Síntesis informativa - 16 de noviembre 2018
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Indictment vs. Julian Assange Mistakenly Revealed by Prosecutors
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has prepared an indictment against the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, marking a drastic escalation of the government’s yearslong battle with him and his anti-secrecy group.
It was not clear if prosecutors have filed charges against Mr. Assange. The indictment came to light late Thursday through an unrelated court filing in which prosecutors inadvertently mentioned charges against him.
“The court filing was made in error,” said Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia. “That was not the intended name for this filing.”
Mr. Assange has lived for years in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London and would have to be arrested and extradited if he were to face charges in federal court, altogether a multistep diplomatic and legal process.
Dozens From Caravan Line Up at Border, Seeking Asylum Interviews
TIJUANA, Mexico — The vanguard of what President Trump has labeled an invasion force formed an orderly line at about 6:45 a.m. on Thursday near a major border crossing between Tijuana and the United States and waited patiently.
About 80 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who have been traveling with a large migrant caravan had come to the crossing, with stories of victimization and persecution, to make an appointment for asylum interviews in the United States.
But other than the line of migrants, it was mostly business as usual along this westernmost stretch of the Mexico-United States southwest border.
A steady flow of pedestrians and cars traversed the official border crossings, in an apparently smooth and normal process. Contractors worked on the steel border fence that reaches across the beach and into the Pacific Ocean, unfurling concertina wire along the top of the barrier and across the sand while American military police looked on.
North Korea Says It Will Deport American Who Tried To Enter From China
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea will deport an American citizen it detained a month ago for illegally entering the isolated country, state media announced on Friday, in an apparent gesture of good will amid the stalled nuclear talks with the United States.
The North’s decision to release the American, who it identified as Bruce Byron Lowrance, is likely to be welcomed by Washington as a conciliatory gesture. In the past, North Korea has held Americans on similar charges for prolonged periods, in some cases freeing them only after high-profile figures from the United States came to Pyongyang, the North’s capital, to ask for their release.
Mr. Lowrance was detained on Oct. 16 while illegally crossing into North Korea from China, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported. Mr. Lowrance said he had entered the country under the direction of the Central Intelligence Agency, according to the report.
It was not the first time Mr. Lowrance had tried to enter North Korea. Last November, he was detained by South Korean soldiers as he approached the heavily militarized border between the Koreas.
North Korea Says It Has Tested ‘Ultramodern Tactical Weapon’
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has tested a new tactical weapon, the North’s official news media said on Friday, reporting that Kim Jong-un witnessed the event in his first publicized visit to a weapons test site since the country test-launched its intercontinental ballistic missile last November.
State media did not identify the weapon, and the test did not appear to violate the voluntary moratorium North Korea imposed on nuclear and long-range ballistic missile tests this year. Still, Mr. Kim’s renewed activities at weapons test sites could complicate the already stalled talks between North Korea and the United States over how to remove the North’s nuclear weapons.
North Korea tends to use the prospects of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula as leverage when negotiations with Washington do not go in its favor. In recent weeks, it has issued vague threats that it might resume testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles should the United States continue to refuse to make concessions like easing sanctions.
8 U.N. Peacekeepers Killed in Congo in Area Facing Ebola Outbreak
Eight United Nations peacekeepers and at least 12 Congolese soldiers were killed in a joint military operation against rebels in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is facing a deadly Ebola outbreak, the Security Council said Thursday.
Ten peacekeepers were injured and one was missing after Wednesday’s operation that targeted Allied Democratic Forces rebels, said the United Nations spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.
The Security Council’s statement said seven of the peacekeepers who were killed were from Malawi and one was from Tanzania.
The joint forces were attacked while conducting operations to dislodge the rebel fighters from a stronghold in Kididiwe, near the regional capital of Beni, a United Nations official said. The mission succeeded and a number of rebels were captured, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Two Years In, Trump Struggles to Master Role of Military Commander
WASHINGTON — He canceled a trip to a cemetery in France where American soldiers from World War I are buried. He did not go to the observance at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day. He has not visited American troops in Iraq or Afghanistan.
And shortly after becoming commander in chief, President Trump asked so few questions in a briefing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., that top military commanders cut the number of prepared PowerPoint slides to three — they had initially planned 18 — said two officials with knowledge of the visit.
The commanders had slotted two hours for the meeting, but it lasted less than one.
Rhetorically, Mr. Trump has embraced the United States’ 1.3 million active-duty troops as “my military” and “my generals” and has posted on Twitter that under his leadership, the American armed forces will be “the finest that our Country has ever had.” But top Defense Department officials say that Mr. Trump has not fully grasped the role of the troops he commands, nor the responsibility that he has to lead them and protect them from politics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/us/politics/president-trump-military.html
Afghan War Casualty Report: Nov. 9-15
The following reports compile all significant security incidents confirmed by New York Times reporters throughout Afghanistan. It is necessarily incomplete as many local officials refuse to confirm casualty information.
This week President Ashraf Ghani revealed that 28,529 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in the past four years, since 2015. That tally, which he gave during a video address Nov. 12 to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, was the highest to come from his government yet. While he gave no breakdown of that number, previous government estimates put security force death tolls at 5,000 in 2015 and nearly 7,000 in 2016; after that, the Afghan government began classifying casualty totals. That means a total of about 16,500 this year and last year, about 25 a day or 175 a week — far more than Afghan government officials are usually willing to confirm.
THE GUARDIAN
Policies of China, Russia and Canada threaten 5C climate change, study finds
China, Russia and Canada’s current climate policies would drive the world above a catastrophic 5C of warming by the end of the century, according to a study that ranks the climate goals of different countries.
The US and Australia are only slightly behind with both pushing the global temperature rise dangerously over 4C above pre-industrial levels says the paper, while even the EU, which is usually seen as a climate leader, is on course to more than double the 1.5C that scientists say is a moderately safelevel of heating.
enlace al estudio: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07223-9
Israel set for early elections after cabinet breaks up, source says
Israel is due to hold elections early next year after the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, lost his defence minister and talks broke down in his coalition government on Friday, a source close to the cabinet told the Guardian.
Julian Assange charged in secret, mistake on US court filing suggests
Earlier on Thursday evening, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US was making preparations to prosecute Assange and was confident of being able to detain him and make him stand trial.
The court filing, written by assistant US attorney Kellen Dwyer, did not specify the nature of any charges against Assange. It was submitted to the federal court in the eastern district of Virginia, which handles many cases involving national security.
UN peacekeepers killed in fight with Islamist militias in DRC
At least seven UN peacekeepers have been killed in clashes with militias in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The fighting took place near Beni, in the east, and close to the centre of the country’s worst Ebola outbreak.
The peacekeepers were supporting an offensive by local forces against an Islamist group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), officials said.
Killing, abuse, sexual violence beyond belief': fears grow of all-out war in CAR
The UN security council has failed to agree terms for extending a peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic just days after a top aid official warned the country is at risk of sliding into full-scale war.
Conflict broke out in CAR in late 2012, when Seleka rebels – most of them Muslims, and many from Chad and Sudan – overthrew François Bozizé. Predominantly Christian fighters, known as the anti-balaka, retaliated. The number of armed groups, often competing for natural resources, has since multiplied.
RT
From China with might: Military expert breaks down technology behind latest Chinese aircraft (VIDEO)
Demonstration flights of the J-10B and J-20 jets at the latest airshow are testimony to China’s technological prowess. It no longer needs to copy foreign products and can make weapons unmatched in some areas, experts say.
Chinese military and defense producers showed off lots of weapon systems at the biennial Zhuhai Airshow held in the southern province. But demonstration flights were among the most interesting parts of the event, partly because they really show what modern Chinese aircraft can do. After all, a specifications sheet may be influenced by wishful thinking and false advertising, but in the air you can either perform a Pugachev Cobra or you can’t.
The J-20, the heavy counterpart to the light J-10 and China’s most advanced aircraft, had its moment in the limelight as well. Multiple photos and videos of the event are among the best quality yet of the air superiority jet, which made its maiden flight just seven years ago. They not only displayed spectacular maneuverability for an aircraft that heavy, but also showed off an internal weapon bay loaded with four extra long-range air-to-air missiles, which complimented short-range projectiles on hard points.
https://www.rt.com/news/444186-chinese-fighter-jets-cool/
UK signs multi-billion pound contract to double its F-35 fleet by 2022
The UK has signed a multi-billion pound contract which will double its F-35 fleet, the country's defense secretary has announced. The deal will see Britain own 35 stealth jets by the end of 2022.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed that the UK has ordered 17 new F-35B aircraft which will be delivered between 2020 and 2022. Overall, Britain has committed to buying 138 aircraft over the life of the program.
He went on to tout the move as being “good news” for the British economy, as British companies are building approximately 15 percent by value of all F-35s planned for production, which amounts to 255 in total. The F-35 is made by the US company Lockheed Martin, but the UK's BAE Systems is a contractor on the project. The UK is the largest operator of F-35s outside the United States. The announcement comes as existing British F-35B aircraft are currently traveling to the US on the HMS Queen Elizabeth, where they will take part in flying trials.
Meanwhile, F-35s aren't the only new additions the British military is looking to acquire, according to the anti-drone campaign group Drone Wars UK, which recently claimed the government has been secretly funding research on autonomous “killer robot” drones. The Ministry of Defence, however, has denied that there are plans to develop any systems that would operate without input from humans.
https://www.rt.com/uk/444109-uk-f-35-aircraft-spending/
Russia's Su-57 stealth quality test caught on VIDEO
Footage of a test being conducted to determine the stealth qualities of Russia’s 5th gen Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet has been published by the Defense Ministry’s TV channel.
The Sukhoi Su-57 is Russia’s first and only 5th generation fighter jet so far. The producer has built 13 prototype pieces since 2009.
The test was done in an anechoic chamber and involved only the nose part of the plane, or rather the cockpit canopy, which was covered with an EM-radiation absorbing material, unlike the rest of the nose. A pilot mannequin was placed inside for better fidelity.
https://www.rt.com/russia/444112-su-57-stealth-test/
Police drones: Coppers to use flying robots to track offenders back to their homes
A UK police force is being trained to operate drones, enabling them to take images of anti-social offenders with the potential to follow them to their homes. The move is part of a trial in the use of the remote-control devices.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is establishing a drone unit with officers trained as pilots for the unmanned aerial vehicles. They aim to identify criminals by taking images of alleged offenders, all the way to their homes if necessary – in a bid to make communities safer, the Manchester Evening News reports.
The planned trial is being “fully supported” by the council. Councillor Phil Burke says they will be working closely with GMP to ensure the scheme is implemented. He argues that the use of drones would open up a new opportunity in the fight to drive down anti-social behavior offenses. In October UK police were forced to stop operating some of their drones because of a fault that meant the devices could fall out of the sky, the Telegraph reports. One drone is said to have “experienced an in-flight issue,” falling on the roof of a commercial property.
https://www.rt.com/uk/444155-police-drones-track-criminals/
Surveillance with a smile: Biometrics firms seek to incentivize facial recognition
Operating on the gradual model of Google and Facebook, biometrics companies are plotting a slow rollout of facial recognition technology, barbed with incentives to hook customers and distract them from the demise of privacy.
Arenas, airports and stores are already adopting facial recognition software to identify criminals, from shoplifters to potential terrorists – so marketing is the natural next step, according to Arturo Falck, CEO of Whoo.ai and one of several biometrics execs interviewed by trade publication Biometric Update.
https://www.rt.com/usa/444136-facial-recognition-marketing-incentives/
North Korea tests mysterious new ‘high-tech’ tactical weapon
The race is on to identify a mysterious weapon developed by North Korea after the country announced the successful test – its first in over a year – of a new “high-tech” weapon providing few additional details.
News of this “newly developed high-tech tactical” weapon was announced by Pyongyang's KCNA news agency on Friday along with a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talking with officials on a beach test-site. However, the weapon in question cannot be seen and details about its capabilities remain shrouded in secrecy.
South Korean authorities are working to identify and analyze the weapon in question. However, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification believes Kim supervised the test of a traditional weapon rather than a nuclear-capable one, citing that the term “strategic weapon” was not used by the KCNA in their report.
