International
Israel agrees to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza after a call between Biden and Netanyahu
Israel will take “immediate measures” to increase the amount of humanitarian aid that allows entry into the Gaza Strip, after US President Joe Biden urged to improve the humanitarian situation in the enclave in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“This increase in assistance will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is essential to guarantee the continuation of fighting and achieve the objectives of the war,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office about the decisions taken by the war cabinet at its meeting last night.
In this way, Israel will allow the temporary provision of aid through the port of Ashdod, in southern Israel, as well as through the Erez crossing, which directly accesses the north of the Strip, in addition to increasing the flow of aid from Jordan that enters through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in the south.
The Erez crossing will open for the first time since the beginning of the war, a recurring request from humanitarian agencies and the international community because it allows the entry of food and aid directly to the north of the enclave, where the situation is more serious.
There it is estimated that about 300,000 live in a situation of famine, for which 34 people have already died, 31 of them children.
Biden and Netanyahu had a telephone conversation last night, in which the US president warned that U.S. support for Israel could change if he did not take “concrete” actions to minimize the damage to civilians and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers, after a convoy of the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) was attacked on Monday up to three times killing seven of its employees.
The United States welcomed the measure and asked for it to be implemented “totally and quickly,” according to a statement from the White House.
From Brussels, the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, celebrated Israel’s decision this Friday, but demanded concrete “results” in the “next few days and weeks.”
“They are steps in the right direction, but the real test is the results and this is what we hope to see in the coming days and in the coming weeks,” Blinken told the press in the community capital.
During the month of March, an average of 159 trucks per day entered Gaza with food and basic necessities, which is an upturn compared to previous months.
However, that figure is still low compared to the half-thourd that did it before the war, according to the United Nations.
So far, Israel has only allowed the entry of aid through the two of the seven crosses to the enclave: that of Rafah, between Egypt and Gaza; and Kerem Shalom, in its territory that connects with the southern Strip.
Israeli soldiers subject the convoys to exhaustive controls that slow down the process, in addition to the difficulties in reaching the north, in the face of the widespread destruction of the enclave’s roads.
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.
International
Three salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
Three Salvadoran residents living in Orlando, Florida, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and wire fraud involving a scheme exceeding $146 million in the construction industry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The sentence was handed down by federal judge Timothy J. Corrigan on Tuesday, July 29.
Eduardo Aníbal Escobar (45) was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison, Carlos Alberto Rodríguez (36) to 3 years and 4 months, and Adelmy Tejada (57) to 18 months in prison, followed by 6 months of house arrest. All three pled guilty on April 3, 2025.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered restitution payments totaling $36,957,616 to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, and $397,895 to two insurers for workers’ compensation claims related to the scheme.
Escobar and Rodríguez are permanent legal residents originally from El Salvador, while Tejada is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Salvadoran origin.
International
Kremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
The Kremlin expressed relief that the earthquakes that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today —the first being the strongest since 1952— resulted in no casualties, and emphasized that the region is well prepared to face such natural disasters.
“Thank God, there were no victims,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing.
The presidential representative stated that “all alert systems were activated in time, and evacuations were organized for residents in areas requiring it in response to tsunami threats.”
“Overall, the seismic resilience of the buildings proved effective (…) Therefore, we can say that the technological preparedness demonstrated a high level,” Peskov added.
Honduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
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Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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