International
Russian anti-aircraft batteries shoot down another six drones over the Belgorod region

Russian anti-aircraft batteries shot down another six drones on Sunday over the border region of Belgorod, the most punished since the beginning of the war, according to Moscow’s military sources.
The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of trying to perpetrate a new “terrorist attack” against targets on Russian territory.
An eleven-year-old girl who was playing in a playground was injured in the middle of gravity in the attack on a residential building in the regional capital, according to the governor, Viacheslav Gladkov, on his Telegram channel.
Gladkov estimated that almost a hundred, not counting the drones, the attacks perpetrated on Sunday by enemy artillery against the region.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Kiev attacked Belgorod during the early hours of the morning with three fixed-wing unmanned devices, which did not cause serious damage.
In total, more than a hundred aircraft have been shot down by Russian air defenses throughout the day throughout the country, more than half over the Krasnodar region, bathed by the Black Sea.
In addition, a dozen ATACM missiles, nine HIMARS and two HARM projectiles, all American-made, and four French Hammer aerial bombs were intercepted, according to Russian sources.
Russian president Vladimir Putin assured on Friday that the objective of the current ground offensive in the northeastern region of Kharkov is precisely to stop the attacks of enemy artillery against civilian targets on Russian territory.
He assured that the Kremlin wants to create a security zone along the border that prevents Ukrainian artillery from attacking populated areas.
The Ukrainian authorities have asked for authorization from the Western powers to be able to use their long-range weapons against targets in Russia, which since the beginning of the war have repeatedly attacked with drones.
The Russian authorities today numbered eleven injured in the attacks of the enemy artillery against the town of Shebekino, which is located in the Belgorod region a few kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
The regional governor, Viacheslav Gladkov, assured on his Telegram channel that among the injured there are three children aged 12, 15 and 17.
According to preliminary data, there are no serious injuries and, as doctors have proven after his hospitalization, they are mostly shatter wounds.
Material damage is also limited to broken windows and damage to about 25 parked cars.
Gladkov estimated at almost a hundred, not counting the drones, the attacks perpetrated on Sunday by Ukrainian artillery against the region.
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.
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