Síntesis informativa - 17 de octubre 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Trump Lashes Out on Syria as Republicans Rebuke Him in House Vote
WASHINGTON — President Trump faced off against both parties in Congress on Wednesday in an extraordinary confrontation over his decision to abandon America’s Kurdish allies as the vast majority of House Republicans joined Democrats to condemn his policy in an overwhelming vote.
Mr. Trump found himself increasingly isolated after withdrawing troops from Syria and clearing the way for a Turkish offensive against Kurds who had fought alongside the United States. The president all but washed his hands of the conflict, saying that it “has nothing to do with us,” generating withering criticism from Republicans and leading to a stormy clash with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/world/middleeast/trump-erdogan-turkey-syria-kurds.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Despite Their Promises, Giant Energy Companies Burn Away Vast Amounts of Natural Gas
When leaders from Exxon Mobil and BP gathered last month with other fossil-fuel executives to declare they were serious about climate change, they cited progress in curbing an energy-wasting practice called flaring — the intentional burning of natural gas as companies drill faster than pipelines can move the energy away.
But in recent years, some of these same companies have significantly increased their flaring, as well as the venting of natural gas and other potent greenhouse gases directly into the atmosphere, according to data from the three largest shale-oil fields in the United States.
Boris Johnson Has a Brexit Deal. Now He Needs Parliament’s Support.
BRUSSELS — Britain and the European Union on Thursday agreed on the draft text of a Brexit deal, setting up a fateful showdown in the British Parliament on Saturday, where it was not clear that Prime Minister Boris Johnson could marshal the votes to nail down his plan after three anguished and politically damaging years of debate.
But Mr. Johnson may not even care whether Parliament approves his plan. Even if he loses, analysts say, he may call for a general election, hoping voters will rally behind him and deliver him a strong majority. However it comes out, it all suggests a recipe for continued political tumult over at least the next weeks and months.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/17/world/europe/brexit-boris-johnson-eu.html
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THE GUARDIAN
US delegation seeks Syria ceasefire after Trump undercuts mission
The US vice-president, Mike Pence, is leading the delegation to Ankara, along with the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the White House national security adviser, Robert O’Brien. They were due to meet the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Thursday afternoon.
On Wednesday Trump hailed his decision to withdraw US troops in Syria, paving the way for the Turkish offensive, as “strategically brilliant”, declaring that the Kurds he had abandoned were “much safer now” and were anyway “not angels”.
His remarks not only undercut the mission to Ankara but contradicted the official assessment of both the state and defence departments that the Turkish offensive was a disaster for regional stability and the fight against Isis.
Banks warned over Saudi Aramco by environmental groups
The eight green groups, including Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth, warned that the world’s largest IPO would be “the biggest single infusion of capital into the fossil fuel industry” since global governments signed the Paris climate accord in 2015.
In a letter to the banks’ chief executives, including the bosses of HSBC and Goldman Sachs, the green groups warned that the listing would undermine efforts to cut carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
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XINHUA
Egypt welcomes U.S. sanctions on Turkey over Syria incursion
CAIRO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Egypt welcomed on Thursday U.S. President Donald Trump's "preliminary sanctions" on Turkey following Ankara's military incursion in northeastern Syria.
"Egypt welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump's position on those developments, representing clearly America's rejection of the ongoing Turkish attacks on Syrian land and the imposition of preliminary sanctions on the Turkish regime," the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The ministry affirmed its "deep resentment and concern over the ongoing Turkish aggression against Syria, the violations of the rules of international law, and the consequent serious repercussions on the humanitarian situation."
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/17/c_138479708.htm
Iranian president urges South Africa to oppose U.S. anti-Iran sanctions
TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has urged South Africa to take a more decisive stance against the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Iran, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.
"We hope all our friends around the world, including South Africa, will take a more decisive stance against the U.S. illegal and inhumane actions towards the Iranian nation which even include food and medicine sanctions," Rouhani said Wednesday during a meeting with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor.
Rouhani decried Washington's "economic war" against the Iranian nation following its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/17/c_138479939.htm
EU, Britain reach new Brexit deal
BRUSSELS, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and Britain have reached a new Brexit deal, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said Thursday on his twitter account.
"Where there is a will, there is a #deal we have one! It's a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is a testament to our commitment to find solutions," said Juncker hours before Thursday's EU summit.
"We now have a newly agreed Protocol that protects peace and stability on the island of Ireland and fully protects our Single Market. I hope that we can now bring this over the line and provide the certainty our citizens and businesses so deserve," he noted in a press release published by the Commission on its website.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/17/c_138479937.htm
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AL JAZEERA
European Union announces new Brexit deal with UK
New Brexit deal brokered between Britain and the European Union, but will still need UK parliament's approval.
The new agreement must still be formally approved by all of the EU's member states and ratified by the European and UK Parliaments.
"We've got a great new deal that takes back control - now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment #GetBrexitDone #TakeBackControl," Johnson said in a post on Twitter.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/eu-juncker-brexit-deal-agreed-191017094418680.html
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Europe's 'double standard' in arms sales
Europe's swift move to ban arms sales to Turkey stands in stark contrast to its reluctance to sanction Saudi Arabia.
France and Britain, in fact, criticised Berlin after it extended the arms ban earlier this year, with London expressing "grave concerns" about the effect the freeze was having on the supply chains of the European defence industry.
The UK was ultimately forced to suspend weapon sales to Riyadh in June when an appeals court said it had broken the law by allowing arms exports that might have been used in Yemen's war. The British government, however, plans to appeal the ruling.
France, Spain and Italy refused to follow suit. That's despite a recent United Nations report saying countries that sell arms to Riyadh may be complicit in war crimes in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia is the world's top arms importer and spent $16.9bn buying weapons in the period between 2014 and 2018, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a defence think-tank. At least $4.9bn of that amount was spent on European arms.
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AL MAYADEEN
Cancilleres de Francia e Irak discuten el destino de los terroristas extranjeros detenidos por las fuerzas kurdas
Le Drian llegó a Bagdad el jueves por la mañana para discutir la posibilidad de transferencia y enjuiciamiento de terroristas extranjeros pertenecientes al Daesh, incluidos 60 franceses detenidos en el noreste de Siria.
Los gobiernos europeos temen que los detenidos en cárceles o campamentos custodiados por organizaciones kurdas en la región, donde Turquía comenzó su ofensiva el 9 de octubre, puedan huir.
Rusia y Cuba firman acuerdo para impulsar cooperación de seguridad
El acuerdo “establece intercambios regulares de los ministerios y entidades de Rusia y Cuba acerca de los problemas actuales de la seguridad internacional y regional”, según informaron los medios.
El texto también especifica que las partes deben dar prioridad a temas estratégicos de la agenda común, entre ellos, cooperación en la lucha contra el terrorismo internacional, crimen transnacional, tráfico ilegal de drogas, tráfico de personas, contrabando de armas, blanqueo de dinero y crímenes económicos.
Pence y Pompeo en Turquía para alcanzar un alto el fuego en el norte de Siria
Pompeo dijo a los periodistas a bordo de su avión que la misión de la delegación de Estados Unidos es "discutir la posibilidad de alcanzar un alto el fuego y si los estadounidenses pueden mediarlo".
