International
Third hearing of former Colombian paramilitary leader held
May 16 |
This Monday, Salvatore Mancuso, former commander of the now defunct United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), held his third hearing before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), in which he confirmed his support for electoral campaigns and links with various officials.
Mancuso expanded the information on the links between paramilitaries, the Army, politicians and officials, as well as the influence and support of paramilitarism in electoral campaigns, including those of former President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010).
“Your Honor, it is very important for you to know that many of these politicians came to the Self-Defense, to seek support (…) we basically sought out others when we were at the beginning of our political participation, to support them in some popularly elected positions,” he said.
This, he continued, with the aim of showing “that we had the capacity to appoint people to popularly elected positions at the national level, not only at the local and regional level”.
The AUC “intervened directly in the congressional elections of May 10, 2002 and also in the May 2002 presidential elections,” he said.
“There was also support in elections, for example, for Horacio Serpa, for President (Andres) Pastrana (1998-2002) and for Uribe,” revealed the former paramilitary leader, who gave his testimony before the JEP via videoconference from the United States (U.S.).
Mancuso is currently in a US prison serving a sentence of almost 16 years on drug trafficking charges. In Colombia, he is pending trial for more than 1,700 crimes.
The former paramilitary, who must be extradited to Colombia when his sentence in the U.S. ends, seeks to enter the JEP and submit to restorative justice, with the intention of obtaining sentence reductions in this South American country.
In past hearings before the JEP, Mancuso revealed the disappearance of more than 200 people in crematorium ovens, as well as in mass graves in Venezuelan territory.
He also acknowledged contacts with Venezuelan military and politicians to execute a coup plan against then President Hugo Chavez.
This Tuesday will be Mancuso’s fourth and last single truth hearing, in which he is expected to talk about the links between the now defunct Administrative Department of Security (DAS) and criminal groups.
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
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