Síntesis informativa - 14 noviembre 2018
THE NEW YORK TIMES
First Rohingya Are to Be Returned to Myanmar Killing Grounds
BANGKOK — The United Nations doesn’t want it to happen. Dozens of rights groups say they are shocked. Even the people who will be affected the most, Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, are upset that their future, once again, is being decided without their input.
On Thursday, a few of the more than 720,000 Rohingya who fled slaughter, rape and village burnings in their homeland last year are due to be repatriated to Myanmar from Bangladesh.
It is a process that has been repeatedly delayed, and one that few, apart from the Myanmar and Bangladesh governments, seem to think is a good idea.
On Tuesday, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, warned that forcing the first batch of about 2,200 Rohingya living in refugee camps in Bangladesh to return to ground zero of mass violence against the minority Muslim group would be a “clear violation” of core international legal principles. The United Nations estimates that at least 10,000 people were killed last year in the outbreak of ethnic cleansing.
Another Twist in Sri Lanka: Parliament Votes Rajapaksa Out
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A majority of Sri Lankan lawmakers voted Wednesday morning to remove Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister, saying that his appointment last month was illegal.
Mr. Rajapaksa is considered the strongman of Sri Lankan politics, a wealthy, powerful former president who has been accused of grave human rights abuses. The country has been tied in knots since late last month when President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly fired the previous prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and appointed Mr. Rajapaksa to the post.
It was a rambunctious, unruly few hours in Parliament this morning.
Lawmakers allied with Mr. Wickremesinghe walked into the chamber wearing black sashes that read “For democracy.’’ The gallery was packed with journalists, diplomats and everyday citizens. Lawmakers allied with Mr. Rajapaksa did whatever they could to block a vote of no confidence. Some yelled, while others tried to grab the ceremonial mace, the parliamentary symbol of power. Some even called the speaker of Parliament a “mad fool.”
Israel’s Hawkish Defense Minister Resigns and Calls for Early Elections
JERUSALEM — Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s hard-line defense minister, stepped down from his post on Wednesday after the government agreed to a cease-fire with Hamas to end two days of clashes in Gaza, in a surprise move that could prompt early elections.
The decision by Mr. Lieberman to withdraw his hawkish Yisrael Beiteinu party from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition will decrease the number of seats held by the government from 66 to a precarious 61 in the 120-seat Parliament.
It was not immediately clear who would replace Mr. Lieberman as defense minister after the resignation comes into effect in 48 hours.
The announcement, made at a news conference in Parliament, came a day after the right-wing government agreed on Tuesday to the cease-fire with Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, ending an outburst of intense, cross-border violence.
What to Know About Gaza’s Latest Flare-Up
An eruption of hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants, once again, raised the specter of war in the Gaza Strip in recent days.
But by sundown Tuesday, Israel and Hamas — the Islamic militant group that controls the impoverished enclave — signaled a willingness to end clashes in a deal brokered by international parties. The tensions threatened a tenuous détente in the slow-burning conflict.
While the deal allowed a fragile calm to take hold, the violence was the worst since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. And it raised questions about how the two sides got here again and what the implications might be for any potential peace process.
Here are some key things to know about the conflict.
U.N. Rights Officials Criticize China Over Muslim Internments
GENEVA — United Nations human rights officials have sharply condemned regulations issued by China that seek to provide a legal basis for the mass internment of Muslims in the Xinjiang region.
Six United Nations officials and rights experts said in a letter sent on Monday to the Chinese government that the regulations were a violation of international law, and they urged that those responsible be held accountable.
The regulations were issued by the authorities in Xinjiang in western China, who said they were intended “to contain and eradicate” extremism.
The United Nations experts contended that the new rules to justify mass internments in “re-education centers’’ were based on overly broad definitions of extremist behavior and amounted to criminalizing the legitimate exercise of basic rights.
U.S. Military’s Global Edge Has Diminished, Strategy Review Finds
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s new focus on threats from China and Russia after almost two decades of fighting terrorism “too often rests on questionable assumptions and weak analysis,” an independent bipartisan commission concluded in a sharply critical report issued on Wednesday that challenges President Trump’s commitment to supporting a strong military.
Over all, the panel that was appointed last year by Congress praised the general direction of the National Defense Strategy that was issued in January by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
But it warned that projected budget shortfalls, overtaxed military forces around the globe and other risks were imperiling the plan, just as it was taking effect.
“America’s longstanding military advantages have diminished,” according to the wide-ranging, 90-page report, an advance copy of which was made available to The New York Times. “The country’s strategic margin for error has become distressingly small. Doubts about America’s ability to deter and, if necessary, defeat opponents and honor its global commitments have proliferated.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/us/politics/defense-strategy-china-russia-.html
Merkel Joins Macron in Calling for a European Army ‘One Day’
BERLIN — Fresh from another strained international gathering with President Trump intended to remember the devastation of World War I, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said Tuesday that Europe’s future should include “a real European army.”
Ms. Merkel, who announced last week that she would not seek another term, spoke more forcefully than ever about the European Union’s need to pull together — and to depend more reliably on itself, without dependence on the United States, when defending its interests. She did so in a speech about Europe’s future before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, which was seen as an effort to leave a legacy as her own power slowly fades.
Her comments came hours after President Trump launched a blistering personal attack on President Emmanuel Macron of France, who also has proposed a European army.
“The days where we can unconditionally rely on others are gone,” Ms. Merkel said in a speech televised around the Continent. “That means that we Europeans should take our fate more into our own hands if we want to survive as a European community.”
THE GUARDIAN
G20 nations still led by fossil fuel industry, climate report finds
The paper, by the global partnership Climate Transparency, found 82% of energy in these countries still being provided by coal, oil and gas, a factor which has relied on a doubling of subsidies over the past 10 years to compete with increasingly cheap wind, solar and other renewable energy sources.
The G20 nations increased subsidies for fossil fuels from $75bn (£58bn) to $147bn (£114bn) between 2007 and 2016, although they pledged to phase them out more than 10 years ago.
US toughens border as first members of migrant caravan reach Tijuana
About 400 migrants who broke away from the main caravan in Mexico City arrived in the border city of Tijuana on Tuesday by bus. Larger groups are expected to arrive in the coming days, human rights organizations said.
The US defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said he would travel to the border area on Wednesday, his first visit since the military announced that over 7,000 US troops would go to the area as the caravan of mostly Hondurans has made its way through Mexico.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/13/migrant-caravan-latest-us-border-security-toughened
Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza ceasefire after intense violence
The sudden announcement late on Tuesday brought a lull to the outbreak of violence in which both sides launched scores of bombings and reprisal attacks. Israeli civilians hid overnight in shelters from relentless rocket barrages and Palestinians cowered in basements from thundering airstrikes.
Hamas and other smaller militant groups released a statement saying they had accepted the deal brokered by the UN and Egypt.
There was no comment from Israel, but after nightfall, the rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes had stopped.
CIA doctors considered using 'truth serum' on terror suspects
CIA doctors considered using a “truth serum” on suspected terrorists in detention after waterboarding appeared to be ineffective and traumatic for US personnel who witnessed it, according to newly declassified documents.
The proposal to use the drug in a programme codenamed “Project Medication” was revealed in a 90-page report by a senior CIA medical officer, which was released on a judge’s order to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), after a prolonged legal battle. The ACLU published the report by the unnamed officer on Tuesday.
enlace al informe: https://www.aclu.org/report/summary-and-reflections-chief-medical-services-oms-participation-rdi-program
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/13/cia-doctors-truth-serum-terror-suspects
El Chapo: trial of Mexican cartel boss begins in New York
Defence attorney Jeffrey Lichtman alleged on behalf of his client that that Mexican officials – including current and former presidents – had received bribes to protect Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, another reputed trafficker who is still at large.
The co-operating witnesses, Lichtman, will include “El Mayo Zambada’s brother and both his sons” despite his “leadership of the cartel”. Lichtman asked how the US could have “his sons and his brother in custody, but somehow the authorities cannot get the information to carry out his arrest”.
Lichtman poured scorn on the co-operating witnesses, saying: “they are killers, they are thieves, they are drug dealers” who have “paid off law enforcement and even the DEA [Drugs Enforcement Administration] of America”.
The Guardian has learned that these witnesses will include Pedro and Margarito Flores, twin brothers convicted of flooding Chicago with heroin; and Damaso López Nuñez, Guzmán’s former lieutenant.
All are in US custody and have either agreed, or are negotiating, commuted sentences.
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Beijing advances 'code of conduct' for South China Sea
China's premier has hailed progress on an agreement that would "ensure peace and stability" in the strategic sea. Beijing has continued to fill a void as US influence in the region wanes under Donald Trump.
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang on Wednesday said Beijing and countries with stakes in the South China Sea are closer than ever before to a "code of conduct" for the strategic thoroughfare.
Ahead of a meeting between China and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Li said the recent adoption of a draft text for the pact was a major breakthrough.
https://www.dw.com/en/beijing-advances-code-of-conduct-for-south-china-sea/a-46284818
These missiles can reach Berlin,' warns Lithuania's foreign minister
Lithuania's Linas Linkevicius tells DW that Russia has been violating the terms of the INF nuclear arms treaty. He says action is necessary to force all parties to comply with the agreement.
Russia has deployed Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad Region. These missiles can also be set up to carry nuclear warheads
Of course we are. When Russians are talking about balance, about adequate responses, it's by no means adequate because we do not have defense capabilities. And we're not going to be aggressive. But this is really not a move for confidence building.
https://www.dw.com/en/these-missiles-can-reach-berlin-warns-lithuanias-foreign-minister/a-46289487
Dimite el ministro israelí de Defensa por la tregua en Gaza
Avigdor Lieberman calificó la tregua acordada con Hamás como "sumisión al terror" y exigió convocar inmediatamente elecciones anticipadas.
El ministro de Defensa israelí, Avigdor Lieberman, dimitió este miércoles (14.11.2018) del cargo por desacuerdos con el Gobierno sobre la aceptación el martes de la tregua en Gaza, que consideró una "sumisión al terror", y exigió convocar inmediatamente elecciones anticipadas, declaró en una rueda de prensa.
https://www.dw.com/es/dimite-el-ministro-israel%C3%AD-de-defensa-por-la-tregua-en-gaza/a-46289220
China tells US to stop sending warships near Beijing-claimed islands in South China Sea
The US does not want a "Cold War" policy towards China, US top diplomat Mike Pompeo said at a high-level summit with Chinese officials in Washington. The two sides traded blows over militarization in the South China Sea.
Beijing asked the US to end American freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea as top defense officials and diplomats from both countries met in Washington on Friday.
The US delegation, led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, also discussed a string of other disputes between Washington and Beijing with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe.
XINHUA
Trump: Informe sobre bases de misiles de RPDC es "inexacto"
WASHINGTON, 13 nov (Xinhua) -- El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, dijo hoy que un reciente informe relacionado con el presunto desarrollo de bases de misiles en República Popular Democrática de Corea (RPDC) es inexacto.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/14/c_137604983.htm
Irán califica a ataque de Israel contra Gaza como "terrorismo de Estado"
TEHERAN, 13 nov (Xinhua) -- El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Irán condenó hoy los ataques recientes de Israel contra la Franja de Gaza y los llamó "terrorismo de Estado".
En un comunicado, el vocero del ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores iraní, Bahram Qasemi, dijo que "el terrorismo, los crímenes y la agresión del régimen usurpador de Israel continúan con el apoyo y aliento del gobierno de Estados Unidos en medio del silencio de algunos países regionales".
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/14/c_137604734.htm
Liga Arabe condena escalada militar en Gaza
EL CAIRO, 13 nov (Xinhua) -- La Liga Arabe condenó hoy la escalada en la Franja de Gaza que causó la muerte de seis palestinos.
En comunicados de prensa, el secretario general adjunto de la Liga Arabe para los territorios palestinos y árabes ocupados, Saeed Abu Ali, responsabilizó a Israel de las consecuencias de la "agresión".
También pidió a la comunidad internacional intervenir de inmediato para "detener la agresión israelí y ofrecer protección internacional al pueblo palestino".
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/14/c_137604688.htm
Rusia critica declaraciones de funcionario de EEUU sobre Afganistán
MOSCU, 13 nov (Xinhua)-- El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Rusia denunció hoy la declaración de un importante funcionario estadounidense sobre la interferencia de Rusia en las negociaciones sobre el tema afgano y dijo que es un intento de Washington por culpar a otros del fracaso de su política en Afganistán.
El subsecretario de Estado de Estados Unidos para Asuntos Políticos, David Hale, acusó a Rusia de apoyar los conflictos en Afganistán.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/14/c_137604728.htm
China y Canadá proseguirán con negociaciones sobre TLC
SINGAPUR, 14 nov (Xinhua) -- China y Canadá se comprometieron este miércoles a proseguir con las negociaciones sobre un tratado de libre comercio (TLC) bilateral.
El compromiso se hizo durante el tercer diálogo anual entre el primer ministro chino, Li Keqiang, y su homólogo candiense, Justin Trudeau, que se celebró en los márgenes de las varias reuniones de líderes sobre cooperación en Asia Oriental que se están celebrando esta semana en Singapur.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/14/c_137606048.htm
China y ASEAN aprueban Enfoque de la Asociación Estratégica 2030
SINGAPUR, 14 nov (Xinhua) -- China y la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN, siglas en inglés) refrendaron este miércoles un documento clave para trazar el curso de sus lazos de aquí a 2030.
El Enfoque de la Asociación Estratégica 2030 fue aprobado durante la 21ª reunión de líderes China-ASEAN (10+1) celebrada en Singapur.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/14/c_137606014.htm
RT
US troops erect barricades & razor fence in San Diego as first migrants arrive in Tijuana (VIDEOS)
US military and border protection agents have extended razor wire and erected barricades at the point of entry near San Diego, California, as the first groups of migrants arrived at the US-Mexico border. In anticipation of potential clashes at the border, American soldiers have begun reinforcing their positions. “Department of Defense personnel are installing concertina wire, and pre-positioning jersey barriers, barricades, and fencing," US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement.
Hundreds of migrants who had split off from the main ‘caravan’ arrived in Tijuana early Tuesday on nine buses. Numbering just over 350 people, they joined an initial, small group of around 85 people, mostly members of the LGBT community, who’d experienced discrimination within the main crowd and were helped to make it to the Mexican border town even earlier on Sunday.
https://www.rt.com/usa/443908-san-diego-troops-migrants-fence/
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigns, slams Gaza ceasefire as ‘capitulation to terror’
Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has resigned as a protest against the ceasefire in Gaza, calling the deal a "capitulation to terror." His right-wing party, Yisrael Beiteinu, will also leave the ruling coalition.
In a live televised address, Liberman called yesterday’s ceasefire a “surrender to terror” that only achieves “short-term quiet” while damaging Israel’s “long-term security.”
Lieberman strongly opposed the Israeli government’s decision to agree a truce with Hamas, apparently arguing that Tel Aviv should take “harsh, decisive” actions against Gaza. He said that he could not reconcile his own views with the policies adopted by the Israeli government in Gaza, compelling him to resign.
https://www.rt.com/news/443932-israeli-defense-minister-lieberman-resigns/
Macron wants ‘European army’ to share UN Security Council seat and nukes with Berlin – Marine Le Pen
President Emmanuel Macron wants to create a “European army” in order to share France’s permanent seat in the UN Security Council, as well as its nukes, with Germany, the head of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen said.
Macron wants to use the coveted “European army” to share the “place in the Security Council” and the French “nuclear arsenal” with neighboring Germany, Le Pen told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
Le Pen, who leads the right-wing party National Rally (formerly known as the National Front) and was Macron’s chief opponent in last year’s presidential race, strongly opposes his idea of establishing EU military structures.
https://www.rt.com/news/443966-le-pen-macron-army/
AL JAZEERA
Trump nominates John Abizaid as new ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Appointment of former army general John Abizaid comes after nearly two years of US ambassadorial absence in Riyadh.
He graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, after which he earned a scholarship to go study Arabic in Jordan, a language he did not speak as a child.
Abizaid also attended Harvard University where he obtained a Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies. His thesis focused on Saudi Arabia's weapons procurement policy.
The hidden toll of American drones in Yemen: Civilian deaths
Investigation by the Associated Press finds that more than 30 killed in drone attacks in 2018 were not al-Qaeda members.
The AP count gives a glimpse, even if incomplete, into how often civilians are mistakenly hit by drone attacks, at a time when US President Donald Trump administration has dramatically ramped up the use of armed drones.
It has carried out 176 attacks during its nearly two years in office, compared with the 154 attacks during the entire eight years of the Obama administration, according to a count by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
More than 57,000 civilians and combatants have been killed in Yemen's civil war, by some estimates, and thousands more may have died of starvation caused by the conflict.
Uighurs marking 'independence day' call for international help
Activists want the US and Muslim countries to apply pressure on China to end its persecution of Turkic Muslim minority.
Shafik Mandhai
November 12 is the 74th and 85th anniversary of two short-lived Uighur republics, known as East Turkestan, which were established in territory that is now part of China.
Though reports of abuse against the Uighurs date back more than a decade, the past year has seen an intensification in the persecution of the Turkic-speaking minority.
ASEAN and China tout progress over South China Sea
'Code of conduct' has been under discussion since at least 2002, as China builds structures on disputed outcrops at sea.
Leaders from Southeast Asia and China say they're making progress in keeping the peace in the disputed South China Sea as they work towards a "code of conduct" to govern navigation routes and other activities in the area.
The United States has recently sent destroyers through the South China Sea on what it calls "freedom of navigation" operations - manoeuvres that have riled Beijing and nearly led to ship collisions.
AL MAYADEEN
EE.UU. impone nuevas sanciones a cuatro representantes de Hizbullah
Las personas sancionadas son: Shibl Muhsin Ubayd al-Zaydi, Yusuf Hashim, Adnan Husein Kawtharani y Muhamad Abdel-Hadi Farhat.
En octubre pasado, la Fiscalía General de EE.UU. anunció la creación de un grupo operativo contra Hizbullah e indicó que uno de sus principales objetivos sería investigar a los individuos y redes que respaldan a la Resistencia libanesa.
Brigadas Al-Quds usan un nuevo misil que "convirtió a Ashkelon en un infierno"
Las Brigadas Al-Quds, la ala militar de la Yihad Islámica, anunciaron la entrada de un nuevo misil en servicio militar para bombardear la ciudad ocupada de Ashkelon.
Helicópteros estadounidenses continúan apoyando el traslado de terroristas de Daesh en Siria
Como parte del apoyo al grupo terrorista Daesh, helicópteros de la coalición estadounidense trasladaron a extremistas takfiríes del pueblo sirio de Swaidiya, situado al noreste de Hassakeh, cerca de la frontera con Irak.
