International
Pretrial detention for terrorism detainees in Ecuador
September 1|
The court in charge of the criminal proceedings against those involved in the recent explosion of a car bomb in the La Mariscal sector, north of Quito, Ecuador, ordered Friday the remand in custody for the six detainees.
The Attorney General’s Office informed that, following its request, the judge ordered preventive detention for the six defendants for the alleged crime of terrorism while the prosecutorial instruction will last 30 days.
According to legal information, the crime of terrorism, typified in article 366, numeral 2 of the Organic Integral Penal Code, presents a penalty ranging from 10 to 13 years of imprisonment.
“The Prosecutor ordered the practice of several proceedings that were exposed in the hearing of qualification of flagrancy and formulation of charges, as elements of conviction for the crime of terrorism, for which today they are remanded in custody,” said the agency through a statement.
In this sense, the Public Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that among the elements are “the reports of the chemical tests performed to the vehicle and the motorcycle that were used to perpetrate the attack; the sequence of images in which the accused appear carrying out activities related to the explosion; the report of the recognition of the place of the facts, the chain of custody and others”.
The Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that the detainees bought a can of fuel in a gas station located in Francisco de Orellana and 6 de Diciembre avenues. Later, they went to Ulpiano Páez and Robles streets, where they sprayed gasoline on a car and a motorcycle and then set them on fire.
Carlos Alfredo C., Hugo Andrés E., Christian Andrés B., Luis Darío M., Antoni Daniel A. and Marco Antonio T. are being prosecuted for the explosion of a vehicle on Tuesday at Robles and Ulpiano Páez streets.
The Ecuadorian Police confirmed the explosion this Thursday of a second car bomb in Quito. It was a van-type vehicle with two LPG cylinders inside, exploded near the building of the National Service of Integral Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI).
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
Costa Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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