International
Bolsonaro diverted gifts for 1.2 million dollars for his benefit, according to the Police
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro benefited from the diversion of gifts received during official visits abroad that are valued at 1.2 million dollars (about 1.1 million euros), according to a report by the Federal Police of Brazil released on Monday.
The Police assure in their investigation that the plot sought the illicit enrichment of Bolsonaro, whom he accused last Thursday along with 11 other people for the crimes of appropriation of public good, money laundering and association to commit crimes.
According to the researchers, the participants in the scheme used two stratagems to divert the official gifts depending on whether their reception had been formally registered.
Thus, those who were not registered were directly subtracted by the former president without going through the evaluation of the Deputy Cabinet of Historical Documentation, an entity of the Presidency controlled by a Bolsonaro adviser.
Meanwhile, other gifts this organization qualified as “very personal goods” so that Bolsonaro could keep them, based on a “legal interpretation diametrically opposed to the constitutional foundations,” according to the Police.
Among the stolen goods, there is a set of rose gold men’s jewelry of the Chopard brand delivered by the Government of Saudi Arabia to Bolsonaro’s Minister of Energy, Bento Albuquerque.
In December 2022, when there were only a few days left until the end of the ultra leader’s mandate, these jewels were taken on the presidential plane to the United States, where they were auctioned.
The same fate was suffered by other luxury objects received by the president during official visits to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, such as two watches from the Rolex and Patek Phillipe brands.
According to the Police, in the United States, intermediaries of the former president were in charge of negotiating the sale of the jewelry with the purpose of “hiding the real owner and beneficiary” of the transaction.
In this way, the money received for the sale of the two watches went, first, to the bank account of General Mauro César Lourena Cid, father of Bolsonaro’s personal assistant and who occupied an official position of the Government in Miami.
In the following months, those resources were transferred during personal meetings, “in a “split and in kind” way,” to Bolsonaro, who lived for a while in Miami after his electoral defeat against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The far-right leader, on whom other investigations weigh, has denied the charges, waiting for the Prosecutor’s Office to determine whether to file a complaint.
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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