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Just days after two teenage girls in Washington, D.C., were charged with a botched carjacking that led to the brutal death of an Uber Eats delivery driver, D.C. police arrested two more teens in another armed carjacking.
The two boys, ages 13 and 14, and both from Southeast D.C., were arrested Thursday evening and charged with armed carjacking, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department said.
The carjacking occurred Thursday around 8:50 p.m. in the 100 Block of 42nd Street, Northeast, police said.
The victim was in the driver’s seat of their vehicle when two suspects approached. One suspect opened the vehicle door and assaulted the victim, police said. The victim got out and the second suspect also started to assault the victim.
One of the suspects produced a knife and they both got into the victim’s vehicle and fled the scene. Responding officers located the vehicle and arrested the two suspects. Police said there were additional suspects who fled the scene on foot.
MPD told Fox News that the vehicle was returned and towed by the owner. No additional arrests were made and the case is still under investigation.
The boys’ arrest comes after horrifying video has emerged of the deadly botched carjacking by two teenage girls that also took place in D.C. last Monday. The footage is so graphic that Fox News has decided not to share it.
The video, taken by a witness, shows the moment after two teen girls had entered the car of Mohammad Anwar, a 66-year-old Uber Eats delivery driver, with a Taser.
“This is my car!” Anwar can be heard shouting.
Other witnesses on the street can be heard calling for the cops. The car then drives forward, with Anwar halfway out of the car, pinned between the driver’s seat and door.
“She’s stealing the car!” witnesses can be heard shouting off-camera.
The car drives to an intersection, where it makes a sharp turn and crashes between two parked cars. Anwar was lunged forward and could be seen laying lifelessly on the pavement.
Mohammad Anwar was a Pakistani immigrant who came to the U.S. in 2014 to “create a better life for him and his family,” his family says. (GoFundMe)
Two National Guard members who happened to be at the scene pulled the girls out of the car. One of the girls can be heard trying to get her phone as she walks past what appears to be Anwar’s lifeless body on the pavement without looking at him.
The two teens are each charged with felony murder and armed carjacking and are being held in custody pending their next court date on March 31.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser drew heat on Sunday for retweeting a video on “preventing auto thefts” amid her silence on the death of Anwar.
A screengrab of a now-deleted tweet by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (Twitter)
“Auto theft is a crime of opportunity. Follow these steps to reduce the risk of your vehicle becoming a target. Remember the motto, #ProtectYourAuto,” Bowser wrote in the caption, provoking an instantaneous backlash.
By Sunday afternoon her tweet appeared to have been deleted.
Carjackings have been increasing significantly over the last few years. Statistics provided to Fox News show there were 95 carjackings between Jan. 1, 2021, and March 23, 2021 – up from 21 in total from the same time period in 2020. Last year saw a 143% increase in carjackings from 2019, according to the statistics.
Fox News’ Evie Fordham contributed to this report.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he plans to close state and local beaches in Orange County, calling the images of huge crowds that occupied the beaches over the weekend “disturbing.”
“Orange County has been on our list of health concern and they’ve done a wonderful job down there, I just think we can tighten that up a little bit. So we’re going to have a temporary pause down there,” Newsom said at a press conference on Thursday.
Newsom said beaches in the southern part of California, including those in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, have raised alarm bells, including images of people who were congregating there and not following physical distancing guidelines. He said the state wants to work closely with local officials, and if they can create better guidelines, the beaches can “reopen very very quickly.”
“My job as governor is to keep you safe, and when our health folks tell me they can’t promise that if we promote another weekend like we had then I have to make this adjustment,” Newsom said.
An additional 95 people died from Covid-19 on Wednesday, he said. The state saw a 5.2% increase in confirmed cases since yesterday for a total of 48,917.
“Why undo all the great progress? Let’s move this state forward together,” Newsom said.
Previous reports before Newsom’s order indicated he planned to close all of the state’s beaches, which drew widespread criticism from some state officials. When asked what changed his mind on closing all state beaches, Newsom said that they “never did and this is exactly the conversations we were having.”
School buses depart after dropping off Timberview High School students at the Mansfield ISD Center For The Performing Arts on Wednesday in Mansfield, Texas, following a school shooting at Timberview in nearby Arlington.
Tony Gutierrez/AP
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Tony Gutierrez/AP
School buses depart after dropping off Timberview High School students at the Mansfield ISD Center For The Performing Arts on Wednesday in Mansfield, Texas, following a school shooting at Timberview in nearby Arlington.
Police accuse Timothy George Simpkins of opening fire in a classroom Wednesday at Timberview High School in Arlington. Two people were shot and two others suffered unspecified injuries. He was jailed on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Police have said the shooting happened after a fight, but Simpkins’ family said he had been bullied and robbed twice at school.
“The decision he made, taking the gun, we’re not justifying that,” said family spokeswoman Carol Harrison Lafayette, who spoke to reporters outside the Simpkins’ home Wednesday night while standing with other relatives. “That was not right. But he was trying to protect himself.”
Police said a 15-year-old student who was shot remained in critical condition while a 25-year-old teacher who was shot was in good condition Thursday.
Quito inicia la jornada de este viernes con una intermitente lluvia, acompañada de largas filas de usuarios en las estaciones que aglutinan unidades de transporte municipal. Estas unidades utilizan los cinco corredores que cruzan la ciudad.
Personas caminando, en bicicleta o movilizándose en cualquier tipo de vehículos para llegar a sus destinos son las realidades que se viven en la capital de Ecuador debido al paro de transporte público desde la madrugada. Varios también expresaron su molestia por la situación.
En el sector de alta concentración La Marín, en el centro de Quito, hubo largas filas de personas para tomar una unidad metropolitana de transporte. Algunos buses escolares ofrecieron el servicio.
La medida de paralización de actividades se toma luego de que ayer, jueves 24 de agosto, se suspendió la sesión en la que se buscaba definir un alza de pasajes de $0.25 a $0.30.
Pese a que el alcalde de Quito, Mauricio Rodas, ha señalado que el análisis y las conversaciones del tema no se han cerrado, dirigentes del gremio del transporte capitalino sostienen que con ese nivel de alza en los pasajes no pueden sostener sus operaciones.
Plan operativo municipal
Como medida para garantizar la movilidad de los usuarios en Quito, la municipalidad anunció cambios:
– Suspendió la medida del pico y placa
– Ordenó la operación máxima de sus más de 200 unidades (trolebuses, articulados, biarticulados)
– Habilitó cerca de 1.500 unidades de transporte escolar.
– Habilitó también unidades de taxirruta.
Al momento también estarían laborando ciertas unidades ubicadas en las rutas que alimentan los cinco corredores municipales.
Detenidos y quejas ciudadanas
Dario Tapia, secretario de Movilidad de Municipio de Quito, informó que existen cerca de doce personas detenidas por agredir e intentar impedir la circulación de transportes que colaboraban en el traslado de usuarios. Explicó que en las próximas horas irán hasta la Fiscalía para colocar una denuncia contra los autores de esta medida de hecho.
En zonas rurales del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito como El Quinche, Pifo y Tumbaco se ha reportado falta de transporte público, mientas que por la autopista general Rumiñahui, que conecta a la capital con el cantón Rumiñahui, solo transitan con normalidad unidades de transporte intercantonal.
El alcalde Rodas desde esta mañana se mantiene monitoreando el funcionamiento del transporte municipal. Él aseguró que no cederá a presiones y aclaró que este no es un tema que se queda en el incremento de pasajes, sino que se trata de mejorar la calidad del servicio. (I)
The Ambassador Bridge is open again after a vaccine mandate protest prompted a blockade, pausing traffic on a key international land port and costing millions of dollars in lost production.
The Detroit International Bridge Co. announced Sunday night that the Ambassador Bridge is fully open allowing free flow of commerce between Canada and the United States.
The weeklong protest was started by truckers in opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other quarantine requirements, but early Sunday police said it ended after negotiations and multiple arrests. Despite the supposed peace talks, about a dozen protesters remained at an intersection close to the bridge into Sunday evening, waving flags and occasionally cheering.
On Monday, a few protesters returned but heavy police presence is limiting access to the bridge. Intersections near the main road to the bridge are essentially all cut off by police cruisers.
According to Windsor Police, there have been 42 arrests and 37 seized vehicles since the protest began. The large majority of persons arrested have since been released with a future court date and are facing a charge of mischief, police said. Some are also facing a charge of disobeying a court order.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said travelers and commercial carriers may still experience delays due to traffic volumes.
Border wait times can be checked here. As of 8:14 a.m. Monday, the Ambassador Bridge was showing no delay.
“The CBSA would like to thank travelers and commercial carriers for their patience and for helping to minimize the impact of this border service disruption,” the agency said in a news release.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement Monday calling the reopening a “win for Michigan.” She also said it’s important not to have a repeat of last week’s closure.
“It’s important to ensure that this does not happen again,” Whitmer said. “I will work to protect the economic freedom and well-being of families and businesses in Michigan.”
Matt Moroun, chairman of Detroit International Bridge Co., echoed that sentiment and issued a “call to action.”
“On behalf of the Detroit International Bridge Company and the thousands of hard-working people on both sides of the U.S. and Canadian border, I’d like to thank everyone who came together to reopen the Ambassador Bridge. I would also like to recognize the hard-working truck drivers who exercised their right to free speech and made their voices heard,” Moroun said in a written statement.
“After the events of 9-11, our cities, states, and the countries of Canada and the U.S. all pulled together to ensure our international commerce continued to thrive. Now we must join together to come up with an actionable plan that will protect and secure all border crossings in the Canada/U.S. corridor and ensure that this kind of disruption to critical infrastructure will never happen again.”
The so-called Freedom Convoy originally began last month in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, but since then moved to the international border, gaining the attention of politicians internationally and the support of fellow vaccine and mask skeptics. Demonstrations at the border were largely nonviolent, with protesters singing, dancing and waving flags.
The closure of the bridge had an almost immediate impact, as an estimated 10,000 commercial vehicles cross the bridge each day with $325 million worth of goods, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury.
Protests are now in their sixth week since the coup toppled elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and plunged the Southeast Asian country into turmoil, with the economy paralyzed by strikes by opponents of the army takeover.
The violence came a day after Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run along with most senior officials from the Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party, said the civilian government would seek to give people the legal right to defend themselves.
Security forces opened fire on protesters in the Hlaingthaya district of the city, a poor suburb that is home to migrants from across the country, domestic media said. Plumes of black smoke rose over the area.
Myanmar Now said at least 14 protesters had been killed, according to the local hospital and a rescue worker.
“An official from Hlaingthaya Hospital said the death toll and wounded were still arriving,” its report said. Other Myanmar media gave even higher tolls in the area.
Las elecciones del Estado de México se disputaron entre dos candidatos en una jornada muy cerrada donde la diferencia, según el avance del PREP es de sólo 168,385 votos a favor de Alfredo del Mazo. Con un estreno en más de 3,500 pantallas en México, más de la mitad que existen en el país, la película de la Mujer Maravilla tuvo un debut de ensueño. Seis países árabes cortaron relaciones diplomáticas con Qatar, al que acusan de crear inestabilidad en la región y apoyar a grupos terroristas, lo que dio pie a la mayor crisis en el Golfo Pérsico desde la guerra de 1991 contra Irak.
1. ¿Qué municipios pueden ayudar al PRI a durar 6 años más en el Edomex?
Según los últimos resultados del PREP, de los 45 distritos electorales en los que se emitieron votos para Gobernador en el Estado de México, Alfredo Del Mazo del PRI ganó en 21, Delfina Gómez de Morena ganó en 20 y en los votos extranjeros, pero hubo siete distritos en los que Del Mazo se impuso por más de 20,000 votos.
El abanderado del PRD, Juan Zepeda, ganó los tres distritos electorales que componen el Nezahualcóyotl y Josefina Vázquez Mota ganó solamente un distrito electoral.
Con el 97.67% de las actas capturadas, los resultados aún parciales otorgan la ventaja en los conteos a Alfredo Del Mazo con un millón 955,347 votos, relativo al 33.72% del total, con lo que supera a la candidata de Morena que consiguió un millón 786,962 sufragios que cuentan por el 30.81% de los votos de las elecciones.
¿Qué municipios pueden ayudar al PRI a durar 6 años más en el Edomex?. Ver nota.
2. El fantasma priista de Hugo Chávez
La administración de Enrique Peña Nieto tiene la peor evaluación presidencial en lo que va de la historia del país; al menos cinco exgobernadores priistas están encarcelados por malos manejos, y hay varios que si no están en la cárcel es sólo por la gracia de algún escape legal.
Aun así, ese partido habría retenido el domingo pasado las gubernaturas del Estado de México y Coahuila.
¿Cómo entender ese resultado? Sin duda hay factores como la existencia de una base de voto duro priista o el uso de recursos públicos antes y durante la contienda. A eso habría que sumar la habilidad que tuvo el PRI para convertir la elección del Edomex en un plebiscito anticipado sobre la posible presidencia de Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Si quieres saber más sobre la opinión de Mario Campos con respecto al tema, entra a la nota completa.
3. Qatar, pequeña y rica nación acusada de apoyar al terrorismo
Seis países árabes cortaron relaciones diplomáticas con Qatar este lunes, al que acusan de crear inestabilidad en la región y apoyar a grupos terroristas, lo que dio pie a la mayor crisis en el Golfo Pérsico desde la guerra de 1991 contra Irak.
Este rompimiento fue iniciado el lunes por Bahréin y luego Arabia Saudita, Egipto, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU), Yemen y Libia se sumaron tras acusar al país de apoyar a grupos terroristas, incluyendo el autodenominado Estado Islámico (EI) y al Qaeda, lo que es negado por Qatar.
Qatar, pequeña y rica nación acusada de apoyar al terrorismo. Ver nota.
4. ¿Quién es Alfredo del Mazo Maza?
El candidato por el PRI, Alfredo del Mazo se vio favorecido en los últimos resultados parciales del PREP, pero ¿qué tanto sabemos de él?
Alfredo del Mazo Maza ya había intentado transitar la carrera que empezó el pasado 29 de marzo al registrarse ante el Instituto Electoral del Estado de México como candidato a la gubernatura del Estado de México por parte del PRI, cuando en el 2011 compitió con Eruviel Ávila por ser el abanderado del Partido Revolucionario Institucional.
Del Mazo forma parte de una familia de tradición política que pertenece al Grupo Atlacomulco. Es nieto del ex gobernador mexiquense, Alfredo del Mazo Vélez (1945) e hijo del también ex gobernador del estado Alfredo del Mazo González (1981-1986). Además de ser primo de Enrique Peña Nieto, presidente de México, si quieres saber más sobre él, entra a la nota completa.
La Mujer Maravilla, debutó en México en el primer lugar del top 10 con una taquilla de 153.64 millones de pesos y 2.79 millones de boletos vendidos, uno de los mejores estrenos del 2017.
Luego del fracaso de Batman contra Superman, DC comics encontró el éxito en una heroína que llevó al público femenino a los cines.
No bastando eso, en EU también se repitió el mismo éxito, donde La Mujer Maravilla también debutó en primer lugar con alrededor de 100 millones de dólares en taquilla.
Significantly, five of the diplomats say, the build-up includes elements of the People’s Armed Police (PAP), a mainland paramilitary anti-riot and internal security force under a separate command from the PLA. While Reuters was unable to determine the size of the PAP contingent, envoys say the bulk of the troops in Hong Kong are from the PLA.
PAP forces would be likely to spearhead any crackdown if Beijing decides to intervene, according to foreign envoys and security analysts. These paramilitary troops are specially trained in non-lethal tactics and methods of riot suppression and crowd control.
The envoys declined to say how exactly they determined that the recent troop movement was a reinforcement or how they arrived at their troop estimates. Reuters reporters visited the areas surrounding multiple PLA bases in Hong Kong and observed significantly increased movements by troops and armored vehicles at the facilities.
China’s Ministry of National Defense, the State Council Information Office, and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not respond to questions from Reuters. In early September, a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said China would “not sit idly by” if the situation in the city continued to deteriorate and posed a threat to “the country’s sovereignty.”
The office of Carrie Lam and the PLA garrison in Hong Kong also did not respond to questions. A Hong Kong police spokesperson told Reuters the police force was “capable of maintaining law and order and determined to restore public safety in Hong Kong.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with international navy delegates to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PLA in the port city of Qingdao in April. REUTERS/Jason Lee
The PAP is a key element in Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s drive to reinforce the ruling Communist Party’s control over the nation of 1.4 billion people while building a potent military that can supplant the United States as Asia’s dominant power. The PAP has up to one million troops, according to an April research paper from the U.S.’s National Defense University – about half the size of China’s standing military. The paramilitary’s primary duty is to defend against potential enemies within – countering domestic upheaval and protecting top leaders. In recent years, it has contained unrest in Xinjiang and Tibet. Elements of this force are also trained for counter-terrorism, securing key infrastructure, disaster relief and international peacekeeping.
After installing himself as commander-in-chief and reshaping the regular military, Xi turned attention to the PAP. His first move was to take personal control. In early 2018, the PAP was brought under direct command of the Central Military Commission, the top military decision-making body that Xi chairs. Previously, the PAP had come under the split command of the commission and the State Council, China’s top government administrative body.
This put Xi at the apex of Beijing’s military and paramilitary forces, further concentrating power in his hands. With the eruption of the protests in Hong Kong, however, Xi now faces the biggest popular challenge to his rule.
News of the reinforcements in Hong Kong comes as city officials are bracing for more demonstrations on Tuesday, Oct. 1, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Intense clashes between protesters and police rocked the city over the weekend ahead of the celebrations.
In her private remarks in August, city Chief Executive Lam played down the possibility that Beijing might deploy the PLA. Foreign envoys and security analysts said they too believe China’s strong preference is not to use troops.
Still, they said, the troop build-up shows Beijing wants to be ready to act if the Hong Kong government and its 30,000-strong police force lose control of the city. Lam herself expressed concern about the force’s ability to keep control. On some days, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets. She said the police are “outnumbered” by the protesters, making enforcement “extremely difficult.”
“Apart from the 30,000 men and women in the force we have nothing,” she told the gathering of businesspeople. “Really. We have nothing. I have nothing.”
Enforcing Xi’s ‘Red Line’
Until now, the PAP’s presence in Hong Kong has been limited to a small advance detachment nestled discreetly within existing PLA facilities, according to one of the diplomats. The new deployment marks the first significant entry of the PAP into Hong Kong. It wasn’t mentioned in official accounts of the rotation nor in the state-controlled press.
The combined deployment of the PLA and the PAP follows months of official statements denouncing the protests and dramatic signaling to Hong Kongers. This included news reports and footage showing anti-riot drills by both the PLA and the PAP, released by the military on social media. Last month, hundreds of PAP troops conducted extensive exercises in a football stadium in Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong. Troops in the area could also be deployed to Hong Kong if the crisis deepened, foreign diplomats said.
In a show of force last month, People’s Armed Police vehicles and troops massed in a football stadium in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong. Troops (right) could be seen conducting riot drills. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
In a show of force last month, People’s Armed Police vehicles and troops massed in a football stadium in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong. Troops (below) could be seen conducting riot drills. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
The protests and street violence in Hong Kong erupted in early June, over a bill – since scrapped – that would have paved the way for people to be extradited to the mainland. The unrest came two years after Xi defined a “red line” for Hong Kong. He used the phrase in a 2017 speech in the city, warning that domestic threats to national sovereignty will not be tolerated.
Chinese security forces are better equipped to handle civil unrest than they were a generation ago. In 1989, it was the PLA that was sent in to smash student protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. It used the tools of war – battle tanks, armored vehicles and infantry.
In Hong Kong, the reinforcement includes equipment tailor-made for quelling urban violence with non-lethal force – including water cannon vehicles and trucks used to lay barbed-wire barricades. Additional transport helicopters have been moved into the city. Reuters reporters have seen these flying frequently around Hong Kong and its hinterlands, the New Territories, an observation confirmed by foreign envoys and security analysts monitoring developments here.
Anti-government protesters are sprayed with a water cannon by local police during a demonstration near the government complex in Hong Kong in mid-September. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Other trucks, bearing military number plates, have been seen pre-loaded with street fortifications, at times moving about the city. Reuters reporters have tracked increased activity at many of the PLA’s 17 facilities across Hong Kong Island, its neighboring city of Kowloon and the rural New Territories. Most of these facilities were inherited by the PLA under agreement with the departing British forces during the 1997 handover.
Fatigues and other laundry can be seen hanging from the balconies of buildings that had lain dormant for years. Army buses and jeeps are parked in once abandoned lots.
A petrol bomb is thrown during a clash between pro-democracy protesters and Hong Kong riot police in the district of Tsuen Wan last month. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Some foreign analysts say China’s reinforced military presence was bigger than expected and appears to have been well-prepared. They say the size of the force means it is now far beyond the symbolic role traditionally played by the local garrison.
“They do seem to have an active contingency plan to deal with something like a total breakdown in order by the Hong Kong police,” said Alexander Neill, a Singapore-based security analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “I would think it would take something like that or some other worst-case scenario for them to deploy. But they are clearly more ready than before, and are leaving nothing to chance.”
So far, the expanded Chinese forces remain firmly within their barracks – a continuation of what has been an unobtrusive presence since the handover.
In 1997, trucks full of white-gloved PLA soldiers, some carrying flowers, rolled into Hong Kong within hours of Britain’s handover of its colony to Chinese rule. The sight sparked anxiety among politicians, activists and the public that still lingers. Beyond the occasional so-called open day, when the public gets access to the PLA barracks, the troops rarely interact with ordinary Hong Kongers.
Unlike forces on the mainland, soldiers within the Hong Kong garrison are not usually accompanied by their families. They are rarely allowed to socialize outside their bases; for news, they are given access to China’s state media.
“They live like monks,” said one Hong Kong-based mainland security specialist familiar with local PLA forces. “It is a vastly different deployment to anything on the mainland – almost akin to something they might experience on peacekeeping duties in Africa.”
“The PAP can be seen as a blunt instrument with the key function of suppressing domestic unrest.”
The local Chinese security presence must be squared with handover guarantees that Hong Kong’s autonomy would remain for at least 50 years – including broad freedoms and an independent judiciary, which don’t exist in the rest of China.
Under the city’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, defense and foreign affairs are the sole responsibility of the Communist Party leadership in Beijing. The document states that the PLA garrison “shall not interfere in local affairs,” but Hong Kong can request the garrison’s assistance to maintain public order. And garrison members must abide by local laws.
Chinese law, meanwhile, allows for the standing committee of China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, to deploy the garrison if a state of war or emergency is declared for Hong Kong. The law cites “turmoil” that threatens national security and is “beyond the control of the (Hong Kong) government.”
One presence, two forces
The PLA garrison is commanded by Major-General Chen Daoxiang, who is shadowed by a political commissar, Major-General Cai Yongzhong. But neither officer, nor territory leader Lam, would have the authority to deploy the security forces. Any military clampdown on China’s freest and most international city would only be ordered by Xi’s powerful Central Military Commission, say local officials and foreign diplomats.
In June, garrison commander Chen told a visiting Pentagon official that Chinese troops would not interfere in the city’s affairs, according to people briefed on the discussion. U.S. officials at the time said they read the comment as an early signal that Beijing intended to keep them in their barracks.
PLA soldiers take part in a performance during an open day at Stonecutters Island Naval Base in Hong Kong in June. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Less is known about the command structure of the PAP forces in Hong Kong. Few residents of the city are even aware of their presence within existing PLA facilities.
From the early years of its revolutionary struggle against the Nationalists, the Chinese Communist Party fielded a range of paramilitary forces to guard the leadership and key headquarters. These forces assumed an internal security role after the Communists took power in 1949. The PAP was formed in 1982, as the paramount leader of the time, Deng Xiaoping, modernized and downsized the military after the Cultural Revolution. The PAP absorbed thousands of regular army troops.
Still, the PAP was poorly trained and equipped, with a fragmented command, when the 1989 Tiananmen protests threatened the party’s grip. China’s leaders had to call on army units to crush the protests with tanks and machine guns. The scenes of bloodshed on the streets of the Chinese capital were a blow to the party’s reputation. In the aftermath, the leadership reequipped and retrained the PAP in crowd-control operations.
Chinese soldiers and tanks guard the Gate of Heavenly Peace and the portrait of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square in 1989, during the crushing of student protests by the military. REUTERS/Richard Ellis
Security analysts say the PAP’s budget has grown as the force has modernized, but figures are undisclosed. The government stopped revealing full domestic security spending numbers in 2014 – after the internal security budget had topped the fast-growing regular military budget for the previous three years.
In the restive region of Xinjiang, the PAP has been used heavily to counter what China describes as a terrorist threat from Uighurs, an ethnic Muslim minority. As many as a million Uighurs and Muslims from other ethnic groups have been incarcerated in prison camps, according to the United Nations. China counters that the facilities are vocational training centers to help stamp out religious extremism and teach new work skills.
A media tarde, en el panteón de las Fuerzas Armadas en el Cementerio del Norte, Barneix, nacido en Paysandú en 1946 y que pasara a retiro como general del Ejército en 2008, recibió las últimas exequias.
Además de sus familiares cercanos, su anciana madre, la esposa y su hijo varón, varios generales en actividad y otros oficiales del Ejército despidieron los restos de Barneix. Asistió a la ceremonia el excomandante en jefe de la fuerza, general retirado Jorge Rosales, quien comandó al Ejército entre 2006 y 2011 y por ende fue compañero del fallecido en el generalato.
Un efectivo hizo el toque de silencio y luego atronaron los 21 cañonazos. Los restos del general retirado llegaron al cementerio en una cureña del Ejército tirada por jinetes del Regimiento “Blandengues de Artigas” de Caballería Nº 1, acompañado de un largo cortejo fúnebre.
Dolor.
“No estábamos preparados para esto, y eso se nota porque esta muerte nos llega a lo más hondo de nuestro sentimiento. Por eso no es fácil abstenerse de recordar las circunstancias que han rodeado la muerte del general Barneix”, dijo el coronel retirado González, compañero de promoción del militar fallecido.
Pero advirtió que no tiene la “representatividad” para emitir opiniones que lo apartarían del recuerdo del compañero. González dijo que el grupo de esa promoción se formó en el año 1963 en la antigua Escuela Militar de la avenida Garibaldi, donde hoy se encuentra el Comando General del Ejército.
“Qué lejos que estábamos en esos tiempos de pensar que la vida nos llevaría a momentos como el de hoy”, añadió González.
“¿Cómo podíamos pensar que las acciones y resoluciones de personas que nos eran totalmente ajenas podían entreverar tanto nuestras vidas como para traernos a esta realidad?”, preguntó.
González valoró los orígenes de Barneix y sus condiciones para generar amistad con sus compañeros de la Escuela Militar.
“Hemos venido a expresar nuestro dolor, a acompañar a su familia, a su madre, a su esposa y a su hijo, a trasmitirles nuestro apoyo y comprensión”, agregó.
Berneix tomó la misma decisión que hace ocho años adoptó el coronel (r) Juan Antonio Rodríguez Buratti tras ser notificado que sería procesado con prisión por la desaparición de Adalberto Soba y Alberto Mechoso. Rodríguez Buratti se suicidó en el estacionamiento de su casa.
Barneix fue junto al excomandante en jefe del Ejército Carlos Díaz integrante de una comisión interna del Ejército a la que el presidente Tabaré Vázquez durante su primer mandato (2005-2010) le encomendó investigar sobre el destino de los detenidos desaparecidos en la dictadura.
Los resultados no fueron lo auspicioso que Vázquez esperaba por falta de datos.
Internet es una plataforma en donde todos tienen voz, pero eso no significa que todo el mundo aproveche el espacio público digital para el bien. Tanto en momentos de crisis como en situaciones en donde alguien simplemente quiere generar histeria masiva, es muy fácil que se difundan noticias falsas, con información errónea y que no responden a la realidad.
Pasó hace un rato con la información equivocada de que se vendría un masivo corte de energía en la Región Metropolitana, pero es muy frecuente ver a personas en Facebook y Twitter compartir noticias que dicen hechos escandalosos pero que no citan ni una fuente ni entregan datos correctos.
Por eso, el activista Antonio Franyuti tiene en su Facebook un pequeño tutorial con simples pasos que te ayudarán a chequear que lo que estás difundiendo efectivamente sea correcto. Te lo dejamos a continuación:
Stocks dropped sharply Thursday and bond prices spiked after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will slap a new 10% tariff on some $300 billion worth of goods from China beginning next month.
The news erased a broad rally on Wall Street, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average from a gain of more than 250 points and fell as much as 278. The S&P 500 had been on pace for its best day in nearly two months.
The escalation in the long-running and costly trade dispute comes only a couple of days after both sides resumed negotiations. In a series of tweets, Trump noted that while the slow-moving trade talks have been “constructive,” China has not followed through on some prior agreements, including the purchase of large quantities of U.S. agricultural products.
The new tariff would take effect Sept. 1. The U.S. has already applied tariffs of 25% on $250 billion worth of goods from China. Beijing has retaliated with tariffs on $110 billion in American goods, including agricultural products, in a direct shot at Trump supporters in the U.S. farm belt.
Companies that rely heavily on doing business with China took the brunt of the selling. Apple quickly went from a gain of 1.4% to a loss of 2.3%. Electronics retailer Best Buy went from a slight gain to a drop of 9.3% in heavy trading.
Banks, industrials and energy companies also fell. Utilities and real estate stocks rose as traders shifted money into more stable, high-yield stocks. Bond prices spiked as traders sought safety. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped to the lowest it’s been since the 2016 election. The price of U.S. crude oil skidded 8%.
The afternoon sell-off puts the market on track to extend its losses for the week. The S&P 500 had its worst day in two months Wednesday after the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate policy signals disappointed investors.
The S&P 500 index was down 0.9% as of 2:36 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow dropped 251 points, or 0.9%, to 26,612. The Nasdaq composite lost 1%. The Russell 2000 index of small companies slid 1.6%.
Bonds
Prices for U.S. government bond rose sharply, sending yields even lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury fell to 1.90%, the first time it’s been below 2% since July 3. That yield, a benchmark used to set interest rates on mortgages and other loans, has been declining steadily since November, when it traded as high as 3.23%.
Meanwhile, the yield on the 2-year Treasury note slid to 1.73% from 1.87% late Wednesday, a very large move.
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow on President Trump’s comments on socialism during his State of the Union address and the Trump administration’s economic policies.
LARRY KUDLOW, DIRECTOR OF THE U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL:
I just think it was great that he dealt with that issue head-on. Many of us had suggested to him that we should say something about all these crazy anti-growth, anti-incentive, anti-business, anti-reward policies coming out of the opposition party. And we should have a generic statement at a minimum and so there you have it regarding socialism. And I want to carry that forward, you know you and I’ve talked about this a while back and I want to raise this issue. One of the great things that President Trump has done in a relatively short period of time but he started right off the bat. His policies basically ended the war on business and the prior administration was conducting a war on business. Not only in terms of over regulation and taxing, which is bad enough, but in terms of attitudes, you know, what you say about businesses and I don’t want to go deep into the partisanship here, that’s not my intent, but what I’m saying is I believe President Trump really changed the whole psychology of large and small business men and women and that that’s one of the reasons his plan has paid off and that we’re growing about three percent which is you know, virtually nobody thought would be possible.
I think the psychology here is so important and hence the statement he makes on socialism is another reassurance that we will not go down that path and that we America has always been, we have always been a nation of entrepreneurs who thrive for freedom and the incentive model of growth.
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