International
Honduran Vice Minister of Security survives armed attack
December 6 |
The Vice Minister of Security of Honduras, Julissa Villanueva, escaped unharmed from an attack against her on Tuesday, perpetrated by armed men while she was driving her vehicle in a sector of the capital Tegucigalpa, near the America neighborhood, in the vicinity of Toncontín Airport, police sources reported.
Authorities stated that it was confirmed that it was two unknown persons who shot at the official’s van, who was traveling with her security personnel. Fortunately, Villanueva was unharmed, as the armored vehicle protected the occupants.
“I am fine, but I feel uncomfortable when they tell me that they hear gunshots, however, I told them (bodyguards) to calm down or calm down and investigate because these people are really going to kill me,” she told the local press. After the attack, National Police agents patrolled the area in search of those responsible for the attack.
Villanueva recalled that she has indeed received intimidations in the last weeks, which increased after the denunciation she made for the appearance of bullet casings from National Police weapons in the massacre of inmates in the National Female Penitentiary of Social Adaptation (PNFAS), in Támara.
In a television interview, the undersecretary assured that the threats and intimidations come from the very institution where she works. “I will not tolerate that anyone obstructs my work and I have a scientific technical unit that works with me, a team of experts who investigate, how can I not know that the messages come from this same Secretariat”.
She also recalled that, since she headed the Intervention Commission in the National Penitentiary Institute (INP) for the massacre of the 46 inmates, she faced many obstacles, as she did when she tried to investigate the murder of soccer fan Wilson Perez in the northern part of Honduras and other emblematic cases.
So far, neither the Minister of Security, Gustavo Sanchez, nor the Undersecretary of Security herself have offered information on the investigative advances that would reveal who would be behind the threats against him.
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
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Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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