Síntesis informativa - 23 de noviembre 2018
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Saudis Want a U.S. Nuclear Deal. Can They Be Trusted Not to Build a Bomb?
WASHINGTON — Before Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was implicated by the C.I.A. in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, American intelligence agencies were trying to solve a separate mystery: Was the prince laying the groundwork for building an atomic bomb?
The 33-year-old heir to the Saudi throne had been overseeing a negotiation with the Energy Department and the State Department to get the United States to sell designs for nuclear power plants to the kingdom. The deal was worth upward of $80 billion, depending on how many plants Saudi Arabia decided to build.
But there is a hitch: Saudi Arabia insists on producing its own nuclear fuel, even though it could buy it more cheaply abroad, according to American and Saudi officials familiar with the negotiations. That raised concerns in Washington that the Saudis could divert their fuel into a covert weapons project — exactly what the United States and its allies feared Iran was doing before it reached the 2015 nuclear accord, which President Trump has since abandoned.
Prince Mohammed set off alarms when he declared earlier this year, in the midst of the negotiation, that if Iran, Saudi Arabia’s fiercest rival, “developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.” His negotiators stirred more worries by telling the Trump administration that Saudi Arabia would refuse to sign an agreement that would allow United Nations inspectors to look anywhere in the country for signs that the Saudis might be working on a bomb, American officials said.
Afghan War Casualty Report: Nov. 16-22
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. The toll here does not generally include claims of insurgents killed by the government, because of the difficulty of verifying such claims. Similarly, the reports do not include attacks on the government claimed by the Taliban. Both sides routinely inflate casualties of their opponents.
The greatly decreased death toll among security forces, 42, indicated that clashes between the insurgents and the government decreased in the past week, but a larger number of civilians, 73, lost their lives — particularly due to a massive bombing in the capital, the first major attack in more than a month. Most of the reported attacks were small in scale, also unlike previous weeks, with few casualties.
The heavy fighting in Jaghori and Malestan districts in Ghazni Province also quieted, with the situation apparently stalemated there. Most businesses and schools remained closed, and residents who fled have not returned. But the Taliban did not continue to push to overrun the districts, which are populated by the Hazara minority. Heavy government reinforcements were sent in but apparently did not yet go on the offensive.
Gen. Austin Scott Miller, the American commander, visited Ghazni city on Wednesday and a rocket was fired into the city while he was meeting the governor. Officials said it landed far from the meeting place
Bombing Inside Afghan Army Base Leaves Dozens Dead or Wounded
KHOST, Afghanistan — A bombing deep inside an army base in Afghanistan during Friday Prayer killed at least 10 soldiers, possibly more than 20, and wounded dozens of others, officials said, once again highlighting the vulnerability of the country’s security forces.
The explosion took place at a mosque inside the headquarters of the Afghan Army’s 1st Brigade, 203rd Corps, in the district of Mandozai in the southeastern province of Khost, said Capt. Abdullah Sargand, a spokesman for the brigade.
Captain Sargand said 10 soldiers had been killed and 22 wounded. But other officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media, said the death toll was higher than 20. News reports put the number of dead at 26
Chinese Presence in Pakistan Is Targeted in Strike on Consulate in Karachi
KARACHI, Pakistan — In the most significant strike against Chinese interests in Pakistan in years, three militants assaulted the Chinese Consulate in the southern port city of Karachi on Friday morning, killing two policemen at a checkpoint before being gunned down by the security forces. Two civilians were also killed.
On a day of violence that included a bombing that killed at least 30 people in northwestern Pakistan, the near-miss attack on the consulate in Karachi was a rare moment of upheaval for a tightening economic and strategic partnership between Pakistan and China.
A Twitter account associated with the Baluchistan Liberation Army, a separatist group in the sprawling and violent province of Baluchistan, said that three of its members had “embraced martyrdom” in an attack on the Chinese Consulate. And a spokesman for the group was quoted by Reuters as accusing China of “exploiting our resources.”
Pakistan has been a showcase for China’s huge international development program, the Belt and Road Initiative, in recent years. China is estimated to have spent some $62 billion on those projects in Pakistan, mostly to build a transportation corridor through Baluchistan to a new, Chinese-operated deepwater port in the Pakistani town of Gwadar.
India and Australia Move to Tighten Bonds to Counter China’s Rise
SYDNEY, Australia — India’s president, Ram Nath Kovind, on Friday began wrapping up his visit to Australia after several days of meetings as the two countries move to tighten their economic and political bonds at a time of worsening tensions between China and the United States.
The visit came four months after the quiet release of a 500-page report by Australia’s former top diplomat, Peter Varghese, on the need to enhance the country’s economic and security ties with India over the coming years.
Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, endorsed that report on Thursday, calling it “a road map for our economic future with India.” He and other officials said the Australian government had agreed to work on strengthening ties between the two countries’ education, resources, agribusiness and tourism sectors.
THE GUARDIAN
Nigerian Islamists kill scores of soldiers in military base attack
Islamic militants in Nigeria may have killed as many as 100 soldiers in an attack on a military base, according to media reports and security officials.The area is the centre of an insurgency waged by Boko Haram, which was founded nine years ago to bring strict Islamic law to swaths of Nigeria, and a second newer group linked to Islamic State.
The increase in violence in north-east Nigeria follows a power struggle among militant leaders.
In the first major rift, the Isis-linked group split from the one led by Boko Haram’s veteran leader, Abubakar Shekau, after arguments over his indiscriminate targeting of civilians in raids and suicide bombings.
Analysts believe this breakaway faction, known as the Islamic State in West Africa, has a new hardline leadership after a further internal struggle and is responsible for the recent kidnapping and killing of aid workers.
Assault on Chinese consulate in Karachi as violence flares across region
The assault, claimed by a militant group from the south-western province ofBalochistan, reflected the separatists’ attempt to strike at the heart of Pakistan’s close relationship with China, which has invested heavily in road and transportation projects in the country.
Thousands of Cuban doctors leave Brazil after Bolsonaro's win
The move came after Brazil’s far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonarothreatened to cut relations with Cuba and modify the conditions of a five-year-old agreement between the two countries and the World Health Organisation.
Sending doctors abroad also helps Cuba project soft power: Cuban doctors are currently working in 67 countries, and Cuban medical teams are often at the forefront of disaster relief efforts in the region (where they work free of charge.)
In Brazil, more than 18,000 doctors have taken part and 63 million people benefitted, according to the country’s health ministry.
DEUTSCHE WELLE
China consulate attack: Why Pakistan's Baloch separatists are against Beijing
The attack on a Chinese consulate in Karachi has raised concerns about the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Experts say it also highlights the opposition to China's economic projects in Baluchistan province.
Friday's militant attack on a Chinese consulate in Pakistan's southern Karachi city was claimed by separatists who seek Baluchistan's "independence" from Islamabad. They also vehemently oppose Chinese projects in the western province that borders Iran and Afghanistan.
The attack raises security concerns for Chinese officials and workers in Pakistan.
Populists attack UN Global Compact on Refugees
The UN migration pact continues to be at the center of political debate in Germany. A second UN agreement on refugees is also now under fire, with the far right saying it will facilitate an unregulated refugee influx.
There are currently around 68 million displaced people worldwide, according to the United Nations. Most of those are internally displaced, still in their own country but driven from their homes. But some 25 million have fled across borders and entered neighboring countries, or to countries further afield.
Can China rival the US Navy in the Pacific?
Beijing has been making big steps recently toward solidifying a sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific. Defending these interests will require a buildup of Chinese naval power that could heighten conflict with the US.
"The United States is an enduring Pacific power, this will not change. We could not leave it alone if we wanted to," said Davidson.
Earlier this year, however, the admiral said during his confirmation hearing that China is capable of dominating the South China Sea in "all scenarios short of war."
Beijing considers the majority of the South China Sea to be its sovereign territory, a claim that is disputed by international law. China's military have been turning what were once small rocks and reefs into heavily fortified remote military installations.
https://www.dw.com/en/can-china-rival-the-us-navy-in-the-pacific/a-46398276
La UE le tuerce el brazo a Polonia
Los nacionalistas polacos dan un paso atrás y retiran parte de la polémica reforma judicial que agitaba las aguas en Bruselas. Es un mensaje importante, también para otros Estados de la UE, dice Bernd Riegert.
El partido gobernante Ley y Justicia ha dado pie atrás con la controvertida ley que forzaba el retiro de jueces del Tribunal Supremo y del Tribunal Supremo Administrativo. La presidenta de la Corte Suprema podrá regresar a su cargo tras largos meses de protestas.
https://www.dw.com/es/la-ue-le-tuerce-el-brazo-a-polonia/a-46418781
XINHUA
Trump amenaza con cerrar toda la frontera con México por migrantes
WASHINGTON, 22 nov (Xinhua) -- El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, amenazó hoy con cerrar toda la frontera con México como parte de los esfuerzos de su administración para impedir el ingreso de migrantes centroamericanos.
Por otra parte, el presidente no descarta la posibilidad de un cierre parcial del gobierno a inicios del próximo mes por la negativa del Congreso a autorizar el financiamiento para su muro fronterizo, una promesa central de su campaña presidencial de 2016.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/23/c_137625241.htm
Rusia critica planes de EEUU para abandonar tratados de control de armas
MOSCU, 22 nov (Xinhua) -- Los planes de Estados Unidos para retirarse de acuerdos para el control de armas como el Tratado sobre Fuerzas Nucleares de Alcance Intermedio (Tratado INF) son cortos de miras y peligrosos, dijo hoy el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Rusia, Sergei Lavrov.
Rusia y Estados Unidos tienen el mayor potencial nuclear y por lo tanto tienen la responsabilidad especial de mantener la seguridad global, dijo Lavrov en una entrevista con la agencia noticiosa italiana AGI, de acuerdo con una transcripción del ministerio
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/23/c_137625260.htm
PCCh fortalecerá cooperación con partidos árabes
HANGZHOU, 22 nov (Xinhua) -- El segundo diálogo de partidos políticos entre China y los países árabes se llevó a cabo hoy jueves en Hangzhou, provincia de Zhejiang, este de China, y contó con la participación de unos 200 representantes, entre ellos líderes de los principales partidos políticos de 17 países árabes.
Song Tao, director del Departamento Internacional del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de China (PCCh), pronunció un discurso clave en la ceremonia de inauguración del evento.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/23/c_137625137.htm
Cinco muertos en ataque terrorista en área diplomática de Karachi
ISLAMABAD, 23 nov (Xinhua) -- Al menos cinco personas, entre ellas dos policías, murieron en la mañana de este viernes en un ataque terrorista en el área diplomática de la ciudad portuaria de Karachi, en el sur de Pakistán, informaron fuentes del hospital y de la policía.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/23/c_137626788.htm
AL JAZEERA
Gunmen attack Chinese consulate in Karachi
Two police officers and three attackers confirmed dead in attack claimed by separatist group Baloch Liberation Army.
Asad Hashim. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced the attack as a "conspiracy" against China-Pakistan strategic cooperation and has ordered an inquiry.
The raid was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an armed separatist group that has been fighting the Pakistani state for independence for Balochistan province for more than a decade.
Since 2014, it has particularly targeted Chinese citizens working on projects associated with CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corrido). In November 2018, after an attack on the Chinese consulate, the BLA said it rejected "Chinese military expansionist endeavours" in Baloch areas.
Deadly blast hits mosque inside Afghan army base
At least 26 dead and 50 others wounded following a blast that hit a base of the Afghan army, officials say.
The explosion targeted members of the 2nd regiment of the Afghan national army as they held their Friday prayers inside the base.
The Taliban denied involvement in that bombing, which also wounded 94 people.
Oil prices hit year low as OPEC considers output cut
Benchmark Brent crude oil fell to a low of $60.29, its lowest since November 2017.
But the anticipated cuts have done little so far to prop up the price. The value of a barrel of oil has dropped by around 20 percent so far in November, in a seven-week streak of losses.
Benchmark Brent crude oil fell $2.31 a barrel, or 3.7 percent, to a low of $60.29, its lowest since November 2017.
Global oil supply has surged this year. The International Energy Agency expects non-OPEC output alone to rise by 2.3 million bpd this year, up from its forecast six months ago of 1.8 million bpd.
Demand next year meanwhile is expected to grow at a rate of 1.3 million bpd, compared with a forecast of 1.5 million bpd six months ago.
RT
35 F-35s: Pentagon deploys swarm of fighter jets during massive airpower drill (PHOTO, VIDEO)
In a large-scale airpower drill, the Pentagon displayed thirty-five F-35 supersonic stealth fighter planes on a runway, before they jetted into the air with just seconds between takeoffs.
A video, released by the US Air Force, shows the aircraft from the 419th and 388th Fighter Wings lined up in several rows at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. All jets were later sent into the air in rapid succession, with just 20-40 seconds between each takeoff.
The drill was designed to demonstrate “the readiness and lethality” of the US Air Force in deploying swarms of jets against air and ground targets, the officials explained.
https://www.rt.com/usa/444707-f-35-massive-drill/
UK police release footage of Skripal case suspects Petrov & Boshirov walking about town
Police have released three new video clips showing Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who London believes are culpable in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter, arriving in Salisbury and walking the streets. Police have released new images of the fake Nina Ricci perfume bottle they claim contained the chemical, but had no insight on how it ended up in the street where Sturgess' partner Charlie Rowley picked it up.
London Metropolitan police have posted an update on the long-running investigation into the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury on March 4 and the subsequent death of Dawn Sturgess in nearby Amesbury, who, British police believe, was accidentally exposed to the same 'Novichok' nerve agent.Scotland Yard has also made public three CCTV clips, showing Boshirov and Petrov arriving at Salisbury train station on March 4, walking down a street "in the vicinity of the Skripals' home address," and walking over a bridge on their way back to the station.
https://www.rt.com/news/444684-salisbury-police-releases-video/
State Department arms secretary gives thanks to weapons industry in bizarre tweet
As American families come together to give thanks over dinner, State Department undersecretary Andrea Thompson thanked the most important heroes of them all: The US’ multibillion dollar defense companies and arms sellers.
“I am thankful for U.S. defense companies that manufacture the best equipment in the world, and who, through @StateDept’s Foreign Military Sales & Direct Commercial Sales, are critical partners in international security,” she tweeted on Thursday.
https://www.rt.com/usa/444679-us-military-industrial-thanksgiving/
Focus on precision: Putin urges ramping up of production of ‘smart’ missiles and artillery shells
Russia must ramp up production of high-precision missiles and artillery shells, President Vladimir Putin said. Smart munitions can do the job more effectively than their “dumb” counterparts – and even save on the costs.
Russian munitions plants make a wide variety of products which must satisfy the defensive needs of the country both in quantity and quality. High-precision munitions actually save the defense budget, as their usage allows to be done what earlier “could have been achieved only by expensive weapon systems,” Putin stated.
“We definitely need, not the notorious ‘slugs’, but ‘smart’ and highly precise munitions instead, which expand the capabilities of both existing and prospective weapon systems, and, I stress, can save funds considerably,” Putin said on Thursday, speaking at a meeting with industry representatives and top military officers.
https://www.rt.com/russia/444652-putin-russia-precision-weaponry/
Armed soldiers flying over Kremlin in net suspended from helicopter leave locals baffled (VIDEO)
Two helicopters spotted leaving the Kremlin and flying over Moscow city center have sparked bewilderment and speculation among locals, particularly as one of the choppers seemed to be carrying a very strange cargo.
The ominous-looking Mi-8 military helicopters were seen leaving the area of the Kremlin and flying across the city on Thursday. This area is normally a no-fly zone.
The Kremlin has not released an official statement on the mysterious flights. The Federal Protective Service (FSO), tasked with guarding the top officials, has also declined to comment on the incident. A source from the organization, however, told RT that the peculiar incident was actually a part of an exercise.
https://www.rt.com/russia/444670-helicopters-kremlin-mystery-moscow/
AL MAYADEEN
OIEA: Irán cumple con acuerdo nuclear
La declaración refiere que Irán aplica lo establecido en el Jcpoa (Plan Integral de Acción Conjunta) y exhorta a que lo siga cumpliendo, señaló. Mientras tanto, añadió, la OIEA mantiene verificaciones constantes sobre el no desvío de material nuclear declarado por Irán en virtud de su Acuerdo de Salvaguarda.
http://espanol.almayadeen.net/news/Ir%C3%A1n/278968/oiea--ir%C3%A1n-cumple-con-acuerdo-nuclear/
Huelga, un modo de defensa de la soberanía contra el Banco Mundial, afirma unión obrera de Túnez
El paro ocurrió en medio de las amenazas de los acreedores internacionales de cortar la financiación a la nación magrebí.
AMÉRICA LATINA
Trump aprueba uso de "fuerza letal" contra migrantes en la frontera
El presidente Donald Trump dijo que aprobó el uso de “fuerza letal” de sus militares contra migrantes en la frontera sur de este país y amenazó con cerrar toda la línea fronteriza si México no controlaba el flujo migratorio de centroamericanos. El comandante en jefe afirmó que las tropas que desplegó a la frontera con México para enfrentar la supuesta amenaza de las caravanas podrán abrir fuego contra inmigrantes. “Si necesitan hacerlo van emplear fuerza letal. He otorgado el OK -espero que no lo tengan que hacer” y autorizó el uso de fuerza letal contra migrantes por los miles de tropas que envío a la frontera con México.
España busca estrechar lazos con Cuba tras 32 años de distancia
Desde la visita oficial en 1986 de Felipe González a la Habana, un presidente del gobierno español no había ido a Cuba. Este jueves, tras 32 años de relaciones tensas, el presidente de España, Pedro Sánchez, llega a la isla para una visita oficial de dos días, marcada por la voluntad de reforzar los lazos diplomáticos y económicos con la isla y su actual mandatario, Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Luz verde para la gran apuesta de López Obrador en materia indígena
Ver a López Obrador, ahora presidente electo de México, con un collar de flores fue una imagen frecuente durante su campaña. Antes de su triunfo, prometió pagar la “deuda” que tiene la sociedad con los pueblos originarios. “Porque es mucha la pobreza en Chiapas, en Oaxaca y, sobre todo, en las comunidades indígenas”, declaró. Este jueves, el Congreso mexicano ha dado un primer paso en esa dirección.
La Cámara de Diputados, controlada por el Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (Morena), ha aprobado por 430 votos a favor y una abstención, la creación del Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas. Así se materializa una de las principales apuestas del futuro mandatario en la materia, aunque su agenda indígena permanece sembrada de interrogantes.
https://elpais.com/internacional/2018/11/23/actualidad/1542927798_628485.html
Un jefe narco salpica a Felipe Calderón
El ex secretario de Seguridad Pública mexicano durante el gobierno de Felipe Calderón, Genaro García Luna, recibió valijas con un total de seis a ocho millones de dólares en sobornos, dijo el ex subjefe del cartel de Sinaloa, Jesús “Rey” Zambada. En su cuarto día de testimonio en el marco del juicio al Chapo Guzmán, relató cómo sobornaba a altos funcionarios del gobierno mexicano.
Zambada ahora colabora con el gobierno estadounidense para intentar reducir su pena, pero durante dos décadas trabajó para el cartel de Sinaloa y manejaba sus operaciones en la capital mexicana. El Rey es, además, hermano de uno de los líderes históricos de esa organización: Ismael “Mayo” Zambada.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/157048-un-jefe-narco-salpica-a-felipe-calderon
