Síntesis informativa - 18 de octubre 2018
THE NEW YORK TIMES
In Afghanistan’s Season of Crisis, ‘Words Do Not Have the Strength’
KABUL, Afghanistan — In the past 17 years of war and crisis in Afghanistan, no one remembers a season quite like this one, with peril and hopelessness at every turn. People here struggle for words to explain how it feels.
A former minister, fit with healthy habits and hardened by years of battle and politics, said he could barely force himself out of bed in the morning. A young professional, after years of dedicated work in civil society and government jobs, teared up as she tried to explain why she was losing hope, her usual clarity choked by emotion. A poet in the country’s east said his verse had dried up.
“Every time something bad happened, I would turn to poetry — it would give me calm,” said the poet, Sajid Bahar, 26, who lives in the city of Khost. “It’s been seven months that I can’t write. It no longer gives me calm. When I sit down to focus on one incident for a poem, 30 others flash through my head. My words do not have the strength for all of them.”
If there is a common theme in this upswell of alarm and worry that seems so widespread, it is a sense that no one sees any clear path through a minefield of crises.
Brazil’s Bitter Presidential Race Leads to Scores of Assaults
RIO DE JANEIRO — Fernanda Villas Bôas had just cast her vote in Brazil’s presidential election on Oct. 7 and was leaving her polling station when a man grabbed her arm from behind.
The knife-wielding assailant was wearing a black T-shirt that said “Bolsonaro for president,” in reference to the former Army captain, Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right candidate who won the most votes in the first round of the bitterly divisive race.
“When my commander wins, the press will die,” she remembers him telling her during the attack in Recife, a city in the northeast. Ms. Villas Bôas, a journalist, was wearing a badge from the news website where she works.
As Brazilians prepare for the second round of the most polarized election in their recent history, animosity between avid supporters of Mr. Bolsonaro and those who ardently oppose his bid have set off a wave of politically motivated attacks that range from verbal assaults to beatings and stabbings. At least two attacks were fatal.
U.S. Spy Agencies Are Increasingly Convinced of Saudi Prince’s Ties to Journalist’s Disappearance
WASHINGTON — American intelligence officials are increasingly convinced that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia is culpable in the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an appraisal that poses challenges to a White House intent on maintaining a close relationship with the kingdom.
Intelligence agencies have not yet been able to collect direct evidence of the prince’s involvement, American and European officials said. They also have not been able to conclude whether Prince Mohammed directly ordered the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, or whether his intention was to have Mr. Khashoggi captured and taken back to Saudi Arabia, according to one official.
But intelligence agencies have growing circumstantial evidence of the prince’s involvement — including the presence of members of his security detail and intercepts of Saudi officials discussing a possible plan to detain Mr. Khashoggi, according to American officials.
Officials have also said the prince’s complete control over the security services makes it highly unlikely that an operation would have been undertaken without his knowledge.
Afghan Leader Blindsided by U.S. Meeting With Taliban, Officials Say
KABUL, Afghanistan — When the White House ordered American diplomats this summer to engage the Taliban directly in the hopes of jump-starting an Afghan peace process, many in Afghanistan welcomed it as a vital first step in trying to break the stalemate that dominates the 17-year war here.
Publicly, President Ashraf Ghani was among them, projecting a measured tone. But officials say that in private, the Afghan leader repeatedly expressed concern and resistance to American officials about the prospect of talks that did not include his government.
They say his concern was that such talks, which the Taliban have insisted should not include the Afghan government, could become a fatal marginalization of the country’s leadership at a hazardous moment.
Last week, Mr. Ghani’s fears came true, in a humiliating way that he had worked to avoid.
The American special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, just days after hearing the Mr. Ghani’s concerns in Kabul, the Afghan capital, flew to the gulf state of Qatar and quietly met with Taliban representatives. Mr. Ghani and his government heard of that meeting only through news reports, and found out further details not through his American allies — even after he asked — but through a Taliban statement, according to several officials with detailed knowledge of the developments.
Jim Mattis, Meeting His Chinese Counterpart, Tries to Ease Tensions
SINGAPORE — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis tried to lower the temperature on the array of hostilities between Washington and Beijing on Thursday, saying it is up to the militaries of the two competing global superpowers to act as a stabilizing force amid rising political tensions.
During an hour-and-a-half meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Mr. Mattis sanded down some of the sharp edges from Vice President Mike Pence’s pointed critique of China this month. Mr. Mattis urged the two militaries to talk through their many differences and even repeated an invitation for Wei Fenghe, China’s defense minister, to visit the United States, according to a senior Defense Department official who was in the meeting.
But the cordial tone belied deep tensions that showed no signs of abating on Thursday. China, as it usually does, brushed off Mr. Mattis’s complaints about Beijing’s continued militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, other countries present at a meeting in Singapore of Southeast Asian nations continued to resist American entreaties to add their voices to the American challenge of China’s claims in the disputed area. And two of those countries — Malaysia and Thailand — even prepared for a joint naval exercise with China that American officials worry is part of a larger effort by Beijing to peel away American allies.
U.S. Bars American Aid Groups From Traveling to North Korea
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has barred American aid workers from going to North Korea as it pressures Pyongyang to dismantle the country’s nuclear weapons program, according to humanitarian groups and a former United States ambassador.
Sanctions imposed by the United Nations last winter have already forced aid groups to severely limit some activities, such as shipping farming equipment into the country. North Korea is one of the world’s poorest nations, and its citizens grapple with food shortages.
The moves by the Trump administration seek to tighten sanctions as part of its maximum-pressure campaign during nuclear negotiations, as well as sever nongovernment exchanges between Americans and North Koreans.
President Trump met with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, in June and has said he plans to hold a second summit meeting soon. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, discussed that coming meeting and prospects of denuclearization on a trip this month to Pyongyang.
Exposed by Michael: Climate Threat to Warplanes at Coastal Bases
When Hurricane Michael wrecked much of Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Fla., last week, the storm exposed a significant military vulnerability. The base’s F-22 stealth fighter jets may be unmatched in the skies, but they were all but defenseless on the ground, as the powerful storm ripped apart hangars, flooded buildings and scattered debris.
Most of Tyndall’s 55 F-22s were flown away to safety before the storm hit, but 17 of the aircraft had been grounded for maintenance and could not be made airworthy in time. Those jets, worth about $5.8 billion — more than three times what it would cost to rebuild the entire base from scratch — had to be left behind, and many were damaged.
The Air Force played down the harm this week, saying that all the aircraft could be repaired. But the military has more than a dozen air bases right on the coast in storm-prone southern states, where scientists predict that hurricanes will grow more intense and more frequent because of global warming. Michael’s devastation of Tyndall raises question about how well the bases are defended against the elements.
“This threat is not new to the military — they’ve been talking about climate change for decades — and they generally learn from the latest storm,” said Lt. Gen. Arlen D. Jameson, who is retired from the Air Force and was a former deputy commander of the United States Strategic Command. “The problem is, the lessons learned going forward may be almost too painful to wait for the next lesson.”
THE GUARDIAN
Trump threatens to close US-Mexico border over Honduran migrant caravan
It’s unclear how he intends to close the entire US-Mexico border and he already earlier this year called up some military units to do border security. There are currently US troops deployed on the frontier with Mexico, with National Guard members from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California working on border security.
'I live in fear': under Trump, life for America's immigrants can change in a flash
Five days after taking office, Trump signed an executive order that effectively stopped Ice from prioritizing criminals for deportation. Instead, they are now going after all the estimated 11.3 million undocumented immigrants in the US at once – drawing little distinction between hardened criminals and productive community members who have started businesses, bought homes and paid their taxes.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/18/immigration-ice-deportation-undocumented-trump
Nicaragua used 'weapons of war' to kill protesters, says Amnesty International
The state-sponsored repression – conducted under the name “Operation Clean-up” – has included well planned operations using military-grade lethal weapons against mainly unarmed civilians. Amnesty documented the widespread use of AK-type rifles by the police and pro-government armed squads, as well as sniper rifles, machine guns and even portable anti-tank rocket propelled grenade launchers. including the Russian manufactured RPG-7.
enlace al reporte de Amnistía Internacional: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr43/9213/2018/en/
Search for Khashoggi's remains extends to Saudi consul general's residence
Over the past two weeks Turkish officials have leaked increasingly shocking evidence that they say proves that the journalist, who was critical of the Saudi crown prince, was tortured and killed inside the building, and his dismembered body driven to the nearby consul general’s house, where it was disposed of.
Exclusive: dramatic slowdown in global growth of internet access
The striking trend, described in an unpublished report shared with the Guardian, shows the rate at which the world is getting online has fallen sharply since 2015, with women and the rural poor substantially excluded from education, business and other opportunities the internet can provide.
The slowdown is described in an analysis of UN data that will be published next month by the Web Foundation, an organisation set up by the inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The data shows that growth in global internet access dropped from 19% in 2007 to less than 6% last year.
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Sin grandes novedades en la cumbre de la UE sobre el "brexit"
En Bruselas no hubo grandes avances, aunque los presentes destacaron un cambio en el tono de las negociaciones. El tema de la frontera irlandesa continúa sin resolverse.
Los líderes de la Unión Europea (UE) se reunieron este miércoles (17.10.2018) para pasar revista a las negociaciones del "brexit" y decidir los próximos pasos, sin lograr grandes avances.
En la capital belga, la primera ministra británica, Theresa May, dedicó 15 minutos a subrayar su visión sobre la situación actual a los 27 líderes de la UE, antes de que se retiraran a evaluar los próximos pasos y debatir los preparativos para un escenario sin acuerdos.
https://www.dw.com/es/sin-grandes-novedades-en-la-cumbre-de-la-ue-sobre-el-brexit/a-45932394
La policía turca registra la residencia del cónsul saudí en Estambul
El registro de ayer por el caso Khashoggi se suspendió porque "no hubo acuerdo" con la delegación saudí sobre el momento de iniciarlo, el motivo aducido era que la familia del cónsul se encontraba en la residencia.
Un equipo de la policía turca ha entrado este miércoles (17.10.2018) finalmente en la residencia del cónsul saudí en Estambul para registrarla en busca de pistas que permitan aclarar qué ocurrió con el periodista opositor saudí Jamal Khashoggi, desaparecido el pasado 2 de octubre.
EU looks East for free trade deals
The EU's trade relationship with the US is strained, but it is moving swiftly to cement free trade deals with nations in Asia. A pack with Singapore will be signed in Brussels Thursday, and another with Vietnam may be not far behind.
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-looks-east-for-free-trade-deals/av-45936367
XINHUA
Irán dice que la demanda estadounidense de recorte de exportaciones de petróleo iraníes es pura "pantomima política"
TEHERAN, 18 oct (Xinhua) -- "La demanda estadounidense de recorte de exportaciones de petróleo de Irán a cero es pura pantomima política", afirmó el director de la estatal Compañía de Petróleo Nacional (NIOC), citado el jueves por el periódico iraní Tribuna Financiera.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, ha estado durante meses intentando cortar las exportaciones de crudo iraníes, según Ali Kardor, jefe de la NIOC.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-10/18/c_137542066.htm
China y Bélgica acuerdan liberar las ventajas complementarias y aprovechar los potenciales de cooperación
BRUSELAS, 17 oct (Xinhua) -- China y Bélgica acordaron hoy seguir liberando las ventajas complementarias, aprovechando al máximo los potenciales de cooperación y generando mayores logros de desarrollo en la cooperación pragmática.
El primer ministro chino, Li Keqiang, hizo las declaraciones en una conferencia de prensa conjunta ofrecida en Bruselas, luego de conversar con su homólogo belga, Charles Michel.
Los dos países, agregó, impulsarán de manera conjunta, la conectividad entre Asia y Europa y facilitarán el proceso de negociación del tratado de inversión bilateral (TIB) China-Europa.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-10/18/c_137540008.htm
Ningún socio comercial importante manipula su moneda, dice Tesoro de EEUU
WASHINGTON, 17 oct (Xinhua) -- El Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos dijo hoy que ningún socio comercial importante del país manipula su moneda.
En su Informe Semestral para el Congreso sobre Políticas Cambiarias Internacionales, el Departamento del Tesoro concluyó que ningún socio comercial importante de Estados Unidos cumplió con el estándar de manipulación de moneda durante los cuatro trimestres concluidos en junio de 2018.
in embargo, el Tesoro incluyó a China, Alemania, India, Japón, República de Corea y Suiza en su "lista de vigilancia", lo cual significa que sus políticas cambiarias requieren una vigilancia cercana.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-10/18/c_137540550.htm
AL JAZEERA
Chinese demand fuels Solomon Islands mass deforestation
Global Witness investigation finds forests being felled at 19 times the sustainable rate; vast network of logging roads.
The trade volume of its single largest export commodity surged more than 20 percent to just over three million cubic metres in 2017, according to central bank figures.
The Solomon Islands exports 82 percent of its timber to China, the mainland's second-biggest source of tropical logs after Papua New Guinea. Together, the two countries supply half of China's tropical log imports.
US threatens to stop Canadian pot businessmen at border
Canadian firms already have extensive cross-border exchanges of supplies, technology and investment in marijuana sector.
Shares in a number of Canadian cannabis firms are traded on US stock markets, including the largest, Canopy Growth Corporation, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Pompeo suggests US may lift Turkey sanctions linked to pastor
Days after Andrew Brunson's release, US secretary of state says Washington will decide on the sanctions shortly.
Pompeo's remarks came on Wednesday after his talks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on an unscheduled trip linked to the probe into the disappearance and alleged killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
RT
Trump threatens to use military to close Mexican border, as migrant caravan approaches
President Donald Trump has threatened to call in the military to seal off the US’ southern border with Mexico, unless the Mexico takes action to halt a ‘caravan’ of migrants making its way to the US from Central America.
In a series of tweets Thursday morning, Trump accused the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador of allowing a large ‘caravan’ of migrants to proceed towards the US unchecked, and hit out at the Democratic party for opposing his own brand of tough border control.
The ‘caravan’ of migrants in question, believed to be several thousand strong, has been snaking its way north from Honduras since last weekend. Believing their chances of entering the US are greater in numbers, the migrants have been hitching rides and hiking through Guatemala, with the aim of approaching the US through Mexico.
While Trump did not make clear what a military deployment at the border might look like, the president did deploy almost 4,000 National Guard troops to the border in April, as the first caravan approached. However, the troops were not authorized to apprehend or interact with migrants in any way, and instead provided air, reconnaissance and logistical support to Border Patrol officers.
https://www.rt.com/usa/441609-trump-threatens-to-use-military/
6 killed as US-led coalition F-15 jets bomb Kurdish forces fighting ISIS – report
Two US-led coalition’s F-15 fighter jets have mistakenly targeted Kurdish units amid their offensive on the remaining forces of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in Syria, RIA reported, citing a “military and diplomatic source.” It said six people were killed and 15 injured on the Kurdish side.
The incident, which took place near the town of Hajin in the Syrian eastern Deir ez-Zor province, did not just disrupt the operation but also reportedly led to numerous defections in the ranks of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Even worse, the terrorists managed to seize some territories in the area, the source added.
On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Islamic State militants had attacked a refugee camp in Deir ez-Zor province and had taken hundreds of people hostage. Some 700 people were abducted and taken to Hajin, located in a 20-kilometer area along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. Now, the military source has told RIA that some citizens of western countries are among the people taken hostage by the extremists.
https://www.rt.com/news/441559-us-bombs-kurds-fighting-isis/
Afghan guards open fire at NATO meeting in Kandahar, injuring 2 Americans – reports
Two US citizens were wounded and a local police chief killed when Afghan guards opened fire at Austin S. Miller, the NATO and US forces commander in Afghanistan, after his meeting with Kandahar officials in the city. The attack took place on Thursday afternoon after Miller’s meeting with Kandahar’s governor and the provincial police chief, General Abdul Raziq.
Raziq was killed in the attack at the governor's office, while two US citizens and several top Afghan officials, including the governor, were wounded, Pajhwok Afghan News reported. General Miller was safely evacuated from the area after the incident, NATO said.
The officials were fired upon when they were heading towards the helipad after the talks, local media reported, adding that the shots came from one of the nearby buildings. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack at the governor’s compound.
https://www.rt.com/news/441614-us-citizens-injured-kandahar/
Netanyahu vows ‘Israel will act with great force’ against Hamas in Gaza
Israel’s Prime Minister has explicitly warned Hamas that the IDF is edging closer to yet another full-blown military operation against the Gaza strip to put an end to cross-border violence.
The Jewish nation is also uncompromising in its commitment to prevent Palestinian boats sailing up to the maritime boundary between Israel and the coastal enclave and promised to act unless Hamas stops launching rockets and incendiary balloons that threaten Israeli civilians.
Netanyahu's statements echoed the message he sent to Hamas on Sunday, when he warned the militant group that the "Israeli army is edging closer to a large-scale military activity." The commencement of a possible military incursion into Gaza has not been decided yet, but Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has repeatedly proposed authorizing large-scale military action in the Palestinian territory to put an end to border violence.
https://www.rt.com/news/441572-netanyahu-israel-force-gaza/
AL MAYADEEN
Récord de detenciones en frontera México-Estados Unidos y Trump amenaza con acción militar
Es un nuevo récord mensual desde que existen registros. Un total de 107 mil 212 miembros de “unidades familiares” fueron arrestados en 2018, cifra que pulveriza el anterior récord de 77 mil 857 alcanzado en 2016.
Saquean aliados de EE.UU. y Turquía piezas del patrimonio arqueológico de Siria
Según informaron el miércoles fuentes locales citadas por la agencia siria oficial de noticias, SANA, las FDS, principal aliado de Estados Unidos en Siria, ejecutaron el robo en Manbiy, una de las zonas que controlan en el norte y el noreste del país árabe.
AMÉRICA LATINA
Seguridad y defensa en la era Macri: Lobo suelto, cordero atado
Los neoconservadores, fortalecidos con la llegada de Trump a la Casa Blanca, no dudaron en avanzar para implementar el “Plan Sudamérica”. Fiel al estilo del “Plan Colombia”, este programa pretende aumentar la injerencia norteamericana a través del intervencionismo económico, político y militar.
La Estrategia de Defensa Nacional 2018, firmada por el Secretario de Defensa de Estados Unidos y jefe del Pentágono, James Mattis, afirma la necesidad de “sostener las ventajas en el hemisferio”. A su vez, en el último documento estratégico del Comando Sur se exponen los principales desafíos a la “seguridad”, entre los cuales se destacan la mayor presencia de China, Rusia e Irán en la América Latina.
Amnistía Internacional atribuye a la policía de Nicaragua posibles asesinatos de varios opositores del Gobierno
En el primer informe presentado el pasado junio la organización ya alertaba de posibles ejecuciones extrajudiciales en los enfrentamientos de manifestantes con fuerzas de seguridad y grupos parapoliciales. Pero con el documento presentado este jueves, que analiza la violencia entre el 30 de mayo y el 18 de septiembre, la ONG da un paso más allá al asegurar que cuenta con evidencias que responsabilizan directamente a la policía del asesinato de al menos tres manifestantes.
https://elpais.com/internacional/2018/10/17/actualidad/1539768408_102494.html
Ecuador investiga si 'Guacho' corrompió unidades del Ejército
En busca de rastros de venta ilegal de armamento para la banda que encabeza alias Guacho, el desertor de las Farc que delinque en la frontera con Ecuador, la Fiscalía de ese país allanó varias instalaciones militares, incluida una sede del Comando del Ejército en Quito.
Las unidades judiciales recabaron pruebas en bodegas de armas en la capital ecuatoriana y en unidades castrenses de las provincias de Esmeraldas, Sucumbíos, Santo Domingo y Pichincha.
Ayuda de EU no puede ser condicionada: Jimmy Morales
El presidente de Guatemala, Jimmy Morales, dijo este miércoles que la ayuda que brinda EU a su país no puede ser condicionada, en referencia a las amenazas de Washington de retirar la asistencia a la nación centroamericana si esta permite el ingreso de la caravana de migrantes que partió de Honduras en dirección a territorio estadounidense.
"Ninguna ayuda puede ser condicionada y ninguna ayuda puede ser exigida", dijo el mandatario tras mantener dos conversaciones telefónicas sobre este tema con el vicepresidente de EU, Mike Pence, informaron medios locales en sus redes sociales.
Argentina: Un nuevo paro, "seguramente" en noviembre
El cosecretario general de la CGT Carlos Acuña anunció que la central obrera “seguramente” convocará a mediados de noviembre a “un paro general de 36 horas con movilización” para rechazar la política económica del gobierno nacional. De concretarse, sería la quinta medida de fuerza de ese tipo que la CGT realizará contra los ajustes y despidos de Mauricio Macri y, a la vez, la más dura.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/149628-un-nuevo-paro-seguramente-en-noviembre
