Síntesis informativa - 5 de marzo 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Mired in Crisis, Pakistan Vows to Move Against Militant Groups
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan said on Tuesday that it would take new steps to seize and freeze the assets of people and militant groups who are on the United Nations’ list of designated terrorists, after months of international criticism.
The announcement came as India and Pakistan were still on edge after a suicide bombing in Kashmir last month led to a military clash between the two. And last month, a financial watchdog group, the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, said Pakistan was still not taking enough concrete steps to curb financing and money laundering by terrorist groups.
Pakistan risks being blacklisted by the task force, which would open the door to international sanctions that would be devastating to the country’s already teetering economy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/world/asia/pakistan-terrorism-blacklist-sanctions.html
Philippine Official, Fearing War With China, Seeks Review of U.S. Treaty
MANILA — The Philippines’ top defense official said on Tuesday that the government should review a decades-old treaty with the United States, its longtime ally, to avoid provoking a potential armed conflict with China in the disputed South China Sea.
The security environment in the region has become “much more complex” since the countries’ Mutual Defense Treaty was drawn up 68 years ago, said the Philippine defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana.
“The Philippines is not in a conflict with anyone and will not be at war with anyone in the future,” Mr. Lorenzana said.
Since President Trump took office, the United States has been conducting more frequent military patrols in disputed waters of the South China Sea, in an effort to counter China’s conversion of contested islands into military bases.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/world/asia/philippines-defense-treaty-us.html
Russia Follows U.S. Out of Landmark Nuclear Weapons Treaty
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday formally suspended Russia’s observance of a key nuclear arms treaty that the United States withdrew from last month, setting the stage for the return of a long-banned class of weapons.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed in 1987 in the waning years of the Cold War, had prohibited land-based missiles with relatively short ranges of 300 to 3,400 miles. Because of their quick flight times, such missiles were seen as a hair trigger for nuclear war.
The United States has for years accused Russia of violating the treaty by understating the range of one of its truck-launched missiles. The Obama administration pressed the issue during the crisis over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and President Trump cited it when he announced the United States’ decision to withdraw.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/04/world/europe/russia-inf-treaty.html
Disputed N.S.A. Phone Program Is Shut Down, Aide Says
WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has quietly shut down a system that analyzes logs of Americans’ domestic calls and texts, according to a senior Republican congressional aide, halting a program that has touched off disputes about privacy and the rule of law since the Sept. 11 attacks.
The agency has not used the system in months, and the Trump administration might not ask Congress to renew its legal authority, which is set to expire at the end of the year, according to the aide, Luke Murry, the House minority leader’s national security adviser.
In a raw assertion of executive power, President George W. Bush’s administration started the program as part of its intense pursuit for Qaeda conspirators in the weeks after the 2001 terrorist attacks, and a court later secretly blessed it. The intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden disclosed the program’s existence in 2013, jolting the public and contributing to growing awareness of how both governments and private companies harvest and exploit personal data.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/04/us/politics/nsa-phone-records-program-shut-down.html
THE GUARDIAN
Senate set to reject Trump's national emergency declaration
The Democratic-controlled House has already voted to reject the national emergency declaration. A rejection in the Republican-controlled Senate would send a powerful signal that Trump’s control of his own party may be slipping.
If his national emergency declaration is rejected, Trump could veto that rejection. A presidential veto can be overruled by both houses of Congress, but only with two-thirds majorities, which is unlikely, meaning the declaration is likely to stand in the end.
China warns of 'tough struggle' as it cuts growth target to lowest since 1990
He set the country’s growth at 6.0 to 6.5%, down from a target of 6.5% last year. In 1990, growth sank to 3.9% because of international sanctions sparked by the Tiananmen square protests. Growth in 2018 was 6.6%, the slowest rate since 1990.
Li’s state-of-the-nation-style address comes as the ruling Chinese Communist Party faces a difficult year amid a slowing economy, a trade war with the US, and diplomatic tensions over Huawei, the Chinese tech giant. Domestically, China has been hit by public health scandals as well as protests by workers, students, and small pockets of activists.
Kashmir's fog of war: how conflicting accounts benefit both sides
Did India hit a militant training camp in Pakistan? Did it cross the ceasefire line between the two countries in disputed Kashmir? How many people did the strikes kill? Was a Pakistani jet shot down while bombing Indian territory the next day?
A week since the first Indian airstrikes on Pakistani territory in nearly five decades, the answers to these and other questions are enveloped in a fog of misinformation and shifting official accounts.
'Thousands' of young girls denied abortion after rape in Argentina
The lives of thousands of girls in Argentina are being put at risk as legal abortions are delayed and obstructed by doctors trying to force pregnancies to full term.
The issue of anti-choice doctors, medical institutions and government officials deliberately trying to hold up legally sanctioned terminations was brought into sharp focus last week when it emerged that an 11-year-old girl’s baby was born alive because health officials delayed her request for an abortion. The girl had fallen pregnant after being raped by her grandmother’s boyfriend.
According to the latest government figures, 2,493 live births in 2017 were to girls under 15. Many such pregnancies are the result of rape by family members. More than 91,500 births were to girls aged 15 to 19.
Official statistics estimate the number of clandestine abortions at 345,000 every year, despite the threat of a four-year jail term.
Could robots make us better humans?
Artificial intelligence, and the deployment of huge computing power by mathematicians working at their subject’s cutting edge. This is the starting point for Marcus du Sautoy new book, The Creativity Code, a lucid, endlessly interesting exploration of what AI may mean for maths, the arts and even our understanding of what it is to be human.
He also believes that machines are likely to become more and more human – outwardly at least. In the book, he says he sees “no fundamental reason why at some point in the future we can’t make a machine that is conscious”.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/05/could-robots-make-us-better-humans
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Tusk alerta sobre injerencia de "fuerzas externas antieuropeas" en las elecciones europeas de mayo
El presidente del Consejo Europeo se pronunció en respuesta al presidente francés Emmanuel Macron, quien defendió "la libertad de elegir a nuestros líderes cuando poderes extranjeros tratan de influir en nuestro voto".
El presidente del Consejo Europeo, Donald Tusk, afirmó este martes (05.03.2019) que la campaña y el referéndum del "brexit" fueron el objetivo de "fuerzas externas antieuropeas" que buscan "influir en las elecciones democráticas de los europeos", algo que puede volver a suceder en los comicios de mayo del Parlamento Europeo.
XINHUA
Estados Unidos terminaría el trato comercial preferencial para India y Turquía
WASHINGTON, 4 mar (Xinhua) -- Estados Unidos tiene la intención de sacar a India y Turquía de un programa en el cual un grupo de países en desarrollo recibe un trato comercial preferencial, anunció este lunes la oficina del Representante Comercial de EEUU (USTR, siglas en inglés).
Según una declaración emitida por la oficina del USTR, la salida de la India del programa del Sistema de Preferencias Generalizadas (SPG) "es consecuencia de su falla en proporcionar a Estados Unidos garantías de que brindará acceso equitativo y razonable a sus mercados en numerosos sectores".
Turquía es expulsada porque "está suficientemente desarrollada en término económico y ya no debería beneficiarse del acceso preferencial al mercado de Estados Unidos", señala el comunicado.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-03/05/c_137870778.htm
Presidentes iraquí y palestino discuten promoción de relaciones y apoyo a Palestina
BAGDAD, 4 mar (Xinhua) -- El presidente de Irak, Barham Salih, discutió hoy con su homólogo palestino, Mahmoud Abbas, las relaciones bilaterales, y expresó el apoyo iraquí a los derechos del pueblo palestino a alcanzar la paz y estabilidad en su territorio.
Un comunicado de la oficina de la presidencia informa que Salih recibió a Abbas y a la delegación que lo acompaña, y que ambas partes discutieron los medios de fortalecer la cooperación y coordinación en una forma que cumpla las aspiraciones de los dos pueblos hermanos.
"El presidente Salih subrayó la importancia de proteger a Jerusalén, así como a los lugares santos de cualquier violación, y confirmó la necesidad de realizar esfuerzos para hacer realidad los deseos del pueblo palestino hermano de paz y estabilidad, así como sus derechos legítimos plenos", dice el comunicado.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-03/04/c_137868685.htm
EEUU lanza investigación de seguridad nacional sobre importaciones de esponjas de titanio
WASHINGTON, 4 mar (Xinhua) -- El Departamento de Comercio de Estados Unidos lanzó este lunes una investigación de seguridad nacional sobre las importaciones de esponjas de titanio, agregando un elemento más a la lista de investigaciones bajo la Sección "232" de la ley comercial de EEUU.
El Secretario de Comercio estadounidense, Wilbur Ross, aceptó la petición de la Sección "232" presentada el 27 de septiembre de 2018 por el productor nacional Titanium Metals Corporation (TIMET), e inició una investigación sobre si la cantidad o las circunstancias de las importaciones de esponja de titanio a EEUU amenazan con deteriorar la seguridad nacional, dijo el departamento en un comunicado.
Ross envió una carta al secretario interino de Defensa, Patrick Shanahan, para informarle sobre el inicio de la investigación. El Pentágono respaldó la investigación, según el comunicado.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-03/05/c_137870576.htm
Putin firma decreto que suspende participación rusa en Tratado INF
MOSCU, 4 mar (Xinhua) -- El presidente de Rusia, Vladimir Putin, firmó un decreto que suspende el cumplimiento del país del Tratado de Fuerzas Nucleares de Alcance Intermedio (INF, por sus siglas en inglés) con efecto inmediato, dijo hoy el Kremlin.
Putin ordenó suspender la implementación del tratado "hasta que Estados Unidos elimine las violaciones a las obligaciones bajo el tratado o hasta su expiración", dice el texto del decreto, publicado en el sitio web del Kremlin.
El decreto da instrucciones al Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores ruso de que informe a Estados Unidos sobre la suspensión rusa del tratado.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-03/05/c_137868865.htm
AL JAZEERA
ISIL fighters 'surrender in large numbers' in final Syria enclave
About 3,000 people came out of Baghouz in eastern Syria through a humanitarian corridor, US-backed SDF rebels say.
The evacuations came as the US-backed forces slowed down their latest push on Baghouz, the last shred of ISIL-held territory, to allow civilians to leave the tiny enclave.
US to end preferential trade status for India, Turkey
Donald Trump set to open a new front in trade wars with a plan to end preferential trade treatment for India and Turkey.
Washington "intends to terminate India's and Turkey's designations as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme because they no longer comply with the statutory eligibility criteria," the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a statement on Monday.
India has failed to provide assurances that it would allow required market access, while Turkey is "sufficiently economically developed" that it no longer qualifies, the statement said.
India exports $5.6bn worth of goods to the US duty-free, making the South Asian nation the world's largest beneficiary of the GSP programme.
The move against India and Turkey comes as the US and China seek to negotiate an exit from a costly trade war that is part of the Trump administration's efforts to address what it views as inequitable commercial relationships with other states.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/preferential-trade-status-india-turkey-190305052615053.html
Hillary Clinton rules out 2020 US presidential run
Democrat was unsuccessful in 2016 election, says she will remain politically active but will not run next year.
A number of senior US politicians have announced they will be running for the Democratic Party ticket, including senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, as well as progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost out to Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries.
Primary elections are currently scheduled to start in February 2020 and will conclude in the summer the same year.
RUSSIA TODAY
Pakistan's Navy claims it prevented Indian submarine from entering its waters (VIDEO)
The Pakistani Navy has prevented an Indian submarine from sneaking into its waters, a spokesman has reported. The ship was detected and forced to retreat, he said.
The Navy released purported footage of the intercepted submarine, shown moving with its periscopes over the water surface.
https://www.rt.com/news/453038-pakistan-navy-submarine-india/
Canada’s Trudeau heckled as he voices ‘disappointment’ over loss of minister amid corruption scandal
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed disappointment with the decision of a second member of his cabinet to resign over allegations that the Canadian leader interfered with a bribing investigation.
Jane Philpott stepped down as the president of Canada’s Treasury Board on Monday, further escalating the corruption scandal plaguing the prime minister. She said keeping her position would require her to publicly defend the government and its policies, which she could no longer do. Philpott resigned shortly afterwards.
https://www.rt.com/news/453068-canada-corruption-crisis-escalates/
Congress silent as Trump extends national emergency – because it’s to sanction Russia
US President Donald Trump has informed Congress that he will extend the 2014 national emergency over Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, even as lawmakers look set to oppose his emergency declaration to protect the US border.
On Monday, Trump extended by one year the emergency declared by his predecessor Barack Obama in March 2014 with Executive Order 13660. It was set to expire on March 6. In the letter sent to Congress, Trump cited threats to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity and “actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation, including its purported annexation of Crimea and its use of force in Ukraine” as continuing to present “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security and foreign policy.
https://www.rt.com/usa/453016-trump-emergency-ukraine-russia-sanctions/
Pentagon threatens Turkey with ‘grave consequences’ for buying Russian S-400
The US has threatened Turkey with “grave consequences” unless it cancels the purchase of S-400 systems from Russia, with a Pentagon spokesman advising Ankara to seek “better solutions” and warning of “broader implications.”
“Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system will have grave consequences for the US defense relationship with Turkey,” Pentagon spokesperson Eric Pahon told Ahval news on Monday.
The US ally’s plan to buy the S-400 has been a major concern for the entire NATO alliance, with Washington claiming that its deployment alongside US-made weaponry, such as the F-35 stealth jets, undermines the alliance’s ‘interoperability’ and could reveal ‘secrets’ to Russians. Amid persistent pressure and threats of sanctions, the Trump administration last month temporarily halted the transfer of 100 F-35 jets to Turkey.
https://www.rt.com/news/453033-s400-turkey-grave-consequences/
AL MAYADEEN
Fracasó el 23 de febrero, pero Juan Guaidó vuelve a Venezuela en un nuevo escalón del plan golpista
Enérgico rechazo de Cuba a autorización de demandas por EE.UU.
El canciller de Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, rechazó este lunes de manera enérgica la decisión del gobierno estadounidense de autorizar demandas contra la isla, aunque Washington prorrogó por otros 30 días la aplicación total del Título III de la Ley Helms-Burton.
