International
The US will take “measures” if Iran threatens its interests in the Middle East, says the Pentagon
The United States will take “measures” if Iran threatens its interests in the Middle East, strengthens its air defense capacity in the region in the coming days and has “additional” troops ready for deployment in case of “contingencies”, the Pentagon reported this Sunday.
According to a statement, the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, said today that “the US is determined to prevent Iran, its partners and representatives backed by Iran from taking advantage of the situation or expanding the conflict” escalated in recent days with the bombing of Israel in Lebanon.
Austin stressed that if Iran or its allies “use this moment to attack American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take all necessary measures to defend” its people.
Reinforcement of air capacity
The note indicates that the Department of Defense will “further strengthen” its air defense capabilities in the region “in the coming days” and has prepared “additional” troops to deploy them in case it has to respond to “several contingencies.”
Despite the tension in his position, the Pentagon maintains that Austin and the leaders of the agency remain focused on “de-escalation through deterrence and diplomacy,” as well as “the protection of US citizens and forces” and the “defense of Israel.”
The statement comes after the Israeli Army announced today that it killed more than twenty members of the political and militia group Hizbulla in the mass bombing in Beirut on Friday in which they also killed its top leader, Hassan Nasrala, and the commander of the southern front, Ali Karaki.
Death of Iranian high command
In the attack, a general of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Abbas Nilforushan, was also killed, a death that today the Foreign Minister of that country, Abás Araqchí, said that “will never go unanswered.”
In the last two weeks, Israel has launched a series of unprecedented attacks against the main strongholds of Hezbulah that have already left more than a thousand dead, 6,000 injured and about one million internally displaced, according to official data.
International
India Approves New Dengue Vaccine as Global Cases Continue to Rise
India has approved a new dengue vaccine as health authorities seek to strengthen prevention efforts against a mosquito-borne viral disease that affects millions of people worldwide every year.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of the global population is currently at risk of contracting dengue, which causes between 100 million and 400 million infections annually.
Since 2021, India has recorded more than one million dengue cases, including at least 1,500 deaths.
The virus can cause high fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, nausea, skin rashes and, in rare cases, internal bleeding and death.
The vaccine, authorized by India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), was developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda. The Indian Health Ministry said the vaccine is recommended in two doses for people between 4 and 60 years old.
The treatment has already been approved by health authorities in around 40 countries worldwide.
Meanwhile, Indian pharmaceutical company Panacea Biotec has begun the final phase of clinical trials for a single-dose dengue vaccine, aiming to provide another prevention option against the disease.
Brazil recently announced the suspension of the use of another single-dose dengue vaccine developed in the country after two suspected deaths were reported.
International
U.S. Sends First Humanitarian Aid Flight to Cuba Amid Ongoing Tensions Between Both Governments
The United States announced Tuesday the dispatch of a humanitarian aid flight to Cuba as part of a $100 million assistance package proposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May.
The flight departed from Miami with the support of Catholic Relief Services, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.
The administration of President Donald Trump, which has maintained restrictions on oil supplies to the island and tightened sanctions against the Cuban government, had initially announced humanitarian assistance in November following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa.
In February, amid rising tensions between Washington and Havana, Rubio announced an increase in aid while continuing to criticize the Cuban government.
The U.S. secretary of state accused Cuba’s communist authorities of obstructing the distribution of assistance. Washington has insisted that the aid be delivered through the Catholic Church to ensure it reaches Cuban citizens directly.
The Cuban government, meanwhile, has blamed the U.S. oil blockade for making the distribution of humanitarian assistance significantly more difficult.
The aid shipment comes as relations between the two countries remain strained, with disagreements continuing over sanctions, energy supplies and the management of humanitarian support.
International
Controversial Pesticide Law Passes in France, Sparking Ecological Concerns and Ministerial Fallout
The French Parliament on Tuesday approved a highly controversial agricultural law that allows certain farmers to use two pesticides considered harmful to bees, substances that had been banned in France but remain authorized in the European Union.
After the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, approved the agricultural bill in the early hours of Tuesday, the Senate gave its final approval with a vote of 214 in favor and 111 against, officially adopting the measure.
Following the decision to reintroduce the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, the office of Environment Minister Monique Barbut announced that she would soon submit her resignation.
Supporters of the measure argue that French producers of sugar beets, apples and hazelnuts need access to these insecticides — banned in France since 2018 and 2019, respectively — to remain competitive with European farmers in other countries where the products are still allowed.
Opponents, including environmental groups, argue that the substances pose serious risks to bees and could also threaten human health.
“Let us be proud of the work that has been done,” said Senator Laurent Duplomb of the conservative Republicans party, one of the main supporters of the measure.
The vote came after France’s Constitutional Council, the country’s highest court, struck down a previous attempt last year to bring back acetamiprid, ruling that the measure could pose risks to human health. That decision followed a petition signed by more than two million people opposing the pesticide’s reintroduction.
The previous bill had also been promoted by Duplomb, who argued that French agriculture needed additional tools to compete in international markets.
India Approves New Dengue Vaccine as Global Cases Continue to Rise
U.S. Sends First Humanitarian Aid Flight to Cuba Amid Ongoing Tensions Between Both Governments
Controversial Pesticide Law Passes in France, Sparking Ecological Concerns and Ministerial Fallout
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