Category: News
Judge dismisses charges against men accused of assaulting ICE officer in Minneapolis shooting case
MINNEAPOLIS — A federal judge in Minneapolis on Friday ordered the dismissal of felony assault charges against two Venezuelan men, including one shot in the leg by a immigration officer, after new evidence emerged undercutting the government’s version of events.
In a highly unusual motion to dismiss filed late Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen said “newly discovered evidence” in the criminal case against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis “is materially inconsistent with the allegations against them” made in a criminal complaint and at a court hearing last month.
U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the charges against the two men cannot be resubmitted.
The dismissal follows a string of high-profile shootings involving federal immigration agents where eyewitness statements and video evidence have called into question claims made to justify using deadly force. Dozens of felony cases against protesters accused of assaulting or impeding federal officers have also crumbled.
A lawyer for Aljorna and Sosa-Celis said Friday that they and their families are “overjoyed” that all the charges have been dismissed. Had they been convicted, the two immigrants would have faced years in federal prison.
“The charges against them were based on lies by an ICE agent who recklessly shot into their home through a closed door,” said Brian D. Clark, a lawyer for the two men. “They are so happy justice is being served by the government’s request to dismiss all charges with prejudice.”
No comment from federal authorities on move to dismiss
An FBI investigator said in an affidavit that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Aljorna on Jan. 14. He crashed the vehicle and fled on foot toward an apartment complex. An immigration officer chased Aljorna who — according to the government — violently resisted arrest.
As the officer and Aljorna struggled on the ground, Sosa-Celis and another man came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle, according to the complaint. The officer, who was not named in court filings, fired his handgun, striking Sosa-Celis in the upper right thigh. The men fled into a nearby apartment, and were arrested.
A request for comment from the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota received an automated response Friday saying the office no longer has a public information officer. There has been a wave of staff departures from the federal prosecutor’s office since the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge, a concentrated immigration enforcement effort targeting the Twin Cities. The Justice Department in Washington has not responded to a request for comment.
The day after the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attacked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the Democrats of “encouraging impeding and assault against our law enforcement which is a federal crime, a felony.”
“What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement,” Noem said in a Jan. 15 statement. “Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot.”
The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests for comment Friday asking whether Noem stands by those statements. The department also did not respond to questions about whether there was any investigation into the shooting or whether the ICE officer would face disciplinary action.
Clark, the lawyer for Aljorna and Sosa-Celis, called Friday for the identify of the ICE agent to be made public and that he “be charged for his crime.”
Holes already apparent in prosecution case
Rosen’s motion seeking to drop the charges did not detail what new evidence had emerged or what falsehoods had been in the government’s prior filings, but cracks began to appear in the government’s case during a Jan. 21 court hearing to determine whether the accused men could be released pending trial.
In court, the ICE officer’s account of the moments before the shooting differed significantly from testimony from the two defendants and three eyewitnesses. The ICE officer’s account that he was assaulted with a broom and snow shovel was also not corroborated by available video evidence.
Aljorna and Sosa-Celis denied assaulting the agent with a broom or a snow shovel. Neither video evidence nor testimony from a neighbor and the men’s romantic partners supported the agent’s account that he had been attacked with a broom or shovel or that a third person was involved.
Frederick Goetz, a lawyer representing Aljorna, said his client had a broomstick in his hand and threw it at the agent as he ran toward the house. Attorney Robin Wolpert, representing Sosa-Celis, said he had been holding a shovel but was retreating into the home when the officer fired, wounding him. The men’s attorneys said the prosecution’s case relied wholly on testimony from the agent who fired the gun.
Neither Aljorna and Sosa-Celis had violent criminal records. Both had been working as DoorDash delivery drivers at night in an attempt to avoid encounters with federal agents, their attorneys said.
Aljorna and Sosa-Celis retreated into a nearby home and they barricaded the door to prevent federal agents from entering, according to the FBI agent. Federal officers used tear gas to try to force the men out of their home, he added. Out of concern for the safety of two children inside the home — both under the age of 2 — Aljorna and Sosa-Celis turned themselves over to authorities.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/ice-minneapolis-judge/
Experts say vetting tips in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance is a huge but vital task
An Arizona sheriff’s department got more than 4,000 calls within 24 hours after the release of videos of a masked person on Nancy Guthrie’s porch. Many tips will be worthless. Others could have merit. Experts say one thing’s certain: They can’t be ignored.
Tips can solve crimes — big or small — and eerie images of a mysterious male covered head to toe have been the most significant clues shared with the public during Guthrie’s nearly 2-week-old disappearance in the Tucson area.
“It’s a tremendous amount of work,” said Roberto Villaseñor, a former Tucson police chief.
Search for Nancy Guthrie now seeks nearby security videos from the month before she vanished
“In a situation like this, you really cannot do what’s been done without tips and public input,” he said. “They have processed the scene. But once that’s done and exhausted, it’s hard to move forward without additional information coming in.”
Tens of thousands of tips
The Pima County sheriff and the FBI announced phone numbers and a website to offer tips about the apparent kidnapping of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Several hundred detectives and agents have been assigned to the case, the sheriff’s department said.
The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.
“Every tip is reviewed for credibility, relevance, and information that can be acted upon by law enforcement,” the FBI said Thursday on X, adding that the effort is a 24-hour operation. It said it won’t comment on the tips received.
Tips have made a difference many times
Major U.S. crimes for years have been cracked with a tip. In 1995, the brother and sister-in-law of Ted Kaczynski recognized certain tones in an anonymous, widely published anti-technology manifesto. Known by the FBI as the “Unabomber,” Kaczynski was found living in a shack in Montana and subsequently admitted to committing 16 bombings over 17 years, killing three people.
The 1989 murders of an Ohio woman and two teen daughters in Florida were solved three years later when St. Petersburg police asked the public if they recognized handwriting found in the victims’ car. A former neighbor led investigators to Oba Chandler.
Retired Detroit homicide investigator Ira Todd recalled how images from a gas station camera solved the disappearance and death of a 3-month-old baby — and stopped authorities from pursuing the wrong person in 2001. “A niece of this guy saw it on TV and says, ‘That’s my uncle,’” he said.
The murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022 generated nearly 40,000 tips to state and federal authorities. None had a direct role in the capture of Bryan Kohberger, but the public’s involvement nonetheless was “absolutely” important, said Lt. Darren Gilbertson of the Idaho State Police.
“That’s one of the things that kept us going for weeks,” he said, while authorities awaited DNA and other evidence.
Sorting the helpful from the odd
Gilbertson said much of the early vetting in the Idaho murders was done by the FBI. He said agents and analysts who were screening tips had a good grasp of what information could be spiked and what should be handed up to key investigators. Some tips arrived by regular mail.
“Aliens to bears to crazy conspiratorial ideas — don’t even pass that along,” Gilbertson said.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Hours before her family knew she was gone, a porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket and gloves — images that were released by the FBI along with a public plea for help.
The FBI on Thursday said the person, now a suspect, is a man about 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a medium build. The agency also named the brand and model of the backpack.
Neighborhood resident Laura Gargano said she’s tried to be helpful. She recommended that authorities look at an underground tank at Guthrie’s home, which was checked last weekend. She also told them that a rental house, not typical for the neighborhood, had recently been vacated.
“I noticed the cars were gone,” she told The Associated Press. “It could have been nothing, it could have been coincidental, but it was a change.”
The sheriff’s department has not said whether any tips from the videos have advanced the investigation.
“I’m hopeful,” said Villaseñor, the former Tucson chief. “I have seen cases where simpler and less detailed information has helped bring somebody about. Maybe someone recognizes clothing, maybe the bag. You never know what someone will key on.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/nancy-guthrie-disappearance-tips/
Law & Order column: Event set to remember Round Lake Beach boy
Round Lake Beach has announced a community event to remember the life of Markell Pierce, an 8-year-old village resident who authorities say was killed by his mother and her boyfriend.
The event is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center, 2007 N. Civic Center Way.
The night of prayer is meant to allow people to collectively grieve and seek healing in the wake of the child’s death. The village said. The event is free and open to all.
Pierce died on Feb.6 after, authorities said, he was subjected to malnourishment and regular punishment with a belt, along with verbal abuse. His mother, Dominique Servant, and her boyfriend, Joey Ruffin, have been charged with first-degree murder in the boy’s death.
Shooting victim identified
The Lake County Coroner’s Office has identified the man killed in an officer-involved shooting in Waukegan.
Ricardo Delafuente, 58, of Waukegan, died of multiple gunshot wounds, the coroner said.
Waukegan police officers came to an address in the 100 block of Leith Avenue at around 3 p.m. on Feb. 7 for a report of a suicidal subject, and according to police, the shooting ensued.
Waukegan police have declined to release additional information about the shooting. The Illinois State Police is conducting the investigation.
Serious injuries
A Zion man was injured Wednesday when he failed to slow and rear-ended another vehicle near Antioch, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.
The crash happened on Hunt Club Road near Stateline Road, police said.
The Zion man was driving north in a Toyota Yaris when he struck a Chevrolet Colorado that was stopped at a stop sign. The impact pushed the Colorado into a Dodge Durango that was stopped ahead of it. Neither of those drivers was injured.
The Zion man, 32, was brought to a hospital with what police said were serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Senior advocates
The Sheriff’s Office is reminding older residents of its senior advocates program.
The volunteer program helps build connections between seniors and law enforcement.
“Through monthly meetings and ongoing training, our advocates learn about crime prevention, community safety, and victim assistance — helping reduce opportunities for criminal victimization and improve quality of life for older residents,” the sheriff’s office said.
People interested in the program can send an email to sdcommunityservices@lakecountyil.gov.
Shooting arrest
Grayslake police have announced an arrest in a recent shooting.
GPD detectives, along with members of an FBI team, took Elo Owolidie, 28, of Evanston, into custody on Feb. 11. He has been charged with aggravated battery with a firearm.
The arrest stems from a Jan. 30 shooting near the 500 block of Lincoln Avenue in Grayslake. A man was reportedly wounded in the shooting.
At the time, police described the shooting as an isolated incident and said there was no danger to the public.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/law-and-order-column-8/
Maestros llegan a acuerdo para poner fin a huelga en San Francisco
Por OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Los maestros de San Francisco han alcanzado un acuerdo provisional con el distrito escolar para poner fin a su huelga, la primera de este tipo en casi 50 años.
Las escuelas reabrirán para el personal el viernes y para los estudiantes el miércoles, después de dos días festivos, informó la superintendenta del Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Francisco, Maria Su.
Funcionarios del distrito tenían previsto celebrar una conferencia de prensa más tarde el viernes para compartir detalles del acuerdo.
La huelga de unos 6.000 maestros de escuelas públicas comenzó el lunes. El distrito había cerrado sus 120 escuelas y dijo que ofrecería estudio independiente a algunos de sus 50.000 estudiantes.
Los maestros se fueron al paro después de que las negociaciones no lograran alcanzar un nuevo contrato. Exigían salarios más altos, más beneficios de salud y más recursos para estudiantes con necesidades especiales.
El sindicato y el distrito habían estado negociando durante casi un año, y los maestros reclamaban atención médica familiar totalmente financiada, aumentos salariales y la cobertura de puestos vacantes que afectan la educación especial y los servicios.
El sindicato pidió un aumento del 9% en dos años, lo que significaría 92 millones de dólares adicionales al año para el distrito. Afirman que ese dinero podría salir de fondos de reserva que podrían redirigirse de vuelta a las aulas y a los planteles escolares.
El distrito escolar, que enfrenta un déficit de 100 millones de dólares y está bajo supervisión estatal debido a una crisis financiera, rechazó la idea. Respondió con un aumento salarial del 6% pagado a lo largo de tres años. Su indicó que la oferta también incluye bonificaciones para todos los empleados si hay un superávit para el año escolar 2027-28.
Un informe de un panel neutral de verificación de hechos, publicado la semana pasada, recomendó un compromiso de un aumento del 6% en dos años, en gran medida alineándose con los argumentos del distrito de que tiene limitaciones financieras.
El sindicato sostuvo que los maestros de San Francisco reciben algunas de las contribuciones más bajas para sus costos de atención médica en el Área de la Bahía, lo que empuja a muchos a irse. Su explicó que el distrito ofreció dos opciones: que el distrito pague el 75% de la cobertura de salud familiar al proveedor de seguros Kaiser u ofrecer una asignación anual de 24.000 dólares para que los maestros elijan su plan de atención médica.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
EPA delays coal ash cleanup at Northwest Indiana sites
A new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency delay will affect coal ash sites nationwide, including two in Northwest Indiana.
On Feb. 6, the EPA issued a rule that would give Coal Combustion Residual Management Units an additional three years to file groundwater reports, which environmental advocates said is the first step in coal ash cleanup. Now, CCRMUs have until January 2032 to file the reports.
Northern Indiana Public Service Co.’s R.M. Schahfer Generating Station sits next to a solar panel field near Wheatfield, Indiana, Aug. 11, 2022. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
NIPSCO’s Michigan City Generating Station and Schahfer Generating Station in Wheatfield were both included in the cleanup delays.
“NIPSCO is committed to meeting all (coal combustion residual) requirements and maintaining focus on safely providing reliable energy for our customers today and in the future,” a NIPSCO Communications Manager Jessica Cantarelli said in an email.
CCRMUs were exempted from cleanup requirements in the 2015 federal rule on coal ash, according to the Hoosier Environmental Council. Sites included in the 2015 rule issued first groundwater reports in March 2018.
In 2024, when the EPA issued a rule that would include CCRMUs, they were given until January 2029 to report groundwater testing.
An EPA spokesperson explained the coal ash delay in a Thursday statement.
“The action supports grid reliability and unleashes American energy potential while maintaining strong protections for human health and the environment,” the statement said. “EPA granted the extensions for coal combustion residual management units to give facilities the time needed to complete thorough facility evaluations and properly identify and precisely describe the extent of these units. This rule also grants additional time for facilities to better design and install groundwater monitoring networks to better assess groundwater quality. Facilities require adequate time to design and install the groundwater monitoring system, collect eight independent samples, and conduct statistical analysis. In addition, this rule finalizes some of the amendments that were proposed on January 16, 2025, to fix incorrect regulatory text citations as well as clarify and add provisions in the regulatory text to match the language included in the preamble. These essential changes will provide much needed clarity that will help industry to better comply with the CCR regulations, unleash American Energy Dominance, and lower the cost of living for Americans while protecting human health and the environment.”
Coal ash is a byproduct that is primarily created from burning coal in power plants, according to the EPA.
Indiana produces about 5 million tons of coal ash each year, according to the Hoosier Environmental Council, and it contains toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, boron, lithium, molybdenum and radium. Those metals can interfere with child development and cause cancer.
Indra Frank, coal ash advisor for the Hoosier Environmental Council, said the delay is a significant change. Groundwater reports require coal ash sites to test the groundwater around coal ash to see if it’s contaminated, and then they have to do additional tests to see how far the contamination spreads.
“Groundwater reports are the start of the whole cleanup process,” Frank said. “Without those, you can’t start the cleanup.”
Because of the delays, Frank expects that communities will see more toxic metals in their groundwater, which she believes will take longer to clean up in the long run, Frank said.
Ashley Williams, executive director of Just Transition Northwest Indiana, responded to the delay in a Thursday email. Williams is also a Michigan City resident and a standing declarant in an EarthJustice lawsuit that led to the establishment of the Legacy CCR Rule.
She believes that the delay could mean disaster for affected communities, such as Michigan City.
“Three more years of waiting means three more years of pollutants, metals, carcinogens, and neurotoxins poisoning our waters. We will not begin to know the full impact of this new rule until 2032, but our communities are already experiencing it,” Williams said in her email. “In Michigan City, unlined coal ash at the nearly century-old NIPSCO Michigan City Generating Station, on the city’s shoreline, continues to seep into groundwater, endangering Lake Michigan, the finite watershed we all love and depend on. With this dangerous precedent, we are watching the plant’s 2028 closure approach with deep unease and uncertainty about what comes next under an administration that is continually propping up polluters.”
Lisa Evans, senior counsel at EarthJustice, said the Michigan City site is “an excellent example” of an older waste deposit that causes harm to bodies of water around its plant’s borders. In addition to the water flowing into Lake Michigan, it’s flowing into Trail Creek, which is a popular place for fishing, Evans said.
“Each day you delay, more toxic contaminants leak into the underlying groundwater,” Evans said. “These heavy metals can accumulate in the sediment, and they can accumulate in fish.”
Williams believes that the coal ash rule delay leaves the Wheatfield community near the Schahfer Generating Station in limbo, and she encourages everyone who’s concerned to continue fighting for coal ash cleanup.
“There, a federal emergency order is in effect, keeping its coal-fired plant operational, and a massive new development is underway: a proposed data center, a combined-cycle gas plant, and a peaker plant,” Williams said. “This layered threat risks worsening coal ash pollution that is already out of control and endangering neighboring farmland and private water wells.”
In Michigan City, the contaminated groundwater flows into Lake Michigan, Frank said, and at the Schahfer Generating Station, it flows into the Kankakee River.
“If anyone is using well water that has been contaminated by coal ash, there are significant risks to health because heavy metals that are in coal ash cause a variety of health impacts,” Frank said. “It’s also possible that if the coal ash isn’t covered, and it’s open to the air and dries out on top, it can blow in the wind, and it’s unhealthy to inhale the dust from coal ash.”
Evans is not surprised the coal ash actions were taken, she said.
“From day one, EPA has been touting the benefits of coal burning and characterizing safe disposal of coal ash as an activity that harms or restricts future coal burning. Those two concepts are not logically linked. A power plant can burn coal and dispose of its waste safely and also provide power to the grid.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/epa-delays-coal-ash-cleanup-at-northwest-indiana-sites/
Column: Appeals court redeems Waukegan clerk’s good name
In recent months, we’ve seen the power of the state and how that culture of domination can ruin lives. From Chicago to Minnesota to Waukegan, average Americans have been targets of agents of the state.
Marimar Martinez, a Montessori teacher in Chicago, was shot five times by a now-apparent out-of-control member of the U.S. Border Patrol last fall. Surprisingly, she has lived to tell about it.
Two Minneapolis residents were shot to death by federal agents last month in an attempt to repress anti-immigration protests. Charges against 17 people arrested during demonstrations against Operation Midway Blitz immigration raids around Chicagoland last year have been dismissed as prosecutorial accusations have faded.
It’s all been glimpses of a depressing Orwellian future, not in 1984, but early in the new millennium.
The latest rebuff of state overreach was the dismissal last week of the highly questionable felony case against respected Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly brought by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. Two Illinois courts have now ruled that the case was shallow from the get-go.
The gist of the 10 criminal charges against a public servant who has had a sterling record of decades of service on behalf of the city taxpayers as clerk and a commissioner of the Waukegan Park District was nebulous, a county judge and appellate panel have indicated.
A Lake County grand jury based Kilkelly’s multi-count indictment alleging official misconduct in 2024 on testimony from an Illinois State Police investigator who allegedly embellished his testimony and seemed to leap to conclusions that never materialized.
Kilkelly vehemently defended her innocence, and the original charges against her were dismissed in November 2024 by Lake County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Fix. The clerk’s attorneys moved to dismiss the charges on the basis that the indictment was procured through false and misleading testimony, among other grounds.
The veteran jurist noted in her ruling, “had ALL the facts been initially known and presented to the grand jury, there would likely have been a different outcome.” Meaning an indictment surely would have been rejected by grand jurors.
That ran counter to State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart’s characterization of the case when the charges were first announced. According to Democrat Rinehart, the Kilkelly indictment was part of an “extensive investigation” into official misconduct and misapplication of funds.
Prosecutors maintained Kilkelly illegally issued five city businesses reduced credits for liquor and video-gaming license fees under a city-approved program during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. This was when they owed the city various minor fees.
The ISP detective allegedly told the grand jury that some 80 bars and eateries received city funds from the clerk’s office. That was a completely inflated figure.
Rinehart’s office appealed Judge Fix’s verdict to 2nd District Appellate Court sitting in Elgin, which agreed Feb. 11 with her decision to dismiss the charges against Kilkelly. According to her attorneys, the justices pointed out: “In the present case, the record clearly demonstrates that the State presented deceptive and inaccurate evidence to the grand jury, thereby denying defendant due process.”
The strongly worded “deceptive and inaccurate evidence” doesn’t sound good for those who are sworn officers of the court. Perhaps prosecutors also were misled by the wayward ISP investigator.
When these same state officials pushed for Kilkelly’s prosecution, they never alleged the clerk sought monetary gain for granting the financial breaks. The amount for the quintet of businesses struggling during the pandemic totaled about $6,000.
The appeals court also found that testimony presented to the grand jury through the ISP investigator subjected Kilkelly to a prejudicial denial of due process, and that dismissal of the original charges by Judge Fix was proper.
In a Feb. 11 statement, Kilkelly said, “I am grateful that the appellate court has affirmed what the trial court already determined: That the charges against me should never have been brought. I appreciate the careful review given by the court and the professionalism of my legal team throughout this process.”
While the court case against her continued in the legal system, Waukegan voters didn’t question Kilkelly’s honesty in office. She was re-elected to another four-year term as city clerk in the April 2025 municipal election. The long-time officeholder ran unopposed not only for re-election, but also for renomination in last February’s city Democratic primary.
To reclaim her reputation as an upstanding public official, Kilkelly had to hire two trial law firms and a third to argue the case before the appellate court. Attorneys are expensive, while Lake County taxpayers paid for what many saw as a case of prosecutorial overreach.
Fortunately, defense lawyers and judges at all levels so far in our democracy have become the last bulwark against the weight of the state.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. sellenews@gmail.com. X @sellenews.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/charles-selle-column-kilkelly/
Putin Is Trolling European Leaders With His Proposal To Re-Converge With The US
Putin Is Trolling European Leaders With His Proposal To Re-Converge With The US
By Bas van Geffen, Senior Market Strategist at Rabobank
Russian officials have drafted a memo that pitches a re-convergence of US and Russian interests. The proposal consists of seven points, including cooperation on critical raw materials and energy, and the possibility that Russia could return to the US dollar settlement system.
The memo was conveniently ‘leaked’ during an informal retreat of EU leaders to discuss the future of the bloc, and ahead of the Munich Security Conference. It’s a plan that Europe and China would hate, but President Trump may love the idea – especially with “preferential conditions for US companies to return to the Russian market” to sweeten the deal.
It’s unclear if any of these points were ever pitched to Trump. And why would Russia be so eager to return to dollar settlements, after the US has demonstrated willingness to cut them off? So, it’s likely that the Russians are simply trolling as European leaders attended their very own Castlefest – “Where fantasy becomes your reality” – to discuss the future of European industry.
The European summit was an informal one, so no decisions were taken. However, President of the European Commission Von der Leyen promised to present a “One Europe, One Market” roadmap at the next formal summit, in March. Despite the inclusion of “one” in the title –twice even–, it increasingly looks like a multi-speed EU is the way forward.
Both Von der Leyen and European Council President Costa expressed their preference to move forward with all 27 EU member states. However, they acknowledged that this often means that the EU moves at the pace of the slowest. To avoid this, they supported the use of “enhanced cooperation,” if all member states cannot agree on common goals.
This legal instrument allows nine or more member states to push ahead with reforms, while others can still join at any time. “Enhanced cooperation” has been in place since the 1999 Treaty of Amsterdam and has been used several times since – most recently to adopt a new financing program for Ukraine (the €90 billion for 2026–2027). So, it is perhaps being considered as an option to speed up decision-making.
In particular, Von der Leyen believes that this may be required for the adoption of the 28th regime, a harmonized set of corporate legislation across the bloc to make it easier to scale up across borders – although the fact that this will coexist next to national law (its not the “One Regime”) may add some complexity as companies have to choose between the two regimes.
That’s not the only dimension along which EU member states may start to diverge. Von der Leyen has said that if no progress is made on the Savings and Investment Union this year, she will push ahead with a smaller group of countries. And several member states have renewed calls for Eurobonds to further increase investments in Europe. However, German Chancellor Merz has been vehemently opposed. Could this become another matter of “enhanced cooperation,” and if so, what would a Eurobond-ex-Germany look like?
Clearly, our reasoning above suggests that Eurobonds are probably a less suitable candidate for enhanced cooperation as they are “very divisive” (as Meloni described them); have much more profound consequences for ‘fiscal sovereignty’; and may affect or even harm the non-cooperators. Or, in the case of countries like Germany holding out, could potentially hinder the success of a Eurobond.
In any case, whether Eurobonds make the list or not, it is clear that in an attempt to strengthen the Union, the EU is now willing to move less in unison. Whether these multispeed developments in the bloc end up strengthening or damaging the EU remains to be seen. But it is arguably a better shot at reforming the European economy – and doing so with sufficient speed – than trying to get consensus amongst all 27.
The formal summit in March will have to prove whether European leaders stop LARPing and truly start to act on some of these ideas.
Meanwhile, concerns over Europe’s competitiveness are more acute, especially due to high energy costs for companies. Even though commodity prices have eased compared to previous years, European producers still face significantly higher energy costs than competitors in the US and China.
At yesterday’s meeting, EU leaders concentrated on ways to bring these costs down and highlighted the need for a thorough ETS review, citing volatility and speculation as factors undermining affordability. Carbon prices reached €90/MT in January, far above the European Commission’s 2020 projection of €32–65/MT. Several leaders pointed to that gap as evidence that reform is needed.
These concerns are amplified by geopolitical developments. President Trump’s repeal of the 2009 EPA “endangerment finding” –the legal basis for US greenhouse‑gas regulation– illustrates a sharp shift in US climate policy. The administration argues the move will lower vehicle prices, with estimates of $2,400 to $3,000 in savings per car, underscoring the growing policy divergence that puts further competitive pressure on Europe.
But while the EU is still discussing how to provide a better business climate for industry and AI startups, AI is not waiting for word from the ivory tower. Artificial intelligence continues to advance.
Investor sentiment on software developers was already souring on concerns that AI can replace many of these products. These advancements are being extrapolated. Microsoft AI CEO Suleyman told the Financial Times that “Most white-collar work will be fully automated by an AI within the next 12 to 18 months.” Investors, too, seem to be looking at which roles, companies, or even sectors could be next. The S&P 500 lost 1.6% yesterday after an AI-scare hit the transport sector, and the AI-driven selloff continued into the Asian session.
Tensions in Asia could also spark further bouts of risk-aversion. The US signed a trade deal with Taiwan, which lowers US import tariffs to 15% in return for large investments in the US semiconductor industry, purchases of US LNG and oil, as well as lower tariffs on US exports. But the deal is sure to anger Beijing.
And the relationship between Japan and China is under renewed pressure too, after Japan seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its captain.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 02/13/2026 – 11:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/putin-trolling-european-leaders-his-proposal-re-converge-us
Retorno de refugiados lleva a Afganistán al límite, advierte la ACNUR
Por ELENA BECATOROS y JAMEY KEATEN
GINEBRA (AP) — El regreso de millones de afganos desde Pakistán e Irán está empujando a Afganistán al borde del colapso, informó el viernes la agencia de la ONU para los refugiados, al describir una escala de retornos sin precedentes.
Un total de 5,4 millones de personas han regresado a Afganistán desde octubre de 2023, en su mayoría desde los dos países vecinos, señaló Arafat Jamal, representante de la Alta Comisión de las Naciones para los Refugiados (ACNUR) en Afganistán, al intervenir en una sesión informativa de la ONU en Ginebra mediante enlace de video desde Kabul, la capital afgana.
“Esto es enorme, y la rapidez y la magnitud de estos retornos han llevado a Afganistán casi al borde”, declaró Jamal.
Pakistán lanzó una amplia ofensiva en octubre de 2023 para expulsar a migrantes sin documentos, instando a quienes estaban en el país a marcharse por su propia voluntad para evitar el arresto y la deportación forzosa, y expulsando por la fuerza a otros. Irán también inició una ofensiva contra los migrantes aproximadamente en la misma época.
Desde entonces, millones han cruzado la frontera hacia Afganistán, incluidas personas que nacieron en Pakistán hace décadas y habían construido allí sus vidas y creado negocios.
Tan solo el año pasado, 2,9 millones de personas regresaron a Afganistán, indicó Jamal, al precisar que fue “la mayor cifra de retornos que hemos presenciado hacia un solo país”.
Los gobernantes talibanes de Afganistán han criticado las expulsiones masivas.
Jamal explicó que Afganistán ya lidiaba con una grave situación humanitaria y un pobre historial de derechos humanos, en particular en lo relativo a mujeres y niñas, y que la llegada masiva de personas —equivalente al 12% de la población— ha sometido al país a una presión severa.
Añadió que, en apenas el mes y medio transcurrido desde el inicio de este año, unas 150.000 personas ya habían regresado a Afganistán.
Las autoridades afganas entregan paquetes de asistencia a quienes retornan, que incluyen algo de ayuda alimentaria, dinero en efectivo, una tarjeta SIM telefónica y transporte hacia partes del país donde podrían tener familiares. Pero los retornos han tensado los recursos en un país que ya tenía dificultades para hacer frente a una economía débil y a los efectos de una severa sequía y de dos terremotos devastadores.
En noviembre, el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo dijo que nueve de cada 10 familias en zonas de Afganistán con altas tasas de retorno estaban recurriendo a lo que se conoce como mecanismos negativos de supervivencia: ya sea saltarse comidas, endeudarse o vender sus pertenencias para sobrevivir.
“Nos preocupa profundamente la sostenibilidad de estos retornos”, indicó Jamal señalando que, si bien el 5% de quienes regresan dice que volverá a salir de Afganistán, más del 10% afirma que conoce a alguien que ya se ha ido.
“Estas decisiones de emprender viajes peligrosos no están impulsadas por la falta de deseo de permanecer en el país; al contrario, obedecen a la realidad de que muchos no pueden reconstruir vidas viables y dignas”, subrayó.
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Becatoros reportó desde Atenas.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Dayot Upamecano firma nuevo contrato de 4 años con Bayern Múnich
MÚNICH (AP) — El defensor francés Dayot Upamecano firmó un nuevo contrato por cuatro años para permanecer en el Bayern Múnich.
El gigante de la Bundesliga puso fin el viernes a una larga saga al anunciar que Upamecano, de 27 años, estampó la firma en un nuevo contrato hasta junio de 2030, lo que terminó con las conjeturas de que podría dejarse seducir por el supuesto interés del Real Madrid y el Paris Saint-Germain al final de la temporada.
A su contrato vigente solo le quedaban unos meses.
“Upamecano es otra figura central de nuestro equipo con la que hemos podido ampliar el vínculo. Un plantel necesita puntos de apoyo, y con Dayot ya tenemos el siguiente”, dijo Max Eberl, miembro de la junta del Bayern responsable del área deportiva, en el sitio web del club. “A menudo la pregunta no es a quién fichas, sino a quién desarrollas. Dayot ha madurado aquí en el Bayern hasta convertirse en un internacional de primer nivel”.
Upamecano llegó procedente del Leipzig en 2021, cuando el Bayern pagó su cláusula de rescisión de alrededor de 43 millones de euros (entonces 52,2 millones de dólares). Se incorporó al Leipzig del club filial Salzburgo en 2017.
Uli Hoeness, influyente dirigente del Bayern, había expresado recientemente su decepción porque Upamecano aún no se había comprometido a seguir en el club y dio a entender que “sus asesores harían todo lo posible para alejarlo”.
Ha disputado 180 partidos con el Bayern y suma 35 encuentros con Francia.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Pentagon Confirms 1st Troop Death In Drug Boat Targeting Operation Southern Spear
Pentagon Confirms 1st Troop Death In Drug Boat Targeting Operation Southern Spear
In the first publicly disclosed military death related to America’s ongoing ‘Southern Spear’ operation to disrupt the Caribbean and Latin American drug smuggling network, a Marine with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit died after falling overboard USS Iwo Jima, the Marine Corps has confirmed..
Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka Oforah, 21, of Florida, fell overboard Feb. 7, the a II Marine Expeditionary Force said in a press release.
The USS Iwo Jima, US Navy/Getty Images
Oforah is the first service member whose death was publicly announced as part of the huge US naval Caribbean build-up since last Fall, which enforced an embargo on sanctioned tankers coming in and out of Venezuela, and which is now doing the same for Cuba, with an eye on ‘illicit’ Russian and Chinese shadow fleet tankers as well.
The Marines officially declared him deceased Tuesday after a three-day search. Oforah has been identified as an infantry rifleman who was deployed to the Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 22nd MEU (SOC).
“We are all grieving alongside the Oforah family,” 22nd MEU (SOC) commanding officer Col. Tom Trimble stated. “The loss of Lance Cpl. Oforah is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corps team. He will be profoundly missed, and his dedicated service will not be forgotten.”
The circumstances of his death are focus of an ongoing Pentagon investigation, and no other details have been released. The rescue and recovery operation, before he was declared officially “lost at sea”, were extensive, per US Navy sources:
Five Navy ships, a rigid-hull inflatable boat and 10 aircraft – including six helicopters – from the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force were involved in the search, according to the release.
The six helicopters were two Navy MH-60 Sierras, two Navy MH-60 Romeos, one Marine Corps AH-IZ Viper and one UH-IY Venom. A Navy P-8 Poseidon, two Air Force HC-130J Combat King IIs and an Air Force MQ-9 Reaper were part of the search effort.
The January 3rd major US incursion into Venezuela to nab longtime Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reportedly resulted in no American deaths; however, there were widespread reports that a helicopter was hit by a ground-fired missile, which injured a crewmember who survived the ordeal.
This also comes amid news that two US warships collided during a refueling operation in the same waters: two injuries…
🚨 Marine Declared Dead After Falling Overboard from USS Iwo Jima in Caribbean; 2 Injured in Separate Ship Collision
A U.S. Marine assigned to the USS Iwo Jima fell overboard in the Caribbean Sea on Feb. 7 and has been declared dead after a 72-hour search failed, the military… pic.twitter.com/zegEpgpVHR
— SafetySwipe (@SafetyNotorious) February 12, 2026
According to the Pentagon press release of the lost Marine, “He completed the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. At the time of his death, he was deployed with Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 22nd MEU (SOC), aboard the USS Iwo Jima. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation. An official photo of Lance Cpl. Oforah is not available.”
Tyler Durden
Fri, 02/13/2026 – 11:20












