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Netanyahu dice que Israel iniciará conversaciones directas con el Líbano centradas en el desarme de Hezbollah

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Por Dana Karni y Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

El primer ministro de Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ha dado instrucciones a su gabinete para que inicie “negociaciones directas” con el Líbano “lo antes posible”, y ha dicho que las conversaciones se centrarán en el desarme de Hezbollah y en el establecimiento de relaciones pacíficas entre los dos países.

“Ante las reiteradas peticiones del Líbano para que se inicien negociaciones directas con Israel, ayer di instrucciones al gabinete para que comenzara las negociaciones directas con el Líbano lo antes posible”, dijo Netanyahu en un comunicado.

Netanyahu afirmó que las negociaciones se centrarían en “el desarme de Hezbollah y el establecimiento de relaciones pacíficas entre Israel y el Líbano”. Añadió que Israel “acoge con satisfacción el llamado del primer ministro del Líbano para desmilitarizar Beirut”.

El Líbano no ha respondido públicamente de inmediato a la declaración de Netanyahu.

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What is Israel’s war in Lebanon and why could it shatter the Iran ceasefire?

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By Nadeen Ebrahim, Sarah Tamimi, CNN

(CNN) — On the first day of the US-Iran ceasefire on Wednesday, Israel conducted its biggest wave of strikes on Lebanon since the war began, killing at least 182 people, a move that threatens to derail an already fragile truce.

Iran said the ceasefire included Lebanon, a position echoed by Pakistan, which helped mediate the deal. Both Israel and the United States said it did not.

US and Iranian delegations are set to begin negotiations in Islamabad this weekend, with the question of whether Lebanon is covered by the ceasefire emerging as a potential wildcard.

“The Lebanese front may ultimately undermine efforts to sustain the ceasefire,” said Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher in the Iran and the Shi’ite Axis Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSSS) in Tel Aviv. From Tehran’s perspective, Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon “may justify a renewed response against Israel,” he added.

Here’s what to know.

Why is Israel striking Lebanon?

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite Islamist movement with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East, has engaged in decades of conflict with Israel from its base in neighboring Lebanon.

Israel launched a full-scale war on Hezbollah after the group fired at Israeli-held territory in support of Hamas following that group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

In November 2024, Israel approved a ceasefire deal that required it to withdraw from Lebanon. But the Israeli forces continued to hold positions beyond the deadline and carried out near daily strikes, citing Hezbollah violations.

After Israel killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an airstrike in late February, Hezbollah began firing at Israel.

The Israeli military retaliated by launching an intense wave of airstrikes on what it said were Hezbollah positions and sent troops deeper into Lebanese territory, seeking to establish a buffer zone in the south of the country.

More than 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon since the start of the latest conflict. As of Tuesday, at least 1,530 people had been killed and 4,812 wounded, according to the health ministry.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has said the Israeli military intends to destroy villages in southern Lebanon and has barred the 600,000 Lebanese who fled from returning to their homes “until the safety and security of northern Israeli residents is ensured.”

The destruction will be “in accordance with the Rafah and Khan Younis model in Gaza,” Katz said, referring to two Palestinian cities that Israel bombed heavily during the war in Gaza.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich last month suggested annexing southern Lebanon.

“The current campaign in Lebanon must end with a fundamental change: the Litani must become our new border with the State of Lebanon,” he said, referencing the river that separates southern Lebanon from the rest of the country.

Human rights experts have warned that open-ended mass evacuation orders and the new security borders mandated by Israel amount to a “possible war crime.”

Is Lebanon part of the ceasefire deal with Iran?

Over the past 48 hours, officials involved in negotiations gave conflicting statements about whether Lebanon is included in the ceasefire.

Unlike most ceasefire agreements, there are no publicly available documents underpinning this one. Much of what is known about the deal came from social media posts by Tr

The Iran war is making life more expensive for Americans

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By Samantha Delouya, John Towfighi, CNN

New York (CNN) — The war with Iran has roiled Wall Street, driving up the cost of a mortgage along with auto and credit card loans, making everyday life more expensive for Americans.

Mortgage rates climbed for five straight weeks after the war began, but ticked down this week to 6.37% for the average 30-year fixed mortgage, according to Freddie Mac.

Just weeks ago, borrowing was far cheaper. In late February, just two days before the United States and Israel began joint strikes on Iran, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 5.98%, dipping below 6% for the first time in more than three years.

Mortgage rates tend to track the 10-year US Treasury yield, which has climbed across the past month as investors have reckoned with the surge in oil prices, nerves about inflation, and the potential for increased government spending to fund the war. Yields rise when bond prices fall.

The 10-year US Treasury yield rose from below 4% at the end of February to as high as 4.48% in March, before trading around 4.3% this week. That yield is one of the most significant interest rates for the economy, strongly influencing mortgage rates and a range of other borrowing costs for everyday Americans, as well as businesses and the US government.

“Investors are now coming to grips with the likelihood of a prolonged war with Iran and what that would mean for the economy,” said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial. “The longer global oil supply is crimped, the more likely inflation pressures will increase.”

Here’s how the war is making Americans pay more for credit:

Mortgage rates

Even with this week’s drop in mortgage rates, a typical homebuyer who locked in a rate just a few weeks ago would save tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan compared with someone taking out a mortgage today.

Take a $500,000 home. Assuming a 20% downpayment, a buyer who locked in a 30-year fixed mortgage in February, when the average mortgage rate was 5.98%, would be paying about $28,700 per year in principal and interest. At this week’s average mortgage rate of 6.37%, the yearly payment on that same loan would be $29,931. While that may not seem like much, the difference in yearly payments adds up: Over the life of the 30-year loan, today’s homebuyer would pay more than $36,000 than a buyer in February.

“Borrowers are not going to like that,” said Larry White, professor of economics at NYU Stern. “That adds a non-trivial amount to their monthly mortgage payment.”

But despite the rise in rates over the past few weeks, mortgage rates are still lower than at this time last year, when the 30-year average fixed mortgage rate was 6.62%.

Auto loans

Rising Treasury yields could impact other borrowing rates, like auto loans, since the interest rate on a five-year auto loan tends to track short-term bond yields.

Five-year and two-year Treasury yields soared in March and are hovering at their highest levels since August.

Average rates on five-year auto loans have barely budged during the war, according to Bankrate data, but higher-for-longer bond yields could keep auto rates elevated after they had climbed higher in recent years.

“We’re probably looking at a plateau,” said Stephen Kates, financial analyst at Bankrate.

“The biggest question for borrowing rates, and this is true of mortgages, which obviously have gone up substantially, is the duration of this conflict,” Kates said. “How long this goes on and the uncertainty it brings is going to have more of an impact on borrowing rates than anything.”

The average five-year auto loan rate hovers aro

Una economía por el suelo y con más pensionados que aportantes: los dramáticos números detrás del anuncio de Delcy Rodríguez

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Por Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN en Español

El anuncio de la presidenta encargada de Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, de un “incremento responsable” del salario mínimo en el país no estuvo acompañado por cifras concretas, sino con promesas que quedan matizadas por una realidad económica dramática para los trabajadores y pensionados.

Pese a una lenta recuperación de la producción petrolera y al restablecimiento de relaciones con EE.UU., la situación todavía no invita a volver a millones de personas que salieron al extranjero a buscar un mejor futuro.

La mandataria dijo que el próximo 1 de mayo, Día del Trabajador, detallará “un incremento responsable” de mejora del salario, que está congelado desde hace cuatro años y hoy se ubica en torno a los 130 bolívares, US$ 0,27, según la tasa de cambio oficial.

En primer lugar, no está confirmado que el incremento vaya a ser para esa base y no en forma de bonos, que sí han aumentado en los últimos años.

La Central Bolivariana Socialista de Trabajadores propuso en marzo un ajuste trimestral de US$ 50, junto con bonos de US$ 100 para vacaciones y aguinaldos.

“El anuncio es más de lo mismo”, dijo a CNN el economista venezolano Andrés Giussepe, director de la consultora Polidata. “Pareciera que fue para tratar de calmar la tensión social, con la movilización programada para hoy”, convocada por gremios y estudiantes hacia el Palacio de Miraflores para exigir mejoras salariales, agregó.

El analista dijo que el Gobierno “está entrampado” por la falta de recursos y estimó que el aumento podría rondar los US$ 20. “En la práctica, no es nada”, aseguró, ya que la canasta básica familiar está en US$ 677, según el cálculo de febrero del Centro de Documentación y Análisis Social de la Federación Venezolana de Maestros. Además, advirtió que una reforma a la ley orgánica de trabajo, como piden algunas cámaras empresariales, sería “echar más leña al problema social”.

La propia presidenta puso paños fríos durante su alocución este miércoles, al mencionar que un aumento desbocado aceleraría el aumento de precios. “Más ingresos al trabajador, realizados sin respaldo, disparan la inflación y destruyen su poder de compra”, dijo en la conferencia. El índice de precios al consumidor cerró 2025 en 475 % y solo en los dos primeros meses de 2026 llegó al 51,9 %, según estadísticas oficiales.

Entre otras cifras, Rodríguez reconoció que el PBI real de 2025, aunque considerablemente más alto que en 2020, es apenas el 36 % de lo que fue en 2012, año de bonanza petrolera.

Rodríguez prometió que “la recuperación de activos y recursos bloqueados” se destinarán a rehabilitar la “infraestructura básica e inversión productiva que garantice ingresos suficientes para mejores pensiones e ingresos de los trabajadores”.

Para ello, es clave el aumento de la producción petrolera, que en febrero aumentó un 10 % y volvió a superar el millón de barriles diarios, según cifras divulgadas por la Organización de Países Exportadores de Petróleo (OPEP). El Gobierno impulsó y promulgó una nueva ley de hidrocarburos, un legado del chavismo, para incentivar la inversión extranjera.

Sin embargo, hará falta mucho más que eso para aliviar el enorme desbalance del sistema previsional.

“Hay más pensionados que cotizantes a las pensiones”, reconoció el Gobierno, que estima 5,3 millones de trabajadores activos (la mayoría del sector público) y 5,7 millones de pensionados. Esa situación lleva a que el estado esté financiando el 91 % del pago de pensiones.

“Acá le pagan US$ 30 o US$ 40 a los pensionados, la población está muy afectada por inanición laboral”, dijo Giussepe.

Al sistema, que sufre los

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