Category: News
Letters: Illinois is not doomed to property taxes rising every year — if we end one-party control
Illinois homeowners and businesses shoulder some of the highest property taxes in the nation. The recent bills in Chicago — containing 30-year-high increases — are a reminder that these taxes are increasingly unaffordable. And while Chicago’s spike has made headlines, the burden is felt everywhere in Illinois.
Whether you own your home, run a business or pay rent, property taxes affect everyone. They drive up the cost of living and push families and employers out of Illinois, creating a shrinking tax base that forces those remaining to pay more.
It does not have to stay this way. Illinois is not doomed to perpetual tax increases. There are lawmakers — and candidates — who put forward serious, workable solutions that can lower property taxes. For example, many of my Republican colleagues and I have filed bills aimed at reducing property taxes, including HB0009. This bill was projected to save taxpayers more than $82 billion over 20 years.
I also introduced legislation to reform workers’ compensation and make Illinois a more competitive state for business. When jobs and investment return, the tax burden spreads, reducing costs for everyone.
But to fix the problem, voters must recognize a main cause; and it is: one-party control by the Democrats. For roughly 25 years, the Democrats have controlled state government — and Cook County far longer. When only one party governs, accountability disappears. Good ideas are blocked without debate, and failed policies continue.
Bills that can help never receive hearings, let alone get to the floor for votes. Not because they lack merit, but because the majority party has absolute control over the process and refuses to allow debate. It has been clear for a while that without more balance in government, nothing changes.
The solution — elections.
Voters have a choice between Republicans who are committed to reforms that can make Illinois more affordable and Democrats who have presided over rising taxes and outmigration. Elections have consequences.
For those fortunate enough not to feel the sting of these taxes, I ask: Who lacks compassion, Democrats whose policies push families out of their homes and employers across state lines or Republicans whose policies offer solutions that let people keep more of what they earn and expand opportunity?
Illinois can change. And it starts with electing officials who will fight for taxpayers, not against them.
— State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva
Elected officials’ taxes
The Dec. 1 story (“Who’s to blame for property tax bills?”) on finger-pointing by elected officials directing blame for property tax increases to every office but their own is a continued reflection of government accountability avoidance. I’ve been a Cook County property taxpayer since 1989, and it is painful to continually witness the absence of integrity, personal responsibility, mutual respect and teamwork by our elected representatives.
If the Tribune really wants to do some investigative journalism, why not a story detailing the property tax history for each elected official, whether their increases fell at, below or above the median increase that year, and whether they attempted (and were successful) in appealing their assessment?
Something tells me we might not be surprised to learn the old adage, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” doesn’t apply to our elected officials.
— Rich Baird, Palatine
Try a new income tax
Who’s to blame for property tax bills? Springfield is to blame. Taxing the value of property is absurd, because the value of the property has nothing to do with a person’s ability to pay ever-increasing taxes on it.
I have advocated for over 30 years to shift the cost of public education (at least) to a separate income tax. This would make property taxes affordable for most people, but the tax is still absurd.
— Larry Craig, Wilmette
Homeowners’ obligation
Aren’t all responsible property owners obligated to pay taxes? When you buy a house, it’s your obligation as the owner to budget for mortgage and taxes. You don’t purchase a home expecting someone else to make the payments.
Also, the taxing bodies should do due diligence when assessing taxes, making sure the taxes are fair and equitable.
— Donna M. Soukup, Darien
Tactic for takeovers
I didn’t vote for our current mayor. And I won’t be voting for him in a couple of years either. A 14-year-old kid gets killed downtown. Does the mayor say that he will rethink, at least, his position on the snap curfew? No, he doesn’t. He only keeps going on about the causes.
That’s all well and good. But there needs to be something done to curtail these takeovers.
— Michael J. Medley, Chicago
State’s probate system
The Nov. 30 article “’Out of money in no time’” struck a chord with us. The article underscores a reality many Illinois families and human service professionals already know too well: Our state’s probate system no longer reflects the needs of today’s older adults and people with disabilities.
Illinois is aging quickly, yet the structures meant to support vulnerable residents have not kept pace. The caregiving workforce is shrinking, costs continue to rise and community services that should prevent crisis are stretched thin. When families can’t find adequate support, they often end up in probate court, not because it is the best solution but because it is the only one available.
Probate courts work hard under difficult circumstances, but they are increasingly asked to manage problems rooted in gaps in medical, social and long-term care — gaps the legal system was never built to fill alone.
Illinois needs modern reform that strengthens oversight while offering clearer processes and practical alternatives to guardianship. We must also invest in community-based services so older adults and people with disabilities can remain as independent as possible. The goal is simple: protection that preserves dignity, autonomy and common sense.
The Tribune’s reporting should be a catalyst. Illinois can build a system worthy of the people who rely on it, but only if we recognize yesterday’s rules can’t handle today’s realities.
— Sheila McMackin, LCSW, and Steven Fox, D.O., Chicago
Chicagoans’ generosity
ln these past few months, I have been dealing with some ambulation issues. When I have been navigating the city streets and on transit, I have been gratified by the generosity of the human spirit as people offer a helping hand or the CTA bus drivers go overboard to make transit easier and less stressful.
There have been other acts of helpfulness I have experienced that have made life a bit easier for me. All of this is refreshing and encouraging in these hard times.
— Joseph Murry, Chicago
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Dan Tully: Pete Hegseth’s contempt for military rules of engagement on display in the Caribbean
We are starting to see the consequences of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s open disdain for military lawyers. The recent war crime allegation reported by The Washington Post was a long time coming.
Since September, Hegseth has ordered at least 21 strikes on civilian fishing boats in international waters, killing more than 80 people so far in what is being called Operation Southern Spear.
I served as a judge advocate, or military lawyer, for eight years in the Army Reserve, including 3 1/2 years on active duty. As a national security law attorney in Iraq, I advised commanders on the application of the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict to the full spectrum of operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. I’ve also been involved with shaping rules of engagement requests during the planning of operations in other theaters.
Even a freshly minted judge advocate out of the basic course might identify Operation Southern Spear’s strikes as violations of U.S. obligations under international law, not to mention Department of Defense policy. Hegseth’s argument that the boats are manned by drug traffickers doesn’t change the legal analysis.
Why are we in this predicament? Because Hegseth has contempt for anyone standing in his way of playing TV solider on Fox News and impressing President Donald Trump.
In his 2024 book “The War on Warriors,” Hegseth recounts openly disparaging the rules of engagement during his 2005 deployment to Iraq and referred to judge advocate generals, or JAGs, as “jagoffs.” During his confirmation hearing before the Senate, Hegseth described a jagoff as “a JAG officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the war fighters, their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those making the tough calls on the front lines.”
The Senate, in an act of malfeasance, confirmed Hegseth, and within his first month on the job, Hegseth fired the top ranking legal officers in the Army and the Air Force. Hegseth tried to justify the firings, explaining that these JAG positions were “roadblocks to orders that are given by a commander in chief.”
Hegseth continued to push military lawyers out of their roles advising commanders, going so far as to send them to other departments. For example, in August, DOD memos reached the press, revealing a plan to send 600 judge advocates to the Department of Justice to serve as judges in immigration court. This plan was particularly notable as it placed members of the military in control of civilian court matters that have no military nexus.
In September, Hegseth gathered the military’s top officers for a televised rally. Among his speech’s alarming elements, his most dangerous idea was his open contempt for what he called “stupid rules of engagement.” He proceeded: “We untie the hands of our war fighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement.”
Fast-forward to last Friday. The Washington Post reported that a Sept. 2 boat strike left two survivors, until Hegseth issued a verbal order to “kill everybody.” The subsequent second strike eliminated the two survivors.
Steve Chapman: Why is Donald Trump courting war with Venezuela?
If the reporting is true, Hegseth committed a war crime. Either the boat crew members were civilians or combatants. If civilians, the law of armed conflict prohibited targeting them at all. If combatants, as Hegseth argues, the first strike would have rendered them “hors de combat.” This status, literally “out of combat,” applies when a combatant is rendered unable to participate in fighting. The law protects hors de combat individuals, and they may not be intentionally targeted.
Also if true, the chain of command that carried out such a patently illegal order facilitated a war crime. Ordinarily, the appropriate step for investigating senior leader misconduct is for the department’s independent inspector general to conduct an investigation into the allegations. However, the DOD’s inspector general, Robert Storch, was one of the 17 inspectors general that Trump fired after taking office. A federal judge ruled in September that the firing was unlawful, but the DOD still remains without a new permanent inspector general.
In the absence of executive branch review, the only available check is congressional oversight.
Regardless of partisan affiliation, elected officials should seek to ensure that the appointed leader of the world’s most powerful military does not continue down the road to war crimes.
I have advised on the application of the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict on the field of battle, and following these rules helps keep our troops safe. Any soldier, officer, commander, secretary of defense and even president of the United States must be held accountable for violations.
Dan Tully is a major in the Army Reserve and a judge advocate, and he is running for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. Use of military rank, titles, insignia, marks or photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the U.S. military or the Department of Defense.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/opinion-pete-hegseth-war-crime-boat-attacks-venezuela/
The UK Dominates The Most Damaging Tax Havens
The UK Dominates The Most Damaging Tax Havens
A new analysis from the Tax Justice Network (TJN) has revealed the United Kingdom to be the biggest enabler of corporate tax dodging in the world.
As Statista’s Anna Fleck shows in this infographic, British overseas territories and crown dependencies dominate the top eight roundup of places allowing multinationals to avoid paying tax on their profits.
You will find more infographics at Statista
Overall, this makes the UK responsible for about one third of global tax avoidance risk.
Ireland remained in ninth place for a second consecutive year in 2025, with an index value of 1,432.
It is followed by Luxembourg (1,399) and then the Bahamas (1,283), the latter of which is an independent member of the British commonwealth but not an OT or CD. In position 12 comes the Isle of Man (1,189) and in 13 comes Guernsey (1,145), both Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom places in 19th position with a value of 865.
The index evaluates jurisdiction laws and monitors the volume of corporate financial activity entering and leaving jurisdictions. A Haven Score is determined by more than 70 questions under 18 indicators to find the extent to which a jurisdiction’s laws and regulations allow for corporate tax abuse. The outcome of these indicators are then combined with global scale weights, which are based on IMF data on foreign direct investments. The final figure is a measure of the contribution of each jurisdiction to the global problem of corporate tax abuse.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/05/2025 – 05:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/uk-dominates-most-damaging-tax-havens
Today in History: AFL-CIO formed
Today is Friday, Dec. 5, the 339th day of 2025. There are 26 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Dec. 5, 1955, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO under its first president, George Meany.
Also on this date:
In 1848, in an address to Congress, President James K. Polk sparked the Gold Rush of ’49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California.
In 1933, Prohibition came to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment.
In 1952, the Great Smog of London descended on the British capital; the unusually thick fog, which contained toxic pollutants, lasted five days and was blamed for causing thousands of deaths.
In 1994, Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades.
In 2008, O.J. Simpson was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison after being convicted of 12 criminal charges in connection with a 2007 confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel. (Simpson was released on parole after serving nine years; he died in 2024).
In 2009, a jury in Perugia, Italy, convicted American student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, of murdering Knox’s British roommate, Meredith Kercher, and sentenced them to long prison terms. (After a series of back-and-forth rulings, Knox and Sollecito were definitively acquitted in 2015 by Italy’s highest court.)
In 2013, Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa’s first Black president, died at age 95.
In 2017, Democratic Congressman John Conyers of Michigan resigned from Congress after a nearly 53-year career, becoming the first Capitol Hill politician to lose his job amid sexual misconduct allegations sweeping the nation’s workplaces; Conyers denied wrongdoing.
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In 2023, Peru’s constitutional court ordered a humanitarian release for imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year sentence in connection with the death squad slayings of 25 Peruvians in the 1990s. (Fujimori died in September 2024 at age 86.)
Today’s Birthdays: Author Calvin Trillin is 90. Opera singer Jose Carreras is 79. Musician Jim Messina is 78. Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins is 76. Football Hall of Famer Art Monk is 68. Rock singer-musician John Rzeznik (The Goo Goo Dolls) is 60. Country singer Gary Allan is 58. Comedian-actor Margaret Cho is 57. Actor Paula Patton is 50. Singer-songwriter Keri Hilson is 43. Actor and stock car driver Frankie Muniz is 40. Singer-songwriter Conan Gray is 27.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/today-in-history-afl-cio-formed/
Washington’s F-35 Sale To Saudi Arabia Might Be Part Of Trump’s Ultimate Plan To Revive IMEC
Washington’s F-35 Sale To Saudi Arabia Might Be Part Of Trump’s Ultimate Plan To Revive IMEC
Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,
This could make it easier for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel even in the absence of Palestinian independence and thus restore the political viability of this geo-economic megaproject.
The announcement that the US will sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia is a monumental development. Israel is the only country in West Asia to field these cutting-edge fighter jets so its “qualitative military edge” could be eroded as a result, ergo why the IDF officially objected to this.
Axios reported that Israel wants the sale conditional on Saudi Arabia normalizing their relations, ideally through the Abraham Accords, or at least the US guaranteeing that the F-35s won’t be deployed in Saudi Arabia’s western regions near Israel.
It remains unclear whether the US will comply with these requests, but what’s much clearer is that Saudi Arabia will occupy a greater role in the US’ regional strategy, which brings the Kingdom back into the US’ orbit after it diversified its partnerships in recent years by expanding ties with Russia and China. Saudi Arabia was already moving towards a rapprochement with the US after the last four years of troubled ties under Biden, however, as proven by its reluctance to formally join BRICS after being invited in 2023.
The latest Gaza War that broke out shortly afterwards, which evolved into the first West Asian War between Israel and the Iranian-led Resistance Axis and ended in the latter’s defeat, derailed progress on the “India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor” (IMEC) from that year’s G20. IMEC’s geo-economic scope importantly necessitates the normalization of Israeli-Saudi ties for facilitating this, which the US might now try to broker after ending the Gaza War that disrupted this previously fast-moving process.
Saudi Arabia’s commitment to invest nearly $1 trillion in the US economy, up from the $600 billion that it agreed to during Trump’s visit in May, can be interpreted as a bribe for obtaining the best terms possible. Trump might therefore try to coerce Bibi into at least making superficial concessions on Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank so that Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) doesn’t “lose face” by agreeing to the normalization of their countries’ relations without Palestine first becoming independent.
At the same time, selling F-35s to Saudi Arabia and bestowing it “Major Non-NATO Ally” status might suffice for MBS abandoning even the minimal aforesaid implied demand, especially since IMEC is indispensable to his Kingdom’s post-oil future and associated “Vision 2030” development program. If the US brokers an Israeli-Saudi deal that leads to swift progress being made on implementing IMEC, then it can push IMEC as a replacement for India’s North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) with Iran and Russia.
The US already revoked India’s Chabahar sanctions waiver before reinstating it, correspondingly as a form of pressure amidst their trade talks and then as a goodwill gesture therein as they made progress, but it arguably aims to redirect India from the NSTC to IMEC as a means of containing Russia. After all, the NSTC enables India to help Russia counterbalance the expansion of Turkish influence in Central Asia via TRIPP, so an indefinite waiver is extremely unlikely even in the event of an Indo-US trade deal.
It would be easier for India to accept this geo-economic concession, which might be reciprocated by tariff concessions on the US’ part, if IMEC is once again viable and could thus replace the NSTC. For that to happen, the US must first mediate the normalization of Israeli-Saudi ties, which it might now prioritize after brokering an end to the Gaza War and reaching its latest series of agreements with the Kingdom. The US’ F-35 deal with Saudi Arabia might therefore be part of Trump’s ultimate plan to revive IMEC.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/05/2025 – 05:00
Zelensky’s Jet Reportedly In Near-Miss With Military Grade Drones In Ireland
Zelensky’s Jet Reportedly In Near-Miss With Military Grade Drones In Ireland
Various major publications including The Telegraph and Newsweek are reporting claims that military-grade drones threatened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plane shortly before it landed at Dublin Airport on Monday.
The mystery drones reportedly reached the coordinates where the Ukrainian president’s plane had been expected, but Zelensky is said to have arrived a little earlier than scheduled, touching down at around 11 pm, thus missing the drones.
Irish security officials believe the drones were intended to interfere with Zelensky’s arrival, noting that they were flying with their lights on, also given the UAVs were military-spec. The episode is being presented in Irish and UK press reports as a form of hybrid warfare.
Afterward, the unidentified aircraft circled above an Irish Navy vessel that had been covertly positioned in the Irish Sea and which was patrolling there related to providing security for Zelensky’s visit.
In all the drones were reportedly airborne for roughly two hours – which again would suggest are more sophisticated or even military drone technology, and the drone operators are unknown, amid an investigation.
Conflicting reports have suggested that four or up to five drones were involved in the incursion. Their operators and current whereabouts remain unknown.
According to more details via The Daily Mail:
The Dublin intrusion occurred inside a no-fly zone ordered by the Irish Aviation Authority for the duration of Zelenskyy’s visit. Ahead of the visit, Irish MEP Barry Andrews posted a graphic on social media showing the no-fly zone which was imposed.
The drones then entered Irish-controlled waters and circled above the LÉ William Butler Yeats, which did not have air-search radar and was unable to disable them. An Irish Air Corps aircraft was airborne at the time but did not engage.
One security official has been cited in press reports as describing of the UAVs, “They had their lights on. They wanted to be seen. They had both the capability and the intent. They could have acted at any time.”
Western officials have suspected that this is an extension of alleged Russia-backed ‘hybrid warfare’ targeting Europe’s skies.
However, there is cause for skepticism to these ‘Russia did it!’ allegations and mystery incursions…
Well colour me shocked. The Dutch magazine Trouw analysed 60 drone incidents throughout Europe and found “hardly any evidence of Russian involvement”. The most obvious NATO psy-op ever.
Link to article: https://t.co/7jPA8tzWJE pic.twitter.com/I7nc6kHEok
— Thomas Fazi (@battleforeurope) December 1, 2025
Suspicious drone sightings have of late disrupted air traffic at key hubs in places like Denmark, Germany, and other places in northern Europe. EU officials are pushing forward with plans to invest in a collective ‘drone wall’ defense.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/05/2025 – 04:15
Caos en aeropuertos en India tras cancelación de vuelos de la mayor aerolínea del país
Por RAJESH ROY
NUEVA DELHI (AP) — El caos se apoderó de los principales aeropuertos de India el viernes, mientras los pasajeros de la aerolínea más grande del país, IndiGo, trataban de hacer frente a las interrupciones y cancelaciones generalizadas de vuelos provocadas por una nueva legislación que limitan las horas de trabajo de las tripulaciones y los pilotos.
Se vivieron escenas de frustración, con pasajeros durmiendo en el piso en los aeropuertos, haciendo fila durante horas en los mostradores de atención al cliente y esperando sin recibir información clara por parte de la aerolínea.
La del viernes fue la cuarta jornada consecutiva de interrupciones, mientras la compañía de bajo costo enfrenta nuevas regulaciones que exigen períodos de descanso más largos y limitan las horas de vuelo nocturno para abordar las preocupaciones sobre el cansancio y la seguridad.
La primera fase de la nueva legislación entró en vigor en julio y la segunda en noviembre. IndiGo tuvo dificultades para adaptar sus horarios a tiempo, lo que provocó cancelaciones e interrupciones generalizadas.
El jueves se cancelaron más de 300 vuelos de IndiGo, y varios cientos se retrasaron. Un aviso a pasajeros en el aeropuerto de Delhi el viernes indicaba que todos los vuelos nacionales de IndiGo permanecerán cancelados hasta la medianoche. Otras aerolíneas importantes, como Air India, no han tenido problemas similares hasta la fecha.
IndiGo opera alrededor de 2.300 vuelos diarios y controla casi el 65% del mercado de aviación doméstica en India.
Sajal Bose tenía previsto viajar con su esposa, Senjuti Bose, temprano el viernes de Kolkata a Nueva Delhi para asistir a las bodas de plata de un amigo. Su vuelo se canceló una hora antes del despegue.
Bose contó a The Associated Press que ahora tomará un tren de nueve horas a la ciudad de Bagdogra, donde planea embarcar hacia la capital en un avión de otra aerolínea. “Es muy irresponsable y una negligencia total. Muy difícil para personas mayores como nosotros”, declaró.
En un correo electrónico interno enviado a los empleados esta semana, visto por The Associated Press, el director general de IndiGo, Pieter Elbers, se disculpó y citó fallos tecnológicos, cambios de horario, condiciones climáticas adversas, aumento de la congestión y la implementación de las nuevas reglas como los motivos de las interrupciones de vuelos.
El Ministerio de Aviación Civil dijo en un comunicado que las interrupciones se produjeron principalmente por errores de juicio y fallos de planificación mientras la aerolínea ponía en marcha la segunda fase de las normas, y que la aerolínea reconoció que los efectos de las medidas sobre su tripulación superó sus expectativas.
IndiGo solicitó una moratoria en la aplicación de la ley y le dijo al gobierno que estaba tomando medidas correctivas. Sus operaciones estarán completamente restauradas para el 10 de febrero dijo.
Se esperan más cancelaciones a lo largo de las próximas semanas. La aerolínea dijo que reduciría sus operaciones de vuelo a partir del 8 de diciembre para minimizar las interrupciones.
___
El video periodista de Associated Press Piyush Nagpal contribuyó a este despacho.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
WHO–Gates Unveils Blueprint For Global Digital ID, AI-Driven Surveillance, & Life-Long Vaccine Tracking For Everyone
WHO–Gates Unveils Blueprint For Global Digital ID, AI-Driven Surveillance, & Life-Long Vaccine Tracking For Everyone
Authored by Jon Fleetwood via Substack,
In a document published in the October Bulletin of the World Health Organization and funded by the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO) is proposing a globally interoperable digital-identity infrastructure that permanently tracks every individual’s vaccination status from birth.
The dystopian proposal raises far more than privacy and autonomy concerns: it establishes the architecture for government overreach, cross-domain profiling, AI-driven behavioral targeting, conditional access to services, and a globally interoperable surveillance grid tracking individuals.
It also creates unprecedented risks in data security, accountability, and mission creep, enabling a digital control system that reaches into every sector of life.
The proposed system:
integrates personally identifiable information with socioeconomic data such as “household income, ethnicity and religion,”
deploys artificial intelligence for “identifying and targeting the unreached” and “combating misinformation,”
and enables governments to use vaccination records as prerequisites for education, travel, and other services.
What the WHO Document Admits, in Their Own Words
To establish the framework, the authors define the program as nothing less than a restructuring of how governments govern:
“Digital transformation is the intentional, systematic implementation of integrated digital applications that change how governments plan, execute, measure and monitor programmes.”
They openly state the purpose:
“This transformation can accelerate progress towards the Immunization agenda 2030, which aims to ensure that everyone, everywhere, at every age, fully benefits from vaccines.”
This is the context for every policy recommendation that follows: a global vaccination compliance system, digitally enforced.
1. Birth-Registered Digital Identity & Life-Long Tracking
The document describes a system in which a newborn is automatically added to a national digital vaccine-tracking registry the moment their birth is recorded.
“When birth notification triggers the set-up of a personal digital immunization record, health workers know who to vaccinate before the child’s first contact with services.”
They specify that this digital identity contains personal identifiers:
“A newborn whose electronic immunization record is populated with personally identifiable information benefits because health workers can retrieve their records through unique identifiers or demographic details, generate lists of unvaccinated children and remind parents to bring them for vaccination.”
This is automated, cradle-to-grave traceability.
The system also enables surveillance across all locations:
“[W]ith a national electronic immunization record, a child can be followed up anywhere within the country and referred electronically from one health facility to another.”
This is mobility tracking tied to medical compliance.
2. Linking Vaccine Records to Income, Ethnicity, Religion, & Social Programs
The document explicitly endorses merging vaccine status with socioeconomic data.
“Registers that record household asset data for social protection programmes enable monitoring of vaccination coverage by socioeconomic status such as household income, ethnicity and religion.”
This is demographic stratification attached to a compliance database.
3. Conditioning Access to Schooling, Travel, & Services on Digital Vaccine Proof
The WHO acknowledges and encourages systems that require vaccine passes for core civil functions:
“Some countries require proof of vaccination for children to access daycare and education, and evidence of other vaccinations is often required for international travel.”
They then underline why digital formats are preferred:
“Digital records and certificates are traceable and shareable.”
Digital traceability means enforceability.
4. Using Digital Systems to Prevent ‘Wasting Vaccine on Already Immune Children’
The authors describe a key rationale:
“Children’s vaccination status is not checked during campaigns, a practice that wastes vaccine on already immune children and exposes them to the risk of adverse events.”
Their solution is automated verification to maximize vaccination throughput.
The digital system is positioned as both a logistical enhancer and a compliance enforcer:
“National electronic immunization records could transform how measles campaigns and supplementary immunization activities are conducted by enabling on-site confirmation of vaccination status.”
5. AI Systems to Target Individuals, Identify ‘Unreached,’ & Combat ‘Misinformation’
The WHO document openly promotes artificial intelligence to shape public behavior:
“AI… demonstrate[s] its utility in identifying and targeting the unreached, identifying critical service bottlenecks, combating misinformation and optimizing task management.”
They explain additional planned uses:
“Additional strategic applications include analysing population-level data, predicting service needs and spread of disease, identifying barriers to immunization, and enhancing nutrition and health status assessments via mobile technology.”
This is predictive analytics paired with influence operations.
6. Global Interoperability Standards for International Data Exchange
The authors call for a unified international data standard:
“Recognize fast healthcare interoperability resources… as the global standard for exchange of health data.”
Translated: vaccine-linked personal identity data must be globally shareable.
They describe the need for “digital public infrastructure”:
“Digital public infrastructure is a foundation and catalyst for the digital transformation of primary health care.”
This is the architecture of a global vaccination-compliance network.
7. Surveillance Expansion Into Everyday Interactions
The WHO outlines a surveillance model that activates whenever a child interacts with any health or community service:
“CHWs who identify children during home visits and other community activities can refer them for vaccination through an electronic immunization registry or electronic child health record.”
This means non-clinical community actors participating in vaccination-compliance identification.
The authors also describe cross-service integration:
“Under-vaccinated children can be reached when CHWs and facility-based providers providing other services collaborate and communicate around individual children in the same electronic child health records.”
Every point of contact becomes a checkpoint.
8. Behavior-Shaping Through Alerts, Reminders, & Social Monitoring
The WHO endorses using digital messaging to overcome “intention–action gaps”:
“Direct communication with parents in the form of alerts, reminders and information helps overcome the intention–action gap.”
They also prescribe digital surveillance of public sentiment:
“Active detection and response to misinformation in social media build trust and demand.”
This is official justification for monitoring and countering speech.
9. Acknowledgment of Global Donor Control—Including Gates Foundation
At the very end of the article, the financial architect is stated plainly:
“This work was supported by the Gates Foundation [INV-016137].”
This confirms the alignment with Gates-backed global ID and vaccine-registry initiatives operating through Gavi, the World Bank, UNICEF, and WHO.
Bottom Line
In the WHO’s own words:
“Digital transformation is a unique opportunity to address many longstanding challenges in immunization… now is the time for bold, new approaches.”
And:
“Stakeholders… should embrace digital transformation as an enabler for achieving the ambitious Immunization agenda 2030 goals.”
This is a comprehensive proposal for a global digital-identity system, permanently linked to vaccine status, integrated with demographic and socioeconomic data, enforced through AI-driven surveillance, and designed for international interoperability.
It is not speculative, but written in plain language, funded by the Gates Foundation, and published in the World Health Organization’s own journal.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/05/2025 – 03:30
Putin y Modi discutirán su relación comercial y de defensa ante la presión de EEUU
Por RAJESH ROY y AIJAZ HUSSAIN
NUEVA DELHI (AP) — El presidente de Rusia, Vladímir Putin, mantendrá conversaciones con el primer ministro de India, Narendra Modi, el viernes en una cumbre anual que busca reforzar los lazos bilaterales entre Moscú y Nueva Delhi en el segundo día de su visita de Estado.
La 23ra Cumbre Rusia-India se celebra en un momento crucial en el que Estados Unidos presiona para lograr un acuerdo de paz para Ucrania mientras busca cooperación global. Pondrá a prueba los esfuerzos de Nueva Delhi para equilibrar su relación con Moscú y Washington durante la guerra que comenzó hace casi cuatro años en Ucrania.
Putin fue recibido por Modi en un aeropuerto de Nueva Delhi el jueves, quien le dio un fuerte abrazo y un firme apretón de manos con el entusiasmo de un viejo amigo.
Según funcionarios indios que participaron en los preparativos de la cumbre, la agenda incluye conversaciones sobre defensa, energía y movilidad laboral.
Aunque históricamente India ha mantenido profundos lazos con Rusia, los críticos dicen que la visita de Putin podría tensar la relación de Nueva Delhi con la Unión Europea y Estados Unidos, y podría poner en peligro las negociaciones para importantes acuerdos comerciales con ambos, que se consideran críticos para las exportaciones indias.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, elevó los aranceles a los productos indios al 50% en agosto, citando la compra de petróleo rebajado ruso. India ha sido el segundo mayor importador de crudo ruso después de China.
Washington sostiene que esas adquisiciones ayudan a financiar la maquinaria de guerra del Kremlin. En octubre, Estados Unidos sancionó a dos de los mayores productores de petróleo de Rusia para obligar a países como India a reducir sus importaciones. Funcionarios indios indicaron que el país siempre ha respetado las sanciones internacionales y que también lo hará en el caso del crudo ruso.
India y Estados Unidos se fijaron como objetivo alcanzar el primer tramo de un acuerdo comercial en otoño, pero el pacto no se ha materializado aún debido a sus tensas relaciones.
Nueva Delhi está también en las últimas fases de las conversaciones para un acuerdo comercial con la UE, que considera la guerra de Rusia en Ucrania como una gran amenaza.
En su reunión con Putin, es probable que Modi presione para acelerar la entrega de dos sistemas adicionales de misiles tierra-aire S-400 rusos. Ya ha recibido tres en virtud de acuerdo de 2018 por un importe aproximado de 5.400 millones de dólares. La demora se ha vinculado a las interrupciones en la cadena de suministro relacionadas con la guerra.
Moscú y Nueva Delhi firmaron un pacto en febrero para mejorar la cooperación militar, maniobras, visitas a puertos, asistencia en desastres y apoyo logístico. La Duma Estatal rusa ratificó el acuerdo antes de la visita de Putin a India.
Además, se esperan conversaciones sobre la modernización de los aviones de combate indos Su-30MKI, de fabricación rusa, y la aceleración de las entregas de hardware militar crítico.
El comercio también ocupará un lugar destacado en la cumbre.
El comercio bilateral entre los dos países alcanzó los 68.700 millones de dólares en el último año fiscal que terminó en marzo, y el objetivo es incrementarlo hasta los 100.000 millones de dólares para 2030. La balanza comercial está fuertemente inclinada a favor de Rusia, con un profundo déficit que India busca acortar impulsando las exportaciones.
India está interesada en incrementar las exportaciones de productos farmacéuticos, agricultura y textiles y busca la eliminación de las barreras no arancelarias con Rusia. Nueva Delhi también busca suministros a largo plazo de fertilizantes de su socio.
Otro aspecto clave donde se espera que los dos países lleguen a un acuerdo es en seguridad y regulación de la migración de trabajadores calificados indios a Rusia.
Putin visitó India por última vez en 2021. Modi estuvo en Moscú el año pasado, y los dos líderes se reunieron brevemente en septiembre en China durante una cumbre de la Organización de Cooperación de Shanghái.
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Hussain informó desde Srinagar, India.
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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.
Presuntos piratas atacan un barco en el estrecho de Bab el-Mandeb, según autoridades
Associated Press
DUBÁI, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (AP) — Presuntos piratas atacaron el viernes un barco que navegaba a través del estrecho de Bab el-Mandeb, informaron las autoridades.
La embarcación fue perseguida por barcos más pequeños que abrieron fuego contra ella, explicó la Agencia de Operaciones de Comercio Marítimo (UKMTO, por sus siglas en inglés), que depende del ejército británico.
La empresa de seguridad privada Diaplous Group dijo que el buque fue atacado dos veces y que los guardias armados a bordo respondieron abriendo fuego. La tripulación estaba a salvo, agregó indicando que el barco era un granelero.
El estrecho de Bab el-Mandeb conecta el mar Rojo con el golfo de Adén, separando África de la península Arábiga.
En la zona se han registrado ataques de los rebeldes hutíes de Yemen debido a la guerra entre Israel y Hamás, así como un repunte de la piratería desde Somalia. Los hutíes han suspendido sus ataques mientras se mantenga el frágil alto el fuego en la Franja de Gaza.
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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.
