Rape Ensues After Dutch Students Forced To Live With 125 Refugees In Woke ‘Integration’ Experiment

Tyler Durden
Sun, 01/18/2026 – 07:35

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/rape-ensues-after-dutch-students-forced-live-125-refugees-woke-integration-experiment 

Listen closely and you can hear the crackled lilt of Sonny and Cher drifting through Chicago.

Don’t hear it? Just wait.

Then put your little hand in mine….

There ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t climb….

This is the third time in a row we’ve woken up as a city to this song on the radio alarm — or wait, is it the fourth? It’s hard to keep track when every day is the same. At first, the repetition was almost funny in its own bleak way. But the “Groundhog Day” phenomenon with the Chicago Bulls grew stale long ago.

At the midway point of the NBA season, the Bulls are 19-22.

Last year, their record at the same point in the season was 18-23.

The year before that, it was 19-22.

The year before that? 19-22.

This is more than stagnation. The Bulls are stuck. Nothing is changing. The team isn’t getting better or worse. This is the type of consistency that numbs fans away from their love of the game. And getting out of this cycle will take a little bit more than carving an ice sculpture of Andie MacDowell (as fun as that would be).

But it’s not all the same. The Bulls are no longer a methodical midrange machine. They play at a frantic pace and actually take 3-pointers. Zach LaVine is out, Josh Giddey is in. But these tweaks have done nothing to adjust the overall status quo, which remains unchanged under executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas.

The concept of a time loop has commanded the imagination of film, movies and books for decades. “Edge of Tomorrow.” “Palm Springs.” “Outer Wilds.” “Russian Doll.” That one episode of “Stargate: SG1” in which Colonel O’Neill eats a million bowls of Froot Loops.

There’s a reason for this fixation. It’s a nightmare far more tangible than most other fantasies. There’s something terrifying about the concept of being stuck. Life easily can become claustrophobic. It’s often hard for a person to explain their yearslong relationship to a loveless relationship or soul-sucking job — or a sports team that won’t ever give them a shot at victory.

The problem with sustained mediocrity is the way it warps time. Blink and five years have slipped away. Blink again and it’s a decade. Twenty-seven years have passed since Michael Jordan played for the Bulls. Ten since Derrick Rose left the team. Four since they won a playoff game. How long are the Bulls willing to wait for change? How many years will this simply be enough?

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In the untouchable 1989 romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally,” Carrie Fisher plays the best friend Marie, a woman who can’t pry herself out of a relationship with a man who is married to another woman. For the first half of the film, her character is mostly defined by a repeated exchange of dialogue.

Sally: “He’s never going to leave her.”

Marie: “You’re right. You’re right. I know you’re right.”

This is a different type of time loop. The real one. Most people have been trapped in this same cycle at some point in their life. There’s nothing much a friend can do from the outside. Encourage them when they make their grand declarations: I’m going to leave him. I’m going to quit. I can do it this time. Love them just the same when they end up crying over the same old heartbreak.

The final scene where Harry declares his love to Sally at the New Year’s party is considered to be the emotional apex of the film. But for my money, a close secondary source of catharsis is the midway point, when Marie and Harry’s best friend, Jess, surprisingly hit it off on a double date. Finding themselves suddenly freed (in each other) from the morasses of bad relationships, they practically dive into a cab together after dinner, leaving Harry and Sally on the sidewalk in stunned disbelief.

I’m getting to my point, I swear.

For the last four years, trying to talk about the Bulls inevitably echoed that bitter conversation between Sally and Marie. Don’t get your hopes up. Don’t bother believing. The Bulls are never going to leave her — the play-in tournament, the specter of “competitiveness,” the stubborn belief that superstar players aren’t necessary to compete at a high level in the modern NBA. Defend it and rationalize it and cajole it all you want. It’s not the nice thing to say, but it’s right. I’m right. You know I’m right.

Acceptance is a crucial step of understanding the current state of the Bulls. But by the nature of rom-com law, this should mean that at some point the franchise has to reach the latter half of the movie. But when — and how — are they going to end up in the back of the taxi cab with the right guy?

Bulls coach Billy Donovan looks down at the court as workers mop the playing surface during a game delay because of condensation issues on Jan. 8, 2026, at the United Center. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

It’s hard for people to change for the better. It’s even harder to do so while remaining loyal to the relationships that landed them in the situation they are attempting to escape. That’s clear enough this season. The Bulls, allegedly, are trying. The front office started the season by announcing a willingness to miss the playoffs (and play-in tournament) entirely to prioritize youth development in a rebuilding year. This is the exact course that many fans had been begging the Bulls to take for years — tank a little, focus on the young guys, build from the bottom up.

But halfway through the season, the Bulls can’t kick their old habits. Coach Billy Donovan is still trying to win games no matter what, development be damned. The Bulls are still clawing for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. The wheel turns and turns.

Change is hard. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Flexibility and adaptability are the two defining characteristics of many successful sports franchises. But if the Bulls can’t change under Karnišovas? Get in that cab with a new guy. See where it takes you.

Until then, Bulls fans will have to get comfortable with more of the same. Again. And again. And again. And again.

I got you babe …

I got you babe …

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/chicago-bulls-loop-of-mediocrity/ 

It was just like old times again for the 2016 Chicago Cubs when the gang returned Thursday for a 10-year reunion bash at Wrigley Field.

“It honestly was like riding a bike with everyone,” Anthony RIzzo told a group of reporters Saturday on Day 2 of the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. “Cool to get to hang in the clubhouse, all the lockers set up the way they were (in ’16). The only thing missing was (John) Lackey and (Jon) Lester’s beer fridge.”

The fridge might have been missing, but beverages were flowing along with the memories of a season that changed many lives and ended the longest drought in North American sports history.

“Awesome,” Lester said Friday after being announced as a new member of the Cubs Hall of Fame. “Probably a little bit too good of a time. I went to lunch with Lack and (Travis Wood) and we were talking about it. Ten years seems like a long time. In my mind, it was yesterday.”

Photos: 2026 Cubs Convention

Some of the participants, such as Javier Báez, Kyle Schwarber and Aroldis Chapman, are still playing and came back only for the reunion, skipping the Cubs Convention. Rizzo said he tried to convince his former partner in Bryzzo Inc,, Kris Bryant, to return, but said Bryant had a prior commitment with the Colorado Rockies.

“He was missed, and a few other guys, too, but the majority of the guys were here,” Rizzo said.

And after all these years, the same old guys sounded exactly the same.

“The same energy showed up, the same voices are yapping and going back and forth with each other,” Ben Zobrist said. “The joy of the moment returns… and 10 years later, it’s the same chemistry.”

Former manager Joe Maddon was at the party Thursday and the opening ceremony Friday, along with catcher and former manager David Ross. Their managerial stints both ended with the Cubs waving goodbye, with Ross replacing Maddon and Craig Counsell replacing Ross. But their presence was required to make it a true 2016 Cubs reunion.

“Honestly, it’s not easy coming back when you feel like it doesn’t end up on the best of terms,” Rizzo said of Maddon and Ross. “For them to come and be with that group, that’s what that group means. When we were there (in ’16), they put the group first.

“Joe is the greatest human being on the earth, so for him to be back and get the love he deserves was amazing to see. For David to be able to handle everything he has is amazing, because he did get stabbed out of nowhere. The decision was made and Counsell is amazing. The team is in a great spot. But that’s your friend. When something bad happens, something good is happening for someone else.

“For him to handle it the way he has has been amazing. That’s just who he is. He’s a great person and lights up every room he walks in.”

Players from the 2016 World Series championhip team, including Justin Grimm, from left, Miguel Montero, Mike Montgomery, Anthony Rizzo, Pedro Strop and Ben Zobrist, participate in a discussion during the Cubs Convention on Jan. 17, 2026, at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Saturday’s panel discussion with the 2016 champs was emceed by Ron Coomer and featured Rizzo, Zobrist, Mike Montgomery, Miguel Montero, Justin Grimm and Pedro Strop, who recreated his high-stepping trot from a famous Bryant walk-off home run.

There were plenty of laughs, as Montero imitated Lester’s pickoff throw and the players told some clubhouse stories, including some fights.

“Ten years is the perfect amount of time to love each other again,” Rizzo told the fans.

Zobrist admitted he had doubts after the Cubs blew a late lead in Game 7 of the World Series, and Grimm thanked fans for “the energy” they brought every day. Asked how winning the World Series felt, Rizzo told a fan “a million times better” than when you pretended to win while playing in your backyard.

Former President Theo Epstein attended the party Thursday but left before the convention began Friday. Epstein is now a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox, so it might have been awkward to take a bow at the Cubs’ big party.

Retired pitcher Jon Lester is introduced during the opening ceremony of the Cubs Convention on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

“It would’ve been cool,” Lester said. “But obviously we all know Theo is Theo. He’s got his hands in a lot of things right now.”

Lester reintroduced Epstein to his son, Walker, and told him: “You’ve got to thank Theo.”

“He said, ‘For what?’” Lester continued. “I said ‘For your lifestyle.’ Theo looks back at him and says: ‘You’re (bleeping) welcome for your lifestyle.’”

Lester credited Epstein for bringing the team together and said “everything Theo touches turns to gold,” adding it wouldn’t surprise him if Epstein became the commissioner of baseball down the road. Lester cautioned he would get in trouble with Epstein for saying that, but said it anyway.

Reunions of championship teams often follow the same script. But when you’ve ended a famous drought to change a city’s history, it’s a very different feeling.

“We knew how much it was going to mean, and then we did it and it exceeded all expectations,” Rizzo said. “It’s like if you go to the most-hyped-up restaurant and you’re always let down, but this blew away everything. Looking back, we know how much it means. We lived it.”

A standing-room-only crowd watches former Cubs players in a discussion about the 2016 World Series championship team during the Cubs Convention on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Zobrist will always be remembered as being the World Series MVP and for being out and about in his North Side neighborhood after the Series win, meeting with any and all fans to give back to the community that had embraced him and the Cubs on the journey.

The Bears are now experiencing the same kind of blissful love from Chicago as they head into Sunday’s divisional-round playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, and Zobrist felt a familiar vibe in town.

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“It’s like you almost forget about the winter and cold and all that kind of stuff when you get to be around fans like this, and there is this hope and anticipation I think everyone feels,” Zobrist said. “To see some of that come to fruition during our year, to be up close and personal and be in the center of it, was amazing.

“It’s almost like now, looking at what the Bears are doing, you’re kind of like, ‘It’s happening for them now.’ You want to see if they can go all the way and what that would do for their lives, just like it has done for our lives. It’s a really special thing to be a part of.

“When you’re young, you have to be focused and stick with your job and do your job well, and it’s hard to maintain that (focus) during the middle of it. That’s why in the neighborhood, I’d been maintaining that all season long, and now that it’s over and we did it, it was like, now it’s time to do this type of stuff. You get to be around the fans and (tell them) all the fun things you got to experience and how it felt to be the object of affection for the city in that moment.”

Many Cubs players plan to be at Sunday’s game at Soldier Field, though Rizzo said he and Schwarber will be in Miami Gardens, Fla., for Monday’s CFP championship game between Indiana and Miami.

Thanking the fans for helping them win was a recurring theme of the 2016 panel discussion Saturday. But when it ended, Rizzo said he was done with all the old cliches and had a mic-drop moment for Cubs fans to remember.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/chicago-cubs-world-series-reunion/ 

The 11-6 Chicago Bears will play the 12-5 Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field in a divisional-round playoff matchup. Here’s what you need to know before the chilly kickoff (5:30 p.m., NBC-5, Peacock).

Want the latest Bears news? Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune to read it all — and sign up for our free Bears Insider newsletter.

5 things to watch for — plus our predictions

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford warms up before a game against the Panthers on Jan. 10, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

How do you follow up the greatest postseason comeback in franchise history? How does a team move past the dramatic high of beating an archrival in a playoff game in front of its home fans?

In the NFL, the only thing to do is move forward. The Bears have to do that this week. Last weekend’s 31-27 win — an 18-point comeback — over the Packers is in the rearview. Sunday’s matchup against the Rams is looming large in front of them.

With it comes a matchup against MVP candidate Matthew Stafford at quarterback and Super Bowl-winning coach Sean McVay. Read more here.

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Elite play-callers Ben Johnson and Sean McVay take center stage

Bears coach Ben Johnson walks on the field as players prepare for a game against the Lions at Soldier Field on Jan. 4, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

When Bears coach Ben Johnson faces off against Sean McVay’s Rams, at least one legendary offensive mind will be digesting the chess match of X’s and O’s from home.

“Oh, yeah, sure, I’ll watch it,” Tom Moore told the Tribune.

The 87-year-old retired this month after 62 years in coaching, having last served as a senior offensive consultant for the Buccaneers last season. Along the way, Moore won four Super Bowl rings with three teams, including the 2006 Colts. And he knows an offensive guru when he sees one, and he sees a couple of elite play-callers in McVay, who’s in his ninth season, and Johnson, a first-year head coach. Read more here.

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Bears have busted these 10 myths. Can they keep it going?

Bears tight end Colston Loveland catches a pass in the fourth quarter of an NFC wild-card game against the Packers on Jan. 10, 2026, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

One win from reaching the NFC championship game and two shy of the third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, the Bears have shattered expectations at seemingly every turn.

The cardiac Bears have been myth busters, defying odds, answering fair questions with resounding answers and destroying some public sentiments along the way. Here are 10 myths they’ve busted … so far. Read more here.

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Timely blitzes saved the Bears last week — but Matthew Stafford’s numbers vs. the blitz are staggering

Flashback: Bears and Rams played in the NFC championship game 40 years ago

Rams running back Eric Dickerson comes up short of running room against Bears defenders Mike Richardson (27) and Mike Singletary (50) on a second-quarter carry during the Jan. 12, 1986 NFC championship at Soldier Field. (Fred Jewell/AP)

The Bears and Rams have faced each other only twice previously in the playoffs.

A Dec. 17, 1950, game was needed to break a conference tie. The Rams won 24-14 in front of more than 83,000 people at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

The Jan. 12, 1986, meeting was part of the memorable Bears season. Here’s a look back at how the teams got to the NFC championship game — and how their second postseason matchup played out. Read more here.

Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl run: Don Pierson’s game-by-game breakdown from the ‘most memorable season’

Country music star Chase Rice — Ben Johnson’s good friend — will perform Sunday’s halftime show

Chase Rice arrives at the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023, at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)

Naturally, coach Ben Johnson’s fingerprints are all over the 2025 Bears. That apparently even includes the halftime show.

On Sunday, Johnson’s high school buddy and college roommate will be the halftime entertainment at Soldier Field. That would be country music star Chase Rice. Johnson and Rice both grew up in Ashville, N.C., and played football at A.C. Reynolds High School. Johnson was the quarterback on the school’s 2002 state championship team. Read more here.

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Latest Bears stadium news

Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia speaks at a news conference about the Mega Project bill and how to keep the Bears in Illinois on Jan. 16, 2026, in Arlington Heights. Surrounding him are politicians, school district officials and labor unions. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Arlington Heights officials called Friday for Illinois lawmakers to get moving on a proposed new Bears stadium in the northwest suburb — even as Indiana lawmakers introduced a bill to draw the team to their state.

Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia warned that without legislation to let the Bears negotiate property taxes for the stadium, the team may move across the border, warning, “We cannot fumble this opportunity.” Read more here.

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/chicago-bears-los-angeles-rams-playoffs/ 

Toya Webb holds an impressive title: Chief of staff and executive vice president of strategy at Waubonsee Community College. But the reason she’s so excited about a new initiative at WCC goes further back in the 47-year-old Chicago native’s life.

Webb was the first in her family to go to college and did so as a young mom with two small children in northern New York, where her husband was stationed with the U.S. Army.

Webb vividly recalls holding the year-old baby in one arm while hanging on to her toddler’s hand as she enrolled in classes at Jefferson Community College. Intimidating? Absolutely. But that two-year experience launched her professional journey – first into journalism, then public relations and finally into higher education.

It’s no wonder Webb extols the value of community colleges and wants others to benefit from what they can offer in this changing landscape of higher education and workforce needs. Thanks to Waubonsee Community College President Brian Knetl’s new RISE 2030 initiative, she’s convinced WCC is on an unprecedented trajectory to do just that.

The RISE acronym stands for Redefining the relationship with the community, Investing in academic innovation, as well as Strengthening and Enriching the student and employee experience. The initiative’s mission is to guide the college’s work for the next five years, concentrating on priorities and goals that reflect the evolving needs of the community.

And that takes a lot of people.

Building the infrastructure of RISE began a year ago, which included gathering input from more than 170 employees and a 12-member student advisory board, as well as community stakeholders in business and manufacturing, education, health care, social services and government. The latter included the first legislative roundtable held with elected officials in December to discuss, among other things, funding opportunities.

“We want to be a community hub for engagement,” insisted Webb.

The RISE initiative has myriad components, from making sure curriculums focus on high demand skills to helping students overcome hurdles such as day care, transportation and food insecurity.

To address those personal challenges, for example, the college is looking into its own food pantry. WCC also formed a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Illinois that provides free day care at the college’s downtown Aurora campus.

The new Waubonsee Community College free shuttle program between its Aurora and Sugar Grove campuses will pick up and drop off students on the Hoyt Street side of the Aurora campus. Waubonsee officials said the shuttle is a direct extension of the college’s RISE 2030 strategic plan. (Mark Black/For The Beacon-News)

And most recently, on Friday, ribbon-cuttings were held at the downtown Aurora and Sugar Grove campuses for a new shuttle bus that will transport students back and forth to their classes.

“Academics are important but we also must take care of the whole student,” said Webb, noting the college wants to “give more voice” to its diverse 10,000-student population, 75% of which are part-time.

Surveys are being conducted, for example, on what they would like to see in a multicultural center. She also pointed out efforts to streamline and strengthen support services – from admissions and finance to mental health needs.

According to Webb, an excellent example of the college’s focus to provide skilled labor for stakeholders is the 100,000-square-foot Technical Education Center that opened last November and provides high-end training in auto tech, welding and collision repair.

Also, in “direct response to feedback” from local manufacturers, she said, WCC is starting both a wastewater management and industrial maintenance program. In health care, potential programs include dental hygiene, sonography and radiology. To meet another growing demand, the college and Sugar Grove Fire Protection District are looking into a joint facility to focus on fire science and EMT/firefighter training.

The RISE mission also includes expanding English Language Acquisition classes at Family Focus and in East Aurora, West Aurora and Oswego school districts. And, as I’ve mentioned in previous columns, Waubonsee, which was one of two Illinois colleges chosen to join the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program’s Unlocking Opportunity Network, is putting a high priority on AI literacy that will emphasize responsible use of artificial intelligence and hands-on learning.

“It’s a very ambitious plan” and “so different from in the past,” insisted Webb, who emphasized that anyone in the community with ideas is encouraged to reach out at waubonsee.edu/partner.

“Most strategic plans sit on a shelf with only a few knowing about it. But whoever wants to be part of (RISE 2030) can be part of it,” she said.

“We are the community college. And we want to redefine our relationship with the community.”

dcrosby@tribpub.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/column-waubonsee-community-colleges-5-year-initiative-aimed-at-a-rise-in-local-involvement/ 

Nine years ago in this space, I tried to tell the story of many of the small businesses which line Prairie Street on Aurora’s West Side. Since that time, no fewer than five of the proprietors have retired or moved on, only some having been replaced by new owners.

It is with much sadness that for about the last year, I have seen a “For Sale” sign in front of Petit Auto Care along the Prairie strip. Owners Luke Petit and his wife Sue are going to be retiring and moving to Wisconsin to be nearer to some of their grandkids.

I’m really happy for the couple as they look forward to their future, but I use the word “sadness” to reference their many satisfied customers. I am one of those people.

Luke Petit has been in the car repair business for 55 years. The Petits have owned their own shop for almost 45 years, with 44 years at the Prairie location. Luke has taken care of my cars now for an even 50 years.

Why would anyone stay with a service person for such a long time? The answers should be pretty easy for anyone to figure out.

In a 2012 story, I described Luke Petit as an expert and honest auto technician. He is one of the smartest people I have ever known, and he is honest to a fault.

He is also one of the most well-rounded individuals you could ever know. He was and is a dedicated family man, and also a patriotic American with a special devotion to all of our veterans.

Probably the best way to describe him: He is passionate in all the aspects of his life.

I visited with Luke and Sue recently in the Prairie Street shop that is now for sale. Reminiscing about their long tenure in the repair business, as well as in their family life, brought many laughs and more than a couple of emotional memories.

“Luke certainly was and is dedicated to our family,” Sue Petit said. “How many men would take their daughters to work and then drive them to preschool? I was working in Naperville, and he was ‘super dad.’”

Luke quickly complimented his wife, calling her his “rock.”

“My sweet Sue has backed me whether she thought I was nuts or not,” he said. “She has always had faith in me, and I never sensed that she doubted me or what I was doing. That makes all the difference in the world.”

The conversation turned to a young auto tech named Paul Czinki who began working at the shop in 1999. He became part of the Petit family when, seven years later, he married the Petits’ daughter April. They are now parents to three of the five Petit grandchildren.

“Paul is the best guy I’ve ever had working with me, hands down,” Luke said. “He became one of the top techs in the town, and I would put him up against anybody.”

Having been in the repair business for his entire life, Luke has witnessed incredible change in the mechanical aspect of how cars are made, and also in how the repair business is run.

I asked him to briefly describe the many changes.

“Cars have gotten so technical now with electronics and multiple computer modules on every car,” he said. “We have to continue our education every year, and multiple times a year would be better.

“It’s harder to be a small, independent shop. Dealerships are huge and it’s very hard for small shops to survive. But I don’t think they will ever put us out of business.”

After a lifelong career in the repair business, I wondered if the Petits may have had any favorite customers.

“My favorite customers are those who trust me, walk in and hand me their keys, and say ‘call me when it’s done,’” Luke said. “They never question the price as they know my reputation. My name left here on every job.”

Before l left Petit Auto Care, maybe for the last time, I asked Luke Petit to give me a final thought as he looks back before retiring.

“The good feelings are that she (Sue) and I did this together, and that we helped a lot of people,” he said. “I tried to help elderly people and poor people. One of my favorite quotes is, ‘It’s what you do when nobody is looking that shows your character.’”

Tom Strong is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/column-memories-drive-conversation-with-longtime-owners-of-petit-auto-care-in-aurora/ 

UK Mulls Under‑16 Social Media Ban Amid Rising Online ID Push

Tyler Durden
Sun, 01/18/2026 – 07:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/uk-mulls-under-16-social-media-ban-amid-rising-online-id-push 

Associated Press

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Bomberos en la ciudad portuaria sureña de Karachi, en Pakistán, combatían el domingo un incendio declarado durante la noche en un centro comercial de varios pisos y que mató a seis personas, incluido un bombero, según informaron las autoridades.

El incendio comenzó tarde el sábado en Gul Plaza y se propagó con rapidez a través de tiendas que almacenaban cosméticos, prendas de vestir y productos de plástico, según el doctor Abid Jalal Sheikh, responsable de emergencias de la ciudad.

Sheikh dijo que el incendio había sido extinguido aproximadamente en un 75%, pero que los equipos necesitarían de cuatro a seis horas más para controlarlo por completo. Se recuperaron cinco cuerpos del edificio de cuatro pisos y su sótano, que albergaba alrededor de 1.200 tiendas.

Los funcionarios de rescate informaron que un bombero murió mientras intentaba extinguir las llamas en los pisos superiores. Sheikh mencionó que algunas personas podrían seguir atrapadas dentro, ya que las familias continuaban buscando a sus familiares desaparecidos.

Imágenes de televisión mostraron a docenas de bomberos con equipo de protección mientras un denso humo salía del edificio dañado. Partes de la estructura colapsaron durante el incendio.

La causa del incendio no se conocía de inmediato, y se llevará a cabo una investigación.

El primer ministro, Shehbaz Sharif, expresó su pesar por las muertes y ordenó a las autoridades utilizar todos los recursos disponibles para prevenir más pérdidas.

Karachi, la capital de la provincia sureña de Sindh, tiene un historial de incendios mortales, a menudo atribuidos a estándares de seguridad deficientes y construcciones ilegales. En noviembre de 2023, un incendio en un centro comercial de la ciudad mató a diez personas e hirió a otras 22.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/sube-a-seis-el-nmero-de-muertos-en-un-incendio-en-un-centro-comercial-de-karachi-pakistn/ 

An elderly Palos Hills resident lost $788,000 in a phone scam that’s under investigation, according to the Palos Hills Police Department.

Police said the victim was targeted over the course of several phone calls by an unknown suspect or suspects.

“There were multiple scams organized utilizing BitCoin, the sending of Cashier’s Checks, and the purchasing of gold,” a Dec. 29 news release said.

Palos Hills police declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

On the same day, another phone scam was reported in Palos Hills where a victim was contacted by someone claiming to be a representative of Chase Bank, police said. That victim lost $19,000 when the supposed bank representative told them that they needed to send money to verify they weren’t involved in fraud.

Such fraud scams are common in the area. The Daily Southtown reported in November that a New Lenox man lost $235,000 in an online scam involving fraudulent cryptocurrency investments.

The victim in that case had transferred funds from his cryptocurrency wallet to a website where he was told to make an account by a person who contacted him over text. Once the funds were transferred, he was locked out of the account.

Scams targeting elderly people for large amounts of money are on the rise nationally, according to a report by the Federal Trade Commission. In particular, older victims are more likely to lose money in amounts exceeding $100,000 from scams, as scammers target retirees’ life savings.

“From 2020 to 2024, the number of reports from older adults who lost $10,000 or more to these scams increased more than fourfold,” the report said. “When older adults reported losing more than $100,000, the trend was even more striking: during the same period, the number of reports increased nearly sevenfold, and the combined reported losses went up eightfold.”

Older adults’ vigilance about protecting their savings can be the very thing that makes them vulnerable to scams, the report said, because scammers frequently use security alerts and other false alarms to create a sense of urgency around a problem that the victim can fix by sending money.

Palos Park, which neighbors Palos Hills, has been proactive in attempting to warn residents, particularly seniors, about the risks of scams and how to recognize them. The median age in Palos Park is 58, according to the 2020 census. Palos Park police Chief Joe Miller was the target of an arrest warrant scam in 2021, where a caller claims to have a warrant out for the victim’s arrest.

The Federal Trade Commission advised people to never move money in response to an unexpected text or phone call, and to hang up and call back to a verified number if contacted by someone claiming to be from a bank or government agency.

elewis@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/788000-lost-in-palos-hills-in-second-high-value-south-suburbs-scam-in-recent-months/