Síntesis informativa - 25 de abril 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Kim Jong-un Meets Putin in Russia With U.S. Talks Faltering
MOSCOW — Two months after a failed summit meeting with President Trump, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, met on Thursday with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, as Mr. Kim tries to rally international support for an approach to sanctions relief and gradual nuclear disarmament that the Trump administration opposes.
North Korea wanted security guarantees from nations other than the United States before it abandons its nuclear arsenal, along with assurances that “its sovereignty will be preserved,” Mr. Putin said after the meeting.
Mr. Kim’s visit to the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, Russia, was his first trip abroad since February, when he and Mr. Trump met with much fanfare in Vietnam, only to see negotiations end abruptly, amid mutual recriminations, without any progress toward an agreement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/asia/putin-kim-russia-summit.html
Iran’s Foreign Minister Proposes Prisoner Exchange With U.S.
Iran’s foreign minister offered publicly on Wednesday to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the United States, saying he had been authorized to conduct such talks.
It appeared to be the first time that the foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, had made such a proposal openly, in what seemed like a diplomatic overture in a worsening relationship with the United States under the Trump administration.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/middleeast/iran-zarif-prisoner-exchange.html
Sri Lanka Is Rattled by New Threats as Officials Argue Over Responsibility
Police officials in Sri Lanka warned on Thursday of possible new attacks on religious services, as Muslim leaders urged the cancellation of Friday Prayer and the country’s highest Roman Catholic prelate suspended worship services through the weekend.
Officials said privately that the authorities were trying to find at least one person believed to be armed with explosives. The police said the number of people arrested in the investigation had passed 70.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/world/asia/sri-lanka-bombings-threats.html
A Kremlin Offer of Expedited Citizenship Challenges Ukraine
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia signed a decree on Wednesday simplifying the citizenship process for people in separatist-held regions of Ukraine, issuing a challenge to Ukraine’s president-elect that threatens to intensify the five-year war in the country’s east.
The decree, published on the Kremlin’s website, said that some residents in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, eastern parts of Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed rebels, could have their applications for Russian citizenship considered for acceptance within three months.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/europe/russia-ukraine-citizenship.html
Scottish Leader Calls for Independence Referendum if Britain Leaves the E.U.
Scotland should hold a new referendum on independence from the United Kingdom by 2021 if Britain leaves the European Union, the Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said Wednesday, even as she acknowledged that she lacked the power to make that happen on her own.
Scots voted against independence about 54 percent to 46 percent in a 2014 referendum billed as a once-in-a-generation poll.
Ms. Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister and the leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, has argued that Brexit changes the situation because Scotland should not be dragged out of the 28-member European Union against its will.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/europe/scotland-independence-referendum-brexit.html
THE GUARDIAN
Putin offers to help break nuclear deadlock at Kim Jong-un summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would require “security guarantees” in order to abandon his nuclear program, following the first ever summit between the two leaders.
Putin and Kim promised to forge stronger ties during a two-hour meeting in the Russian city of Vladivostok, where the Russian president also offered to help break the deadlock over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
Trump repeats unproven claims of GCHQ spying
Donald Trump has repeated unproven and unverified accusations that British intelligence agencies spied on his election campaign, just a day after the UK confirmed he had been invited to London on a state visit to meet the Queen.
Trump was apparently tweeting in response to an item on the conservative cable cable channel One America News Network, repeating an unproven conspiracy theory that originally dates back to 2017.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/24/donald-trump-r
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DEUTSCHE WELLE
Putin calificó de "sustancial" conversaciones con Kim Jong-un
La cumbre de Vladivostok se celebra después del fracaso de la última cita entre Kim y el presidente de EE. UU., Donald Trump, celebrada en febrero pasado en la capital de Vietnam, Hanói.
El presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin, calificó hoy (25.04.2019) de sustancial su primer cara a cara con el líder norcoreano, Kim Jong-un, en el que ambos abordaron medidas para mejorar la situación en la península coreana.
"Hemos hablado, por supuesto, de la situación en la península coreana. Intercambiamos opiniones sobre lo que hay que hacer para que la situación tenga perspectivas de mejora", dijo Putin al inicio de la reunión ampliada en la ciudad de Vladivostok, ciudad bañada por el Océano Pacífico.
https://www.dw.com/es/putin-calific%C3%B3-de-sustancial-conversaciones-con-kim-jong-un/a-48473087
En 2018 se destruyeron 12 millones de hectáreas de selvas tropicales
Particularmente preocupante es la desaparición de 3,64 millones de hectáreas del llamado bosque tropical primario, que contiene árboles particularmente antiguos y almacena mayores cantidades de carbono que otros bosques.
En 2018 el mundo perdió 12 millones de hectáreas de selvas tropicales, el equivalente a la superficie de Nicaragua, indicó este martes (23.04.2019) el Instituto de Recursos Mundiales (WRI), entre ellos 3,64 millones de selvas vírgenes, fundamentales para el clima y la biodiversidad.
Los países más afectados son Brasil, Indonesia, República Democrática del Congo, Colombia y Bolivia, indicó el WRI. Según este informe anual, realizado por Global Forest Watch, 2018 fue el cuarto peor año en términos de deforestación de la selva tropical, por detrás de 2016, 2017 y 2014.
XINHUA
Putin y Kim inician conversaciones en Rusia
VLADIVOSTOK, Rusia, 25 abr (Xinhua) -- El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, y el máximo líder de la República Popular Democrática de Corea (RPDC), Kim Jong Un, iniciaron este jueves su primera reunión en la Universidad Federal del Lejano Oriente de Rusia en la Isla Russky.
En el discurso de apertura, Putin expresó su confianza en que la visita de Kim ayudará a resolver la situación en la península de Corea, y agregó que Moscú acoge con satisfacción los esfuerzos de la RPDC para mejorar el diálogo intercoreano y normalizar sus relaciones con Estados Unidos.
Haciéndose eco de los comentarios de Putin, Kim expresó que espera que la reunión contribuya al desarrollo de las relaciones entre Rusia y RPDC, y facilite la solución al problema de la península de Corea.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-04/25/c_138008606.htm
Primer ministro iraquí se reúne con senadores de EEUU
BAGDAD, 24 abr (Xinhua) -- El primer ministro iraquí Adel Abdul Mahdi se reunió con una delegación de senadores estadounidenses encabezada por la demócrata Tammy Duckworth para discutir las relaciones entre Irak y Estados Unidos.
"Los sacrificios realizados por los iraquíes han alejado el peligro de la región y el mundo", dijo Abdul Mahdi durante la reunión, según una declaración citada por su oficina.
"La guerra contra el Estado Islámico (EI) no sólo es la guerra de Irak, sino de todo el mundo porque el peligro del EI amenaza a todos los países", añadió Abdul Mahdi.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-04/25/c_138006518.htm
Objetivo de escudo antimisiles de EEUU es ataque nuclear sorpresivo contra Rusia: Ejército ruso
MOSCU, 24 abr (Xinhua) -- Estados Unidos desplegará sistemas de defensa antimisiles cerca de la frontera rusa para tener la capacidad de lanzar un ataque nuclear sorpresivo contra Rusia, dijo hoy el primer subjefe de la Dirección de Operaciones Principal del Estado Mayor de Rusia, Viktor Poznikhir.
Con el desarrollo de su sistema global de defensa antimisiles, Estados Unidos también busca tener la oportunidad de asestar un golpe a cualquier país que le disguste, dijo Poznikhir en la octava Conferencia sobre Seguridad Internacional de Moscú.
En respuesta a las acciones de Estados Unidos, Moscú se ha visto obligado a tomar las medidas de represalia adecuadas, dijo Poznikhir, quien añadió que su país ha creado sistemas de misiles con capacidades mejoradas, incluyendo el Sarmat y el Avangard, para superar el escudo antimisiles estadounidense.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-04/25/c_138006374.htm
Cohete Gran Marcha-5B de China hará su primer vuelo en 2020 para estación espacial
BEIJING, 24 abr (Xinhua) -- El cohete portador Gran Marcha-5B de China realizará su primer vuelo en la primera mitad de 2020, según el plan anunciado por la Oficina de Ingeniería del Espacio Tripulado de China (CMSEO, por sus siglas en inglés).
El Gran Marcha-5B forma parte de una nueva generación de cohetes portadores, y tiene la mayor capacidad de carga a órbitas terrestres bajas. Llevará la cápsula central y las cápsulas de experimentos de la estación espacial de China.
Se espera que la Estación Espacial Tiangong de China esté completada en 2022. Esa estación está compuesta principalmente por la Cápsula Núcleo, la Cápsula de Experimentos I y la Cápsula de Experimentos II, que integrarán una estación espacial operativa fiable y brindarán apoyo a largo plazo a los astronautas de a bordo.
http://spanish.xinhuanet.com/2019-04/24/c_138005200.htm
AL JAZEERA
Joe Biden announces 2020 US presidential run
The former vice president and senator joins a crowded field of candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Biden served eight years as vice president under President Barack Obamaand 36 years in the US Senate. At 76, he is the second oldest candidate in the Democratic nominating contests, after 77-year-old Senator Bernie Sanders.
Last month he struggled to respond to comments from Lucy Flores, a 2014 lieutenant governor nominee in Nevada, who said he made her uncomfortable by touching her shoulders and kissing the back of her head before a campaign event. Several other women have made similar claims.
Some liberal activists have also criticised Biden's senate record, including his authorship of the 1994 crime act that led to increased incarceration rates, and his ties to the financial industry, which is prominent in his home state of Delaware.
The Republican president's allies have privately warned that Biden might be the biggest threat to Trump's reelection given Biden's potential appeal among the white working class in the Midwest, the same region that helped Trump win the presidency.
Kim and Putin: Challenging the US role in denuclearisation
Russia does not want a nuclear disaster next door, but its interest in the disarmament of North Korea is limited.
Mansur Mirovalev.- The Kremlin tried hard to present Kim Jong Un's first ever visit to Russia as an historic event aimed at proving how important Moscow is in the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula - especially after the failure of US-North Korean talks in Hanoi two months ago.
Experts say, however, that the true purpose of Kim's visit to Russia was a chance to leave himself some wiggle room when talks with the US resume - and to use Russia as the bogeyman if US President Donald Trump goes too far with his threats.
Russia does not want a nuclear disaster next door, but its interest in the disarmament of North Korea is limited; the fall of the Kim dynasty would likely mean that a unified Korea becomes a US ally, and American military bases could appear next to Russia's Pacific provinces.
Turkey faces hike in oil prices as US thwarts Iran oil sales
Because of oil-import dependency, Turkey's economy is vulnerable to price rises while the lira could plunge further.
Andrew Wilks.- Turkey has grown closer to Iran in recent years as its energy demand has risen. Lacking significant hydrocarbon reserves, Turkey gets more than 90 percent of its energy needs from abroad, spending $43bn on energy imports last year.
"Apart from Iraq, no other country relies so much on energy imports from Iran like Turkey," said David Jalilvand, chief executive of the Berlin-based Middle East consultancy Orient Matters.
"An end or a significant reduction of oil imports from Iran would increase Turkey's import bill substantially, resulting in further inflationary pressure on the Turkish economy."
Confronting the United States over Iran would be a risky strategy for Turkey, which is already embroiled in several disputes with Washington, such as the planned purchase of Russian missiles, although support from other Iranian clients facing renewed sanctions could bolster its case.
Sudan's military meets protesters to discuss transfer of power
Military spokesman confirms joint committee formed to discuss points of succession with groups who lead the protests.
The council said in a statement before Wednesday's meeting that it was willing to discuss proposals from the coalition of groups behind the protests for an immediate transfer of power to a transitional civilian government.
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) and its allies, who organised the four months of demonstrations that drove al-Bashir from power on April 11, accepted the invitation and met the council, an SPA spokesperson said.
RUSSIA TODAY
Putin welcomes Kim's efforts to normalize ties with US, hopes for denuclearization talks progress
Leaders of Russia and North Korea sat down for a historic summit in Vladivostok, expressing hope it will revive the peace process in the Korean Peninsula and talks on normalizing relations with the US. The summit on Russky Island, just off Vladivostok, started a little late because President Vladimir Putin’s flight was delayed. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had made the trip by train, arriving on Wednesday.
In brief public remarks before the talks, the two leaders expressed hope the summit will help move forward the reconciliation process in the Korean Peninsula. Putin welcomed Kim’s contributions to “normalizing relations” with the US and opening a dialogue with South Korea.
https://www.rt.com/news/457477-kim-putin-normalize-relations/
Activists in Venezuela's DC embassy brace for US-assisted Guaido takeover
Activists occupying the Venezuelan embassy in Washington in solidarity with President Nicolas Maduro's government are bracing for confrontation as authorities prepare to try to seize the building on behalf of the opposition.
The Embassy Civilian Protection Collective has promised not to leave the embassy until the US comes to an agreement with the Venezuelan government to end the regime-change operation it is attempting on its soil. As of Wednesday evening, the deadline Venezuelan diplomats were given when they were ordered to leave the US, Secret Service agents were encircling the diplomatic building, which is considered Venezuelan property under international law. The group believes they will attempt to seize it by force on Thursday.
https://www.rt.com/usa/457473-activists-occupy-venezuelan-embassy-guaido/
French ship ‘illegally’ enters Chinese waters, gets warned off – MoDChina had to deploy navy ships to escort off a French vessel which “illegally” entered the Taiwan Strait, the country’s defense ministry said. “China’s military sent navy ships in accordance with the law to identify the French ship and warn it to leave,” defense ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said.
The official did not specify the vessel but it was believed to be the frigate Vendemiaire. The French warship passed through the narrow waterway between China and Taiwan on April 6 in a rare move by a vessel of the European country, Reuters reported earlier. Following the incident, China revoked France’s invitation to the parade marking the 70th anniversary of the country’s Navy, the agency’s sources said.
https://www.rt.com/news/457523-french-ship-chinese-waters/
Former US Vice President Joe Biden announces 2020 Democratic presidential run
Joe Biden has announced his 2020 Democratic presidential run, after teasing an official announcement for weeks. The former vice president has held off on officially announcing until now, although he has been included in polls and reports about the Democratic candidates for months.
https://www.rt.com/usa/457504-joe-biden-presidential-run/
US ‘not interested in matching new Russian weapons’, but will use nukes if it 'has to'
Despite a defense budget bigger than the next 7 countries combined, the US says Russia is pulling ahead in a new arms race, and the Pentagon has no choice but to rely on its nuclear deterrent. But how sincere are they being?
“It takes two to race,” David Trachtenberg, the US deputy undersecretary of defense, said this week, adding that America is “not interested in matching the Russians system for system.” He also casually noted that “the Russians are developing an incredible amount of new nuclear weapons systems” and generally “are doing a number of things we are simply not doing.”
Talking at the Brookings Institution in Washington, a leading think tank, Trachtenberg said that Russia has recently launched a “military modernization program” by “completely rescaling and replacing a lot of their nuclear systems both at the strategic level and the non-strategic level.”
https://www.rt.com/usa/457508-us-no-arms-race-russia/
AL MAYADEEN
Rusia: EE.UU. intenta resucitar la Doctrina Monroe en América Latina
El alto funcionario ruso aseveró que el Gobierno de EE.UU., presidido por Donald Trump, pretende presionar a todos aquellos que no comulguen con su política.
En este sentido, el ministro ruso reveló que un ejemplo de ello es la situación en Venezuela, donde el Gobierno legítimo del presidente venezolano, Nicolás Maduro, es blanco de una presión “sin precedentes” desde el exterior.
Shoigú indicó que, ante la política de EE.UU. basada en la mencionada doctrina, Rusia está dispuesta a fortalecer la cooperación militar con los países de América Latina. “Esa cooperación da sus frutos”, agregó al respecto el titular ruso de Defensa.
Además, destacó que entre “los amigos y aliados tradicionales” de Rusia en América Latina se encuentran Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brasil, Bolivia, México, Uruguay, Paraguay y Chile.
EE.UU. pretende socavar los derechos y privilegios de Venezuela como miembro de ONU, afirma canciller Jorge Arreaza
Denunció también que el vicepresidente estadounidense, Mike Pence, pretendió usar el Consejo de Seguridad para impular medidas unilaterales e imponer la "dictadura de Estados Unidos" en ONU y darle órdenes a los Gobiernos con el fin expulsar a un Estado miembro y de pleno derecho como Venezuela.
Gobiernos del mundo rechazan implementación del Título III de la Ley Helms- Burton
Gobiernos y cancillerías del mundo se pronunciaron en contra de la implementación del Título III de la Ley Helms- Burton, anunciada el pasado 18 de abril por la Casa Blanca, que recrudece la ilegal política del bloqueo de los Estados Unidos contra Cuba.
El gobierno mexicano emitió un comunicado mediante el cual lamenta esta decisión de Estados Unidos y anuncia que protegerá a las empresas mexicanas que hacen o tienen interés en hacer negocios con Cuba y que pudieran ser afectadas por la aplicación del Título III de Ley Helms-Burton.
China llamó a EE.UU. a levantar por completo el bloqueo contra Cuba, pues es un reclamo universal que conducirá a la estabilidad y el desarrollo regional.
