Síntesis informativa - 13 de noviembre 2018
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Australia’s Prime Minister ‘Surprised’ by State’s Secret Deal With China
SYDNEY, Australia — Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia was blindsided by reports that a state government had quietly sidestepped federal regulators and signed a deal with China to participate in that country’s contentious Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
Mr. Morrison said this week that the agreement, signed last month between the governments of China and the state of Victoria, undermined the federal government’s ability to conduct foreign policy at a time when intelligence officials are concerned that China is trying to exert undue influence in Australia.
Mr. Morrison told reporters he was “surprised” that the Victorian government would involve itself in a “matter of international relations” without discussing it first
Cost of Botched Gaza Spy Mission? Israel’s Back on Brink of War
JERUSALEM — On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Israelis weary of conflict with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip that he was “doing everything I can in order to avoid an unnecessary war.”
A day and a half later, Israel appeared to be on the brink of just that.
After a botched intelligence mission by undercover commandos left seven Palestinian fighters dead, the militant group Hamas and other armed factions mounted an intense and escalating rocket and mortar barrage across much of southern Israel that continued into Tuesday morning.
With air-raid sirens wailing from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea, and after a Palestinian anti-tank missile blew up an Israeli bus, seriously wounding a 19-year-old soldier, Israel retaliated with airstrikes and tank fire that grew steadily more destructive.
Coming to Papua New Guinea: World Leaders (and 40 Maseratis)
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — The Maseratis and Bentleys have been delivered. Laborers from China have repaired roads and installed bus stop shelters with signs saying “China Aid.” Three cruise ships will serve as temporary hotels.
The Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea is in the global spotlight as some of the world’s most powerful leaders gather here this week for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting.
Some say hosting the annual Asia-Pacific leaders forum will be Papua New Guinea’s biggest event since it gained independence in 1975. For the country’s scandal-ridden government, it is an opportunity to spend aid money on favored projects in the capital and import luxury vehicles that can be sold later to wealthy cronies.
Government leaders, most of them heads of state, will be arriving this weekend from 20 fellow member economies that ring the Pacific Ocean.
Erdogan Presses for Answers From Saudi Prince in Khashoggi Killing
ISTANBUL — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has made his strongest personal challenge yet to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia over the killing of the dissident Jamal Khashoggi, saying he was still waiting for answers and expressing frustration with the Saudi response in comments published on Tuesday in pro-government newspapers.
Speaking to Turkish reporters while traveling back from Paris, where he met with leaders from France, Germany and the United States, Mr. Erdogan said the crown price was failing to follow through on his promise to expose the truth about the disappearance and death of Mr. Khashoggi.
“The crown prince says, ‘I am going to clarify the incident and do what is necessary,’” Mr. Erdogan said in the published remarks. “The crown prince tells this to my special representatives, and we are waiting patiently.”
The U.S. Army Is Trying to Develop New Land Mines — Ones That Don’t Harm Civilians
In the early 1990s, the end of the Cold War gave rise to a global movement to rid former war zones of land mines, which were littered across at least 68 countries. President Bill Clinton became the first world leader to call for their elimination on a global scale, but when it came time to formally ban them, the United States refused. Instead, over two decades, the United States invested $2.9 billion in demining projects and the destruction of other conventional weapons around the world. It has also destroyed millions of its own antipersonnel land mines, a weapon deemed particularly dangerous to civilians because it is buried underground and detonates when stepped on.
While much of the world has moved away from the use of land mines of all kinds, the United States Army is now developing a new line of them to replace its suite of antivehicle land mines from the 1980s. According to Audra Calloway, a spokeswoman at Picatinny Arsenal, which has long supervised weapons development for the service, these munitions are meant to replace the service’s current inventory, which were manufactured 30 years ago. The Army’s end goal is to create a munition that can be detonated remotely by a soldier — a design feature that in theory could reduce the risks that land mines pose to civilians. It could also keep the United States aligned with — but still not signatory to — an international treaty signed by more than 160 countries that bans the use of antipersonnel mines, but does not prohibit mines designed to destroy vehicles like tanks and armored personnel carriers. Since 2016, the Army has spent $106 million on this initiative, called the Gator Landmine Replacement Program, yet it is still in its early stages. Here’s what we know so far.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/magazine/army-landmines.html
U.S. Declines to Sign Declaration Discouraging Use of Cyberattacks
WASHINGTON — Reflecting reluctance by the Trump administration to limit its options for using offensive and defensive cyberweapons, the United States declined on Monday to sign a vaguely worded international call to protect civilians against cyberattacks and discourage digital meddling in elections.
The United States was one of only a few Western nations that chose not to sign on to the nonbinding declaration, which was released by France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, during the Paris Peace Forum, timed to the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
The declaration, the “Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace,” was signed by 51 countries, more than 130 companies and 90 universities and nongovernmental groups, and was the latest in a series of efforts to move toward what some call a “digital Geneva Convention
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/us/politics/us-cyberattacks-declaration.html
THE GUARDIAN
Israel and Hamas ignore ceasefire pleas in Gaza
This latest violence, the most intense to date, erupted following Sunday’s Israeli raid. After being exposed at a militant checkpoint, the covert team killed a Hamas commander and fled in a helicopter, witnesses said. Seven Hamas fighters and an Israeli lieutenant colonel were killed in the chaos. Within hours, militants had launched rockets in response.
Heatwaves can 'wipe out' male insect fertility
Global warming is making heatwaves more common and wildlife is being annihilated, and the study may reveal a way in which these two trends are linked. The scientists behind the findings said there could also be some relevance for humans: the sperm counts of western men have halved in the last 40 years.
Venezuelan migrants live in shadows on Caribbean's sunshine islands
Political repression, violent crime and economic collapse have caused at least 3 million Venezuelans – more than 9% of the country’s population – to flee their home since 2015, in an exodus without precedent in Latin America.
Accurate statistics are hard to come by, but more than 100,000 Venezuelans have fled to the Caribbean islands. At least 40,000 have gone to Trinidad and Tobago, some 28,500 are in the Dominican Republic and 16,000 have gone to Aruba.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/13/venezuelan-migrants-caribbean-islands
AL JAZEERA
Hamas warns Israel it will extend range of rocket fire over raids
Hamas says it will fire rockets at Israeli towns of Beersheba, Ashdod if raids on civilian buildings in Gaza don't stop.
Meanwhile, Al-Aqsa TV broadcast a video showing the moment when Palestinian fighters targeted an Israeli army bus near the Gaza Strip border, east of Jabalia. The vehicle exploded moments after Israeli soldiers disembarked.
Hamas said in a statement that its fighters were able to hit the bus near the settlement of Miflasim using a Kornet anti-tank guided missile.
North Korea hiding missile bases in remote areas: report
US think-tank names at least 13 secret bases, raising doubts over Donald Trump's signature foreign policy initiative.
North Korea is moving ahead with its ballistic missile programme, according to a new report by a US-based think-tank which identified over a dozen small undeclared bases.
RT
Russia’s Rosatom to start construction of 7th power unit at Chinese nuclear power plant
The construction of a new power unit at the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in China will begin in 2021, according to Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom. It’s the biggest joint NPP project between the two nations.
Last week, ASE and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) inked contracts for the construction of units 7 and 8 at the Tianwan NPP. Rosatom is currently negotiating a framework contract for the construction works.
The largest joint NPP project between Russia and China, the Tianwan plant is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea. It was built in 2006 by Russia's nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly owned by Gazprom.
Two of its units, with a capacity of 1,000 MW each, were opened in 2007. Unit 3 was connected to the grid last December while unit 4 is expected to enter commercial operation in March 2019. Fuel loading at unit 4 was completed in September.
https://www.rt.com/business/443824-rosatom-china-npp-construction/
IDF sends tanks to Gaza border, bracing for potential full-fledged ground offensive – reports
Tel Aviv has reportedly deployed additional ground forces, including tanks, to the Gaza Strip border after more than 300 rockets were fired at Israel, triggering airstrikes against some 70 targets across the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli military began reinforcing its positions along the Gaza border on Monday night after the army was reportedly given a green light to act against Hamas militants if the rocket fire against southern Israeli communities continues. Columns of trucks carrying armored vehicles were recorded heading to the border just as the IDF warned Hamas of an “iron fist” response to the most rigorous shelling of Israel since the 2014 Gaza war.
So far the IDF attacked more than 70 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in the Strip using planes, helicopters, and tanks, stopping short of a full-scale cross-border intrusion. Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV station, located in the heart of Gaza City and the military intelligence office of the militant organization were among the targets of the Israeli raids. Three Palestinians were confirmed dead from the IDF's strikes.
https://www.rt.com/news/443810-israel-tanks-gaza-border/
Hydrochloric acid vapor leak in Frankfurt am Main forces locals to shut doors and windows
Locals in Frankfurt am Main were briefly told to keep doors and windows closed after a hydrochloric acid vapor leak in the industrial area. The warning was soon lifted as no hazardous chemicals were detected in the environment.
The incident took place in Griesheim Industrial Park on Tuesday morning, according to firefighters. “Doors and windows in the area of Griesheim and [nearby] Nied are to be kept closed,” the warning said. Hydrochloric acid is a strong corrosive substance used as a laboratory reagent. The short-term effects of inhalation can include irritation to the nose, eyes, and respiratory tract.
https://www.rt.com/news/443815-hydrochloric-acid-leaked-frankfurt/
AL MAYADEEN
AIEA certifica otra vez cumplimiento de Irán de acuerdo nuclear
En un informe trimestral de carácter confidencial distribuido este lunes a sus Estados miembros, la AIEA confirma en particular que a principios de noviembre Irán no había enriquecido uranio a niveles prohibidos ni realizado almacenamientos ilegales.
Con este nuevo informe, la AIEA vuelve a constatar que Teherán está cumpliendo de forma estricta lo estipulado en el acuerdo de 2015 entre Irán y el Grupo 5+1 integrado entonces por Estados Unidos, el Reino Unido, Francia, Rusia y China, más Alemania.
Detectan irregularidades en campaña de presidente electo de Brasil
El Tribunal Superior Electoral (TSE) de Brasil encontró 17 irregularidades en las cuentas presentadas por la campaña del político ultraderechista Jair Bolsonaro, quien ganó las elecciones presidenciales de octubre, reveló el portal digital Brasil 247.
AMÉRICA LATINA
Bolsonaro sitúa a un general retirado al frente del Ministerio de Defensa
El presidente electo de Brasil, Jair Bolsonaro, ha nombrado a un exmilitar cercano a la política y actualmente asesor del presidente del Tribunal Supremocomo ministro de Defensa de su futuro Gobierno. Fernando Azevedo e Silva es un general retirado, que fue jefe del Estado Mayor del Ejército, y durante los Juegos Olímpicos de 2016 fue responsable de la Autoridad Pública Olímpica del Gobierno de Dilma Rousseff. Este año había dejado las tropas para trabajar con José Dias Toffoli, presidente del Supremo, y dar consejos puntuales a Bolsonaro durante su campaña presidencial.
https://elpais.com/internacional/2018/11/13/america/1542119248_696795.html
México: En Veracruz se produjo un secuestro masivo de migrantes /La mayoría son niños
El caso del secuestro masivo de migrantes ocurrido el pasado 3 de noviembre en Veracruz,y que luego fueron entregados a integrantes del crimen organizado en algún lugar desconocido en Puebla, ya no es solo el dicho de un ombudsman estatal. Ahora, es un caso oficialmente investigado por la Fiscalía General de Puebla, que cuenta con pruebas del delito.
En el expediente, la Defensoría de los Derechos Humanos del Pueblo de Oaxaca (DDHPO) —un organismo público autónomo— volcó los testimonios de tres testigos del secuestro. Una de esas personas, cuya identidad permanece desconocida por su seguridad, reveló en una frase la magnitud de lo que estarían viviendo aquellos centroamericanos privados de su libertad en México: “65 niños y siete mujeres fueron vendidos”.
AMLO hará consulta popular para la construcción del Tren Maya y otros diez proyectos
El presidente electo, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, dio a conocer aquí que los días 24 y 25 de noviembre se someterán a consulta tres proyectos: el Tren Maya Peninsular y las refinerías de Dos Bocas (Tabasco) y del Istmo de Tehuantepec (Oaxaca), además de 10 programas sociales.
Todas esas consultas, dijo, se llevarán a cabo en las mismas casillas y bajo la misma dinámica con la que se hizo la del aeropuerto capitalino, y también será encabezada por la sociedad civil a través de la Fundación “Arturo Rosenblueth”.
Macri intenta privatizar Aerolíneas Argentinas, denuncian sindicatos
Dirigentes gremiales de la empresa Aerolíneas Argentinas denunciaron el intento del presidente Mauricio Macri de privatizar la compañía, que tanto costó recuperar.
La semana pasada, mientras se realizaba un paro por el incumplimiento de acuerdos, Macri deslizó un mensaje donde advertía que el Estado no podía sostener el funcionamiento de la línea de bandera, a lo que añadió este fin de semana un discurso, rechazado por todos los trabajadores de la empresa, acusando que la ayuda del Estado a ésta, impedía realizar obras públicas para evitar posibles inundaciones
La peor hora del fujimorismo
El fujimorismo, un factor central de la política peruana en las últimas tres décadas y que ahora controla el Congreso, se debate en una grave crisis. Una crisis que puede ser terminal para este movimiento de derecha autoritaria y populista, fundado por el ex dictador Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) y con una historia estrechamente emparentada con el golpismo, las violaciones a los derechos humanos y la corrupción.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/155068-la-peor-hora-del-fujimorismo
