#watchyourstep Wednesday, September 28, 2016 Fact-checking the first debateRepublican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton are introduced ahead of their debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on Monday night. By Glenn Kessler & Michelle Ye Hee LeeThe Washington PostIn the first debate between the presidential contenders, Donald Trump repeatedly relied on troublesome and false facts that have been debunked throughout the campaign. I’m under a routine audit, and it’ll be released.” — TrumpTrump cites an Internal Revenue Service audit as his justification for not releasing his federal income tax returns, but the audit does not prohibit from releasing the returns. Moreover, Trump has not released his tax returns from before 2009, which are no longer under audit, according to his attorney. Hillary Clinton has released three decades’ worth of tax returns.

Midday sits like a haze over Moisés Ville, Argentina – shop doors close, windows creak shut. When Moisés Ville was founded in 1889, it was composed of a few Eastern European Jewish families. Plaques in the Moisés Ville museum pay homage to these folkloric heroes, neatly constructing a linear story of struggle into prosperity. Moisés Ville was not the only colony of its kind, but it remains one of the most iconic for Argentine and international Jewish tourists alike. Today, Moisés Ville’s Jewish residents seem acutely aware of the fading relevance of the town’s cultural centres.

Growth of 1.7 percent downgraded from 2.8 in April Wednesday, September 28, 2016 WTO slashes 2016 trade forecast to lowest rate since 2009By APGENEVA —The World Trade Organization dramatically slashed its forecast for trade growth this year by about a third to its lowest rate since 2009, when the global economy was mired in recession in the wake of the financial crisis. The Geneva-based WTO, perhaps best known for dealing with trade disputes, predicted that global trade will rise only 1.7 percent this year, way down from its April prediction for 2.8 percent. It said the downgrade was largely due to an unexpectedly sharp drop in merchandise trade volumes in the first quarter. “The dramatic slowing of trade growth is serious and should serve as a wake-up call,” WTO director-general Robert Azevedo said. As well as reducing its 2016 forecast, the WTO cut its project for next year to between 1.8 percent and 3.1 percent from 3.6 percent.

Golf — Opinion Tuesday, September 27, 2016 The King is deadBy David MackintoshGolfing TravellerArnold Palmer, 1929 - 2016Hard to believe. The King is dead. At age 87, Arnold Daniel Palmer, the King of Golf, is no longer with us. Arnold Palmer not only made you care about golf, he made you care about him. For the longest time Arnold Palmer was the most recognizable of golfers with that high-twirling swing we all loved but never wished to imitate.

Russia, Western powers trade accusations Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Syria says truce still viable after week of airstrikes batters AleppoBEIRUT — Syria’s foreign minister said yesterday that an internationally-brokered ceasefire is still viable, as rescue workers in Aleppo sifted through the rubble from the heaviest airstrikes on rebel-held areas of the northern city in five years. The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting but failed to take any action because of deep divisions between Russia and Western powers. “It’s apocalyptic what is being done in eastern Aleppo.”Airstrikes on Aleppo yesterday killed at least six people, according to the Local Coordination Committees, an activist-run collective. President Bashar al-Assad’s media adviser told Al-Mayadeen TV that the Syrian government abided by the ceasefire but the rebels did not. Al-Moallem accused the US, Britain, and France of convening the Security Council meeting a day earlier in order to support “terrorists” inside Syria.

soccer Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Outcry as FIFA disbands anti-racism taskforceFIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura insisted that the fight against racism is being taken "very seriously" despite the governing body''s taskforce overseeing discrimination being abolished. The Associated Press revealed on Sunday that the anti-racism group was being dismantled after FIFA decided that its mission had been completed after three years. “The fight against racism is far from over and the notion that the current FIFA leadership believes that the ‘taskforce’s recommendations have been implemented’ is shameful,” said Prince Ali, a former FIFA presidential candidate and FIFA vice president. “Now the idea that FIFA believes that it’s the right time to disband its anti-racism taskforce is ridiculous.”Prince Ali believes the taskforce should have been empowered to work further with soccer authorities and governments to use the sport to tackle discrimination in wider society. “The taskforce had a very specific mandate that to our knowledge it has fully fulfilled,” Samoura said at the SoccerEx convention.

Such a move would help to reverse widening inequality between the wealthiest and the richest, the OECD said. In order to boost tax revenue, governments should also “offer incentives to increase the formalization (process) for workers,” said Angel Melguizo, head of the Latin America and the Caribbean Unit of the OECD’s Development Centre. OECD representatives will meet local officials to hold a series of meetings and to advance tax reform proposals. ‘Tolerance for tax evasion’Melguizo said only 22 percent of Latin American and Caribbean residents pay individual income tax (versus an average of 36 percent in OECD countries), while the richest 10 percent contribute only six percent of their income. “In Argentina, this tax income represents just three percent of Gross Domestic Product, while in the OECD it is up to nine percent,” said Melguizo as he presented a detailed report on the tax burden in regional wages.

The INDEC statistic bureau’s “most widely representative index” will be used for comparison, the Central Bank confirmed yesterday. “The first step is to announce the inflation target. Then the Central Bank has a series of instruments that it will use to reach that target. No more and no less than that central inflation target. The reference rate will now be the seven-day interbank lending rate, which the Central Bank will determine weekly.

More attention has been bestowed on the CGT for announcing a general strike without setting a date — which should be interpreted as strengthening the union umbrella’s negotiating position (especially as regards the income tax floor, perhaps) rather than as an irreversible stoppage decision. Prior to the passage of the 2017 Budget, the governors are seeking to unite all the legislators from the various strands of Peronism via the Federal Investment Council (CFI) to impose structural changes permanently strengthening the provincial hand. A six-point package has been drafted whose general thrust is to make all remittances to the provinces within and beyond federal revenue-sharing totally automatic, thus removing the executive branch’s power to dominate the provinces via a discretionary control. One difficult question for Macri is whether he wants to block changes which he approves in principle — another difficult question is whether he can. Perhaps the biggest worry for the government is not securing approval of the 2017 Budget but having to accept it with mechanisms which end a dependence that helped Macri disguise his parliamentary weakness so well until now.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Clinton, Trump trade blows in debate showdownRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump (left) stands next to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton before the first presidential debate at Hofstra University, last night. The debate kicked off with Clinton fielding the first debate question from moderator Lester Holt, who asked about her plan to create better jobs for US workers. The Democratic presidential candidate then dubbed her Republican rival’s tax cut proposals “Trumped-up trickle-down” economics. Just go to her website, she tells us how to fight ISIS on her website,” said Trump during the Monday night presidential debate. For Clinton and Trump, the first of three debates is a crucial moment to boost their standing with voters who view both candidates negatively.

Meanwhile, the ATE state employees union confirmed yesterday they would continue with their strike planned for today, a work action of mostly Buenos Aires province teachers’ unions and health professionals. ATE union leader Hugo “Cachorro” Godoy announced yesterday that his union would lead a nationwide strike to express rejection of various government policies. The Buenos Aires Teachers Federation (FEB), the SUTEBA teachers union of Buenos Aires province, Private Teachers Union (SADOP), Argentine Teachers Union (UDA) and DAC Argentine Teachers Confederation have all confirmed they will participate. The CTERA union leader said that they had asked to meet with different congressional lawmakers so that they could determine their opinions about the upcoming 2017 budget. Along with the strike, the unions are planning to march to Congress at midday where they will hold a protest demonstration.

Former Portugal PM Guterres retains top spot Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Malcorra up to 4th in UN raceForeign Minister Susana Malcorra and President Mauricio Macri enter United Nations heaquarters in New York earlier this month, as they attended the United Nations General Assembly. Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra rose one place to fourth in the latest informal poll of Security Council members, though she registered the same voting breakdown. In the nine-way race, the fact that the highest-ranked woman, Malcorra, was tied for fourth left many diplomats disappointed. Former Serbian Foreign minister Vuk Jeremic came in second with eight encourage, six discourage and one no opinion, while Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak was third with eight encourage and seven discourage. Former New Zealand PM Helen Clark, who heads the UN Development Programme, and former Macedonian Foreign minister Srgjan Kerim tied for sixth, while Moldova’s former Foreign minister Natalia Gherman came in last.

52 years of conflict ends Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Colombia, FARC sign historic peace dealColombian opposition leader and former president Álvaro Uribe (centre with hat, glasses) greets supporters at a protest yesterday against the government’s peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), signed last night in Cartagena. Ratification of accord leaves October 2 referendum as last hurdle to ending half-century of warCARTAGENA — Colombia’s government and the country’s largest rebel movement signed a historic peace accord yesterday, ending 52 years of combat that caused more than 220,000 deaths and left eight million homeless. “Viva Colombia,” Ban shouted at the conclusion of his speech welcoming the peace deal. The signing was greeted by wild cheers by about 1,000 FARC rebels in Sabanas del Yari, where the group recently concluded its last congress by endorsing the peace deal. “Yes, we can; yes, we can; yes, we can,” they shouted, followed by calls for Timochenko to be president.

Antonio Palocci — Former Finance minister to Lula, Chief-of-staff to Rousseff Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Another PT heavyweight arrested in Brazil graft scandalBrazilian Antonio Palocci, a former Finance minister and presidential chief-of-staff in recent Workers’ Party (PT) governments, is escorted by federal police officers after he leaves the Institute of Forensic Science in Curitiba yesterday. Palocci’s arrest brings the investigation of Brazil’s biggest corruption scandal further into the core leadership of the PT. Last week, police detained Guido Mantega, who succeeded Palocci as Lula’s Finance minister and stayed in the post for almost nine years. “This is another nail in the Workers Party coffin,” said Andre César, a political analyst at Brasilia-based public policy consultancy Hold Legislative Advisors. As finance minister from 2003 he continued the anti-inflation and pro-market policies of the previous centrist government, helping calm financial markets’ concerns about Lula's presidency.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Macri and Massa both attend ceremony in CartagenaPresident Mauricio Macri and Renewal Front leader Sergio Massa both attended the signing of the historic peace accord yesterday between the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla rebels. As Macri arrived in Cartegena yesterday, he spoke of the peace deal saying “how important this is for the region and for the whole continent ... As he too arrived at the airport in Cartagena yesterday, Massa said: “I’m proud to share a historic day for Latin America; after decades of disputes, peace will be signed. I think it is really a historic day.” The former presidential candidate was invited by Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos to the ceremony at the Cartagena Convention Centre. The Renewal Front leader also held meetings yesterday with the mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez and Colombian legislators.