International
Ukraine will install solar panels in schools and hospitals due to Russian attacks on power plants
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, ordered his ministers and competent authorities on Thursday to install “solar panels, smart panels and storage infrastructures” of energy in schools and hospitals as soon as possible in the face of the electricity generation deficit caused by Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants.
Zelenski also asked for the creation of fiscal conditions and benefits to facilitate the installation of “solar panels and batteries” by as many Ukrainians as possible, and commissioned the Government to develop a “state-wide” strategy for the development of renewable energies and the diversification of generation points.
In addition, the Ukrainian president ordered the installation of technologies conducive to energy savings in all public and official buildings.
Zelenski gave these orders in a meeting with the Prime Minister, Denís Shmigal; the head of Energy, Herman Galushchenko and the head of the hydrocarbon company Naftogaz, Oleksí Chernishov, in which the head of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mikola Oleshchuk, in charge of protecting the country from Russian air strikes, also participated.
The head of state of Ukraine announced these decisions in a message published on his social networks in which he summarized the content of the meeting, held after Russia launched last morning the seventh massive attack against the Ukrainian electricity system since March 22.
Russian drones and missiles damaged electrical infrastructure in Kiev and three other Ukrainian regions. A thermal power plant of the private company DTEK that had already been affected by previous attacks suffered serious damage in the bombing.
“We repair what can be repaired, we build a complex protection system with engineering structures, means of electronic warfare and air defense systems,” Zelenski said about the measures taken by Ukraine to protect its plants from Russian attacks.
Ukraine works with its partners to receive additional air defense systems. Romania today announced its decision to send a Patriot missile system to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian authorities have been forced to introduce scheduled power cuts in the face of repeated Russian attacks on the electricity sector, and fear that the problem will worsen with the increase in demand with the arrival of low temperatures.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
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