Síntesis informativa - 14 de octubre 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Deal Struck in Ecuador to Cancel Austerity Package and End Protests
QUITO, Ecuador — The government of Ecuador and Indigenous leaders struck a deal late Sunday to cancel an economic austerity package that had ignited 11 days of protests that paralyzed the country and left at least seven people dead and more than 1,000 injured.
The agreement concluded a weekend of violence that included fires in the capital, Quito, and attacks by masked protesters on news outlets and the national auditor’s office. President Lenín Moreno instituted a curfew and ordered the army to take control of public places, but explosions and clouds of tear gas engulfed much of the city Sunday afternoon.
Under the agreement, Mr. Moreno pledged to withdraw from an International Monetary Fund-backed program, known as Decree 883, that raised fuel prices, and the Indigenous leaders agreed to call off more protests. The two sides agreed to work together to put in place a new economic policy of government spending cuts and taxes to increase revenues.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/world/americas/ecuador-protests-lenin-moreno.html
Syria Live Updates: Assad’s Forces Move Into Area Hit by Turkey
The return of government forces to northeastern Syria not only deals a blow to Kurdish-led forces who were supported by the United States, but also signals a major shift in Syria’s eight-year war. The Syrian Army entered the town of Tel Tamer in northeastern Syria, the state news media reported on Monday, soon after the government of President Bashar al-Assad forged an alliance with the Kurdish forces that control the region.
The Syrian government had been almost entirely absent from the northeast since it withdrew or was chased out by armed rebels. The Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia that worked with the United States to fight the Islamic State, soon became the region’s overarching political force.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/world/middleeast/turkey-syria.html
Homemade Bomb Detonated for First Time in Hong Kong Protests
HONG KONG — A homemade bomb was detonated in Hong Kong on Sunday amid violent protests, the police said on Monday, indicating an escalation in the street-level arms race between police officers and the protesters. The device was hidden in a bush and was activated by a mobile phone as a police vehicle passed nearby in the Mong Kok district of Kowloon, Suryanto Chin-chiu, the superintendent of the Hong Kong police’s explosives disposal unit, said at a news conference.
The bomb caused no damage or injuries, but it was the first time such a device had been employed in weeks of clashes, the police said. Images of the device showed a red plastic bag, wires and a Nokia mobile phone. The type of explosive charge it used was not immediately known.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/world/asia/hong-kong-bomb-ied.html
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XINHUA
Erdogan says Turkish forces to push 30-35 km into Syrian territory
ISTANBUL, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkish forces would "go down to a depth of 30-35 km" into Syrian territory as planned under Ankara's safe-zone project.
"Then, the operation would be completed after taking control of Hasaka and Ayn al-Arab," Erdogan said at a press conference in Istanbul. He announced that Turkish forces and their allies from Syrian rebels had so far taken control of 109 square km of land in Syria, including 17 villages around Tel Abyad.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/14/c_138469050.htm
Military camp explosion near Iraqi capital wounds 12 security members
BAGHDAD, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of 12 Iraqi security members were wounded in a huge explosion at an ammunition depot of a military camp near the capital Baghdad, the Iraqi military said Monday. The explosion occurred at the logistic support camp of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training center in al-Jaara area near the town of al-Madain in the southwest of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry Spokesman Saad Maan said in a statement.
A security source anonymously told Xinhua that the incident took place in the early hours of the day, when a series of explosions rocked al-Madain area and a fire broke out at the depot which provides logistical support to the Hashd Shaabi brigades, the federal police and the rapid reaction forces.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/14/c_138471344.htm
Death toll climbs to 7 in anti-gov't protests in Ecuador
QUITO, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Seven people have been killed in a wave of anti-government protests in Ecuador, especially the capital Quito, over the past two weeks, the ombudsman's office said on Sunday. The agency, which is monitoring the human rights situation during the demonstrations sparked by steep fuel hikes, issued a report on the number of fatalities, injuries or arrestees.
On Oct. 1, the government of President Lenin Moreno announced the elimination of fuel subsidies as part of an austerity package designed to reduce the public deficit in keeping with the terms of a 4.2-billion-U.S.-dollar loan agreement the government signed with the International Monetary Fund. Gasoline and diesel prices immediately shot up, and transport fares rose, leading transport workers and others to launch an indefinite nationwide strike and sparking violent protests sometimes.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/14/c_138470232.htm
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AL JAZEERA
Senior UAE official in Tehran on secret mission: MEE
The visit by Tahnoun bin Zayed marks the highest-level meeting between the UAE and Iran since tanker attacks in May.
The visit by Zayed, also the younger brother of UAE crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed, marks the highest-level meeting between Abu Dhabi and Tehran after four tankers off the Emirati port of Fujairah were attacked in May.
Zayed's mission comes amid a number of backchannel efforts to facilitate a dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Catalan separatist leaders handed jail terms for independence bid
Spain's Supreme Court sentences nine, including former Catalonian vice president Oriol Junqueras, over independence bid.
Protesters have hit the streets in north-eastern Spain after the country's Supreme Court on Monday sentenced nine of the 12 accused Catalan separatist leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison.
Train tracks were briefly blocked outside Girona, a separatist stronghold, rail operator Rodalies said on Twitter.
With this verdict, the government will be hoping to turn the page on the crisis and resume dialogue with the wealthy northeastern region where support for independence has been gaining momentum over the past decade, though it is unlikely to quell desires or dim the popularity of the movement's leaders.
Talks under way between Sudan transitional government and rebels
Power-sharing agreement between generals and pro-democracy movement sets a six-month timeline to end conflicts.
The discussions, which started Monday, are aimed at ending the country's years-long conflicts and come a month after the two sides agreed on a roadmap and a series of trust-building measures, including the extension of a ceasefire already in place.
Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok has been tasked with leading Sudan back to civilian rule, but he has said he also wants to end the conflicts with the rebels.
According to a summer power-sharing agreement between the generals that deposed al-Bashir and pro-democracy movement, the transitional authorities have six months to make peace with rebels.
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AL MAYADEEN
En Ecuador acuerdo de derogar el "883" y finalizar manifestaciones indígenas
Por su parte, la corresponsal de TeleSUR informa que cientos de quiteños continúan llegando a la Casa de Cultura para celebrar como una victoria popular la derogación del decreto 883, el decreto de paquetazo.
Ejército sirio se despliega en las cercanías de Manbij
Como se conoce, el mando del Ejército sirio había anunciado que sus unidades de combate comenzarían a moverse hacia el norte del país para enfrentar la agresión turca.
Por su parte, fuentes kurdas notificaron que las tropas estadounidenses desplegadas en el área de Manbij obstruyeron la entrada de unidades del ejército sirio a la ciudad.
