Síntesis informativa - 20 de septiembre 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Attack on Saudi Oil Facilities Tests U.S. Guarantee to Defend Gulf
The oil-rich monarchies of the Persian Gulf have relied for decades on the promise of protection by the United States military, a commitment sealed by the rollback of the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and reinforced by a half dozen American military bases that sprang up around the region.
Now that commitment is facing its most serious test since the first gulf war: an attack last Saturday by a swarm of at least 17 missiles and drones that crippled Saudi Arabia’s most critical oil installation and temporarily knocked out 5 percent of the world’s oil supply.
Washington and Riyadh blamed Iran, despite its denials, and President Trump threatened that the United States was “locked and loaded.” Yet despite months of such bravado, Mr. Trump has been hesitant to take military action that might risk an expanded conflagration. For better or worse, such a muted response could signal another turning point for the region.
“It is enormous,” said Gregory Gause, a scholar of the region at Texas A&M University. “This is the most serious challenge since the invasion of Kuwait to the status of the United States as a great power that would protect the free flow of energy from the region, and unless there is a big change in the response from the Trump administration I think Gulf leaders will start to question the value of that security commitment.”
Confounding expectations on all sides of the Persian Gulf, the attack and its aftermath have laid bare a cascade of revelations about the regional balance of power.
Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, 83, Tunisia Autocrat Ousted in Arab Spring, Dies
Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s former autocratic president whose extravagant life and oppressive rule inspired the first Arab Spring revolts of 2011, died on Thursday in exile in Saudi Arabia. He was 83.
The Tunisian state news agency reported his death. He had been treated for prostate cancer and was hospitalized last week.
His death came four days after Tunisians voted in their second free presidential elections since his ouster, further solidifying their nation’s status as the purest direct democracy in the Arab world.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/world/middleeast/tunisia-ben-ali-dead.html
South Sudan Oil Consortium Funded Militias Accused of Atrocities, Report Says
LONDON — A South Sudanese oil consortium directly financed militias accused of committing atrocities in the country’s civil war, according to an investigative report released on Thursday amid growing calls for accountability for the conflict’s human rights abuses.
The report by a watchdog group linked the consortium, Dar Petroleum Operating Company, in which Chinese- and Malaysian state-owned oil companies have large stakes, to episodes of violence, corruption and environmental degradation. It also outlined ties between forces loyal to the government of President Salva Kiir and the company, a relationship apparently forged in an effort to protect the oil fields and keep revenues flowing.
South Sudan’s oil fields, the primary source of the government’s wealth, have long been one of the pathways to finance the civil war. But the detailed report by the watchdog group the Sentry, released at a news conference in London on Thursday, attempts to further shore up the evidence of the international players believed to be complicit in the civil war, which has lasted six years, almost as long as the country has existed. The Sentry was founded by the actor George Clooney and John Prendergast, a rights activist.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/world/africa/south-sudan-oil-militias.html
Indonesia’s President Halts Bill That Would Ban Sex Outside Marriage
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Sweeping legislation that would have criminalized sex between unmarried people, including gays and lesbians, was pushed back on Friday by Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, days before it had been expected to pass.
The measure, aimed at overhauling Indonesia’s penal code, had appeared likely to win approval next Tuesday from the country’s outgoing Parliament, with Mr. Joko’s blessing.
But after an outpouring of opposition to many of its provisions from rights activists, women’s groups, legal experts and other Indonesians, Mr. Joko announced that he had asked lawmakers to drop the legislation and leave the matter for the next Parliament, which will be seated in October.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/world/asia/indonesia-extramarital-sex-penal-code.html
__________________________________________________________________________________________
THE GUARDIAN
US drone strike intended for Isis hideout kills 30 pine nut workers in Afghanistan
A US drone strike intended to hit an Islamic State hideout in Afghanistan has killed at least 30 civilians who were resting after harvesting pine nuts.
Forty people were also injured in the attack on Wednesday night which struck farmers and labourers who had just finished their day’s work at the mountainous Wazir Tangi in eastern Nangarhar province, three Afghan officials told Reuters.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/19/us-drone-strike-deaths-afghanistan-pine-nut-workers
US dials back Iran rhetoric and seeks 'peaceful resolution' over Saudi attack
The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has said Washington and its allies were seeking a “peaceful resolution” with Iran in the wake of the attack on Saudi oil facilities, making clear that Washington would limit its initial response to further sanctions.
Pompeo’s remarks, made on his return trip to Washington after visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, mark a significant cooling of rhetoric after Donald Trump had warned the US was “locked and loaded” and Pompeo had said the attack, which he blamed on Iran, was “an act of war”.
The climate crisis explained in 10 charts
From the rise and rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to possible solutions
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/20/the-climate-crisis-explained-in-10-charts
Hong Kong protests: tech war opens up with doxxing of protesters and police
Social media forums such as LIHKG, a Reddit-like website, and encrypted apps such as Telegram have played a critical role in organising the leaderless protest movement but are now being used to share names, photos, phone numbers, ages and the occupation of individuals on both sides of the protest line.
Supporters of the Hong Kong government have sought to identify masked protesters at demonstrations, while protesters themselves also appear to have taken part, sharing private information about police officers and their families across Telegram.
Pepsi v Coke: Palestinians indifferent about Israel's election
For Palestinians, the deadlocked vote and its seemingly dramatic aftermath, where no party won a majority or has an obvious path to forming a governing coalition, is the equivalent of a bad show on television where you already know the ending.
Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Palestinian prime minister, said the difference between the two biggest party leaders, the incumbent, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the former military general Benny Gantz was as insignificant as that between Pepsi and Coke.
He said Palestinians did not hold their breath to see who would become the next Israeli prime minister because the “competition is between two candidates who do not have any agenda to end the occupation”.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
XINHUA
Strike on Iran will lead to "all-out war" in region, warns Iranian FM
TEHRAN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned Thursday that a possible military strike on his country will lead to an "all-out war" in the region.
"I make a very serious statement about defending our country. I am making a very serious statement that we don't want to engage in a military confrontation," Zarif was quoted by Press TV as saying.
"We won't blink to defend our territory," the top Iranian diplomat vowed.
"Iran does not want war, but we will not hesitate to defend ourselves," Zarif said, adding that even a "limited strike" on Iran equals a war.
"Here's no such thing as a 'limited strike,'" he said.
Zarif made the remarks as the U.S. and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for being behind the attacks on two oil facilities of Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/20/c_138405722.htm
Ethiopia commissions Chinese-built 433 km electrical transmission line
ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia has commissioned a Chinese built 433-km electrical transmission line connecting its power grid to neighboring Kenya, an Ethiopian official said on Friday.
The 433-km electrical transmission line is part of the 1,055-km Ethiopia-Kenya transmission line. The rest 622-km transmission line is located in Kenya.
Speaking to Xinhua, Moges Mekonen, Communication Director at Ethiopia Electric Power (EEP), said China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (CEPET) Corporation has completed the construction of the Ethiopian side of the Ethiopia-Kenya electricity transmission line.
"The electricity transmission line has already been commissioned and is currently in the testing phase. What is remaining is the completion of the Kenyan side of the project after which preparations can start to fully inaugurate the electricity transmission line," Mekonen told Xinhua.
The project which is expected to cost about 1.2 billion U.S. dollars is funded by the African Development Bank and the World Bank.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/20/c_138408697.htm
Hashd Shaabi seizes IS drone, destroys hideouts in eastern Iraq
BAGHDAD, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces on Friday seized a drone belonging to the Islamic State (IS) and destroyed hideouts of the extremist militants in the eastern province of Diyala, a local security official said.
Acting on intelligence tip-off, a force from the Hashd Shaabi's 24th brigade carried out a search operation to reach an island in Himreen Lake in northeast of Diyala's provincial capital Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, Ali al-Tamimi, head of the security committee of al-Muqdadiya town hall, told Xinhua.
The Hashd Shaabi fighters found a drone belonging to IS and took it to a security site for inspection, al-Tamimi said, adding that the IS militants had used drones during the battles against Iraq's security forces.
During the operation, the Hashd Shaabi forces discovered and destroyed three IS hideouts used for storing arms and supplies by the extremist militants, al-Tamimi said.
Al-Tamimi explained that the attacked island was used by IS militants as a launching pad as the militants used to bring weapons and equipment from the nearby Himreen mountain range to store them in the lake in order to launch attacks on the town of Sadiya and nearby villages and towns.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/20/c_138408554.htm
Canadian PM apologizes for photos of him in brownface, blackface
OTTAWA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau on Thursday apologized for appearing in two photographs and a video in either brownface or blackface.
While campaigning to win next month's Canadian general election for his second term in office, Trudeau found himself politically and morally weakened.
"Darkening your face, regardless of the context of the circumstances, is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface," Trudeau told reporters covering the election campaign in Winnipeg.
On Wednesday, Time magazine published a 2001 photo of then-29-year-old Trudeau dressed as a character from Aladdin, wearing dark makeup on his face, neck and hands, at an "Arabian Nights" spring gala event at a private Canadian school where he was a teacher.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/20/c_138408482.htm
Kuwait to raise port security level
KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait will raise its port security level of facilities, the Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) said on Friday.
The decision was issued by Khaled Al-Roudhan, Kuwait's minister of commerce and industry and state minister for services, KPA said in a statement.
According to the ministerial decree, Kuwait will raise security level of all port facilities in the country.
The decision aims to preserve the security of the country and its territory as well as ports under conditions experienced by the region, the statement said.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/20/c_138408557.htm
_________________________________________________________________________________________
AL JAZEERA
Afghanistan: US confirms drone attack that killed 30 farmers
US says drone attack intended to hit ISIL hideout killed at least 30 in what it fears may be 'collateral damage'.
A spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan confirmed on Thursday that the drone attack was conducted by the US with the intention of destroying a hideout used by the fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the past several weeks, as the West-backed government forces and Taliban fighters have stepped up attacks since a peace deal between the armed group and the United States collapsed earlier this month.
The Taliban has warned that its fighters will step up their campaign against the Afghan government and foreign forces to dissuade people from voting in the presidential election.
Who are south Yemen's separatists?
The Southern Transitional Council, backed by United Arab Emirates, is leading the separatist cause in Aden.
Linah Alsaafin
Fighting in south Yemen escalated dramatically last month as separatist militias seized the city of Aden from forces loyal to the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The clashes between the nominal partners in the anti-Houthi coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have exposed the divergent interests of the Gulf powers as well as their Yemeni allies.
The capture of Aden by secessionists has shifted the centre of the Yemen war to the south and brought renewed focus to the country's decades-old southern question.
But there are fears the UAE is using the southern separatist sentiment for its own geopolitical interests, especially given the fact the south is rich in natural resources.
Another important factor is the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a strategic waterway between Yemen and Djibouti where nearly four million barrels of oil are shipped daily to Europe, the United States and Asia.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/south-yemen-separatists-190919074008631.html
__________________________________________________________________________________________
AL MAYADEEN
Enviado de ONU para Sudán del Sur pide mantener impulso de paz
La reciente reunión en Yuba, entre el presidente Salva Kiir y el ex vicepresidente Riek Machar, es un acontecimiento importante, dijo David Shearer, representante especial del secretario general de la ONU para Sudán del Sur, al Consejo de Seguridad.
Asimismo, señaló que el acuerdo ofrece una oportunidad para dejar de concentrarnos en los desafíos inmediatos y contemplar el horizonte hacia elecciones, las cuales se esperan al final de los tres años de transición", dijo.
ONU enviará expertos a investigar ataques contra instalaciones petroleras sauditas
"En efecto, de conformidad con la Resolución 2231 del Consejo de Seguridad, con el claro mandato para ese fin, los expertos de la ONU, designados por el Departamento de Asuntos Políticos y de Consolidación de la Paz, salieron ya con rumbo a Arabia Saudita", explicó Guterres a los reporteros.
Rusia y China bloquean resolución de la ONU sobre la provincia siria de Idleb
Más temprano en el día, el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU comenzó una reunión para votar sobre dos resoluciones contradictorias que piden el cese de las hostilidades en el noroeste de Siria: un proyecto de resolución presentado por Rusia y China, y otro de la llamada organización humanitaria troika — Alemania, Bélgica y Kuwait.
El representante Permanente Adjunto de China ante las Naciones Unidas, Wu Haitao, dijo en una reunión del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU que el lanzamiento de una Junta de Investigación de la ONU sobre ataques aéreos contra instalaciones civiles en la provincia noroccidental siria de Idleb podría producir efectos adversos en el proceso político en el país.
Wu agregó que el lanzamiento de un proceso político en Siria ayudaría a mejorar la situación humanitaria en el país.
La delegada estadounidense, Kelly Croft, criticó a Rusia y Siria por ataques contra instalaciones civiles en Idleb.
Comentó que "el alto el fuego declarado se usó solo para reagrupar las fuerzas del gobierno sirio", y señaló que el Hospital Kiwan fue atacado, elevando el número de hospitales bombardeados a 52, además de atacar a un centro de los Cascos Blancos
