International
Ukraine announces the dismantling of a subversive group that wanted to take Parliament
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced today the dismantling of a subversive group that had called a public event in the capital with the aim of overthrowing the Ukrainian civil and military authorities and taking the Supreme Rada building (Parliament).
An indeterminate number of people have been arrested for their participation in the conspiracy, according to the SBU.
“According to the investigation, in May and June 2024 a group of people distributed messages on social networks discrediting the current leadership of the State, calling for changes in the constitutional order and the seizure of power in Ukraine2, reads a statement from the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office, which has also reported the dismantling of the group.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the leaders of the group had called various public events for June 30, when Ukraine celebrates Constitution Day. The organizers did not reveal their coup intentions in the calls.
In addition to taking Parliament, the idea of these supposed subversives was to elect a new “interim government” in these public acts.
The main organizer of the event is, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, the leader of an organization that “has experience in participating in provocative acts that have not yielded results.” The Prosecutor’s Office does not provide more details about the identity of this person or about the organization he leads.
“He had rented a room with capacity for two thousand people and had also sought military personnel and armed guards from private structures to carry out the seizure of power,” says the Prosecutor’s Office about how he prepared the alleged attempt.
According to this source, the organizer had accomplices in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk (center) and Kiev and had tried unsuccessfully to attract an oenegé from the Ivano-Frankivsk region (west) to the preparations.
Four people are being investigated in Ivano-Frankivsk for distributing material with calls for the violent overthrow of constitutional order in Ukraine. Two of them are deprived of liberty on a preventive basis, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
On the other hand, Russia expressed its concern about the concentration of Ukrainian troops next to the Belarusian border, denounced by the Belarusian military command.
“This causes concern not only in Minsk, but also in Moscow. Well, we are really partners and allies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said at his daily telephone press conference.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, asked in his speech to the nation last night for more “bold decisions” from his Western allies to reduce Russian airstrikes such as the one that on Sunday killed one person and injured ten others in the city of Kharkov.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked in recent weeks for more freedom of action to use Western weapons against targets within the Russian Federation to neutralize at the origin of Russian attacks from the other side of the border. One of Kiev’s claims is that it is allowed to use long-range missiles to destroy planes on Russian airfields.
Last month, the United States and other Kiev partners allowed Ukraine to attack military infrastructures located in Russian territory near the border that Russia uses to attack regions such as Kharkov, in northeastern Ukraine.
Ukraine asks its allies for long-range missiles to attack air bases within Russia, and more Patriot systems and other types of longer-range missile systems to keep enemy planes that launch these bombs away from their targets.
On the other hand, Russian anti-aircraft defense systems shot down a total of 18 Ukrainian fixed-winged drones last night over the Kursk and Belgorod regions, both bordering Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Monday on its Telegram channel.
In addition, the Russian Army took two Ukrainian localities in the Kharkov and Donetsk regions, in the east of the country, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense in its daily war report.
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
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International4 days agoCardinals seek a “unifier” as they prepare for conclave to elect new pope
-
International4 days agoTrump and Zelensky hold “very productive” meeting in Rome during Pope’s funeral
-
International2 days agoColombia sees deadliest surge in violence since FARC peace deal
-
International3 days agoNine dead after driver runs over crowd at Vancouver Street Festival
-
International3 days agoKing Charles III expresses deep sadness after Vancouver festival tragedy that left nine dead
-
Central America2 days agoGuatemala sees road blockades amid protests against lawmaker pay hikes
-
International2 days agoSpain’s PM calls for calm and patience amid ongoing blackout
-
International2 days agoConclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
-
International2 days agoMexican activist who exposed pornography ring found dead in Veracruz
-
International2 days agoMadrid carries out 286 elevator rescues amid massive blackout
-
International9 hours agoKristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
-
International10 hours agoVatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition