International
Petro believes that the regional fronts of the guerrillas should be in the negotiation with the ELN
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, considered this Saturday that the regional fronts of that guerrillas should participate in the peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN), such as the one that operates in the department of Nariño (southwest) and that has unleashed a crisis in the dialogues.
“Without disred of the regional dialogue to build a Nariño in peace that has already begun, my Government maintains the established national table as the stage for peace dialogues with the ELN. It is important that that table has members of the different regional fronts of the ELN to move from dialogue to definitive negotiation,” Petro said on social network X.
Last February, after extending the bilateral ceasefire for six months, during the sixth cycle of dialogues in Havana, the ELN announced that the dialogues were entering a freezing phase, something that was solved days later.
This happened because the guerrillas were opposed by the announcement of the governor of Nariño, Luis Alfonso Escobar, that regional dialogues were going to be held where a front that the ELN said had been infiltrated by state agents was allegedly also involved.
Despite the setbacks, the delegations of the Government and the ELN spoke on Friday in Caracas with representatives of the guarantor countries and companions of the peace negotiations, before the extraordinary meeting that will begin this Saturday, the press team of the armed group assured EFE.
The ELN asked this week for an “extraordinary meeting” instead of the celebration of a normal cycle due to the “critical state” of the peace process that, in the opinion of that armed group, is plunged into a “freezing.”
The Government delegation, led by Vera Grabe, traveled to Caracas on Wednesday, while the guerrilla team arrived on Thursday, led by the head of negotiations, Israel Ramírez Pineda, alias ‘Pablo Beltrán’, and also by the top commander of the ELN, Eliécer Herlinto Chamorro, alias ‘Antonio García’, who is not part of the negotiating delegation.
At the meeting, according to the Government delegation, issues on the agenda will be addressed, such as participation, ceasefire and territorial transformations, as well as substantive decisions on the future of the process.
The negotiations, which were restarted in November 2022 after four years of freezing, have gone through several ups and downs, but both sides maintain a ceasefire that will be in force until next August 3.
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
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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