International
Assange will not yet be extradited to the United States when the London High Court postpones his decision
The High Court of London chose on Tuesday to postpone its final decision on the appeal of the case of the Australian journalist Julian Assange, founder of the WikiLeaks portal, so he will not be extradited to the United States immediately.
Judges Victoria Sharp and Adam Johnson, who evaluated the parties’ arguments for several weeks, considered that an eventual appeal by Assange could partially prosper, so they offer the United States Government the opportunity to “offer guarantees” against those arguments.
According to the ruling, the court has given the U.S. Government three weeks to give satisfactory guarantees that Assange will be able to argue in his defense the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, relating to the protection of freedom of expression.
Guarantees will also be needed that the Australian will not be harmed in the trial because of his nationality, that he will be granted the same protections of the First Amendment as a U.S. citizen and that the death penalty will not be imposed.
If those guarantees are not given, then Assange will be granted authorization to appeal, but if they are offered, the parties will have the opportunity to present new observations at a hearing on May 20, in order to make a decision on the appeal.
However, the judges dismissed some of the grounds for the appeal, including Assange’s arguments that his case responds to his political opinions.
The magistrates had to evaluate the arguments presented by the parties at two court hearings last February in order to decide whether to support or revoke the ruling issued on June 6, 2023 by Judge Jonathan Swift.
That magistrate denied Assange the possibility of continuing to appeal in the United Kingdom last year and gave his approval to the delivery of Assange to the United States.
Assange’s extradition was signed in June 2022 by the then British Minister of the Interior Priti Patel.
The United States requests that Assange be extradited for 18 crimes of espionage and computer intrusion, after his explosive revelations from his portal, which between 2010 and 2011 revealed alleged U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to Assange’s defense, these crimes are punishable by 175 years in prison in the United States.
After the ruling was heard, the journalist’s wife, Stella Assange, said at the gates of the court, before a crowd of followers, that her husband is a “political prisoner.”
“He is a journalist and is persecuted because he exposed the true cost of war in human lives” and this case “is a sign to all of you that if you expose the interests that drive the war, they will come for you,” he added.
Assange was arrested for the first time in 2010 at the request of Sweden for a case that has been closed. In 2012 he took refuge at the Embassy of Ecuador in London, but was arrested in 2019 by the British Police, once that country withdrew his asylum status, and since then he has been in prison.
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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Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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