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
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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