International
Hamas announces the names of the three Israeli hostages who will leave Gaza tomorrow
The spokesman for the Hamas al-Qasam Brigades, Abu Obeida, announced this Friday the name of the three hostages who will be released tomorrow from the Gaza Strip, including one with dual German-Israeli nationality.
The chosen captives are the German-Israeli Ohad Ben Ami, 56 years old and kidnapped along with his wife, Raz Ben Ami (already released), from the Kibutz Beeri; Eli Sharabi, 53, who lost his children and wife in the Hamas attack on the same kibutz on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, 34 years old and forcibly taken at the Nova festival.
In return, a total of 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be released, although it is not yet known how many of them will be delivered to the occupied West Bank, returned to Gaza or deported to third countries such as Turkey or Egypt.
“After the Palestinian resistance handed over the names of the enemy’s prisoners, tomorrow 18 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, 54 prisoners with high sentences and 111 prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after the attack of October 7, as part of the first phase of the exchange agreement,” the prisoners’ press office, in charge of Hamas, will be released in a statement.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed this Friday in a statement that the national intelligence service (the Mossad), as well as the Army, had received the list of kidnapped and said that the respective families had been informed.
Tomorrow will be the fifth exchange since the beginning of the ceasefire in Gaza, in force since January 19, thanks to which another 18 hostages (counting five Thais not initially included in the first phase of the pact) have already been released in an exchange for about 600 Palestinians.
However, in addition to the 33 hostages who must be released before March 1, only through new negotiations will male Israeli soldiers and those men between 19 and 50 years of age be able to leave Gaza in the second phase; something that relatives of the captives beg Netanyahu to happen.
“We have the sacred duty and the moral right to bring all our brothers and sisters home. We will not surrender or stop until all the hostages return, according to the agreement, until the last of them: the living for their recovery and the deceased for an appropriate burial,” said today the Forum of Hostages and Relatives of Missing, the main entity in defense of the hostage release agreement, after the announcement with the names of the three captives.
Although three days ago Netanyahu announced, after meeting with several US officials, that a negotiating team would travel to Doha at the end of this week to “discuss the technical details related to the continued implementation of the agreement,” that trip has not yet occurred.
Asked today by EFE, a senior Israeli official said he had no “news” about the alleged trip that should happen tomorrow, while Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, confirmed that negotiations “have not yet begun.”
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
-
Central America4 days agoFuneral turns tragic as armed attack leaves seven dead in Guatemala City
-
Central America4 days agoCosta Rica issues Yellow Alert and halts water activities over tsunami currents
-
International4 days agoThree salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
-
International4 days agoKremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
-
International4 days agoU.S. launches ads urging undocumented migrants to self-deport via CBP Home App
-
Central America3 days agoDaniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
-
Central America3 days agoHonduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala transfers top gang leaders to maximum security prison after funeral home massacre
-
International3 days agoTrump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
-
International1 day agoTrump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
-
International1 day agoStudy finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
-
Central America1 day agoCosta Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves