Nigeria signals readiness to negotiate with Boko Haram rebels

Felipe May 14, 2014

Nigeria’s government signalled willingness today to negotiate with Islamist militants holding more than 200 schoolgirls, a month after the kidnap that has provoked global outrage.

«The window of negotiation is still open,» Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Turaki told Reuters by telephone.

He was speaking a day after Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau posted a video offering to release the girls in exchange for prisoners held by the government.

Senior officials say the government is exploring options and has made no commitment to negotiations for the release of the girls and Turaki declined to comment on possible talks over the kidnapping itself.

Instead, he referred to an amnesty committee that he heads set up by President Goodluck Jonathan last year to talk to the Boko Haram militants behind a five-year-old insurgency.

The committee’s initial six-month mandate expired without holding direct talks with the rebels, though it has spoken to them through proxies. It has since been replaced by a standing committee empowered to conduct talks, officials said.

Boko Haram has killed thousands of people since 2009 and destabilised parts of northeast Nigeria, the country with Africa’s largest population and biggest economy.

The abductions have triggered a worldwide social media campaign under the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, and prompted the United States, Britain, France and Israel to offer help or send experts to Nigeria. US surveillance aircraft were flying over remote areas of the northeast today.

The video showed more than 110 girls sitting on the ground in a rural location, the first time they have been seen in captivity.

Though at least some of them are Christian, and Shekau described them as ‘infidels’, they were wearing full Islamic veils and singing and chanting Muslim prayers.

It was not clear when or where the video was filmed or whether Shekau, who sat in front of a green backdrop holding an AK-47 during part of the video, was in the same location as the girls.

Those shown were among 276 abducted on April 14 from a secondary school in the village of Chibok, Borno state, in a sparsely populated region near the borders with Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Some escaped but about 200 are still missing. The group initially threatened to sell them into slavery.

STATE OF EMERGENCY

Jonathan returned to Abuja today from the Congo Republic, where he held talks with President Denis Sassou ahead of a regional summit in Paris on Saturday.

He asked parliament for a six-month extension of a state of emergency in the northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe due to persistent attacks by Boko Haram. The emergency was declared last May and extended in November.

Yobe state Governor Ibrahim Gaidam rejected the proposal on the grounds that local people had suffered under the emergency and this harmed the government’s counter-insurgency strategy.

After being accused of a sluggish response to the kidnapping, the government has sent thousands of troops to the region, while the United States and Britain also have teams on the ground to help with the search.

The US State Department said Washington had sent in military, law-enforcement and development experts.

«We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are flying manned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the government’s permission,» a US official said.

Britain’s minister for Africa Mark Simmonds would travel to the Nigerian capital on Wednesday for talks on further assistance, the Foreign Office in London said.

Borno state Governor Kashim Shettima said 77 of the girls in the video had been identified by parents, fellow students and girls who escaped the abductions.

«The video got parents apprehensive again after watching it, but the various steps taken by the governments and the coming of the foreign troops is boosting our spirit,» said Dumoma Mpura, a leader at the girls’ boarding school.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Six powers and Iran to restart nuclear talks

Felipe May 14, 2014

Six world powers and Iran launch the decisive phase of diplomacy over Tehran’s nuclear work during three-day talks starting in Vienna, with the aim of resolving their decade-old dispute by July 20 despite scepticism a deal is possible.

After three months of broad discussions about expectations rather than possible compromises, the sides now plan to start drafting the text of a final accord that could put an end to years of hostility and mistrust and curtail the risk of a new war in the Middle East.

In the next two months, the six powers – the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany – want Iran to agree to dramatically cut back its nuclear work, which they fear has the aim of producing weapons, while Iran wants them to eliminate devastating economic sanctions.

Diplomats from both sides have said they want to resolve all sticking points about issues such as Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium and the future of its nuclear facilities, as well as the timeline of sanctions relief, by the middle of July.

After that, an interim deal they struck last November expires and its extension would likely complicate talks.

A senior US official has warned about excessive optimism.

«Quite frankly, this is very, very difficult,» the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

«I would caution people that just because we will be drafting it certainly does not mean an agreement is imminent or that we are certain to eventually get to a resolution.»

Broadly, the six powers want to ensure the Iranian programme is curtailed enough so that it would take Iran a long time to assemble nuclear bomb components if it chose to do so. The Islamic Republic denies having such intentions.

Central to this will be the number of centrifuges, which potentially can enrich uranium to bomb-fuel quality, that will be acceptable to remain in Iran.

Tehran has about 10,000 of the machines operating but the West will likely want that number cut to the low thousands, a demand that could be unacceptable to Iranian negotiators.

Iran’s research and development of new nuclear technologies and the amount of stockpiled enriched uranium it can keep will also be crucial.

Enriched uranium can be used as fuel in nuclear power plants or in weapons if purified to a high enough level.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Pope tells UN do more to help the poor

Felipe May 10, 2014

Pope Francis told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that the world body must do more to help the poor and should encourage the «legitimate redistribution» of wealth.

Francis, who since his election last year has often called for significant changes to economic systems, made his comments in an address to Ban and heads of many UN agencies meeting in Rome.

«In the case of global political and economic organization, much more needs to be achieved, since an important part of humanity does not share in the benefits of progress and is in fact relegated to the status of second-class citizens,» Francis said.

Francis, an Argentine, is the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and the first-ever Latin American pontiff. He has consistently used his meetings with world leaders, including US President Barack Obama in March, to champion the cause of the world’s have-nots.

He told the UN officials that while there had been a welcome decrease in extreme poverty and improvements in education «the world’s peoples deserve and expect even greater results».

A contribution to equitable development could be made «both by international activity aimed at the integral human development of all the world’s peoples and by the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the State …,» he said.

An awareness of everyone’s human dignity should encourage everyone «to share with complete freedom the goods which God’s providence has placed in our hands,» Francis said.

The pope, who was known as the «slum bishop» in his native Buenos Aires because of his frequent visits to shantytowns, is has said often since his election that he wants the Catholic Church to be closer to the poor.

He told the United Nations leaders that the organization’s future sustainable development goals must be formulated in a way to have a «a real impact on the structural causes of poverty and hunger».

In the past 14 months since his election, Francis has issued several strong attacks on the global economic system, saying in one speech last September that it could no longer be based on «a god called money».

In Friday’s address to the UN leadership, Francis also appeared to be taking a dig at recent sessions by two United Nations committees – one on sexual abuse and the other on torture – which criticized the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion.

Church groups said such criticisms were a violation of freedom of religion.

He told Ban that «life is sacred and inviolable from conception to natural death».

Ban also renewed an invitation for the pope to address the United Nations in New York.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

A global effort to ‘Bring Back Our Girls’

Felipe May 10, 2014

First there were the grieving relatives of the abducted girls. Then Nigerian human rights activists joined the protest. Now, the entire world, from celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Puff Daddy and Chris Brown to high-profile political figures like the First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have turned to social media with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, demanding he release of nearly 300 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamic group Boko Haram last month.

Beyond the obvious positive emotional repercussions the campaign has had, its effect on achieving the girls’ release remains yet to be seen.

Already beneficial

Last week, Boko Haram’s attack on a school in the city of Chibok, in the northeastern state of Borno, shed light on the horrific crimes these rebels have been carrying out in the name of the Muslim faith.

According to the US Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the group based in the North East of Nigeria is responsible for over 10,000 reported deaths since May 2011, with the number of victims increasing by 80 percent over the past year.

«This didn’t just break down this week. Boko Haram has been doing this since 2009,» the Executive Director of the Jubilee Campaign USA Anna Buwalda tells the BuenosAiresherald.com. Buwalda’s non profit organization has been very actively advocating against Boko Haram for years. “Its main targets have been christians, pastors and also schools,” she adds. The schoolgirls attack took weeks before reaching media outlets.

«This could happen to my children»

Boko Haram – which means «Western Education Is A Sin» – kidnapped the girls from their school in Chibok on April 14. International media echoed the story only last week.

To make sure the attack didn’t just disappear from headlines like many other cases have before, relatives of the missing girls launched a protest on the streets of Abuja, the country’s capital that spread accross the country, calling on the government to rescue the girls.

But Nigerian civil society activists took anti-Boko Haram claims a step further.

Considering the attack exposed the weaknesses of Nigeria’s security strategy, they began to advocate to «improve government’s accountability on security issues, particularly in the northeast.»

A month after the kidnapping, #BringBackOurGirls – first inspired by human rights activist and former government official Oby Ezekwesili’s speech at a UNESCO event on April 23 in the city of Port Harcourt -, has been used in social media nearly a million times – viralizing in Twittwer every 22 seconds on May 8 – to demand the girls’ freedom.

Although the campaign began locally, Anna Buwalda explains it then gained worldwide notoriety. “Now, primarily thanks to social media, people around the world are thinking ‘this could happen to my children’.»

#Bringbackourgirls viralizes in the real world

Campaigners have managed to raise public awareness outside the virtual world.

Nigerians in the US and the UK have organized protests in front of their country’s embassies and consulates. In London, a group of young activists were organizing a solidarity protest in front of the Nigerian consulate with speeches and singing which will end with the submission of an open letter to be delivered to Nigeria’s government.

Meanwhile, in Bonn, Germany, Nigerian expatriate Ify Elueze has created an online petition addressed to “all world leaders” to free the girls. It has already reached nearly 600,000 signatures.

“We all share a common bond in uniting for these young girls, and we pray that they are found,” Ify Elueze tells the BuenosAiresherald.com.

«#BringOurGirlsBack is bringing the world’s attention to what is happening in Nigeria. It was created to keep the missing girls on the news radar,” Sola Tayo, associate fellow at Africa Program of the London-based Chatham House told the BuenosAiresherald.com. “There is a real danger that the disappearance of these girls will be forgotten about and search efforts reduced. By keeping the hashtag and campaign in the news, the pressure will remain on the authorities to continue search efforts.”

Suorce: Buenos Aires Herald

Michelle Obama joins global protest to free Nigerian girls

Felipe May 10, 2014

The US First Lady has joined the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign that calls for military intervention to recover nearly 300 schoolgirls who have been kidnapped by Boko Haram rebels in north-east Nigeria.

“Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families,’ reads a caption in Michelle Obama’s Twitter account where she also uploaded a picture of herself showing the slogan of the campaign.

Washington has sent military experts to the African country in a bid to help authorities find the girls.

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai are among other voices joining the chorus of condemnation of the Nigeria situation supporting the «BringBack» call.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Putin arrives in Crimea, sparks Kiev condemnation

Felipe May 10, 2014

President Vladimir Putin flew in to Crimea for parades marking the Soviet victory in World War Two, his first visit since annexing the peninsula from a Ukraine that Russia says has been taken over by fascists.

In east Ukraine, where pro-Moscow rebels plan a referendum on Sunday to follow Crimea in breaking from Kiev, up to eight people were reported killed in the port of Mariupol, one of the bloodiest clashes yet between Ukrainian forces and separatists.

The head of NATO, locked in its gravest confrontation with Russia since the Cold War, condemned Putin’s visit to Crimea, whose annexation in March has not been recognized by Western powers. He also renewed doubts over an assurance by the Kremlin leader that he had pulled back troops from the Ukrainian border.

The government in Kiev called Putin’s visit a «provocation» that was intended deliberately to escalate the crisis.

Earlier today, Putin presided over the biggest Victory Day parade in Moscow for years. The passing tanks, aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles were a reminder to the world – and Russian voters – of Putin’s determination to revive Moscow’s global power, 23 years after the Soviet collapse.

«The iron will of the Soviet people, their fearlessness and stamina saved Europe from slavery,» Putin said in a speech to the military and war veterans gathered on Red Square.

He was expected to attend a military parade and other war anniversary events in Crimea. This year is also the 70th anniversary of the battle in which the Red Army won back control of the Black Sea peninsula from the Nazis.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: «His visit to Crimea is inappropriate.»

The head of the US-led defense pact was speaking in formerly Soviet Estonia, one of a host of east European nations that joined after the collapse of communism, seeking refuge from the power of Moscow, which many in the region regarded as having enslaved them following its victory in World War Two.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, in office since an uprising overthrew the Kremlin-backed elected president in Kiev in February, rejects Russian allegations that his power is the result of coup backed by neo-Nazi Ukrainian nationalists.

«Sixty-nine years ago, we, together with Russia, fought against fascism and won,» he said after a Victory Day church service in the capital. Now, he added, «history is repeating itself but in a different form».

Where Russia and Ukraine stood shoulder to shoulder in the past against Germany, now Germany was «standing shoulder to shoulder with us», along with the United States and Britain.

Ukraine’s SBU security service accused Russian saboteurs of setting a fire that briefly disrupted state broadcasting services and the Foreign Ministry issued a statement describing Putin’s visit as a deliberate escalation of the crisis.

In a dramatic and apparently conciliatory gesture, Putin urged the Ukrainian separatists on Wednesday to call off the secession referendum they plan in the Russian-speaking eastern industrial regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. But they plan to go ahead. Moscow insists it has no direct control over the armed militants, despite assertions to the contrary from Kiev.

In Sevastopol, where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet previously had to lease its base from Ukraine, servicemen and veterans marched in a parade before Putin’s arrival that also included armored vehicles and anti-aircraft missiles. Banners read «Sevastopol without Fascists» and «It’s our duty to remember».

The ethnic Russian majority among Crimea’s two million population broadly welcomed the Russian takeover that came in the wake of the Kiev uprising. Given by Soviet leaders to Ukraine only in the 1950s, many Russians long saw it as rightfully theirs. Western powers have imposed sanctions against Russia in response, but reactions have been muted.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Families of S.Korea ferry dead march on presidential palace

Felipe May 9, 2014

Parents of children killed when a passenger ferry sank last month led a sombre march on South Korea’s presidential palace in the early morning today, where they demanded to meet with President Park Geun-hye.

Clutching memorial portraits of their children, family members and grieving parents were prevented by riot police from nearing the palace, and instead sat in the middle of the road where they sobbed, wailed and shouted in anger.

«Listen to us, President Park. Just give us ten seconds!,» one family member said, using a portable address system. «Why are you blocking the way?,» said another. «President Park hear our voices!»

Seated on the ground in the middle of the night, they wore beige blankets and huddled in rows on the cold floor. One mother, overcome with grief, quietly sobbed as she stroked a portrait of her dead son.

Park’s government has faced continued criticism for its handling of the disaster from the families of the ferry victims, many of whom believe a faster initial response could have saved many more lives.

South Korean prosecutors are seeking the arrest of members of the family that owns the ferry operator, and may also seek the extradition of a son of the reclusive head of the family from the United States, an official said.

The Sewol, overloaded and travelling too fast on a turn, capsized and sank about 20 km (12 miles) off the southwest coast on a routine journey from Incheon on the mainland to the southern holiday island of Jeju, killing hundreds of children and teachers on a high school outing.

Only 172 people have been rescued and the remainder are all presumed to have drowned. An estimated 476 passengers and crew were on board.

However, some of the crew, including the captain were caught on videotape abandoning ship while the children were told numerous times to stay put in their cabins where they awaited further orders.

They paid for their obedience with their lives.

Heartbreaking new video released by families on the march showed students laughing as they tried, and failed, to scramble up a vertical floor.

Earlier footage recovered from the students’ mobile phones shows them playing around as the ship started listing, even joking about the sinking of the Titanic, when they had plenty of time to jump overboard.

Only two of the vessel’s 46 lifeboats were deployed.

The prosecutors’ pursuit of a son and a daughter of Yoo Byung-un, the head of the family that owns Chonghaejin Marine, the ferry operator, broadens the criminal investigation into the tragedy. The government has also started the process of stripping the company of its licence to operate ferries.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Yellen: 5-8 years to shrink Fed portfolio

Felipe May 9, 2014

The US Federal Reserve is in no rush to decide the appropriate size of its balance sheet, but if it ultimately shrinks it to a pre-crisis size, the process could take the better part of a decade, Fed Chair Janet Yellen has said.

Yellen, in testimony to a Senate panel, said no decision had yet been made on the central bank’s portfolio of assets, which has swollen to $4.5 trillion from about $800 billion in 2007.

Three rounds of asset purchases meant to stimulate the economy in the wake of the 2007-2009 financial crisis have boosted the balance sheet to this record level. Unsatisfied with the US recovery, the Fed is still adding $45 billion in bonds each month, though the purchases should end later this year.

Yellen said the portfolio should start to shrink once the Fed decides to raise near-zero interest rates.

«We’ve not decided, and we’ll probably wait until we’re in the process of normalizing policy to decide, just what our long-run balance sheet will be,» she told lawmakers, adding it will be «substantially lower» than it is now.

While the central bank could sell the mortgage-based bonds it has accumulated, in the past it has telegraphed that it would more likely simply stop re-investing funds from expired assets and then, over years, let the assets run off the balance sheet naturally.

«If we do that and nothing more, it would probably take somewhere in the neighborhood of five to eight years to get it back to pre-crisis levels,» Yellen said of halting reinvestments.

It was the Fed’s most explicit time frame yet for the delicate task of shrinking its balance sheet to a more normal level. The massive portfolio has sparked worries that, once the Fed starts to raise rates, inflation will shoot up. The Fed could also absorb losses if it decides to sell assets in the years ahead, a potential political headache for Yellen.

The five-to-eight-year timeline generally aligns with estimates of both private economists and a paper published last year by top Fed economists. A paper by JPMorgan economists predicts shrinking the Fed’s portfolio would take seven years.

Yellen, in her second day of testimony before lawmakers, again stressed that excessively low inflation drags on economic growth. But she rejected the idea, floated by some private economists, of trying to boost inflation above the Fed’s 2-percent target to ratchet down unemployment, saying it was critical to keep inflation expectations firmly anchored.

Inflation has been running just above 1 percent in the world’s biggest economy while unemployment, albeit falling, is still elevated at 6.3 percent.

Asked repeatedly about fiscal policies, Yellen took a page from her predecessor Ben Bernanke and urged the Congress to address the nation’s long-term budget challenges, warning that the current course was unsustainable.

«We can see that going out 20, 30, 50 years without some further shifts in fiscal policy, it’s projected that the ratio of debt to GDP will rise to unsustainable levels,» Yellen told the Senate Budget Committee.

«I would join my predecessor in saying that I do think it’s important that the Congress address that issue,» she said, adding recent tightening of fiscal policy had been one of the «headwinds» that had undercut the Fed’s efforts to foster a stronger economic recovery.

In another exchange, Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats, asked Yellen if she would favor the addition of a community banker to the Fed board, which currently has only four of its seven seats filled.

«Certainly I am in favor of that,» Yellen said, noting recently retired governors Elizabeth Duke and Sarah Bloom Raskin were very familiar with small banks. The Fed governor said she had conveyed her desire for a community banker on the Fed board to the White House, which nominates central bank governors.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Despite Putin’s call, pro-Russia separatists ratify self-rule vote

Felipe May 9, 2014

Pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine ignored a public call by Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone a referendum on self-rule, declaring they would go ahead on Sunday with a vote that could lead to war.

The decision, which contradicted the conciliatory tone set by Putin just a day earlier, caused consternation in the West, which fears the referendum will tear Ukraine apart.

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said Russia was heading down a «dangerous and irresponsible path» and the situation in Ukraine was «extremely combustible».

Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-declared separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, said the «People’s Council» had voted unanimously on Thursday to hold the plebiscite as planned.

«Civil war has already begun,» he told reporters. «The referendum can put a stop to it and start a political process.»

The announcement coincided with a sharp change of tone from Moscow, which had signaled a pullback from confrontation on Wednesday with Putin’s call for the vote to be delayed and a declaration that troops were withdrawing from Ukraine’s border.

Russian markets sank on the news, and in Kiev, officials promised to press on with their «anti-terrorist campaign» to retake control over the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regardless of the rebels’ decision on the vote.

Putin’s spokesman said the Kremlin needed more information about the rebel’s decision. He said the rebel statement came only after Kiev had declared it would press on with its military operation, implying that Ukraine was to blame for the rebels’ refusal to heed Putin.

NATO and the United States have both said they have seen no sign of a Russian withdrawal from the frontier despite Putin’s announcement he had pulled back troops.

When NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasumussen tweeted as much, the Russian Foreign Ministry tweeted back that «those with a blind eye» should read Putin’s statement.

NATO has accused Moscow of using special forces in the separatist takeover of mainly Russian speaking eastern Ukraine after annexing Crimea from Ukraine in March. Putin acknowledged his troops were active in Crimea after initially denying any role there but says they are not involved in eastern Ukraine.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

South Africa votes in its first ‘Born Free’ election

Felipe May 8, 2014

South Africans voted in the first «Born Free» election today, with polls suggesting the allure of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) as the conqueror of apartheid will prevail even among those with no memory of white-minority rule.

Voters young and old wrapped up against the early morning chill to stand in long lines across the country, evoking memories of the huge queues that snaked through streets and fields for South Africa’s historic all-race elections in 1994.

A firm idea of the outcome should emerge by midday tomorrow although there is little doubt about the result. Polls put ANC support at around 65 percent, only a shade lower than the 65.9 percent it won in the 2009 election that brought President Jacob Zuma to power.

The ANC’s enduring popularity has surprised analysts who said the party could suffer as its glorious past recedes into history and voters focus instead on the sluggish economic growth and slew of scandals that have typified Zuma’s first term.

His personal approval ratings have dipped, but Zuma appeared relaxed and assured as he voted at a school near Nkandla, ending what he described as a «very challenging» campaign.

«I hope that all voters will cast their votes free,» he told reporters. «This is our right that we fought for.»

Fuente: Buenos Aires Herald

Putin pulls troops from Ukrainian border and asks rebels to put off referendum

Felipe May 8, 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine to postpone a vote on secession just five days before it was to be held, potentially pulling Ukraine back from the brink of dismemberment.

It was the first sign the Kremlin leader has given that he would not endorse a referendum planned for Sunday by pro-Russian rebels seeking independence for two provinces with 6.5 million people and around a third of Ukraine’s industrial output.

In what appeared to be a breakthrough in the worst crisis between East and West since the Cold War, Putin also announced he was pulling Russian troops back from the Ukrainian border. Moscow has massed tens of thousands of troops on the frontier, proclaiming the right to invade Ukraine if Russian speakers were threatened.

«We call on the representatives of southeastern Ukraine, the supporters of the federalisation of the country, to postpone the referendum planned for May 11,» Putin said.

He said this would create conditions for dialogue between the Ukrainian authorities in Kiev and the separatists, some of whom want greater autonomy while others demand secession.

«We’re always being told that our forces on the Ukrainian border are a concern. We have withdrawn them. Today they are not on the Ukrainian border, they are in places where they conduct their regular tasks on training grounds,» Putin said.

He spoke in Moscow after talks with the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, who said the security and rights body would soon propose a «road map» to defuse the Ukraine crisis.

A pro-Russian separatist leader said the separatists would consider Putin’s call to postpone their referendum at a meeting of their self-proclaimed People’s Assembly tomorrow.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Nigeria offers $300,000 reward for information on missing girls

Felipe May 8, 2014

Nigerian police offered a 50 million naira ($300,000) reward on Wednesday to anyone who can give credible information leading to the rescue of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram Islamist rebels last month.

The authorities also confirmed that the number of girls kidnapped by the Islamist group’s latest attack is 11 and not eight as it was first reported.

According to local police reports, on Sunday Boko Haram kidnapped eight girls from Warabe town, in northeastern Borno and then attacked a second country, Wala, 5 kilometers away and abducted three more girls.

Last month’s mass kidnapping by militant group Boko Haram in the remote northeastern village of Chibok triggered an international outcry and protests in Nigeria, piling pressure on the government to get the girls back.

NEW ATTACK

Over 200 people died today in a new attack by Boko Haram islamists in northeastern Nigeria, according to a report by Dalily Trust local newspaper.

Gunmen stormed Gamboru town last night and arbitrarily murdered its inhabitants. «We’re counting bodies. At the moment 200 have been found, but there are many more,» local politician Abdulrahman Terab said.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Islamist Boko Haram claims abduction of 200 Nigerian schoolgirls

Felipe May 6, 2014

The Islamist militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility today for the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls during a raid in the village of Chibok in northeast Nigeria last month.

«I abducted your girls,» Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said on a video obtained by AFP news agency. «I will sell them in the market, by Allah,» he added, after reports that some of the 223 girls still missing may have been sold as brides across Nigeria’s border with Chad and Cameroon for as little as $12.

Boko Haram on April 14 stormed an all-girl secondary school in the village of Chibok, in Borno state, then packed the teenagers, who had been taking exams, onto trucks and disappeared into a remote area along the border with Cameroon.

The brazenness and sheer brutality of the school attack has shocked Nigerians, who had been growing accustomed to hearing about atrocities in an increasingly bloody five-year-old Islamist insurgency in the north.

Boko Haram, now seen as the main security threat to Africa’s leading energy producer, is growing bolder and extending its reach.

The kidnapping occurred the same day as a bomb blast, also blamed on Boko Haram, that killed 75 people on the edge of Abuja and marked the first attack on the capital in two years.

The militants repeated that bomb attack more than two weeks later in almost exactly the same spot, killing 19 people and wounding 34 in the suburb of Nyanya.

The girls’ abductions have been hugely embarrassing for the government and threaten to distract attention from its first hosting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) for Africa, this week.

The apparent powerlessness of the military to prevent the attack or find the girls in three weeks has triggered anger and protests in the northeast and in Abuja.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Witness feared Pistorius might kill himself

Felipe May 6, 2014

A defence witness in the murder trial of South African track star Oscar Pistorius told the court she feared the double amputee would shoot himself with the gun he used to kill his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day last year.

Carice Viljoen and her father Johan, the manager of Pistorius’ up-market Pretoria housing complex, were first on the scene after the 27-year-old shot dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013.

She said she feared Pistorius might use the gun he had left upstairs to kill himself after emergency services staff asked him to fetch the already dead Steenkamp’s identification.

«I was scared that he might shoot himself,» she told the court as the trial resumed after a two-week adjournment. «I couldn’t hear him. I called out to him to hurry up with the bag.»

Viljoen was the second defence witness called today, taking the stand after her father.

The testimony from both painted a picture of Pistorius as a broken man in the immediate aftermath of the killing. Johan Stander said Pistorius was «torn apart, broken, desperate, pleading» as he prayed for Steenkamp to stay alive.

Pistorius’ defence hinges on his assertion that he heard a noise in the middle of the night and thought it was an intruder climbing into the bathroom adjoining his bedroom.

When he heard another noise coming from the toilet he fired four shots through the door, thinking an intruder was behind it. Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law graduate and model, was hit by at least three of the four hollow-point rounds fired and died almost instantly. The state argues that Pistorius killed her deliberately in a fit of rage after the couple had a row.

If convicted of murder, Pistorius faces life in prison.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

UN urges the Vatican to end ‘climate of impunity’ on child abuse crisis

Felipe May 6, 2014

A UN committee on torture grilled the Vatican on the Catholic Church’s child sexual abuse crisis today, urging a permanent investigation system to end a «climate of impunity» prevailing for decades.

In a two-hour hearing in Geneva, the Committee Against Torture launched a barrage of questions to the Vatican delegation, asking about past policy decisions, the juridical distinction between the Holy See and Vatican City, and information on specific cases.

The Vatican, which will issue its formal answers on Tuesday, said the Church has been «doing its own house cleaning» for 10 years, was determined to protect children and that measures put in place have led to a decline in cases of sexual abuse of children by priests.

George Tugushi, a committee member from Georgia, said a recently formed international commission advising Pope Francis on how to deal with sexual abuse, was a very positive step but not enough.

«The commission may need help to ensure all cases are reported properly and begin to change the climate of impunity but it cannot be considered in our opinion as a substitute for a functioning investigation system,» he told the Vatican delegation headed by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi.

Another committee member, Satyabhoosun Gupt Domah of Mauritius, asked if the Holy See was taking steps to eliminate the «chemistry that creates the conditions» for sexual abuse of children by priests.

Soruce: Buenos Aires Herald

Frenchman working for the EU shot dead in Yemen

Felipe May 6, 2014

A French security agent working for the European Union (EU) mission was shot dead in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and second French national was injured as well as a yemeni citizen, as the army waged an offensive against al Qaeda in the south of the country.

«We have learnt with indignation and sadness of the death of a French national in Sanaa, victim of a shooting while on mission for the European Union delegation in Yemen,» French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement today. «France strongly condemns this act.»

Earlier today, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the EU confirmed there had been «a security incident in Sanaa involving contractors working for the EU delegation».

The Yemeni security sources said unidentified gunmen, who had been driving a four-by-four car without licence plates, blocked the diplomatic vehicle in which the Frenchman was travelling in the centre of Sanaa and opened fire, killing the security agent and injuring a second Frenchman as well as the Yemeni driver.

Westerners have frequently been attacked in Yemen, an impoverished US-allied country fighting Islamist militancy, southern secessionists, tribal conflicts and a Shi’ite Muslim rebellion in the north.

The country is home to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which authorities have blamed for a string of attacks on security forces and foreigners.

Last week the Yemeni army launched an offensive to drive al Qaeda and its allies out of their strongholds in two southern provinces. That came after a series of air strikes, believed led by US drones, that killed some 65 militants last month.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Kiev sends new special forces to Odessa

Felipe May 6, 2014

Pro-Russian rebels shot down a Ukrainian helicopter in fierce fighting near the eastern town of Slaviansk, and Kiev drafted police special forces to the southwestern port city of Odessa to halt a feared westward spread of rebellion.

Ukraine said the Odessa force, based on «civil activists», would replace local police who had failed to tackle rebel actions at the weekend. Its dispatch was a clear signal from Kiev that, while tackling rebellion in the east, it would vigorously resist any sign of a slide to a broader civil war.

Odessa, with its ethnic mix from Russians to Ukrainians, Georgians to Tatars a cultural contrast to the pro-Russian east, was quiet today. Ukrainian flags flew at half-staff for funerals of some of the dozens killed in clashes on Friday.

But in the east, fighting intensified around the pro-Russian stronghold of Slaviansk, a city of 118,000, where rebel fighters ambushed Ukrainian forces early in the day.

The Interior Ministry said five paramilitary police were killed. Separatists said four of their number had also died.

The sound of an air-raid siren could be heard in the centre of Slaviansk, and a church bell rang in the main square.

The self-declared pro-Russian mayor of Slaviansk Vyacheslav Ponomarev told Reuters by telephone: «(The Ukrainians) are deploying ever more forces here. Recently there was a parachute drop. … For us, they are not military, but fascists.»

Russia’s Foreign Ministry called on Kiev to «stop the bloodshed, withdraw forces and finally sit down at the negotiating table». It also published an 80-page report detailing «widespread and gross human rights violations» in Ukraine over the past six months for which it blamed the new government and its Western allies.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Reportan fuerte sismo en Japón sin riesgo de tsunami

Felipe May 5, 2014

La autoridad nuclear indicó que no se reportan incidentes en ninguna planta de energía; las autoridades descartaron heridos o daños graves y los servicios ya operan con normalidad
Un sismo con una magnitud preliminar de 6.2 grados en la escala de Richter sacudió el este de la isla japonesa de Honshu y los distritos centrales de Tokio, la capital; sin embargo, no hay alerta de tsunami, según la Agencia Meteorológica de Japón.

El fuerte sismo se produjo a las 05:18 horas locales del lunes (20:18 GMT) del domingo con epicentro en la isla Izu Oshima, al sur de la capital, y a 160 kilómetros de profundidad, señaló la agencia.

El sismo fue registrado en menos de cinco grados en la escala sísmica de Japón de siete grados en algunas zonas del área de Tokio.

Sin embargo, según el Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos (USGS), el sismo en el este de la isla japonesa de Honshu fue de 6.0 grados.

El temblor se registró a unos 23 kilómetros de la localidad de Ito, en la prefectura de Shizuoka, y a una profundidad de 156 kilómetros, reportó el centro estadunidense.

La oficina de la Autoridad Reguladora Nuclear señaló que el sismo no causó problemas en las instalaciones de las plantas nucleares ubicadas en las prefecturas de Ibaraki, Niigata y Fukushima.

El Departamento de la Policía Metropolitana de Tokio indicó que no había reportes de víctimas ni personas heridas, de acuerdo con un despacho de la agencia japonesa de noticia Kyodo.

Todos los sistemas de metro en Tokio fueron suspendidos temporalmente tras el terremoto, causando retrasos de unos 10 minutos, según el operador de metro de la capital japonesa.

Los movimientos más fuertes se registraron en el centro de Tokio, en donde se encuentran los ministerios y administraciones del país, según los datos facilitados por la agencia.

Según la televisión pública NHK, el sismo no ha producido ningún daño reseñable y tanto los servicios ferroviarios como los principales aeropuertos operan con normalidad.

En marzo de 2011, la central de Fukushima fue devastada por un terremoto y posterior tsunami que sacudió a la coste noreste de Japón, en el peor accidente registrado en un planta nuclear en el mundo en los últimos 25 años.

El archipiélago japonés, una de las regiones de mayor actividad sísmica del mundo, se asienta sobre el cinturón de fuego en la confluencia de las placas de Norteamérica, del Pacífico, del mar de Filipinas y de Eurasia.

Fuente: El Uninersal

Los prorrusos asaltan una comisaría en Odesa

Felipe May 5, 2014

Grupos separatistas liberaron a decenas de activistas detenidos; Berlín busca reactivar el diálogo

KIEV.- Horas después de la tragedia que dejó 46 muertos el viernes en Odesa, manifestantes prorrusos y la policía ucraniana volvieron a enfrentarse ayer en esa ciudad portuaria, mientras en el este del país continuaba la «operación antiterrorista» del gobierno de Kiev contra los separatistas.

Tras una manifestación en la que participaron 2000 opositores al gobierno de Kiev, activistas prorrusos asaltaron la sede local de las fuerzas de seguridad, según consignaron varios medios locales. Armados con bastones, la multitud rompió una puerta y exigió la puesta en libertad de sus compañeros detenidos.

Los separatistas prorrusos liberaron de la comisaría a casi 70 activistas, mientras el primer ministro ucraniano culpó a la corrupción policial por las decenas de muertes en los enfrentamientos de los últimos días.

«¡Los rusos no abandonarán a los suyos!», cantaban los hombres mientras rompían ventanas y forzaban la puerta de la comisaría, en la que varios de sus compañeros permanecían retenidos desde el caos vivido el viernes. Otros gritaban «¡Rusia! Rusia!» y «¡No perdonaremos!».

A algunos policías se les ofreció la cinta negra y naranja, una insignia militar rusa que se ha convertido en un símbolo de las revueltas, y cuando algunos agentes la aceptaron una multitud de cientos de activistas lo festejaron.

A medida que la rebelión y la escalada de violencia van en aumento, se hacen cada vez más evidentes las dudas sobre la capacidad del ejército y la policía ucraniana para hacer frente al levantamiento que según Kiev está respaldado por Moscú y liderado sobre el terreno por fuerzas especiales rusas, una acusación que el Kremlin rechaza.

La policía de Mariupol dijo que insurgentes afines a Moscú habían engañado a los soldados de un puesto de control para que comieran alimentos que contenían un somnífero. Los soldados fueron luego atados junto a sus armas.

En Konstantinovka resultaron heridos varios militares durante la lucha para recuperar una torre de televisión, y también se informó de disparos en Kramatorsk y Slaviansk, donde el sábado fueron liberados los observadores militares de la Organización para la Seguridad y Cooperación en Europa (OSCE) que estaban retenidos desde el 25 de abril.

El primer ministro ucraniano, Arseni Yatseniuk, acusó a Rusia de instigar los enfrentamientos que llevaron a la muerte de más de 40 activistas prorrusos en un edificio en llamas en esa ciudad. Pero fue muy crítico con la policía.

«Si el sistema de cumplimiento de la ley en Odesa no hubiera operado exclusivamente en el Mercado del Séptimo Kilómetro y hubiera protegido a las personas, estas organizaciones terroristas habrían sido desbaratadas», sostuvo.

El Séptimo Kilómetro es un mercado abierto a las afueras de Odesa, asociado en la conciencia popular con la corrupción y el negocio del mercado negro que ha marcado los 23 años de independencia de Ucrania de la URSS.

Los enfrentamientos del viernes pasado fueron los más mortales desde que el ex presidente Viktor Yanukovich huyó del país, en febrero, y activistas prorrusos iniciaron levantamientos en el este industrial de Ucrania.

En tanto, el presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, y la canciller alemana, Angela Merkel, discutieron sobre la crisis en una llamada telefónica y destacaron la importancia de una «acción internacional efectiva» para reducir las tensiones. El Kremlin informó que Berlín busca que las partes vuelvan a la mesa de negociaciones en Ginebra.

Los acontecimientos de las últimas horas no hacen más que elevar la preocupación sobre el advenimiento de una guerra civil en Ucrania, que tendría consecuencias imprevisibles para sus vecinos, Rusia y los Estados miembros de la OTAN.

EL PAPA VOLVIÓ A LLAMAR A LA PAZ EN UCRANIA

En un nuevo llamado a la paz en Ucrania, el papa Francisco invitó ayer a rezar por las víctimas de la violencia de los últimos días en ese país que se encuentra al borde de una guerra civil.
«Queridos hermanos y hermanas, deseo invitarlos a confiar a la Virgen la situación en Ucrania, donde persisten las tensiones. Rezo con ustedes por las víctimas de estos últimos días y pido al Señor dar a todos sentimientos de pacificación y de fraternidad», dijo el Papa después de la misa de Regina Coeli.
Hace una semana, Francisco recibió al premier ucraniano, Arseni Yatseniuk, al que prometió que hará «todo lo posible» por la paz en Ucrania.
Agencias DPA, EFE y Reuters.

Fuente: La Nación

Kiev acusa a Moscú de querer destruir Ucrania

Felipe May 4, 2014

Ucrania acusó hoy a Rusia de querer «destruir» el país tras la propagación de los disturbios de los separatistas en el este y la violencia en Odesa, donde los prorrusos atacaron la sede de la policía.

Unas 2 mil personas lanzaron hoy un asalto contra la sede de la policía de esta ciudad portuaria del sur, exigiendo y obtuviendo la puesta en libertad de todos sus camaradas detenidos, observó la AFP.

Más de un centenar de personas habían sido detenidas el viernes tras violentos enfrentamientos entre prorrusos y partidarios de una Ucrania unida. La violencia desembocó en un incendio criminal en el que murieron unas 40 personas, principalmente prorrusos.

«Lo que ocurrió en Odesa forma parte del plan de la Federación de Rusia para destruir Ucrania y su Estado», acusó el primer ministro ucraniano, Arseni Yatseniuk, que llegó durante la mañana a esta ciudad a orillas del Mar Negro.

«El objetivo de Rusia es repetir en Odesa lo que ocurre en el este del país», agregó. «Es un plan financiado y organizado por profesionales que manipularon a gente normal, pero nuestra unión será la mejor respuesta a estos terroristas».

Hoy marcaba en Ucrania el segundo día de «luto nacional» por las víctimas de la tragedia en Odesa.

Yatseniuk, vestido con traje y corbata negros en señal de luto, anunció también el despido y reemplazo de todos los altos cargos de la policía en la ciudad.

Varios testigos en Odesa contaron a la AFP lo ocurrido en la tragedia del pasado viernes. El incendio, según ellos, fue producto de una venganza de miles de hinchas de fútbol y manifestantes proucranianos, furiosos de haber sido atacados horas antes por militantes prorrusos.

Una muchedumbre enfurecida invadió y destruyó un campamento de tiendas de campaña prorruso en la ciudad, y luego asedió la Casa de los Sindicatos, donde se habían refugiado los separatistas, 42 de los cuales murieron atrapados en el inmueble, que fue incendiado con cócteles molotov.

«Ira divina»

El patriarca ortodoxo de Kiev, Filaret, también culpó a Rusia. «Los servicios especiales rusos están detrás de esta explosión de violencia y de actos terroristas. Es el gobierno ruso y el presidente (Vladimir) Putin que son personalmente responsables», lanzó el domingo.

Al dirigirse directamente a Rusia y a sus dirigentes, añadió: «paren, no multipliquen sus pecados, no provoquen un nuevo baño de sangre. ¡No os ganéis la ira divina!».

La noche del sábado fue tensa en el este, donde se registraron numerosos incidentes violentos en la cuenca minera oriental de Donbass, fronteriza con Rusia, que agrupa a las regiones de Lugansk y Donetsk.

Hubo incidentes en Lugansk, Donetsk y Mariupol. El humo que se desprendía de los restos de los puntos de control rebeldes destruidos durante los combates nocturnos se podían ver desde cerca de Kostiantinivka.

En Kramatorsk, todavía bajo control rebelde, pese al ataque el sábado del ejército de un puesto cercano, «la gente tiene mucho miedo», declaró el militante prorruso Artiom Gaspogrian. «Nadie pensaba que podría haber operaciones militares en Kramatorsk».

En cambio en el feudo rebelde de Slaviansk todo parecía tranquilo, tras la liberación la víspera de los observadores de la Organización para la Seguridad y la Cooperación Europea después de ocho días en manos de los separatistas.

En Jarkov, unos 500 militantes prorrusos ignoraron una prohibición de manifestarse y se reunieron ante un monumento de Lenin. «No olvidaremos», «no perdonaremos» lo ocurrido en Odesa, gritaban. «Slaviansk, ciudad heroíca», clamaban también.

Por su parte, el secretario del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional y de Defensa, Andrei Parubiim, advirtió ayer que tras la operación lanzada el pasado viernes en Slaviansk y Kramatorsk, el ejército ucranio llevará «la fase activa de la operación a otras ciudades» controladas por los separatistas.

«Se vierte sangre en Ucrania»

Rusia por su parte denunció hoy un «bloqueo» de las informaciones emitidas en Occidente sobre los «trágicos acontecimientos» en Ucrania.

«Incluso en los círculos de la OSCE, nadie sabe que se está virtiendo sangre en Ucrania y que el ejército dispara contra gente desarmada. ¿De qué libertad de expresión y de la prensa se puede hablar en estas condiciones?», se indignó el ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores ruso.

Rusia, que los occidentales y Kiev acusan de teledirigir en la sombra los disturbios en el este, había considerado «absurdo hablar de elecciones» en Ucrania, en el contexto actual de violencia.

Está prevista una elección presidencial anticipada el 25 de mayo para elegir al sucesor de Victor Yanukovich, destituido en febrero.

El dominical alemán Bild am Sonntag aseguró por su parte que decenas de especialistas de los servicios secretos y de la policía federal de Estados Unidos aconsejan al Gobierno ucraniano para ayudarle a poner fin a la rebelión en el este.

Bild precisó que los agentes no estaban directamente involucrados en los combates contra los militantes prorrusos. «Su actividad está limitada a la capital, Kiev», agregó.

Fuente: http://www.lostiempos.com/

Mueren 37 supuestos terroristas de Al Qaeda en Yemen

Felipe May 4, 2014

Al menos 37 supuestos miembros de la red terrorista Al Qaeda murieron en una operación militar contra uno de sus feudos en la provincia de Shebua, en el sur del país, informó el Ministerio yemení de Defensa.

Este ataque del ejército, que se enmarca en la ofensiva militar lanzada hace una semana en el sur del país, causó además heridas a decenas de extremistas en la zona de Yul Reda.

Otras operaciones en Shebua lograron, según Defensa, «limpiar una serie de zonas de elementos terroristas», como Mefraq al Said, Hesat al Labn, Al Karif y Al Naqaba.

Las fuerzas de seguridad tomaron asimismo el control de la carretera que comunica las provincias de Hadramut, Shebua y Abien, todas en el sur del país.

Esta estratégica vía cruza varias zonas que están dominadas por los miembros de Al Qaeda en la Península Arábiga -con base en Yemen- y otros grupos afines.

La nota del Ministerio de Defensa no proporciona detalles sobre los combates entre ambos bandos o sobre eventuales bajas en las filas de las Fuerzas Armadas.

El sábado, cinco miembros de Al Qaeda en la Península Arábiga, entre ellos un líder checheno, fueron abatidos en Abien, blanco también de la citada campaña militar.

La amplia ofensiva de las Fuerzas Armadas contra los bastiones de la organización yihadista, la mayor desde 2012, cuenta con el respaldo de combatientes tribales.

En 2012, el ejército logró expulsar a los extremistas de varias ciudades del sur del país, como Zinyibar, que habían permanecido en manos de los combatientes de Al Qaeda durante casi un año.

El grupo terrorista perpetra con frecuencia atentados contra las fuerzas de seguridad yemeníes, algunos de ellos de gran impacto contra sedes militares, y también contra objetivos extranjeros.

Las autoridades estadounidenses creen que Al Qaeda en la Península Arábiga es uno de los brazos más peligrosos y activos de la red terrorista, por lo que respaldan al Ejército yemení con aviones no tripulados.

Fuente: http://www.elesquiu.com/

Descarrilamiento en la India deja 19 muertos

Felipe May 4, 2014

Nueva Delhi. Un tren de pasajeros descarriló hoy en el oeste de la India y mató al menos a 19 personas, además de herir a más de 100.

La locomotra y cuatro de sus veinte vagones se salieron de la vía cerca de la estación de Roha, a 110 kilómetros al sur de Mumbai. Los equipos de rescate utilizaron sopletes para abrir los coches descarrilados y llegar a los viajeros atrapados.

Los accidentes ferroviarios son comunes en la India, país que cuenta con una de las mayores redes de trenes del mundo y transporta a 20 millones de pasajeros al día. La mayoría de los accidentes se atribuyen a la falta de mantenimiento y errores humanos.

Fuente: http://elcomercio.pe/

Más de 2.000 muertos en uno de los peores desastres naturales de Afganistán

Felipe May 3, 2014

Los equipos de rescate proseguían hoy sus labores por segundo día consecutivo aunque con pocas esperanzas por los escasos medios de que disponen

Fawad Waziri. Kabul (EFE).- Más de 2.000 personas murieron por el corrimiento de tierras que se produjo ayer en el noreste de Afganistán y que es uno de los peores desastres naturales del que se tiene registro en la historia del país asiático.
Los equipos de rescate proseguían hoy sus labores por segundo día consecutivo aunque con pocas esperanzas por los escasos medios de que disponen en su búsqueda de supervivientes entre las montañas de lodo y piedras en que se ha convertido la zona afectada.
Esa precariedad de medios no permitirá que al menos hasta dentro de varias semanas se conozca el número exacto de víctimas mortales causadas por el siniestro, pero las autoridades de la región dan por seguro que finalmente superará los dos millares.
Shah Wali Adeeb, gobernador de la provincia de Badakhshan, escenario del deslave, afirmó en unas declaraciones a Efe que «más de 2.000 personas han muerto» por el desastre, y que las autoridades han creado «una comisión para identificar a las víctimas».
Adeeb advirtió, no obstante, de que uno de los problemas para la identificación de las de sexo femenino es que «en la cultura afgana las familias no registran el nombre de las mujeres, por lo que conocemos el apellido pero no el nombre de muchas».
El gobernador provincial dijo que se han recuperado 300 cadáveres, pero apuntó que «quedan muchísimos que permanecen sepultados».Dos helicópteros han partido de Kabul para colaborar en las labores de rescate, que hasta ahora se han desarrollado con palas y «no han tenido mucho éxito debido a que los utensilios que tenemos no sirven de mucho en este caso», reconoció el funcionario.
«Algunas casas están a 30 metros de profundidad», explicó.En unas declaraciones a la agencia local AIP, Shah Walliulah Adeeb, había advertido con anterioridad que sin ayuda exterior sería imposible rescatar a las víctimas, ante la cantidad de tierra que cubre el lugar donde se produjo la catástrofe.
Unas 700 familias pudieron ser trasladadas ayer a zonas seguras, ante la inestabilidad del terreno en el área, y fueron alojadas en tiendas de campaña para pasar la noche, mientras que otras 2.000 personas fueron evacuadas hoy tras recibir los primeros auxilios.
El desastre causó también la muerte de unas 1.500 cabezas de ganado, que asimismo perecieron bajo toneladas de barro y rocas.El corrimiento de tierras se produjo tras dos días de intensas lluvias en la localidad de Ab-e-Barik, del distrito de Argo y donde quedaron completamente enterradas alrededor de 300 del millar de viviendas que resultaron afectadas por el colapso de una colina vecina.
La localidad donde se produjeron los corrimientos se encuentra en el mismo distrito en el que otro desprendimiento de tierras producido también por la lluvia ocasionó asimismo ayer varios muertos y destruyó decenas de casas.
Los desastres naturales son frecuentes en el remoto extremo noreste afgano, fronterizo con Tayikistán, Pakistán y China, y que cuenta con precarios medios para hacer frente a las riadas, avalanchas de nieve y terremotos que se producen en la región.
El área, montañosa, está surcada por la cordillera del Hindu Kush, una de las más elevadas del mundo, en una zona del planeta sensible a frecuentes temblores de tierra debido a la confluencia de importantes placas tectónicas.
De acuerdo con los registros oficiales, y a la espera de que se divulgue el número final de víctimas, el desastre del viernes solo ha sido superado en Afganistán por la catástrofe natural que supuso el terremoto que asoló en 1998 la provincia norteña de Takhar.Al menos 3.500 personas perecieron en aquel siniestro, que se produjo no lejos del escenario en que tuvo lugar el de ayer.

Fuente: La Vanguardia

Malasia recaba ayuda internacional para buscar avión desaparecido

Felipe May 3, 2014

El ministro malasio de Defensa, Hishammuddin Hussein, pidió hoy a China, Australia y otras naciones continuar la ayuda para lograr resultados positivos en la búsqueda del vuelo MH370, desaparecido en marzo último con 239 personas a bordo.

Los esfuerzos de los especialistas involucrados en el rastreo de la aeronave extraviada el 8 de marzo pasado, andan por buen camino y requerimos de la cooperación internacional para concluir este episodio, aseveró el también titular interino de Transporte.

Malasia difundió un informe sobre el vuelo MH370, a casi dos meses de ocurrir la pérdida de contacto con el Boeing 777-200, de Malaysia Airlines, que cubría la ruta Kuala Lumpur-Beijing.

Según el reporte, hubo un impasse de cuatro horas entre el momento de la desaparición y el inicio de la búsqueda; lapso en el cual el Gobierno malasio solicitó informaciones a las autoridades de Singapur, Hong Kong y Cambodia.

El primer ministro, Najib Razak, aseguró que hubo demora en divulgar los resultados para evitar contratiempos en la aún corriente investigación.

Hasta ahora ningún organismo creado para coordinar la búsqueda del avión encontró parte alguna de la nave o de las 239 personas a bordo.

Se supone que el aparato cayó en el océano Índico, después de cambiar por completo su rumbo, bordear el territorio nacional y de Indonesia y dirigirse hacia una zona a unos mil 500 kilómetros al suroeste de Australia.

Fuente: Prensa Latina

Los partidos palestinos Al Fatah y Hamás anuncian la reconciliación

Felipe Abr 23, 2014

Israel cancela una reunión con la OLP y ataca objetivos en el norte de Gaza tras el anuncio. Los palestinos anuncian un Gobierno de unidad en cinco semanas y elecciones en seis meses

Hamás y la Organización para la Liberación de Palestina (OLP) firmaron este miércoles el final de casi siete años de rivalidad. Según anunciaron las partes en una rueda de prensa celebrada en Gaza, la reconciliación se formalizará antes de cinco semanas con la instauración de un Gobierno de unidad que presidirá de forma interina el actual presidente de la Autoridad Nacional Palestina (ANP) y líder de la OLP, Mahmud Abbas. Su primer cometido será la convocatoria de unas elecciones legislativas conjuntas en Gaza y Cisjordania. Las últimas se celebraron en 2006. Los palestinos se han dado ahora medio año de plazo para organizar las próximas, una vez el Gobierno de unidad sea ratificado por el Parlamento.

El primer ministro de Israel, Benjamín Netanyahu, canceló tras el anuncio una reunión entre representantes de su Gobierno y la OLP planeada para el miércoles por la tarde. Fue la primera señal de alarma ante un acuerdo anunciado apenas una semana antes de que termine el plazo fijado para las negociaciones de paz entre Israel y la ANP de Abbas. Netanyahu acusó a Abbas de haber «elegido a Hamás en lugar de la paz».

La organización islamista Hamás controla la Franja de Gaza y no reconoce la existencia de Israel. Desde 2007 hasta hoy ha negado también la legitimidad del Gobierno de Abbas en Ramala (Cisjordania).

La anunciada reconciliación entre Hamás y la OLP se basa en los acuerdos previos alcanzados por las facciones palestinas en reuniones celebradas en El Cairo y en Doha 2012, que nunca llegaron a aplicarse.

Aunque quedan puntos abiertos en el acuerdo y pese a estos precedentes poco halagüeños, los palestinos aseguran haber dado el miércoles un paso definitivo para resolver el cisma político y administrativo que en los últimos siete años ha separado Cisjordania, administrada por la Autoridad Nacional Palestina que preside Abbas, de la Franja de Gaza. Sometida a un férreo aislamiento por parte de Israel, Gaza quedó bajo el control de Hamás cuando los islamistas expulsaron violentamente a sus rivales en 2007.

Tanto los delegados de la OLP en las negociaciones como el líder de Hamás y jefe del Gobierno de Gaza, Ismael Haniyeh, dijeron el miércoles que Mahmud Abbas presidirá también el Gobierno de unidad. Haniyeh aseguró a los periodistas congregados en Gaza que está “feliz de proclamar el final del período de división entre los palestinos”.

La aviación israelí atacó el mismo miércoles objetivos en el norte de la Franja de Gaza,minutos después del anuncio de reconciliación, en lo que fuentes del Ejército israelí describieron como una “operación antiterrorista”. La agencia France Presse habla de seis heridos, uno de ellos grave. Se vieron así empañadas las celebraciones populares en Gaza por el acuerdo que pretende recuperar la convivencia entre el islamista Hamás y los laicos de Al Fatah, el partido de Mahmud Abbas y principal fuerza política en la OLP.

Abbas debe decidir si busca la paz con Israel o con Hamás
Benjamín Netanyahu, primer ministro de Israel
Antes de que se anunciara el inesperado pacto, el primer ministro israelí había reiterado el miércoles su oposición a cualquier acuerdo con Hamás. Repitió Netanyahu a sus interlocutores palestinos que Abbas debe “decidir si busca la paz con Israel o con Hamás”. Las conversaciones entre Israel y la ANP se prolongan desde el pasado mes de julio. Pese a la tutela estadounidense, todavía no han podido siquiera acordar una prórroga negociadora más allá del martes que viene. El acuerdo entre Hamás y la OLP se interpreta en Israel como una forma de presión por parte de Abbas en las empantanadas negociaciones de paz. Ahora penden de un hilo.

Estados Unidos advirtió tras el anuncio que solo reconocerá un futuro Gobierno de unidad palestino que, a su vez, reconozca el Estado de Israel, renuncie a la violencia y suscriba los acuerdos firmados por la ANP. Fuentes del Gobierno estadounidense citadas por el diario israelí Haaretz aseguran que estas condiciones “determinarán” su relación con el Gobierno palestino de unidad anunciado el miércoles.

Hace un par de semanas, el secretario de Estado estadounidense, John Kerry, amenazó con abandonar su papel mediador ante la parálisis de israelíes y palestinos, que no avanzaban en las eternas negociaciones.

Fuente: El Paìs

Unión Europea considera que Ucrania aplica el acuerdo Ginebra

Felipe Abr 23, 2014

Los acuerdos alcanzados en Ginebra la semana pasada entre Rusia, Estados Unidos, Ucrania y la Unión Europea piden el desalojo de los edificios públicos por parte de los separatistas en el este ucraniano, bajo los auspicios de enviados de la Organización para la Seguridad y Cooperación en Europa (OSCE). Pacto que según el bloque europeo el Gobierno de Ucrania está aplicando.

La Comisión Europea (CE) afirmó hoy que hay «señales» de que las autoridades ucranianas implementa los términos del acuerdo de Ginebra e instó a Rusia a que haga lo mismo.

«Hemos visto signos de que el acuerdo de Ginebra se está aplicando por la parte ucraniana, en todo caso», indicó el portavoz comunitario de Exteriores Michael Mann en la rueda de prensa diaria de la CE, indicó Efe.

Como ejemplo apuntó al proyecto ucraniano de ley para garantizar la amnistía a los participantes en las protestas registradas en el país.

También el viaje de una delegación la semana pasada de la Comisión de Venecia -organismo del Consejo de Europa que asesora a los Estados en materia constitucional, electoral y de partidos-, que se entrevistó con representantes de la Rada (Parlamento ucraniano) «para hablar de una eventual enmienda de la Constitución».

«Ya hay signos de que el acuerdo se aplica. Hacemos un llamamiento a todo el mundo, a todas las partes, para que firmen el acuerdo y hagan lo posible por aplicarlo completamente», indicó Mann.

Al mismo tiempo, afirmó que la UE trabaja con sus socios para que ello ocurra y agregó que «va en el interés de todo el mundo que el acuerdo de Ginebra sea puesto en práctica lo antes posible».

En particular, el portavoz pidió a Rusia «que emplee su influencia para garantizar un fin inmediato para lo que pasa en el este de Ucrania», con vistas a que la soberanía e integridad de Ucrania sea respetada y se rebaje la tensión de la situación.

«Rusia firmó el acuerdo con otros tres socios: Ucrania, la UE y EEUU», recordó, y confió en que «los cuatro apliquen el acuerdo».

«Pedimos a todo el mundo que haga el trabajo necesario para aplicarlo lo antes posible de buena fe», concluyó.

En referencia al papel de las fuerzas de la ley y el orden ucranianas, Mann afirmó que «deben hacer su trabajo, pero deben hacer su trabajo en un espíritu que esté totalmente en línea con el acuerdo de Ginebra».

El pacto también prevé el desarme de todos los grupos ilegales en Ucrania y la amnistía de aquellos que participaron en los desórdenes registrados en el este del país sin cometer crímenes.

Por último, Mann señaló que continúa la preparación de una posible ronda de sanciones económicas de la UE contra Rusia por su comportamiento en la crisis ucraniana, pero apuntó que aún no están en un momento en que se pueda tomar una decisión, algo que corresponde al Consejo de la UE, en el que están representados los Veintiocho.

Fuente: El Universal

Barack Obama llegó a Japón, primera etapa de una gira asiática

Felipe Abr 23, 2014

El presidente estadounidense Barack Obama aterrizó este miércoles en Japón, primera etapa de una gira asiática que le llevará también a Corea del Sur, Malasia y Filipinas, pero sin pasar por China, constató la AFP.

El avión Air Force One aterrizó en el aeropuerto de Tokio Haneda. Obama cenará con el primer ministro japonés, Shinzo Abe, con quien mantendrá una cumbre el jueves. El viernes viajará a Seúl.

La visita de Obama se realiza en medio de un gran despliegue de seguridad, que incluye la movilización de 16.000 oficiales de la Policía Metropolitana de Tokio, un tercio de su contingente, así como equipos antidisturbios y agentes con perros especializados en la detección de explosivos.
Pese a tratarse de una visita de Estado, Obama no viajó acompañado por la primera dama, Michelle Obama, por cuestiones de agenda, algo que ha causado decepción entre los japoneses.

Fuente: http://www.nacion.com/

Whatsapp, con 500 millones de usuarios

Felipe Abr 23, 2014

Lo anunció hoy la compañía; comparten 700 millones de fotos y 100 millones de videos por día, según su reporte de datos.

El servicio de mensajería instantánea para móviles Whatsapp llegó a los 500 millones de usuarios. Mantiene así el ritmo de crecimiento que había develado a mediados de febrero, cuando se supo que Facebook lo había comprado por 19.000 millones de dólares. Entonces tenía 450 millones de usuarios, y sumó 50 millones más en los dos meses siguientes, según publicó ayer en su blog oficial.
La compañía indicó además que sus usuarios comparten 700 millones de fotos y 100 millones de videos por día.
Hasta ahora sólo habían destacado la cantidad de mensajes compartidos a diario, 20.000 millones de mensajes enviados y 44.000 millones recibidos a principios de mes, un número muy similar al de todos los SMS enviados por personas en el mundo. Ahora, al marcar la circulación de fotos y videos muestran su costado más social, una de las muchas razones por las que se dice que Facebook decidió adquirirlos (la compra todavía no fue aprobada).
Mientras Whatsapp trepa a cifras exorbitantes, en Brasil se realiza en estos momentos una cumbre de países donde se discute sobre la mejor forma de “gobernar” internet.
La cumbre NETmundial busca redefinir las regulaciones de Internet, que actualmente están bajo la tutela de facto de Estados Unidos.
La discusión se volvió pertinente luego de la conmoción generada por las revelaciones de Edward Snowden y coincide con momentos en que la web festeja sus 25 años de vida.
“Después de lo que pasó con Snowden, cambió la percepción del público sobre Internet y esto produjo la necesidad de emprender un cambio”, dijo el ministro brasileño de Comunicación, Paulo Bernardo.
Snowden reveló, entre otras cosas, que naciones como Brasil, Alemania y México fueron víctimas del espionaje de la NSA (la agencia estadounidense de Seguridad Nacional). Propuesta por la presidenta brasileña, Dilma Rousseff, esta cumbre global pretende establecer los principios de la gobernanza mundial de la red y definir una hoja de ruta para desarrollar mecanismos que regulen las infraestructuras y usos de Internet.

Fuente: El Tribuno

Israelis and Palestinians to restart negotiations

Felipe Abr 16, 2014

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet on Wednesday to try to extend peace talks beyond an April 29 deadline, the US State Department said.

The two sides will meet despite Israeli anger at the killing of an off-duty Israeli policeman in the occupied West Bank on Monday on the eve of the Passover Jewish holiday. The policeman’s wife and a child were wounded.

«They’re going to be meeting again tomorrow,» State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. «The parties are working on determining if there’s a path to extend the negotiations for a period of months past April 29th.»

Asked about the killing, Psaki urged both sides «to exercise restraint and avoid any actions that would raise tensions.»

The peace talks appeared on the verge of collapse this month when Israel refused to carry out a promised prisoner release and the Palestinians signed on to 15 international conventions.

Israel called off the prisoner release unless it received assurances the Palestinian leadership would continue the talks past the deadline.

In response, the Palestinians signed the treaties, including the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war and occupations, a defiant assertion of statehood that surprised the United States.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who revived the peace talks in July after a nearly three-year hiatus, has sought to place the onus on the two sides for continuing the negotiations.

The main issues in the more than six-decade conflict include borders, security, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the future of Jerusalem, which both sides claim as their capital.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Ukraine launches ‘gradual’ operation against Russian militia

Felipe Abr 16, 2014

Ukrainian forces launched a «special operation» against separatist militia in the Russian-speaking East, authorities said, although aside from a landing by airborne troops the action was limited.

Soldiers disembarked from two helicopters at an airfield at Kramatorsk, where reporters earlier heard gunfire that seemed to prevent an air force plane from landing. The troops withdrew into barracks after local civilians manning a barricade gave them a hostile reception when they tried to leave the compound.

In Kiev, acting President Oleksander Turchinov declared a much-needed victory over pro-Russian rebels by saying the air base had been «liberated.» But there was no sign of militants.

A senior Ukrainian officer told the unarmed crowd that he had come to direct an «anti-terrorist operation» that Turchinov announced earlier in the day, after more than a week of missed deadlines set by Kiev for armed pro-Moscow activists to end occupations of public buildings in some 10 places in the east.

But after a scuffle with some of the hundreds who chanted hostility to the new Ukrainian authorities, some of them holding Russian flags, the troops pulled back at dusk.

Ukraine’s state security service said an «anti-terrorist» operation was also in progress against separatists in the nearby town of Slaviansk but there was no immediate evidence of action.

Nonetheless, Kiev’s stated resolve to challenge militants it says are orchestrated by the Kremlin, marked an escalation of the deepest East-West crisis since the Cold War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is seen by Western diplomats as intent on reasserting Moscow’s influence across what was the Soviet Union and beyond, spoke by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to Russia’s Itar-Tass news agency, saying, «The sharp escalation of the conflict puts the country, in essence, on the verge of a civil war.»

The standoff has raised fears in the West and in Kiev that Russia might intervene militarily to «protect» Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine, following its annexation of the Crimean region last month in response to the overthrow of Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich following months of protests.

The Russian foreign ministry said it was «deeply concerned» by what it said were reports of casualties in eastern Ukraine, though it was unclear where any such incidents had taken place.

A spokesman for US President Barack Obama said Ukraine’s government was obliged to respond to «provocations» in the east but Washington was not considering sending arms to Kiev.

It was «seriously considering» adding to sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea, the White House said, although the State Department said such action was unlikely before a meeting in Geneva on Thursday at which US, EU and Ukrainian officials will try to persuade Russia to defuse the situation.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald