International
Colombia: Woman who called Marquez an “ape” awaits sentencing

April 11 |
A woman will be convicted of discrimination and harassment for uttering racist insults against Colombia’s Vice President Francia Marquez, who achieved a milestone by becoming the first Afro-descendant to hold the high office in the country.
Luz Fabiola del Rosario de Fátima Rubiano de Fonseca, 62, accepted on Monday in front of a judge the charges against her – which she can no longer retract – for having called Marquez an “ape” at a demonstration. He will be sentenced at a hearing scheduled for May 30.
Rubiano de Fonseca’s pejorative comments were captured by the press in the midst of an anti-government demonstration in September 2022. “Francia Marquez is an ape…. What education can a black man have, blacks steal, rob, rob and kill”, said the woman in front of the steps of the Congress.
The video quickly went viral on social networks, opening a debate in the country about racism and prompting the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the identity of the woman, who in the video falsely claimed to be Esperanza Castro.
During Monday’s hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office accused the woman for her “hate speech” that generated “damage to the honor of a population group and directly to the vice president” affecting the right to equality. The prosecutor indicated that by referring to Marquez as an “ape”, the defendant “went beyond her right to free expression”.
Marquez was the victim of discriminatory comments due to her skin color during last year’s electoral campaign when she was derogatorily called “King Kong”. Since her inauguration in August 2022 alongside President Gustavo Petro, Marquez has raised her voice against racism, which, she warns, persists in the country as a “legacy” of colonialism and slavery, which in Colombia was abolished more than 170 years ago.
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.
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