International
Petro says he is dealing with Maduro with a plan to “eradicate” armed groups from the border
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said on Thursday that he has been in contact with Nicolás Maduro to launch an action plan that would allow the “eradication” of armed groups from the border with Venezuela, following the clashes in the Catatumbo area between the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and a dissident of the FARC.
“I have talked to the president in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, to cover up the illegal passages, especially in the Catatumbo River, and it is acted with flights from side to side, we verify (sic) with the presence of 1,580 compatriots in a refugee camp on the other side,” Petro said in his social network account X.
He also said that “an action plan is being built, a set that seeks to close all space for action of the owners of drug trafficking on the border.”
The president thus responded to criticism the day before for making an official trip to Haiti while the country faces the security and humanitarian crisis caused by the clashes in the Catatumbo, which began a week ago and left between 60 and 80 dead, according to different authorities, as well as some 36,000 displaced people.
“No one disconnects at this time. I inform you that I have been connected with the current Venezuelan Government from Haiti and I have delegated my Minister of Defense to talk to his peer and establish a joint plan to eradicate armed gangs on the border,” Petro added.
Petro also said that there will be “a meeting of the two defense ministers for this purpose.”
Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, who resigned this week and will be in office until January 31, said on Wednesday in New York that the Colombian Government has asked that of Venezuela through diplomatic channels to ensure greater control at the border to prevent the passage of ELN fighters from Catatumbo.
Murillo, who spoke before the UN Security Council at its quarterly session on the Verification Mission in Colombia, said that the two Governments “are coordinated to ensure tranquility on both sides of the border.”
To this end, he added, Colombia has “sadd to the Venezuelan State that it is definitive to avoid the passages of the members of the ELN through the border,” because it is a fact that “there were a series of illegal passages,” although all this without going to the extreme of closing the legal bridges that communicate the two countries.
Colombia and Venezuela share a border of 2,219 kilometers, of which about 375 are in the Catatumbo region, the scene of the clashes between the ELN and the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents, for territorial control and drug trafficking businesses.
The delegation of the Government of Colombia in the dialogues with the National Liberation Army (ELN) said that the members of the guerrillas participating in the peace process are not in Cuba, after the Prosecutor’s Office reactivated the arrest warrants against 31 negotiators of the armed group.
“Our delegation affirms that to date, and according to official information, in Cuba there are no representatives or people authorized to participate in the peace process belonging to the ELN,” said this Thursday the Government delegation headed by Vera Grabe in a message on her X account.
This statement is made after the Prosecutor’s Office reactivated on Wednesday the arrest warrants against the ELN peace negotiators after Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the suspension of talks due to the “war crimes” that that guerrilla is committing in the Catatumbo.
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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