International
Russia assures that Ukraine will lose the war despite the new US military aid package
Russia assured today that Ukraine will lose the war despite the new military aid package of $61 billion approved on Saturday by the US House of Representatives.
“But this will not alter the situation on the battlefield. The criminal regime of Kiev will be defeated,” wrote Viacheslav Volodin, president of the Duma or chamber of deputies of Russia, on his Telegram channel.
Russia warned the United States, which on Saturday approved a new $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine, that its current support for Kiev will end in a “fiasco” as well-nound as in the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg celebrated last night that the United States House of Representatives has approved “a new and important” aid package to Ukraine and assured that this will contribute to “making us all safer, both in Europe and in North America.”
“I am pleased that the United States House of Representatives has approved a new and important aid package for Ukraine. Ukraine is using the weapons provided by NATO allies to destroy Russian combat capabilities. This makes us all safer, in Europe and North America,” Stoltenberg said on social network X.
The leaders of the main institutions of the European Union (EU) also welcomed the fact that the United States House of Representatives has approved a new aid package for Ukraine and called for the preservation of unity between Europeans and Americans to continue supporting Kiev.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Ukraine “deserves all possible support against Russia” and, after the affirmative vote of the House of Representatives, urged the US Senate to ratify this package “as soon as possible”, because “there are lives at stake.”
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed that the approval of this aid package “sends a clear message to the Kremlin,” and that is that “those who believe in freedom and the Charter of the United Nations will continue to support Ukraine and its people.”
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, added that, with the package approved this Saturday by the US House of Representatives, Ukraine “will have the transatlantic support it needs to face Russian aggression.”
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, pointed out that “the only way to peace is to help the Ukrainian people defend themselves” and stressed the value of the EU and the United States remaining “united for freedom and against aggression.”
The US House of Representatives approved on Saturday a package of 95 billion dollars (about 89 billion euros) of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, after the bill has remained stagnant for months due to the blocking of a group of Republican legislators opposed to continuing to finance Kiev.
Each item has been voted independently and the 61 billion (about 57 billion euros) for Ukraine have received the green light with 311 votes in favor, among which there were both Democratic and Republican congressmen, compared to 112 against, in a session in which the Democrats cheered and waved Ukrainian flags.
In recent months, both Stoltenberg and other European NATO leaders had been pressing the United States to unblock this aid package as soon as possible, at one point in the Ukrainian Army it has been in trouble to defend itself against Russia’s offensive due to the shortage of weapons and ammunition.
The president of Ukraine himself, Volodymyr Zelensky, had previously stated that it would depend on this package of US aid that the Kiev forces could maintain their positions or be forced to withdraw gradually.
Now, the bill endorsed this Saturday by the House of Representatives will have to be validated by the Senate, where the Democratic Party has a tight majority.
After the approval, President Joe Biden celebrated in a statement that legislators have voted to promote “the national security interests” of the country and to “send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the global stage.”
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
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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