Category: News
Fair Haven rape crisis center receives $500K grant for services
Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center received a second infusion of federal cash late last month, this time to help with survivors’ needs once they’re in the program.
The center will receive $500,000 from the Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking (Transitional Housing Program) courtesy of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Representative Frank J. Mrvan’s office announced November 24. Fair Haven in April 2024 received $1.8 million in local and federal money to purchase the downtown Highland building in which it’s resided for the last 20 years to add “stabilization housing,” the Post-Tribune previously reported.
The Transition Housing Program “provides transitional housing and support services to aid minors, adults, and their dependents who are in need of housing assistance as a result of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking,” according to a release Mrvan issued. The funds will be used “to support survivors with services such as housing advocacy, rental assistance, case management, and stabilization supports, helping them find and maintain safe, long-term housing options,” Fair Haven Founder and Executive Director Kelly Vates told the Post-Tribune via email.
“Fair Haven is honored to receive this critical Transitional Housing Program award from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women,” Vates said in the release. “This investment will allow us to expand safe, stable housing and supportive services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in Northwest Indiana.
“Housing is more than shelter: It is the foundation of safety, dignity, and a future free from violence. With the project close to breaking ground, we are deeply grateful to Congressman Frank Mrvan for his ongoing leadership and commitment to ensuring that survivors and their families have the resources they need to heal and thrive.”
Mrvan congratulated Fair Haven’s leaders for the award.
“Congratulations to all of the leaders of Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center for your dedicated efforts to support survivors in Northwest Indiana and for successfully securing this federal resource, Mrvan said in the release. “I will continue to do all I can to vocally advocate for resources and funding for federal programs that provide essential support to survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Northwest Indiana and throughout our nation.”
The grant cannot, however, be used for construction on the center’s Portside Suites, which the remainder of the $1.8 million is going toward. Vates said.
The architect approached Highland Building Commissioner Ken Mika over the summer with concerns about overall construction increases for the project, the Post-Tribune previously reported. Mika went through the town’s design standards with him and made suggestions about where they could substitute materials on the project, which has been approved by the Plan Commission. He told them they would need to go to the Plan Commission for any sort of site-plan change, such as building the stormwater detention chamber for the entire building as opposed to just the build-out and other issues that weren’t under the Plan Commission’s purview.
After that meeting, Mika said he got a call from State Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland to ask “if there was anything he could do for (Fair Haven) in reference to advancing their project.” Dernulc then approached him a second time about the project; a letter on Fair Haven letterhead addressed to the Town Council and signed by Vates seeking the council’s approval to “do things differently” on the buildout then was delivered to Mika’s desk a week or so later, the Post-Tribune reported.
At a Plan Commission study session, the center was asked to size an underground storm water detention chamber for the entire property, which costs at least $91,000.
“Since the time of the first cost estimate until now, the build cost doubled,” Vates wrote.
Vates’ letter said it was her understanding that the Town Council has could waive engineering requirements, but Mika clarified that none of what Fair Haven asked is decided by the Town Council.
In a statement Vates issued after the initial Post-Tribune story, she said that Fair Haven wasn’t aware they’d been put on the Plan Commission’s meeting agenda but that the not-for-profit has “an obligation to our community, survivors, and funding partners to ensure that all project costs are reasonable, necessary, and aligned with federal cost principles.” Having Dernulc reach out on their behalf and the letter were extensions of that obligation, she said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Diamondbacks y el lanzador Michael Soroka acuerdan contrato de un año, según fuente de AP
Por DAVID BRANDT
PHOENIX (AP) — Los Diamondbacks de Arizona llegaron a un acuerdo con el lanzador derecho Michael Soroka por un contrato de un año y 7,5 millones de dólares, según le informó el lunes a The Associated Press una persona familiarizada con el acuerdo.
La persona habló con AP bajo condición de anonimato porque el acuerdo está pendiente de un examen físico.
Se espera que el jugador de 28 años refuerce la parte trasera de la rotación de abridores de los D-backs. La temporada pasada, tuvo un récord de 3-8 con una efectividad de 4.52, abriendo 16 juegos para los Nacionales de Washington antes de ser traspasado a los Cachorros de Chicago, donde lanzó principalmente desde el bullpen.
Soroka, quien fue elegido al Juego de Estrellas en 2019 con los Bravos de Atlanta, era uno de los mejores lanzadores jóvenes, terminando esa temporada con un récord de 13-4 y una efectividad de 2.68. Sin embargo, se rompió el tendón de Aquiles derecho dos veces, una en 2020 y nuevamente en 2021, lo que lo mantuvo fuera del montículo por más de dos temporadas completas.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Border Czar Says 62,000 Illegally Smuggled Children Rescued So Far
Border Czar Says 62,000 Illegally Smuggled Children Rescued So Far
Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,
White House border czar Tom Homan on Dec. 7 said more than 60,000 children who were illegally smuggled into the United States have been located by the Trump administration and that some were rescued from dire situations, including sex trafficking and forced labor.
In an interview with the Fox News show “Fox & Friends” on Dec. 7, Homan said that the previous administration “lost track of 300,000” children who were “smuggled into” the United States, saying some of those children were released to ”unvetted sponsors.”
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, 62,000 children who were taken into the United States had been found as of Dec. 5, he said.
Homan said that “many of them are in sex trafficking,” “are in forced labor,” or are being abused.
He also said, “[I] can’t discuss some of the mistreatment we found out about.”
Homan said that Trump committed to doing everything possible “to find every one of these children.” He did not provide more details about the rescued children but said that the administration “saved over 62,000 children’s lives.”
A statement released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Dec. 5 stated that the number of border encounters is continuing to decline; 30,367 total encounters were reported to the agency nationwide in November. That’s down slightly from the 30,573 encounters nationwide in October, it said.
Border Patrol also said that it has released “zero illegal aliens” into the country for seven consecutive months.
In December 2024, the final month of President Joe Biden’s administration, there were more than 301,981 encounters at the southwest border sector by Border Patrol agents, according to data from the agency. There were about 11,600 such encounters in September 2025, the most recent month for which data are available.
“Our focus is unwavering: secure the border, enforce the law, and protect this nation,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in the Dec. 5 statement. “These numbers reflect the tireless efforts of our agents and officers who are delivering results that redefine border security. We’re not slowing down. We’re setting the pace for the future.”
The Border Patrol efforts and the mass deportation of illegal immigrants are in line with campaign promises made by Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. And since taking office, he has signed multiple executive orders and memorandums, including declaring an emergency at the U.S.–Mexico border, designating several criminal gangs as terrorist organizations, and launching federal operations targeting illegal immigrants in Chicago, Los Angeles, and other cities.
The Supreme Court agreed on Dec. 5 to hear a case challenging the legality of an executive order issued by Trump that sought to end birthright citizenship. Multiple lower courts have ruled against the January order, which would bar children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally from automatically becoming citizens.
Democrats have been broadly critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. A House lawmaker introduced a bill in May that would prohibit the use of federal funds to enforce any order barring birthright citizenship. At the state level, multiple governors and mayors have also been opposed the federal deportation operations.
Meanwhile, in the past week, the Trump administration paused all immigration applications, including applications for green cards, for people from 19 countries that are also subject to a travel ban imposed earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops.
A policy memo issued on the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration benefits, said the policy applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The Epoch Times contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees border- and immigration-related matters, for additional comment but did not hear back by publication time.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/08/2025 – 14:40
John Corkery, a Chicago attorney and ‘performer at heart,’ dies at 82
John Corkery was an attorney and a distinguished one, a frequent radio and TV legal expert, a powerful courtroom presence, and an admired teacher and administrator. He was much more.
“John was a performer at heart,” said his wife, Denise Corkery, an advertising executive. “He always referred to teaching his law classes as giving ‘five performances a week.’”
Corkery died at home in Chicago on Nov. 27, on Thanksgiving morning. He had been on home hospice care for a lengthy battle with brain cancer, with which he had been diagnosed in 2019. He was 82.
“He died peacefully, without pain,” Denise said.
Born in 1943 in St. Louis, Corkery was the eldest of eight children. He earned a bachelor’s degree at St. Louis University in 1964 and his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1967. Smitten with Chicago, he would make the city his home.
He and Denise met in the late 1980s through a mutual friend, but did not marry until 2005. “I had been lucky in love, but was incredibly lucky that John Corkery waited for me,” said Denise. “And what a year that was. We got engaged and married, moved from his home of 30-plus years into a loft in the West Loop, and he became acting dean of the John Marshall Law School.”
Corkery would eventually become dean and later dean emeritus of what is now the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
Corkery designed and built a vacation home in Michigan. He and Denise spent a lot of time there and also did a lot of traveling, mostly to many places in Europe and on his own for law school duties to China several times, Taiwan, and the Czech Republic.
During most of his years here, Corkery spent time at a couple of notable taverns, the bygone O’Rourke’s and still active Old Town Ale House. Never a serious drinker, he relished the characters, comfort and lively conversations at such places, which drew crowds heavy in journalists, theater folks and other creative types.
“John was a fascinating and well-read conversationalist,” said writer and visual artist Bruce Elliott, a tavern friend. “He loved sports, had season tickets to the Cubs for many years and we went to many Bulls’ games together. We played basketball every once in a while, with a wide variety of friends. He seemed to know and be friendly with people from all walks of life.”
Corkery’s creative spark was on display for more than three decades as one of the writers and performers in the Chicago Bar Association’s “Christmas Spirits” show. This is an annual revue with an all-lawyer cast that uses parodies of pop songs and selections from Broadway musicals to make fun of people and events in the news over the previous 12 months, particularly politicians and political events.
Corkery was a law student when seeing his first show, “Tenets Anyone?” in 1966 at the Edgewater Beach Hotel. Within a few years he had become part of the core creative team, along with attorneys Julian Frazin, Phil Citrin and Len Rubin.
“It brought him great joy over the next three decades,” said Frazin. “He had a sly, dry wit which we always compared to that of radio comic Fred Allen.”
Frazin recalled many of Corkery’s contributions, from writing songs to acting.
“One of his most memorable lyrics and roles was as Bears general manager Jim Finks singing to ‘Send in the Clowns,’” said Frazin. “He played Ted Kennedy singing ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters,’ and several times took the roles of George Ryan, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jim Thompson and Dan Rostenkowski.”
As Corkery once told a reporter about the yearly shows, “We want to be funny without being mean and nasty.”
Off stage, Corkery often played matchmaker. Says Julian Frazin’s wife, Rhona, “John was known to play cupid on more than one occasion. Notably, in 1989, when Julian and I were both going through separations from our long-time spouses. John would take us each to the movies (separately) and dinner once a week. Finally, he suggested that the two of us just go to the movies together. That worked, and we’ve been together for 35 years.”
She also credits Corkery with steering her to some of the high-profile non-profit executive roles she held before recently retiring as the Chicago Library Foundation’s president and CEO.
Corkery’s legal focus was on the rules of evidence and family law. He also participated in committees focused on legal and judicial ethics.
“John was a great mentor and friend,” said former colleague and law professor Anthony Niedwiecki. “I served as his associate dean, and he taught me how to stay positive even during the toughest of times. He taught me how to enjoy life while having a difficult job.”
It was always a pleasure to run into Corkery, usually tucked on a stool in one of his favorite taverns or at the Union League Club. Distinctively dressed in coat and tie, he always offered a sunny disposition and lively conversation.
Backstage at the bar association show in 1999, Corkery was asked by Tribune reporter Paul Galloway, “Why do you do this?”
Corkery answered, “It’s the closest thing to being back in high school that I can think of. … Not every lawyer gets to perform. Not even every trial lawyer goes to trial all the time. But much of the appeal is probably the release it gives to people who work in a very serious business.”
In addition to his wife, Corkery is survived by daughter Lesley Young; sisters Mary Regina Dick, Suzanne Stevens, Ruth Lattrace and 10 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by three brothers and one sister. Services are 10 a.m. Friday at Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago.
rkogan@chicagotribune.com
Paramount lanza oferta hostil por Warner Bros., desafiando propuesta de compra de Netflix
Por MICHELLE CHAPMAN
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Paramount lanzó el lunes una oferta pública de adquisición hostil por Warner Bros. Discovery, iniciando una dura batalla con Netflix para comprar la compañía detrás de HBO, CNN y DC Studios, y el derecho a remodelar gran parte del panorama del entretenimiento.
Días después de que los principales directivos de Warner estuvieron de acuerdo con la oferta de compra de 72.000 millones de dólares de Netflix, la oferta de Paramount busca pasar por encima de ellos apelando directamente a los accionistas de Warner con más dinero: 74.400 millones de dólares y un plan para comprar todo el negocio de Warner, incluido el negocio de cable que Netflix no quiere.
Paramount dijo que su decisión de ir hostil se produjo después de que hizo varias ofertas anteriores con las que la dirección de Warner “nunca se comprometió de manera significativa” tras el anuncio de octubre de la compañía de que estaba abierta a venderse.
En su apelación a los accionistas, Paramount señaló que su oferta también contiene más efectivo que la oferta de Netflix (18.000 millones más) y argumentó que es más probable que apruebe el escrutinio antimonopolio de la administración Trump.
Netflix dijo el lunes que no tenía comentarios sobre el desafío de Paramount, y el viernes minimizó las preocupaciones de que los reguladores se opondrían a una combinación del negocio de streaming de Netflix y HBO Max de Warner.
La lucha por Warner provocó fuertes reacciones en Washington; políticos de ambos partidos principales tomando partido y citaron el probable impacto en los precios del streaming, el empleo en los cines y la diversidad de opciones de entretenimiento y puntos de vista políticos.
El fin de semana, el presidente Donald Trump también intervino, diciendo que una combinación Netflix-Warner “podría ser un problema” debido al tamaño de la cuota de mercado combinada.
Paramount, dirigida por David Ellison, cuya familia está estrechamente aliada con Trump, dijo que había presentado seis propuestas a Warner durante un período de 12 semanas antes de la última oferta.
“Creemos que nuestra oferta creará un Hollywood más fuerte. Está en el mejor interés de la comunidad creativa, los consumidores y la industria del cine”, señaló en un comunicado David Ellison, presidente y CEO de Paramount. Añadió que su acuerdo llevaría a más competencia en la industria, no menos, y a más películas en los cines.
Añadiendo intriga política a las ofertas en duelo, un documento regulatorio publicado el lunes indicó que una firma de inversión dirigida por el yerno de Trump, Jared Kushner, también estaría invirtiendo en el acuerdo de Paramount.
El viernes, Netflix cerró su acuerdo para comprar Warner Bros. Discovery, el gigante de Hollywood detrás de “Harry Potter” y HBO Max. La propuesta de efectivo y acciones está valorada en 27.75 dólares por acción de Warner, dándole un valor empresarial total de 82.700 millones de dólares, incluida la deuda.
Se espera que la transacción se cierre en los próximos 12 a 18 meses, después de que Warner complete su separación previamente anunciada de sus operaciones de cable. No se incluyen en el acuerdo redes como CNN y Discovery.
El gobierno estadounidense tiene la autoridad para bloquear cualquier gran acuerdo de medios si tiene preocupaciones antimonopolio. Trump ha dicho que estará personalmente involucrado en la decisión respecto a Warner Bros.
Usha Haley, profesora de la Universidad Estatal de Wichita que se especializa en estrategia de negocios internacionales, dijo que los vínculos de Paramount con Trump son notables. Ellison es hijo del antiguo partidario de Trump, Larry Ellison, la segunda persona más rica del mundo.
“Dijo que va a estar involucrado en la decisión. Deberíamos tomarlo al pie de la letra”, señaló Haley sobre Trump. “Para él, es simplemente un mayor control sobre los medios”.
En octubre, Paramount adquirió el sitio web de noticias y comentarios The Free Press. Luego instaló a la fundadora del sitio, Bari Weiss, como editora en jefe de CBS News, diciendo que Estados Unidos anhela noticias equilibradas y basadas en hechos.
Fue un paso audaz para la cadena de televisión de Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather y “60 Minutes”, vista durante mucho tiempo por muchos conservadores como la personificación de un establecimiento mediático liberal. La cadena colocó a alguien en un rol de liderazgo que tiene una reputación por resistir la ortodoxia y luchar contra la cultura “woke”.
La oferta pública de adquisición de Paramount expira el 8 de enero a menos que se extienda.
El lunes al mediodía, las acciones de Warner Bros. ganaban casi 4%; Netflix bajaba 4% y Paramount subía 9%.
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Matt Sedensky, David Bauder y Charles Sheehan en Nueva York contribuyeron a este informe.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Rodgers, Tomlin y los Steelers aún no están acabados, pero Mahomes, Reid y Chiefs podrían estarlo
Por ROB MAADDI
Aaron Rodgers y los Steelers de Pittsburgh silenciaron a quienes pedían la salida de Mike Tomlin, al menos por una semana.
Los Packers de Green Bay y Jaguars de Jacksonville defendieron su terreno y tomaron el primer lugar en sus respectivas divisiones.
Los Texans de Houston dieron un paso más hacia un puesto en los playoffs y le dieron un golpe a los Chiefs de Kansas City.
Los juegos más importantes de la Semana 14 no decepcionaron.
Rodgers tuvo su mejor partido de la temporada y los Steelers se mantuvieron para vencer 27-22 a Baltimore, avanzando un juego por delante de los Ravens en la AFC Norte.
En una semana en la que los exjugadores estrella de los Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger y James Harrison, dijeron que es hora de un nuevo entrenador en Pittsburgh, el equipo respondió con la mayor victoria de la temporada.
“Una victoria de equipo increíble”, dijo Tomlin. “Estoy muy agradecido por el esfuerzo de los hombres en ese vestuario. Es un clásico Steelers vs. Ravens”.
Los Steelers (7-6) recibirán a Lamar Jackson y los Ravens (6-7) en la Semana 18, por lo que la división podría decidirse ese día.
Rodgers, quien cumplió 42 años el martes pasado, tuvo un máximo de temporada de 284 yardas por pase, una intercepción y no fue capturado. También anotó su primer touchdown por carrera en tres años.
“Por eso haces negocios con un tipo como Aaron”, dijo Tomlin. “Días difíciles, como hoy, él es un tipo que ha estado allí, hecho eso. Más allá del componente de experiencia, lo disfruta. Se nota. Ese es el beneficio de tener a un tipo como él”.
Los Steelers recibirán a Miami (6-7) el próximo lunes por la noche, mientras que los Ravens visitarán Cincinnati (4-9).
Packers en la cima
En Green Bay, Jordan Love lanzó tres pases de touchdown y Keisean Nixon interceptó un pase de Caleb Williams en la zona de anotación para asegurar la victoria 28-21 sobre Chicago que colocó a los Packers por delante de los Bears en la NFC Norte.
Los Packers (9-3-1) y los Bears (9-4) se enfrentarán nuevamente en Chicago en la Semana 16. Los Lions (8-5) también permanecen en la pelea en la división y enfrentarán a los Bears en la Semana 18 después de vencerlos en Detroit a principios de la temporada. Con un calendario difícil hacia el final, Chicago podría pasar del primer lugar a quedar fuera de los playoffs.
El domingo Love hizo la diferencia al superar una intercepción temprana y haciendo grandes jugadas cuando los Packers las necesitaban.
“Fuera de (la intercepción), pensé que hizo un muy buen trabajo”, dijo el entrenador de los Packers, Matt LaFleur, sobre Love. “Número uno, cuidando el balón, pero simplemente haciendo jugadas enormes. El pase en tercera oportunidad a Christian Watson, ve cobertura hombre a hombre y cambia a esa jugada y eso es un gran trabajo de su parte. Lo mismo en el primer pase de touchdown para él. Está bajo presión total y cambia a esa jugada, y simplemente un gran trabajo de su parte”.
Green Bay tiene un juego difícil la próxima semana visitando a los Broncos (11-2) líderes de la AFC Oeste en Denver. Los Bears están en casa contra los Browns (3-10).
Colts colapsan
En Jacksonville, los Jaguars tomaron el control de la AFC Sur con una convincente victoria 36-19 sobre los Indianapolis Colts.
Trevor Lawrence jugó de manera eficiente y sin errores para liderar a Jacksonville, que busca su segundo título divisional en cuatro años con el entrenador de primer año Liam Coen.
Los Jaguars (9-4) recibirán a los Jets (3-10) la próxima semana. Mientras tanto, los Colts (8-5) perdieron a Daniel Jones por una lesión en el tendón de Aquiles y se dirigen a Seattle (10-3) con el quarterback novato Riley Leonard. Ahora están en peligro de perderse los playoffs por completo a pesar de un comienzo de 7-uno.
Los Colts han perdido cuatro de cinco para caer al octavo lugar en la AFC. Recibirán a los Jaguars en la Semana 17 y también jugarán contra los 49ers (9-4) y terminarán contra los Texans (8-5) en un juego que podría determinar un puesto de comodín.
¿Fin de la dinastía?
La defensa de los Chiefs estaba dominando a Houston, manteniendo a los Texans a solo 17 yardas en cinco posesiones que terminaron con despejes en la segunda mitad antes de que el entrenador Andy Reid tomara una decisión inexplicable. Optó por intentarlo en cuarta y uno desde la yarda 31 de Kansas City en un juego que estaba empatado a 10 con poco menos de 11 minutos restantes.
El pase de Patrick Mahomes a Rashee Rice fue incompleto y los Texans obtuvieron el balón ya en rango de gol de campo. Anotaron un touchdown y los Chiefs no pudieron recuperarse perdiendo 20-10.
Los Chiefs (6-7) ya no podrán ganar su décimo título de la AFC Oeste. Después de llegar al Super Bowl cinco veces en los últimos seis años, con tres campeonatos, necesitarán ganar todos sus juegos y un poco de ayuda para siquiera alcanzar los playoffs.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
India Plans Coal Expansion Through 2047 Despite Supposed “Climate Goals”
India Plans Coal Expansion Through 2047 Despite Supposed “Climate Goals”
It’s funny how no one actually seems to care about climate change malarky when there isn’t an environmentalist Democrat in the White House to try and impress…
Along that vein, India is weighing a major expansion of coal power that could extend new plant construction until at least 2047, according to people familiar with ongoing discussions between the power ministry and the government policy think tank NITI Aayog. The move would represent a sharp departure from earlier projections that expected additions to peak around 2035, Bloomberg reported this week.
The talks align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to make the country energy independent and reclassify it as a developed nation by its 100th year of independence. With domestic reserves expected to last a century, officials see coal as the most reliable option to support that goal. Total capacity could reach 420 gigawatts by 2047 — roughly an 87% increase from today, the people said.
Bloomberg writes that the people added that the government still plans to expand renewable energy and battery storage, but warns that solar and battery supply chains remain vulnerable, especially because “China…dominates much of the supply chain for batteries and solar panels.” Some of the planned coal units would be geared toward balancing intermittent renewable generation, with the ministry offering incentives for plants that operate more flexibly.
Such a move risks complicating India’s climate commitments. NITI Aayog projections indicate that emissions must peak by 2045 to meet Modi’s target of becoming net zero by 2070. India, the world’s third-largest emitter, has yet to submit updated emissions-reduction strategies for 2035 under the Paris Agreement, arguing that richer nations should shoulder a bigger share of decarbonization to allow developing economies to grow.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/08/2025 – 14:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/india-plans-coal-expansion-through-2047-despite-climate-goals
Cambio climático amenaza sistemas hídricos y energéticos de Asia, advierten informes
Por SIBI ARASU y ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL
BENGALURU, India (AP) — El cambio climático afecta gravemente los sistemas hídricos y energéticos de Asia y pone en peligro a millones de personas, lo que obliga a los países a invertir miles de millones de dólares para fortalecer sus servicios básicos, según dos informes recientes.
Los desastres relacionados con el agua aumentan en toda la región, mientras que el gasto para proteger a las comunidades es insuficiente. Las naciones asiáticas necesitarán 4 billones de dólares para agua y saneamiento entre 2025 y 2040 —unos 250.000 millones de dólares al año— dice un informe publicado el lunes por el Asian Development Bank (Banco Asiático de Desarrollo, o BAsD).
Los gobiernos se encuentran bajo una creciente presión para proteger los sistemas energéticos de los que dependen las personas a diario. Para 2050, las condiciones meteorológicas extremas podrían dejar a las compañías eléctricas que cotizan en bolsa en Asia-Pacífico con unos 8.400 millones de dólares al año en daños y pérdidas de ingresos —un tercio más que en la actualidad— según una investigación reciente del Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (Grupo de Inversores de Asia sobre el Cambio Climático), una organización sin fines de lucro con sede en Hong Kong, y el MSCI Sustainability Institute (Instituto sobre Sostenibilidad de MSCI, o Morgan Stanley Capital International) , un grupo de expertos con sede en Nueva York que busca conectar la investigación en sostenibilidad y los mercados financieros del mundo para crear valor a largo plazo.
Esos riesgos se han manifestado este año en toda Asia, azotada por tormentas tardías, lluvias implacables e inundaciones graves. En Quy Nhon, en el centro de Vietnam, el tendido eléctrico se rompió cuando el tifón Kalmaegi azotó la ciudad costera con lluvias intensas y vientos fuertes. Días después, las inundaciones provocadas por los incesantes aguaceros dejaron las calles sumergidas bajo el agua hasta el pecho y convirtieron barrios enteros en islas. Al día siguiente de que la tormenta tocara tierra, Hai Duong, de 29 años, corrió a un centro comercial que aún tenía electricidad para cargar su teléfono.
“No puedo regresar porque mi casa está bajo el agua. Solo quiero saber si mis familiares están a salvo”, dijo.
Los recursos hídricos de Asia deben estar protegidos contra el cambio climático
El informe del Banco Asiático de Desarrollo dice que 2.700 millones de personas, aproximadamente el 60% de la población de la región Asia-Pacífico, tienen acceso al agua para la mayoría de sus necesidades básicas, pero más de 4.000 millones aún permanecen expuestas a agua no potable, ecosistemas degradados y crecientes riesgos climáticos.
Gran parte del progreso desde 2013 se debe a importantes avances en el acceso al agua en zonas rurales, agrega. Cerca de 800 millones más de personas en zonas rurales cuentan ahora con agua corriente, lo que ha ayudado a muchos países a superar el nivel más bajo de seguridad hídrica. India desempeñó un papel fundamental en este cambio.
No obstante, Asia se enfrenta a una amenaza triple: las presiones ambientales, la baja inversión y el cambio climático, expuso Vivek Raman, especialista principal en desarrollo urbano del BAsD y uno de los autores principales del informe.
“Es una historia de dos realidades”, expresó Raman.
El informe expone que los ecosistemas hídricos se deterioran o estancan rápidamente en 30 de los 50 países asiáticos que fueron estudiados, afectados por un desarrollo descontrolado, la contaminación y la conversión de tierras a otros usos. En Asia también ocurren el 41% de las inundaciones mundiales, y sus megaciudades costeras e islas del Pacífico enfrentan amenazas crecientes por las marejadas ciclónicas, el aumento del nivel del mar y la acumulación de agua salada en el interior. Entre 2013 y 2023, Asia y el Pacífico sufrieron 244 inundaciones importantes, 104 sequías y 101 tormentas severas, eventos que socavaron los avances en materia de desarrollo y causaron daños generalizados.
Actualmente, los gobiernos solo cubren el 40% de los 4 billones de dólares necesarios en inversión —aproximadamente 250.000 millones de dólares anuales— para agua y saneamiento entre 2025 y 2040. Esto deja un déficit anual de más de 150.000 millones de dólares.
El rápido crecimiento de Asia es tanto una oportunidad como un desafío, dijo Amit Prothi, director general de la Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (Coalición para Infraestructura Resiliente ante Desastres), con sede en Nueva Delhi, quien no participó en el informe. “La cantidad de infraestructura que construiremos en Asia en las próximas tres décadas será igual a la que se construyó en los últimos dos siglos. Así que esta es una oportunidad para repensar y construir de una manera novedosa”, añadió.
La coalición descubrió que 800.000 millones de dólares en infraestructura, aproximadamente un tercio de ellos en Asia, están expuestos a desastres cada año a nivel mundial.
Empresas eléctricas de Asia pierden miles de millones de dólares debido al cambio climático
El calor extremo, las inundaciones y la escasez de agua ya les cuestan a las empresas eléctricas de Asia 6.300 millones de dólares anuales, una cifra que se proyecta que supere los 8.400 millones de dólares para 2050 si las empresas no logran reforzar las medidas de adaptación climática, según un estudio del Grupo de Inversores de Asia sobre el Cambio Climático y el Instituto sobre Sostenibilidad de MSCI.
Asia representa el 60% de la capacidad mundial de generación de energía y aún depende en gran medida del carbón. El informe advierte que el cambio climático amenaza tanto la seguridad energética como el crecimiento económico a lo largo de una región donde más de 4.000 millones de personas necesitan electricidad fiable.
“En términos generales, si analizas los tipos de impactos y la preparación de las empresas, la mayoría de las compañías se encuentra en etapas muy tempranas”, indicó Anjali Viswamohanan, directora de políticas del Grupo de Inversores de Asia sobre el Cambio Climático.
Su estudio de 2.422 centrales eléctricas en China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japón, Malasia y Corea del Sur reveló que el calor extremo es el riesgo más costoso y el responsable de más de la mitad de todas las pérdidas para 2050. Las olas de calor reducen la eficiencia de las centrales eléctricas y sobrecargan las redes de transmisión. NTPC, la principal empresa eléctrica de India; PLN, de Indonesia; y Tenaga Nasional, de Malasia, enfrentan un alto riesgo de interrupciones causadas por el aumento del calor.
Interrupciones en el suministro de agua son un factor importante
Otra amenaza importante proviene de la disminución del caudal de los ríos en las principales cuencas de Asia, que suministran el agua que necesitan las centrales de carbón y gas y alimentan las presas hidroeléctricas.
A la vez, las fuertes lluvias y las inundaciones también implican riesgos, especialmente en las regiones costeras y ribereñas. Tenaga Nasional, de Malasia, enfrenta una de las mayores exposiciones a inundaciones costeras debido a centrales eléctricas construidas en zonas bajas, dice el informe.
A pesar de los crecientes riesgos, la mayoría de las empresas eléctricas carecían de planes detallados y financiados para adaptarse a los impactos climáticos. El informe reveló que, si bien nueve de las 11 empresas estudiadas evaluaron cómo las impacta el cambio climático, solo siete examinaron los riesgos en plantas individuales, y apenas cinco calcularon y divulgaron cómo futuros eventos climáticos podrían aumentar sus costos o perjudicar sus ganancias.
Los riesgos climáticos —que cambian rápidamente— dificultan la predicción de los costos y de los seguros necesarios para proteger la infraestructura energética, dijo Jakob Steiner, geocientífico afiliado a la Universidad de Graz, quien no participó en ninguno de los informes.
Las brechas de financiamiento en el sector eléctrico podrían ser más fáciles de cerrar que las del sector del agua y el saneamiento, ya que los proyectos energéticos pueden atraer un fuerte interés e inversión de la industria, agregó.
Pero algunos países, intimidados por las demandas de los inversores internacionales de salvaguardias ambientales, podrían recurrir a entidades financieras regionales que son menos escrupulosas con respecto a estas preocupaciones.
“En el caso de la infraestructura energética, veo más esperanza de que se pueda cerrar la brecha de financiamiento”, expresó. “Pero eso también puede tener un costo”.
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Ghosal reportó desde Hanói, Vietnam.
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Sibi Arasu está en X como @sibi123
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La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de diversas fundaciones privadas. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido.
Mayor Brandon Johnson calls aldermanic budget plan ‘incomplete assignment’
Mayor Brandon Johnson delivered a public message Monday to aldermen who are threatening an imminent vote on their own 2026 budget plan: Bring it on.
Speaking at a City Hall news conference, the mayor castigated the slim City Council majority and said that if those 26 aldermen are so confident in their counterproposal to his $16.6 billion spending plan for next year, then prove it.
“Well, we don’t know that they have 26 votes, because nothing’s been voted on,” Johnson told reporters. “So I’m saying put it on the board. Let’s see. Do people actually want to vote on doubling the garbage fees? They should present that. If City Council members want to double the garbage fees in Englewood, Roseland, Austin, then they should put it on the board and vote.”
Johnson was less forthcoming about whether he would veto the alternate budget plan presented in a letter signed by the aldermen last week, arguing their package is unbalanced because about $300 million they are counting on to plug next year’s $1.19 billion deficit comes from ideas he said are legally and operationally unfeasible. The mayor previously vowed to veto any budget approved by aldermen if it hiked property taxes or the garbage fee — and the counterproposal from aldermen would almost double the latter.
“That’s just an incomplete assignment,” Johnson said. “I don’t want us to overly concentrate on whether something is going to get vetoed or not.”
The aldermen who Johnson is fighting with are similarly standing their ground, arguing his plan would imperil city finances.
“The way he’s going about that is just wrong headed, and it leads us straight toward a credit downgrade,” said Ald. Scott Waguespack, one of the leaders of the pushback against Johnson’s plan. “He is hell-bent on costing taxpayers hundreds of millions more because he won’t negotiate or collaborate.”
It’s a game of political brinksmanship with massive stakes for the city as a critical end-of-the-year deadline to pass a budget gets closer and closer.
All sides concede that, while untested and murky, the consequences of failing to pass a budget and potentially entering a city government shutdown would be devastating. But the competing factions are at a stalemate given that Johnson’s pitch to reinstate the head tax has been unable to win over a majority, while the alternative budget presented by 26 aldermen cannot survive a mayoral veto.
Johnson points out 26 signatures on a letter do not necessarily equate to 26 votes on a budget. It just remains to be seen whether his team can win over critical swing votes, especially after coming out on the short end of a telling 25-10 City Council Finance Committee vote on his proposal last month.
Over the weekend, more than a dozen council members who signed the letter met with Johnson’s finance team to discuss their proposals. Aldermen who attended the meeting said Johnson did not appear, and the mayor’s team did not budge on its position during the three-hour session.
“We learned that the mayor is not going to negotiate or collaborate on the budget in any way,” Waguespack, 32nd, said. “They said they were done and that they felt that their budget was the one that they’re sticking with and no changes.”
Instead of negotiating with labor groups, healthcare companies or even aldermen to cut costs and land a deal, Johnson is only going to the media to repeat his position, Waguespack argued.
The head tax is far from the only issue with the budget, the Northwest Side alderman added. Other sticking points include Johnson’s plan to borrow money to cover police lawsuit settlements and firefighter backpay, as well as the mayor’s decision to not make a full previously promised advance payment into Chicago’s drastically underfunded pension system.
Mayor Brandon Johnson takes questions during a press conference about his recently proposed budget, Dec. 8, 2025, at Chicago City Hall in the Loop. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Johnson’s Monday response to those advance pension complaints: “Of course we want to make the full advance payment. The context in which that proposal was put forward, we’re not in that context anymore. There’s not this overwhelming pocket of dollars of reserve.”
Several aldermen, including some progressives, have said that measure instituted by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot is a sticking point.
Waguespack, meanwhile, said he thinks aldermen should move ahead on their plan and propose their own amendments to the budget. The mayor does not have 26 votes and must more seriously negotiate, the alderman said.
Such a move, if backed by the council majority that signed on to the letter, would mark the sort of dramatic challenge to Johnson’s power not seen in City Hall in decades. While the mayor appeared nonplussed by that threat Monday, his team has been mobilizing behind the scenes to try to peel away support from the 26.
For his part, Johnson said he remains “open” to negotiating, a point highlighted in bold in a letter sent to aldermen and shared with reporters. Johnson told reporters he is willing to discuss shifting the specifics of his head tax, such as the 100-employee threshold of companies affected or the $21-per-employee per-month cost.
But in the same breath, the mayor hinted he is unwilling to compromise: “This is not about finding compromise, this is really about are we going to show up and protect our values.”
At least one council member not on board with Johnson’s budget plan told the Tribune they were offered a one-on-one with the mayor in recent days, but they do not plan to accept.
Last week, aldermen presented the following amendments to Johnson’s proposal: restoring the advance pension payment from $140 million to $260 million; scrapping a three-year borrowing plan for $166 million in firefighter backpay and covering the full amount with the corporate fund; and shrinking a record $1 billion tax increment financing surplus by $100 million.
To balance the budget, the group proposes a series of “efficiencies,” spending cuts, and tax and fee hikes.
In addition to an increase in the city liquor tax, their plan counts on the city taking in another $48 million by widely expanding the downtown ride-share surcharge area, plus an extra $55 million from the higher garbage collection fee.
Also on Monday, Johnson defended his close ally, former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., after the Tribune reported that the Chicago Housing Authority board told the federal government this fall that he was not qualified to lead the nation’s third-largest public housing agency.
“His ability to get work done, his decades of service and the fact that he has a very personal connection to public housing, I believe it makes him the strongest candidate to run our system. And I will say, too, him being a Chicagoan, it makes a difference,” Johnson said. “Many people had concerns about certain folks with executive experiences — I put that in quotations — that lived outside of the city, and they left a lot to be desired.”
CHA board Chair Matthew Brewer wrote to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in October laying out what he said were Johnson’s attempts to influence the agency to appoint the former 27th Ward alderman despite the fact that “we do not recommend him as CEO,” according to a copy of the letter shared with the Tribune.
The 10-member CHA Board of Commissioners is not currently controlled by Johnson appointees, but four other members’ terms have expired, meaning Johnson could replace them at any time and wield a majority.
Mayor Brandon Johnson calls aldermanic budget plan ‘incomplete assignment’
Mayor Brandon Johnson delivered a public message Monday to aldermen who are threatening an imminent vote on their own 2026 budget plan: Bring it on.
Speaking at a City Hall news conference, the mayor castigated the slim City Council majority and said that if those 26 aldermen are so confident in their counterproposal to his $16.6 billion spending plan for next year, then prove it.
“Well, we don’t know that they have 26 votes, because nothing’s been voted on,” Johnson told reporters. “So I’m saying put it on the board. Let’s see. Do people actually want to vote on doubling the garbage fees? They should present that. If City Council members want to double the garbage fees in Englewood, Roseland, Austin, then they should put it on the board and vote.”
Johnson was less forthcoming about whether he would veto the alternate budget plan presented in a letter signed by the aldermen last week, arguing their package is unbalanced because about $300 million they are counting on to plug next year’s $1.19 billion deficit comes from ideas he said are legally and operationally unfeasible. The mayor previously vowed to veto any budget approved by aldermen if it hiked property taxes or the garbage fee — and the counterproposal from aldermen would almost double the latter.
“That’s just an incomplete assignment,” Johnson said. “I don’t want us to overly concentrate on whether something is going to get vetoed or not.”
The aldermen who Johnson is fighting with are similarly standing their ground, arguing his plan would imperil city finances.
“The way he’s going about that is just wrong headed, and it leads us straight toward a credit downgrade,” said Ald. Scott Waguespack, one of the leaders of the pushback against Johnson’s plan. “He is hell-bent on costing taxpayers hundreds of millions more because he won’t negotiate or collaborate.”
It’s a game of political brinksmanship with massive stakes for the city as a critical end-of-the-year deadline to pass a budget gets closer and closer.
All sides concede that, while untested and murky, the consequences of failing to pass a budget and potentially entering a city government shutdown would be devastating. But the competing factions are at a stalemate given that Johnson’s pitch to reinstate the head tax has been unable to win over a majority, while the alternative budget presented by 26 aldermen cannot survive a mayoral veto.
Johnson points out 26 signatures on a letter do not necessarily equate to 26 votes on a budget. It just remains to be seen whether his team can win over critical swing votes, especially after coming out on the short end of a telling 25-10 City Council Finance Committee vote on his proposal last month.
Over the weekend, more than a dozen council members who signed the letter met with Johnson’s finance team to discuss their proposals. Aldermen who attended the meeting said Johnson did not appear, and the mayor’s team did not budge on its position during the three-hour session.
“We learned that the mayor is not going to negotiate or collaborate on the budget in any way,” Waguespack, 32nd, said. “They said they were done and that they felt that their budget was the one that they’re sticking with and no changes.”
Instead of negotiating with labor groups, healthcare companies or even aldermen to cut costs and land a deal, Johnson is only going to the media to repeat his position, Waguespack argued.
The head tax is far from the only issue with the budget, the Northwest Side alderman added. Other sticking points include Johnson’s plan to borrow money to cover police lawsuit settlements and firefighter backpay, as well as the mayor’s decision to not make a full previously promised advance payment into Chicago’s drastically underfunded pension system.
Mayor Brandon Johnson takes questions during a press conference about his recently proposed budget, Dec. 8, 2025, at Chicago City Hall in the Loop. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Johnson’s Monday response to those advance pension complaints: “Of course we want to make the full advance payment. The context in which that proposal was put forward, we’re not in that context anymore. There’s not this overwhelming pocket of dollars of reserve.”
Several aldermen, including some progressives, have said that measure instituted by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot is a sticking point.
Waguespack, meanwhile, said he thinks aldermen should move ahead on their plan and propose their own amendments to the budget. The mayor does not have 26 votes and must more seriously negotiate, the alderman said.
Such a move, if backed by the council majority that signed on to the letter, would mark the sort of dramatic challenge to Johnson’s power not seen in City Hall in decades. While the mayor appeared nonplussed by that threat Monday, his team has been mobilizing behind the scenes to try to peel away support from the 26.
For his part, Johnson said he remains “open” to negotiating, a point highlighted in bold in a letter sent to aldermen and shared with reporters. Johnson told reporters he is willing to discuss shifting the specifics of his head tax, such as the 100-employee threshold of companies affected or the $21-per-employee per-month cost.
But in the same breath, the mayor hinted he is unwilling to compromise: “This is not about finding compromise, this is really about are we going to show up and protect our values.”
At least one council member not on board with Johnson’s budget plan told the Tribune they were offered a one-on-one with the mayor in recent days, but they do not plan to accept.
Last week, aldermen presented the following amendments to Johnson’s proposal: restoring the advance pension payment from $140 million to $260 million; scrapping a three-year borrowing plan for $166 million in firefighter backpay and covering the full amount with the corporate fund; and shrinking a record $1 billion tax increment financing surplus by $100 million.
To balance the budget, the group proposes a series of “efficiencies,” spending cuts, and tax and fee hikes.
In addition to an increase in the city liquor tax, their plan counts on the city taking in another $48 million by widely expanding the downtown ride-share surcharge area, plus an extra $55 million from the higher garbage collection fee.
Also on Monday, Johnson defended his close ally, former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., after the Tribune reported that the Chicago Housing Authority board told the federal government this fall that he was not qualified to lead the nation’s third-largest public housing agency.
“His ability to get work done, his decades of service and the fact that he has a very personal connection to public housing, I believe it makes him the strongest candidate to run our system. And I will say, too, him being a Chicagoan, it makes a difference,” Johnson said. “Many people had concerns about certain folks with executive experiences — I put that in quotations — that lived outside of the city, and they left a lot to be desired.”
CHA board Chair Matthew Brewer wrote to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in October laying out what he said were Johnson’s attempts to influence the agency to appoint the former 27th Ward alderman despite the fact that “we do not recommend him as CEO,” according to a copy of the letter shared with the Tribune.
The 10-member CHA Board of Commissioners is not currently controlled by Johnson appointees, but four other members’ terms have expired, meaning Johnson could replace them at any time and wield a majority.
