All posts by Luis Moreno

Moreno Luis - is a business and economics reporter based in Barcelona. Prior to joining the BNE24 he was economics editor of the BBC Spaine and worked as an economics and political reporter for Murcia Tuday.
INTERNATIONAL

EU Defense Ministers to Discuss Role of SatCen in Addressing Security Challenges

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The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, will chair the second meeting of the ministerial board of the European Union Satellite Center (SatCen) on August 29 at the Torrejón de Ardoz military base in Madrid.

The board meeting will take place immediately after the informal meetings of the EU defense and foreign ministers on August 30 and 31 in Toledo, according to the EU diplomatic service.

During the SatCen board meeting, the EU Defense Ministers will discuss the role, activities, services and main achievements of SatCen in the last 30 years.

In addition, they will provide political guidance on the hub’s role in helping the EU address new and emerging international security challenges.

This Satellite Center supports EU decision-making and actions in the field of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, in particular the Common Security and Defense Policy, including the Union’s crisis management missions and operations, through the provision of products and services resulting from the exploitation of space assets and relevant collateral data, including satellite imagery and aerial imagery, and related services.

INTERNATIONAL

Dismissal of Russian Military General Surovikin Sparks Speculation

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The mutiny against the upper echelons of the Russian Government at the hands of the Wagner mercenary group last June has left many unknowns.

Despite the fact that the Kremlin was able to control it less than two days after the uprising began, several Russian military leaders who until then made up the media cast of the Russian Federation Army have fallen along the way.

This is the case of Sergei Surovikin, known as ‘General Armaggedon’ and for several months the head of the troops that have invaded Ukraine.

Considered the link between the head of the Wagner Group and Vladimir Putin, Surovikin was arrested after the mercenary mutiny and has not been seen in public since then.

Although both the Kremlin and his family have reiterated that he is fine, the truth is that the military has gone from being one of the images of the Russian invasion in Ukraine to disappearing from public life.

This Tuesday the dismissal of Surovikin as commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces has emerged through various Russian sources.

This has been made known by the former editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy outlet (closed by the Russian authorities), Alexei Venediktov, who has qualified that although he no longer holds that position, he does continue to serve the orders of the Russian Army.

On the other hand, a source has assured the Russian newspaper RBC that the general is “at the moment in the middle of a short vacation.”

A second source confirmed to the aforementioned media the decision of the Russian Defense Ministry.

Also the presenter Ksenia Sobchak has affirmed this Tuesday that Surovikin has been dismissed from his position, adding that it was produced by means of a decree of last August 18.

There are important prorus voices like the Rybar Telegram channel. In it they point out that the dismissal of the general “is far from being a novelty” and suggests that the dismissal could have occurred almost immediately after the riot.

This account states that Surovikin was first placed in the Lefortovo remand center for interrogation and then “in more comfortable conditions”.

At the moment, the Russian government has not commented on the news or confirmed the possible dismissal.

INTERNATIONAL

UN Report Reveals Disturbing Human Rights Situation under Taliban Rule in Afghanistan

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The Taliban regime has carried out at least 218 extrajudicial executions since it came to power on August 15, 2021, according to a report by the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which points to officials and members of the security forces as the main victims. linked to the old government.

The document, based on “credible” information and updated until June 30, also reports 14 forced disappearances, more than 144 cases of torture and ill-treatment, and 424 arbitrary arrests, despite the fact that the Taliban allegedly promised not to retaliate.

For the UN Office for Human Rights, the report reflects in a “sober” way what Afghanistan is like today and the treatment received by people who, in theory, should not be persecuted.

“It is a betrayal of the trust of the public,” said the spokesman for the High Commissioner, Jeremy Laurence.

The abuses are also widespread, to the extent that they extend through the 34 provinces that make up the Asian country, which is why the UN has called on the regime to respect the obligations contained in International Law and work for the sake of surrender.

The Islamic Emirate, the official name of the regime, has denied through the mouth of one of its main spokesmen, Zabihulá Mujahid, the conclusions of the report.

In this sense, he has accused the United Nations of focusing on negative issues “instead of understanding the realities of Afghanistan,” according to Tolo News.

Mujahid has ensured that the general amnesty is fully applied in Afghanistan, despite the findings of international experts over the past two years.

INTERNATIONAL

Tropical Storm Harold Makes Landfall in Texas, Bringing Heavy Rains and Winds

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Tropical storm Harold, which has formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, has already made landfall on Padre Island, in Texas, United States, with winds of 85 kilometers per hour and waiting for rain to occur torrential at various points, as reported by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Although it is expected to cause heavy rains and winds, Harold’s weakening will increase as it moves deeper into the Texas state and northern Mexico. In fact, it will become a tropical depression.

Despite this, the federal emergency management agency (FEMA) has urged the population not to drive or use their cars in the rain, unless absolutely necessary.

So far, Harold’s winds have already knocked out power to about 1,500 users in several counties on the south coast of Texas.

In addition, several schools in the area have not opened on Tuesday due to the storm.

Harold is currently located about 55 km north of Port Mansfield and 80 km from Corpus Christi, both locations in the southern United States.

Its movement is to the west-northwest and it is expected to continue to maintain that direction throughout the day.

Abundant rainfall

Harold is expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of precipitation and as much as 6 inches at some point early Wednesday, especially across South Texas, where even tornadoes and flash flooding are possible.

In addition, the combination of Harold’s storm surge and the tide can cause normally dry areas near the coast to be inundated by rising waters moving inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

The water could thus reach up to 36 inches in height, especially in an area from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the Sargent, including Baffin, Corpus Christi, and Matagorda Bays.

INTERNATIONAL

Escalating Violence in Arab Community of Israel Claims More Lives

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The violence that has shaken the Arab community in Israel for months has claimed another four deaths on Tuesday, victims of a shooting unleashed in the vicinity of the city of Abu Snan, according to local authorities, who already account for more than 150 deaths. since the beginning of the year.

The ambulance service has confirmed that the four victims were pronounced dead at the scene of the events. The dead include a mayoral candidate in the upcoming local elections, Ghazi Saab, as well as two relatives, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.

This incident took place just one day after the assassination of another local leader in Tira and the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has called for this Wednesday a meeting of the commission responsible for stopping this wave of crime among the Arab minority, which already represents 20 percent of the population.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog lamented in a statement that “all citizens of the Arab community today live in fear, grief and anxiety.”. It is, he added, an “emergency” situation that requires “decisive measures” to contain this escalation of violence.

The opposition has accused the Netanyahu government of not tackling crime, with criticism especially directed at the Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir.

INTERNATIONAL

British Nurse Found Guilty of Serial Baby Murders: Shocking Revelations Emerge

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The story of the British nurse turned into one of the worst serial killers could be more shocking than thought. Lucy Letby, 33, was found guilty last Friday of the murder of seven babies and of having tried with another six in a hospital in Chester (north-west England) between 2015 and 2016.

This Monday she has been sentenced to life imprisonment, but an exclusive from the British newspaper The Guardian ensures that the number of children affected could be higher.

The events have shocked the UK as it is the most prolific child murder case in the country’s history. The woman, who was already suspected of the crimes since 2018 -when she was arrested for the first time-, was arrested again in 2020 and charged by the Police after receiving authorization from the Crown Prosecutor’s Office, who presented 22 charges against her.

Letby worked as a trainee student at the public center for three years, before finishing her studies at the local university and specializing as a children’s nurse. Since then, she has worked in the neonatal unit, specializing in babies who require different levels of care.

Each year, this unit cares for about 400 children, but since the end of July 2016 it stopped admitting children born before 32 weeks of gestation, since which time no more deaths have been recorded.

What was he accused of?

During the trial, the evidence presented by the Prosecutor’s Office indicated that Letby killed the children, five boys and two girls, injecting them with air with a syringe intravenously while working at the Countess of Chester health center.

The aforementioned court also found her guilty of the attempted murder of six other babies with methods that included, in addition to air injection, insulin poisoning or the administration of excessive amounts of food.

Instead, the jury, which deliberated for more than 110 hours, found Letby not guilty of two attempted murders, while failing to reach a verdict on six other attempted murders.

The charges for which she has been convicted correspond to the period between June 2015 and June 2016, when there were several deaths from unexplained causes.

A report published in 2017 by the Royal Medical College of Paediatrics and Child Health concluded that there was “no cause” to explain the increase in deaths in the unit registered as of 2014.

What sentence have you received?

Judge James Goss, of the Manchester Crown Court, has confirmed this Monday the sentence of the nurse, of whom he said “there was premeditation, calculation and cunning” in his actions, after mentioning each of the charges against him.

In a message addressed directly to her, the magistrate said: “She is now 33 years old…. I have to determine if the severity of the offenses is high enough that I do not need to do a minimum period. They are crimes of a very exceptional gravity.”

“This was a cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder involving the youngest and most vulnerable children,” he added. “There was a deep malevolence that bordered on sadism.. you have no regrets… there are no mitigating factors,” he continued.

“I sentence you to prison for life. I order that the early release provisions be waived. An order of life imprisonment for each crime and you will spend the rest of your life in prison, “the judge concluded when announcing the sentence. British media point out that Letby has become the third living woman sentenced to life imprisonment.

Are there more cases that have not been tried?

According to The Guardian newspaper, through police sources close to the investigation, “suspicious” cases are still being investigated both at the Chester hospital and at another in Liverpool where the nurse worked.

The exclusive of the British media affirms that the Police believe that Letby could have harmed dozens of more babies. A source with knowledge of the investigation said detectives had identified about 30 babies who were involved in incidents. Letby was on duty at each of these unexplained collapses.

It has been the Cheshire Police itself that has asked experts to examine the medical records of more than 4,000 babies born at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the Countess of Chester between 2012 and 2015. The same sources have informed The Guardian that the 17 babies who have appeared in the trial were “phase one” of the ongoing police investigation.

INTERNATIONAL

Trump’s Legal Woes Escalate: Facing Charges for Election Interference and More

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The former president of the United States Donald Trump (2017-2021) confirmed this Monday in a message on social networks that this coming Thursday he will hand himself over to the authorities in the state of Georgia, where he is accused of allegedly trying to reverse the results of the elections in 2020.

Trump wrote in a message on his social network, Truth Social, that his “trip” to the city of Atlanta on Thursday will not be to commit any murder but to “make a perfect call.”

The former president was referring to one of the main charges of the accusation: the recording in which Trump asks the Secretary of State of Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” enough votes to win in the state.

In his message on Monday, the former president again charged the prosecutor in charge of the case, Fani Willis, whom he accused, as he usually does, of leading a witch hunt against him.

This Monday it was also known that Trump will have to pay a bail of 200,000 dollars (about 183,580 euros at today’s exchange rate) to avoid jail after his imputation in the state.

The payment of that bond will allow the Republican to regain his freedom once he has turned himself in at the Fulton County (Georgia) prison.

Trump was indicted last week on 13 counts by a Georgia grand jury for trying to rig the results of the 2020 election in the state, where incumbent Joe Biden narrowly won.

Among the crimes he is accused of is violating the RICO law, commonly used against mafia bosses, which could lead to several years in prison if proven during the trial.

This is Trump’s fourth criminal indictment. Two weeks ago he was indicted by a grand jury in Washington DC. four charges for allegedly trying to reverse the result of the US elections. of 2020 and encouraging the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

In addition, in New York, Trump has been charged with 34 charges for payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels, with whom he had an “affair” in the past, to buy his silence during the 2016 election campaign.

The other criminal case is in Florida, where he is charged with 40 counts of illegally stealing and keeping classified documents that he took from the White House in his Mar-a-Lago mansion.

INTERNATIONAL

Impact of Tropical Storm Hilary in Mexico: Four Dead, Devastating Consequences

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The passage of tropical storm Hilary, which made landfall twice in Mexico on Sunday, once as a category 1 hurricane, has so far left four dead: two in the border city of Tijuana, Baja California state, one in Baja California Sur and another in Sinaloa, authorities notified this Monday.

The first victim died last Friday in Navolato, in the northern state of Sinaloa, after his truck was swept away by floodwaters caused by rain. His body was located several kilometers away.

In Mulegé, in the northern state of Baja California Sur, on Sunday a current of water dragged a vehicle into the sea in which a family was traveling, one of whose five members died.

Washed away by the rain

On the other hand, Hilary’s passage through the border city of Tijuana, in Baja California, has so far left two people dead as a result of the constant rains that occurred throughout Sunday and early Monday morning.

Municipal authorities reported this in different communiqués, detailing that one of the deceased was a young woman in a traffic accident that occurred on Sunday afternoon in the rain, leaving her trapped in her car.

The other person was a man who went out to fish in the sea and due to the weather conditions, the current dragged him inland, losing his life, his body was found on Saturday morning on the coast of Playas de Tijuana.

Split storm

Rafael Carrillo Venegas, director of the Tijuana Fire Department, said that, despite these damages, the severity of the passage of the tropical storm was not as serious as expected, because “fortunately it fractured and divided into two parts and we were left like in the middle of this storm.”

He explained that this happened mainly because the high area of the mountains helps to dissipate the winds that come from the Pacific, in addition to the fact that the temperatures that occur in this northern region prevent these gusts of wind from increasing.

The president, Joe Biden, has declared that he remains “abreast” of the storm and that his Administration has provided “immediate help” to the state of California to face the emergency.

Among the measures announced is the deployment of personnel and the shipment of supplies to the communities that are affected.

INTERNATIONAL

Alert Elephant Discovers Opium Package, Impresses Netizens in Southwest China

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A wild Asian elephant detected a 2.8 kilogram package of opium in a grassy area in Mengman, a town in southwest China, and alerted the border police with his “appeals.”

The incident occurred when the agents received a notice that four wild elephants were roaming a village in the area, located in the province of Yunnan, the state media Global Times reported on Tuesday.

Upon arriving at the scene, the police officers observed that one of the pachyderms had stopped and was sniffing carefully in a grassy area, from where he then took out a backpack with his trunk and threw it into the air, while making some noises.

The agents checked the contents of the backpack and found opium, an illegal substance extracted from the poppy and used to make heroin. The case is under police investigation.

The story has aroused great interest among Chinese netizens, with the topic gaining more than 200 million views as of Tuesday morning on the Chinese social network Weibo.

Users have praised the elephant for its delicate sense of smell and intelligence, and have called for it to be rewarded with more fruits like bananas.

Some have also called for more protection for Asian elephants, an endangered “smart” species considered a “good friend” to humanity.

In the Asian giant, not only the elephants and the trained dogs of the canine brigade perform tracking and drug detection tasks.

Last February, the city of Chongqing (southwest) announced that it had trained a group of squirrels to be able to detect drugs in spaces that are difficult to access, such as storage sheds or very high places.

The animals were trained to scratch at the surface where the drugs were hidden as a way of indicating to their handlers that they have smelled the presence of drugs.

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security said a few months ago that the Asian country is the nation with the “strictest drug control system in the world” and with the largest number of prohibited substances. Large-scale drug trafficking is a crime punishable by death in China.

INTERNATIONAL

Unbelievable Survival: House Stands Amidst Devastation in Maui’s Fire-Ravaged Neighborhood

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The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, appeared on video for the first time since the failed June 24 mutiny against the Kremlin, suggesting that he has returned to Africa to make Russia “even bigger on all continents”. .

“The Wagner group makes Russia even bigger on all continents and Africa even freer,” Prigozhin says in the recording, broadcast by Telegram channels close to the Russian militia.

In the video, Prigozhin does not explicitly say that he is in Africa, but appears in a landscape similar to the African savannah and claims that the temperature around him is 50 degrees.

“Justice and happiness for the African peoples,” proclaims Wagner’s chief in the video message, in which he assures that his paramilitary group is the “nightmare” of the Islamic State, Al Qaeda “and other bandits.”

Prigozhin also announces that Wagner continues to hire “real heroes” and continues to “accomplish the assigned tasks.” Last July, the paramilitary company announced that it had stopped recruiting new fighters by no longer fighting in Ukraine.

However, Prigozhin assured that “when the Motherland requires it”, the Wagnerites, who until recently were the main Russian assault force in Ukraine, will once again create an “additional unit” to defend national interests.

And meanwhile, he added that the group would continue its activities in Africa and Belarus, the country where it moved after the failed armed rebellion against the Kremlin last June.