International
The Pokrovsk sector is still the hottest of the war in Ukraine
This Friday, 139 fighting was recorded at the front, most of them in the Pokrovsk sector, in the eastern region of Donetsk, according to the part of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine updated on Saturday morning.
Russian forces launched six missile attacks on July 5, using twelve missiles, 55 air strikes (with 72 guided aerial bombs) and carried out more than 3,000 bombings, including 105 of them with multiple rocket launch systems.
The Russian army carried out air strikes mainly in the regions of Kharkov, Donetsk and Zaporiyia.
In the Kharkov sector, Russian troops continued offensive and assault operations with the support of aviation, with a total of eight combats.
In the Kupiansk sector, the number of fights increased to five throughout the day, in the Liman sector 21 attacks were repelled and in Siversk, seven.
In the Kramatorsk sector, Ukrainian defenders thwarted ten Russian attempts to break the defensive lines.
In the Toretsk sector, Russian troops were quite active and launched 18 attacks with air support.
In the Pokrovsk sector, 45 Russian attacks were repelled and in the Kurajove sector, the Ukrainian defense forces continued to contain the Russian troops that tried to break the defensive lines on nine occasions.
In the Vremivka sector, Russian troops attacked Ukrainian positions seven times and in the Orijiv sector there were two fights.
In the Dnieper River sector, the Russians continue to try to evict the Ukrainian defense forces from their positions on the bridgeheads on the left bank. The five attacks were unsuccessful.
In the Volin and Polissia sectors, the operational situation has not changed significantly and there are no indications of the formation of Russian offensive groups.
In addition, eleven civilians were killed and another 43 were injured in several Russian attacks on Friday in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, reported the head of the regional military administration, Vadim Filashkin.
On the other hand, about 100,400 subscribers in a total of 348 settlements were still without electricity this morning after a Russian attack last night against an energy infrastructure in the Sumi region, in northern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported on Saturday.
Ukrainian drones attacked and set fire to two fuel tanks last night in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, near the annexed Crimean peninsula, regional authorities reported today.
According to the statement, the drones were shot down, but their fragments impacted and set fire to two fuel tanks in two localities. The emergency services did not specify the volume of the deposits reached.
As a result of the night attack, a mobile phone tower in the city of Yeisk, located on the shores of the Sea of Azov, also suffered damage.
The Russian Ministry of Defense in turn reported that the anti-aircraft defense systems shot down seven Ukrainian fixed-side drones last night over the Kursk region and one on the Belgorod region.
These two Russian regions are bordered by Ukraine and suffer almost daily attacks with drones and artillery.
In addition, the Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 24 of the 27 Shahed-131/136 attack drones launched by Russia during the night from the occupied territory of Crimea and the Russian region of Kursk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Mikola Oleshchuk, reported on Saturday.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
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