Síntesis informativa - 18 de enero 2017
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Afghan Presidential Race Takes Shape as Ghani’s Challengers Emerge
Afghanistan’s presidential race is in full swing, with several former officials lining up to challenge President Ashraf Ghani in a vote to be held in July, amid a raging war and fears that yet another fraud-marred election could further destabilize the country.
On Friday, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, a powerful former national security adviser who parted ways with the government in August, became the most serious challenger to formally join the race so far. He vowed to “save the country” from what he has described as Mr. Ghani’s mismanagement.
Colombia Bombing Strikes Bogotá Police Academy, Killing at Least 21
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — A car bomb exploded in front of a Bogotá police academy Thursday morning, killing at least 21 people, wounding 68 and spreading fear about a revival of Colombia’s violent past.
Images from the academy in the southern part of the Colombian capital showed the remains of a large explosion that had blackened the streets, left buildings pockmarked with shrapnel and even blew the leaves off nearby trees and the tiles off rooftops.
11 Arrests Reported in Deadly Nairobi Assault
NAIROBI, Kenya — The police intensified their search on Thursday for the plotters of the deadly assault on a Nairobi hotel-shopping complex, as Kenyan news services said at least 11 people had been arrested, including a suspected financier.
The assault, which began Tuesday afternoon and lasted more than 18 hours, killed at least 21 people, including a police officer. Fifteen of the victims were Kenyan, one was American, one was British and the others were of undetermined African nationality, the authorities said
Afghan War Casualty Report: Jan. 11-17
The following report compiles all significant security incidents confirmed by New York Times reporters throughout Afghanistan from the past seven days. It is necessarily incomplete as many local officials refuse to confirm casualty information. The report includes government claims of insurgent casualty figures, but in most cases these cannot be independently verified by The Times. Similarly, the reports do not include Taliban claims for their attacks on the government unless they can be verified. Both sides routinely inflate casualty totals for their opponents.
THE GUARDIAN
North Korean envoy may meet Trump to discuss second summit
North Korea’s lead negotiator in nuclear diplomacy with the US is expected to hold talks with the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and could also meet President Donald Trump on Friday during a visit aimed at clearing the way for a second US-North Korea summit.
Kim Yong-chol arrived in Washington on Thursday evening. It is his first visit since last June when he arrived before a landmark meeting between Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in Singapore. Efforts made since then to get Pyongyang to denuclearise appear to have stalled.
Rudy Giuliani: 'I never said there was no collusion' by Trump campaign
“I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign,” Giuliani said on CNN on Wednesday night.“There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspiring with the Russians to hack the DNC,” he said, referring to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and leaking the emails of senior Democrats during the 2016 presidential election campaign.
On Tuesday, Trump had been obliged to state that he “never worked for Russia” following two reports that he may have been used as an asset by Moscow.
Car bomb kills at least 20 at police academy in Bogotá
Investigators had identified the car’s driver as José Aldemar Rojas Rodríguez, who was among the dead, said the Colombian attorney general, Nestor Humberto Martínez.
Authorities have yet to suggest who was behind the attack, but attention has focused on leftist rebels from the National Liberation Army, ELN, which has been stepping up attacks on police targets in Colombia amid a standoff with the conservative Duque over how to restart stalled peace talks.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/17/car-bomb-explodes-at-police-academy-in-bogota
‘Example to the world': Sri Lanka president plans to copy Duterte's war on drugs
In a speech during a visit to the Philippines this week, Maithripala Sirisena said he intended to replicate Duterte’s ruthless approach to tackling illegal drug use. “The war against crime and drugs carried out by you is an example to the whole world, and personally to me,” said Sirisena. “Drug menace is rampant in my country and I feel that we should follow your footsteps to control this hazard.”
Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, which has seen police handed unprecedented powers to carry out drug-related raids and arrests, has officially killed more than 5,000 people since 2016, though campaigners allege the real death toll could be up to 20,000. Those who have died have mainly been the urban poor. The international criminal court (ICC) is carrying out a preliminary investigation into whether the extrajudicial killings constitute crimes against humanity.
AL JAZEERA
Congress to probe report that Trump directed Michael Cohen to lie
Buzzfeed reports Trump personally directed he ex-lawyer to lie to Congress about possible Moscow real estate project.
Cohen was recently sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to tax crimes, bank fraud and campaign violations. He is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee February 7.
Lebanon summit reveals Arab divisions over Syria, Iran
Several heads of state have pulled out of an Arab economic summit in Beirut this weekend.
Zeina Khodr
Iran's allies saw the talks as an opportunity to bring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad back into the Arab fold, eyeing an Arab League foreign minister-level meeting before the summit as a chance to hold a vote on Syria's reinstatement to the regional body.
The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in 2011 and imposed economic sanctions over its violent crackdown on anti-government protesters before the country descended into civil war. Some countries withdrew their ambassadors.
However, if the Arab League were to normalise ties with Damascus, it would likely create a new regional order that would not serve Iranian interests. While Gulf Arab financial support could provide a huge boost to Syria's economy, the leaders of those countries would also likely seek more influence in the country.
N Korea envoy 'arrives in US' to hold talks on Kim-Trump summit
Arrival of top official comes as new US defence policy singles out North Korea as ongoing and 'extraordinary threat'.
Neither the United States nor North Korea has announced any meetings, but Kim is expected to hold talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a hotel in the US capital on Friday.
The talks had stalled over North Korea's refusal to provide a detailed accounting of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be used by inspectors to verify any deal to dismantle them. The North has been demanding that the US lift harsh sanctions and provide it with security guarantees before it takes any steps beyond its initial suspension of nuclear and missile tests.
Tesla cuts thousands of jobs to face 'very difficult' road ahead
Elon Musk says layoffs and an increase in Model 3 sedan production are the only way to make the firm more competitive.
Tesla Inc has announced cutting its full-time workforce by about seven percent and retaining only the most critical temporary workers and contractors.
Tesla's shares tumbled earlier this month after it cut vehicle prices by $2,000 and announced fourth-quarter sales figures that fell short of Wall Street estimates.
AL MAYADEEN
Detalles sobre el asesinato de Khashoggi revelados en nuevo libro de reporteros turcos
Los reporteros identifican a uno de los funcionarios en las cintas como Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, un oficial de seguridad y compañero frecuente del príncipe heredero de la Arabia Saudita, Mohammed bin Salman. Segúnel libro (Atrocidad diplomática: los secretos oscuros del asesinato de Jamal Khashoggi), el Sr. Mutreb da órdenes y dirige la conversación con el Sr. Khashoggi.
Dicen que fue el Sr. Mutreb quien presentó el plan a Salah al-Tubaigy, un alto funcionario forense del gobierno saudita, y le dijo que intentarían llevar al Sr. Khashoggi de vuelta a Arabia Saudita. Si el Sr. Khashoggi se resiste "lo mataremos aquí y nos desharemos del cuerpo", dijo el Sr. Mutreb al Sr. Tubaigy, según el libro.
Yahoo News: Pentágono entrena a fuerzas de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos para la guerra en Yemen
Cuando el Pentágono anunció en noviembre pasado que estaba suspendiendo el reabastecimiento de combustible aéreo de los aviones de la coalición liderados por Arabia Saudita que operaban en Yemen, la medida parecía ser un paso importante hacia atrás del apoyo de los Estados Unidos a la guerra allí. Pero los documentos recién obtenidos revelan que Estados Unidos también ha estado entrenando a militares de la coalición de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos para la guerra aérea en Yemen.
Según un reporte difundido en Yahoo News y escrito por Nick Turse, avezado en temas de seguridad nacional y la política exterior, los documentos subrayan las continuas frustraciones de los críticos de la guerra, incluidos los del Congreso, por la falta de transparencia en el apoyo militar de los Estados Unidos a una guerra que ha matado a miles de civiles y ha llevado a Yemen al borde del hambre.
Duelo nacional en Colombia en honor a víctimas de atentado terrorista en Bogotá
El presidente de Colombia, Iván Duque, decretó tres días de duelo nacional en homenaje a las víctimas de lo de caificó de "miserable" atentado perpetrado este jueves en la Escuela General Santander (de cadetes) en el sur de Bogotá, que dejó al menos 11 muertos y 87 heridos.
