International
The death toll in an insurgent attack on a military base in Pakistan rise to 13
The death toll in an attack this Saturday against a military base in northern Pakistan increased to thirteen, including seven members of the security forces and six insurgents, the Asian country’s Army reported.
“A group of six terrorists attacked a security forces post in the Mir Ali area, in the district of North Waziristan. His troops failed in the initial attempt at intrusion, so the terrorists rammed a truck loaded with explosives against the post followed by multiple suicide attacks,” said the communication services of the Pakistani Army, the ISPR.
The source said in a statement that seven soldiers, including two officers, died in an attack that also led to the partial destruction of the military base.
The Pakistani Army claimed that the six attacking insurgents were killed in the confrontation with the security forces.
“During the clean-ups operation, our troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Kashif, managed to confront and send the six terrorists to hell,” the ISPR said.
An officer from the Mir Ali Police Station, Hayat Khan, told EFE that the attack began around 6:10 local time (1:10 GMT), in this district located in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Despite the fact that the Pakistani authorities claimed to have killed all the insurgents, the Army’s communication office pointed out that the security forces are carrying out a search “to eliminate any other terrorist present in the area.”
For now, no insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The eastern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where today’s attack took place, and southern Balochistan have been especially affected by the increase in insurgent attacks in Pakistan.
Ten police officers were killed and six others were injured on February 5 in an attack on the police station in the Dera Ismail Khan district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In that same province, 23 soldiers were killed and more than 30 were injured last December when six insurgents tried unsuccessfully to access a military base, and later a vehicle loaded with explosives crashed into it that caused the collapse of the building.
The rise in violence in the Asian country coincided with the coming to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan in August 2021, which according to the Pakistani Government reactivated the attacks of its Pakistani ideological brothers, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The government of the Asian country accuses the TTP of using Afghan soil to carry out attacks, an extreme that Kabul has repeatedly denied.
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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