Category: News
Marruecos y Senegal prometen mantener amistad y fortalecer comercio tras tensiones en Copa Africana
RABAT, Marruecos (AP) — Negándose a permitir que un tumultuoso partido de fútbol tensione los lazos diplomáticos y económicos, Marruecos y Senegal se comprometieron el lunes a dar un nuevo impulso a su relación y a aumentar el comercio y la inversión entre las dos naciones africanas.
Los primeros ministros de Marruecos y Senegal firmaron 17 acuerdos en Rabat, la capital marroquí, para aumentar las inversiones en sectores como la agricultura, la infraestructura, la pesca y la minería.
Las firmas se produjeron una semana después de la caótica final de la Copa Africana de Naciones entre los dos países, en la que los jugadores senegaleses abandonaron el campo en protesta por un penal en su contra y los aficionados intentaron invadir el campo. Grupos de derechos en Marruecos describieron un aumento en el discurso de odio tras el partido, que Senegal ganó 1-0.
“Esos excesos deben entenderse como arrebatos emocionales producidos por el fervor y no como divisiones políticas o culturales”, dijo el primer ministro senegalés, Ousmane Sonko, afirmó en la apertura de una comisión conjunta marroquí-senegalesa en Rabat.
“La amistad entre Marruecos y Senegal es más fuerte que las emociones”, añadió.
Funcionarios de ambos países dicen que la relación se basa en fuertes lazos económicos.
Para Senegal, una nación de África Occidental con una gran deuda, Marruecos es un inversor africano líder. Senegal busca atraer inversión del extranjero, y Marruecos ha invertido cientos de millones de dólares en los sectores bancario, energético y agrícola de Senegal. Marruecos también alberga a una gran comunidad senegalesa.
Para Marruecos, Senegal es un destino clave de exportación. Marruecos envió más de 200 millones de dólares en bienes a Senegal en 2024 y ha buscado expandir su presencia económica y diplomática en toda África como parte de una estrategia más amplia para fortalecer su influencia continental. El reino norteafricano también es hogar de la influyente orden sufí Tijaniyya, cuyos seguidores incluyen a un gran número de discípulos senegaleses.
El primer ministro marroquí, Aziz Akhannouch, dijo que la relación entre Marruecos y Senegal se basa en “fundamentos sólidos”. Añadió que los dos países permanecen “fieles al espíritu de hermandad, solidaridad y respeto”.
Abandon Big Tech: Ethereum Founder Buterin Calls 2026 The Year To Reclaim Self-Sovereign Computing
Abandon Big Tech: Ethereum Founder Buterin Calls 2026 The Year To Reclaim Self-Sovereign Computing
Authored by Christina Comben via CoinTelegraph.com,
Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin declared 2026 to be the “year we take back lost ground in computing self-sovereignty,” starting with his own devices.
In a Friday post on X, he laid out the software changes he has made to reduce reliance on data-hungry, centralized platforms.
The “two major changes” to the software he used in 2025 were switching “almost fully” to Fileverse, an open-source, decentralized document platform — a kind of privacy-preserving Google Docs — and switching “decisively” to Signal as his primary messaging app.
Signal uses end-to-end encryption by default for all one-to-one and group chats, and stores minimal metadata, meaning only limited information, such as when an account was created or the last date it connected to the service.
Telegram, in contrast, only offers end-to-end encryption in optional “secret chats” and otherwise keeps messages and metadata on its own servers, a model that has drawn scrutiny as law enforcement data requests have increased in countries like France.
Becoming more self-sovereign. Source: Vitalik Buterin
Local AI and self-hosted tools
In 2026, Buterin has moved from Google Maps to OpenStreetMap via OrganicMaps and from Gmail to Proton Mail, while prioritizing decentralized social media.
Buterin also discussed his experiments with locally hosting large language models, arguing that sending all data to third-party services is “unnecessary” when users can increasingly run artificial intelligence tools on their own hardware.
He said better user interfaces, integrations and efficiency are still needed to make local models a seamless default, but added that there has already been “huge progress” compared with a year ago.
Privacy advocates see broader shift
His post echoes points made by privacy advocate and NBTV founder Naomi Brockwell, who described running models locally as the most private way to use AI without sending prompts or documents to external servers.
How to use AI privately. Source: Naomi Brockwell
Brockwell has spent years teaching privacy-enhancing behavior to mainstream audiences, arguing that privacy is about autonomy rather than secrecy and encouraging the use of tools like Bitcoin, encrypted messengers and self-hosted services to reduce government and corporate surveillance power.
Buterin’s post also comes amid renewed debate over how much access governments and platforms should have to users’ private communications and metadata.
The European Union’s controversial Chat Control proposal, for example, originally included pre‑encryption scanning of messages to detect abusive material, and prompted warnings from civil liberties groups and technologists that client‑side scanning could undermine trust in encrypted apps.
Progressively swapping out everyday apps for encrypted, open-source and local alternatives is, according to Buterin and other privacy advocates, one way for users to start reclaiming control over their data flows.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/26/2026 – 15:25
Afternoon Briefing: As HOAs continue to grow, so do the fees
Good afternoon, Chicago.
The Chicago Harbor Lock is expected to see its federal funding cut by more than 90% this year after an effort by Illinois lawmakers to secure more money for the busy stop lock and dam failed.
The Harbor Lock, the mechanism which boats use to travel between Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, is one of the busiest locks in the U.S. The 24/7 operation is run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Kristen Boyer and her 3-year-old son, George Boyer, watch as Amelia Gray, a 9-year-old polar bear, swims at Brookfield Zoo on Jan. 8, 2026. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Brookfield Zoo leads effort to protect polar bears as Trump opens Arctic refuge to oil drilling
The usual challenges to studying polar bears in their natural habitat have been further complicated after President Donald Trump in October announced plans to open 1.6 million pristine acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain in northeastern Alaska to leasing for oil and gas drilling. Read more here.
More top news stories:
Chicago weather: How our 2025-26 seasonal snowfall compares with previous years
Geneva, other suburban communities joining forces to represent interests in potential Union Pacific merger
Homeowner Kevin Sherry stands in his condo on Dec. 23, 2025, in a 40-unit Andersonville building from the late 1800s that once housed a Swedish telephone company and map factory. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
As more homes have community associations, monthly fees can make or break an owner’s living situation
Community associations, which include condominiums, planned developments and co-ops, are rapidly increasing in size and number. Read more here.
More top business stories:
WFLD-Ch. 32 meteorologist Mike Caplan and his wife sell Gurnee home for $675,000
Businesses face pressure to respond to immigration enforcement while also becoming a target of it
Derrick Rose takes a quick peek at the United Center atrium, decorated in his honor, prior to his No. 1 jersey being retired by the Chicago Bulls in a ceremony scheduled for after a game between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics on Jan. 24, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Column: Derrick Rose celebration gives Chicago sports fans what they love most — a reason to remember
Derrick Rose’s moving number retirement ceremony Saturday at the United Center was the latest in a series of reunions of former athletes and coaches, following celebrations for the 2016 Cubs, the Blackhawks’ Cup-winning teams of 2010, ’13 and ’15, and the return of former Hawks captain Jonathan Toews to the U.C. with the Winnipeg Jets. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Chicago Bears CB Nahshon Wright added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster as an injury replacement
Chicago Blackhawks allow 4 unanswered goals in loss to defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Martha Graham Dance Company performs at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on Jan. 24, 2026. (Jose Calvo)
Review: Martha Graham Dance Company makes a rare Chicago visit — with a timely finale
“Chronicle” premiered in December 1936 in New York. And it closed the Martha Graham Dance Company’s 100th anniversary program, performed Saturday night at the Auditorium Theatre in the company’s first fully produced visit to Chicago in nearly two decades. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
Review: Music of the Baroque presents ‘Fathers & Sons,’ crowned by one of Chicago’s own musical sons
Review: In ‘Salome’ by Lyric Opera, devastating excess is the point
This image taken from video provided by WABI television, emergency cervices work on a scene of the Bombardier Challenger 600 crash at the Bangor Airport in Maine, Jan. 25, 2026. (WABI via AP)
Federal Aviation Administration says 7 killed, 1 survived jet crash in snow in Bangor, Maine
The Bombardier Challenger 600 carrying eight people crashed on takeoff at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday night as New England and much of the country grappled with a massive winter storm. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
Federal judge hears arguments on Minnesota’s immigration crackdown after fatal shootings
US aircraft carrier arrives in the Middle East as tensions with Iran remain high
Cool Cluster Dog Shows bring 5,000 canines to Grayslake: ‘Some really awesome dogs’
Despite snow and frigid weather, canine enthusiasts turned out for the Cool Cluster Dog Shows in Grayslake, which began Wednesday and ran through Sunday at the Expo Hall of the Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center.
“I wish more of the public would come, but on this horrible weekend of horrible weather, I don’t blame them for not coming,” show chairman Ken Murray said Saturday.
“Normally, with this weather, it’s not that good,” he said. “But … some of the biggest winning dogs throughout the whole country are here.”
Murray is a show judge with experience as a professional dog handler. He and Virginia Murray also own and operate the Dominoe Pet Resort in Island Lake.
Approximately 5,000 dogs were entered, with five winning best of show honors, he said. On Saturday alone, 950 dogs were shown with their handlers for judging in their assigned rings for breeds.
The Cool Cluster Dog Shows series is presented by the Kenosha Kennel Club, Park Shore Kennel Club and Chain O’ Lakes Kennel Club. The event committee is made up of Ken and Virginia Murray, Lee Kouski, Paul Lehrke, Lori Scharneck and Susan Olsen.
Meet Bear, 11 months, a male Australian Terrier who is being groomed on a table on Jan. 24, 2026 at the Cool Cluster Dog Shows at Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Grayslake. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
“We’ve been having dog shows in Grayslake for 75 years,” Ken Murray said.
There were dogs from outside of the U.S., including two fluffy, tiny Pomeranian breeds from Lithuania, both males, Da Vinci, 3, and Mimir, 2.
Handler Stephanie Hentschel of Kokomo, Indiana, was assigned to show Da Vinci and Mimir, which meant swiftly exiting the ring to safely exchange pups for their turns at judging.
Da Vinci won the “best of breed” ribbon in the Pomeranian judging round.
An outing with extended family on a frosty cool Saturday. Steve and Linda Thompson of Wauconda, with their grandson Myles Weiland, 6 months, of Antioch, interact with a dog chaperone on Jan. 24, 2026 at the Cool Cluster Dog Shows at Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Grayslake. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
“He is an excellent example of the breed,” Hentschel said. “He has a beautiful shape, beautiful hair. He’s excellent at moving around the ring, and he just has an amazing personality. He loves what he does, and he wants people to know he’s the best one.”
Hentschel explained why owners want their prize dogs shown in Lake County.
“For us, this is a local dog show, so it’s important to support our local clubs and our local events,” she said. “We want to make sure that they can continue to hold shows for a long time, and we obviously want to make sure the public can come out and see some really awesome dogs.”
Showing a prize Pomeranian by a trainer meant waiting your turn at the raised table in the ring for the judge to check the dog’s structure and health, plus there was walking with a leash inside white fencing, and in some cases, prancing with their pro handlers.
Two smiles after a Best of Breed win. Da Vinci, 3, a male Pomeranian from Lithuania seems to smile with his handler Stephanie Hentschel of Kokomo, Indiana on Jan. 24, 2026 at the Cool Cluster Dog Shows at Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Grayslake. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
Before they entered the ring, they were fluffed by professional groomers, also on raised tables. Hairspray was used with brushing to obtain the best puffy, pillowy look.
Celso Schneider, a handler from Crystal Lake, groomed Hermes, a male Pomeranian pup.
“There’s a lot of pleasures,” Schneider said. “One of them is to improve the breed. This is the first goal. You show so people can see, and you are showing your … breeding stock.
“So once you’re judging, you’re comparing the dogs so you can see … what you need to improve,” Schneider said.
The rings are busy with different breeds with handlers on Jan. 24, 2026 at the Cool Cluster Dog Shows at Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Grayslake. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/cool-cluster-dog-shows/
Mobocracy: Democratic Politicians Compete In Race To The Bottom Over ICE Shooting
Mobocracy: Democratic Politicians Compete In Race To The Bottom Over ICE Shooting
This year, there has been a race to the bottom as Democratic politicians fuel the rage in our streets against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
That continued this last week when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz again rushed to judgment after a shooting, adding that the public should not treat Border Patrol or ICE officers as real “law enforcement” officers.
However, rock bottom was finally reached by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D), who not only said that she does not consider ICE officers to be “real law enforcement,” but raised the possibility of citizens shooting them under state law.
First, the obvious.
Mayes said, “I put [“officers”] in air quotes because I don’t think they are real law enforcement.” These are real law enforcement officers under federal law, enforcing federal law. Period. The effort by Walz, Mayes, and others to question their status or treat them as impostors is clearly designed to inflame citizens and encourage greater confrontations.
It is a dangerous form of demagoguery. It is sending citizens into harm’s way, encouraging them to impede federal operations involving the arrest of criminal suspects.
Mayes’s comments could justify many putting “attorney general” in air quotes since she is not only misleading citizens about the status of these officers but also enabling the very rage that is causing the injury and death of individuals.
Again, repeating Walz’s talking points, she referred to these officers as “poorly trained.” She obviously has no idea about the training of these officers. The officer involved in the Alex Pretti shooting was an experienced officer with the Border Patrol. The officer involved in the prior Renée Good shooting was also an experienced officer.
While mischaracterizing the officers, figures like Walz are sending demonstrably “untrained” citizens into highly dangerous situations. Walz specifically called out citizens into the streets to record these operations, which is precisely what Pretti was trying to do before his fatal confrontation with officers.
Mayes, however, was not looking for a tie in that race to the bottom. She told citizens that Arizona’s “Stand Your Ground” law might be cited as grounds for the use of lethal force against officers. She declared:
“You have these masked, federal officers with very little identification — sometimes no identification — wearing plain clothes and masks and we have a ‘Stand Your Ground’ law that says if you reasonably believe your life is in danger and you’re in your house or in your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force.”
She later added, “It’s a fact that we have a ‘Stand Your Ground’ law and, in other states, un-uniformed, masked people who can’t be identified as police officers.”
It was a reckless statement of the law.
These laws only protect “reasonable” uses of self-defense. However, they have an express exemption for using force “to resist an arrest that the person knows or should know is being made by a peace officer or by a person acting in a peace officer’s presence and at his direction, whether the arrest is lawful or unlawful, unless the physical force used by the peace officer exceeds that allowed by law.”
It is not uncommon for law enforcement to use officers in plain clothes to make initial arrests or contacts with suspects who might flee or resist.
Mayes’s comments could encourage an already enraged and irrational segment of our population to use lethal force under the false pretense of standing their ground.
Attacks on these officers have increased exponentially with the violent rhetoric of these politicians. Just last week, a rioter bit off the finger of an officer.
Mayes also vowed to prosecute any ICE agent who violates state laws in these operations. She is also mimicking Walz in spreading legal disinformation. While federal officers do not have absolute immunity in all cases, it is extremely unlikely that state officials could successfully prosecute such cases without facing a transfer to federal court and likely dismissal.
Walz made the same misleading claim in saying that Minnesota would investigate the shooting and that the federal government would not be allowed to conduct the investigation. He has no authority to dictate who or how the shooting will be investigated.
While the state can conduct its own investigation, the federal government will investigate a shooting by a federal officer. Walz further pandered to the mob by raising the debunked “bait boy” story and telling citizens that ICE was “shooting them in the face when they come out of donut shops.”
Rage is hard to maintain for months and the Pretti shooting, as described by one Democratic operative according to Fox’s Chad Pergram, is a “new wild card” in the politics on the Hill over funding.
There remain legitimate questions about this shooting. The videotapes do not show, as suggested in early accounts from the federal government, that Pretti approached the officers brandishing a weapon.
Pretti does not obey the commands of the officers in returning to the middle of the road during their operation. However, he did not appear threatening until after the officer pushed him to the side of the road. At one point, he appears to shove the officer as he tries to assist a woman who was pushed to the ground.
What happens next is hard to determine. There is a video that suggests that an officer may have removed his weapon from its holster just before another officer yells “gun.” It is hard to see Pretti’s hands and we do not know what happened in that split second. We may get a better idea as new videotapes emerge.
Law enforcement officers do not expect blind deference on shootings. However, they have a right to expect a fair chance for an investigation to hear their side of a shooting — not a governor or a mayor rushing before cameras to effectively accuse them of murder.
At this point, it may not matter. Only the mob matters. Minneapolis Brian O’Hara explained: “even if there is an investigation that ultimately proves that at the time of the shooting it was legally justified, I don’t think that even matters at this point, because there just- there is so much outrage and concern around what is happening in the city.”
Walz has demonstrated politics of the lowest kind, stoking anger as citizens and officers alike are injured. Walz is pledging to go to court to stop further operations—a lawsuit that would be another frivolous filing. Previously, the state, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, filed to prevent the federal government from increasing forces to investigate fraud and immigration violations.
Walz, Mayes, and others are following a long line of demagogues who sought to use social unrest to advance their political careers. For Walz, sending people into the streets has the benefit of not having them at home watching and reading about the growing fraud scandal in his state.
It is not a defense of democracy, but mobocracy in Minnesota.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the author of the forthcoming “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution,” which will be released on Feb. 3 as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/26/2026 – 14:45
Indiana House committee nixes bid to add Imagination Library funding
The Indiana House Ways & Means Committee rejected amendments added to an education bill last week that would have restored funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The 15-8 vote against both amendments on Jan. 21 fell along party lines.
State Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, added the amendments to House Bill 1266, authored by House education chairman Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis.
That bill changes provisions in 19 areas, including school safety grants, funding for Advanced Placement exams, and summer school funding. It also creates a framework to support low-performing schools, among other measures.
Porter sought the creation of a state tax credit for individuals who donate to the Imagination Library. His second amendment would have appropriated $6 million from the general fund, the amount removed last year in the state budget.
The Imagination Library provides free books to children from birth to age 5. It expanded statewide in 2023 with a $6 million allocation under former Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Last year, Gov. Mike Braun and the House left it out of their budgets. After some blowback, Braun drafted his wife, Maureen, to raise money to cover the state’s $6 million share for the program that’s popular in all 92 Indiana counties.
The defunding came as the state Department of Education and lawmakers placed emphasis on literacy in early grades. The DOE ordered schools to follow the science of reading curriculum and lawmakers passed a law calling for the retention of third graders who don’t pass the state IREAD literacy exam.
Despite the lack of state support, parents in Lake and Porter counties can still sign up their children to receive a free book each month through the Lake County Public Library and the Porter County and Westchester libraries. Local libraries are raising money on their own to try to meet the match required.
In a release last week, Porter said he’s still waiting to see how much money Maureen Braun has raised for the Imagination Library since she’s been seeking private donations. No amount has been announced.
Maureen Braun read to young children last October at the Gary Public Library in a visit that marked the expansion of the Imagination Library to every child in Lake County, according to Julie Wendorf, director of the Crown Point Community Library and president of the Indiana Library Federation.
A $250,000 donation from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation allowed libraries in Hammond, East Chicago, Gary and Lowell to be able to participate in the program, launched in 1995 by the Dollywood Foundation.
About 755 children had enrolled by October after the donation.
“What’s going on with Dolly’s Imagination Library?” Porter said. “We heard about a single donation last July, but that’s it. We have no clue how much has been raised, no clue if it’s enough. It’s crickets. It’s a quiet phase-out of the program,” said Porter.
“The argument that we don’t have the money isn’t valid since we’ll have a $5 billion surplus,” he said.
House Ways & Means chairman Rep. Jeffrey Thompson, R-Lizton, said Porter’s amendments called for an appropriation, which is against General Assembly practice in an off-budget year.
“It’s been the practice for as long as I can remember,” said Thompson.
“I can’t argue intent, it’s a really good discussion to have, I think it’s a budget issue,” said Behning.
“I think our highest fiscal priorities should be addressing the Medicaid and childcare waiting lists,” said Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany. “As laudable as this may be, this moves us away from it,” Clere said, adding a tax credit would amount to a reduction in state revenue.
Before voting on Behning’s education bill, the committee approved an amendment adding a one-year state income tax break on overtime and tips for workers to Senate Bill 243. That opt-in measure was part of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed by Congress last year.
It’s expected to cost the state $251 million in revenue. Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, said the money would come from Indiana’s surplus and be examined after one year to determine if it would continue.
Porter asked why funding for the Imagination Library couldn’t come from the reserves, too.
“It’s baffling… the tenor of this General Assembly,” said Porter.
“It is confusing as to why we would vote for 243 and not support this one,” said Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis.
“It’s a matter of our priorities. Is our priority business and making sure they don’t pay any taxes?… I think we ought to put a priority on our kids,” she said.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Portaaviones de EEUU llega a Oriente Medio mientras persisten tensiones con Irán
Por KONSTANTIN TOROPIN
El portaaviones USS Abraham Lincoln y tres buques de guerra que lo acompañan han llegado al Oriente Medio, lo que aumenta el potencial de que el presidente Donald Trump ordene ataques aéreos contra Irán debido a su represión de manifestantes.
El portaaviones, junto con tres destructores, “está actualmente desplegado en el Oriente Medio para promover la seguridad y estabilidad regional”, afirmó el Comando Central de Estados Unidos el lunes en las redes sociales.
El grupo de ataque se encontraba en el Océano Índico, según el Comando Central, y no en el Mar Arábigo, que limita con Irán. Esto traerá miles de militares adicionales a la región, que no ha tenido un portaaviones estadounidense desde que el USS Gerald R. Ford fue sacado de allí en octubre para llevarlo al Caribe como parte de una campaña de presión sobre el entonces presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro.
Trump dijo a los periodistas la semana pasada que los barcos fueron enviados a la región “por si acaso”. “Tenemos una flota masiva dirigiéndose en esa dirección, y tal vez no tengamos que usarla”, expresó.
Anteriormente, Trump había amenazado con una acción militar si Irán realizaba ejecuciones masivas de prisioneros o mataba a manifestantes pacíficos durante la represión de las protestas a finales de diciembre. Según activistas, al menos 5.973 personas han muerto y más de 41.800 han sido detenidas. La cifra oficial de muertos en Irán es mucho menor, con 3.117 fallecidos.
Más recientemente, Trump parece retractarse afirmando que Irán canceló las ejecuciones de 800 manifestantes detenidos. No ha detallado la fuente de esta afirmación, que el principal fiscal de Irán calificó de “completamente falsa”.
Sin embargo, Trump parece estar manteniendo sus opciones abiertas. El jueves a bordo del Air Force One, cualquier nuevo ataque militar haría que los ataques del año pasado “parezcan insignificantes” si el gobierno procede con ejecuciones de manifestantes.
El portaaviones alberga múltiples escuadrones de aviones, incluidos cazas F-35 Lightning II y F/A-18 Super Hornet. Los destructores traen además cientos de misiles, que podrían incluir docenas de misiles de crucero Tomahawk.
Además del portaaviones y su equipo, el ejército de Estados Unidos informó que el caza F-15E Strike Eagle de la Fuerza Aérea ahora tiene presencia en la región.
Analistas que siguen datos de seguimiento de vuelos han notado que docenas de aviones estadounidenses de carga militar también se dirigen a la región.
La actividad es similar a la del año pasado, cuando Estados Unidos trasladó equipo de defensa aérea, incluido un sistema de misiles Patriot, en anticipación de un contraataque iraní tras el bombardeo de tres sitios nucleares. Irán lanzó más de una docena de misiles a la Base Aérea de Al Udeid días después de los ataques.
___________________________________
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Gobierno boliviano inicia el pago de un bono social para mitigar la crisis
Associated Press
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — El presidente boliviano Rodrigo Paz inició el lunes el pago de un bono de 65 dólares para madres, ancianos y sectores vulnerables para mitigar el impacto de la crisis económica por la que pasa la nación andina.
El gobierno de Paz enfrenta la peor crisis en cuatro décadas por lo que ha tenido que realizar ajustes, entre ellos la eliminación del subsidio a los combustibles, por lo que su precio se ha duplicado.
Hasta ahora Bolivia compraba el combustible a precio internacional y lo vendía al 50% de su valor en el mercado local, lo que mermó las reservas internacionales ya golpeadas por los bajos ingresos por la exportación de gas.
Paz inauguró el pago de la primera cuota del bono en la región sureña de Potosí, donde hizo un llamado a los ancianos, niños y madres a cobrar el beneficio.
“Esto viene ahora para que tengamos base social. Hay que comer, hay que salir adelante”, mencionó el mandatario.
Su gobierno informó que los recursos para pagar este bono provienen del ahorro logrado con el levantamiento de la subvención a los combustibles, que causó diversas protestas. Paz agregó que también surge de la eliminación de contratos laborales fantasma que mantenían los gobiernos de izquierda de los últimos 20 años.
Paz lleva más de dos meses en el gobierno y busca cambiar el modelo económico estatista y reducir la tasa de inflación, que el año pasado cerró en 20%.
Su gobierno ha acudido a créditos de organismos internacionales como la Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) y el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) por 7.600 millones de dólares.
One person injured, two residents displaced after house fire on Aurora’s near West Side
A person was injured and two residents displaced after a fire early Sunday morning that left a home on Aurora’s near West Side uninhabitable, according to the Aurora Fire Department.
On Sunday at around 2:14 a.m., the fire department responded to a reported structure fire in the 600 block of West Downer Place, the department said in a news release. The incident was initially dispatched as a box alarm, but was upgraded to a second alarm based on the conditions found upon arrival, officials said.
Arriving crews reported heavy smoke and fire conditions on the rear side of a three-story, single-family wood-frame residence, the release said. Fire companies began an interior attack of the fire, while additional crews conducted a primary search and established backup lines, according to officials.
Crews ultimately worked for several hours to fully extinguish the fire and conduct extensive overhaul operations as a result of the cold temperatures, strong winds and the size and complexity of the building, the department said. The department also said that the residence was “heavily congested with contents, which made navigation and fire control challenging,” according to the release.
Four engine companies, three truck companies, three medic units and two chief officers — a total of 29 personnel — responded to the scene, the release said.
One person sustained minor injuries and was transported for medical evaluation, the release said, and one firefighter was evaluated at the scene.
The residence was deemed uninhabitable due to fire damage, and two adult residents were displaced and are temporarily staying with a neighbor, officials said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the department, according to the release.
What travelers can expect as Southwest Airlines introduces assigned seats
Southwest Airlines passengers made their final boarding-time scrambles for seats on Monday as the carrier prepared to end the open-seating system that distinguished it from other airlines for more than a half‑century.
Starting Tuesday, customers on Southwest flights will have assigned seats and the option of paying more to get their preferred seat closer to the front of a plane or seats with extra legroom. The airline began selling tickets shaped by the new policy in July.
Here’s what travelers can expect as Southwest does away with another of its signature features and becomes more like other airlines:
Goodbye, A/B/C groups
Under the open-seat system, Southwest customers could check in starting exactly 24 hours before departure to secure places in boarding lines at departure gates.
Early check-ins were placed in the coveted “A” boarding group, essentially guaranteeing they would find an open window or aisle seat. Others landed in “B” or “C,” the likelihood of only middle seats being available rising the longer they waited to check in.
The Dallas-based airline’s unusual seating process began as a way to get passengers on planes quickly and thereby reduce the time that aircraft and crews spent on the ground not making money. It helped Southwest operate more efficiently and to squeeze a few more flights into the daily schedule; the system also was a key reason Southwest remained profitable every year until the coronavirus pandemic.
The open-seating arrangement became less democratic over time, however, as Southwest also had starting allowing passengers to pay extra for spots near the front of the line.
Hello, assigned seating
An eight‑group boarding structure is replacing the find-your-own-seat scrum. Instead of numbered metal columns at departure gates, passengers will file through two alternating lanes once it’s time for their group to board.
The airline said its gate areas will be converted in phases starting Monday night, a process that could take about two months to complete. Columns that remain standing past Tuesday will have their numbers removed or covered in the meantime.
Southwest is selling tickets at fares with different seating choices, including standard seats assigned at check‑in or paid preferred and extra‑legroom seats selected at booking. For certain flights, passengers also will have the option of paying for priority boarding beginning 24 hours before departure.
How it will work
Newly designed boarding passes will show seat assignments and boarding groups, according to Southwest. A reservation made for nine or fewer people, including families, will assign those passengers to the same boarding group.
Southwest says the boarding groups are based on seat location, fare class, loyalty tier status and the airline’s credit card rewards benefits. Passengers who purchase seats with extra legroom will be placed in groups 1-2. Customers with premium fares and the airline’s “most loyal travelers” will also have access to preferential seats and earlier boarding, the carrier said, while those with basic fares will likely be placed in groups 6-8.
Other changes
With the switch to assigned seating also comes a revision of the airline’s policy for customers who need extra room. Under the new rule — also effective Tuesday — travelers who do not fit within a single seat’s armrests will be required to purchase an additional seat in advance.
That represents a change from the airline’s previous policy that allowed passengers the choice to purchase a fully refundable extra seat before arriving at the airport, or request a free one at the gate. Under the updated policy, refunds are still possible but no longer guaranteed and depend on seat availability and fare class.
In May 2025, Southwest also ended its decades‑old “bags fly free” policy, replacing it with baggage fees for most travelers.
The changes mark one of the biggest transformations in the airline’s history, as it alters its longstanding customer perks to bring it more in line with the practices of other larger U.S. carriers.
Why all the change?
The shift comes amid pressure from investors to increase profitability.
“We have tremendous opportunity to meet current and future customer needs, attract new customer segments we don’t compete for today, and return to the levels of profitability that both we and our shareholders expect,” Southwest CEO Robert Jordan said last year.
When the Texas-based airline first announced plans in 2024 to switch to assigned seating, it said studies on seating options showed that customer preferences had changed over the years, with the vast majority of travelers saying they now want to know where they are sitting before they get to the airport.
Jordan said at the time that open seating was the top reason surveyed travelers cited for choosing another airline over Southwest.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/southwest-airlines-assigned-seats-2/
