Síntesis informativa - 23 de julio 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Airstrikes Hit Market in Rebel-Held Syrian Town, Killing 27, Activists Say
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Multiple airstrikes hit a busy market in a rebel-controlled town in northwestern Syria on Monday, killing at least 27 people and turning several buildings into piles of rubble, according to opposition activists and a war monitor.
Shortly after the strikes, state media said rebels shelled a government-held village, killing seven.
The high death toll marked a sharp increase in the escalation of violence between the two sides. Government troops, backed by Russian air cover, have been trying since April to push their way into the enclave in the northwestern corner of Syria, near the Turkish border.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/world/middleeast/syria-airstrikes-rebels.html
Kim Jong-un Inspects New Submarine That Could Increase Range of Missiles
SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, has inspected a newly built submarine, the state news media reported on Tuesday, a provocative move as the United States struggles to resume dialogue on ending the country’s nuclear and missile threats.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the country planned to deploy the new submarine soon in waters off its east coast.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/world/asia/north-korea-kim-jong-un-submarine.html
Afghanistan Recoils at Trump’s Comments About Destroying the Country
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan demanded a clarification on Tuesday of President Trump’s comments a day earlier that he could have had the country “wiped off the face of the earth” but did not “want to kill 10 million people.”
In a sharply worded statement, the government of President Ashraf Ghani noted that Afghanistan expected its relationship with the United States to be “grounded on common interests and mutual respect.”
Mr. Trump made the comments on Monday during an Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan. The president said he was referring to prepared military plans for Afghanistan, adding, “I could win that war in a week.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/world/asia/trump-afghanistan.html
Trump Tries Cooling Tensions With Pakistan to Speed Afghan Peace Talks
WASHINGTON — President Trump, who on Twitter last year accused Pakistan’s leaders of “nothing but lies & deceit,” welcomed the country’s prime minister to the White House on Monday in an effort to mend relations and seek help in ending the war in neighboring Afghanistan.
Seated next to Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump gushed about the prospect of improved relations and trade with Pakistan and said he expected that Mr. Khan would help negotiate peace in Afghanistan so United States troops could come home.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/world/asia/trump-pakistan-afghanistan.html
Boris Johnson to Be U.K. Prime Minister After Winning Party Vote
LONDON — Boris Johnson, Britain’s brash former foreign secretary, on Tuesday won the contest to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May, with his party handing the job of resolving the country’s three-year Brexit nightmare to one of the architects of the project, and one of the country’s most polarizing politicians.
Mr. Johnson beat Jeremy Hunt, his successor as foreign secretary, in the battle for the leadership of Britain’s governing Conservative Party, winning by the substantial margin of 66 percent of the postal vote held among its membership. Although the Conservatives’ working majority in Parliament is very small, it appears to be enough to ensure that Mr. Johnson will succeed Mrs. May as prime minister on Wednesday.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/world/europe/boris-johnson-uk-prime-minister.htm
Iran Tells Boris Johnson It Doesn’t Want Confrontation, but Will Protect ItselLONDON — Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, offered his congratulations to Boris Johnson on Tuesday after he won a party vote that cleared the way for him to become Britain’s new prime minister, but he also warned the leader-in-waiting that Tehran would protect itself.
The comments came four days after Iran seized a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway linking the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The episode has further ratcheted up tensions between Tehran and the West and revealed the extent to which Britain is directly involved in the conflict.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/world/middleeast/zarif-johnson-iran-uk.html
South Korean Jets Fire Warning Shots Toward Russian Military Plane
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said its air force jets fired hundreds of warning shots on Tuesday to ward off a Russian military plane that intruded upon what it considers its territorial airspace, the first such encounter between the countries in decades.The incident came as Russia and China conducted what Russia called a joint air patrol in the Asia-Pacific. South Korea said that three Russian military planes, as well as two Chinese warplanes, entered its air defense identification zone off its east coast, where foreign military aircraft are expected to identify themselves in advance to South Korea.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/world/asia/south-korean-warning-shots-russia-planes.html
Venezuela Blackout Leaves Caracas, and Much of the Country, Without Power
CARACAS, Venezuela — Much of Venezuela, including the capital, Caracas, was without electricity Monday evening, as the country suffered its fourth major blackout in less than five months.
The country’s communications minister, Jorge Rodríguez, blamed “an electromagnetic attack” on Venezuela’s hydroelectric system for the power failure. He provided no details about who might have been behind the attack or how it was carried out.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/world/americas/venezuela-blackout.html
THE GUARDIAN
23 de julio
Donald Trump's trade war hurting China more than US, says IMF
The Washington-based IMF said the outlook was gloomier than it envisaged three months ago due to the tit-for-tat tariff war between the world’s two biggest economies, Brexit uncertainty and the impact of sanctions against Iran on oil prices.
The Fund’s country-by-country breakdown upgraded its forecast of US growth this year from 2.3% to 2.6% but downgraded China from 6.3% to 6.2%.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/23/donald-trump-trade-war-china-us-imf
South Korea jets ‘fire warning shots’ in claim disputed by Russia
Seoul said three Russian military planes – two Tu-95 bombers and one A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft – entered South Korea’s air defence identification zone off its east coast before the A-50 intruded in South Korean airspace.
Russia said later that two of its Tu-95MS bombers had been on a routine flight over neutral waters and had not entered South Korean territory.
According to South Korean government accounts, an unspecified number of South Korean fighter jets, including F-16s, scrambled to the area and fired 10 flares and 80 rounds from machine guns as warning shots.
South Korea said it was the first time a foreign military plane had violated its airspace since the end of the 1950-53 Korean war.
Blackouts plunge Venezuela into chaos as minister blames saboteurs
The blackouts affected at least 14 of Venezuela’s 24 states, including the capital, Caracas, where power went out at around 4pm (8pm GMT) on Monday. It caused chaos on the city’s roads as traffic lights and the subway stopped working during rush hour.
The information minister, Jorge Rodríguez, blamed an “electromagnetic attack” on the power system but did not give any details. He said authorities were working to restore electricity as quickly as possible.
The government blamed the March blackouts on a US-sponsored attempt to disrupt the Guri dam hydro facility, which provides about 80% of the country’s power.
Boris Johnson elected new Tory leader
Johnson has faced a furious internal revolt even before arriving in Downing Street, with several key cabinet ministers, including the chancellor, Philip Hammond, saying they will resign rather than serve under him.
They have been alarmed by Johnson’s insistence that he is willing to countenance leaving the European Union without a deal on 31 October, rather than postpone Brexit once again – even if that meant proroguing parliament.
Despite painstaking media management, his campaign has been dogged by a series of controversies, including the revelation that police had been called to a noisy argument at the home he shares with his partner, Carrie Symonds.
Iran rejects UK's proposal for European-led maritime force
Plans for a European-led maritime security force in the Gulf unveiled by the UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, hit choppy waters as the plan was rejected by Iran, met resistance from supporters of the incoming prime minister, Boris Johnson, and was seen by British shipping industry experts as not providing a short-term solution to the crisis facing UK-flagged shipping in the Gulf.
India denies asking for Donald Trump's mediation in Kashmir
Trump’s remarks, made sitting alongside the Pakistani prime minister, Imran Khan, on Monday, provoked uproar in the Indian parliament and demands for the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to respond.
While Pakistan has called for third-party involvement over the long-running dispute, India has always insisted the issue can only be resolved through direct talks with Islamabad.
22 de julio
UK must look after its own ships in the Gulf, says Pompeo
His remarks reflect unresolved tensions between Britain and the US over Donald Trump’s plans for a US-led military convoy to protect international shipping operating off the Iranian coast.British ministers discussed the issue at a Cobra emergency meeting that largely focused on how to respond to the Iranian capture on Friday of the British-flagged Stena Impero. The ship, crewed largely by Indian nationals, is being held in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
Iran claims to have arrested 17 CIA spies
Seventeen Iranian nationals allegedly recruited by the CIA to spy on Iran’s nuclear and military sites have been arrested, Tehran said on Monday, adding that some of them had already been sentenced to death.
The arrests took place over the past months and those taken into custody worked on “sensitive sites” in the country’s military and nuclear facilities, an Iranian intelligence official told a press conference in Tehran.
The announcement comes as Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers is unraveling and tensions have risen in the Persian Gulf region. The crisis stems from the decision by the US president, Donald Trump, to pull the United States out of the deal last year and intensify sanction on the country.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/22/iran-claims-to-have-arrested-17-cia-spies
China reportedly signs secret deal to station troops in Cambodia
The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials who had seen a pact drawn up between the two countries, reported that the Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen, has agreed to give China access to the Ream naval base on the Gulf of Thailand.
Fears that China intended to place troops in Cambodia, giving them enhanced access to the contested South China Sea and an unprecedented economic and territorial foothold in south-east Asia, have circulated for months.
Chinese tech shares leap up to 500% as Nasdaq-style market launches
China’s tech scene was handed a fresh vote of confidence as investors piled into Shanghai’s new Nasdaq-style stock exchange and sent shares skyrocketing up to 500%.
The launch of the Star listing of domestic tech firms is seen as China’s answer to the US’s Nasdaq, and an attempt to sidestep American markets in its long-running trade war with Washington.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/22/chinese-tech-shares-nasdaq-market-star-us-trade-war
AL JAZEERA
Boris Johnson vows to 'get Brexit done' as he wins UK PM race
Johnson is set to become prime minister on Wednesday, after Theresa May formally steps down.
Boris Johnson has been elected leader of the United Kingdom's Conservative Party and, by default, the country's next prime minister.
Johnson has vowed to negotiate a new Brexit divorce deal with the European Union before the scheduled October 31 deadline, but Brussels has insisted it will not reopen negotiations.
The only deal on the table has been rejected three times by the British parliament and many legislators - including pro-EU rebels in the Conservative Party - are also vowing to block Johnson from trying to take Britain out of the EU without a deal.
A number of Conservative Party ministers have already announced they will resign to fight against a no deal Brexit, which experts warn would push the UK's economy into a severe downturn.
Kabul seeks clarification after Trump's comment on Afghan war
Request follows US president saying he could end Afghan war in '10 days', didn't 'want to kill 10 million people'.
The comment drew a stiff response from Afghanistan's presidential palace, which has been excluded from talks between the US and theTaliban.
During his comments in Washington, Trump said Pakistan was helping the US "extricate" itself from Afghanistan, where Washington was acting as a "policeman" rather than fighting a war.
Five things to know about Hong Kong's masked mob
Shadowy group wielding rudimentary weapons injures dozens in Hong Kong as protests continue to rock the city.
Casey Quackenbush.- The unprecedented attack on Sunday night follows seven weeks of mass demonstrations that have stoked fears the Chinese territory is spiralling out of control.
Who are the mobsters?
It remains unclear, but there is widespread speculation the masked assailants are affiliated with local organised crime syndicates, also known as the triads.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/hong-kong-masked-mob-190722183213248.html
AL MAYADEEN
Restablecido el servicio eléctrico al 100 por ciento en Caracas después del ataque electromagnético
La Corporación Eléctrica Nacional (Corpoelec) de Venezuela informó este martes que el servicio de energía eléctrica quedó restablecido al 100 por ciento en Caracas y trabaja para que se normalice pronto a nivel nacional, luego que el lunes el país fue blanco de un nuevo ataque.
El pasado viernes, parte del centro y oeste de Caracas se vio afectada por otro apagón, debido a una falla en la subestación Boyacá, ubicada en la parroquia (demarcación) San Bernardino, en el norte de la urbe.
Las autoridades denunciaron un ataque al cerebro de la Central Hidroeléctrica Simón Bolívar en Guri, que proporciona energía al 70 por ciento del territorio nacional.
Cheikh Naim Qassem: Si hay una guerra, la victoria es segura
El vicesecretario general del Partido de Dios, cheikh Naim Qassem, dijo que la clasificación de Hizbullah como una organización terrorista por parte del gobierno de Argentina es una postura política que obedece a la presión estadounidense.
En entrevista exclusiva con Al Mayadeen, Qassem destacó que ha pasado mucho tiempo y Hizbullah se encuentra en el mejor periodo en torno a sus actividades y preparativos y la resistencia no se detuvo.
Destacó que lo importante para Hizbullah es la continuidad del eje de la resistencia y ayudar el acercamiento entre Hamas y Siria.
"Podemos declarar con valentía que observamos a todos los barcos enemigos", afirma comandante iraní
El comandante de la Fuerza Naval del Ejército de Irán, el almirante Hossein Khanzadi, expresó que Irán está en posesión de aviones no tripulados intercontinentales y definitivamente los pondrá en uso si surge la necesidad de una misión de larga distancia.
Al analizar las capacidades de los aviones no tripulados de Irán, en una entrevista con el Club de Jóvenes Periodistas (YJC) publicada el martes, Khanzadi dijo que el país controla a los barcos estadounidenses en el Golfo y tiene imágenes completas y un gran archivo de los movimientos diarios y de momento a momento de los buques pertenecientes a Estados Unidos y sus aliados.
Drones Q-2 yemenitas vuelven a impactar la base aérea saudita de Rey Khalid
El portavoz del Ejército yemenita en Saná, el brigadier Yahya Sari, anunció este martes que la fuerza aérea atacó el aeropuerto saudita del Rey Khalid, en Khamis Mushait, Asir, en la que fueron empleados aviones no tripulados del tipo Q-2.
