International
Henrique Capriles is chosen as candidate for Venezuela’s internal opposition race
March 12 |
Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles was designated on Friday as his party’s representative for the primary elections proposed for October 22 in which, despite their divisions, the opponents of Nicolás Maduro’s government will choose a unitary candidate for the 2024 presidential elections.
“I am convinced that in 2024 this country has a chance,” Capriles said after being proclaimed candidate of the Primero Justicia party.
Capriles – who lost the 2013 presidential elections to Maduro and those of 2012 in which he faced the late President Hugo Chávez – has defended the idea that the opposition should participate electorally despite the stance of the main parties to promote boycotts in past national and regional elections arguing that conditions for free and democratic elections did not exist.
In April 2017 the Comptroller General’s Office, controlled by the ruling party, politically disqualified him from participating in electoral events for 15 years and in June of that year the Supreme Court, with a majority of magistrates sympathetic to the government, threatened him with arrest if he refused to contain the anti-government protests and road blockades he led that left at least 120 dead.
Capriles remains disqualified and it is unclear whether the ban will be lifted in a timely manner to allow his participation in an eventual run for the presidency.
The primaries organized by the opposition have not yet defined the infrastructure they will use, although they hope to count on the support of the National Electoral Council, which is in charge of carrying out national, state and municipal elections in the country. The commission in charge of coordinating the election has said that they will take place on October 22, but it is yet to be defined where, how and who will vote.
The primaries reflect the will to unify the opposition forces that have been deeply fragmented since 2020. In June of that year, the Supreme Court suspended the boards of directors of the Acción Democrática, Voluntad Popular and Primero Justicia parties and handed over their leadership, assets and symbols to dissident opponents.
In 2019 opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president while serving as head of the National Assembly arguing that Maduro had been reelected in 2018 in fraudulent elections.
International support for Guaidó, one of his main strengths to take on Maduro, diminished significantly over the years and his former allies terminated the interim government figure last December.
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
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