Síntesis informativa - 17 de agosto 2020
THE NEW YORK TIMES
House Judiciary Democrats Urge Criminal Inquiry Into Postmaster
Two Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee urged the F.B.I. director on Monday to open a criminal investigation into the role that the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, played in mail delays that they said threaten to compromise the November election.
Trump as Candidate: Racist Attacks, Conspiracy Theories, War on the Post Office
It is not normal for a president to employ transparently racist and sexist attacks. Or pressure his attorney general to prosecute his foes with an election looming. Or resist money for the Postal Service in order to stop people from voting by mail. Or embrace a conspiracy theorist running for Congress. Or condemn American cities to “rot.”
A Private Security Company Is Detaining Migrant Children at Hotels
The Trump administration has been using major hotel chains to detain children and families taken into custody at the border, creating a largely unregulated shadow system of detention and swift expulsions without the safeguards that are intended to protect the most vulnerable migrants.
A Crackdown in Belarus Backfires. Here's What Videos Show.
Pro-democracy demonstrators in Belarus staged their biggest protest in the country’s history on Sunday, one week after a disputed presidential election extended the 26-year rule of Aleksandr G. Lukashenko. The uprising took a decisive turn last week as a slew of videos and photos circulated showing security officers brutally repressing demonstrators.
Europe's Big Oil Companies Are Turning Electric
Late last month, Royal Dutch Shell won a deal to build a vast wind farm off the coast of the Netherlands. Earlier in the year, France’s Total, which owns a battery maker, agreed to make several large investments in solar power in Spain and a wind farm off Scotland. Total also bought an electric and natural gas utility in Spain and is joining Shell and BP in expanding its electric vehicle charging business. At the same time, the companies are ditching plans to drill more wells as they chop back capital budgets.
Attack on Beachside Somalia Hotel Kills at Least 16
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A terrorist attack on a popular hotel in the Somali capital that left at least 16 people dead, including five assailants, ended with the dramatic rescue of more than 200 people on Sunday after a raging gun battle. The attack was the latest in a series of deadly onslaughts carried out across the Horn of Africa by Al Shabab, a militant group linked to Al Qaeda, as the group seeks to stoke chaos and undermine Somalia’s government.
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RUSSIA TODAY
'No new election, unless you KILL ME': Defiant Lukashenko confronts enraged workers as key industrial sites erupt in strikes
The president of Belarus, who won his sixth term in last week’s controversial election, had a rough face-to-face with striking workers in Minsk, telling them the vote is a done deal – at least as long as he is alive.
https://www.rt.com/news/498191-lukashenko-workers-strike-protests/
Berlin mulls taking US threats over Nord Stream 2 to UN - head of German Energy Committee to RT
Germany is looking at bringing in the UN over Washington’s threats of sanctions against the Russian-led pipeline, saying the US pressure runs contrary to international law.
https://www.rt.com/news/498187-germany-nord-stream-un/
China awards country’s 1st Covid-19 vaccine patent amid ‘baseless’ US claims that Beijing stole coronavirus research
Germany has approved the country's first-ever coronavirus vaccine patent, state media reported, paving the way for home-grown inoculation aginst the illness. The vaccine, named Ad5-nCoV, was developed by biopharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics in partnership with a team led by a Chinese military infectious disease expert.
https://www.rt.com/news/498183-china-coronavirus-vaccine-patent-first/
‘I'm going to set an example’: President Maduro vows to be 1st Venezuelan to take Russian Covid-19 vaccine
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said he will be the first person in the country to take Russia's recentrly announced Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine when it arrives.
https://www.rt.com/news/498188-nicolas-maduro-covid19-vaccine-venezuela/
US blacklists 38 Huawei affiliates as Pompeo calls on allies to take similar measures to protect ‘international stability’
The secretary of state released a press statement on Monday applauding the Commerce Department’s decision to expand regulations designed to restrict US exports to Huawei, claiming that the Chinese company has “continuously tried to evade” rules first implemented in May. The new restrictions will prevent the telecommunications giant from obtaining chips made by third parties using US software or technology.
https://www.rt.com/news/498209-pompeo-huawei-blacklist-international-stability/
Blast hits joint Russian-Turkish military patrol in Syria's Idlib
A Turkish military vehicle has been hit by an unidentified explosive device while patrolling a highway in Syria’s Idlib, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation has said.
https://www.rt.com/news/498198-russia-turkey-patrol-blast/
UAE says deal with Israel is not directed at Tehran, summons Iran’s envoy after President Rouhani blasts agreement
The United Arab Emirates' agreement to normalize ties with ISrael was not directed against Iran, the Gulf state's foreign affairs minister claimed after the deal was slammed by Tehran.
https://www.rt.com/news/498182-uae-israel-iran-rouhani/
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THE GUARDIAN
Debt in developing countries has doubled in less than a decade
Debt relief was provided for poor countries at the end of the 1990s and in the mid-2000s, but the JDC said external debt payments as a share of government revenue had more than doubled from 6.7% to 14.3% since 2010 and were at their highest level since 2001.
The JDC said the number of countries in crisis had increased from 30 to 52 since 2018. The figures are likely to heighten concerns that many poor countries will find their debt burdens unpayable at a time when they are facing the quadruple blow of a global recession, weaker currencies, higher interest costs and a drop in remittances sent home from workers in developed nations.
Donald Trump vows 'snapback' over humiliating UN defeat on Iran arms embargo
Iran’s president said earlier on Saturday that the US had suffered a humiliating defeat when the council voted on the American proposal on Friday.
Russia and China voted against, while 11 members – including France, Germany and Britain – abstained. The US and the Dominican Republic were the only votes in favour.
Israel and UAE open phone link after historic deal
UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan called his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, in what Israel hailed as an important step.
Congratulating the UAE on “removing the blocks”, Israeli communications minister Yoaz Handel issued a statement on Sunday saying: “Many economic opportunities will open now, and these trust-building steps are an important step toward advancing states’ interests.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/17/israel-and-uae-open-phone-link-after-historic-deal
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AL JAZEERA
UAE-Israel agreement 'not directed at Iran'
The United Arab Emirates' agreement to normalise ties with Israel is a "sovereign decision" that was not directed at Iran, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said.
Israel and the UAE announced they were establishing full diplomatic relations in a US-brokered deal that will see Israel delay plans for annexation of land it already illegally occupies that is sought by the Palestinians for their future state.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/uae-israel-agreement-directed-iran-200817072023050.html
Somalia: Over a dozen killed in hours-long Mogadishu hotel siege
At least 16 people were killed and dozens wounded in a gun and bomb attack by the al-Shabab armed group on an upscale beachfront hotel in Somalia's capital.
The hotel siege ended on Sunday after a fierce three-hour gun battle between al-Shabab fighters and security forces that began with a suicide car bombing, government spokesman Ismael Mukhtar Omar said.
US: 18 shot in Cincinnati, 4 dead, in 'extremely violent night'
At least four people have died among 18 people people shot in a spate of shootings during an "extremely violent night" across the US city of Cincinnati, according to local media and police.
The bloodshed in the Ohio city of about 300,000 began when three people were shot at about midnight on Saturday (05:00 GMT) in the Walnut Hills neighbourhood.
Nile dam: Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan resume African Union-led talks
Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have agreed to present draft proposals over the management of Addis Ababa's giant and controversial Nile hydroelectric dam within two days, Sudan's water ministry has said.
"After lengthy discussions, the attendees decided to resume negotiations on Tuesday ... to work on unifying the texts of the agreements submitted by the three countries," the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
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GLOBAL TIMES
US seeks to block continent’s potential strategic independencej
With an eye on Central and Eastern European countries, the US is touting the so-called security issues to woo these countries to confront China and Russia. But actually the US is aiming to drive a wedge in Europe.
Therefore, some European countries side with the US in 5G matters, while some depend on the US for security. Others sway between European and US interests.
If the tip of a major power competition is the balance of power, cooperating with China and Russia will raise Europe's strategic position and value to the US. It will eventually help it achieve its goal of strategic independence. Europe is facing a choice.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1197980.shtml
Launching new cold war harder than diffusing one: Global Times editorial
If Washington wants to achieve its ultimate goal of reshaping China-US relations or launches a new cold war against China and opens an anti-China front to suppress China's development, it simply is impossible to do so. But there is room for the US to make trouble for China's development in multiple spheres.
Every time the US finds fault with China and harms China's interests, the US also suffers losses. As Chinese and US interests are deeply intertwined, both will bear the consequences if they decouple.
The international mobilization of a new cold war by the US has met many chills. At the current juncture, China's ability to diffuse any new cold war is more than the US' ability to launch one.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1197907.shtml
US dumped at UN Security Council with Iran sanctions
The US suffered a humiliating defeat on Friday at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) when only one country joined it to vote in favor for a proposal to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran, which is set to expire on October 18. Eleven members on the 15-member body, including Washington's strongest allies, such as France, Germany and the UK, abstained, despite pressure from the Trump administration.
The US' European allies have refused to support Washington's proposal because they have huge differences with the US regarding their core interests with Iran. Many unilateral actions taken by the US and the new cold war offensive it launched against China have been damaging to the international community and some of the US' closest European allies alike.
It was reported on Saturday that in order to "avoid confrontation and aggravation of the situation in the UN Security Council" regarding the Iran nuclear deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a videoconference of the heads of the UNSC permanent member states, along with the leaders of Iran and Germany. French President Emmanuel Macron said he is open to taking part in a virtual summit proposed by Putin, but Trump dismissed Putin's call by saying he probably will not participate
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1198017.shtml
Why doesn’t US pressure discourage Chinese companies’ IPOs?
Since the beginning of this year, Chinese companies' IPO financing in the US has reached $5.23 billion, more than twice that of the same period last year. Why don't continuous threats from Washington keep Chinese companies from listing in the US?
For starters, what the US is trying to do is set up "institutional barriers" for Chinese companies to go public in the US, but this is not in line with the rules of free flows of market resources
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1198012.shtml
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LE MONDE
Au Liban, le Hezbollah est sur la défensive depuis l’explosion
Le parti chiite compte rester au centre du jeu libanais, même s’il est l’objet de nombreuses critiques depuis le 4 août.
Hélène Sallon
L’explosion du 4 août a entraîné un déchaînement de haine contre le Hezbollah sur les réseaux sociaux et dans les médias proches de partis d’opposition. Le 7 août, le portrait d’Hassan Nasrallah a été, pour la première fois, soumis à un simulacre de pendaison par les manifestants à Beyrouth. Soupçons et rumeurs attribuent l’incident à une attaque israélienne contre un dépôt d’armes du Hezbollah. Et, même si la thèse accidentelle se dessine, la responsabilité du Parti de Dieu reste mise en cause.
Présidentielle américaine, J − 77 : une convention virtuelle pour mettre en scène l’unité des démocrates contre Trump
En raison du Covid-19, la convention d’investiture démocrate qui s’ouvre lundi à Milwaukee ne réunira pas les foules habituelles. Les grands noms du parti prendront la parole à distance.
Gilles Paris
Le choix de la sénatrice de Californie Kamala Harris comme candidate à la vice-présidence est approuvé par une majorité des Américains (54 %) selon un sondage publié par le Washington Post, dimanche 16 août. Le taux d’approbation est naturellement le plus élevé chez les démocrates (86 %, contre 8 % qui y sont opposés). Un quart des républicains le soutient également (55 % le désapprouvent). Les indépendants sont également majoritairement favorables à ce choix (52 % contre 29 % d’avis opposés).
Migrants dans la Manche : l’armée britannique renforce son soutien logistique aux gardes-côtes
Plus de 4 500 migrants sont arrivés au Royaume-Uni sur des embarcations de fortune depuis le début de l’année – soit plus du double du total de l’année 2019.
La mesure doit tenter d’endiguer les arrivées record de migrants tentant de traverser illégalement la Manche depuis la France. Dimanche 16 août, l’armée britannique a annoncé déployer un avion de surveillance supplémentaire et du personnel de la Royal Navy pour assister les gardes-côtes britanniques, afin de rendre cette voie « impraticable ».
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DEUTSCHE WELLE
Belarus: Tsikhanouskaya calls on security forces to switch allegiance
Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says Belarus should create a legal framework for a new fair election. She also called on security forces to switch sides from President Alexander Lukashenko.
https://m.dw.com/en/belarus-tsikhanouskaya-calls-on-security-forces-to-switch-allegiance/a-54592262
US lawmakers' recalled over USPS mail-in votes crisis
Nancy Pelosi has cut short lawmakers' summer recess over a crisis at the US Postal Service. It has warned that it cannot guarantee all votes for November's presidential election will arrive in time to be counted.
https://m.dw.com/en/us-lawmakers-recalled-over-usps-mail-in-votes-crisis/a-54592526
La UE celebrará el miércoles una cumbre extraordinaria sobre Bielorrusia
El presidente del Consejo Europeo aseguró que "el pueblo bielorruso tiene el derecho a decidir su futuro y elegir libremente a su líder", al tiempo que condenó como "inaceptable" la violencia contra los manifestantes.
Pandemia se mantiene sin freno en Latinoamérica
Perú registra récord de más 10.000 contagios en un día, Venezuela su peor semana y Colombia ronda el medio millón de casos.
https://m.dw.com/es/pandemia-se-mantiene-sin-freno-en-latinoam%C3%A9rica/a-54590934
El rey emérito español Juan Carlos I está en Emiratos Árabes Unidos
El paradero del anterior jefe del Estado español no era conocido desde que el 3 de agosto Zarzuela emitiera otro comunicado en el que trasladaba la decisión de don Juan Carlos de abandonar España.
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WALL STREET JOURNAL
Interior Secretary to Approve Oil Drilling in Alaska's Arctic Refuge
Decision would open part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for the first time
The Trump administration plans to approve an oil leasing program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Monday, opening up the pristine 19-million-acre wilderness to drilling for the first time and making it difficult to unwind the decision should Democrats recapture the White House in November.
Indian Miner Offers Over 13% Yield to Sell Junk Debt
Vedanta Resources hopes to draw investors with hefty interest rates
An Indian commodities giant is preparing to pay one of the highest yields on a dollar bond in emerging markets this year, showing there are still pockets of stress in the credit markets despite a dramatic wider recovery.
Illegal U.S.-Mexico Border Crossings Are Rising Again, Driven by Single Adults
New trend is a marked change from the waves of Central American families in recent years; repeat crossings become popular after Covid-related change
Illegal crossings are back on the rise at the southern U.S. border after having plummeted at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, driven by a large increase in single adults from Mexico.
White House Plans to Boost AI, Quantum Funding by 30%
The budget proposal comes amid pressure from China, which is investing heavily in emerging technologies
The Trump administration has proposed a spending increase of about 30% in the 2021 nondefense budget for artificial intelligence and quantum information science.
Marketers Extend Their Social-Media Scrutiny Beyond Facebook
IPG Mediabrands begins a quarterly report on social platforms’ practices
The July advertiser boycott against Facebook Inc. over the way it handles unwelcome content generated some results, at least in the eyes of organizers, and a flood of headlines.
Amazon’s Cloud Unit to Offer Quantum Computing From 3 Tech Companies
Fidelity Investments was among the companies involved in testing the new service, which will allow businesses to experiment with the super-fast computing
Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud division said Thursday it has launched a commercial service that allows millions of customers to experiment with quantum computing platforms produced by three technology companies. Amazon Braket, part of Amazon Web Services, lets existing AWS customers experiment with early-stage quantum computing machines from D-Wave Systems Inc., IonQ Inc. and Rigetti Computing over its cloud.
Trump Signs Order Setting Deadline for TikTok Sale
Order concludes national-security investigation, latest action against Chinese owner of video-sharing app
President Trump issued an order late Friday calling on TikTok’s Chinese owner to divest itself of the video-sharing app’s U.S. operations, setting a 90-day deadline for the transaction to be completed.
Epic Games’ Founder Tim Sweeney Is Fighting Apple, Google. He’s Been Preparing for Years.
The game’s removal from the App Store and Google Play has become a flashpoint in a long battle between app developers and the tech giants
Tim Sweeney, chief executive of the company behind the popular videogame “Fortnite,” is now spearheading a battle that app developers have waged for years against two of the world’s biggest technology companies. And he is uniquely positioned to lead that fight against Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Mr. Sweeney and his company Epic Games Inc. have deep pockets. He is worth more than $8.5 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, and his company is valued at $17.3 billion, landing investments from companies including Walt Disney Co., Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Sony Corp.
Amazon Faces Antitrust Probe in Canada
Online retailer’s treatment of third-party sellers draws scrutiny
Canada’s antitrust watchdog said it has launched a civil investigation into Amazon.com Inc., and whether it is abusing its dominant position in the retail sector in its treatment of independent sellers on its site.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-faces-antitrust-probe-in-canada-11597414448?mod=tech_featst_pos1
Google Builds AI to Help Ships and Whales Coexist
Artificial intelligence trained to detect orca sounds in noisy waters is helping protect whales from vessel traffic.
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PÁGINA 12
China patentó una nueva vacuna contra el coronavirus
El gobierno de China aprobó la primera patente de una candidata a vacuna contra la Covid-19 que aún continúa en la fase III de pruebas y que, según se informó, es "rápida y fácil de preparar" y podría "ser producida en masa en un breve periodo de tiempo". Será probada en personas expuestas al virus y aún no se informó cuánto tardará en salir al mercado.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/285594-china-patento-una-nueva-vacuna-contra-el-coronavirus
La negación del coronavirus aísla a Jair Bolsonaro
La guerra (fría) librada por Jair Bolsonaro con la excusa del coronavirus agrava su aislamiento internacional. Las advertencias de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) sobre la falta de medidas contra la dolencia, son ejemplos de cómo el mundo le da la espalda a una administración negacionista.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/285534-la-negacion-del-coronavirus-aisla-a-jair-bolsonaro
Murió la hermana de Evo Morales por coronavirus
Esther Morales Ayma, hermana del expresidente Evo Morales, falleció este domingo en un hospital de la ciudad boliviana de Oruro, donde permanecía internada por coronavirus, un cuadro que se agravó por complicaciones renales que arrastraba hace tiempo. Esther Morales estaba a cargo de un pequeño comercio. Muchos tras su muerte recordaron que pudo haberse convertido en primera dama en 2006. Pero la hermana mayor de Evo siempre cultivó el perfil bajo, aunque desde su cercanía a las mujeres de la Bartolina Sisa no le escapó a los debates políticos y sociales. El exmandatario, que se encuentra en Argentina luego del golpe de Estado del 10 de noviembre, despidió a su única hermana, a quien consideraba una madre, y lamentó la imposibilidad de despedirla como corresponde en Bolivia.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/285445-murio-la-hermana-de-evo-morales-por-coronavirus
El gobierno de facto de Bolivia contrató una consultora para "lavar su imagen"
El Ministerio de Gobierno de Bolivia pagó con recursos del Estado mil dólares por día, por un período de 90 días (de diciembre 2019 a principios de marzo del 2020) por servicios para comunicación estratégica de la consultora CLS-Strategies con sede en Washington. La empresa, de acuerdo a la información recabada por el sitio Bolnews.press , tiene gran experiencia en promover a presidentes como Álvaro Uribe y en defender el monopolio de la producción de fármacos en USA.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/285473-el-gobierno-de-facto-de-bolivia-contrato-una-consultora-para
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EL TIEMPO
Los detalles detrás de la masacre de 8 universitarios en Samaniego
La noche del sábado fue de terror en Samaniego, Nariño. Un grupo de jóvenes, entre los 17 y 25, departían en la vereda Santa Catalina de esta población, cuando cuatro hombres armados arremetieron con fusiles y armas de corto alcance contra todas las personas que estaban allí.
Según relatos que los sobrevivientes manifestaron a las autoridades, un grupo de unos 50 amigos se reunieron en una finca a las afueras del casco urbano para recordar el Festival de Bandas, el cual se canceló en Samaniego por la pandemia y se hacía por estos días. Celebraron con música y cerveza.
Corte tiene 48 horas para responder 260 tutelas pro Álvaro Uribe
Además de notificarle al Inpec y al Senado la imposición de medida de aseguramiento en contra del expresidente Álvaro Uribe –dentro del proceso por presunto soborno en actuación penal y fraude procesal–, la Sala de Instrucción de la Corte Suprema se ha tenido que ocupar de otro impacto de este proceso.
Narcocultivos, tras la disputa entre grupos ilegales en Nariño
El control de los cultivos ilícitos, de la producción y las rutas ilegales del narcotráfico en Nariño, que hasta el 2018 fue el departamento con más cultivos de coca en el país, es una de las razones que hace que esta región siga bajo la disputa de diferentes grupos armados.
EE. UU. anunciará inversión privada para Colombia
El asesor de Seguridad Nacional de Estados Unidos, Robert O’Brien, en diálogo con EL TIEMPO, anunció “la nueva iniciativa de crecimiento entre EE. UU. y Colombia para catalizar hasta 5.000 millones de dólares de inversión privada en las zonas rurales” del país y explicó que con este dinero se busca “apoyar la oportunidad económica, la estabilidad y la seguridad”.
El anuncio se oficializará durante el encuentro que tendrá este lunes con el presidente Iván Duque en la Casa de Nariño, hacia el mediodía. Además hablarán de seguridad, lucha contra el narcotráfico, Venezuela y la inmigración de ciudadanos de ese país hacia Colombia.
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LA JORNADA
Contaminados, 59 por ciento de cauces, lagos y arroyos en México
De 4 mil 210 sitios de agua superficiales (cauces, arroyos y lagos) 59 por ciento tiene algún problema de calidad del líquido. Contienen materia orgánica u otras sustancias 30 por ciento, mientras otro 29 por ciento presenta coliformes fecales, sólidos suspendidos o carencia de oxígeno, lo cual es un problema para la vida acuática, sostuvo Blanca Jiménez, directora de la Comisión Nacional del Agua (Conagua).
https://www.jornada.com.mx/2020/08/17/politica/011n1pol
Reportan primeras detenciones por asesinato de 9 jóvenes en Colombia
Colombia. El director de Seguridad Ciudadana de Colombia, general Jorge Luis Vargas, ha anunciado este domingo las dos primeras detenciones por el asesinato de nueve jóvenes en la zona rural de Samaniego, en el departamento de Nariño, al suroeste de Colombia.
Familias indígenas en Guatemala huyen tras ataque de grupo armado
Guatemala. Al menos 40 familias campesinas de la etnia q'eqchi' huyeron hacia las montañas de Alta Verapaz, una región boscosa al norte de Guatemala, después de que un grupo armado las sacó de sus casas y quemó algunas de ellas, dijo el domingo una importante organización campesina.
Fallece en La Paz la hermana de Evo Morales
La Paz., Esther Morales, hermana del ex presidente Evo Morales, murió la madrugada de ayer en Bolivia, tuiteó el líder indígena, quien se encuentra exiliado en Argentina, y denunció que el odio, el racismo y la persecución política en su contra le impiden dar el último adiós a su ser querido.
