International
At least 29 Maoists killed in a confrontation in central India before the elections
At least 29 Maoist insurgents were killed and three members of the security forces were injured on Tuesday in a confrontation in the state of Chhattisgarh, in central India, three days before the start of the general elections.
“After receiving specific intelligence information, an operation was launched by the Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG). While the operation was underway, members of the Maoists opened fire and the BSF troops responded,” a spokesman for the border guards said in statements to the Indian Express newspaper.
The Inspector General of the Police of Bastar, Sundarraj, told the media that the security forces found after the confrontation the bodies of 29 Naxalite fighters, named because the movement was born after a revolt in the Bengali village of Naxalbari in 1967.
“There was also a large number of weapons and ammunition from the area. Three soldiers were injured in the confrontation and are out of danger,” Sundarraj added.
Active for half a century, especially in the so-called ‘red belt’ of India, a strip of territory that runs through the center and east of the country, Maoists seek to impose an agrarian revolution.
At least thirteen Maoist insurgents died in a confrontation with the security forces in the state of Chhatisgarh, in central India, a police source said on Wednesday, a clash that comes weeks before the general elections.
The confrontation comes just two weeks after at least thirteen Maoist insurgents died in another clash in the same region, and three days before the start of the general elections in India.
Next Friday, the Asian country will hold the first of the seven phases of a mammoth elections whose result is expected on June 4.
The powerful Indian Minister of the Interior, Amit Shah, said last Sunday during a rally in Chhattisgarh that if the current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, obtains a third consecutive term in the elections “he will eradicate Naxalism in three years” in the region.
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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