Two people have died in a submerged car, evacuations have been ordered for wildfire-scarred California, and Seattle and Portland face the rare chance of snowy streets as a wave of storms rolled through the western United States.
The new storms, which could drop rain and snow over much of the region into next week and plunge the Pacific Northwest into a lengthy cold snap, follow a now-departed atmospheric river that delivered copious amounts of precipitation this week.
On Thursday, two people died when their car was submerged in a flooded underpass in Millbrae, California, just south of San Francisco. Firefighters rescued two people who had climbed on top of a car but they could not reach another fully submerged vehicle, San Mateo county sheriff’s Det Javier Acosta said.
In the Sierra Nevada, an evacuation warning was issued on Thursday for about 150 homes downstream of Twain Harte Lake Dam after cracks were found in granite that adjoins the manmade part of the 11-metre-high (36ft) structure.
The warning was lifted around 6pm after inspectors determined the dam was structurally sound and cleared it for continued use, according to the Tuolumne county sheriff’s office.
The Sierra range could see 1.5- 2.4m (5-8ft) of snow through the holidays, with 3m (10ft) possible at higher elevations, and authorities urged people to avoid travelling through the mountain passes, which could be treacherous.
A winter storm warning issued on Friday remains in effect until 10am on Tuesday for most of the Sierra, where almost 1m (3ft) of snow had fallen by early Friday at Mammoth Mountain south of Yosemite national park. About 0.6m (2ft) fell on Thursday at some Tahoe-area ski resorts.
Wind gusts over ridges could exceed 100mph (160km/h), the National Weather Service said, making travel difficult to impossible.
In southern California, evacuation orders were issued on Thursday night in Orange county because of possible mudslides and debris flows in three canyons where a wildfire last December burned the ground bare. The local fire authority reported a mudslide on Thursday night in one canyon that affected some roads but no injuries were reported.
On Thursday, a slow-moving front dumped the most rain and snow parts of eastern Nevada have seen on the date in more than a half century.
In preparation for freezing temperatures, snow and ice in the Pacific Northwest this holiday weekend and next week, state officials in Oregon declared an emergency and shelters were being opened throughout the region to help the homeless.
Recent forecasts show at least an inch of snow was likely to fall on Sunday in the Seattle and Portland regions, which do not typically see snow.
But forecasters and state officials said the main concern was cold temperatures in the region, with daytime highs next week struggling to reach above freezing, that are likely to impact people experiencing homelessness and those without adequate access to heating.
Oregon governor Kate Brown issued a state of emergency declaration on Thursday evening to remain in effect through to 3 January, saying expected snow and sustained temperatures below freezing could result in critical transportation failures and disruptions to power and communications infrastructure.
Portland and Multnomah county earlier declared states of emergency.
En la madrugada de este viernes 5 de agosto, falleció el ministro de Defensa, Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro, según informó el Ministerio de Defensa en un comunicado. Estaba internado en el Hospital Militar desde hacía varios días a consecuencia de un grave cuadro respiratorio (EPOC).
El velatorio se realizará a partir de las 9 de la mañana en el Salón de Honor del ministerio. A las 15 horas partirá el cortejo fúnebre hacia el Cementerio del Buceo (Panteón Casmu). Recibirá honores de ministro de Estado.
El presidente Tabaré Vázquez llegó al velorio poco antes de las 13 horas, minutos después de que llegaran al lugar el secretario y prosecretario de Presidencia, Miguel Ángel Toma y Juan Andrés Roballo.
También están presentes el expresidente José Mujica y la senadora Lucía Topolansky, así como el ministro del Interior Eduardo Bonomi, la titular de Relaciones Exteriores Rodolfo Nin Novoa y la ministra de Industria Carolina Cosse, entre otras autoridades. Además, llegaron al lugar los senadores nacionalistas Jorge Larrañaga y Javier García, así como el cardenal Daniel Sturla.
Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro nació en Montevideo, el 14 de marzo de 1942. Cursó estudios primarios y secundarios en el Colegio y Liceo Santa María de los Maristas.
Fernández Huidobro fue uno de los fundadores y principales dirigentes del Movimiento de Liberación Nacional – Tupamaros. Fue el autor de varios operativos realizados por la guerrilla y también de documentos donde se explican los pensamientos del grupo, de visión marxista e inspirados en la revolución cubana de 1959.
Según el propio Fernández Huidobro, el movimiento guerrillero nació formalmente en 1965, aunque en 1963 ya habían realizado dos asaltos: uno al Tiro Suizo y otro al Banco de Cobranzas.
Empleado bancario, militó en el Movimiento Revolucionario Oriental (MRO) fundado por Ariel Collazo en 1961. A partir de 1962 integró “el coordinador” de pequeños grupos de izquierda que discutieron la creación de una organización guerrillera en Uruguay y que realizó algunas acciones, como el robo de fusiles en 1963 en el Tiro Suizo, cercano a Nueva Helvecia, y asaltó numerosos bancos. Los tupamaros
Junto a Raúl Sendic y Tabaré Rivero Cedrés, integró la primera dirección del MLN-Tupamaros, creado formalmente a mediados de 1965 en una reunión realizada en Parque del Plata, y en los años siguientes redactó algunos de sus principales planes y documentos políticos.
Fue apresado el 8 de octubre de 1969, segundo aniversario de la caída de Ernesto “Che” Guevara en Bolivia, cuando los tupamaros se retiraban tras copar centros neurálgicos de la ciudad de Pando.
El 6 de setiembre de 1971 participó de la fuga de la cárcel de Punta Carretas de 106 tupamaros y cinco presos comunes. El episodio, que se desarrolló a menos de tres meses de las elecciones nacionales, en las que el presidente Jorge Pacheco Areco intentaba la reelección, llevó al gobierno a encomendar a las Fuerzas Armadas la dirección de la lucha antisubversiva.
Prisión
Cayó prisionero, herido, el 14 de abril de 1972, cuando los tupamaros mataron a tres presuntos integrantes de un “escuadrón de la muerte”, entre ellos Armando Acosta y Lara. Esa jornada sangrienta implicó la muerte de 13 personas (ocho tupamaros, un civil, tres policías y un oficial de la Armada) y fue el principio del fin de la organización guerrillera, desbaratada en los meses siguientes.
Detenido en un cuartel, participó en las negociaciones con oficiales del Ejército de una rendición del MLN supeditada al cumplimiento de un programa político-económico. Las negociaciones fueron desautorizadas luego por los mandos de las Fuerzas Armadas y el presidente Juan María Bordaberry.
Los “rehenes”
A partir de 1973, bajo un gobierno dictatorial, junto a José Mujica, Mauricio Rosencof, Henry Engler, Raúl Sendic, Adolfo Wasem, Jorge Manera Lluveras, Julio Marenales y Jorge Zabalza, integró el grupo de nueve “rehenes” que las Fuerzas Armadas mantuvieron en severas condiciones de reclusión bajo amenaza de que serían ejecutados si se realizaban atentados contra miembros de las fuerzas de seguridad. Publicación de libros
Recuperó la libertad en marzo de 1985, después que el nuevo Parlamento democrático votara una ley que en los hechos significó una amnistía tardía para los presos acusados de delitos de sangre por motivos políticos.
Tuvo un papel central en los medios de comunicación de los tupamaros, como el semanario Mate Amargo y la radio Panamericana, y publicó varios libros sobre experiencias personales y de su organización: Historia de los tupamaros (tres volúmenes, a partir de 1986), Memorias del calabozo (junto a Mauricio Roscencof, tres volúmenes, 1987-1989), La tregua armada (narración de las negociaciones con los militares en 1972, editado en 1987), El abuso (sobre la fuga de Punta Carretas de 1971, editado en dos tomos en 1990) y En la nuca (sobre las divisiones internas en el MLN a partir de 1973, editado en 2000).
Creación del MPP e ingreso al Parlamento
También cumplió un papel central en la reorganización de los tupamaros, que ingresaron al Frente Amplio en 1989, no sin resistencias, y ese mismo año optaron por la lucha electoral tras crear el Movimiento de Participación Popular (MPP). Entre 1995 y 2000 fue suplente del senador Helios Sarthou y comenzó a escribir columnas en el diario La República. En 1999 fue electo senador para el período 2000-2005 y reelecto en 2004 para el período 2005-2010.
En agosto de 2007 renunció (“licencia por tiempo indeterminado”) al MLN “tras una larga historia de discrepancias”, según escribió. En 2008 también renunció al MPP, aunque dentro del Espacio 609, que integra el MPP, creó su propio sector: Corriente de Acción y Pensamiento – Libertad (CAP-L).
En 2009 fue electo senador para el período 2010-2015. Se opuso a la propuesta del Frente Amplio de una ley interpretativa a la ley de la Caducidad de 1986, que concedió una amnistía a militares y policías acusados de violaciones a los derechos humanos durante la dictadura de 1973-1985. En abril de 2011 votó esa norma en el Senado por disciplina partidaria y de inmediato renunció a su banca
Dos meses después asumió como ministro de Defensa Nacional, tras la renuncia del titular de la cartera, Luis Rosadilla. Ocupó ese cargo hasta el final de la administración presidencial de Mujica. En 2014, luego de volver a ser electo presidente, Tabaré Vázquez anunció que ratificaría a Fernández Huidobro al frente del ministerio, cargo que desempeñó hasta su muerte.
Un alto nivel de tensión se vivió la tarde de este domingo, en el colegio 24 de Mayo, en el norte de Quito, durante el sufragio del candidato a la vicepresidencia por Alianza PAIS, Jorge Glas. El evento terminó en agresiones.
Desde antes de las 14:00, grupos de personas permanecían en diferentes sitios del recinto electoral, como si esperaran una disposición.
A las 14:28, llegó la orden. Ese momento ingresaba Glas, acompañado de Lenin Moreno –el candidato presidencial-. Decenas de personas se enlistaron para protegerle y respaldarle con sloganes. “Una sola vuelta, una sola vuelta…”, retumbó por parte de los coidearios.
No obstante, pocos metros más adelante, gente que salía o ingresaba a sufragar comenzó a gritar en contra del Gobierno de Rafael Correa, de Glas y de su comitiva. “Fuera Correa fuera, fuera Correa fuera, fuera Correa fuera…”, se escuchó.
Mientras Glas sufragaba, en las afueras de la junta 3, del recinto colegio 24 de Mayo, los gritos subían de tono. Los enfrentamientos se volvían más intensos.
El candidato salió de sufragar, junto a su esposa, Cinthia Díaz que le acompañó, y se encontró con los ánimos caldeados, en los patios del centro educativo.
Subió a un auto y cerca de abandonar el colegio, unas diez personas impidieron el paso del carro. La seguridad personal y pública despejó el camino.
Fue entonces, cuando las agresiones pasaron de verbales a físicas. Una simpatizante de Alianza PAIS terminó en el suelo, luego de que se agrediera con una persona de la tercera edad, que a su vez lanzaba consignas en contra del Gobierno Nacional.
El caos en el recinto electoral terminó cerca de las 15:00.
El candidato Glas no emitió declaraciones ante los periodistas. (I)
The Sri Lankan government blocked access to Facebook and other social-networking sites Sunday after suicide attacks killed more than 290 people, a move meant to stop misinformation from inciting further violence in a country where online mistruths have fomented deadly ethnic unrest.
But the blackout also had the effect of eliminating a key means of communication during a major terrorist event — a problem Sunday for both Sri Lankans and foreigners desperate to get information about security and check in with loved ones.
Analysts, meanwhile, question whether shutting down social media is effective at defusing strife. The Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists has said there is no “substantive” evidence to show that such bans, which are common in South Asia, can “scale down violence.”
Roshni Fernando moved to Colombo recently from London. After suicide bombers struck churches and hotels Sunday morning, she was frustrated by her inability to reach people back home.
“If I don’t reply to your messages it is because WhatsApp and Facebook appears to have been shutdown in Sri Lanka,” she wrote on Twitter.
“I have had friends in London trying to contact me through both,” she told The Washington Post, “and I can’t see them or message anybody.”
The rapid proliferation of falsehoods online has become a regular consequence of shootings, terrorist attacks and other major news events — one that Facebook, Google, Twitter and other social media sites have struggled to curtail. Within hours of the first bombings Sunday morning, researchers said they saw a spike in false reports about the perpetrators and the number of victims.
In response, Sri Lanka’s Defense Ministry said the government had “taken steps to temporarily block all the social media avenues until the investigations are concluded.” A state-run news service said “false news reports were spreading through social media.”
Facebook said it was “working to support first responders and law enforcement as well as to identify and remove content which violates our standards.” The social media giant said in a statement it was “committed to maintaining our services and helping the community and the country during this tragic time.”
Twitter declined to comment. Representatives for Snapchat and Google-owned YouTube did not respond to requests for comment.
Viber, a messaging app popular in Sri Lanka, did not comment on the ban, but the platform tweeted soon after the attacks, offering support and encouraging users to “be responsible and rely on updates from official and trusted sources.”
NetBlocks, a London-based digital rights organization, said its data show each of those services had been affected. Alp Toker, the group’s executive director, said it appeared that the Sri Lankan government had ordered local Internet providers to implement the blackout. The providers interpreted the order differently, he said, which explained why some social-networking services still seemed to be operable for some users.
Sanjana Hattotuwa, a senior researcher at Center for Policy Alternatives in Colombo who monitors social media for fake news, said he saw a significant uptick in false reports after the bombings Sunday.
There was a significant amount of misinformation on the death toll, he said, and unverified information on perpetrators was spreading rapidly on Facebook and Twitter. He cited two instances of widely shared unverified information: An Indian media report attributing the attack to Muslim suicide bombers, and a tweet from a Sri Lankan minister about an intelligence report warning of an attack.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The government made 13 arrests on Sunday, but has not identified the suspects.
Hattotuwa has asked users to flag such content directly to him.
“There are new Twitter accounts popping up putting out unverified information,” he said. “There are Facebook posts which violate the guidelines through either intent or are graphic in nature.”
Hattotuwa was sharing the information with Facebook and Twitter. He said the platforms were on “high alert.”
South Asia saw the highest number of shutdowns globally in 2018, according to the International Federation of Journalists. The organization said authorities justified most of these shutdowns by citing “law and order” imperatives, saying the measures were intended to preempt violence, or were undertaken in response to it.
Governments around the world have expressed deep unease with the spread of misinformation and violence on social media, particularly during shootings and terrorist attacks. Facebook and YouTube, for example, struggled to remove graphic video from the deadly attack on two mosques in New Zealand last month. The New Zealand government has proposed rules that would compel companies to take down such content faster or face penalties, an idea that European regulators also have considered in recent weeks.
Sri Lanka’s government shut down access to social media platforms in March 2018 out of concerns that sites had helped militants foment deadly ethnic unrest in the deeply divided country. Anti-Muslim riots left three dead and prompted officials to declare a state of emergency.
Officials said Facebook and Facebook-owned WhatsApp had “been used to destroy families, lives and private property.” And they accused the tech giant of failing to act swiftly and aggressively enough to take down content that had been deemed a national security risk.
But Hattotuwa said Sri Lanka’s action in 2018 was undertaken too late, after the violence had already broken out.
“While a ban on social media helps to contain the spread of rumors, it also hampers efforts by journalists to push back on them,” he said.
Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger condemned President Donald Trump on Sunday for quoting Pastor Robert Jeffress’ warning that impeachment might cause a “Civil War-like” fracture in the U.S.
“If the Democrats are successful in removing the President from office (which they will never be), it will cause a Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal.’ Pastor Robert Jeffress,@FoxNews,” the president wrote on Sunday evening in a series of tweets.
In response, Kinzinger tweeted: “I have visited nations ravaged by civil war.@realDonaldTrump. I have never imagined such a quote to be repeated by a President. This is beyond repugnant.”
The president’s tweet came shortly after Jeffress’ appearance on Fox News, where he spoke about the impeachment inquiry into Trump announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday.
Jeffress, a prominent evangelical pastor of a Texas megachurch who’s also a vocal supporter of Trump, has been accused on numerous occasions of making controversial and offensive remarks. In March, he said Christian followers of Trump have “deeper convictions” than other devotees during an interview on Fox News.
“Even though the evangelical number has dropped as a whole, the number of evangelicals turning out at the ballot box is greater than other groups, and it’s because evangelicals have deeper convictions,” Jeffress said. “They believe in absolute moral and spiritual truth, and they tend to vote those convictions at the ballot box.”
In August, Jeffress condemned a church denomination for sheltering migrants and fighting deportations as the White House cracked down on illegal immigration. “The church has no business in doing that. And look, the Bible is very clear about this,” Jeffress said. “In Romans 13, Paul says, ‘Government is established by God. To resist government is to resist God himself.'”
According to a CBS News poll, released on Sunday morning, a majority of Americans say they support the Democrat-led House’s recently-announced impeachment inquiry, with 55 percent of respondents approving of the impeachment inquiry and 45 percent disapproving of the move.
The weekend poll shows a slight rise in public support for the impeachment proceedings as Trump faces increased public scrutiny after a whistleblower accused the White House of covering up a phone conversation made between the president and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in July, during which the U.S. leader requested his foreign counterpart to look into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
The last impeachment survey, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll conducted on Wednesday, found that 49 percent of Americans approved of the impeachment inquiry, while 49 percent disapproved and five percent said they were unsure.
The FBI on Wednesday raided Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar’s home and campaign office in Texas as part of a wide-ranging federal probe relating to the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan and several U.S. businessmen, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.
A federal grand jury in Washington is investigating the matter, but it’s unclear if Cuellar is a target of the grand jury’s probe, ABC News was told.
After FBI agents executed a search warrant at Cuellar’s home in Laredo, Texas, an aide to Cuellar said in a statement that the congressman “will fully cooperate in any investigation.”
“He is committed to ensuring that justice and the law are upheld,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, an FBI spokesperson emphasized that any “law enforcement activity” at Cuellar’s home and campaign office was “court-authorized.”
Cuellar, who represents Texas’ 28th Congressional District along the U.S.-Mexico border, has been in Congress since 2005. In recent years he has served as a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, and repeatedly met with Azerbaijan officials, including the ambassador of Azerbaijan, Elin Suleymanov.
Over the past year, Cuellar has frequently criticized the Biden administration for some of its border-related policies.
Spokespeople for the FBI and Justice Department declined to comment for this story.
ABC News’ Luke Barr, Alexander Mallin and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
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Rodeado de una multitud que lo aclamaba, Erdogan dijo: “El gobierno está en control”.
El presidente de Turquía, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, regresó a Estambul tras iniciarse en la noche de este viernes un intento de golpe de Estado en su contra por parte de un grupo de militares.
Y el nuevo jefe interino del estado mayor del ejército, Ümit Dündar, informó en televisión que el intento de golpe fue “frustrado”.
El primer ministro Binali Yildirim nombró a Dündar en sustitución de Hulusi Akar, del se que informó fue capturado por los rebeldes durante el levantamiento y cuyo paradero actual no está claro.
Aunque la versión del ministro Para Asuntos Europeos, Ömer Çelik,difiere un poco de ésta.
Çelik dijo este sábado que la situación está “un 90% bajo control”, ya que “algunos rehenes no han sido aún liberados”.
Según las autoridades, el levantamiento y la respuesta para controlarlo dejaron como consecuencia161 muertos, “la mayoría de ellos civiles”, más de 1.000 heridos y más de 2.800 militares vinculados al golpe arrestados.
“Este levantamiento, este movimiento es un gran regalo de Dios para nosotros. Porque el ejército será limpiado“, aseguró el mandatario en una rueda de prensa realizada tras su llegada a Estambul desde el sur del país, donde se encontraba de vacaciones.
Horas después el gobierno turco informaría que 29 coroneles y 5 generales fueron apartados de sus cargos.
Los golpistas “pagarán caro este acto de traición”, agregó Erdogan en su desafiante discurso en el que señaló como culpables del intento de derrocamiento a los seguidores del clérigo musulmán turco Fethullah Gulen.
Así se ha vivido el intento de golpe en Turquía.
En la mañana del sábado, frente a una multitud que lo aclamaba en el aeropuerto de Estambul, Erdogan dijo: “El gobierno está en control”.
Poco después, la televisión turca mostró a decenas de soldados presuntamente involucrados en el intento de golpe de Estado rindiéndose en Estambul, abandonando los tanques con las manos en alto.
En cambio, en la capital, Ankara, todavía había reportes de escaramuzas.
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Un grupo de partidarios de Erdogan festeja sobre uno de los tanques militares que bloquearon los puentes en el Bósforo.
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Las autoridades turcas informaron de que decenas de militares fueron apartados de sus cargos y la televisión turca mostró estas imágenes de soldados golpistas rindiéndose.
Disparos y explosiones
En la noche de este viernes, un grupo de militares de los cuales no se sabe aún quién los dirigía, aseguró tener el control de Turquía tras posicionar escuadrones de soldados en puntos estratégicos de Estambul y Ankara, las dos principales ciudades del país.
Decretaron el toque de queda y la ley marcial, y en un comunicado leído en la televisión estatal aseguraron haber instalado en el gobierno a un “consejo para la paz de la patria”.
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Un hombre se enfrentó solo a un tanque de guerra que intentaba entrar en el aeropuerto de Ataturk en Estambul.
Miles de personas ignoraron el toque de queda y salieron a protestar en apoyo a Erdogan, algunos incluso saltando sobre los tanques en actitud desafiante.
Durante toda la noche, las imágenes y reportes de medios locales mostraron enfrentamientos entre militares y civiles, y explosiones en edificios gubernamentales.
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Erdogan dijo que “el ejército será limpiado” y que los golpistas pagarán por su “traición”.
En la plaza Taksim, en Estambul, por ejemplo, se escucharon dos explosiones grandes. Las mismas fueron acompañadas por el sonido de aviones de combate.
Los medios estatales informaron que una bomba impactó el edificio del Parlamento en Ankara.
Por otra parte, un avión de combate del gobierno derribó un helicóptero militar que era tripulado por fuerzas golpistas.
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Hay reportes de 17 policías muertos en el cuartel de las fuerzas especiales de la capital.
El primer ministro de Turquía, Binali Yildirim, había dado la orden de derribar cualquier aeronave secuestrada por los golpistas. Según informó, jets militares habían despegado de la base militar ubicada en Eskisehir, al este de Ankara.
También se reportaron tiroteos y una explosión cerca del complejo presidencial en Ankara, y que sólo en el cuartel de las fuerzas especiales de la capital 17 policías habían muerto, aunque no se tiene claro si estas víctimas están incluidas en la cifra de fallecidos general.
“Orden democrático”
Horas antes, los uniformados emitieron en la televisión estatal un comunicado en el que aseguran haber tomado el poder para “preservar el orden democrático”.
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Tras el levantamiento militar, el presidente Erdogan habló con CNN Turk y aseguró que seguía en ejercicio de su cargo.
El comunicado del grupo militar, leído por un presentador del canal nacional de televisión TRT— según él, obligado a punta de pistola—, aseguraba que el imperio de la ley democrática y secular se había visto erosionado por el actual gobierno, y que entraría en vigencia una nueva Constitución.
Sin embargo, Erdogan habló por medio de una videollamada desde un celular al canal de televisión CNN Turk para asegurar que seguía en ejercicio de su cargo e instó a sus partidarios a salir a las plazas y calles del país en favor de la democracia.
El mandatario se refirió al intento de golpe como “el levantamiento de una minoría”.
El inicio
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La plaza Taksim en Estambul fue uno de los lugares donde los partidarios de Erdogan se reunieron de a cientos para oponerse al golpe de Estado.
Los primeros reportes de una situación irregular en Turquía habían llegado cuando medios locales empezaron a hablar de sobrevuelo de aviones caza-bombarderos y helicópteros militares, así como disparos en Ankara.
Además, tanques bloqueaban dos puentes sobre el río Bósforo, en la ciudad de Estambul, la más grande del país. También impedían el acceso a los aeropuertos de esta ciudad y de la capital, Ankara.
Grupos de monitoreo de internet dijeron que el acceso a redes sociales como Facebook y Twitter estaba siendo restringido en Turquía, aunque no estaba claro quién bloqueaba el acceso.
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Militares bloquearon este viernes el puente sobre el río Bósforo en Estambul.
La televisión turca anunció que altos mandos militares fueron tomados rehenes en Ankara. Según informes, uno de ellos era el jefe del estado mayor de las fuerzas militares, general Hulusi Akar, cuyo paradero sigue siendo desconocido.
Entre tanto el secretario de Estado de EE.UU., John Kerry, dio una declaración desde Moscú diciendo que esperaba que hubiera paz y continuidad en Turquía.
Junto a Kerry, el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Rusia, Sergei Lavrov, dijo que “es necesario evitar cualquier enfrentamiento cruento y resolver los problemas por conductos constitucionales”.
Y un portavoz del Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, pidió que se volviera al “camino de la estabilidad y el orden” en Turquía.
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El primer ministro Binali Yildirim, dijo que las fuerzas de seguridad habían sido llamadas para manejar la situación.
El secretario general de Naciones Unidas, Ban Ki-moon, llamó a la calma.
“El secretario general está siguiendo de cerca los acontecimientos de Turquía”, informó un portavoz de la ONU, Farhan Haq.
“Naciones Unidas busca aclarar la situación en el terreno y llama a la calma”, añadió.
Además de hacer unas declaraciones similares y pedir “un respeto total para las instituciones democráticas de Turquía”, el secretario general de la Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN), Jens Stoltenberg, recordó que Ankara es “un valioso aliado”.
Lo es sobre todo contra el gobierno del presidente Bashar al Asad en Siria y en el combate al grupo autodenominado Estado Islámico, ya que permite a la coalición internacional liderada por Estados Unidos su base de Incirlik para sus incursiones contra los yihadistas en Irak y Siria.
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Decenas de personas salieron a la calle en Estambul para rechazar lo que el presidente Erdogan denunció como un “intento de golpe” de Estado.
Por su parte, el presidente del Consejo Europeo, Donald Tusk, dijo que las tensiones en Turquía no se pueden resolver con armas.
Y agregó que la Unión Europea apoya totalmente al gobierno democráticamente electo del país, algo en lo que también insistió la canciller alemana Angela Merkel.
En unas palabras similares a las utilizadas por Erdogan, Qatar, la monarquía absoluta bañada por las aguas del Golfo Pérsico y aliado de Turquía, también denunció el “intento de golpe de Estado”.
“Pagarán el precio más alto”
El primer ministro turco dijo que las fuerzas de seguridad habían sido llamadas para manejar la situación y que “nada podrá perjudicar la democracia turca”.
“Estamos analizando la posibilidad de una intentona. No permitiremos esto”, dijo Yildirim, sin ofrecer más detalles.
“Aquellos que participen de este acto ilegal pagarán el precio más alto“, añadió.
Alyssa Milano under fire after supporting Joe Biden over MeToo claims. Biden was accused by former Nevada state assemblywoman Lucy Flores of making her feel uncomfortable at an event five years ago, saying she felt ‘powerless’ at his ‘intimate behavior.’
“Charmed” actress Alyssa Milano received a flurry of criticism after she defended former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday and promoted his 2020 candidacy amid allegations he inappropriately touched a number of women.
The backlash came after Milano appeared on MSNBC, where she attributed Biden’s behavior by describing it as “a culture difference.”
“For me, the thing that set this story — the Ms. Flores story — apart from all the other stories: To Joe, this was a culture difference, because culturally he was raised in a family that was super affectionate,” she told MSNBC’s Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle on Monday.
Milano was referring to an allegation by Lucy Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman, who accused Biden of “plant[ing] a big slow kiss on the back of my head.”
Milano defended Biden, saying that it was important that he wanted to learn from the experience. “For him, this was a realization of, well, everyone sort of grows up in a different household, and maybe my actions make other people uncomfortable, and it was an acknowledgment,” she told Velshi and Ruhle.
She mentioned how, during a private conversation between the two, Biden said he was willing to learn and listen — something she wished more powerful men would say “out loud.”
Her overall defense of Biden prompted backlash on Twitter, with some people taking aim at her appearing to excuse his conduct as the product of cultural differences.
On Twitter, some also indicated Milano was held to a double standard after she admitted that she expressed potentially inappropriate affection to a crewmember.
Biden has also shared his regret for the experience that Anita Hill had while testifying about her alleged experiences with Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas.
Milano, after referencing Hill, warned not to: “look at [Biden’s] past myopically.”
“We really have to look at the big picture with co-authoring the Violence Against Women Act, starting ‘It’s On Us,’ always being a supporter of the women’s right to choose and women’s rights in general, and fighting for women to be on the Judiciary Committee after Anita Hill,” she said.
She went on to argue that the allegations against Biden shouldn’t prevent him from receiving the Democratic nomination in 2020. For her, the election was about beating Trump rather than pushing progressive policies.
Milano also previously called Biden a “friend” during an episode of the “Sorry Not Sorry” podcast, which she claimed was produced before the allegations surfaced. She hosted him for a discussion on sexual assault and the #MeToo Movement, something he praised.
The winding, narrow road from Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul to its Panjshir Valley 40 miles away has always been a journey from chaos to calm.
But that sentiment has never rung so true as now.
The small, picturesque province of Panjshir – meaning “five lions” – at the foot of the lush Hindu Kush mountain range has become the last bulwark against Taliban fighters, who have seized the country at breakneck speed after America’s pullout.
For decades, thousands of mostly ethnic Tajiks have protected Panjshir’s prized oasis of emerald rivers and rolling hills. Snipers loyal to the province are always hidden in its ranges, which serve as Nature’s garrison, while the gates of Panjshir’s valley are fiercely guarded by another dedicated band of locals.
Should the Taliban choose to turn its guns and heavy armor on the country’s last remaining oasis, it is safe to say that there will be no dropping guns and dashing by Panjshir’s residents.
“We will be resisting, not surrendering. We will never surrender,” vowed Ahmad Muslem Hayat, a former Afghan Embassy defense attache in London, security expert and Panjshiri native, to The Post. “People in Panjshir will never surrender to terrorists — we will all die before that happens.”
Afghan security forces have mobilized in Panjshir after Taliban fighters took over Kabul. AFP via Getty Images
In the immediate aftermath of Kabul’s fall to the insurgents Sunday, high-ranking Afghanistan government officials immediately directed helicopters and armored vehicles to be sent to Panjshir before the equipment could be seized by the Taliban.
A number of Afghan Special Forces and security personnel who rebuffed orders to put down their weapons and accede to the Taliban also took the bumpy road into the province before the Taliban could seal the city’s entries and exits.
And while the Taliban have claimed Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to be the embattled nation’s rightful leader, First Vice-President (FVP) of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh relocated to Panjshir on Sunday and declared himself the president. Citing the country’s constitution, he reiterated in a statement that “in the event of escape, resignation or death of the President, the FVP becomes the caretaker President.
Panjshiri native Ahmad Muslem Hayat says community members “will never surrender” to Taliban insurgents compared to other provinces. AFP via Getty Images
“I am currently inside my country and am the legitimate caretaker President. I am reaching out to all leaders to secure their support and consensus,” Saleh said — after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country under siege Sunday.
According to Hayat, several other high-ranking government leaders – including its minister of defense and some provincial commanders – are in Panjshir, too, to mobilize assets and prepare to defend the mosaic of land as the region makes what could be its last stand against the Taliban.
The treasured area is now presided over by 32-year-old, British-educated Ahmad Massoud, who commands thousands of deeply dedicated fighters to protect the parcel and is the son of late national hero and anti-Soviet resistance fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Amrullah Saleh, former First Vice-President of Afghanistan, declared himself as the “legitimate caretaker president,” of the country. AFP via Getty Images
Dubbed the “Lion of Panjshir,” Massoud, a prominent mujahadeen and Northern Alliance chieftain, developed tight ties with the West, only to be assassinated by al-Qaeda operatives two days before planes assailed the Twin Towers n Sept. 11, 2001.
But while the battle-hardened and deeply proud Panjshiris are mobilized and ready for battle to keep their province safe, some fear that the Taliban’s strategy is to squeeze them in other ways.
“Right now, things are quiet. But the worry is that the Taliban will form a blockade around Panjshir and force our hand in not being able to bring in food and urgent supplies,” Hayat explained. “This is the problem. We need support from the international community.”
Afghan security forces patrol a road in Bazarak, a town of the Panjshir province on Aug. 17, 2021. AFP via Getty Images
Another Panjshir-based official said the fertile and self-sustaining province had enough food and medical supplies to sustain itself through the notoriously harsh winter.
“This location is very important, and we can survive for a while,” he said, speaking on background. “If we can keep resisting there, it will be a big headache for all terrorists groups there.”
But after that, times could be tough.
Panjshir officials declined to give precise figures as to how many fighters they have in the area, but it is believed to be in excess of 6,000. It is believed that they really need are heavy weapons and support, something they say they never received from the Ghani-led administration.
Ahmad Massoud, son of late mujahadeen leader Ahmed Shah Massoud, commands soldiers to protect the Panjshir province from the Taliban. AFP via Getty Images
Several Panjshiris also expressed concern about revenge killings, given their long and bloody history with the Taliban, although the militant organization’s leadership has pledged not to retaliate against such Afghans.
The Panjshir Valley remains the only parcel of Afghan soil that has never succumb to Taliban control, including during the militant group’s previous reign from 1996 to 2001.
And throughout much of the US-led occupation of Afghanistan, which saw blood stain most of the landlocked country, Panjshir remained largely untouched as a result of its same devoted force of locals.
But because the hidden valley also was not subject to conflict and calamity, it was often left off the budget of US humanitarian programs and rarely the recipient of the aid funds allocated to other areas.
Today, much of the Panjshir Valley does not have running water and electricity, with most residents relying on generators for a few hours per day. But the area also is beautifully reflective of a time long ago – featuring mud huts carved from the earth and fringed by mulberry and stone fruit trees and donkey carts moving through the swirls of morning mist.
Submerged beneath its earth and into its rocks lies one of the world’s largest untouched arsenals of emeralds, ripe for extraction should there ever be a business boom there.
Meanwhile, there also remains a symbol of how the province previously beat back invaders: remnants of destroyed Soviet tanks and machine guns dotting its landscape and languishing in its gushing waters.
Afghanistan government officials ordered military equipment to be sent to Panjshir to prevent Taliban forces from seizing assets. AFP via Getty ImagesHumvee vehicles from the Afghan Security Forces are parked by a stadium in the Panjshir province on Aug. 16. AFP via Getty Images
While the future of this oasis carved into the middle of madness remains uncertain, its inhabitants’ will to fight is staunchly in place.
“Twenty years, and the US now has a Terrorstan,” Hayat said, referring to an infamous nickname for the country. “Panjshiris will not, will never, accept this.”
“MURIENDO POR CRUZAR,” AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INCREASING NUMBER OF IMMIGRANT DEATHS ALONG THE BORDER, THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 3 AT 6 P.M./5 C
Carmen Dominicci and Neida Sandoval present the Telemundo and The Weather Channel co-production
Miami – July 31, 2014 –Telemundo presents “Muriendo por Cruzar”, a documentary that investigates why increasing numbers of immigrants are dying while trying to cross the US-Mexican border near the city of Falfurrias, Texas, this Sunday, August 3 at 6PM/5 C. The Telemundo and The Weather Channel co-production, presented by Noticias Telemundo journalists Carmen Dominicci and Neida Sandoval, reveals the obstacles immigrants face once they cross into US territory, including extreme weather conditions, as they try to evade the border patrol. “Muriendo por Cruzar” is part of Noticias Telemundo’s special coverage of the crisis on the border and immigration reform.
“‘Muriendo por Cruzar’” dares to ask questions that reveal the actual conditions undocumented immigrants face as they try to start a new life in the United States,” said Alina Falcón, Telemundo’s Executive Vice President for News and Alternative Programming. “Our collaboration with The Weather Channel was very productive. They have a unique expertise in covering the impact of weather on people’s lives, as we do in covering immigration reform and the border crisis. The result is a compelling documentary that exposes a harrowing reality.”
“Muriendo por Cruzar” is the first co-production by Telemundo and The Weather Channel. Both networks are part of NBCUniversal.
“MURIENDO POR CRUZAR,” AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INCREASING NUMBER OF IMMIGRANT DEATHS ALONG THE BORDER, THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 3 AT 6 P.M./5 C
Carmen Dominicci and Neida Sandoval present the Telemundo and The Weather Channel co-production
Miami – July 31, 2014 –Telemundo presents “Muriendo por Cruzar”, a documentary that investigates why increasing numbers of immigrants are dying while trying to cross the US-Mexican border near the city of Falfurrias, Texas, this Sunday, August 3 at 6PM/5 C. The Telemundo and The Weather Channel co-production, presented by Noticias Telemundo journalists Carmen Dominicci and Neida Sandoval, reveals the obstacles immigrants face once they cross into US territory, including extreme weather conditions, as they try to evade the border patrol. “Muriendo por Cruzar” is part of Noticias Telemundo’s special coverage of the crisis on the border and immigration reform.
“‘Muriendo por Cruzar’” dares to ask questions that reveal the actual conditions undocumented immigrants face as they try to start a new life in the United States,” said Alina Falcón, Telemundo’s Executive Vice President for News and Alternative Programming. “Our collaboration with The Weather Channel was very productive. They have a unique expertise in covering the impact of weather on people’s lives, as we do in covering immigration reform and the border crisis. The result is a compelling documentary that exposes a harrowing reality.”
“Muriendo por Cruzar” is the first co-production by Telemundo and The Weather Channel. Both networks are part of NBCUniversal.
Mexican migration officials on Sunday reportedly shut down a border camp for Central American migrants — sending most of the 800 residents to the US regardless of COVID-19 infection status — as a result of President Biden ending former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Many of the asylum seekers reached nearby Brownsville, Texas, where local officials said Monday there’s a growing number of infected migrants and nothing being done to enforce quarantines.
The newly released migrants were not all counted among the latest COVID-19-positive results but may add to the growing figure.
As of Saturday, 185 of 1,553 migrants tested at the Brownsville central bus station since Jan. 26 had tested positive for the virus, city spokesman Felipe Romero told Fox News.
The camp at Matamoros, Mexico, closed as after the termination of Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for Central Americans — under which about 71,000 Central American asylum applicants were awaiting rulings in northern Mexico.
Republicans say that Biden has sparked a crisis on the US-Mexico border by sending a message that new migrants will be welcomed into the country — despite the White House saying migrants should wait to come later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former residents of a migrant camp in Matamoros, Mexico, receive legal and clerical help in a parking garage in Brownsville, Texas before traveling to meet relatives or sponsors on March 2.AFP via Getty Images
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday it’s not the federal government’s job to test migrants for COVID-19 before they are released. She said that’s the responsibility of state and local governments, and that non-profits have in some cases “reserved hotel blocks” to help house COVID-19-positive people.
“When migrants are placed in alternatives to detention, their COVID-19 testing — our policy is for COVID-19 testing to be done at the state and local level and with the help of NGOs and local governments,” Psaki said.
“And that certainly is something that our policy is to have that be done, concluded before they are even moved to go stay with family members or others they may know well their cases are being adjudicated.”
Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott last week accused Biden of allowing for the “importing” of COVID-19 via the release of migrants. The governor tweeted: “The Biden Administration is recklessly releasing hundreds of illegal immigrants who have COVID into Texas communities. The Biden Admin. must IMMEDIATELY end this callous act that exposes Texans & Americans to COVID.”
Advocates of the “Remain in Mexico” policy say it deters asylum-seekers from entering the US despite knowing that their claim of persecution is likely to be denied.Some asylum seekers in the US are allowed work permits as their claims are processed.
Opponents of the policy say that northern Mexico can be just as dangerous as the crime-ridden Central American countries that the applicants are fleeing.
A line of migrants waiting to be processed in Matamoros, Mexico on February 26, 2021.REUTERS/Go Nakamura
Migrants who were once held in border camps in Mexico while they were being processed in the US courts for entry are no longer detained as part of the Biden administration rolling back the policy.
“The president of the United States, Biden, helps the people because it’s necessary, you know,” Mario, a Honduran migrant who spent eight months at a camp with his family and is still awaiting entry to the US, told Fox News.
The White House admitted Monday it isn’t doing enough to discourage people from seeking unlawful entry to the United States.
Psaki acknowledged the failures after being pressed about the administration’s handling of the situation.
“I would say it’s clear we need to work more on getting the message out and being very clear, now is not the time to come,” she said, before reiterating the Biden administration’s claim that “the majority of people who come to the border are turned away.”
“Yes, we have changed the policies of the last administration as it relates to unaccompanied children, but the majority of families, adults, the vast, vast majority are turned away at the border. And that is a message that clearly we need to continue to look for means and ways of getting out, you know, more and more out to the region,” she continued.
Her comments followed the revelation that under Biden, the Department of Homeland Security will convert two immigrant family detention centers in South Texas into Ellis Island-style rapid processing facilities, and has already emptied a facility in Pennsylvania.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement wrote in a court filing last Friday that while families continue to be detained at its locations in Karnes City and Dilley, adults and children are all released within 72 hours.
“MURIENDO POR CRUZAR,” AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INCREASING NUMBER OF IMMIGRANT DEATHS ALONG THE BORDER, THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 3 AT 6 P.M./5 C
Carmen Dominicci and Neida Sandoval present the Telemundo and The Weather Channel co-production
Miami – July 31, 2014 –Telemundo presents “Muriendo por Cruzar”, a documentary that investigates why increasing numbers of immigrants are dying while trying to cross the US-Mexican border near the city of Falfurrias, Texas, this Sunday, August 3 at 6PM/5 C. The Telemundo and The Weather Channel co-production, presented by Noticias Telemundo journalists Carmen Dominicci and Neida Sandoval, reveals the obstacles immigrants face once they cross into US territory, including extreme weather conditions, as they try to evade the border patrol. “Muriendo por Cruzar” is part of Noticias Telemundo’s special coverage of the crisis on the border and immigration reform.
“‘Muriendo por Cruzar’” dares to ask questions that reveal the actual conditions undocumented immigrants face as they try to start a new life in the United States,” said Alina Falcón, Telemundo’s Executive Vice President for News and Alternative Programming. “Our collaboration with The Weather Channel was very productive. They have a unique expertise in covering the impact of weather on people’s lives, as we do in covering immigration reform and the border crisis. The result is a compelling documentary that exposes a harrowing reality.”
“Muriendo por Cruzar” is the first co-production by Telemundo and The Weather Channel. Both networks are part of NBCUniversal.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto faced fresh questions on Wednesday about his dealings with a company at the center of a conflict-of-interest scandal, after it emerged that he enjoyed rent-free use of a house belonging to the firm as a campaign office.
Already under pressure over the government’s handling of the presumed massacre of 43 students abducted by corrupt police in southwestern Mexico in September, Pena Nieto is facing his most difficult period since taking office two years ago.
On Nov. 3, the government announced a Chinese-led consortium had won a no bid contract to build a $3.75 billion high-speed rail link in central Mexico.
Three days later, the government abruptly canceled the deal, just before a report by news site Aristegui Noticias showed that a subsidiary of Grupo Higa, a company that formed part of the consortium and had won various previous contracts, owned the luxury house of first lady Angelica Rivera.
Under public pressure, Rivera said she would give up the house. But neither she nor Pena Nieto have addressed the apparent conflict of interest stemming from the government’s business with Grupo Higa.
On Wednesday, Aristegui Noticias published a new story that said Pena Nieto used a different property belonging to another Grupo Higa subsidiary as an office when he was president-elect in 2012.
Eduardo Sanchez, the president’s spokesman, said Pena Nieto unwittingly used the property. Sanchez said it was leased from the Grupo Higa firm by Humberto Castillejos, the president’s legal adviser, who lent it rent-free to Pena Nieto’s team.
“If I invite you to my house, do you come to my house and ask me under whose name it is? Neither does the president,” Sanchez said, denying there were conflicts of interest.
The spokesman also said there were no more properties Pena Nieto or his team had used belonging to Grupo Higa.
“No, there is no other house that was used in a professional capacity,” Sanchez said.
Castillejos could not immediately be reached for comment.
Jorge Luis Lavalle, a senator with the opposition conservative National Action Party, said the public saw a clear conflict of interest in the dealings of Pena Nieto and his government with Grupo Higa.
“It needs to be investigated. All these doubts need to be dispelled fully and clearly,” he said. “We now have another case with no explanation.”
Mr. Biden has the advantage of national name recognition and broad popularity among Democrats. But he is also expected to quickly assemble a robust staff that must be paid.
On Thursday, his campaign announced 26 “key campaign hires” who will work for Mr. Biden at the national level, and it has even more people lined up in the states that will begin the nominating contest: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
Mr. Biden spent his first evening as a presidential candidate at the Philadelphia-area home of David L. Cohen, a top executive at Comcast and a former political operative who is one of the Democratic Party’s leading fund-raisers.
A roster of prominent Pennsylvania politicians were listed as hosts of the event, as well as, among others, Daniel J. Hilferty, the chief executive of the major health insurer Independence Health Group, the parent of Independence Blue Cross.
“It’s gauche to talk about money, so I’m not going to talk about money,” Mr. Cohen said at the fund-raiser, according to a recording of his remarks. “But all I’m going to say is that once again this group has produced an event that is off the charts, beyond anyone’s expectations.”
Mr. Biden’s rivals took note of his entry. Mr. Sanders, Mr. O’Rourke, Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Kamala Harris and Jay Inslee all emailed supporters with Mr. Biden’s name in the subject line on Thursday to gin up their own donations.
The message from Mr. Sanders’s campaign was pointed about how Mr. Biden was spending his evening. “It’s a big day in the Democratic primary and we’re hoping to end it strong,” the email said. “Not with a fundraiser in the home of a corporate lobbyist, but with an overwhelming number of individual donations.”
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