Síntesis informativa - 14 de febrero 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Egypt’s Parliament Clears Way for El-Sisi to Rule Until 2034
CAIRO — The Egyptian Parliament approved sweeping measures on Thursday that would allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to extend his rule until 2034, further entrenching his authoritarian rule and enshrining in law the military’s dominance over the country.
The vote by Parliament, whose workings are quietly managed by Mr. el-Sisi’s intelligence agencies, sets in motion a fast-moving process of constitutional change that could culminate in a referendum within three months. The referendum’s approval is seen as a foregone conclusion.
The changes formally confirm what has become evident to many Egyptians for years: that the sweeping euphoria of 2011, when protests led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, has given way to an even harsher brand of strongman rule under a leader who also intends to rule for decades, and perhaps for life.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/world/middleeast/egypt-sisi.html
Mike Pompeo Says Middle East Security Means ‘Confronting Iran’
WARSAW — Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dropped any remaining pretense about the goal of a conference the United States opened in Warsaw on Thursday, with Mr. Pompeo telling reporters, “You can’t achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran.”
The comments were the most explicit yet about the purpose of the gathering of foreign ministers and diplomats from five dozen countries for a meeting that the State Department had formally described as being about “Middle East security.”
It is unusual to have a secretary of state and a vice president at the same meeting, and Mr. Pence forcefully reiterated the administration’s stance on Iran in a keynote speech on Thursday afternoon.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/world/europe/pompeo-pence-us-iran.html
Trump’s Syria Withdrawal Order Forces Allies to Weigh Return of ISIS Detainees
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw American troops from northern Syria provoked widespread fears over a future resurgence of the Islamic State. But it may yet have a silver lining: Other countries have signaled they are willing to take back their citizens who joined the terrorist group but are now detained in makeshift camps.
About 850 men and several thousand women and children from nearly 50 countries are being held in northern Syria in detention camps for Islamic State fighters and sympathizers. They have been locked up indefinitely, in ad hoc wartime prisons and refugee camps, by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which is allied with the United States.
Most of those detainees’ home countries have been looking the other way, despite the Kurds’ pleas to relieve them of that burden. But Mr. Trump’s sudden announcement on Dec. 19 that he intended to withdraw American troops soon has since called into doubt the Kurds’ ability to maintain control of the prisons and camps.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/world/middleeast/us-syria-troop-withdrawal.html
Germany Arrests Syrian Intelligence Officers Accused of Crimes Against Humanity
GENEVA — German authorities announced the arrest on Wednesday of a former high-ranking Syrian intelligence officer and two subordinates suspected of crimes against humanity by torturing thousands of victims in detention centers run by President Bashar al-Assad’s security services.
The arrests were a result of a joint investigation by German and French prosecutors, the office of Germany’s federal prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday. The German police had arrested two suspects, identified as Anwar R., 56, and Eyad A., 42, and placed them in pretrial detention, the statement said. Officials decline as policy to give the full names of suspects pending the outcome of legal proceedings against them.
They said the French police, “as part of a joint investigation team,” had detained a third suspect who was linked to Anwar, but gave no other details.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/world/europe/germany-syria-arrests.html
THE GUARDIAN
Mike Pence chides US allies at Warsaw summit on Iran
The Warsaw meeting was attended by more than 60 nations, but major European powers such as Germany and France, parties to the landmark 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, refused to send their top diplomats over fears that the summit was designed largely to build an alliance against Tehran.
The US, by contrast, is represented by Pence, Mike Pompeo, Washington’s top diplomat, and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and special aide on the Middle East. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is also attending.
Indian paramilitaries killed in suicide car bombing in Kashmir
At least 12 Indian paramilitaries have been killed in the first suicide car bombing in the disputed region of Kashmir in nearly two decades.
A lone militant is believed to have driven a vehicle laden with explosives close to a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy and detonated it just after 3pm on Thursday on a busy highway outside the state capital of Srinagar.
Militant groups have been fighting Indian security forces in Kashmir for 30 years. Control of the Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both, with a smaller patch administered by China.
Will El Chapo's conviction change anything in the drug trade?
In the course of Guzmán’s eleven week trial, prosecutors presented the Sinaloa Federation as a vertically-integrated organization with a clear chain of command leading all the way up to one all-powerful boss: El Chapo.
But Guzmán was arrested nearly three years ago, since which:
• Production of coca, the raw material of cocaine, has soared: 171,000 hectares were used to grow coca in Colombia in 2017 – up 25,000 hectares (17%) on the year before. Provisional figures for 2018 suggest a further increase to record levels; most Colombian cocaine is shipped by Mexican cartels and their partners to the USA and Europe.
• Mexico set new records for murder, with 25,394 homicides in the first nine months of 2018, 18% up on the 21,460 recorded in the same period of 2017, the highest figure since records began in 1997, according to the interior ministry.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/13/el-chapo-conviction-drug-war-drug-trade
AL JAZEERA
Pompeo says 'new era' of cooperation needed in Middle East
US secretary of state addresses Middle East conference, which is widely perceived as an attempt to isolate Iran.
Reporting from Warsaw, Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra said that while many nations agreed that ending the wars in Syria and Yemen, as well as the Israel-Palestine peace plan, were important, a number of questions remained over the efficacy of the summit, as Russia, China, the Palestinians and Houthis, were not in attendance.
The conference is widely viewed as a US-led effort to isolate Tehran, a foreign policy priority of the Trump administration.
Ruthless and sophisticated: How hackers exploit new tech
A new study shows internet-connected devices and employees are being used to steal data and money from organisations.
Azhar Sukri.- The warning by the Kuala Lumpur-based Asia Cybersecurity Exchange coincides with the release of a global report on Wednesday by Aon, a large risk consultancy firm, showing how emerging technologies such as the so-called Internet of Things and even a company's own employees are proving to be vulnerabilities around the world.
High-profile attacks using the WannaCry and NotPetya viruses in 2017 resulted in hundreds of thousands of users being locked out of their own computers. The perpetrators demanded financial payments in return for unscrambling hard drives. Organisations like the UK's National Health Service and US logistics group FedEx reported hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity or damages as a result of the attacks.
Companies and governments in the US and Europe have spent billions of dollars on boosting their cyberdefences. But analysts say Asia remains a global weak spot in terms of implementing and coordinating legislation among countries. Corporate investment is also below Western levels.
Brazil's indigenous groups decry Bolsonaro's escalating attacks
Report finds Brazil's indigenous communities are facing growing attacks, threats and land grabs under the new president.
Mia Alberti.- The report, obtained by Al Jazeera, details a sharp uptick in attacks on indigenous people since Bolsonaro won the presidency in the October 2018 elections.
In less than three months, the report says, at least 16 attacks on indigenous communities in Brazil were documented. In addition to four homicides, the report recounts stonings, deforesting, threats and arson.
According to the report, indigenous communities have seen healthcare centres set ablaze, been firebombed by farmers, and shot at with rubber bullets. Many were injured, and some were killed.
And as attacks ramp up, according to the indigenous groups, Bolsonaro has started dismantling many of the bodies responsible for protecting native land rights, paving the way for more land grabs.
Suicide attack kills 27 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Deadly attack took place near the Pakistan border where armed groups and drug smugglers operate.
The attack happened on the road between the cities of Zahedan and Khash, a volatile area near the Pakistan border where armed groups and drug smugglers frequently operate.
The Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Fars.
Iranian officials have blamed Saudi Arabia and the United States for stirring up dissent in the country.
Venezuela opposition moves to seize control of oil revenue
Opposition-controlled Congress named new temporary board of directors for state-owned oil firm PDVSA.
The proposed Citgo board would comprise Venezuelans Luisa Palacios, Angel Olmeta, Luis Urdaneta and Edgar Rincon, all of whom are currently living in the US, plus one American director.
A senior US politician said on Wednesday that Congress would not back a US military intervention in Venezuela.
The Trump administration has said it wants a peaceful resolution to the crisis but Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out military action.
RT
Russia, Iran & Turkey talk long-term Syrian peace in Sochi as US and allies beat war drums in Warsaw
Leaders from Russia, Turkey and Iran have descended on the Black Sea city of Sochi to discuss ways of ending Syria’s near-eight-year civil war. Meanwhile, hostile talk is emerging from a meeting of the US and its allies in Warsaw.
Ahead of the talks, the Kremlin said the purpose of the convention would be to discuss potential “joint steps” that can be taken to bring about a “long-term settlement” in the war-torn country. In addition to the joint forum, President Vladimir Putin is also holding separate talks with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani.
https://www.rt.com/news/451451-putin-erdogan-rouhani-syria-summit/
China cancels trade talks with Britain after warship threat by UK defense secretary – reports
UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has reportedly instigated a huge row at the heart of government after threatening to send a warship to the Pacific, prompting China to withdraw from trade talks with Chancellor Philip Hammond.
China’s Deputy PM Hu Chunhua, who was expected to hold talks with Hammond this weekend, has now dramatically pulled out of the engagement after Williamson’s menacing remarks on Monday, according to the Sun. The defense secretary said that the UK must “show [China] the high price of aggressive behavior.”
The fervent speech delivered by Williamson warned China and Russia of Britain’s “hard power,” and revealed that HMS ‘Queen Elizabeth,’ the country’s largest warship, would be deployed to the Pacific with two squadrons of UK and US F-35 fighter jets.
https://www.rt.com/news/451449-china-cancels-talks-williamson/
US is openly pushing Venezuela’s army into a coup - Russian FM
Forced regime change has apparently become Washington’s priority as the US heaps pressure on Venezuela’s military, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
The possible decision of the US to seize Venezuela’s economic infrastructure could become the “steal of the century,” Zakharova also stated during a briefing on Thursday.
In late January, the US froze $7 billion of assets belonging to the Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA and its US subsidiary Citgo. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the US sanctions “cynical,” asserting that Washington’s actions are in fact a confiscation of Venezuela’s state property.
https://www.rt.com/news/451434-us-venezuela-army-coup/
Poland buying $414mn of US rocket artillery to ‘guarantee its security’
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s calls to “strengthen resistance” against Russia has resonated with Poland’s leadership, as the country signed a $414-million deal to purchase an American weapons system.
A product of Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, the M142 HIMARS is capable of launching both rocket artillery and tactical ballistic missiles with an estimated operational range of 480km. Along with the US Army and Marine Corps, HIMARS is presently operated by the UAE, Jordan and Singapore. In 2017, the US reportedly deployed the systems in southern Syria to protect its base in Al Tanf.
https://www.rt.com/news/451423-poland-usa-himras-deal/
House says US is waging war in Yemen, votes for 30-day deadline to end assistance to Saudis
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to stop military assistance to the Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen. Lawmakers invoked a rarely used resolution curbing the president's powers to start a war.
Congress' lower chamber has passed H.J. Res. 37 by 248 votes against 177. While the Democrat-controlled House had enough votes to advance the motion, 18 Republicans broke party lines and threw their weight behind the document as well.
The resolution argues that the US entanglement in Yemen, where it provides military assistance to the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Arab states, is nothing less than war and thus requires congressional authorization. The resolution specifically prohibits any in-flight refueling for coalition warplanes. It also stipulates that nothing in the resolution shall harm the operation against Al-Qaeda there. The resolution says Trump must remove the US military "from hostilities in or affecting Yemen within 30 days unless Congress authorizes a later withdrawal date, issues a declaration of war, or specifically authorizes the use of the Armed Forces."
https://www.rt.com/usa/451424-yemen-war-house-resolution/
‘Secret US sabotage program’ could be to blame for Iranian satellite launch failures – NY Times
A classified American sabotage program has all but grounded the Iranian satellite and missile programs, according to anonymous government officials who claim the US has been infiltrating Iranian tech with faulty parts.
Two Iranian rocket failures so far this year can be chalked up to US sabotage efforts, the New York Times reported, citing more than six current and former government officials who told the paper these botched satellite launches are part of an 11-year "pattern."
The report acknowledged that it was impossible to measure the success, impact, or even existence of such a program, but pointed to the Iranian space agency's high launch-failure rate – 67 percent as opposed to a global average of five percent – as proof of American saboteurs' effectiveness.
https://www.rt.com/news/451421-us-sabotage-iranian-missiles/
AL MAYADEEN
Venezuela: formar filas contra el neoliberalismo disciplinario
El tratamiento de Venezuela como Estado canalla, la política de estrangulamiento de la economía nacional promovida y practicada por Estados Unidos, la farsa de la “ayuda humanitaria”, la amenaza de intervención militar, un “Plan País” neoliberal que supuestamente contiene “las claves que liberarán las fuerzas productivas de la nación” (13), y que se refiere a Venezuela como Estado fallido: todo esto sucede porque vivimos en un estado de excepción permanente a escala global, en el que, para resumir una idea expuesta por Michel Löwy, lo excepcional es la democracia (14).
En busca de apoyo contra Irán, Netanyahu sostendrá reuniones con representantes de los principales países árabes
El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores iraní, Mohammad Javad Zarif, calificó la cita de ser un nuevo intento de la Casa Blanca contra Teherán y advirtió que la conferencia “nació muerta".
Se espera que los ministros de Relaciones Exteriores de los países del Golfo - Arabia Saudita, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Kuwait y Omán – participen en el encuentro, donde Netanyahu, será uno de los oradores principales.
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