International

Ukraine exposes Russia’s weakness at the border with the support of the West

The Russian army has mobilized all its heavy artillery and aviation to expel the Ukrainian troops that penetrated its territory three days ago, showing its defensive weakness at the border in the face of an operation that has received the support of the West.

“The attempts of some (Ukrainian) units to go deep into (Russian) territory in the Kursk sector have been rejected,” the Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged today in a statement.

The head of the Russian General Staff, Valeri Guerásimov, promised “the crushing defeat of the enemy,” but it is still far from coming, which has sparked alarmism on social networks and among the opposition, which blames the president, Vladimir Putin, for his “bloody adventure” in Ukraine.

Ukraine has not officially claimed the biggest incursion since the beginning of the war in February 2022, but Kiev insinuated on Thursday that there is no better way to force the Kremlin to negotiate peace than to hit it where it hurts the most.

Both Defense and the regional authorities admitted that the fighting continues for the third consecutive day in the districts of Sudzha and Kórenevo, which are several kilometers from the border.

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The Kursk Government assured Channel One on Thursday that “the enemy has not advanced a meter, on the contrary, it is withdrawing,” but the military parties and bloggers close to the Kremlin deny it.

The latter insist that the enemy has taken control of a border post, where they took several dozen Russian soldiers prisoners – including young recruits – and continues to advance by road to other towns in the area, at a depth of ten kilometers.

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which cites Russian sources, Ukrainians would control 45 square kilometers, an area that would include more than a dozen localities.

The Ukrainians also took the Sudzha gas meter, the tank that measures the flow of gas circulating through Ukrainian territory destined for European customers, although the Gazprom consortium reported today that it continues to pump that fuel through Ukraine.

Bloggers have also charged for the first time the inks against the new Minister of Defense, Andrei Belousov, whom they accuse of neglecting the protection of the border, when the concentration of enemy troops a few kilometers from Russian territory was known, and they urg him to punish incompetent officers.

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The Russian Army today resorted to the Su-34 fighter-bombers to strike in Kursk, the scene of the largest tank battle of World War II, the positions of the Ukrainian units that crossed the common border.

According to Defense, the Su-34s used FAB-500 aerial bombs, which Moscow usually uses to hammer Ukrainian territory, to launch “precise attacks from a safe distance” from the combat zone.

For its part, the Séver group (North) attacked the positions of six enemy mechanized brigades in Kursk, but also in the neighboring regions of Kharkov and Sumi, where Kiev would have suffered 415 casualties, in addition to the destruction of four tanks, about thirty armored vehicles and military vehicles.

In an attempt to stop the panic – five civilians have died and another thirty were injured – Putin interrupted his vacation to hold a videoconference meeting today with the acting governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, who declared a state of emergency the day before.

The Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mikhail Podoliak, subtly admitted Kiev’s role in the incursion by recognizing its “effectiveness” and ensuring that Russia will only agree to negotiate peace “if it understands that the losses in this war are unimaginable and that the price of war is already unacceptable.”

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“In view of the second summit of peace, in order for her (Russia) to get there, behave more or less appropriately (…) and not act with arrogance, which is typical of Russian foreign policy, it is necessary that the instruments of coercion work,” he said.

He added: “Today they have a war that gradually deepens in the Russian Federation. Will it scare them? Yes. Do they react to something other than fear? No,” he said.

In this regard, the European Commission defended on Thursday that, “according to international law, Ukraine has the right to defend itself and that includes hitting the enemy in its territory.”

“Within the framework of this legitimate right to defend itself, Ukraine is empowered to hit its enemy where it deems necessary in its territory, but also in the territory of the enemy,” said Peter Stano, spokesman for the head of community diplomacy, Josep Borrell.

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International

Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36, Representative Confirms

Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, her representative confirmed to CNN.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to everyone who knew her, and to the millions who saw her on screen,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement to CNN.

The circumstances surrounding her death were not immediately known. ABC was the first outlet to report the news.

Panettiere rose to prominence in the late 2000s with her role as Claire Bennet in the television series “Heroes.” Her character was a cheerleader with the ability to heal herself, becoming one of the show’s most recognizable figures.

She later starred in the musical drama series “Nashville,” portraying Juliette Barnes, a young country music star whose career and personal life were central to the series.

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Panettiere also appeared in the 2011 horror film “Scream 4” as Kirby Reed. She later returned to the franchise more than a decade later in “Scream VI.”

Her other notable film credits included “I Love You, Beth Cooper” and “Remember the Titans.”

Panettiere’s career spanned television and film, with roles that made her a familiar face to audiences from the 2000s onward.

International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

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Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

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Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.