Thursday 5 May 2022 (11.00 GMT) SWI Swissinfo.ch

This content was published on May 05, 2022 – 10:45 am May 05, 2022 – 10:45 am

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UKRAINE WAR

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United States of America

The US helped Ukraine eliminate Russian generals during the war, the newspaper reveals

Washington (EFE).- The United States intelligence services have shared information with the Ukrainian armed forces that has enabled them to locate and eliminate a dozen Russian generals involved in the invasion, the New York Times reported. According to the newspaper, which cites unnamed senior US officials as a source, US President Joe Biden’s administration’s intelligence support has enabled the Ukrainian army to select its targets in the theater of war in real time.

HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR

Three days from today, Russia will open a corridor to evacuate civilians from Azovstal

Moscow (EFE) .- Russia announced the opening of a humanitarian corridor for three days starting this Thursday to evacuate civilians from the area of the besieged Azovstal Steel Works in Mariúpol, the Defense Ministry reported. The corridors will open on May 5, 6 and 7 between 05:00 GMT and 15:00 GMT for “humanitarian reasons”. The situation in the Azvostal steel plant is confused, the Ukrainian authorities yesterday reported new attacks in this industrial complex where hundreds of civilian refugees remain. The units will withdraw to a “safe distance” and evacuate civilians in any direction, both to the territory of the Russian Federation and to areas controlled by the Kiev authorities, Moscow promised.

POSITION

Ukraine denounces intensive attacks in the east and Russia says it shot down three warplanes

Kyiv/Moscow (EFE).- According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian army intensified its attacks in different parts of Donbass in eastern Ukraine, with at least two dead and 25 wounded. The Russian military command today reported the shooting down of three Ukrainian Air Force fighter jets and 14 drones in different regions of Ukraine. In addition, Russia today accused Ukraine of bombing two villages in the Belgorod border region with no casualties.

THERMAL POWER PLANT

One of the largest thermal power plants in Ukraine is shutting down due to a lack of coal

Kyiv (EFE).- The Zaporizhia thermal power plant, which is under Russian control and is one of the largest in Ukraine, had to stop operations due to the lack of coal that cannot be delivered due to hostilities in the south of the country, according to Ukrainian sources . Dmitry Orlov, the mayor of the town of Energodar, where the power plant is located, told the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper that “unfortunately, it is a forced step, the company has run out of coal and it is not possible to organize regular supply “, although he pointed out that the measure would not affect the local population, since the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is still in operation and guarantees the supply.

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UK ELECTIONS

UK and Northern Ireland Local Electoral Colleges open

London (EFE).- The UK electoral colleges opened this Thursday to take part in the partial local elections in Great Britain and Autonomous Northern Ireland, which will make it possible to see the level of support enjoyed by the parties. In this election date, the first since the party scandal erupted at Downing Street Headquarters during the pandemic, 4,360 council posts in 146 English consistories are at stake, out of a total of 333, while all 32 are from Scotland and 22 from Wales. In the case of Northern Ireland, voters will elect the new composition of the province’s autonomous assembly, made up of 90 members, in a day that could be historic if, as polls on voting intentions predict, Sinn Féin is the old political arm of the inactive Irish Republican Army (IRA) – is the party with the most votes.

FAVORITE SANTA CLAUS

The ECJ closes the door for Popular shareholders to assert claims on Santander

Brussels (EFE) .- Shareholders who have suffered losses as a result of the dissolution of Banco Popular cannot claim compensation from Banco Santander because they received incorrect information when acquiring these securities before the dissolution, as the Court of Justice of the Union ruled on Thursday European Union (ECJ). However, the judges point out that European law provides a safeguard that allows shareholders and creditors affected by a resolution to suffer more losses in the process than they would have suffered in an orderly liquidation, to ask the court for its return can difference.

UNITED KINGDOM MONARCHY

Elizabeth II will not be attending the traditional parties at Buckingham Gardens

London (EFE). – Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the traditional parties in the gardens this year, hosted each summer by Buckingham Palace – her official residence in London – a spokesman for the British royal family confirmed on Thursday. The 96-year-old sovereign is represented by other members of the royal family at the palace’s annual events. The monarch, who is currently suffering from mobility issues, has also missed other relevant events on her agenda this year, although she has continued to fulfill her engagements virtually.

NORTH KOREA MISSILES

North Korea is silent on Wednesday’s launch of a ballistic missile

Seoul (EFE).- The North Korean state media have remained silent today about the ballistic missile that the regime fired as a test the day before, unleashing the suspicions of experts as to the result and the type of missile tested. Neither the Rodong newspaper, the country’s main newspaper, nor the KCNA news agency published any news about the weapons test, and the national television network, which begins broadcasting at 15:00 local time (6:00 GMT) on weekdays, did not join Add a mention to them when announcing their daily barbecue. On Wednesday, the regime fired a ballistic missile from Pyongyang that traveled about 470 kilometers and peaked at about 780 before plunging into the waters of the East Sea (the name given to the Sea of Japan in the two Koreas).

COLOMBIA USA

Colombia delivers “Otoniel” with all its secrets to the USA

Bogotá (EFE).- The feared leader of the Clan del Golfo criminal gang, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, aka “Otoniel”, was extradited this Wednesday to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking crimes, a controversial trial that does not Answer allows, at least for now, many questions about crimes of the Colombian armed conflict. “This criminal can only be compared to Pablo Escobar and he is not only the most dangerous drug dealer in the world, but also a killer of social leaders, an abuser of children and young people, a killer of police officers,” said the country’s president. Ivan Duke.

US RESERVE

The US is raising interest rates by half a point, the biggest hike in two decades

Washington (EFE).- The United States Federal Reserve (Fed) this Wednesday announced a half-point hike in interest rates, the largest increase in more than two decades, and expects further hikes of this caliber to combat inflation. With this hike – twice the March level – and after two years close to zero to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, the world’s largest economy’s official interest rate is now in a range between 0, 75% and 1%.

USA ABORTION

Gail Curley, chosen to investigate the US Supreme Court’s biggest leak

Washington (EFE).- The task of investigating the biggest leak in the history of the US Supreme Court falls to Colonel Gail A. Curley, the Supreme Court’s bailiff, who until recently was only known to the public for opening the hearings the famous chant “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!”. Curley serves as the highest security agency on the Supreme Court and has 260 people under his command, including a police force responsible for protecting the courthouse and the security of the nine justices. Now Curley must figure out who leaked a draft sentence to Politico newspaper that refers to the federal abolition of abortion rights, in effect since 1973, that would allow states to legislate on abortion.

EU FUTURE

Ribera and Borrell discuss the future of Europe in Florence

Florence (Italy) (EFE).- The Third Vice-President of the Spanish Government and Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and the Head of European Union (EU) Diplomacy, Josep Borrell, are taking part in a forum today and tomorrow in Florence about the future of Europe, its energy independence and the war in Ukraine. This is the conference “The State of the Union”, organized every year by the European University Institute in the Italian city and hosting its twelfth edition, which opens this Thursday and is entitled “A Europe for the next generation?” of politics is doers, academics and experts from 40 countries.

CORONAVIRUS CHINA

China adds 13 deaths and 360 new local infections with Covid-19

Beijing (EFE).- China’s National Health Commission this Thursday reported 13 new deaths from Covid-19 and the discovery of 373 new positives for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus the previous day, 360 of which due to local contagion deaths were recorded in Shanghai , which for a month has become the epicenter of the outbreaks in the Asian country and whose 26 million residents have been in strict confinement for a month.

CORONAVIRUS USA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken infected with Covid-19

Washington (EFE) .- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has tested positive for Covid-19 and is suffering from “mild” symptoms, the United States government reported. Blinken, who is vaccinated against the coronavirus and has received a booster dose, has not been in close contact with President Joe Biden in recent days, according to the State Department. The foreign minister met with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Tuesday and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde on Wednesday, before confirming his contagion.

OPEC CONFERENCE

OPEC and Russia meet to adjust their crude oil production levels

Vienna (EFE) .- OPEC+, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, will decide this Thursday in a video conference how much oil they will pump in June, from which no surprises are expected but maintaining the moderate increase agreed in July will be 2021. The meeting A virtual meeting of ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and ten independent producers comes a day after the unveiling of a plan for the European Union (EU) to phase out purchases of Russian crude oil to ease pressure on Moscow over its Increase invasion of Ukraine. The prices of the “black gold” have reacted with sharp price increases to the announcement of the European Commission’s proposal, which still has to be approved by the 27 and which includes exceptions for Hungary and Slovakia due to their high dependence on supplies from Moscow

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