International
President Maduro highlights strengthening of relations with China
September 19 |
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro described his recent tour of China on Monday as historic, intense, extensive and productive, while highlighting the strengthening of relations between the two countries, during the broadcast of the Con Maduro Más program.
The president indicated that during his visit, he and the Venezuelan delegation that accompanied him traveled 24,000 kilometers during seven days.
“We went with a well-established plan. We were there for seven days, fulfilling a plan and attending to the very special invitation to make a state visit to China, which President Xi Jinping made to me”, he said.
The President explained that the visit to the Asian country was constitutionally authorized by the National Assembly, a fact that was used by the right wing based in Miami, United States, to speak ill of the Venezuelan government.
During his program, the President referred to the value of the work team that accompanied him, as well as the twinning agreement between the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the second largest in the world, and the Venezuelan state of La Guaira.
“We went to seal deep friendships for the work of the future”, he said, while expressing the great achievements of this Chinese region.
Likewise, he commented that he decided to create an office of Economic and Commercial Development of Venezuela in Shanghai and to install an office of Development and Relations of the Venezuelan Petroleum Company (PDVSA) in that Chinese region, to work on the projects, together with the Venezuelan Consulate in Shanghai.
“We must prepare to make the relationship a twinning of Shanghai investors in Venezuela, of importers from Shanghai for Carabobo”, he indicated.
President Xi Jinping also expressed his admiration for the heroic struggle of the Venezuelan people and told me: “Venezuela is not alone, it has China by its side”, said the president.
In this sense, the governor of Carabobo, Rafael Lacava, and the president of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (Pdvsa), Pedro Tellechea, exchanged on future development projects for Venezuelans together with China.
The Venezuelan leader acknowledged that in the context of the G-77 and China Summit in Havana, the support for the nation and the Cuban Revolution was demonstrated, he also commented on the meetings with counterparts from different nations and heads of different delegations.
In this regard, he highlighted the exchange with the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) António Guterres, to whom he requested support to demand that the United States lift all actions against Venezuela.
He also met with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Alicia Bárcena, with whom he shared future projects between both Latin American nations, and with the President of Angola, João Lourenço, as well as the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, and the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, with whom he held talks of interest.
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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