Jueves, 26 de octubre de 2017 (Continuación)

An election official prepares election material at an IEBC center in Nairobi. (Reuters)

MundoÁfrica,

Kenyan voters are at the polls again today for the second time in three months. In September, the country’s Supreme Court annulled President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Aug. 8 election victory over opposition leader Raila Odinga after allegations of fraud. The ruling, the first of its kind in Africa, has been hailed as a victory for the rule of law both in Kenya and across the continent.

But however pathbreaking the court’s ruling may be, the country’s electoral institutions are in crisis. In the weeks since the court’s ruling, Odinga has withdrawn from the race, citing a lack of confidence in the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC) and calling on his supporters to boycott today’s voting.…  Seguir leyendo »

A man walks next to a poster in Irbil, in the Iraqi region of Kurdistan, that calls on Kurds to vote for independence on the eve of the Sept. 25 referendum. (Mohamed Messsara/European Pressphoto Agency/EFE)

MundoOriente Próximo,

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered his forces to retake the province of Kirkuk from the Kurdish peshmerga’s control. Abadi moved with broad support, including groups within the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Iran, Turkey, the Persian Gulf countries and the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State militant group.

The peshmerga, isolated and divided, withdrew, as leaders from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) commanding the area decided not to fight in objection to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

The latest tensions stem from the Sept. 25 independence referendum in the Iraqi region of Kurdistan, now widely considered a major miscalculation.…  Seguir leyendo »

Una prueba reciente de un Volvo S90, un vehículo semiautónomo Credit Fred R. Conrad para The New York Times

ReflexionesPensamiento, Cultura y Ciencia

En mi cuarto día en un vehículo semiautónomo, por fin tuve la confianza suficiente para que se detuviera solo. Antes de eso, dejé que el auto —un sedán Volvo S90— diera vueltas suaves, aunque mantuve las manos sobre el volante, y que ajustara la velocidad en el tráfico. Para el cuarto día, ya estaba listo para dar el salto al futuro.

Mientras transitaba a una velocidad de unos 60 kilómetros por hora en una transitada calle de los suburbios de Washington, presioné el botón que activa el modo autónomo y alejé mi pie del freno y el acelerador. El auto mantuvo su velocidad.…  Seguir leyendo »