Category: News
Israel anuncia que reabrirá el cruce fronterizo de Rafah en los próximos días
Por FATMA KHALED y JULIA FRANKEL
EL CAIRO (AP) — Israel anunció la reapertura del cruce fronterizo de Rafah en los próximos días, lo que permitiría que los palestinos salgan de Gaza. Esto podría ser un avance importante para los residentes de la devastada Franja, para quienes ha sido extremadamente difícil —si no imposible— salir durante la mayor parte de la guerra.
El anuncio generó esperanzas de que miles de personas enfermas y heridas en la Franja finalmente puedan acceder a la atención que necesitan. El sistema de salud de Gaza fue diezmado por la guerra de dos años, haciendo que los procedimientos quirúrgicos avanzados sean inalcanzables.
Sin embargo, hay complicaciones. Por un lado, Israel dice que los palestinos que deseen salir de Gaza deberán obtener la aprobación de seguridad de Israel y Egipto. No se sabe qué criterios se seguirán para ello.
Otro punto clave de disputa: Israel dice que hasta que los combatientes en Gaza devuelvan a todos los rehenes que secuestraron en el ataque del 7 de octubre de 2023 que desencadenó la guerra, solo permitirá que los palestinos salgan de Gaza, no que entren.
Egipto, por su parte, dice que quiere que el cruce se abra inmediatamente en ambas direcciones, para que los palestinos que están en Egipto puedan entrar a Gaza. Esa es una posición arraigada en la vehemente oposición de Egipto a que los refugiados palestinos se reasienten permanentemente en el país.
Un salvavidas para Gaza
Antes de la guerra, en Rafah abundaban los bienes y personas que cruzaban de Egipto a Gaza y viceversa. Aunque la Franja tiene otros cuatro cruces fronterizos, estos son compartidos con Israel, y solo Rafah conecta el territorio con otro país.
Después de que combatientes liderados por Hamás invadieran el sur de Israel en 2023, matando a aproximadamente 1.200 personas y tomando a otras 251 como rehenes, Egipto endureció sus restricciones al tráfico a través del cruce. Después de que Israel tomara el control del lado de Gaza en mayo de 2024 como parte de su ofensiva, en la que han muerto más de 70.100 palestinos, según el Ministerio de Salud de Gaza, cerró el cruce excepto para evacuaciones médicas ocasionales.
El ministerio no distingue entre combatientes y civiles, aunque dice que aproximadamente la mitad de los muertos han sido mujeres y niños. El ministerio opera bajo el gobierno dirigido por Hamás. Está compuesto por profesionales médicos y mantiene registros detallados que son considerados generalmente confiables por la comunidad internacional.
La reapertura del cruce de Rafah facilitaría que los palestinos en Gaza busquen tratamiento médico, viajen internacionalmente o visiten a familiares en Egipto. La Organización Mundial de la Salud dice que hay más de 16.500 enfermos y heridos que necesitan salir del enclave para recibir atención médica.
También ayudaría a la diezmada economía de Gaza al permitir que los comerciantes palestinos distribuyan productos más allá de las fronteras del golpeado territorio.
Obstáculos de último minuto retrasan la reapertura
Israel dijo que el cruce se abriría en los próximos días. Un funcionario israelí, que habló bajo condición de anonimato para exponer planes operativos, dijo que la misión de la Unión Europea que supervisa el cruce necesitaba finalizar la logística antes de la reapertura.
El cruce, gravemente dañado durante la guerra, también podría requerir reparaciones. Una disputa entre Israel y Egipto sobre la entrada de palestinos a Gaza también puede retrasar la apertura.
Citando a un funcionario egipcio no identificado, el Servicio de Información del Estado de Egipto dijo el miércoles que, si se llega a un acuerdo, el cruce se utilizará para viajar en ambas direcciones, de acuerdo con un plan de alto el fuego impulsado por el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump.
Egipto se opone a aceptar refugiados de Gaza. Ya alberga a decenas de miles de palestinos y acoge a una población migrante de unos 9 millones de personas. El presidente egipcio Abdel Fattah el-Sissi ha advertido sobre las implicaciones de seguridad de transferir grandes cantidades de palestinos a la península del Sinaí de Egipto, que limita con Gaza.
Egipto apoya la creación de un estado palestino en Cisjordania ocupada, Gaza y Jerusalén este, y teme que un desplazamiento permanente pueda erosionar esa posibilidad.
Pero la portavoz del gobierno de Israel, Shosh Bedrosian, dijo que no se permitirá la entrada al enclave hasta que Israel reciba a todos los rehenes que permanecen en él. Antes del regreso más reciente de restos, se creía que había dos rehenes fallecidos en Gaza: un israelí y un tailandés. Los restos devueltos el miércoles aún no han sido identificados.
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Frankel informó desde Jerusalén. Los periodistas de The Associated Press Melanie Lidman en Tel Aviv, Israel, y Sam McNeil en Bruselas contribuyeron a este despacho.
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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.
Bessent dice que Casa Blanca podría “vetar” a presidentes de la Reserva Federal
Por CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
WASHINGTON (AP) — El secretario del Tesoro estadounidense afirmó que impulsará un nuevo requisito para que los presidentes de los bancos regionales de la Reserva Federal vivan en sus distritos durante al menos tres años antes de asumir el cargo, una medida que podría otorgar a la Casa Blanca más poder sobre el banco central.
“Hay una desconexión con la estructura de la Reserva Federal”, declaró el funcionario, Scott Bessent.
“A menos que alguien haya vivido en su distrito durante tres años, vamos a vetarlos”, añadió Bessent en comentarios realizados en el DealBook Summit del New York Times.
Bessent ha intensificado sus críticas hacia los directivos de los bancos regionales que integran la Fed en las últimas semanas, después de que varios de ellos dejaran claro en una serie de discursos que se oponían a reducir las tasas de interés en la próxima reunión en diciembre. El presidente Donald Trump ha criticado duramente a la Fed por no bajar su tasa de interés a corto plazo más rápidamente. Cuando el banco central las tasas de interés, por lo general con el tiempo disminuyen los costos de los préstamos para hipotecas, préstamos para automóviles y tarjetas de crédito.
La posibilidad de que la administración vete a los presidentes de los bancos regionales representaría otro intento del gobierno de ejercer más control sobre la Fed, una institución que tradicionalmente ha sido independiente de la política diaria.
La Reserva Federal busca luchar contra la inflación y apuntalar el empleo estableciendo una tasa de interés a corto plazo que influye en los costos de los préstamos en toda la economía. Tiene una estructura complicada que incluye una junta de gobernadores de siete miembros con sede en Washington, así como 12 bancos regionales que cubren distritos específicos del país.
Los siete gobernadores y el presidente de la Fed de Nueva York votan en cada decisión sobre la tasa de interés, mientras que cuatro de los 11 presidentes restantes votan de manera rotativa. Pero todos los presidentes participan en las reuniones del comité de fijación de tasas de interés.
Bessent argumentó el mes pasado en una entrevista en CNBC que la razón de ser de los bancos regionales de la Fed era llevar la perspectiva de sus distritos a las decisiones sobre las tasas de interés de la Fed y “romper el dominio de Nueva York” en la fijación de las tasas de interés.
Sin embargo, el mes pasado afirmó que “tres, tal vez cuatro” de los presidentes de la Fed fueron nombrados desde fuera de sus distritos, con algunos viviendo en Nueva York.
“No estoy seguro de que esa sea la forma en que se diseñó la Reserva Federal”, manifestó en la entrevista.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Europe Accuses Putin Of Faking Peace Talks With Trump Envoys
Europe Accuses Putin Of Faking Peace Talks With Trump Envoys
After the American delegation sent by President Trump met some 5 hours with President Putin and his team in Moscow Tuesday night, but with no significant progress made (and with some observers declaring it a ‘failure’), some European officials are trying to have an ‘I told you so’ moment.
Ukrainian and European officials on Wednesday have alleged Putin is faking a desire to achieve peace, and is intentionally wasting Washington’s time while prolonging the war and intensifying strikes on the battlefield.
For example, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha declared immediately after the Moscow discussions that Putin should “stop wasting the world’s time.” The Zelensky government, it should be noted, has also been quietly frustrated with the White House for largely sidelining its long-running objection to territorial concessions. But the US plan is truly “new” in that it offers Russia de facto control of land in the Donbass and Crimea.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper voiced similar criticism, saying Putin “should end the bluster and the bloodshed and be ready to come to the table and to support a just and lasting peace.”
Baltic and northern European states have continued in their rhetoric challenging the Kremlin, with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna responding, “What we see is that Putin has not changed any course. He’s pushing more aggressively on the battlefield.” The top diplomat said, “It’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t want to have any kind of peace.”
And Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said similarly, “So far we haven’t seen any concessions from the side of the aggressor, which is Russia, and I think the best confidence-building measure would be to start with a full ceasefire.”
While the Kremlin has called the Tuesday Moscow talks “constructive” – it conceded that little actual progress was made toward a deal, given Russia is demanding nothing less than full legal and international recognition of the territories under its control.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte meanwhile is calling on allies to ensure Ukraine is in its strongest possible position as negotiations proceed. Of course this involves flooding Kiev with more money and weapons. “The peace talks are ongoing. That’s good,” Rutte said.
“But at the same time, we have to make sure that whilst they take place and we are not sure when they will end, that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going, to fight back against the Russians. But also in the strongest possible position when peace talks really get to a point where they sit at the table,” he added.
More allegations of feigning interest in a peace process out of Western pundits:
Putin Meets With Witkoff and Kushner for Nearly Five Hours and the two sides did not reach any specific compromises, an aide to President Vladimir V. Putin said, as the United States pushes a plan to end the war in Ukraine.
Let me translate for you what this means. There was… https://t.co/0z7KAlRF5t
— Sir William Browder KCMG (@Billbrowder) December 3, 2025
Meanwhile mutual strikes on energy infrastructure continues to escalate. President Putin has also warned his military is readying to expand strikes on Ukrainian ports, in retaliation for a spate of drone attacks on tankers transporting Russian oil to global markets.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/03/2025 – 12:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/europe-accuses-putin-faking-peace-talks-trump-envoys
The Buycologist’s studies the science of why people buy
Content oversight provided by Studio 1847
Many brands spend heavily on marketing without stopping to ask the most important question: Why do people buy? For Dr. Chris Gray, known as The Buycologist, the answer lies in psychology. With decades of experience spanning retail, consumer packaged goods and global brand strategy, Gray helps leaders uncover the emotional drivers that shape buying decisions and reframe campaigns that fail to connect.
Starting with the right fit
Every engagement with Gray begins with a short introductory call. He uses that time to understand not just what a client wants, but whether the challenge belongs in his wheelhouse. “It has to be consumer psychology related,” he explains. “Sometimes I’ll tell people honestly, you don’t need someone at my level who’s as experienced as I am. But if you need deep expertise in psychology and want to apply it in a way that solves real problems, I’m your guy.”
That focus keeps his work tightly aligned with behavioral insight rather than generic marketing tactics. It is also why his partnerships often last years, growing deeper as he earns trust and demonstrates impact.
Reframing the challenge
Gray often encounters brands that shy away from aspects of their product or service that feel unconventional or uncomfortable to consumers. Rather than smoothing over those differences, he encourages teams to lean into them. “When something feels unfamiliar, it can also feel interesting or serve as a proof point for effectiveness,” he explains. “The goal isn’t to disguise what’s different but to help people understand why that difference matters.”
He often conducts qualitative research to explore how people interpret these differences and what emotional needs surface in their decision-making. For Gray, this process reinforces a guiding principle: psychology is not about hiding the truth but about helping people make sense of it from their own perspective.
The dish soap lesson
Gray’s career has produced insights that sound simple but are often overlooked by marketers. While working with a major CPG brand on dish soap, the brand manager dismissed the category as a “drive-by aisle” where shoppers mindlessly grabbed the cheapest or most familiar option and moved on. Chris disagreed.
He dug deeper and found that the real driver was not price but certainty. Busy parents, often juggling work, children and household demands, needed to know the soap would work the first time. “I can’t afford to have it not work and then redo it,” was a consistent refrain from research participants. That need for security explained why people stuck to the same brand even when new “better” products appeared. The insight reshaped the way the company marketed its products, focusing on proof of reliability instead of just promotions.
“Everything we buy satisfies an emotional need,” Gray explains. “If you dig, if you care and if you come at it with empathy, you will find the emotion behind even the most mundane purchase.”
Asking the questions others don’t
Part of Gray’s difference is the way he questions clients. He often asks leaders to first define their problem from the company’s perspective, then describe it as if they were the customer. The gap between those answers reveals empathy, or the lack of it. “I want to see how far along that journey they are,” he says. “Do they instantly get it? Do they think like their customers? Or is there a big disparity we need to bridge?”
Those questions become the starting point for strategy. By uncovering how executives view their market versus how consumers experience it, Gray aims to build campaigns that align messaging with lived reality.
Global insights, local needs
Gray’s perspective is also shaped by his international work. While leading research projects in Moscow for Coca-Cola, he was surprised when Russian consumers described Coke as a form of self-care. A local colleague explained that, unlike in the U.S., Coca-Cola was unavailable until the 1990s, so it retained the aura of a luxury treat. “That made complete sense once I heard it in their words,” Gray recalls. “To us, it was every day. To them, it still felt special.”
Examples like these illustrate a theme that runs through his work: behavior always makes sense to the person doing it. If brands can set aside assumptions and seek to understand that perspective, they can meet consumers where they are.
Ethics first
Throughout his career, Gray has resisted shortcuts. He is vocal about his philosophy that persuasion should avoid crossing into manipulation, and his keynote “Don’t Be Gross” sums up that belief in plain language. Strategies that exploit or trick may deliver short-term wins, but they erode trust. Long-term results, he argues, only come when brands build meaningful relationships with their customers by respecting their customers’ intelligence and emotional needs.
Why it matters now
For companies struggling with campaigns that fail to resonate, Gray’s work could offer a path forward. Whether reframing a challenge that feels counterintuitive, reshaping a commodity as an emotional choice or asking leaders to step into their customers’ shoes, his lens of consumer psychology is designed to reveal what traditional tactics miss.
“Any time a client tells me their category is commoditized, I know what they mean is they are not engaging people emotionally,” Gray says. “That’s where the work begins.”
Chris Gray is currently working with clients across consumer goods and global retail, but his principles apply to any industry. To explore how consumer psychology can reshape your strategy, visit TheBuycologist.com/Contact and schedule a free introductory call.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/03/the-buycologists-studies-the-science-of-why-people-buy/
Waukegan may join ‘No Mow May’ movement: ‘Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal’
A move by some members of the Waukegan City Council’s Environment and Sustainability Committee to allow residents to forego cutting their lawns in May to benefit the environment is gaining support, and Mayor Sam Cunningham wants to see a contemplative approach.
Gaining popularity in parts of the U.S. as the “No Mow May” movement, Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, proposed the idea to her colleagues on the committee. She said it is a way to help the bee population and other pollinators make flowers grow.
Florian said participants who choose not to cut their grass in May — and place a sign in their yard letting city code enforcement inspectors know the high grass is both intentional and permissible — would not be cited for letting it grow tall.
“People believe it helps to provide an environment for the bees coming out in the spring,” she said. “I hope we’ll have an opportunity to pass this. There were already people doing this last year. There were signs in the community.”
Committee members formed a consensus of support for No Mow May during a meeting on Monday at City Hall in Waukegan, starting the process to enable residents to participate in No Mow May without fear of receiving a citation for letting their grass exceed city height limits.
Once the consensus was formed, Michael Castaldo, Jr., an attorney with Corporation Counsel Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, said he would prepare an ordinance for the committee to consider and recommend to the City Council.
Though there are nearly five months until May 1, Cunningham, who was not at the committee meeting, said between a variety of existing city regulations and assuring No Mow May will work in Waukegan, some caution is needed.
“There is some kind of process for things like this,” he said. “Something like this is positive, but it is not a likely rollout for (May of) 2026. We need to begin the process.”
During the meeting, Ald. Sylvia Sims Bolton, 1st Ward, wanted assurances that the program is not mandatory. Florian assured her it would be completely voluntary. Florian wants those who choose to let the grass grow for the month of May to be able to do so.
“All I want is for people to do it and not get code enforced (in) May for having taller grass,” Florian said. “If they want to participate, they can. They’ll get a sign that says this is on purpose. It is something people want to do, and we’re making it possible so they’re not having issues with code enforcement.”
Bolton also wanted to know more about potential environmental benefits. Noelle Kischer-Lepper, the city’s director of planning and economic development, said bees that nest in the ground start to emerge in May. They need to fly from plant to plant as they get out of the ground to pollinate.
“When people mow, it kills them,” Kischer-Lepper said. “Our country has had an issue with the bee population declining because of diseases and other things that affect the bee population. That makes it harder to pollinate flowers that are food sources for us.”
Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, said No Mow May is a great idea the moment Florian finished introducing it. He believes it is a worldwide issue as bees are threatened in a lot of places.
“To me, this is a great idea,” Turner said. “Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. There’s a global crisis with bees, in particular. There’s all kinds of insect life and animal life and plant life that is going. I’m all for it.”
Glenview and Northbrook are among other north suburban towns that allow No Mow May. It is also permitted in Oak Park, Lombard, Riverside, Westmont and LaGrange Park. It started in the U.S. in 2020 in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The Chicago Tribune contributed to this story.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/03/waukegan-city-council-lawn-mowing/
El gobierno de Bulgaria retira proyecto de presupuesto tras protesta masiva
Por VESELIN TOSHKOV
SOFÍA, Bulgaria (AP) — El gobierno de Bulgaria anunció el retiro de un controvertido proyecto presupuestario después de una manifestación pacífica que atrajo a miles, pero que se vio empañada por el enfrentamiento de un grupo de enmascarados con la policía.
Grupos de oposición y empresariales han advertido que los planes para aumentar los impuestos, las contribuciones a la seguridad social y el gasto podrían perjudicar la inversión y expandir la economía informal mientras el país se prepara para unirse a la eurozona a principios del próximo año.
El gobierno de centroderecha del primer ministro Rosen Zhelyazkov prometió inicialmente retirar el borrador para una revisión exhaustiva después de las protestas de la semana pasada, pero luego dio marcha atrás, lo que provocó protestas en la capital, Sofía, y otras ciudades importantes el lunes por la noche. Los organizadores dijeron que 50.000 se manifestaron en Sofía.
Los manifestantes, muchos de ellos jóvenes, pidieron al gobierno que revise el borrador del proyecto o dimita.
“No permitiremos que nos mientan; no permitiremos que nos roben”, coreaban las personas en la protesta en Sofía.
Las pancartas incluían lemas como: “Joven Bulgaria sin la Mafia”.
El presidente izquierdista Rumen Radev se pronunció a favor de los manifestantes en un discurso televisado a la nación el martes por la noche. Dijo que se necesitaban cambios que “llevarán al Estado de derecho y la restauración de la soberanía estatal”.
“El gobierno está desacreditado. La dimisión es urgente. Las elecciones anticipadas son el único camino a seguir”, afirmó Radev.
Instó a los búlgaros a “no perder la oportunidad de cambiar Bulgaria”, al tiempo que pidió “unidad, voluntad y sabiduría para preservar la paz de las provocaciones”.
Más temprano en el día, el primer ministro enumeró varios cambios que se realizarán, incluyendo una revisión del programa de inversiones, y no descartó la posibilidad de entrar en 2026 con un presupuesto extendido de este año.
“Haremos lo necesario para asegurar que el presupuesto sea consensuado”, dijo Zhelyazkov después de una reunión del gobierno.
Afirmó que el gobierno está listo para hacer compromisos, pero no cederá a las demandas de dimisión.
Mario Bikarski, analista senior de Europa del Este y Central en la empresa de inteligencia de riesgos Verisk Maplecroft, predijo que rehacer el presupuesto “será complicado con un mayor escrutinio de los sindicatos, grupos empresariales y el público”.
“Existe un amplio consenso sobre la necesidad de prudencia fiscal”, añadió en comentarios enviados por correo electrónico. “Sin embargo, los intentos repetidos de aumentar los impuestos probablemente inflamarán aún más las tensiones sociales”.
Convocan a manifestaciones pacíficas
Los organizadores habían instado a los manifestantes a mantener la protesta del lunes pacífica, advirtiendo que las provocaciones eran posibles y llamando a cualquiera que presenciara tales actos a grabarlos.
Las tensiones aumentaron cuando pequeños grupos de inconformes se dirigieron a las oficinas de los principales partidos gobernantes y comenzaron a lanzar botellas de plástico y vidrio, petardos y piedras a los edificios y a policías que los custodiaban.
Se produjeron enfrentamientos entre policías y jóvenes vestidos con sudaderas negras con capucha y máscaras, mientras quemaban contenedores de basura y vandalizaban vehículos policiales. Agentes antidisturbios rociaron gas pimienta a los manifestantes.
Los servicios de emergencia informaron que varias personas heridas fueron llevadas a hospitales, mientras que muchas fueron examinadas y asistidas en el lugar.
“La protesta transcurrió de manera pacífica, tranquila y calmada, y felicito a los ciudadanos por ello”, dijo el jefe de policía de Sofía, Lyubomir Nikolov, a los periodistas el martes. Explicó que la escalada fue causada por individuos que se organizaron de antemano y añadió que un total de 71 personas fueron detenidas.
El líder del partido opositor Continuamos el Cambio, Assen Vassilev, dijo a los periodistas el martes que planea presentar una moción de censura en el Parlamento “si el gobierno no dimite esta semana”.
“Este gobierno no tiene el derecho moral de gobernar el país por más tiempo”, añadió.
Incluso si se rehace el presupuesto, las preocupaciones públicas sobre la corrupción a gran escala mantendrán al gobierno impopular, particularmente entre el electorado urbano más joven.
Bikarski, el analista, argumenta que el aumento de la presión pública podría causar el colapso de la frágil coalición gobernante y llevar a otra elección anticipada, que sería la octava desde 2021. Y eso no sería buen augurio para los inversores.
“Tal escenario podría negar algunas de las ventajas operativas que las empresas esperaban disfrutar al unirse a la zona euro”, añadió.
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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.
DOJ Charges Afghan National Over Online Threats To Build Bomb, Kill Americans
DOJ Charges Afghan National Over Online Threats To Build Bomb, Kill Americans
Authored by Arjun Singh via The Epoch Times,
The Department of Justice has indicted an Afghan national residing in Fort Worth, Texas, for allegedly making online threats to construct an explosive and kill U.S. citizens using it.
Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, 30, was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Texas Department of Public Safety on Nov. 30. A statement from the Department of Justice indicated that he was charged with “transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce,” which violates 18 U.S. Code, Section 875(c), for making threats on social media platforms, specifically TikTok, Facebook, and X.
“We have zero tolerance for violence and threats of violence to kill American citizens and others like those allegedly made by this individual,” said Ryan Raybould, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, whose office is prosecuting the case.
Alokozay on Nov. 23, while speaking in the Dari language, allegedly told two other men during a video stream on social media that he would build a bomb in his vehicle. He also allegedly described in detail bomb making techniques used by the Taliban in Afghanistan, who he described as “dear” to him. During his remarks, Alokozay allegedly stated that he intended to conduct a suicide attack on Americans, and that he was “not afraid of deportation or getting killed.”
The Epoch Times was unable to obtain a copy of Alokozay’s indictment, which is currently under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. If convicted, Alokozay faces a maximum of five years in prison for the crime.
Alokozay’s immigration status in the United States, and whether the federal government will place him in removal proceedings, has not been publicly disclosed. Currently, Afghanistan is ruled by the Taliban, a designated foreign terrorist organization, to which the United States has not conducted any publicized removal operations.
Normally, in cases where the country of origin of a deportee may present a risk to the deportee’s life, that person may apply for “withholding of removal” under Section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and protections under the Convention Against Torture. These statuses, if granted by an immigration judge, prevent a person from being removed to their home country, though they may be removed to a willing third country.
Since Nov. 26, when one National Guard service member was shot and killed and another critically wounded in Washington, allegedly by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the U.S. government has increased scrutiny of existing Afghan nationals and other citizens of “high-risk” nations who reside within the country.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/03/2025 – 12:05
Valparaiso University kicks off holidays with tree lighting
From alumni and their toddlers to staff and students, the Valparaiso University community was in a jolly mood Tuesday evening as they came together for the 11th annual campus tree lighting.
Harre Union was the site of several stations offering traditional Christmas fun. Loretta and John Frank, of Valparaiso, were hamming it up at the photo booth with their three grown daughters and three grandchildren.
“I’m a longtime employee,” said John Frank, who’s worked at VU for 42 years.
His daughter Alicia Cooper is an adjunct professor in the Education Department. Her three children, Lucas, Andrew, and Eleanor, were sorting through two long tables of props. “I did the cheerleader and the princess,” said 5-year-old Eleanor.
“We started with the first grandbaby,” said Loretta Frank of the annual family tradition.
“My sister has pictures with this lovely backdrop from when we started coming with him,” said Cooper, gesturing to 13-year-old Lucas.
Valparaiso University senior Zach Stewart poses for a photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus during Valparaiso University’s annual tree lighting festivities on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
The next room over, VU MBA student and transfer admission counselor Emilly De Vita and her friend Elizabeth Messerschmidt, a ‘24 graduate, were decorating cookies.
“Lizzy’s VU royalty. Her whole family has graduated from here,” De Vita said as she piped icing.
“My dad was an alum of Valpo and he took my mom to the Valpo Christmas Concert on their third date,” Messerschmidt said.
“It’s so nice,” De Vita added of the festive atmosphere. She’s at the tree lighting for the second year in a row. “I love Christmas. I’m so homesick and it makes me feel like home.”
Valparaiso University MBA student Emily De Vita, on left, and alumni Lizzy Messerschmidt decorate Christmas cookies as part of the school’s annual tree lighting festivities on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Across the Union, a group of old friends gathered around the line to visit Santa. The former sports management majors get together for the tree lighting every year.
“He introduced us,” said Anthony Sansone of his friend Colin Terrill, who introduced him to his wife Lexi Sansone in a sports law class.
Terrill and his wife Heather, of Valparaiso, brought their daughter Olivia, two and a half, to see Santa for the first time. “No tears,” said Colin Terrill.
“I know. You’ve never had a candy cane before,” Heather Terrill said to their daughter, who was waving the candy around. “She’s going to be so sticky.”
Eventually, the crowds moved outdoors, serenaded by Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Outgoing VU President Jose Padilla said a few words before the tree was lit.
Visitors gather around the Valparaiso University Christmas Tree during the annual lighting ceremony and festivities on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
“This means a lot because this is our very last Christmas lighting ceremony,” he said after introducing his wife and daughter. “You will be big deals someday,” he added, encouraging them to remember what’s important.
After a countdown that perhaps served to inflate expectation, a simple red, white, and green strand of lights sparsely wound its way up the live pine. “I thought it was going to be brighter,” said one young boy.
“She’s beautiful. She’s still beautiful,” conceded a woman near him as the fraternity sang “Joy to the World.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Hija de líder opositor González denuncia que su esposo se mantiene incomunicado en Venezuela
Associated Press
CARACAS (AP) — Mariana González, hija del líder opositor venezolano Edmundo González, denunció que su esposo es mantenido incomunicado desde su arresto en enero pasado, justo antes de la investidura de Nicolás Maduro para un tercer mandato como presidente.
En junio pasado, las autoridades venezolanas informaron que Rafael Tudares Bracho, yerno del excandidato presidencial opositor, sería llevado a juicio por los delitos de “conspiración, terrorismo, asociación para delinquir, legitimación de capitales”, entre otros.
“Mi abogado y yo nos dirigiremos a las autoridades competentes para solicitar la información oficial pertinente, a pesar de los grandes obstáculos y barreras que se nos han impuesto para obtener información sobre el caso y defender los derechos de Rafael”, afirmó González en un comunicado publicado el martes por la noche. “No he podido tener comunicación directa ni indirecta con Rafael desde el 7 de enero de este año”.
También señaló que “hoy 2 de diciembre de 2025, en horas de la noche, he tenido conocimiento de informaciones extraoficiales publicadas en redes sociales y en algunos medios digitales de comunicación, sobre la supuesta condena que se le habría impuesto a mi esposo Rafael Tudares Bracho, por la pena máxima de 30 años de prisión”.
Las autoridades venezolanas no respondieron el miércoles a una solicitud de comentarios por parte de Associated Press.
Dos meses atrás la hija del dirigente opositor había dicho en sus redes sociales que “su familia, sus amigos, su mamá, sus hijos y yo seguimos con las mismas preguntas elementales y básicas, sin respuestas. ¿Dónde está Rafael? ¿Cómo está Rafael? Nueve meses sin saber absolutamente nada de Rafael”.
A tres días de la toma de posesión de Maduro el 10 de enero pasado, el líder opositor aseguró que su familiar fue secuestrado cuando “se dirigía a la escuela de mis nietos a dejarlos por el inicio a clases” y que fue interceptado por “hombres encapuchados” vestidos de negro que se lo llevaron. Entonces Maduro informó de la detención ese día de siete personas, a las que acusó de pretender realizar “acciones terroristas” en el país.
“Volveremos una vez más a solicitar información sobre el estado del juicio que clandestinamente se le ha seguido a mi esposo”, agregó la hija de González, destacando que en el proceso judicial y el juicio penal en contra de su esposo se ha “violado flagrantemente sus derechos humanos”.
Según el Consejo Nacional Electoral, un organismo colegiado de mayoría oficialista, en la pasada elección presidencial Maduro obtuvo 6,4 millones de votos, frente a 5,3 millones que logró González. Maduro fue investido para un tercer mandato de seis años el 10 de enero.
González ha sido reconocido como presidente electo por Estados Unidos y varios países europeos y de América Latina, así como por organismos internacionales como la Organización de los Estados Americanos, tras presentar pruebas creíbles de su triunfo frente a Maduro.
Chicago weather: Bone-chilling temperatures arrive late Wednesday night — and will stay into Friday
National Weather Service officials warned of bone-chilling temperatures hitting the Chicago area Wednesday night and staying until early Friday.
Officials said the artic air will cover portions of north-central and northeast Illinois, and northwest Indiana. Windchills are expected to plummet to negative 10 to negative 20 late Wednesday night.
The artic air is expected to stick around Thursday and into Friday.
The city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications is working with the National Weather Service to monitor conditions during this period, a news release said.
There is a 40% chance of snow Wednesday before artic air infiltrates the region. Officials are expecting patchy blowing snow Wednesday morning with southwest winds expected to shift to the northwest Wednesday afternoon becoming blustery with gusts up to 25 mph, officials said.
Current morning conditions at O’Hare International Airport registered as overcast at 26 degrees with a wind chill of negative six degrees. Farther south, at Midway Airport, conditions are similar at 24 degrees with a wind chill of negative four.
More weather news
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Chicago weather: How our 2025-26 seasonal snowfall compares with previous years
Chicago’s winter parking ban goes into effect Dec 1. Here’s what to know — snow or no snow.
Saturday snow breaks record in Chicago, National Weather Service says
Christmas tree lots in Chicago prepare for heavy snow and customers: ‘When it snows, they feel more Christmasy’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/03/chicago-weather-cold-temperatures/
