International
María Corina Machado asks Norway to give her extreme support to guarantee free presidential elections
Opposition leader María Corina Machado asked Norway – a mediating country in the negotiations between the Government of Venezuela and the majority opposition – for its maximum support to ensure that “free and fair” presidential elections will be held in the Caribbean country on July 28, according to a communication released on Monday.
The letter, addressed to the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr, aims to urge his Government, in “its capacity as a facilitator of the process of dialogue and negotiation between political actors in Venezuela, to maximize the diplomatic resources at its disposal” so that the Barbados agreement – signed by both parties in October and which establishes electoral guarantees – is “fully complied with.”
In the communication, dated this Sunday, Machado, winner of the opposition primaries last October, assured that the agreement “has been completely violated by the regime presided over by Nicolás Maduro.”
The former liberal deputy, who became a presidential candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) – the main opposition coalition – after winning in the primaries, recently announced the decision of this bloc to appoint the historian Corina Yoris as a candidate for the upcoming elections in the face of the disqualification that prevents her from competing for public office in these and other elections until 2036.
Likewise, Machado condemned the “regimen” decision to also block the registration of Yoris’ candidacy and added that “there is no political or legal cause that prevents” such registration.
Machado denounced that the head of state “has sought to prevent, by all means,” his “participation as a presidential candidate,” despite the fact that the Barbados agreement established – he pointed out – that “each party could freely choose” its standard-bearer, in addition to “electoral guarantees for all the actors who participate in said elections” and the “promotion of a favorable political climate.”
Among the “most flagrant violations of the agreement,” Machado mentioned the ratification of his disqualification in January by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), the arrest of “at least eight people linked” to his party, Vente Venezuela (VV), and Maduro’s qualification of this formation as a “terrorist” organization.
“To accuse us, they have forged evidence and forced some detainees to accuse their own companions of false armed conspiracies,” said the opponent, who warned that teams in her country “are at risk of upcoming forced disappearances” and that she herself “could be subject to unjustified detention.”
On Tuesday, the PUD reported the registration, on a provisional basis, of Edmundo González Urrutia, a candidate who can be replaced from this April 1, as long as he does not have any administrative sanction or impediment contemplated by the law, and that the National Electoral Council (CNE) admits the candidacy that replaces it.
Machado said on Sunday that the electoral schedule of the presidential elections establishes the replacement of candidates up to ten days before the process, so he asked for confidence from his followers.
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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