Síntesis informativa - 29 de noviembre 2018
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Brazil Backs Out of Hosting 2019 Climate Change Meeting
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil this week pulled out of hosting next year’s United Nations global summit meeting on climate change, the latest signal that Latin America’s largest nation no longer aspires to be an influential player in efforts to mitigate the effects of a warming planet.
The decision leaves the United Nations scrambling to find a new venue for the conference, which was scheduled to take place next November. It comes about a month before the inauguration of president-elect Jair Bolsonaro, who has vowed to empower commercial ventures in the Amazon and other Brazilian biomes while weakening enforcement of environmental laws.
Mr. Bolsonaro’s incoming foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, a career diplomat, has called the movement to reduce global warming a plot by “Marxists” to stifle the economic growth of capitalist democracies while lifting China.
North Korea Accuses Washington of Weaponizing Human Rights as Nuclear Talks Stall
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has lashed out at the United States for continuing to press it to improve its human rights record, even with animosities between the two countries having eased so much that President Trump said he and the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, were “in love.”
North Korean diplomats and the state news media have unleashed blistering attacks on Washington since the United Nations’ human rights committee adopted a resolution this month condemning North Korea’s “longstanding and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights.” The resolution, similar versions of which have been adopted each year since 2005, is certain to be approved by the 193-member United Nations General Assembly next month.
As it did following the past resolutions, Washington is calling a United Nations Security Council meeting early next month to discuss human rights in North Korea and inviting the United Nations’ top human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, to address the session.
Catalonia’s Ex-Leaders, Behind Bars, Remain Committed to the Separatist Cause
SANT JOAN DE VILATORRADA, Spain — Depending on whom you ask, Oriol Junqueras is either a rebel Catalan leader who sought Spain’s implosion or an elected politician who has unjustifiably spent the past year in prison, awaiting trial for organizing an independence referendumin defiance of the Spanish government and courts.
Whichever answer prevails is not just central to the fate of Mr. Junqueras and 17 other indicted former leaders of Catalonia. It will most likely also influence the broader political conflict over the status of the region, which has its own culture and language, and a history at times defined by a struggle against the central power in Madrid.
“What is important is to know what you want,” Mr. Junqueras, who was the deputy leader of Catalonia, said during a recent visit in prison. “With whom you want to live and with whom you don’t — not exactly when the marriage will take place.”
Falling Oil Prices May Make Trump Happy but They Pose Risks for U.S.
HOUSTON — Oil prices have plunged by 25 percent in the last month while the cost of gasoline has tumbled to as little as $2 a gallon in several states. President Trump is pushing for even lower prices, calling it “a big Tax Cut for America and the World.
But Mr. Trump is playing a tricky game. The United States became the world’s largest oil producer this year, and a collapse in prices could hurt scores of businesses and hundreds of thousands of workers in the energy and manufacturing industries. The damage would be particularly severe in states like Texas, Oklahoma and North Dakota that voted for the president.
Oil, which is trading at around $50 a barrel, is close to an economic sweet spot. Prices are not so high that they are a burdensome tax on consumers and businesses, and not so low as to bankrupt energy companies and strain the finances of major oil exporters like Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Iranians Accused in Cyberattacks, Including One That Hobbled Atlanta
Two Iranians were behind the ransomware attack that crippled Atlanta’s government for days this year, the Justice Department said in an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, detailing a sophisticated scheme of attacks on hospitals, government agencies and other organizations.
The men, Faramarz Shahi Savandi and Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri, chose targets with complex yet vulnerable systems — organizations that could afford to pay ransoms and needed to urgently restore their systems back online, prosecutors said.
In the case of Atlanta, one of the most sustained and consequential cyberattacks ever launched against a major American city, the pair broke into the city’s computer systems and held their data hostage for about $51,000 worth of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, prosecutors said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/28/us/politics/atlanta-cyberattack-iran.html
After a Hiatus, China Accelerates Cyberspying Efforts to Obtain U.S. Technology
WASHINGTON — Three years ago, President Barack Obama struck a deal with China that few thought was possible: President Xi Jinping agreed to end his nation’s yearslong practice of breaking into the computer systems of American companies, military contractors and government agencies to obtain designs, technology and corporate secrets, usually on behalf of China’s state-owned firms.
The pact was celebrated by the Obama administration as one of the first arms-control agreements for cyberspace — and for 18 months or so, the number of Chinese attacks plummeted. But the victory was fleeting.
Soon after President Trump took office, China’s cyberespionage picked up again and, according to intelligence officials and analysts, accelerated in the last year as trade conflicts and other tensions began to poison relations between the world’s two largest economies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/us/politics/china-trump-cyberespionage.html
THE GUARDIAN
Japan to get first aircraft carrier since second world war amid China concerns
The government will upgrade its two existing Izumo-class helicopter carriers so they can transport and launch fighter jets, according to media reports. The plans are expected to be included in new defence guidelines due to be released next month.
By refitting its two 248-metre-long Izumo-class vessels, which can each carry up to 14 helicopters, Japan would in effect be acquiring its first aircraft carriers since the end of the war – a move critics say violates its postwar constitutional commitment to a purely defensive role for the military.
Ukraine president calls for Nato warships in Sea of Azov
Petro Poroshenko’s comments to German media were part of a concerted push by Kiev for western support for more sanctions against Moscow, tangible western military help and to rally opposition to a Russian gas pipeline that threatens to deprive Ukraine of important transit revenue.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/29/russia-blocked-ukrainian-azov-sea-ports-minister
Briton among five G4S employees killed in Kabul attack
Five employees of the security firm G4S, one British and four Afghan, have been killed in a Taliban bomb and gun attack on the company’s compound in Kabul.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/29/briton-among-five-g4s-employees-killed-in-kabul-attack
Panama the new flashpoint in China's growing presence in Latin America
Negotiations for a free trade agreement between China and Panama are at an advanced stage; Panamanian officials say the country can benefit from its growing role as a regional logistics hub, build its exports to China and protect local farmers.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/28/panama-china-us-latin-america-canal
Berta Cáceres murder trial plagued by allegations of cover-ups set to end
The verdict against eight men accused over the murder of Honduran indigenous environmentalist Berta Cáceres will be handed down on Thursday after a controversial five-week trial plagued by allegations of negligence and cover-ups.
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Ucrania: “Tenemos que luchar por nuestra independencia”
El primer ministro, Volodymyr Groysman, aseguró que Rusia viola el derecho internacional y calificó lo ocurrido en el Mar de Azov como “agresión”.
Durante su visita a Berlín este jueves (29.11.2018), en el marco de un acto empresarial en el que también estuvo presente la canciller Angela Merkel, el primer ministro de Ucrania, Volodymyr Groysman (en la foto principal junto a Merkel), no dudó en calificar la captura de tres buques militares de la Armada ucraniana por parte de fuerzas rusas como una "agresión” y afirmó que su país debe "luchar” por su independencia.
https://www.dw.com/es/ucrania-tenemos-que-luchar-por-nuestra-independencia/a-46508544
XINHUA
Kremlin confirma reunión Putin-Trump el sábado en Argentina
MOSCU, 29 nov (Xinhua) -- El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, y su homólogo estadounidense, Donald Trump, se reunirán el próximo sábado en el marco de la cumbre del Grupo de los 20 (G20) en Buenos Aires, Argentina, confirmó hoy el portavoz del Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov.
Los dos presidentes tendrán una breve entrevista personal y luego se llevarán a cabo las negociaciones entre Rusia y EEUU con un mayor número de participantes, la cual se tiene previsto que pueda durar alrededor de una hora, indicó Peskov.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/29/c_137640089.htm
Detienen a 23 personas vinculadas a PKK en Estambul por planear ataques
ESTAMBUL, 27 nov (Xinhua) -- La policía de Turquía detuvo hoy a 23 sospechosos vinculados al proscrito Partido de los Trabajadores del Kurdistán (PKK) por sus presuntos planes para lanzar ataques en Estambul, informaron medios locales.
CNNTurk informó que los sospechoso planeaban llevar a cabo ataques con bombas Molotov y artefactos explosivos improvisados hoy, día del aniversario de fundación del PKK.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/28/c_137635406.htm
Irán añade 2 nuevos submarinos a flota naval
TEHERAN, 29 nov (Xinhua) -- La Armada de Irán añadió hoy dos nuevos submarinos clase Ghadir a su flota en las aguas meridionales, informó la agencia oficial de noticias IRNA.
Los submarinos son capaces de lanzar misiles desde aguas subsuperficiales hacia tierra, torpedos y minas, indicó la agencia.
Los submarinos de clase Ghadir están diseñados para crucero dentro de aguas poco profundas del Golfo con el fin de proteger las fronteras marítimas de Irán.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/29/c_137640282.htm
Rusia despliega otro batallón de defensa antiaérea S-400 en Crimea en medio de tensiones
MOSCU, 29 nov (Xinhua) -- Rusia desplegó hoy otro sistema de misiles de defensa antiaérea S-400 en el norte de Crimea en medio de las tensiones en el estrecho de Kerch, dijeron las autoridades.
El cuarto batallón del sistema S-400 más reciente asumió tareas de combate en el norte de Crimea, dijo el vocero de la Flota del Mar Negro rusa, Alexei Rulev.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/29/c_137640320.htm
Erdogan discutirá sobre estrecho de Kerch con Putin y Trump en Argentina
ESTAMBUL, 29 nov (Xinhua) -- El presidente turco, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dijo hoy que discutirá la tensión en el estrecho de Kerch con sus homólogos ruso y estadounidense durante la próxima reunión del Grupo de los 20 en Argentina.
El mandatario turco afirmó que revisó el tema con el presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, y el ucraniano, Petro Poroshenko, por teléfono el miércoles para ver "qué se puede hacer al respecto y si Turquía puede jugar como mediador".http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2018-11/29/c_137639828.htm
AL JAZEERA
Ukraine asks for NATO vessels in Sea of Azov over Russia standoff
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko hopes NATO will deploy warships to Sea of Azov as tension with Russia worsens.
Tamila Varshalomidze
However, it is unlikely that NATO, a military alliance that Ukraine is not a member of, would send naval vessels to the area "for the moment", according to Oleksiy Melnyk, co-director of Razumkov Centre, a think-tank for foreign relations and international security in Kiev.
"It would be perceived as a threat not only by the Russians but also by some of the NATO members," he told Al Jazeera, pointing to the fact that NATO presence in the Black Sea is already seen as a red flag by Moscow.
German police search Deutsche Bank in money-laundering case
Bank employees accused of helping customers to set up offshore firms and transfer proceeds from criminal activities.
The investigation was launched after evaluation of the explosive Panama Papers tax haven revelations and the previous Offshore Leaks report of offshore bank accounts, according to a government spokesman, Nadja Niesen.
US Navy sends two ships through Taiwan Strait, opposing China
It's the third time this year American vessels entered the strait in a move certain to stoke tensions with China.
The voyage on Wednesday will add to tensions with China, but is likely to be viewed in self-ruled Taiwan as a sign of support from US President Donald Trump's government amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.
The Pentagon says Washington has sold Taiwan weapons valued at more than $15bn since 2010.
Taiwan is only one of a growing number of flashpoints in the US-China relationship, which also include a trade war, US sanctions, and China's increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea.
RT
Not good news for the dollar? Russia and Turkey ditched US currency for S-400 missile system deal
Both facing pressure from Washington, Moscow and Ankara ditched the US dollar when finalizing their landmark S-400 air defense missile systems deal and will do so in the future, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said.
Speaking at a business forum in Moscow, the Russian president noted that the ‘dollar-less’ S-400s deal with Turkey is just one recent example of the approach the nations share. The same will apply to “other types of goods” as well, he stressed.
“We don’t have a goal of abandoning from the dollar, but we are forced to do so. And, I assure you, we will do it,” Putin said, adding that it will ultimately make global trade more secure and efficient.
https://www.rt.com/news/445142-russian-turkey-s400-dollar/
Best answer to anti-Semitism? Military power, says Israel’s acting defense chief Netanyahu
The strength of Israel’s army is the finest answer to global anti-Semitism, Benjamin Netanyahu said, in response to a poll that showed over a quarter of Europeans believe that Israeli leadership itself fuels anti-Jewish sentiment.
“The best answer to anti-Semitism is the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently serving as interim defense minister, told his troops on Tuesday. “Once we were a leaf driven by the wind; they could slaughter us. Today, we have the power to respond.”
Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the IDF has served as the backbone of Israeli sovereignty, not shy to go war, whenever there was “no other choice.” The fighting spirit of the IDF, Netanyahu believes, stretches all the way back to ancient times when the Maccabees, a group of Jewish warriors, took control of Judea from the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BC.
https://www.rt.com/news/445108-netanyahu-idf-anti-semitism-answer/
Truth is dangerous! Former Homeland Security official laments RT’s truth-telling
Sounding the alarm during a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, Suzanne Spaulding, former deputy secretary for cyber and infrastructure protection at DHS in the Obama administration, said that one of RT’s methods when it comes to its influencing vulnerable Americans is… telling the truth.
Adversaries like Russia, Spaulding said, are “using information operations, sometimes enabled by cyber, to weaken us” – but the reason it can be so effective, she said, is that the information doesn’t have to be a lie.The US has a head start on all of this openness and transparency, Spaulding claims, because “historically and traditionally” the US does not keep secrets from its citizens – a statement that might raise a few eyebrows at home.
https://www.rt.com/usa/445084-truth-is-dangerous-former-homeland/
2 US warships pass through Taiwan Strait ahead of crucial Trump-Xi meeting
Two US warships have sailed through the narrow Taiwan Strait, just days ahead of Donald Trump's meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Argentina to discuss strained trade relations. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, the American ships completed their “routine” passage late Wednesday night, after entering the Taiwan Strait from the northeastern direction early on Wednesday morning.
Guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and the replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-OA-197) passed through the disputed waterway on Wednesday to show Washington’s commitment to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific. “The US Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows,” Lieutenant Rachel McMarr, a spokeswoman for the US Pacific Fleet, said in a statement.
The Taiwan Strait incidents will likely exacerbate the increasingly high-stakes dispute over the South China Sea, where Beijing believes the US has been abusing its power. The Pacific Fleet's passage also comes just two days ahead of a crucial meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping, which many hope would help ease trade tensions between the US and China. The high-stakes meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Argentina is set to focus on a number of issues including alleged Chinese theft of intellectual property and tariff barriers.
https://www.rt.com/news/445115-taiwan-strait-us-navy/
US troops pay $560k in ransom to prisoners running child porn ‘sextortion’ scheme from behind bars
Hundreds of US military service members were targeted in a ‘sextortion’ scheme concocted by inmates at South Carolina prisons, which led them to believe they possessed child pornography, authorities said.
Aided by outside associates and using contraband cell phones, the inmates identified and targeted military service members through social media platforms and online dating sites. They used fake personas and began to develop online romantic relationships with the servicemen while pretending to be women, military officials said on Wednesday.
So far, 15 people have been indicted, five have been served arrest warrants, five have been served summonses and 15 inmates have been interviewed. Officials said that more than 250 other people were being investigated in relation to the scheme. The service members will not face any charges, because they believed they were communicating with adult women.
https://www.rt.com/usa/445104-ncis-sextortion-surprise-party/
Lasers & space weapons? How US might try to counter invincible Russian & Chinese hypersonic missiles
The testing of hypersonic weapons this year by Moscow and Beijing sent US military bigwigs into panic mode, as they found their missile defenses to be porous. RT looks at what –if anything– the US hopes can respond to those arms.
The American missile defense system, strategically placed all around the globe, has been the centerpiece of the “defensive” capabilities of Washington for years. The system relies on anti-aircraft missiles, supposed to shoot down incoming hostile projectiles. But the emergence of unconventional weaponry –namely the hypersonic missiles– has raised demand for new, equally unconventional defense systems.
Apart from hitting an incoming projectile with an intercepting one, the anti-missile research and development in the US revolved around two main ideas – using lasers and hitting hostile missiles with a kinetic device. The US military-industrial companies have been recycling the two concepts for years, fielding several prototypes that never entered full-scale production.
https://www.rt.com/news/445106-us-hypersonic-missile-defence/
AL MAYADEEN
Arabia Saudita desempeña papel clave en la seguridad de "Israel", según EE.UU.
Mike Pompeo, consideró que la monarquía saudita es una “fuerza efectiva para la estabilidad en el Medio Oriente”
Irán no busca la guerra, pero incrementa sus capacidades defensivas, advierte el ayatolá Khamenei
28 de noviembre. A su vez insistió en que “Irán no tiene ninguna intención de lanzar una guerra contra nadie, pero sí debemos incrementar nuestras capacidades de tal modo que los enemigos teman no solo atacar a Irán, sino incluso amenazarla”
