|
CRIME STOPPERS OF HOUSTON FUGITIVE FRIDAY
37 millones de km en avión: una vida de lujo gracias a un pase vitalicio de United Airlines de 1990
Tom Stuker se convirtió en viajero frecuente tras una irresistible oferta que United Airlines ofreció durante 1990. El ciudadano estadounidense reveló en sus redes sociales -y más tarde en una entrevista a la prensa- cuáles son los beneficios de trasladarse constantemente en avión y bajo una misma aerolínea. En 2019 alcanzó su máximo récord, ya que viajó más de 370 veces.
En diálogo con The Washington Post, el viajero contó que 30 años atrás aprovechó la oferta de su vida. Compró un total de 23 millones de millas por un valor de 290.000 dólares, algo así como 147.485.300 de pesos argentinos al cambio oficial actual. Esto resultó atractivo y cambió la vida de Tom, quien de inmediato comenzó a viajar por el mundo como si no existiera mañana.
En la entrevista que le ofreció al medio estadounidense, el experimentado viajero enumeró algunos beneficios que conlleva el hecho de viajar seguido en la misma empresa. Uno de sus primeros tips fue el de actuar como si “conocieras a la azafata”. Según afirmó, puede que te lleves “todo tipo de cosas gratis”. Además remarcó: “Siempre digo (a las azafatas): ‘¡Te recuerdo! Nos diste un gran servicio la última vez. Quería darte las gracias de nuevo’”.
Otro de los consejos de Tom para todo tipo de viajeros, sean frecuentes o no, fue el de aprovechar cada espacio del asiento. Así, recomendó llevar un bolso que tenga la capacidad de entrar debajo, ya que al final de cuentas “cada ciudad tiene lavanderías y locales”. 
En tanto, en sus redes sociales Tom Stuker enseña su vida de lujo arriba de los aviones. En cada sitio al que arriba, describe sus percepciones y consejos a la hora de volar. Hasta se fotografió en distintas ocasiones con los pilotos de la aerolínea, quienes ya lo conocen, al igual que las azafatas. Con más de 10.000 seguidores, el viajero se convirtió en un influencer que a diario acumula elogios por parte de los usuarios, quienes también insisten en conocer más de sus consejos para tener en cuenta al momento del traslado.
Source: www.lanacion.com.ar
Simone Biles reaparecerá al cabo de dos años en el US Classic
LBiles no compite desde los Juegos de Tokio, en los que tuvo que renunciar a las finales por equipos y del concurso general individual debido a un trastorno metal sufrido durante la rotación en el salto de potro del concurso por equipos. Días después pudo intervenir en la final de barra de equilibrios, en la que ganó la medalla de bronce.
Biles, de 26 años, contrajo matrimonio el pasado 24 de abril con el jugador de la NFL Jonathan Owens.
Esta es la segunda vez en la que Biles hace una larga pausa en su carrera. Tras ganar el oro en el ‘all around’ en los Juegos de Río no volvió a entrenarse hasta finales de 2017 y reapareció en competición mayo de 2018. En esta ocasión la gimnasta no ha manifestado públicamente sus planes, ni si pretende competir en París 2024, que serían sus terceros Juegos Olímpicos.
En el US Classic, que tendrá lugar en Chicago, competirán las dos últimas campeonas olímpicas, Biles y su sucesora en Rio, Sunisa Lee, así como la vigente campeona olímpica en suelo, Jade Carey.
Source: www.marca.com
U.S. restarts asylum appointments at Mexico border town despite extortion threat
The U.S. government is restarting asylum appointments at a dangerous Mexican border town, according to Customs and Borders Protection (CBP), just days after U.S. officials suspended the scheduling of appointments there because drug cartels were extorting migrants.
The reversal comes after more than 1,500 asylum seekers flocked to Mexico’s Nuevo Laredo in recent days, sleeping in a plaza near the international bridge, after word spread that the United States had begun to accept more migrants here without asylum appointments.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said its CBP One mobile app, which officials have urged migrants to use since COVID-era restrictions called Title 42 expired in May, will offer appointments again beginning Wednesday.
This comes less than two weeks after CBP had shut down the system for asylum appointments at Laredo – the Texas city opposite Nuevo Laredo – once U.S. officials learned criminals were forcing migrants to pay $500 each in order to reach the bridge to attend their appointments.
The flip-flopping policy change underscores the issues facing President Joe Biden’s administration as it attempts to implement a sweeping new asylum system amid continuing security problems in Mexico.
While the U.S. government app to book asylum appointments aims to cut out dangerous human smugglers, events in Nuevo Laredo show it can still be exploited by cartels to extort migrants, posing serious questions about its viability.
Stephanie Leutert, an academic at the University of Texas at Austin and former adviser to the Biden administration on migration, warned an extortion scheme could return now appointments had reopened.
“In essence, (it is) returning exactly to the very same dynamics that led to the pause in CBP One appointments in the first place,” she said.
Migrants began amassing in Nuevo Laredo over the weekend once they realized CBP officials were admitting about 50 asylum seekers a day through the international bridge without CBP One appointments.
Many came from a squalid encampment in the city of Matamoros, several hours away, where they had been unsuccessful in securing appointments.
Gerson Bravo, from Venezuela, explained how arriving migrants organized a waitlist using cardboard squares marked with numbers, or scrawling numbers on people’s forearms.
He said their system was fairer than the app, which leaves some waiting months, while others land appointments quickly.
“They haven’t been able to create any order with the app,” he said.
On Wednesday, a Venezuelan migrant in Nuevo Laredo said he was worried he might be extorted now that Laredo was open again for CBP One appointments. “We are afraid,” he said, asking his name not be published. “We came here thinking that we could have a better and faster system.”
The sudden influx – compared to 250 migrants in the whole city two weeks earlier – prompted U.S. officials to view restarting CBP One as a better option.
“We are clear-eyed about the limits of our ability to control the security situation in any town outside of the United States,” a senior CBP official told Reuters.
“Using CBP One is the best mechanism we have to reduce some of the vulnerabilities there,” the official said, referring to Nuevo Laredo.
Many migrant advocates view CBP One as a positive tool to cut out smugglers, but worry the limited number of appointments puts migrants at risk as they wait in dangerous towns such as Nuevo Laredo.
When asked about the potential for continued extortion in Nuevo Laredo, the CBP official said migrants could apply for appointments elsewhere, and come to the city just for their appointments.
“That poses a much lower risk than all of these individuals crowding in the city as we see in Nuevo Laredo right now,” the official said.
But reaching Nuevo Laredo can pose its own risks.
Venezuelan migrant Jose, who declined to give his full name due to security concerns, said he witnessed a car of migrants be kidnapped on a highway leading to Nuevo Laredo last week. Even so, he decided to undertake the journey himself the following day.
“We risked it because we were so desperate in Matamoros,” he said, seated beneath white tents at a plaza near the border.
Three migrants told Reuters that men who appeared to be cartel members told them to stay orderly, but had not been extorting recently arrived migrants for money.
That could change, advocates say.
They estimated the extortion scheme had netted the local drug cartel tens of thousands of dollars in about a month.
One family from Michoacan state paid $13,000 in extortion fees, two family members told Reuters. Eleven receipts for money transfers from friends and relatives, seen by Reuters, show how the family hurried to raise funds ahead of their CBP One appointments in June.
“They had us locked up,” said one family member. “People had to pay to not lose their appointment.”
‘Titanic’ llegará a Netflix y critican a la plataforma por “oportunista”: ¿fue una coincidencia?
La tragedia del sumergible Titán conmocionó a todo el mundo, ya que cobró la vida de 5 personas, luego de que éste se perdiera al explorar los restos del Titanic. Y a tan solo una semana, Netflix ha anunciado que la cinta de James Cameron sobre el naufragio del transatlántico llegará a su catálogo.
Como era de esperarse, esta situación ha convertido a la plataforma en streaming en un blanco de críticas, ya que muchas personas consideran que la compañía está intentando hacer dinero con la muerte de quienes iban a bordo del submarino.
“Murieron personas en un trágico accidente en el sitio del Titanic y ahora aprovechan el momento para atraer espectadores, es más que desagradable”, dijo un internauta en su cuenta de Twitter.
Como éste, hay muchos comentarios, pues las personas coinciden con que ha pasado muy poco tiempo desde la tragedia de Titán y ahora la plataforma usa este accidente para hacer dinero, tachando a Netflix como “oportunista”.
“¿Publicidad de mal gusto?”, “Tal vez sea de mal gusto para algunos, pero la gente aún lo verá”, “Netflix vio la oportunidad y no perdió el tiempo”, son algunas de las reacciones; otros más piden a los usuarios de la plataforma que no vean la cinta.
Luego de que la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos informara sobre la muerte de los miembros de la tripulación de Titán a causa de una implosión, los usuarios de plataformas en streaming ya esperaban que estas empresas anunciaran en los próximos días la creación de series y documentales sobre el caso.
¿Fue coincidencia el estreno de ‘Titanic’ en Netflix?
Titanic formará parte del catálogo de Netflix para Estados Unidos y Canadá a partir del 1 de julio. Aunque pueda parecer que la empresa realmente se aprovecha de la situación, se trataría únicamente de una casualidad.
Pues las licencias de las películas y series que llegarán a las plataformas en streaming se negocian con meses de anticipación, de acuerdo con el portal especializado en cine, Variety.
“Las muertes de los miembros de Titán se anunciaron el 22 de junio. Si Titanic llega el 1 de julio, Netflix resolvió el acuerdo de licencia más de unos meses antes de esa fecha”, señaló una fuente familiarizada con el acuerdo al medio.
Esto quiere decir que fue mucho antes de que el mundo conociera el caso de Titán y el desenlace que tendría, por lo cual “es poco probable que Netflix esté tratando de capitalizar la tragedia”.
Source: www.reporteindigo.com
Houston murder rate plummets 27% in 2023, Chief Finner says
A surge in Houston lawbreaking and violence unseen since the early 1990s may well be easing. In 2022, for example, it seemed like homicides and deadly shootings were dominating headlines to the point where lifelong residents, including myself, had to ask ourselves “has crime really always been this bad?”
Houston PD Chief Troy Finner, however, shared new reports before Houston City Council noting that the crime rate has decreased 6% year-over-year. Additionally, homicides are down 27% compared to the first quarter of 2022, as well as human trafficking is down by 23%, aggravated assault, and overall violent crime is down by 12%, robbery is down 10 %, and rape is down 6%.
100-Degree Days, How Does That Compare to Years Past?
It’s that time of year: cue the days of walking outside and straining your eyes to see past the blurry waves of heat in the distance, primed with sunscreen and, hopefully, your security blanket water bottle. Twenty minutes in, it happens. The sweat beads into a small lake on your lower back, and you can no longer form a coherent thought. It’s as if the cavity of your body is stuffed with a fuzzy blanket, too warm for comfort. Are you getting dizzy? Maybe take a swig of water. Is that sweat forming at the back of your knees? Is that normal?
No matter how many times one may claim, “I’m Texan. I’m used to it,” the heat is . . . hot. And now, with weather pattern El Niño in effect, some Texas cities could face triple-digit temperatures about three weeks earlier than in a typical year, according to KXAN meteorologist Kristen Currie. The good news is that, taken as a whole, temperatures throughout the summer won’t be as bad as last year.
But that knowledge won’t help us much over the next week. “It’s all because we’ve got this big area of high pressure sitting on top of us,” Currie says. “There’s going to be many cities from Austin pretty much southward and eastward that will get into the upper nineties to low hundred[s]. Austin certainly won’t be alone in seeing the triple-digit heat.”
Why has Texas been experiencing more weather extremes in recent years? Part of the reason for the hot summers is because the state lends itself to a heat-dome type of atmosphere due to high-pressure systems. Another contributing factor to the heat, as well as to the weather fluctuations, is climate change. “We are going to have those down years where it isn’t quite as pronounced of a warming,” Currie explains. “I think when people hear ‘global warming,’ they think everything is getting hotter. Climate change is more like you’re gonna see more extremes, like last year, but you’re still gonna have average years in between.”
Below we’ve compared this year’s triple-digit onset in major Texas cities to those of years past, and dug into just how many days we can expect to be disgustingly sweaty this summer.
Austin
The city of Austin usually sees the meter hitting 100 degrees around the end of June, with the earliest 100-degree day coming May 4 of 1984. Seems like this year Mother Nature must have channeled Mustafar, the hell planet covered in lava where Darth Vader lived; there’s no doubt temperatures will be hitting 100 degrees early, with a prediction for the first gift as early as next week.
Last summer Austin had sixty-eight 100-degrees-or-higher days, which ranks as the third-highest number of triple-digit days in the city’s history. It would be hard to beat the record of ninety days, which happened in 2011, but anything is possible.
Dallas
Last summer was the fourth hottest for Dallas, with 47 days of triple-digit temperatures, whereas 2011 remains the hottest summer to date. The year 2006 must’ve been a weird one, as the earliest recorded triple-digit day occurred in April, a full two months before anyone even thinks about preparing for the heat.
Revelaron una grabación en la que Donald Trump dice poseer un documento clasificado sobre Irán
The Washington Post ha obtenido la grabación de audio de 2021 en la que el expresidente Donald Trump parece jactarse de poseer un documento clasificado relacionado con Irán que reconoce que no desclasificó antes de dejar el cargo.
La grabación, realizada en una reunión en el campo de golf de Trump en Bedminster (Nueva Jersey), es una importante prueba obtenida por el abogado especial Jack Smith. Parece socavar las afirmaciones de Trump de que había desclasificado los documentos antes de dejar el cargo o que no sabía de la posesión de documentos restringidos después de dejar la Casa Blanca.
La grabación, a la que se hace referencia en la acusación federal contra Trump y difundida por primera vez el lunes por la CNN, muestra a Trump describiendo un documento de varias páginas que, según alega, trata sobre un posible ataque a Irán.
“Verás, como presidente podría haberlo desclasificado, ahora no puedo… . ¿No es interesante? Es genial”, dijo Trump en la grabación.
Trump se enfrenta ahora a 37 cargos por delitos graves relacionados con el presunto manejo indebido de documentos clasificados. En una entrevista reciente, Trump afirmó que desconocía que los documentos sobre Irán estuvieran entre el material de las cajas recuperadas en Mar-a-Lago -su club privado y residencia en Florida- por el FBI y el Departamento de Justicia. También siguió afirmando que todo lo que se llevó estaba desclasificado. A principios de este mes se declaró inocente durante una comparecencia ante un tribunal federal de Miami.
El escrito de acusación de 49 páginas de la fiscalía describe dos casos en los que Trump reveló documentos confidenciales en entornos no seguros, después de la presidencia, a personas que carecían de las autorizaciones de seguridad necesarias para ver cualquier información clasificada. El segundo caso descrito en la acusación fue una reunión en agosto o septiembre de 2021 en la que Trump mostró a un representante anónimo de su comité de acción política un mapa clasificado del “País B” y le dijo que no debería compartir el mapa.
La juez Aileen M. Cannon ha programado la primera conferencia previa al juicio en el caso para el 14 de julio.
Source: www.infobae.com
Putin condemns mutiny attempt as Prigozhin explains Wagner rebellion
President Putin and Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin have both made public statements about a suspected mutiny with Putin issuing ultimatum to mercenaries
After being notably absent from public view since the weekend’s abortive mutiny, both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have reappeared . Both have delivered recorded statements.
On Monday evening Putin addressed the nation after the so-called Wagner PMC mutiny that took place on Saturday.
Putin warned that any attempt to create unrest in Russia would be “doomed to fail” in an address where he commented the actions of PMC Wagner and its consequences.
Underlining Putin’s five minute address to the nation was the message that Russia had been saved by a sense of unity.
“Today I once again appeal to all citizens of Russia,” said Putin. “Thank you for your endurance, solidarity and patriotism. This civic solidarity has shown that any blackmail, any attempt to create internal turmoil is doomed to failure.
Travel chaos looms for July 4th weekend: Hundreds of flights are canceled out of NYC due to storms
A dangerous heat wave affecting the US South is expected to worsen this week, bringing with it record-breaking temperatures that will top 100 degrees.
‘Excessive’ is the word the National Weather Service has used to describe the forecast for the next few days for states like Texas and Louisiana, which are already seeing temperatures that feel close to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Currently, more than 55million people from southern Arizona to the Florida coast, are feeling the effects of the record-breaking temperatures – which meteorologists now warn is set to stay through the Fourth of July weekend.
The heat has already resulted in the death of a Dallas postal worker – as well as a 31-year-old man and his stepson in an Austin park.
Still looming over Texas and parts of Mexico, the scorching ‘heat dome’ is now set to expand, experts said Tuesday – while being compounded by a series of storms ripping through the country further north, disrupting more than 1,700 flights in the process, and spawning several tornadoes.
The service warned Tuesday of the dome’s progress this week. ‘High temperatures Friday and Saturday across much of southern New Mexico and into portions of western, southern, and central Texas will range between 105 110 degrees.’
It added: ‘Highs closer to the Gulf Coast will be in the upper 90s to low 100s, but dew points in the 70s will contribute to heat indices of 105-115, locally as high as 120 degrees.’
In a separate statement, the service’s prediction warned that over the course of next week, the weather will bring ‘more danger than a typical heat event, due to the longevity of near-record or record high nighttime lows and elevated heat index[es].
As previously mentioned, some 55million people – 16 percent of the contiguous United States – live in the areas expected be affected by the rapidly spreading dome.
Excessive heat warnings, the highest level of heat alerts, are currently in effect in cities like Dallas, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which are expected to bear the brunt of the extreme weather
There, the heat index will approach 120 degrees, before worsening Wednesday as the system moves northward, officials said Tuesday.
As this happens, cities in the Central Plains and Missouri Valley – already victims to a series of twister-spawning storms – will also fall victim to the dangerous temperatures, with readings poised to pass the triple digits in places like Oklahoma.
Moreover, the heat mass is simultaneously expanding eastward, toward already hard-hit rural communities in Louisiana and Arkansas.
Temperatures in those states are set to surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit Wednesday after nearing that marker Tuesday afternoon, extending into Mississippi and even Alabama – where temperature will feel as if they are 110 to 115 degrees, officials say.
Source: www.dailymail.co