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Nairobi Pinto, la periodista secuestrada en Venezuela, está desaparecida desde el domingo.

En Venezuela, la violencia arrecia. Según el Observatorio Venezolano de Violencia, el año pasado murieron 79 personas por cada 100.000, mientras que cifras extraoficiales indican que más de 1.300 personas sufrieron secuestros. Sin embargo, entre todos los casos de inseguridad, hay algunos que marcan la agenda y trascienden las fronteras. Es el caso, esta semana, de Nairobi Pinto, quien fue secuestrada el pasado domingo en un salvaje episodio. Nunca más se supo de ella. ¿Quién es esta joven periodista?

Nairobi Rosalinda Pinto González se graduó en Comunicación Social en la Universidad Católica Santa Rosa (UCSAR), en el año 2007, después de comenzar sus estudios en la estatal Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV). Actualmente cursa la carrera de Derecho, según confirmó su padre.

Como periodista, comenzó a trabajar en la cadena de televisión abierta Canal I y de allí pasó a Globovisión, donde actualmente ocupa el cargo de jefa de Corresponsalías.

Católica creyente, Nairobi también está vinculada con labores pastorales de grupos carismáticos.

“Periodista y estudiante de Derecho! Transitando el camino del progreso… Creyente y amante de la libertad…”, se describe a sí misma en Twitter, donde mantiene escasa actividad.

Luis Pinto, el padre de la joven y también periodista, describió a su hija como una mujer de carácter “bastante jovial, muy alegre”.

Además, dijo que Nairobi no había comentado “ningún problema” que anticipara su secuestro. “No sé si existe algo, pero creo que no hay ningún tipo de problema”, señaló, apuntando hacia la hipótesis de un hecho de inseguridad más.

Ayer por la mañana, Luis Pinto, quien es la cara visible de la preocupación en su familia desde el secuestro de Nairobi, envió un llamado a los secuestradores, de los que no hubo novedades. “Quizás no valoran la acción que han cometido; piensen en sus familias. Yo espero que estas personas puedan tener el sentido común y la sensibilidad de devolverme a mi hija”.

“¿Qué (se puede) sentir cuándo no sabes dónde está tu hija, qué ha pasado con tu hija? Estoy atado de pies y manos. Sólo pido a Dios Todopoderoso que intervenga y me devuelvan a mi hija sana y salva”, dijo.

Si no puede ver el video haga click aquí.

Nairobi Pinto fue secuestrada el domingo por la tarde, cuando llegó al edificio donde vive en Los Chaguaramos, al norte de Caracas, desde el supermercado. Los familiares salieron a recibirla y ayudarla a cargar las bolsas cuando llegó un Chevy azul del que salieron raudamente tres hombres encapuchados y armados.

“Fue un hecho que se registró en fracciones de segundo, no sé si podría utilizar esa expresión, pero fue sumamente rápido -relató su padre-. Había llegado de hacer mercado, fue con una compañera, estaba bajando las compras en el momento en que salimos a ayudar, apareció un vehículo, se desplazan 3 sujetos, todos encapuchados, nos encañonaron y no sabíamos si querían llevarse la camioneta o a Nairobi. Se llevan a Nairobi, nos movilizamos y pusimos la denuncia ante las autoridades”. Todavía no hay novedades del paradero de la joven periodista.

Source Article from http://www.elpais.com.uy/mundo/nairobi-pinto-periodista-secuestrada-venezuela.html

La víctima de 30 años permanecía en un contenedor metálico y estaba encadenada del cuello. | Fuente: Video: AP

La Policía de Carolina del Sur (Estados Unidos) difundió este sábado las imágenes del rescate de Kala Brown, una mujer que fue secuestrada y violada durante dos meses por el asesino serial Todd Kohlhepp. El operativo se realizó en noviembre de 2016 y permitió la captura del criminal.

Según lo muestra el video, Brown (30) fue hallada dentro de un amplio contenedor metálico en el que permanecía encadenada del cuello. Cuando le preguntaron por su novio, Charlie Carver, quien había sido secuestrado junto a ella, respondió que estaba muerto.

Mató a otras personas. “Todd Kohlhepp le disparó tres veces en el pecho, envolvió su cuerpo con un material azul, lo puso en el cargador frontal de un tractor y me encerró aquí. No lo he visto de nuevo. Él me dijo que lo mató y lo enterró. Dice que hay muchos cuerpos sepultados allá afuera”, explicó a las autoridades mientras era liberada.

El asesino de 45 años había atraído a sus víctimas a su propiedad en el Condado de Spartanburg tras ofrecerles trabajo en limpieza. Mientras mantuvo retenida a Brown, le confesó que, con la misma estrategia, había matado a otra pareja. 

Tras pesquisas en el terreno, el cuerpo de Carver fue encontrado. También se rescataron los cadáveres de Meagan Leigh McGraw Coxie (26) y su esposo Johnny Joe Coxie (29). Ambos estaban desaparecidos desde diciembre de 2015.

Cadena perpetua. Para evitar la pena de muerte, que es aplicable en Carolina del Sur, Kohlhepp reconoció su culpabilidad en todos los cargos. Además, mientras era arrestado indicó que también era autor de otros cuatro homicidios ocurridos hace 13 años en una tienda de motocicletas.  

Según informó el diario The Sun, el sujeto ya había estado en prisión durante 14 años en Arizona. Ahí, cuando tenía solo 15 años, secuestró a una adolescente de 14 para luego violarla.

Las autoridades usaron una sierra eléctrica para abrir la puerta del contenedor desde donde se oían los gritos de la mujer. | Fuente: Captura video
Todd Kohlhepp guió a las autoridades a los lugares donde sepultó a sus víctimas. | Fuente: Daily Mail

Source Article from http://rpp.pe/mundo/estados-unidos/eeuu-asi-rescataron-a-una-mujer-convertida-en-la-esclava-sexual-de-un-asesino-en-serie-noticia-1057013

Tommie Smith y John Carlos están orgullos por haber levantado sus puños en un gesto de protesta durante los Juegos Olímpicos de México 68, y ahora aplauden a Colin Kaepernick y otros atletas que protagonizan manifestaciones durante el himno nacional para generar conciencia sobre la injusticia racial y la brutalidad policial en Estados Unidos.

Los corredores estadounidenses fueron enviados de vuelta a casa desde los Juegos Olímpicos de 1968 en Ciudad de México por lo que catalogaron como un “homenaje a los derechos humanos” en el podio de los 200 metros. Ahora, dijeron que el quarterback de los 49ers de San Francisco y otros deportistas acertaron al luchar por un cambio social.

“No detesten a este muchacho porque intenta provocar un cambio”, dijo Smith, quien ganó la medalla de oro y fijó un récord mundial en los 200 metros en 1968.

En una actividad del equipo olímpico estadounidense, el primer evento del comité olímpico al que son invitados desde su protesta hace casi 50 años, Smith dijo que respalda a Kaepernick porque su manifestación es proactiva, mientras que Carlos señaló que no hay mejor plataforma que el deporte para enviar un mensaje social, aunque provoque críticas.

“La protesta es positiva, porque uno intenta arrojar luz sobre algo”, dijo Carlos, medallista de bronce en 1968.

Varios deportistas han seguido el ejemplo de Kaepernick, quien primero se mantuvo sentado durante el himno y después se arrodilló. Algunos han levantado el puño como Smith y Carlos.

En el caso más reciente, tres jugadores de futbol americano de la Universidad de Nebraska se arrodillaron durante el himno antes de un partido contra Northwestern, lo que provocó críticas de funcionarios de la institución educativa.

“Es un sacrificio enfrentarse al status quo”, dijo Smith. “Y lo sabemos bien”.

(Con información de AP)

Source Article from http://aristeguinoticias.com/2909/kiosko/atletas-estadounidenses-en-mexico-68-aplauden-protesta-de-kaepernick/

In yet another dramatic escalation in the ongoing battle between House Democrats and the Trump administration, the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed the Justice Department for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s full, unredacted report and the underlying evidence.

The subpoena comes hours after the House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for not providing the same materials. Republicans have maintained that the report contains sensitive grand jury materials that must be redacted by law, at least for now.

The intelligence committee subpoena ostensibly requires Barr to produce the documents by May 15.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and the top Republican on the committee, California Rep. Devin Nunes, have asked for the unredacted Mueller report for several weeks.

HOW DOES CONTEMPT WORK? NADLER HAS OPTIONS: CIVIL, CRIMINAL, INHERENT — NONE OF THEM THAT GREAT

Schiff said in a statement that the Justice Department “has repeatedly failed to respond, refused to schedule any testimony, and provided no documents responsive to our legitimate and duly authorized oversight activities.”

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., arrives for a Democratic Caucus meeting in Washington back in March. Schiff, the focus of Republicans’ post-Mueller ire, says Mueller’s conclusion would not affect his own committee’s counterintelligence probes. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

“As both the special counsel and the Department of Justice have recognized, the Congress has a vital constitutional role in evaluating misconduct by the executive branch, including the president, and to assess and refine laws that address the ‘sweeping and systematic’ invasion of our democracy by Russia,” Schiff said. “We therefore need these materials in order to do our job.

“The department’s stonewalling is simply unacceptable.”

Schiff concluded: “The department repeatedly pays lip service to the importance of a meaningful accommodation process, but it has only responded to our efforts with silence or outright defiance.  Today, we have no choice but to issue a subpoena to compel their compliance. If the department continues to ignore or rejects our requests, we will enforce our request in Congress and, if necessary, the courts.”

Meanwhile, New York Democrat Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who heads the House Judiciary Committee, said the full House will soon vote on the panel’s recommendation to hold Barr in contempt.

KEN STARR: LEAK OF MUELLER’S ‘WHINEY’ LETTER TO BARR WAS AN ‘UNFORGIVABLE SIN’

The committee’s 24-16 vote on contempt for Barr was along party lines and came after hours of debate. Ahead of voting, the White House invoked executive privilege, claiming the right to block lawmakers from seeing the full document.

Nadler called the executive privilege claim an “assertion of tyrannical power by the president” that “cannot stand.”

Nadler additionally characterized the situation as a “constitutional crisis,” although he did not explain what exactly had occurred that would have defeated existing constitutional safeguards and mechanisms. It was also unclear how House Democrats could enforce any contempt vote.

Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec, on the other hand, said it was disappointing that members of Congress “have chosen to engage in such inappropriate political theatrics.”

She added that Barr made “extraordinary efforts” to provide Congress and the public with information about Mueller’s work.

In searing, no-holds-barred remarks ahead of the contempt vote, House Judiciary Committee Republican Jim Jordan charged at Wednesday’s explosive hearing that Democrats were out to “destroy” Barr as a way to derail the Justice Department’s ongoing review of alleged misconduct by the intelligence community.

Jordan, R-Ohio, asserted that Barr was legally required to withhold portions of Mueller’s report on Russian meddling in U.S. politics.

Democrats, Jordan said, effectively put Barr in an unwinnable position: He could either release the full Mueller report in violation of the law and federal procedure, or keep the redactions and face a partisan contempt proceeding.

“Bill Barr is following the law, and what’s his reward?” Jordan asked toward the beginning of a hearing on whether to hold Barr in contempt of Congress. “Democrats are going to hold him in contempt.”

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Barr was set to testify before the House panel earlier this month, following his remarks before the Senate, but pulled out. Said to be at issue: Dems’ insistence that committee staff — rather than members of Congress — ask the questions. That brouhaha, Jordan suggested, was a cynical sideshow designed to mask Democrats’ intentions.

“I don’t think today is actually about getting information,” Jordan continued. “I don’t think it’s about getting the unredacted Mueller report. I don’t think last week’s hearing was actually about having staff question the attorney general. I think it’s all about trying to destroy Bill Barr because Democrats are nervous he’s going to get to the bottom of everything. He’s going to find out how and why this investigation started in the first place.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Mike Emanuel, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-dems-subpoena-full-mueller-report-following-vote-holding-barr-in-contempt

Image caption

Marty McFly con el profesor Emmet Brown.

El futuro llegó.

El 21 de octubre de 2015 a las 16:29, el joven Marty McFly y Emmet Brown, Doc, aterrizan después de haber viajado 30 años en el tiempo en un auto DeLorean volador.

En la fecha más emblemática de la trilogía “Volver al futuro”, los protagonistas llegan a un momento en que no sólo los coches volaban, sino también las patinetas. Además habían hologramas 3D en los cines y la ropa se secaba y ajustaba sola.

Mira el momento del regreso al futuro haciendo clic aquí o en el video de abajo.

Nada de aquello se cumplió todavía, pero eso no es lo más triste.

Existen otras sutilezas que muestran que la película estrenada hace 26 años pecó de optimista respecto al 2015 en el que vivimos.

BBC Mundo te presenta cuatro detalles en los que el “futuro” de la cinta escrita y dirigida por Robert Zemeckis es mejor que el presente actual.

Lee también: ¿Es posible viajar en el tiempo como en la película “Volver al futuro”?

La justicia es más veloz

“El sistema de justicia es muy veloz en el futuro. Suprimieron a todos los abogados”, le dijo Doc, interpretado por Christopher Lloyd, a su joven acompañante.

Image copyright
AFP

Image caption

En 2015 de la película, las zapatillas y la ropa se ajustaban automáticamente.

Sin embargo, en este 2015 que vivimos, los ejércitos de abogados todavía inundan los pasillos de cortes y salas de justicia.

Un juicio por paternidad en Estados Unidos puede tardar entre seis meses hasta dos años, mientras que un proceso penal puede prolongarse hasta ocho si es que no hay confesión de culpabilidad del acusado.

En América Latina, el panorama no es más alentador.

La retardación de justicia es considerada como una de las preocupaciones más importantes en las democracias latinoamericanas, según instituciones como Naciones Unidas o la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos.

A los pandilleros que quisieron involucrar al hijo de Marty McFly en un robo los condenaban en menos de 24 horas.

Todavía estamos lejos de eso.

Energías limpias para todos

El DeLorean de 1985 necesitaba 1,21 gigawatts para viajar a través del tiempo, mientras que con la tecnología que en teoría existiría en 2015 le alcanzaban los restos de una lata de gaseosa y unas cuantas cáscaras de fruta para volar a través de los años.

Image copyright
AFP

Image caption

El DeLorean que Marty y Doc usaban para viajar en el tiempo fue mejorado con un reactor de energía renovable en 2015.

Doc aprovechó su visita al futuro no sólo para convertir su auto en una nave voladora, sino para incorporarle un reactor que genera energía con desechos llamado “Mr. Fusion”.

Lee también: “Volver al Futuro” y el viaje al pasado de Marty McFly cumplen 30 años

En la vida real, los vehículos con energías alternativas recién representan alrededor del 5% del parque automotor mundial.

En esa lista, se incluyen los que funcionan con hidrógeno, electricidad, biocombustibles, híbridos y a gas natural y gas licuado del petróleo, aunque estos últimos no dejan de ser fósiles.

El informe anual de Pike Research indicó que entre 2008 a 2015 los vehículos con gas natural pasaron de 9,7 a 17,8 millones de unidades.

Sin embargo, estimaciones del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts (MIT) señalan que el costo de un vehículo eléctrico puro se situaría en 2035 todavía alrededor de US$15.000 más caro que un vehículo con tecnología convencional.

El guionista de “Volver al futuro” tenía la esperanza de que el problema de los combustibles no renovables esté resuelto hasta 2015.

No sucedió.

Los avances de salud

Emmett Brown se sacó “30 o 40 años de encima” en una clínica del futuro: se quitó las arrugas, cambió su sangre, reemplazó su bazo y colon, además de arreglarse el pelo.

En una sola visita, dejó de preocuparse por la leucemia y otros tipos de cáncer como el linfoma, los tumores carcinoides, el melanoma y los sarcomas, entre otros.

Image copyright
AFP

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“Volver al futuro” se volvió una saga de culto con seguidores que coleccionan accesorios relacionados a la película.

Por si fuera poco, en el periódico del 21 de octubre de 2015 de “Volver al futuro”, los científicos anunciaron que el colesterol podría ser la cura definitiva al cáncer.

Por desgracia, según la Organización Mundial de Salud, este padecimiento sigue siendo la segunda mayor causa de muerte en el mundo.

Sólo en 2012, 8,2 millones de personas murieron por cáncer.

La proporción de muertes por cáncer en el marco de todos los fallecimientos se incrementó del 12% al 15 % entre 1990 y 2013, y se estima que el margen siga creciendo durante el siglo XXI.

Alrededor de un cuarto de millón de personas con leucemia deben pagar tratamientos que llegan a costar cientos de miles de dólares anuales.

Doc salió de esa preocupación con una visita al doctor.

Los drones no matan

Uno de los aciertos más grandes de “Volver al futuro” fue predecir la invención de drones para diversos usos.

Image copyright
AP

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La primera película de “Volver al futuro” se estrenó en 1985.

Sin embargo, los de la película se usaban para pasear perros y filmar cómo la Policía detiene a un grupo de pandilleros para el periódico de la ciudad.

Nada hace creer durante la película que en el año 2015 al que llegó Marty McFly, los drones fueran utilizados para matar a 1.147 personas como en el presente reporta un informe la ONG británica Reprieve.

Claro que a nuestro favor hay que señalar que los drones no sólo se usan para fines militares.

Todavía no hay un dron construido específicamente para pasear perros, pero sí otros que se aprovechan para transmisiones de eventos deportivos, entrega de productos o filmaciones en reservas forestales, entre otras.

Cientos de miles de personas en el mundo se sumaron a eventos locales para darle la bienvenida a Marty y a Doc.

Si de verdad llegaran se encontrarían con un “futuro” hiperconectado a través de dispositivos móviles, pero todavía con varios de los grandes problemas que se advertían ya en 1985 como el consumo indiscriminado de combustibles fósiles o el cáncer.

Bienvenidos al futuro.

Source Article from http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2015/10/151020_predicciones_volver_al_futuro_bm

America’s busiest airport has warned passengers to set aside three hours to clear security, as the government shutdown takes a deepening toll on everyday life in the US.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport tweeted on Monday evening that it was experiencing “longer than usual wait times during peak travel” and advised passengers to “give yourself 3 hours to clear security.”

Transportation Security Administration agents, who provide security at airports, are expected to work unpaid during the partial government shutdown, and many are not coming to work.

An airport spokesman told Business Insider on Tuesday morning that the airport’s advice was still to allow three hours for security.

Earlier Monday, the CNN reporter Omar Jimenez shared video footage of a security line at the airport, which he said was the “longest security line I have ever seen.”

The sped-up footage shows a long line of passengers snaking through the airport. “One passenger told me he’d been waiting over an hour and still had about 30 minutes to go,” Jimenez said.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that the long lines had caused some passengers to miss flights.

Read more: As TSA agents go unpaid, Travis Scott and Kanye West songs are blasting through JFK’s loudspeakers

As of 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the wait times were about 15 minutes, which is not unusual, according to the airport’s website.

But a photo from a journalist on the ground, shared on Twitter just after 7 a.m., showed screens at the airport alerting passengers to wait times of 15-30 minutes.

The airport said the three-hour warning stood despite the quiet start.

Passengers have been showing up hours before their flights to ensure they can take off.

Atlanta’s WSB-TV 2 said one woman had showed up at 2 a.m. to make sure she got a 7 a.m. flight.

Unusually high numbers of TSA agents across the US have been calling in sick.

On Monday morning, 7.6% of TSA agents had unscheduled absences, compared with 3.2% on the same day last year, the TSA spokesman Michael Bilello said. He said “security standards remain uncompromised at our nation’s airports.”

One federal air traffic controller in Atlanta told The Daily Beast on Monday: “Everything is a mess here. No one knows who is open, who is working, or what terminals are functioning.

“It’s a total s—show that won’t be solved until the shutdown is over.”

The Atlanta airport representative told Business Insider that passengers should check the airport’s website and app for estimates on security wait times.

The shutdown is now the longest in US history, leaving 800,000 government employees unsure when their next paycheck is coming. Even though those working unpaid are eligible to receive back pay once the shutdown is over, many live paycheck to paycheck.

The shutdown started December 22 after Democrats refused President Donald Trump’s demand that a spending bill to keep the government open includes billions of dollars in funding for a wall along the southern US border.

Bilello, the TSA spokesman, said agency directors were meeting with airport authorities and airlines across the US to “ensure resources are optimized, efforts to consolidate operations are actively managed, and that the screening and security of the traveling public are never compromised.”

Read more: Canadian air traffic controllers are buying hundreds of pizzas for US colleagues who aren’t getting paid in the government shutdown

He said Hartsfield-Jackson, as well as George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport, were “exercising their contingency plans to uphold aviation security standards.”

He also said the TSA would reallocate officers across the country “to meet staffing shortages that cannot be addressed locally.”

Some airports have been sharing their short security lines in response. Washington Dulles shared a photo of short lines and said it had “minimal wait times.”

But other airports have warned that conditions could worsen if the shutdown continues.

Josh Waggener, the president of Denver’s National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said on Monday that Denver International Airport could face longer lines and fewer flights, according to the local Reporter Herald.

A lack of air traffic controllers, who are also being unpaid during the shutdown, could also hold up flights.

“We were already at a 30-year low for air traffic controllers before the shutdown,” Waggener said.

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/government-shutdown-atlanta-airport-warns-security-queues-2019-1

Las noticias falsas y su distribución por las redes sociales a gran escala han sido uno de los grandes problemas que se encontraron en la pasada campaña electoral en Estados Unidos. Una noticia falsa sobre que el papa Francisco daba su apoyo directo a Donald Trump en la presidencia fue compartido como real por casi un millón de personas. Ahora, gracias a una investigación de BuzzFeed News, se ha descubierto que una misma persona estaba detrás de todo un imperio de portales con informaciones “fake” (falsas).

Facebook ahora se ha propuesto acabar con este tipo de noticias en su plataforma y está trabajando en la elaboración de pequeñas señales que alerten a sus usuarios sobre noticias poco fiables. A pesar de ello sigue habiendo cientos de páginas con este tipo de contenido que no cesan su actividad.

Analizados más de 750 artículos fake, BuzzFeed News fue uno de los medios estadounidenses que más esfuerzo ha dedicado para dar caza y denunciar este tipo de portales. Los periodistas Craig Silverman y Jeremy Singer-Vine, analizaron las webs que se encargaron de difundir noticias falsas sobre las elecciones estadounidenses. Encontraron que había un pequeño imperio de 43 portales web que en su conjunto habían publicado más de 750 artículos fake.

Mirá también: Facebook lanza sus primeras medidas contra las noticias falsas

Para sorpresa de los reporteros, la inmensa mayoría de esas informaciones no estaban relacionadas con Trump o Hillary Clinton. Un gran número de piezas (342) repetían el mismo patrón: una celebridad se muda a tal pueblo o comunidad específica. Se pretendía así dar popularidad en la red a alguna zona geográfica utilizando como enganche al famoso de turno: Johnny Depp, Matthew McConaughey, Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Jim Carrey, etc.

La clave del éxito de estas webs fake estuvo en la cercanía y el enfoque local. Juntar el nombre de una celebridad con un pueblo pequeño provocaba engaños específicos. Los lectores veían esa información y la daban por cierta al pensar que nadie iba a perder tiempo en mentir usando el nombre de un pueblecito.

Mirá también: Donald Trump despide a un asesor por difundir noticias falsas

Los investigadores hallaron después que la mayoría de las webs tenían registros privados para que el propietario se mantuviera siempre en el anonimato. Era tal la evidencia de que las webs venían del mismo sitio que las diferencias entre unas y otras eran mínimos, para ahorrar tiempo.

Otro de los temas recurrentes en este pequeño imperio de falsedad eran las historias que relacionaban a Justin Bieber con la construcción de iglesias en lugares remotos o la invención de que se iban a grabar secuelas de grandes producciones del cine en pequeñas localidades.

Cuando los vecinos de dichos pueblos veían esa información, en lugar de confirmarla en medios de comunicación serios, preferían celebrarla difundiéndola en sus propias cuentas de Facebook. Eso provocaba que la noticia falsa creciera con la ayuda de lectores engañados.

Mirá también: Desató un tiroteo en una pizzería de Washington por una noticia falsa

Casi todas las webs de noticias falsas analizadas por BuzzFeed News tenían una misma ID de Google AdSense, es decir, todo el dinero que recaudaban con la publicidad de Google iba a parar a una misma cuenta bancaria. La cuenta pertenecía a un tal Justin Smithson, natural de Missouri y residente en Atascadero (California). Se trata de un piloto de vuelos chárter, de unos 30 años y con grandes conocimientos de informática.

El artículo de BuzzFeed News aclara que es imposible asegurar al cien por ciento que este Justin Smithson sea el responsable de todas las webs de falsificación de noticias. Se podría tratar de otra persona que se hace pasar por ese hombre o directamente ser una identidad falsa.

En octubre, BuzzFeed logró contactar con Justin Smithson por correo electrónico, para confirmar los datos que tenían. Él respondió diciendo que estaban contactando con la persona equivocada y después ignoró otros mensajes que le enviaron. Aunque los periodistas no se dieron por vencidos y dieron con su dirección física.

Mirá también: Accidente del Chapecoense: las falsas ayudas que se hicieron virales

Se presentaron en su domicilio y de lejos vieron a Smithson sentado en la terraza con otro hombre. Al ver que se aproximaban a ellos con una cámara en la mano, se encerraron en la casa. Los reporteros les informaron que estaban buscando a Justin y uno de ellos gritó por una ventana que no había nadie allí con ese nombre. Acto seguido amenazó con romper la cámara si no se marchaban.

Con toda esta información, y ante la negativa de esa persona a dar su versión de los hechos, BuzzFeed publicó una larga nota días atrás, aportando todas las pruebas que tenían. Fue precisamente en ese momento cuando Justin Smithson se pronunció para negarlo todo. “No soy dueño de esos sitios web ni soy quien los amenazó con romper la cámara en mi casa. Nunca los he visto. Su artículo es totalmente difamatorio y pido que se elimine”, escribió en un e-mail donde añadió que la ID de Google AdSense mencionada fue usada por otra persona de forma fraudulenta.

Fuente: La Vanguardia.

Source Article from http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/pasos-rey-noticias-falsas_0_1709229161.html

Rabat – Morocco wishes to increase the country’s agricultural GDP to US$ 17 billion (140 billion dirhams) by 2020. In 2013, the sector generated US$ 11.56 billion (95 billion dirhams). A strategy created in 2008 by the government, the Green Morocco Plan, aims to promote Moroccan agribusiness and foresees new investments of US$ 1.1 billion (9 billion dirhams) by the end of the decade.

Aurea Santos/ANBA

Elguerrouj: sector is the national economy?s driving force

“There is an effort in Morocco to invest in the agricultural sector as the driving force of the national economy,” stated Mohammed Elguerrouj, Director General of the Agricultural Development Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Morocco, this Wednesday (29) to a group of Brazilian journalists. When it was created, the objective of the Green Morocco Plan was to double the agricultural sector’s revenues, which that year was of US$ 8.5 billion (70 billion dirhams).

The plan is an integrated effort that also involves the Ministries of the Interior, Finance and Industry. Currently, the main agricultural goods produced in Morocco are oranges, milk, beef and vegetables.

In order to expand production, Morocco started leasing land for agriculture projects. Participation is open for both Moroccan and foreign investors. Up to now, 100,000 hectares of lands have been leased and another 600,000 hectares should be leased by 2020.

In order to participate, interested parties should offer projects that promote the sector’s development. According to Abderrahim Benyassine, Partnership and Associations Director of the Moroccan agency, the quality of the project is more important to win the bidding process than the amount the company is willing to invest. The country is seeking projects with added value, with the possibility of developing the work of local farmers and small property owners, for example.

Among the countries that have invested in projects in Morocco are the United Arab Emirates, France, Portugal and Spain. The tenders, however, have attracted the attention of investors from other countries, such as the United States, Belgium, Argentina, Gabon, Senegal, Tunisia, South Africa and Australia.

There have been 31 foreign projects approved by the program, with a total land lease of 7,800 hectares. The leased land may be used for a period of more than 40 years, with the possibility for contract renovation, and the conditions for participating in the process are the same for Moroccans and foreigners.

Another product that sparks the interest of foreign investors, according to Benyassine, is argan oil, used in cosmetics. “Argan oil is produced only here, where it is certified and then sold around the world,” he emphasized.

When questioned about what could Morocco have to offer Brazilians, since Brazil has an abundance of fertile lands, Benyassine noted the advantages his countries poses for exports. “There is a strong demographic growth in Africa, and the workforce here, trained workforce, costs less than in Europe,” he stated. Also, Morocco has an association agreement with the European Union, which Brazil does not have.

*The journalist travelled at the invitation of the Moroccan Investment Development Agency (AMDI)

*Translated by Silvia Lindsey

Source Article from http://www2.anba.com.br/noticia/21862630/agribusiness/morocco-leases-lands-to-expand-agricultural-sector/

Manchin last week published an op-ed urging his party to slow down its work on the bill it aims to pass along party lines using the budget reconciliation process, which can evade a GOP filibuster but will need every Democratic vote in a 50-50 Senate. Given his concerns about debt and inflation, Manchin wrote in the Wall Street Journal that he “won’t support a $3.5 trillion bill, or anywhere near that level of additional spending, without greater clarity.” Those comments followed a vow from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) that she would not support $3.5 trillion.

Schumer conceded on Wednesday that moderate Democratic senators like Manchin and Sinema don’t see eye-to-eye with progressives like Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Sanders sought as much as $6 trillion in spending and indicated on Wednesday he would not climb down any further: “That $3.5 trillion is already the result of a major, major compromise.”

Yet with Manchin and Sinema publicly resisting that figure and several other moderate Democrats not yet publicly committed to it, Schumer (D-N.Y.) is under pressure to concoct a compromise on a proposal that most in the party argue cannot be further slimmed. As envisioned now, the jobs and families plan will expand the safety net, take climate action, raise taxes on the wealthy and continue a child tax credit that’s been a linchpin of Democrats’ coronavirus stimulus bill. But those programs won’t last as long as Sanders and other liberals would like them to.

Republicans are reveling in Democrats internal debate, hoping their entreaties to Manchin and Sinema can pay off and narrow Democrats’ ultimate spending ambitions. At an event in Kentucky on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell summed up how the GOP is viewing the two moderates who have veto power over the bill.

“I pray for them every night. I wish them well. We give them lots of love,” McConnell said.

But Schumer enjoys a close relationship with Manchin, and Democrats are not yet alarmed about their internal whip count after Schumer pushed through a $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid law as well as a $550 billion infrastructure bill with lockstep Democratic support. Describing Schumer’s approach, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said “he lets that messy process move forward with a real deadline, and he gets us to the end and he gets those votes from all of us.”

“We’re going to all come together to get something big done,” Schumer said Wednesday. “It’s our intention to have every part of the Biden plan in a big and robust way.”

Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/08/schumer-manchin-megabill-510446

El ciclón del jueves dejó varios árboles caídos, vidrios rotos y calles cortadas además de desplazados y algunos heridos leves.

La fuerza del Río de la Plata se hizo notar en la costa. En la rambla de Montevideo, a la altura de Río Negro, el viento y el agua rompieron parte de la estructura. Desde anoche inspectores de tránsito vigilan en lugar para evitar cualquier accidente a la espera de la reparación. 

Source Article from http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/asi-quedo-rambla-barrio-sur.html

Un editorial del medio El Patagónico –perteneciente al empresario allegado al kirchnerismo, Cristóbal López— apuntó hoy contra el diario PERFIL, por la cobertura sobre el “papelón” del periodista Mariano Beristain por un lado, y por las tapas del semanario Noticias sobre miembros de la política argentina.

“Títulos rimbombantes en las tapas, escaso desarrollo y ausencia de fuentes, artículos basados en trascendidos o supuestos informantes sin identidad acreditada, el modus operandi se repite en las burdas operaciones. Los ataques, sistemáticos, se incrementaron de forma notoria en las últimas semanas”, indican en el editorial.

“Notas donde desde los títulos hacen supuestas revelaciones, pero que carecen de documentos fehacientes ni chequeo de datos, son algunas de las muestras más recientes de esta degradante manera de hacer presunto periodismo de investigación. Las falsas acusaciones son lanzadas con periodicidad para dañar la figura pública, pero al indagar en el artículo no se encuentra ninguna prueba que acrediten el supuesto nexo o relación”, continúa el escrito.

En relación a revista NOTICIAS explican: “Es una insana costumbre del semanario hacer tapas extorsivas, fotomontajes y títulos degradantes con gran parte de la política que no cede ante sus extorsiones de primera plana. Un ejemplo es la portada que en el mes de julio dedicaron a Máximo Kirchner bajo el título “¿Genio o boludo?”. Una vez más, la tinta planteó una duda sobre el hijo presidencial y basó su nota solamente en agravios, insultos y difamaciones infundadas”.

Defensa. “Como contracara, los medios de este grupo realizan investigaciones de calidad y presentan pruebas concretas en sus denuncias, jamás desmentidas por su contundencia. Incluso, vale recordarlo, sufriendo un intento de clausura en su señal de noticias por exhibir actos de corrupción en el gobierno de la Ciudad”, argumentan.

Para el grupo,la cobertura del episodio ocurrido con el periodista Mariano Beristain por parte de NOTICIAS y Perfil, se trató de una “tergiversación” de la información “para realizar ataques directos a periodistas del grupo, como en los casos de los economistas de C5N Roberto Navarro y Mariano Beristain, las nuevas víctimas por estas horas”, precisan.

“Beristain fue blanco este viernes de una de las trampas de Perfil, quien junto a la complicidad de Clarín, presentó en sus portales como una “manipulación” lo que en realidad se debió a un simple error técnico”, justifican.

“El contenido expuesto, la información y las cifras transmitidas eran correctas, pero las placas con las cifras aparecieron invertidas. Maliciosamente, Perfil y Clarín intentaron instalar que se trataba de una forma de mentir sobre las cifras. “El error lo transformaron en una verdadera operación política”, señaló Beristain, quien reafirmó las cifras del informe”.

De esta forma actúan Clarín y Perfil para ensuciar el buen nombre de un profesional“, denunciaron.

Y para concluir sostuvieron: “En el ambiente periodístico se conoce de larga data que los directores periodísticos de los productos de Perfil negocian y venden las tapas al mejor postor, provocando un efímero efecto nocivo sin ningún sustento real. Estas operaciones, sólo un puñado de las tantas que se generan, dejan entrever las razones de “pesos” para que sean publicadas.

Source Article from http://www.perfil.com/medios/Editorial-del-grupo-Cristobal-Lopez-critica-a-Perfil-y-a-Noticias-por-razones-de-peso-20151004-0090.html

COSTA MESA (CBSLA) — A couple in their 20s were arrested outside their home in Costa Mesa Sunday night in connection to the 55 Freeway road rage shooting that took the life of 6-year-old Aiden Leos on May 21.

Aiden Leos, center, is seen in this undated photo with his mother, left, and sister, right. (Source: Family photo)

Sources tell CBSLA that 24-year-old Marcus Anthony Eriz and 23-year-old Wynne Lee are boyfriend and girlfriend.

READ MORE: Suspect Shoots, Kills Man In North Hollywood, Kidnaps Ex-Girlfriend

California Highway Patrol said they expect murder charges against the couple. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told CBSLA that murder charges may be on the table, but that a decision on the exact charges will come in the next 48 hours, after prosecutors have been fully briefed on evidence gathered by investigators.

Law enforcement officials also reported that they know where the suspects’ vehicle is located, as well as the gun used in the shooting and that they are working to secure the firearm.

CBSLA learned that investigators had been watching the couple and followed them from a restaurant before arresting them outside their Costa Mesa home.

“We’ll be and we are as we speak executing search warrants to get additional evidence that we’re going to and want to collect,” Spitzer told reporters Sunday night. “And we’re putting this case together. I feel very, very good about the case.”

READ MORE: Prosecutors Collecting Evidence On Marcus Anthony Eriz And Wynne Lee, Arrested For Shooting Of 6-Year-Old Aiden Leos, OC DA Spitzer Says

Leos, who was laid to rest Saturday, sat in the backseat of his mother’s car, on the way to kindergarten, when the shooting incident occurred on the 55 Freeway in the city of Orange. Joanna Cloonan, Aiden’s mother, and the occupants of a white Volkswagen station wagon, allegedly Wynne and Eriz, were involved in the road rage incident over a perceived unsafe lane change, according to CHP.

Per sources close to the case, both suspects are being held at the Orange County Jail on $1 million bond each. The reward for information leading to the arrest of the  suspects has surpassed $500,000. So far there’s been no word on whether anyone will receive that.

CHP officials said they plan to hold a press conference on Monday.

Cheryl Gish, an O.C. resident, heard news of the arrest and came with her husband to the memorial site for Aiden on the Walnut Avenue overpass above the 55 Freeway.

“I’m thankful that they have somebody in custody,” Gish said. It doesn’t bring the little boy back, little Aiden’s gone, but I’m so thankful some justice will be served,” she said.

“Every time I pass the freeway, I want to cry,” said Jessie Palomo, who brought her children, who are near the same age as Aiden, to the memorial. They lit candles and paid their respects.

MORE NEWS: Vigil For Pomona 16-Year-Old George Almaraz, Allegedly Killed By His Stepmother

“This is now a place that everyone knows about, sadly, in a sad, tragic way,” Palomo said. “But as a community, we’ve always got to stand together.”

Source Article from https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/06/07/marcus-eriz-wynne-lee-arrested-made-in-connection-to-55-freeway-shooting-death-of-6-year-old-aiden-leos-costa-mesa-boyfriend-and-girlfriend-in-custody/

Sudanese soldiers stand guard on armored vehicles as demonstrators protest against President Omar al-Bashir’s regime near the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital Khartoum Thursday.

AFP/Getty Images


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Sudanese soldiers stand guard on armored vehicles as demonstrators protest against President Omar al-Bashir’s regime near the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital Khartoum Thursday.

AFP/Getty Images

A military council has taken control of Sudan and arrested longtime President Omar al-Bashir, the country’s military said Thursday. The move comes after opposition protesters recently gained new momentum in demanding al-Bashir leave office.

Sudan’s defense minister, Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf, said the “regime” had been removed and its head arrested, as he announced the coup in a televised statement.

The minister said a transitional military council will rule the country for two years.

Protesters have been calling for al-Bashir’s ouster for months. Thousands swelled the capital Khartoum’s streets as the military promised to make an important announcement earlier Thursday.

Protests began in December over the price of bread after the government ended subsidies. But they spread to political concerns and protesters demanded al-Bashir’s ouster. Since Saturday, tens of thousands have maintained a protest vigil near the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum.

The armed forces have been deployed around the capital’s main roads and bridges, the BBC reports, and the city’s main airport is closed.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, the civil society group that has led protests since December, had called on residents to mobilize on Thursday for a sit-in. The group tweeted that the military leadership must “hand over power to the people.”

Sudan’s current crisis “cannot be addressed through another military coup,” the group said. The SPA called for protests to continue until power is handed over to a civil transitional government.

“We will not accept Bashir’s aides as part of the new situation,” protester Mohamed Adam told Reuters. “Those people have killed protesters.”

Media reports say the current swell of protesters is largely peaceful. The SPA said it advocated a peaceful “approach to revolution and change.”

Sudanese security forces killed at least 14 people on Tuesday, NPR previously reported. But according to the BBC, the army stepped in to protect protesters from at least two attacks by forces loyal to al-Bashir.

Now all eyes are on the Sudanese military, which has a long history of coups in the country.

Sudan gained independence from the U.K. and Egypt in 1956. Just two years later, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Abboud took power in a bloodless coup.

Riots and strikes in 1964 led to the military giving up control.

But Col. Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiri led a second military coup in 1969, according to the U.S. State Department’s history. Nimeiri became prime minister and the military banned political parties and dissolved parliament. He survived multiple coup attempts before succumbing to another military coup in 1985.

Gen. Abdelrahman Swar al-Dahab led the military overthrow of Nimeiri in that coup. This time the military handed over power to a civilian government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi after elections in 1986.

Al-Mahdi only lasted three years in power afterward. Omar al-Bashir, with the support of military officers and an Islamist political party, took power as leader of a junta in his own coup on June 30, 1989.

Al-Bashir had been in power almost 30 years. The International Criminal Court in the Hague issued warrants for al-Bashir’s arrest in 2009 and 2010 for genocide and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s Darfur region.

But those arrest warrants have not been carried out, with al-Bashir traveling to South Africa in 2015 and Chad in 2010 and returning home.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/04/11/712105501/sudans-military-says-it-has-taken-control-and-arrested-president-omar-al-bashir

It was the first time it had made the route, the data showed.

Novaya Gazeta said that the plane carried two crew teams and suggested there was no obvious reason for it to fly there: Russian tourists are officially recommended not to visit Venezuela, sales of package tours to the country have stopped long ago, and Russia’s Foreign Ministry hasn’t announced plans to evacuate Russian citizens from the country. 

Venezuelan social media was alive with theories, including that the place had brought mercenaries, or was there to escort Maduro into exile.

Venezuela’s Finance Minister Simon Zerpa claimed there were no Russian planes in the Caracas airport, despite the pictures.

Responding to questions about the gold, Peskov urged journalists “to be careful with different hoaxes.” 

Maduro claims he is facing a Washington-backed coup attempt led by opposition leader Juan Guaido, who last week proclaimed himself president and was recognized by the United States as the legitimate head-of-state.

Russia has accused US President Donald Trump’s administration of trying to usurp power in Venezuela and warned against any military intervention. The Kremlin on Tuesday condemned new U.S. sanctions against Venezuela’s vital oil sector as illegal interference in the OPEC member’s affairs.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russian government “will do anything” to support Maduro. 

Source Article from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/30/russia-claims-no-knowledge-plane-sent-venezuela-extract-20-tonnes/

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Según el Art. 60 de la Ley Orgánica de Comunicación, los contenidos se identifican y clasifican en:
(I), informativos; (O), de opinión; (F), formativos/educativos/culturales; (E), entretenimiento; y (D), deportivos.

Source Article from http://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2016/09/28/nota/5826628/asaltan-blindado-norte-guayaquil

El rapero dominicano Gnómico celebró el primer aniversario de la propuesta televisiva “Noticias en rap”, que se transmite por NCDN (canal 37), el cual consiste en relatar los diversos hechos que acontecen a nivel nacional de una manera rítmica.


En entrevista para LISTÍN DIARIO, el intérprete de rap afirmó que “el mundo está cambiando y, junto con él, debemos de cambiar la forma de llevar la información”.


Aseguró que esta es una de las razones que lo ha motivado a continuar ese proyecto.


De su lado, la directora de ese medio de comunicación, Nuria Piera, expresó que “en nuestro empeño por llevarle a los televidentes noticias de una forma diferente, hemos creado un programa único en su categoría, junto a Gnómico, de quien nos sentimos orgullosos del talento y la profesionalidad que ha demostrado en su nuevo rol”.


El acto de celebración, realizado el pasado 20 de abril, tuvo lugar en Cock’s Tail Bar, donde se presentó la nueva imagen y segmentos para esta temporada.


“Noticias en rap” se ha destacado por la gran cantidad de invitados que acompañan al rapero en cada entrega, incluyendo desde estrellas de los medios como Nashla Bogaert y Karina Larrauri; músicos como Víctor Víctor y Pavel Núñez; y figuras de la política nacional como los candidatos por el Partido Revolucionario Moderno (PRM), Luis Abinader, entre otros que se han animado a participar en la innovadora programación.  


Source Article from http://www.listindiario.com/entretenimiento/2016/04/29/417340/noticias-en-rap-cumple-primer-ano

Image copyright
Getty Images

Image caption

Bushfires are still burning in South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria states

An employee of Australian media organisation News Corp has lashed out at the company for “irresponsible” coverage of the current bushfires engulfing parts of the country.

News Corp owns The Australian, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun.

Emily Townsend, a commercial finance manager at the organisation, said coverage of the crisis had diverted attention away from climate change.

Bushfires have ravaged many parts of the country for weeks.

At least 27 people have died.

Ms Townsend sent the email after an all-staff message was sent from executive chairman Michael Miller sharing bushfire-related incentives.

She said the email regarding fundraising and other support initiatives did not “offset the impact News Corp reporting has had over the past few weeks”.

“News Corp’s decision to take this approach in such a devastating time for our country, communities and the environment is a step too far for any of us stakeholders to ignore and continue with our daily tasks without thinking for a minute about what we are contributing to,” she added.

News Corp is owned by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch.

Media captionInaccurate reporting of police figures has fuelled arson claims around Australia’s fires

The Australian has been criticised for its coverage of the fires. In one article it said the blazes were “nothing new”. It did say that climate change could not be ruled out as a cause before adding: “Climate change or no, these are some of the costs of being in one of the most fire prone regions in the world.”

It also was supportive of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to take a holiday to Hawaii. A commentary piece said: “We can’t blame him for wanting to take a well-earned break with his family, skip Monday’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook surplus backtrack or escape the smoke from the bushfires surrounding Sydney.

Mr Miller told the Sydney Morning Herald Ms Townsend resigned in December and was due to leave shortly.

“The dedication and professionalism of our journalists and photographers have kept the community – particularly those Australians affected directly – informed and supported,” he added.

What is the current situation with the fires?

On the New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria border, fires have merged to create a mega-blaze, covering more than 640,000 hectares of land.

More than 174 fires are still burning across NSW with 65 said to be uncontained.

According to NSW Rural Fire Service, more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed so far during this fire season.

In Victoria, residents of Wodonga were evacuated overnight. There is one emergency warning in place in the state.

Image copyright
Reuters

Image caption

At least 25,000 koalas are estimated to have died on Kangaroo Island in South Australia

In South Australia, firefighters are still tackling bushfires on Kangaroo Island. On Thursday, the island’s mayor Michael Pengilly described the situation there as “hell on earth”. At least 25,000 koalas are estimated to have died on the island.

David Bowman, a professor of pyrogeography from the University of Tasmania told the BBC that the implications of the current fires in Australia could not be underestimated.

“We’ve got fires that are still burning, transforming landscapes, wiping out wildlife – Australia’s not going to be the same after this. The consequences of this will be around for hundreds of years,” he said.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-51071800

Since President Joseph Biden took office in January and began rolling back Trump-era immigration policies, many lawmakers feared an influx of migrants and asylum-seekers would overwhelm the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a press conference Monday, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that there was no crisis at the border.

“I think there is a challenge at the border that we are managing, and we have our resources dedicated to managing it,” Mayorkas said.

The Claim

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, some people fear that migrants are spreading the virus as they move from the southern border to cities across the country.

Representative Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) accused the Biden administration of hurting “law-abiding” Americans by allowing COVID-positive migrants to illegally cross the border.

Allowing COVID positive migrants to illegally cross the border is a huge slap in the face to Americans who have had their businesses closed and their lives upended.

Under this regime, the worst thing you can be is a law-abiding American citizen.

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) March 4, 2021

The Facts

In a series of executive orders, Biden paused the construction of the southern border wall, offered permanent protection for young migrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, known as “Dreamers” and created a task force to reunite migrant families who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by Trump’s 2018 “zero-tolerance” border strategy.

According to Representative Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), the United States Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley Sector has apprehended 10,000 migrants in the past seven days. He said we are “weeks, maybe even days, away from a crisis at the southern border.”

“Our country is currently unprepared to handle a surge in migrants in the middle of the pandemic,” Cuellar said in a statement to Newsweek. “Migrants are illegally crossing, potentially exposing border communities to the coronavirus and putting us at risk.”

Whether migrants are tested for COVID-19 depends on their immigration category.

Individuals waiting on immigration proceedings in Mexico as part of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) are tested by United Nations officials for COVID-19 before entering the United States. Migrants are taken to a staging area, where they must test negative in order to cross the border at a port of entry.

MPP is a Trump-era program that forces migrants who arrive at the Southwest border to return to Mexico to wait during their U.S. immigration proceedings. There are about 25,000 individuals in the MPP program with pending cases before the Executive Office of Immigration Review, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS suspended new enrollment into the program on January 21, 2021.

According to DHS, “those who test positive will be supported by facilitating organizations to isolate and/or seek treatment in line with the policy of the relevant local health authority in Mexico. Following isolation and screening, such an individual will again be eligible for facilitated arrival at a designated port of entry.”

New arrivals at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities also are tested within 12 hours of arrival and are separated from the rest of the population in the facilities to prevent potential transmission.

“In order to humanely address the current situation along the Southwest Border, ICE continues to evaluate the manner in which it utilizes its existing family residential centers, which remain fully operational, to safely, effectively, and efficiently process and screen families,” an ICE spokesman said in a statement to Newsweek.

The catch-and-release migrants are tested at the La Plaza Bus Terminal upon being dropped off by U.S. Customs & Border Protection. The migrants who test positive at La Plaza Bus Terminal are advised of quarantine procedures and are asked to socially distance.

Border Patrol agents and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers do not test the migrants they apprehend.

According to a CPB spokesperson, “CBP personnel conduct initial inspections for symptoms or risk factors associated with COVID-19 and consult with onsite medical personnel.”

Suspected COVID-19 cases are then referred to local health systems for appropriate testing, diagnosis and treatment.

Cuellar said migrants dropped off at bus stations by Border Patrol agents are likely not tested before they leave to other cities. There is currently no system in place to keep track of whether migrants get tested for COVID-19 once they leave DHS custody.

“Once the Border Patrol releases them, then they have the notice to appear [at immigration case hearing] and they can go anywhere in the U.S.,” Cuellar said.

Greyhound Lines bus company said in a statement to Newsweek that it sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and requested assistance with a potential surge of migrants at the border.

The border town of Brownsville, Texas, sees a lot of migrants come through its La Plaza Bus Terminal.

Since January 25, there have been 108 migrants who tested positive for COVID-19, which is a 6.3 percent positivity rate, according to Brownsville spokesman Felipe Romero. The positivity rate for Cameron County is 13.8 percent.

Romero confirms that MPP individuals seeking asylum are tested for COVID-19 on the Mexican side of the border in Matamoros and must test negative to be allowed to cross.

He said Brownsville follows all guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Service for COVID-19 and tests other migrants released by federal officials once they arrive in town.

“The catch-and-release migrants are tested at the La Plaza Bus Terminal upon being dropped off by U.S. Customs & Border Protection,” Romero told Newsweek. “The migrants who test positive at La Plaza Bus Terminal are advised of quarantine procedures and are asked to socially distance. There are several NGOs providing resources to those who test positive.”

NGOs, or nongovernmental organizations, and other nonprofit organizations provide testing and locations to quarantine for migrants out of their own pocket.

Cuellar said some towns test migrants for COVID-19, but he is “not seeing border towns broadly testing.”

He added that unaccompanied minors are turned over to Health and Human Services and likely tested, while families with children under age 13 released by CBP with a note to appear in court might be tested by an NGO. Adults and families with older children who are apprehended by CBP are returned across the border under Title 42 and likely not tested.

The Ruling

Half True.

Some migrants are tested before crossing the border. Those seeking entry through MPP must test negative in order to enter the country.

However, migrants picked up by CPB might not have been tested prior to crossing the border illegally. Since CBP officials will not test migrants, that task is left mostly to NGOs.

There currently is no system in place to track if migrants have been tested after they leave NGO shelters or CBP custody.

U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas
John Moore/Getty Images

Source Article from https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-are-covid-positive-migrants-allowed-cross-southern-border-us-1574162