International

Ukraine launches counterattacks in Kharkov while trying to contain the Russian attacks in Donetsk

Ukrainian troops defending the north of the Kharkov region are counterattacking after managing to stop the Russian advance in the area near the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Meanwhile, Russian forces remain pressured on different segments of the front in the eastern region of Donetsk and also in the south.

“The fighting continues near Liptsi and between Gliboke and Lukiantsi, as well as the assaults near and inside Vovchansk,” reads the latest bulletin of the Center for Defense Strategies in Kiev, which also states that “the Armed Forces of Ukraine counterattacked near Vovchansk and Staritsia.”

All these localities are located on the two axes opened by Russia in the cross-border offensive that its troops launched in the middle of last month against the Kharkov Oblast, which is still subjected to constant Russian airstrikes that hit the homonymous regional capital with special hard.

Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington collects in its report this Monday “recent” Russian advances “near Vovchansk” and in the surroundings of the occupied cities of Avdivka and Donetsk, capital of the homonymous region of eastern Ukraine.

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The ISW has also confirmed a Russian “marginal” advance in the town of Krinki, located on the eastern shore of the Dnipro River in the southern region of Kherson. Ukraine has established on that margin of the final stretch of the river a beachhead that Russia is trying to destroy with constant attacks.

The pressure that Russia continues to exert on the entire front is accompanied by a very high number of casualties, according to the daily balances offered by the Ukrainian General Staff.

In the past 24 hours alone, Russian forces recorded, between dead and wounded, 1,270 casualties of soldiers along the contact line. Until the opening of a new front in Kharkov last month, the number of Russian casualties did not usually cross the threshold of a thousand, something that now happens practically daily.

Regarding the losses of military material, Ukraine managed to destroy 14 enemy tanks and 47 artillery systems during the last day.

Kiev hopes to be able to completely stabilize the front with the new US aid in weapons and ammunition that it began to receive weeks ago.

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More than a dozen allies have confirmed in recent days that they will allow Ukraine to hit military targets located in the territory of the Russian Federation, which could enable Ukraine to neutralize in origin many of the attacks that the Russians launch from their own territory against border regions such as Kharkov.

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.

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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.