International
Ukraine announces the dismantling of a subversive group that wanted to take Parliament
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced today the dismantling of a subversive group that had called a public event in the capital with the aim of overthrowing the Ukrainian civil and military authorities and taking the Supreme Rada building (Parliament).
An indeterminate number of people have been arrested for their participation in the conspiracy, according to the SBU.
“According to the investigation, in May and June 2024 a group of people distributed messages on social networks discrediting the current leadership of the State, calling for changes in the constitutional order and the seizure of power in Ukraine2, reads a statement from the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office, which has also reported the dismantling of the group.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the leaders of the group had called various public events for June 30, when Ukraine celebrates Constitution Day. The organizers did not reveal their coup intentions in the calls.
In addition to taking Parliament, the idea of these supposed subversives was to elect a new “interim government” in these public acts.
The main organizer of the event is, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, the leader of an organization that “has experience in participating in provocative acts that have not yielded results.” The Prosecutor’s Office does not provide more details about the identity of this person or about the organization he leads.
“He had rented a room with capacity for two thousand people and had also sought military personnel and armed guards from private structures to carry out the seizure of power,” says the Prosecutor’s Office about how he prepared the alleged attempt.
According to this source, the organizer had accomplices in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk (center) and Kiev and had tried unsuccessfully to attract an oenegé from the Ivano-Frankivsk region (west) to the preparations.
Four people are being investigated in Ivano-Frankivsk for distributing material with calls for the violent overthrow of constitutional order in Ukraine. Two of them are deprived of liberty on a preventive basis, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
On the other hand, Russia expressed its concern about the concentration of Ukrainian troops next to the Belarusian border, denounced by the Belarusian military command.
“This causes concern not only in Minsk, but also in Moscow. Well, we are really partners and allies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said at his daily telephone press conference.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, asked in his speech to the nation last night for more “bold decisions” from his Western allies to reduce Russian airstrikes such as the one that on Sunday killed one person and injured ten others in the city of Kharkov.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked in recent weeks for more freedom of action to use Western weapons against targets within the Russian Federation to neutralize at the origin of Russian attacks from the other side of the border. One of Kiev’s claims is that it is allowed to use long-range missiles to destroy planes on Russian airfields.
Last month, the United States and other Kiev partners allowed Ukraine to attack military infrastructures located in Russian territory near the border that Russia uses to attack regions such as Kharkov, in northeastern Ukraine.
Ukraine asks its allies for long-range missiles to attack air bases within Russia, and more Patriot systems and other types of longer-range missile systems to keep enemy planes that launch these bombs away from their targets.
On the other hand, Russian anti-aircraft defense systems shot down a total of 18 Ukrainian fixed-winged drones last night over the Kursk and Belgorod regions, both bordering Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Monday on its Telegram channel.
In addition, the Russian Army took two Ukrainian localities in the Kharkov and Donetsk regions, in the east of the country, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense in its daily war report.
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
-
Central America3 days agoFuneral turns tragic as armed attack leaves seven dead in Guatemala City
-
Central America3 days agoCosta Rica issues Yellow Alert and halts water activities over tsunami currents
-
Central America4 days agoPeru’s ambassador highlights “historic bonds” with El Salvador on Independence Day
-
International4 days agoU.S. and China push for extension of tariff truce after “constructive” talks in Sweden
-
International3 days agoThree salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
-
International4 days agoMedvedev warns Trump after new Ukraine ultimatum: ‘Russia is neither Israel nor Iran’
-
International3 days agoKremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
-
International4 days agoTrump administration opens civil rights probe into duke university over alleged bias
-
International3 days agoU.S. launches ads urging undocumented migrants to self-deport via CBP Home App
-
International4 days agoArgentina requests reentry into U.S. Visa Waiver Program during DHS chief’s visit
-
Central America2 days agoDaniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
-
Central America2 days agoHonduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
-
International4 days agoPetro accuses Marco Rubio of undermining colombia’s sovereignty over Uribe comments
-
Central America2 days agoGuatemala transfers top gang leaders to maximum security prison after funeral home massacre
-
International2 days agoTrump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
-
International11 hours agoStudy finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
-
International11 hours agoTrump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
-
Central America11 hours agoCosta Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves