Síntesis informativa - 22 de abril 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Sri Lanka Bombings Live Updates: Terrorist Group Is Identified, and Death Toll Rises
The Sri Lankan police have arrested 24 people in connection with a series of devastating suicide bombings at hotels and churches on Easter Sunday that left nearly 300 people dead and more than 500 injured.
The government on Monday blamed National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a little-known radical Islamist organization, for the bombings. An official said the group, which had not carried out any serious attacks before, had help from “an international network.”
Sri Lanka’s security forces were warned at least 10 days before the bombings that the group planned suicide attacks against churches, but apparently took no action against it, indicating a catastrophic intelligence failure. Top government officials say the warning never reached them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/22/world/asia/sri-lanka-bombing-explosion.html
Ecuador Detains a Friend of Assange. Critics Say It’s Guilt by Association.
QUITO, Ecuador — Just hours after the British police dragged the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange out of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, the police in Ecuador made an arrest they suggested was related and involved the nation’s security.
But in the days since, the arrest has drawn a wave of protest from human rights activists and digital security advocates who say there is no evidence yet of a crime — only that of guilt by association.
The man arrested, Ola Bini, a Swedish cybersecurity expert and digital privacy advocate, was detained April 11 on charges that he had attacked computer systems in the country.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/world/americas/ecuador-ola-bini-assange.html
F.B.I. Arrests Leader of Right-Wing Militia That Detained Migrants in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE — The F.B.I. on Saturday arrested the leader of a right-wing militia that was detaining migrant families at gunpoint near the border in southern New Mexico, as the group faced a torrent of criticism for its tactics.
Hector Balderas, New Mexico’s attorney general, said federal agents had arrested the leader, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, who had been operating under the alias Johnny Horton Jr. Mr. Balderas said in a statement that Mr. Hopkins was arrested on charges of firearms possession by a felon.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/20/us/militia-arrest-border-new-mexico.html
U.S. to Clamp Down on Iranian Oil Sales, Risking Rise in Gasoline Prices
NEW ORLEANS — The Trump administration is poised to end a program that has allowed five large nations, including China and India, to buy Iranian oil despite American sanctions, two senior American officials said on Sunday, a decision that is intended to squeeze Tehran’s government but could lead to higher oil and gasoline prices.
The move to choke off all exports of Iranian oil is part of an increasingly aggressive pressure campaign by the Trump administration to starve Iran of revenue with the goals of forcing political change among its ruling clerics and getting it to rein in its military actions across the Middle East.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/us/politics/us-iran-oil-sanctions.html
Ukraine Election: Volodymyr Zelensky, TV Comedian, Trounces President
KIEV, Ukraine — The comedian Volodymyr Zelensky won a landslide victory in Ukraine’s presidential election, according to official results with nearly all of the votes counted, making a comic actor with no experience in government or the military the commander in chief of a country that has been at war with Russian proxies for over five years.
With more than 95 percent of ballots cast on Sunday counted, Mr. Zelensky had won 73.17 percent of the vote, compared with just 24.5 percent for Petro O. Poroshenko, Ukraine’s incumbent president. Mr. Zelensky triumphed in every region, except for the area around the city of Lviv, a center of Ukrainian culture and nationalism in the west of the country.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/world/europe/ukraine-elections-zelenskiy.html
THE GUARDIAN
Sri Lanka authorities were warned of attacks two weeks ago, says minister
Sri Lankan authorities were warned two weeks before the Easter Sunday attacks, and had the names of suspects, a cabinet spokesman has said, as the death toll from the string of bombings rose to 290, with about 500 injured.
“Fourteen days before these incidents occurred, we had been informed about these incidents,” Rajitha Senaratne told a press conference in the capital, Colombo, on Monday.
Senaratne said the intelligence memo warning about the attacks had named the radical islamist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath as the perpetrators. National Thowheeth Jama’ath is a newly formed radical islamist group in Sri Lankawho are strong proponents of the global jihadist movement.
Comedian wins landslide victory in Ukrainian presidential election
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, an actor and comedian with no political experience other than playing the role of president in a TV series, has won a landslide victory in Ukraine’s presidential election, with near-complete counting showing he has won over 70% of the vote.
Zelenskiy will take charge of a country facing numerous challenges, including a struggling economy and an ongoing war against Russia-backed separatist forces in the east that has claimed more than 13,000 lives.
He is best known for his role in the long-running Ukrainian television series Servant of the People, where he played a teacher unexpectedly elected to the presidency after an angry rant about corruption is posted online by his students.
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Rusia ve "oportunidad" para mejores relaciones con el nuevo líder de Ucrania
El presidente electo ucraniano, Volodimir Zelenski, quiere "reactivar" el proceso de paz en el que está implicada Rusia sobre la guerra en el este separatista prorruso.
El primer ministro ruso Dmitri Medvédev dijo el lunes (22.04.2019) que Rusia tenía "una oportunidad" de mejorar sus relaciones con Ucrania tras la elección del nuevo presidente Volodimir Zelenski, agregando sin embargo que no se hacía muchas "ilusiones".
"Hay una oportunidad de mejorar la cooperación con nuestro país", escribió en su página de Facebook Medvédev, el primer dirigente ruso que reacciona al triunfo electoral de Zelenski, un comediante sin experiencia política, en la segunda vuelta de las elecciones ucranianas celebrada el domingo.
Agregó, sin embargo, que "no se hace ilusiones" sobre Zelenski, alegando que "nadie duda que el nuevo jefe de Estado utilizará la misma retórica hacia Rusia que la que utilizó durante su campaña".
Nuevas sanciones estadounidenses contra Cuba: “Esto también lo sobreviviremos”
Las nuevas sanciones de EE. UU. podrían afectar a empresas de la UE, algo que no ha agradado a los aliados europeos de Trump. Andreas Knobloch informa desde La Habana.
Bolton anunció que el gobierno del presidente Donald Trump restringirá los viajes y las transferencias de dinero hacia Cuba. Se deshace la política de distensión hacia Cuba del anterior mandatario estadounidense, Barack Obama. En el futuro únicamente se permitirán los viajes por motivos familiares. Esto podría tener repercusiones para el turismo de cruceros, así como para las conexiones aéreas entre ambos países. Las transferencias de dinero se limitarán a mil dólares por persona cada trimestre. Así se pretende, según Bolton, ejercer presión sobre el Ejecutivo en La Habana para que renuncie a su apoyo al régimen de Nicolás Maduro en Venezuela. "Para decirlo claramente: la política sobre Cuba del Gobierno de Barack Obama ha permitido inequívocamente la colonización cubana de Venezuela”, dijo Bolton.
German defense chief urges nuclear arms treaty with Russia
General Eberhard Zorn says he's disturbed by the American and Russian withdrawal from the INF nuclear missile treaty. He warned that Moscow remains "a big threat" to peace in Europe.
The inspector-general of Germany's Bundeswehr, General Eberhard Zorn, has called for a new arms treaty to replace the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) which both Washington and Moscow have suspended.
In an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland group of publications on Saturday, Zorn said the ending of the INF accord was the most troubling security policy change.
https://www.dw.com/en/german-defense-chief-urges-nuclear-arms-treaty-with-russia/a-48414638
XINHUA
Fragatas extranjeras llegan a Qingdao para desfile naval del aniversario de Armada china
QINGDAO, 22 abr (Xinhua) -- La Armada del Ejército Popular de Liberación (EPL) de China demostrará su firme determinación de salvaguardar la paz mundial en la celebración de su 70º aniversario con eventos navales multinacionales, destacó un experto militar chino.
Yin Zhuo, jefe de la comisión de tecnología informática de la Armada del EPL, hizo estas declaraciones con motivo de una celebración de cuatro días de duración, que comenzó hoy lunes en la ciudad portuaria de Qingdao, en el este de China.
Delegaciones navales de más de 60 países y cerca de 20 embarcaciones de más de 10 países se unirán a los eventos, que incluyen un gran desfile naval, seminarios de alto nivel e intercambios culturales y deportivos.http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-04/22/c_137998721.htm
Pompeo habla por teléfono con presidente afgano sobre conversaciones de paz
WASHINGTON, 21 abr (Xinhua) -- El secretario de Estado de EEUU, Mike Pompeo, habló hoy por teléfono con el presidente afgano, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, sobre las conversaciones de paz atascadas entre los líderes afganos y los talibanes, informó hoy el Departamento de Estado estadounidense.
Pompeo manifestó la decepción de Estados Unidos por el aplazamiento del diálogo intra-afgano, dijo la portavoz, Morgan Ortagus, en un comunicado.
El jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense pidió que se convoque "cuanto antes" a un diálogo inclusivo intra-afgano en la capital qatarí de Doha, agregó.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-04/22/c_137998086.htm
Asciende a 290 el número de muertos por explosiones en Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, 22 de abril (Xinhua) -- El número de muertos por las múltiples explosiones ocurridas este domingo en Sri Lanka aumentó a 290, mientras que más de 500 personas fueron reportadas como heridas, informó hoy la policía.
Reportes anteriores habían calculado que el número de víctimas era de 228, con 450 heridos en los nueve ataques ocurridos en tres iglesias y cuatro hoteles en todo el país el domingo.
La Autoridad de Desarrollo Turístico de Sri Lanka dijo en una declaración el domingo por la noche que 32 extranjeros estaban entre los muertos.
El portavoz de la policía, Ruwan Gunasekara, señaló que 24 sospechosos han sido arrestados hasta el momento y que se estaban realizando investigaciones para atrapar a más sospechosos.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-04/22/c_137998102.htm
Zelensky se perfila como ganador de elección presidencial de Ucrania, según encuesta
KIEV, 21 abr (Xinhua) -- Una encuesta de salida mostró hoy que el actor ucraniano Volodymyr Zelensky se perfila para ganar la elección presidencial del país al obtener 73,2 por ciento de los votos en la segunda vuelta hasta las 18:00 hora local (15:00 GMT), informó la agencia de noticias gubernamental Ukrinform.
Un total de 25,3 por ciento de los ucranianos votó por el presidente titular, Petro Poroshenko, mientras que 1,5 por ciento de los electores cancelaron su boleta, de acuerdo con la encuesta de salida.
La encuesta de salida fue realizada por la Fundación de Iniciativas Democráticas Ilko Kucheriv entre 1.300 votantes. Su margen de error es de más menos 1,3 por ciento.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-04/22/c_137996473.htm
AL JAZEERA
Sri Lanka minister says local group linked to deadly attacks
Rajitha Senaratne blames President Sirisena's government for failing to act on intelligence reports.
Senaratne's criticism of President Sirisena, who heads the security forces, comes a day after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe acknowledged that "information was there" about possible attacks.
Record number of people murdered in Mexico this year
Official figures reveal almost 10 percent increase in violence in first quarter of this year compared with 2018.
Violence in Mexico has hit new heights in the first quarter of 2019, with 8,493 murders recorded from January to March, according to official figures.
The Executive Secretariat of the Public Security National System revealed that the number represents a 9.6 percent rise on the same period in 2018.
Last year was considered the most violent in Mexico's history, with more than 33,500 murders - the highest number since records began in 1997.
US will not reissue waivers for Iran oil imports
In effort to increase economic pressure on Iran, US announces it's ending waivers for countries importing Iran oil.
The Trump administration on Monday told five countries - Japan, South Korea, Turkey, China and India - that they will no longer be exempt from US sanctions if they continue to import oil from Iran after their waivers end on May 2.
The White House said on Monday that the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates "have agreed to take timely action to assure that global demand is met as all Iranian oil is removed from the market".
Peter Kiernan, an energy analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said "a severe loss in (Iranian) volumes will put pressure on the supply side, given the political uncertainty currently blighting other oil exporters, such as Venezuela and Libya."
Sudan protesters to Saudi Arabia, UAE: 'Please keep your money'
Wary that the Gulf countries may be vying for influence, protesters reject aid offers made by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Hamza Mohamed.- "They are lobbying and using money to try and control Sudan. We have enough resources to look after ourselves and our interests," Adil Gasem Alseed, a trader, told Al Jazeera on Monday.
The military removed al-Bashir earlier this month after months of anti-government protests during which dozens of people were killed.
The two Gulf countries, in a joint statement, said $500m would be deposited in Sudan's central bank to "ease the pressure on the Sudanese pound and achieve more stability in the exchange rate".
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/sudan-protesters-saudi-arabia-uae-money-190422090322276.html
Pakistan and Iran to form rapid reaction force along border area
Asad Hashim.- Pakistan and Iran will establish a joint border security force to respond to an uptick in violence along the countries' shared border, the Iranian president has announced, as Pakistan's prime minister concludes a two-day visit to the Iranian capital.
Both countries also agreed to establish a barter committee to aid in a planned increase in trade between them, bypassing United States sanctions that punish direct financial transactions with most Iranian entities.
AL MAYADEEN
Pilotos emiratíes e israelíes participan juntos en el simulacro Iniohos 2019
Conjuntamente, pilotos de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos e "Israel" participaron en el simulacro Iniohos 2019, que comenzó el lunes en la base de Andravida en el Peloponeso y finalizará el 12 de abril, en presencia de varios países como Estados Unidos, Italia y Chipre.
Asociación de Profesionales Sudaneses rechaza al Consejo Militar de Transición
En una conferencia de prensa, el portavoz de las Fuerzas de la Libertad y el Cambio en Jartum, Mohamed Amin Abdel Aziz, confirmó la persistencia de las protestas y la escalada de los movimientos contra el Consejo Militar de Transición.
