By Steven Jiang, CNN

Beijing (CNN) — In a stunning move amid a continued purge of its military, China on Thursday gave two former defense ministers suspended death sentences for corruption.

Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were both convicted of bribery and given the death penalty with a two-year reprieve by the country’s military court, according to state media. The court announced that the two former generals’ sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after two years.

Wei, 72, served as defense minister from 2018 to 2023. Li, 68, succeeded Wei and held the position for less than eight months in 2023. Both men were placed under investigation by the military’s anti-graft arm in 2023.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has taken his purge of the armed forces to the very top, most recently targeting his highest-ranked general with the removal in January of Zhang Youxia, who outranked Wei and Li and once oversaw the military’s day-to-day operations.

Xi’s shake-up has cut across a wide swath of China’s 2 million-strong People’s Liberation Army (PLA) –– with more than 100 officers potentially ousted since 2022.

Thirty-six generals and lieutenant generals have been officially purged since 2022, while another 65 officers are listed as missing or potentially purged, according to a report published in February by Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

When accounting for positions that have been purged more than once, 52% of the PLA’s top leadership positions have been affected, the report found.

The sweeping clear-out is part of Xi’s longstanding drive to clean up the PLA as he continues to tighten his grip on power and drives forward a major military modernization.

But the scope of this “unprecedented purge” raises questions about the military’s readiness to carry out complex operations, the report’s authors wrote.

Following the downfall of Zhang and his lieutenant in January, an editorial published by the official PLA Daily newspaper accused the two former military leaders of undermining Xi’s ultimate authority while also reinforcing Xi’s message of zero-tolerance on corruption.

Their investigations will “remove toxic influences” within the PLA and “help the people’s armed forces undergo a thorough renewal, injecting powerful momentum into the drive to build a strong military”, it said.

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Clear skies and warm weather is ahead Thursday. Winds are below advisory levels but still practice fire safety as the National Weather Service highlights that today into next Monday are heightened fire risk days. Maximum temperatures soar into the 70s and 80s. Overnight lows will be additionally warm as well.

We have 3 back to back days of sweltering heat. Some areas may peak Friday while most peak Mother's Day. We start Friday with clear skies and a rapid warming trend. Expect another 3-5 degrees of warming compared to previous days.

All weekend expect low humidity values, hot temperatures and strong winds. Some Wind Advisories may need to be issued. While our drought monitor looks good compared to other states, keep in mind fire fuels are primed and ready. It will not take much for a fire to start and spread rapidly, especially with winds. Peak heat arrives on Sunday, make sure you avoid peak heating hours and keep moms hydrated! We hold with above normal temperatures through most of next week.

The post Toasty Thursday, elevated fire risk through Mother’s Day appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Clear skies and warm weather is ahead Thursday. Winds are at advisory levels into the evening, expected strong gusts of 40-50mph near dinner time. Practice fire safety as the National Weather Service highlights that today into next Monday are heightened fire risk days. Maximum temperatures soar into the 70s and 80s. Overnight lows will be additionally warm as well.

We have 3 back to back days of sweltering heat. Some areas may peak Friday while most peak Mother's Day. We start Friday with clear skies and a rapid warming trend. Expect another 3-5 degrees of warming compared to previous days.

All weekend expect low humidity values, hot temperatures and strong winds. Some Wind Advisories may need to be issued. While our drought monitor looks good compared to other states, keep in mind fire fuels are primed and ready. It will not take much for a fire to start and spread rapidly, especially with winds. Peak heat arrives on Sunday, make sure you avoid peak heating hours and keep moms hydrated! We hold with above normal temperatures through most of next week.

The post Toasty Thursday, elevated fire risk through Mother’s Day appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Por Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN en Español

El presidente de Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, se reunirá en Washington con el presidente Donald Trump en una coyuntura delicada de su gestión, a cinco meses de las elecciones en las que buscará un nuevo mandato.

En medio de un descenso de popularidad, luego de sufrir reveses en el Congreso y con encuestas que arrojan un empate técnico con Flavo Bolsonaro, hijo del exmandatario ultraderechista Jair Bolsonaro, Lula visita a un líder con el que ya tuvo tensiones y quiere asegurar que no se repitan en la recta final de la campaña.

Los jefes de Estado de los dos países más poblados del continente han expresado posiciones opuestas en temas como la situación en Venezuela, Cuba, Gaza e Irán, mientras Trump, aliado de la familia Bolsonaro, despliega una estrategia más asertiva en América Latina, con algunas injerencias directas en procesos electorales.

“Para Lula es un momento de debilidad, una situación difícil con desafíos grandes, como el ascenso de Flavio Bolsonaro”, dijo a CNN el politólogo Maurício Santoro, profesor del Departamento de Relaciones Internacionales de la Universidad del Estado de Río de Janeiro (UERJ), aunque destacó que “mucho puede pasar” hasta la votación del 4 de octubre.

Para Feliciano De Sa Guimarães, profesor del Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales de la Universidad de Sao Paulo (USP), Lula “está usando la arena internacional para fortalecerse en el plano doméstico”, algo que, agregó, es común entre los mandatarios de Brasil con el fin de “mostrarse como líderes estadistas”.

El vicepresidente de Brasil, Geraldo Alckmin, explicó que el Gobierno de Lula busca avanzar en la revisión de los aranceles, especialmente en sectores estratégicos como el automotriz y el metalúrgico, que son clave para la economía del gigante sudamericano. “El objetivo es buscar un mejor entendimiento en estas áreas”, dijo a Globonews, y agregó que las conversaciones incluirán el control de flujos financieros y la investigación de redes criminales.

Para Santoro, el viaje a Washington es importante en términos electorales. “Es un intento de llegar a un acuerdo con Trump y prevenir la posibilidad de que sea un aliado de la oposición, que cree problemas para Lula”, afirmó. El analista dijo que Trump podría ser un obstáculo de campaña de dos formas. “Una de ellas es la cuestión de los aranceles, si es que vuelve a hacer ese tipo de presión política”, dijo, en referencia a los gravámenes que anunció en julio del año pasado. “La segunda manera sería una cuestión más política, si decide clasificar a los grupos del crimen organizado, el PCC (Primer Comando de la Capital) o el Comando Vermelho, como grupos terroristas. Sería una presión muy grande en la política de seguridad y un tema favorable para el discurso de la oposición”, continuó.

Brasilia sostiene que esos grupos deben ser combatidos como organizaciones delictivas, dentro del marco legal vigente, y el canciller Mauro Vieira advirtió en marzo que una eventual clasificación de Washington habilitaría la aplicación de sanciones y hasta una eventual “invasión de territorio brasileño”.

Guimarães añadió que los temas de la reunión de Lula y Trump puede incluir puntos más específicos como los minerales de tierras raras y el abordaje de investigaciones comerciales de EE.UU. “El objetivo principal es mantener una relación funcional con el Gobierno de Trump. Si consigue convencerlo de que una eventual victoria de Lula no es algo perjudicial (para los intereses de la Casa Blanca), será un triunfo”, dijo.

Para ello, consid