Análisis por Nathan Hodge, CNN

El presidente de Rusia, Vladimir Putin, sabe cómo encontrar oportunidades en las crisis, y la metástasis de la guerra con Irán es el último ejemplo de ello.

Putin comenzó el año proyectando confianza en su campaña para subyugar a Ucrania, a pesar del progreso gradual en el campo de batalla. Pero a principios de enero, la administración Trump asestó un duro golpe al prestigio de Rusia con la destitución del presidente de Venezuela Nicolás Maduro, socio estratégico de Moscú, en una audaz incursión de comandos.

Y cuando estalló la nueva guerra en la región del Golfo, Putin inicialmente parecía un perdedor: los ataques estadounidenses e israelíes mataron al líder supremo iraní, el ayatola Alí Jamenei, otro antiguo aliado de Rusia, y diezmaron objetivos militares iraníes. La alianza estratégica que Moscú firmó con Irán el año pasado parecía un mero trozo de papel.

Vale la pena recordar que Jamenei fue solo el último amigo del Kremlin en caer: a principios de diciembre de 2024, poco más de un año antes del derrocamiento de Maduro, el régimen de Bashar al-Assad, un viejo cliente de Moscú, se derrumbó.

Pero a pesar de la óptica geopolítica, Putin parece tener la vista puesta en su objetivo principal: desmantelar una Ucrania independiente.

El lunes, el líder del Kremlin habló por teléfono con Trump, su primera llamada desde diciembre. Según un informe del asesor del presidente de Rusia, Yuri Ushakov, la conversación de una hora abordó el tema principal del día: la guerra entre Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán, conversaciones que Ushakov describió como “muy sustanciales”.

Fundamentalmente, la conversación también abordó el objetivo del propio Putin. Ushakov afirmó que el presidente de EE.UU. “reiteró su interés en que el conflicto en Ucrania termine lo antes posible con un alto el fuego para lograr una solución a largo plazo”.

La opinión de Trump sobre esa parte de la conversación fue ligeramente diferente. Al preguntársele sobre la llamada, Trump dijo que el líder del Kremlin “quiere ser útil” en Medio Oriente, pero añadió: “Le dije: ‘Podrías ser más útil si terminaras de una vez con la guerra entre Ucrania y Rusia’. Eso sería más útil”.

Oficialmente, Rusia ha condenado la campaña militar estadounidense-israelí. Putin expresó sus condolencias por lo que describió en un mensaje oficial como el “asesinato” del exlíder supremo de Irán. Sin embargo, Putin ha evitado criticar personalmente a Trump, como han señalado varios observadores.

“Al final, el contenido de cualquier propuesta (de Putin) podría importar poco”, dijo Hanna Notte, directora para Eurasia en el Centro James Martin para Estudios de No Proliferación, en X. “Al ofrecerse a desempeñar un papel constructivo, Putin puede lograr su objetivo principal: adular a Trump y quedar bien con él, lo cual es importante (con respecto a): los objetivos rusos en Ucrania”.

Esa llamada con Trump también ocurre en un momento en que la suerte económica de Rusia parece estar cambiando en medio de una creciente crisis energética global con el cierre efectivo del estrecho de Ormuz.

El precio del petróleo superó el lunes los US$ 100 por barril y los expertos han advertido que podría alcanzar los US$ 150 por barril a fines de marzo

By Hilary Whiteman, Christina Macfarlane, Ben Church, CNN

Brisbane (CNN) — One of the seven Iranian soccer players granted refuge in Australia has changed her mind, forcing Australian officials to hurriedly move the other six women after she divulged their secret location to the Iranian embassy, the government in Canberra said.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told Parliament Wednesday that the woman, who took up an offer of a visa on Tuesday night, had consulted team members who had already left the country and requested to join them.

“Unfortunately, in making that decision, she’d been advised by her teammates and coach to contact the Iranian embassy and to get collected,” Burke said, without naming the woman. “I immediately gave the instruction for people to be moved.”

The players had been under guard by Australian Federal Police at a secret location in Brisbane to prevent any attempt by regime loyalists to either persuade or force them to return to Iran.

Fears have been growing for the fate of the women after they were branded traitors by state media last week, for failing to sing the national anthem before their opening match of the Asian Cup, which is being held in Australia.

Dissent is harshly punished in Iran, as demonstrated earlier this year when the regime killed thousands of protesters who dared to challenge its rule. The Iranian government blamed most of the killings on “rioters” who were part of what it describes as an organized Israeli-led plot.

“We know this regime has engaged in brutal treatment of women and girls … which why the government put so much effort into making sure that people did get given the choice (to stay),” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told CNN affiliate 9 on Wednesday.

Australia had been preparing for potential asylum claims since before the 12-team tournament, and conducted security checks to confirm who may qualify for protection. The stakes rose considerably after the team’s arrival in Australia, when the US and Israel attacked Iran, triggering a conflict that turned a large swathe of the Middle East into a war zone.

Iran has reacted angrily to Australia’s intervention, with the foreign ministry on Tuesday encouraging the women to “come home.” “Don’t worry – Iran awaits you with open arms,” a spokesperson said.

A difficult decision

Earlier Tuesday, Burke confirmed that seven women – six players and a member of the support team – had taken up Australia’s offer for permanent settlement.

He said most members of the Iranian delegation had the opportunity for a private meeting with officials – facilitated by a heavy police presence to separate them from Iranian minders. Not everyone was offered an interview.

“All the players remaining and most of the support people were taken into interview rooms without any minders present, simply themselves and the Department of Home Affairs and an interpreter, and they were given a choice,” Burke said. “In that situation, what we made sure of was there was no rushing, there was no pressure.”

The rest of the team departed Sydney Tuesday for Malaysia, arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where video posted to social media showed members of the Iranian community urging them not to return to Iran.

But Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation, said the players had been taken “hostage,” with a direct reference to US President Donald Trump, who inserted himself into the controversy on Monday by calling on Canberra to offer the players asylum.

“He tweeted that they should all take asylum, and that if fiv

By Hanna Park, CNN

(CNN) — The Trump administration said international travel program Global Entry would be restored on Wednesday morning, reopening a fast-track system that had been halted last month during an ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

“As DHS continually evaluates measures it can take amidst the Democrats’ continued shutdown of the department, DHS will be reactivating Global Entry on March 11th at 5:00 AM ET. We are working hard to alleviate the disruptions to travelers caused by the Democrats’ shutdown,” a DHS spokesperson told CNN in a statement.

The move was presented as a step to mitigate airport disruptions with the funding standoff in its fourth week.

On February 22, the department announced that it would stop processing Global Entry travelers at participating airports after its funding lapsed on February 14, when lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a spending bill.

At the time, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said personnel would be reassigned to focus on the “general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry,” calling it a necessary reallocation of resources. A similar decision to suspend domestic program TSA PreCheck was quickly reversed.

The funding lapse stems from a broader dispute over immigration enforcement.

Democrats in Congress have sought new restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal immigration agents, including requiring judicial warrants for certain home arrests, mandating visible identification and limiting the use of face coverings during operations. Republicans have opposed several of those proposals, arguing that the changes would hinder enforcement.

The suspension of Global Entry, long promoted by the government as a time-saving benefit for frequent international travelers, drew swift criticism from Democratic lawmakers and industry groups.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York accused the administration of using “bully tactics” by targeting airport operations during the standoff. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the move appeared designed to “punish the American people.”

The US Travel Association had previously urged the department to reverse course, saying the suspension would swell standard inspection lines, strain border officers and weaken security by diverting attention from higher-risk travelers.

“Global Entry is far more than a convenience, it is on the front line of national security. Its more than 13 million members undergo rigorous background checks, interviews and vetting. Suspending it doesn’t just slow lines. It increases costs and strips away a layer of security infrastructure that took years to build,” the association said.

Global Entry, operated by US Customs and Border Protection, allows preapproved American citizens and

Por Laura Paddison, CNN

En las noches más difíciles y de insomnio, Sofía se preocupa por si los grifos se secarán. “Al fin y al cabo, estamos en un desierto”, comentó la residente de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. El petróleo y el gas pueden ser el núcleo de la economía, pero el agua es “la base de nuestra supervivencia”.

A medida que la guerra con Irán se intensifica, también lo hacen sus temores. “Si me pusiera en el lugar del enemigo, a falta de un término mejor… esto es lo que atacaría, nuestros recursos más valiosos… Nunca pensé que podría correr el peligro de no tener agua potable”, declaró Sofía, quien pidió que no se revelara su nombre real.

Ella no está sola, en toda la región crece la preocupación de que una de sus mayores fortalezas pueda convertirse en objetivo de guerra.

Los países áridos del Golfo, incluidos los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, dependen excepcionalmente de la desalinización, el proceso de convertir el agua de mar en potable.

Por ello, esta región con una escasez extrema de agua alberga exuberantes campos de golf, vastos parques acuáticos y pistas de esquí; también por ello se enfrenta a una vulnerabilidad cada vez más alarmante.

Funcionarios bareiníes informaron el domingo que un dron iraní había dañado una planta desalinizadora, aunque no afectó el suministro de agua.

El ataque se produjo tras la acusación del ministro de Asuntos Exteriores iraní, Abbas Aragchi, de que Estados Unidos había atacado una planta desalinizadora en la isla iraní de Qeshm, afectando a 30 aldeas, lo que calificó de “acción peligrosa”. Estados Unidos negó su implicación.

Este aparente ojo por ojo pone de relieve el peligro potencial que suponen los cientos de plantas de desalinización del Golfo que abastecen de agua potable a aproximadamente 100 millones de personas.

Si bien Irán aún obtiene la mayor parte de su agua de ríos y aguas subterráneas, el Golfo cuenta con escasos recursos naturales de este recurso dulce. Algunos países, como Kuwait, Omán y Bahrein, dependen de la desalinización para obtener casi toda su agua potable.

Un ataque concertado contra esa infraestructura sería una “escalada casi impensable”, declaró a CNN Michael Christopher Low, director del Centro de Medio Oriente de la Universidad de Utah.

Pero los expertos dicen que las normas de la guerra están cambiando.

Si los ataques a las plantas de desalinización son “el comienzo de una política militar y no simplemente errores o daños colaterales, esto es ilegal —un crimen de guerra— y un hecho muy preocupante, ya que los países (del Golfo) sólo tienen almacenamiento de agua para unas pocas semanas”, señaló Laurent Lambert, profesor asociado de políticas públicas en el Instituto de Estudios de Posgrado de Doha, en Qatar.

El petróleo y el gas transformaron el Golfo de una región caracterizada por estados escasamente poblados a países ricos con ciudades relucientes y bulliciosas en cuestión de décadas.

Pero lo que muchos pasan por alto en esta historia es el impacto de la desalinización, impulsada por el mismo petróleo y gas, que ha permitido el auge demográfico en países desérticos con escasos ríos.

La desalinización convierte el agua de mar en agua potable eliminando la sal, los minerales y las impurezas, ya sea calentándola o impulsándola a través de membranas a alta presión. Es un proceso costoso y de alto consumo energético.

Los países del Golfo se han convertido en “reinos de agua salada”, afirmó Low, quien escribe un libro

By Lex Harvey, Angus Watson, CNN

Sydney (CNN) — Sydney-based fashion designer Katie Perry had always dreamed of starting her own clothing brand. She never imagined a global pop star would be her biggest obstacle.

But on Wednesday Australia’s highest court ruled that Perry, who now goes by her married name Katie Taylor, has the right to sell clothes under her own name.

It’s a major victory for the underdog small business owner, who more than 15 years ago received a letter from the other Katy Perry — yes, that one.

“Just picture it. I had just launched my first showroom,” she told CNN, recalling the moment in 2009, two years after she had launched her fashion line “Katie Perry,” which sells colorful and comfortable basics.

“I arrived back in the showroom, there were empty champagne glasses everywhere, and opened my post, and all I remember is looking at this paper that said, cease and desist. Stop sale of your clothes, stop any website, and stop any advertising material.”

Perry, the American singer who was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, was skyrocketing to international fame following the launch of her popular singles “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot N Cold,” which were topping Australian and global charts in 2008.

Ahead of Perry’s first Australian tour in 2009, her lawyers sent Taylor a letter demanding she withdraw her trademark application, which she had registered months prior.

“I remember, bursting into tears and thinking, what is this all about? I haven’t done anything wrong,” Taylor said.

That letter kicked off a legal saga that would last nearly two decades, winding through several courts, until the Australian High Court found on Wednesday the designer’s use of her own name for her clothing brand did not violate trademark laws.

“Honestly, it kind of feels like a dream,” Taylor told CNN after reading the ruling. “I keep thinking, like, oh my god, has this actually happened?”

CNN has reached out to Perry’s management for comment on the outcome.

A victory for the underdog

The case was about who was legally allowed to sell clothing under the Katie — or Katy — Perry name.

Taylor said she first heard about Perry in July 2008 when “I Kissed a Girl” came on the radio, according to the court filing Wednesday.

Taylor “bought the song on iTunes because she wanted to support an artist who had the same name as her.”

But their matching names would soon drive a wedge between them.

After the 2009 letter, the two sides attempted to come to a settlement but they could not agree on the terms, according to the court filings.

Taylor was granted the trademark for clothing and Perry amended her application to include just music and entertainment, according to the court ruling.

The legal battle faded to the background. But as Perry’s star grew and she continued to tour the world, including Australia, she began to offer branded tour merchandise, including clothing, to fans.

In 2019, Taylor sued the singer, arguing Perry had infringed on her trademark.

Taylor won her case in Federal Court but lost on appeal, with the judges finding that Perry’s reputation in Australia was stronger than Taylor’s at the time Taylor had registered her trademark application, and that it is common practice for pop stars to sell merchandise.

In a strong rebuke against Taylor’s case, they argued that her “Katie Perry” trademark should be canceled.

But on Wednesday, Australia’s High Court overturned the ruling, arguing the cancellation of the trademark was not warranted, and the use of the “Katie Perry” trademark was not likely to deceive or cause confusion.

Taylor said the court battle was a long and difficult process, but s