Kim Jong Un's armored train: "A sweet home"
Images in Russian and North Korean state media showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveling to Russia for a long-awaited meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on an armored train, a method of travel that has been used by the Kim dynasty for decades. Since taking power in 2011, Kim Jong Un has made 10 foreign trips in total to five countries and has traveled by train on several of those occasions, Reuters reported, including to Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, for a summit with the then President of the United States, Donald Trump, in 2019. In April 2019, Kim also traveled by train to the Russian port city of Vladivostok to meet Putin for the first time, the last meeting between the two men so far. "If you travel by train, you can command the entire country from anywhere, receive all faxes and emails, and access all reports because all communication facilities are available. So for Kim Jong Un, you can feel as comfortable as their home," former North Korean official Ko Young Hwan told Reuters news agency on Tuesday. Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korean transportation, told Reuters that the armored trains that have transported the North's leaders over the years have between 10 and 15 carriages each, some of which are reserved exclusively for Kim Jong Un, like a private bedroom, while other carriages carry key members of the leader's entourage as security guards. The green with yellow stripes train that Kim Jong Un was photographed boarding to Russia is the same design that the dictator's late father, Kim Jong Il, appeared to use to visit Russia in 2001, according to Reuters. Russian military commander Konstantin Pulikovsky, who spent time aboard the train with Kim Jong Il during the visit to Russia in 2001, recalled that "it is possible to order any dish from Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and French cuisine." In his memoirs, Pulikovsky said that live lobsters were transported to the train to ensure the availability of fresh seafood, while cases of red wine from Bordeaux and Burgundy were imported from Paris. Even Vladimir Putin's private train "didn't have the comfort of Kim Jong Il's train," he said. Kim Jong Il's train was also described as having "conference rooms, an audience room and bedrooms. Satellite phone connections and flat-screen televisions have been installed so the North Korean leader can be briefed and issue orders," according to a report. report by the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo in 2009. Kim Jong Un's father traveled by train for each of the three occasions he visited Russia. The train was described by North Korean state media as "a sweet home and office" for Kim Jong Il.
Ruling for the expropriation of YPF: Argentina must pay US$16 billion.
When calculating compensation, the New York judge opted for the value closest to what the plaintiff fund was requesting. It was a measure by Cristina Kirchner's government.
As a result of an adverse ruling issued by the United States Justice Department, Argentina must pay $16 billion for the expropriation of YPF shares, carried out improperly.
The catastrophic sentence of the judge of the Southern District of New York, Loretta Preska, was known this Friday and she opted for the most unfavorable scenario for the country. For Argentina, the trial was already lost and it intended to pay no more than 5,000 million dollars.
The difference between the figure of the sentence and the Argentine claim lay in calculating interest according to the date of the arrival of Argentine officials in YPF and the date on which the expropriation was approved by law of Congress.
Argentina wanted Judge Preska to indicate that the date of expropriation had been May 7, 2012, when the expropriation law was passed. That way, the compensation would be from that day. In addition, she wanted the retroactive annual interest rate that they were going to apply (from 2012, when it was expropriated, to 2023) to be 0%. That would give close to USD 5,000 million.
However, the Burford fund considered that YPF's intervention materialized on April 16, when the Minister of Economy at that time, Axel Kicillof, was appointed auditor of the company and displaced the private shareholders. From that moment until May 7, YPF shares fell 25%.
In that scenario, Burford would have collected around USD 8.3 billion, even with 0% interest, as Argentina wanted. In any case, the litigants aspired to be recognized with a rate of 8% annually, which would bring the check to USD 16,000 million, an amount that the American judge finally decided.
Now, the $16 billion that Argentina will have to pay is more than the value of 100% of YPF today, whether measured by the official dollar or the blue dollar. In the first case, the oil company has a capitalization of USD 12,200 million, while in the second, in free dollars, its value would be USD 5,298 million.
08 Sep 2023
El diario británico de referencia mundial afirma que “sus políticas están mal pensadas” y cuestiona la propuesta de dolarización del libertario.
Mientras Dario Epstein y Juan Napoli, asesores económicos de Javier Milei, viajaron a Washington para llevar tranquilidad a los inversores financieros, el diario británico de referencia mundial The Economist publicó un artículo donde define al candidato presidencial de La Libertad Avanza como “un peligro para la democracia de Argentina”.
El periódico afirma que “sus políticas están mal pensadas” y, además, cuestiona su propuesta de dolarización. “Bajo un sistema así, los bancos y hogares argentinos necesitarían una flotación de dólares para ponerse en marcha, algo que Milei no tiene forma de proporcionar”, sentencia el artículo.
Además el medio británico expresa que “en caso de poder aplicarlo no impediría la emisión monetaria ni contendría la política fiscal ya que el Gobierno podría continuar endeudándose”. Y agrega que “para empeorar las cosas, la Argentina está al borde del default, lo que la dolarización haría aún más doloroso, ya que no habría prestamista de último recurso si el banco central desapareciera junto con el peso”. The Economist sostiene ademas que por no tener el “temperamento adecuado” tendría dificultades para vincularse con el FMI, a quien debería acudir inexorablemente debido a la obligación de pago del histórico crédito que pidió Mauricio Macri. “Este es el tipo de tarea diplomática delicada para la que Milei carece del temperamento adecuado”, afirma el artículo.
The counteroffensive took the former defense minister of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar, as his next defense minister, replacing Oleksii Reznikov, at a critical moment for the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Umerov will have a bulging inbox if the Ukrainian parliament approves his appointment. The change in leadership comes as Ukraine's relations with its allies and donors enter a new phase. Kyiv is trying to speed up the training and deployment of F-16 fighter jets and acquire a host of other equipment and weapons from its Western allies to help fuel its counteroffensive. But the Defense Ministry is also trying to develop an indigenous weapons production base in collaboration with Western defense companies, including efforts to develop new long-range capabilities that could be used against targets inside Russian territory. The Defense Minister is also Ukraine's main interlocutor with the Western allies through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Reznikov has developed relationships with senior US and European officials through the Group. The next meeting of the Group will be held at the end of this month. But Umerov also has extensive experience as a negotiator. He has been closely involved in prisoner of war exchanges and helped negotiate the Black Sea Grain Initiative. In that role, he repeatedly expressed skepticism that Russia would honor the deal. He is currently Chairman of the State Property Fund, whose mission is to attract investment to Ukraine. A survivor and businessman with ties to the Gulf Zelensky chose Umerov for the top Defense post despite the fact that Umerov is not a member of his political party, the Servant of the People. Instead, he represents a smaller liberal party, Golos, which is in opposition. Umerov, a Crimean Tatar, was born in 1982 in Uzbekistan, where tens of thousands of members of the Muslim ethnic minority were deported by Stalin in 1944. He moved to Crimea as a child in the waning days of the Soviet era. In an interview with Forbes last year, he explained that his personal background had influenced his role with prisoners of war. "I survived the reintegration in my historical homeland of Crimea. I know what reintegration is and I know what temporary occupation is. Therefore, for me it is not a general statement what human rights are. For the last eight years I have dealt with the question of the exchange of political prisoners and prisoners of war. I am very concerned about this matter." Rustem Umerov is expected to become Ukraine's next defense minister. Crimean Tatars have suffered persecution and exodus, mainly at Russian hands, since at least 1783, when Russian Empress Catherine the Great annexed Crimea after seizing it from the Ottoman Empire. Umerov is a Muslim, and last year he declared that "Ukrainian Muslims are fighting for the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine." His background has also allowed him to develop links with Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, which collaborated in a high-profile prisoner swap last year. He was the Ukrainian official who received the prisoners of war upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia.
ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met in Russia's coastal city of Sochi on Monday.
"The most important development everyone is looking at in Türkiye-Russia relations today is the grain corridor.
"The message to be given at the news conference after our meeting will be a very important step toward the world, especially to the underdeveloped African countries,” Erdogan said during the bilateral meeting with Putin.
Erdogan is on a one-day working visit to Sochi to discuss current regional and global issues, as well as bilateral relations with Putin.
The revival of last year's historic Black Sea grain deal that helped ease the global food crisis will also be on the agenda of the meeting. The two presidents are also expected to hold a joint news conference following their meeting.
On July 17, Russia suspended its participation in the deal, brokered by Türkiye and the UN, to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports that were paused after the Ukraine war, which started in February 2022.
Moscow has complained that the West has not met its obligations regarding Russia's own grain exports, and that not enough Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need. It says restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance have been a barrier to its shipments.
Confirming the importance of fulfilling Russia's demands for the export of its own grain and fertilizer, Türkiye says there is no alternative to the initiative.
Ankara has been carrying out intense diplomatic efforts for the restoration of the July 2022 deal and has also called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through negotiations.
Turning to bilateral trade, Erdogan said the trade volume between Türkiye and Russia is $62 billion. "We are very glad that we are taking steps toward the target of reaching $100 billion," he added.
Erdogan said Turkish Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan also accompanied him during his visit.
"I believe that the meeting of our Central Bank governors is important in taking steps to use the domestic currency in bilateral relations," he added.
Hailing developments between Türkiye and Russia in tourism, Erdogan said: "Russia is number one in tourism right now."
The defense industry and the energy sector are the other important areas in bilateral ties, he added.
About Türkiye's first nuclear power plant Akkuyu, Erdogan said the work at the power plant is continuing smoothly.
"The step taken regarding the first unit is very good. Moreover, as we have discussed with you before, I think that we will have to take a step regarding the Sinop Nuclear Power Plant. Of course, the fact that there will be a hub in Thrace is another element of richness and vitality," he added.
Akkuyu, currently under construction in Türkiye's southern Mersin province, will be the country's first nuclear power plant.
An intergovernmental agreement for the plant was signed between Türkiye and Russia in May 2010. The plant's groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 3, 2018, after which construction started on the first unit.
Construction of the second unit began on April 8, 2020, and the first batch of concrete for the third unit was poured on March 10, 2021.
The site, which is considered one of the largest NPP construction sites in the world, entered its peak construction phase when the foundation was laid for the fourth and last unit on July 21 last year.
Approximately 30,000 people were employed on the site during the most active project phase.
Premier Li Qiang to head delegation: Foreign Ministry
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi this week and the delegation will be led by Premier Li Qiang, the foreign ministry announced here on Monday as it expressed Beijing's readiness to work with all parties to make the high-profile meeting a success.
At the invitation of the Government of India, Premier of the State Council Li will attend the 18th G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi, India on September 9 and 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said in a brief statement.
Later at a regular foreign ministry briefing, Mao did not provide any reason for President Xi's absence from the high-profile conclave hosted by India for the first time.
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The Russian Defense Ministry was quoted by Interfax as saying that a group of Russian drones successfully attacked fuel depots in the Reni port used by the Ukrainian military. Reni and Izmail have been repeatedly attacked by Russian drones in recent weeks. "The Russians continue to attack port infrastructure in the hope of causing a world food crisis and famine," Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak's chief of staff wrote on Telegram. He posted a photo of a firefighter directing water at the burning ruins of concrete structures. The Black Sea grain deal, reached in July 2022, was aimed at alleviating a global food crisis. Ukraine is a major producer of grains and oilseeds, and the disruption to its exports after the outbreak of war in February last year pushed world food prices to record highs. Russia has complained that under the deal its own food and fertilizer exports faced obstacles and that not enough Ukrainian grain was destined for countries in need.
El Centro de Coordinación de Rescate Marino (MSCC) de la ciudad de Novorossisk, en Crimea, ha confirmado este sábado a primera hora que el petrolero SIG ha sufrido daños tras ser objetivo de un ataque con drones por parte de las fuerzas ucranianas.
«Podemos decir que el petrolero resultó dañado (...) La tripulación está a salvo, no resultó herida. El Servicio de Salvamento Marítimo está ocupado en ello y ya llegaron dos remolcadores al lugar», han dicho desde el MSCC a la agencia TASS.
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