 euros a year [à la FFF]”, summarizes Patrick Gonzalez.

If the demotion is activated, the manager will only be able to keep a quarter of the twenty employees currently employed by the association. “We risk stopping training, but also closing sections, teams.” The female structure, strong with 80 people and growing, will also have to review its ambitions. He will no longer be able to pay all of his educators “Who also have training courses which are excessively expensive”, explains Robert Mouangué, sports director since the position was created in 2017.

Up to now, Saint-Priest is one of the only two structures in the eastern part of Lyon to be labeled Eite (the highest level for youth training). The reputation of “blood and gold” as a nursery in the Lyon suburbs is no longer to be proven (Luis Fernandez, Youri Djorkaeff or more recently Nabil Fékir have shaped their game there as a junior). Over the decade, an average of fifteen players signed up each year in professional clubs (18 in 2019). “Many L3 players sometimes have as many as five of our former players, adds Robert Mouangué. So a club like AS Saint-Priest, you can’t shoot him like that. “

A pledge of support that extends beyond the lawns. Visits to museums, cleaning of neighborhoods, awareness of waste treatment in collaboration with local missions: several socio-educational activities allow young people to also become “Good citizens of tomorrow, underlines Robert Mouangué. Without forgetting the internships and training that we find for older children. All this is threatened. Some kids will have to go back to neighborhood clubs with even lower means“

It was heartbreaking for Franck Valente, member of the recruitment unit for under-19s for seniors and assistant coach for under-20s. For three years in the staff, this former san-priod player from the 90s is aware of the difficulties that could be those of the club. His included, from next season. “If I am kept in my post, I will not have the same means. And it’s not as easy to attract players in N3 as in N2 “, assures this territorial agent at Lyon-Métropole, which until then pocketed 350 euros per month for its activity within the club. A little more “who [m’]help for the end of the month, like many “.

Close the budget “at all costs”

Despite everything, clubs like Saint-Priest must find the financial resources necessary to be on track for the two deadlines in June. The first, the payment of contributions to the FFF on June 11. For Saint-Priest, the invoice amounts to 500 euros. A reasonable amount, “Because we paid everything in advance”, crop Patrick Gonzalez. “But a lot of small clubs are not in this case and can no longer make money by then. How are they going to do it? ” More worrying, the closure of the budget before the 30th of the same month, date on which the club must go to Paris to present its annual balance sheet to the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG), the financial police of football. The balance sheet must be balanced, under penalty of sanctions (demotion, for example).

Problem: “Many partners who were supposed to give us money between March and June are at the bottom of the hole. Their employees are on partial unemployment, how do you want them to help us? ” wonders Patrick Gonzalez, who estimates that to be afloat today, he would have to recover between 150,000 and 200,000 euros. A sum that was to be provided in part by raffles and other end-of-year youth or inter-company tournaments, all canceled since. Impossible to count on the traditional recipes of the refreshment bar, after the redevelopment of the sports complex by the town hall this year (it also includes two new synthetic fields, but also a natural lawn, changing rooms and grandstands redone).

“We will all go to war”

“Today, it is not up to us to restructure ourselves. It’s up to Mr. Le Graët to change. If they don’t reverse their decisions,it will be very, very hot. We will all go to war, “threatens the president, who has just addressed a new open letter published this Friday to the Minister of Sports, again supported by Eric Thomas. Among the urgent demands: the cancellation of all the descents, but also the “Implementation of a relief and emergency fund for amateur football”, at least 300 million. As revealed by the Team, this special fund is between 12 and 15 million today. “All 15,000 amateur clubs donate 150 million euros each year to the FFF. It’s an organized racket “, denounces Eric Thomas, who points out that in four years, nearly 4,000 clubs have disappeared. For him, the distrust of amateurs towards the authorities will reach a point of no return. “Football should advance on its two legs. Today he is hopping on his professional leg. “

Roman Métairie

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Coronavirus in Asturias: CLub Los Cuervos de Pravia pays 1,800 euros in the charity auction for the national shirt of Saúl Craviotto

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Olympic champion Saúl Craviotto, one of the greatest athletes in this country, had donated one of his Spanish national team jerseys to the project“This medal is yours”, initiative of the best and most honored Spanish athletes with the aim of raising funds for the Spanish Red Cross within the framework of “Our best victory”in the fight against the pandemic ofCOVID-19. In the end yesterdaythe Los Cuervos de Pravia Club managed to get that shirt, which will probably be the flag bearer at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, by disbursing 1,800 euros,money that was contributed by the canoeists of the canoeing entity.

“Saúl is an example for us as an athlete, but above all as a person, since all the values ​​that we try to instill in our young athletes are reflected in him,” they point out from the Club Los Cuervos, the entity that presidesDiego Cuervo Menes. On March 28 this same club already carried out a series of solidarity initiatives for its neighbors in the Pravia council.When all this happens, Craviotto will approach Pravia to personally deliver the jersey auctioned to the sports entity.

One of the first decisions carried out by the Los Cuervos Club was to exempt the advertising ofthe collaborators of the entity in this year 2020, which means 14,000 euros.“They are a fundamental part of the club and without their disinterested help our activity would be impossible to sustain, that is why we want this small gesture to thank the commerce, the hospitality industry and the small companies of our town for their help and as a sign to all our neighbors who with small actions can help revitalize the economy of our council when this happens. “In addition, they have also made available to the City Council the two vans for what they deem appropriate while the situation lasts.

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The Club of 35, the “military-businessmen” who shield Nicols Maduro

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TheBolivarian Militiafrom Venezuela has turned eleven years old this week. It is the flagship of the civic-military alliance devised byHugo Chavez, which has become even more important under the Government ofNicolás Maduro, who tries to retain power despite the political, humanitarian and now health crisis that is raging in Venezuela. The uniformed have become their main support, a network woven from millionaire benefits, according to a recent investigation by the OCCRP.

The Venezuelan military disappeared from public life in the country after the fall of the military regime in 1958. That changed when a young lieutenant colonel named Hugo Chávez conquered the polls in 1998 after an attempt totake the Miraflores Palace by forceto. Four years later, he was overthrown for a few hours by a military rebellion. Then the civic-military union was born.

“After the failed 2002 military coup, Chávez increases the role of reliable officers in the management of the economy,” so that senior military officials gradually take control of five ports and the state oil company,PDVSA“, the jewel in the Venezuelan crown, recalls the Project for Information on Crime, Organization and Corruption (OCCRP). The new Constitution of 1999 consecrates theBolivarian National Armed Force(FANB) as a vector for the development and defense of the country.

Maduro, who sits on the Miraflores throne after Chavez’s death in 2013, “has further expanded the role of the military in civilian life.” “By 2018, active or retired officers occupied seven of the 23 state governorates and nine ministries andthey ran at least 60 state-owned companies“Those military personnel constitute” the essence of ‘madurism’ “and” are more important today than at any other time with Chávez, “Javier Corrales, a professor at Amherst College in Massachusetts, tells OCCRP.

Harry Solano, a sergeant of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) who deserted and is now in Colombia, clarifies that “there is no ideology” in the loyalty of the military leadership to Maduro.“Everything is business”, he maintains.“If the regime falls, they stop receiving money”, stresses. Another lieutenant based in the neighboring country who prefers to remain anonymous subscribes those words: “Loyalty to the Maduro regime is to make a profit, so they will not betray him.”

The club of 35

The OCCRP has carried out an investigation, based on a series of internal FANB documents, land registries, companies and public contracts, and interviews with various sources, including the military, that exposes “theintimate financial relationship between the Maduro Administration and a group of generals linked to private companies“whose lucrative returns would guarantee his loyalty to the president, despite the country’s” deteriorating political and economic situation “.

“There are three types of military-businessmen in Venezuela “, Corrales indicates, which distinguishes between those who run public companies, those who have private businesses that contract with the State and those involved in illegal businesses. “None of these groups sees a transition towards a non-Chavista regime as they like,” he adds.

According to 2019 data, the Venezuelan Army – the most powerful branch of the FANB – has312 active generals, of which 84 work with public or private companies that are listed in the Registry of Public Contracts, despite the fact that Venezuelan law expressly prohibits public representatives from having commercial deals with the Government through their own companies.

Of these 84 generals,35 sit on the boards of directors of private companies. They have created 41 private companies that since 2004 have won some 220 public contracts in sectors such as food, tourism orPetroleumobtaining large profits. This is what the OCCRP has called the Club of 35.

“It has become a kind of military doctrine for many officers to create their own company,” says Pedro Mendoza, a former GNB lieutenant who deserted and lives in Colombia. The tacit pact between the Government and these generals is “you protect me, you keep me in power,and in return I give you the possibility of having economic benefits, “he says.

The money incentive is even more powerful when the Venezuelan economy “has experienced the worstcollapsein half a century that no country that has not suffered a war or a natural disaster has had, “according to the International Monetary Fund. The population in a situation of extreme poverty went from 10 to 85% in just four years, between 2014 and 2018 .

Official figures obtained by the OCCPR indicate that un general earns the equivalent of about $ 8.9 per month,taking into account the official change and hyperinflation. “The salary is not enough, so the officers have their parallel businesses,” says Mendoza.

Godfather on the cusp

The OCCRP has not been able to exactly quantify the total benefits that the Club of 35 has obtained with its business network, although it stresses that its lifestyle is incompatible with that monthly income. An example of this is the Minister of Defense,Vladimir Godfather,who officially earns less than eight dollars a month and yetsports watches of about $ 12,000.

Godfather began his rise in the military ranks with Chávez. In the 2002 coup he positioned himself with the president and he was rewarded by naming him commander of theFort Tiuna, the headquarters of the FANB and the Ministry of Defense. Since then he continued to climb until in 2012 he was appointed chief of the General Staff. Two years later, already with Maduro, he became Defense Minister.

Godfather’s meteoric record in the military and political ranks matches that of his business. Since 2009,19 companies have registered in the United Stateson behalf of Padrino’s relatives, who also have ties to at least five companies in Venezuela. Five of the companies located in the North American power generate annual profits of about $ 700,000. Three located in Miami bought a dozen properties valued at about $ 2.2 million.

Two entities stand out from Padrino’s family emporium. One isConsular Procedures, registered in 2010 in Texas and located in Florida, which is dedicated to facilitating red tape for Venezuelans abroad, such as obtaining a Venezuelan passport or political asylum in the United States.

The second isPrinmaplast, based in Venezuela on behalf of Padrino’s wife, whose business is painting. In your case the key is that you have access to a privileged exchange rate. “The big difference between the official and the unofficial change means that a company that legally accesses a million dollars that year could convert it into ten millionselling the dollars on the black market and using the bolivars to buy more dollars at the official exchange rate. The profit margin would be about nine million dollars, less what would be spent on imports, if anything, “illustrates the OCCPR. Prinmaplast received almost four million dollars between 2004 and 2012, he adds.

For Ramón Castellanos, retired lieutenant colonel from the same promotion as Padrino, the apparent contradiction between the Bolivarian doctrine he proclaims and the financial reality he enjoys is not a surprise: “I never saw him as a communist, as someone who was willing to share his wealth.He likes to live well, he loves America and he likes to drink whiskey. “

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Sevilla players reach an agreement with the club to reduce their salaries

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The first template of theSeville Soccer Clubhas reachedan agreement with the club to reduce their wagesafter the Nervión entity received this Tuesday the approval of the application for the Temporary Employment Regulation File (ERTE) that he presented last Tuesday, April 7.

In this way, the agreement between both parties and the technical staff of Sevilla, in relation to their salaries for the current season, will serve to “mitigate the effects of the coronavirus crisisin the club’s economy, “Sevilla said in an official statement without offering the percentages agreed with the players.

“Together with the effort that will be made by the members of the Board of Directors and the club’s executives, it will allow them to see the compensation of the workers affected by the ERTE that the entity presented on Tuesday, April 7 and which has been approved by the Board of Andalusia this Wednesday April 15 “, adds Sevilla.

The club “will guarantee to all the employees affected by the ERTE the perception of around 95% of the salaryannual that they have foreseen in their contracts, “informed the Nervionense entity, who thanked” the solidarity shown by its players and coaching staff in a truly delicate period in which an economic adjustment has been necessary to safeguard the entity’s financial sustainability in the medium long term”.

“Likewise, the entity greatly values ​​the understanding and patience of its employees in this complex scenario in which decisions are deemed necessary, in an exercise of responsibility, as a security mechanism for our workforce,” concludes the release.

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Santander League: Xavi: “Bara cannot play to have that historic luck from other clubs” | LaLiga Santander 2019

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Tehran (Iran (islamic Republic Of) Iran (islamic Republic Of)).-...

Xavi Hernndez, in a file image.ABEDIN TAHERKENAREHEFE

The coach ofAl-saddfrom Qatar,Xavi Hernndez, commented that Bara cannot aspire to win protected by the “historical luck” that other clubs have had, such asReal Madrid, to try to conquer theChampions League, and he reiterated that his dream is to train the Blaugrana club in the future, even if they are “bigger words”.

“In ‘Champions’ it is more difficult (to see the favorite Bara). Bara has won them when they have been far superior to their rivals.Bara cannot play that historic luck that other clubs have had“, I commented in a chat with the ‘youtuber’DjMaRiiOon your channel.

Xavi explicit that, among those “other clubs”, he refers to Real Madrid. “S, to Madrid, s. Other clubs have had it too. Barcelona were lucky at Stamford Bridge, with Iniesta’s goal with ten players and almost without shooting on goal. That is luck, “he acknowledged.

“I mean that you do not have a good season in LaLiga, that you are fourth, fifth or sixth, and then you win the ‘Champions’. Bara has not gone through that, Madrid s andthat’s what I call having a little luck. Bara has to be very dominating, very sure of himself. History says he wins when he has been much better than the opponent, “he explained.

On the other hand, asked about the option to train Bara in the near future, he reiterated that it is an option and that it would be his “dream“I don’t know why people see me as coach of Bara, but I am proud and I like it very much. Now that I have tried as a coach, I see myself as capable and it is an illusion, a dream to return to Barcelona “, I know.

“I consider Bara my home, it is my life. I’m in an apprenticeship, I’m learning a lot as a coach here in Qatar, in Al-Sadd. I would be very excited, but training the Bara are bigger words, you have to see it clearly. It is all a process and I hope that someday it can come, “he reiterated.

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