International
Putin considers a “snonise” a possible attack by Russia against NATO countries
Russian President Vladimir Putin called a possible Russian attack on NATO countries “nonseness” due to the great difference in their military potential.
“It’s nonsense (…) Have you seen the potential of Russia and NATO?” Putin said during an interview with the main international news agencies, including EFE, within the framework of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
Addressing the representatives of 16 international media, the head of the Kremlin asked not to create an image that Russia is the enemy.
“It has been invented that Russia wants to attack NATO. Who invented it? It’s nonsense, do you understand? A delirium,” he insisted, adding that Russia has no “imperial ambitions.”
According to Putin, such statements are made to “deceive the population” of Western countries and justify the sending of weapons to Ukraine.
The Russian leader’s interview with leaders of the world’s leading news agencies lasted for more than three hours, in which Putin answered more than 20 questions.
On the other hand, the Russian president warned that the tactical nuclear weapons in his country’s arsenal have 70-75 kilotons of power, more than three times those launched by the United States against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
“The United States is the only country that used nuclear weapons. It was during World War II, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 20 kilotons. Our tactical nuclear weapons are 70-75 kilotons,” Putin said during the interview with heads of the main international news agencies, including EFE.
Therefore, he added: “We do not take the situation not only to its use, but even the threat of use” of nuclear weapons.
While he highlighted that it is the West that always brings this issue to light and then accuse Russia of “shaking the nuclear mallet,” he recalled what the Russian military doctrine says.
“For some reason the West believes that Russia will never use them. We have a nuclear doctrine. Look at what is written on it. If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all the means at our disposal,” he said.
Putin also stressed that in this matter you have to behave like professionals and not “lightly, superficially.”
“I hope that everyone in the world also takes that position,” he said.
Putin also assured the agencies that the fighting in Ukraine will cease in two or three months if the United States suspends the supply of weapons to Kiev.
“And these military actions will conclude in two or three months at most,” Putin said during an interview with the main international news agencies, including EFE, within the framework of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
The head of the Kremlin indicated that in a response letter to the President of the United States, Joe Biden, he wrote to him: “If you want the combat actions in Ukraine to end, stop supplying him with weapons.”
He assured that the West prevented the signing of a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine a few months after the outset of the fighting and convinced the Ukrainian authorities to fight until a strategic defeat was done to Moscow.
The Russian president recalled that the then British Prime Minister, Boris Jonhson, traveled especially to Kiev for that purpose.
“And I’m sure, I have no doubt, that it had the support of the United States Administration,” he added.
According to Putin, the so-called Istanbul treaty to end the conflict had been agreed by the Ukrainian side, so only its signature was missing.
“The Ukrainian side and its official positions publicly declared that if they had signed this treaty, the war would have ended by the end of 2022. We didn’t say it, official charges in Kiev said it, publicly,” Putin emphasized.
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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