International
A Russian general dies in the explosion of a car bomb near Moscow
Russian Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, senior command of the General Staff, died this Friday due to the explosion of a car bomb in the Moscow region, according to the Russian Instruction Committee (CIR).
“According to preliminary data, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik died as a result of the explosion,” Svetlana Petrenko, a CIR spokeswoman, told local media.
Moskalik, deputy chead of the operations command of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces since 2021, died when approaching a car, a Volkswagen Golf, in which an explosive device was remotely detonated, according to Mash and Shot, two Telegram channels.
“The reason for the explosion was an explosive device. Fragments of the device were found at the scene of the accident,” a police source told the TASS agency.
The newspaper Kommersant suggests that a second person could have died in the attack, although other media do not report that possibility.
The sources cited by another channel, BAZA, speak of a gas cylinder as the reason for the explosion equivalent to 300 grams of trilite.
Other media believe that the cylinder that was in the car amplified the power of the explosive, which caused damage to the cars parked in the vicinity and the windows of adjacent buildings.
According to the Mash channel, the last owner of the car, which was parked in front of the portal of the building where the general lived, was an individual from the Ukrainian city of Sumi.
The Instruction Committee opened a criminal case for murder and illegal possession of explosives, while the spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs, María Zajárova, called the incident a “terrorist attack”.
The explosion took place in the courtyard of an urbanization built east of the Russian capital especially for retired military personnel, where a team of investigators, criminals and other agents has already been sent to supervise the site of the attack.
The Russian media offered images of the powerful explosion of tourism at the pass of the 59-year-old general, who had been included in the Ukrainian Mirotvorets list in which “the enemies of Ukraine” appear.
In December of last year, Lieutenant General Igor Kirilov, head of Russia’s radiological, chemical and biological defense, also died in a bomb attack while leaving his home.
According to the Gazeta.ru portal, in both cases its authors studied in detail the routine, from the schedule to the route, which the victims followed daily.
Then, Russian President Vladimir Putin described this attack as a “serious failure” by the security services, who held the agents of the Ukrainian secret services responsible.
“This (the murder of Kirilov), of course, means that our law enforcement officers and special services let these attacks pass. We need to improve the work and avoid such serious failures,” he said.
In turn, shortly after, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed to have thwarted a series of attacks against senior military leaders in the country and reported the arrest of four Russian citizens as part of the investigation.
“The Russian Federal Security Service thwarted a series of attacks against high-ranking military personnel of the Ministry of Defense who participate in the special military operation (in Ukraine), as well as against members of their families,” the agency said.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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