65 combat clashes in past day

"The enemy launched 6 missile attacks and 85 air strikes, fired 88 times from multiple launch rocket systems at the positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas over the past day. As a result of the attacks, apartment blocks and other civilian infrastructure facilities were destroyed or damaged. About 110 settlements of the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions came under enemy artillery fire.... the Ukrainian Air Force launched strikes on 14 enemy manpower, weapons and military equipment clusters and one anti-aircraft missile system." Ukrin

Zelensky holds joint iftar with Muslim community on Ramadan

"President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, along with the Ukrainian military, who profess Islam, leaders of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, and representatives of the Muslim community and clergy, took part in an iftar – a dinner held during the holy month of Ramadan." Ukrin

Botswana threatens to ‘deport’ 20,000 elephants to Germany

"Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to

Germany in a diplomatic spat sparked by Berlin’s proposed crackdown on imports of hunting trophies from Africa.
Masisi told the German tabloid Bild on Tuesday that the move, led by German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, would only impoverish people in the southern African nation, where the growing elephant population is destroying farmland.
According to the president, herds have destroyed property, eaten crops, and trampled residents, including security officers. Last June, the Botswana Defense Force reported that one of its soldiers had been killed by a herd of elephants at an operational base. A British woman also died in 2018 when an elephant attacked her in northeast Botswana." RT

Ukrainian drone strike injures foreign students from eight countries

"A Ukrainian

military drone strike near the Russian city of Elabuga on Tuesday has left
students from eight foreign countries injured. The attack has left a total of 14 people wounded. Citizens of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan” were among them." RT

Israel apologizes for aid convoy deaths

"Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has described as a “grave mistake” the bombing of a humanitarian convoy in Gaza on Monday. Seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers, mostly foreigners, were killed in a three-stage strike that was reportedly intended to target a Hamas militant." RT

Palestinian-US doctor walks out of Biden meeting in Gaza protest

"A Palestinian-American doctor said he walked out of a Ramadan event with President Joe Biden at the White House to show solidarity with the people of Gaza against Israel's offensive. Thaer Ahmad, who traveled to Gaza earlier this year, told CNN he left the meeting between Biden and members of the Muslim community on Tuesday in protest at US "rhetoric" supporting Israel." France24

'Autonomous Zone for Palestine' Set Up in New York City Park

"Pro-Hamas Palestinians aren't alone in creating a CHOP zone. They have the help of

transgender activists. Why would radical Muslims who see transgender people as an abomination ally with them?
How did transgender activists wind up in the same camp as Hamas supporters? Has anyone mentioned to the trans people what would happen to them if they showed up in Gaza and announced that they were trans or even gay? Hamas fighters would promptly escort them to the nearest tall building that is still somehow standing and unceremoniously throw them off. But I suppose you can't let a few inconvenient facts stand in the way of your protest.
The New York City CHOP zone is illegal. You can't block access to a public park or attempt to ban the presence of police." PJM

South Korea seizes cargo ship sailing from North Korea to Russia

"South Korean authorities have seized a vessel believed to be in breach of UN sanctions

against North Korea. The 3,000-ton cargo ship DEYI was en route from North Korea to Russia via China when South Korean forces intercepted it near Yeosu, on the peninsula's southern coast. The vessel's 13-person crew, including the Chinese captain and various Chinese and Indonesian crew members, reportedly refused to stop the ship when approached, leading to its forced redirection and docking near Busan." UV

Lithuania to help repair Ukraine’s damaged power plants

"Lithuania will supply Kyiv with equipment to restore thermal power plants damaged by the recent waves of Russian air strikes, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry announced." UV

Two more Moscow allies stop accepting Russian payment card

"Risk of US secondary sanctions has forced banks in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to suspend financial ties and stop honoring Mir transfers." RT

Signing of Mobilization Law Indicates Zelensky is Desperate

"Zelensky signed new mobilization measures into law on April 2, lowering the conscription

age and authorizing the creation of an electronic database of military-age men in what is considered to be a "very unpopular" move in Ukraine.
The new draft law changes Ukraine's conscription age from 27 to 25, abolishes the "limited fitness" classification for recruits and obligates those who had been considered limitedly fit for military service to undergo a medical examination again within nine months. Under the new law, the nation's Defense Ministry will also receive data on Ukrainians liable for military service without their consent as part of a vast electronic database.
The measures are very unpopular with Ukrainians and the timing of Zelensky's decision to sign the law is remarkable, according to Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and the Other Ukraine movement expert.
"Zelensky had reasons to delay signing the amendments to the law on mobilization and military service, and so on, he signed several of these bills at once," Dudchak told Sputnik. "Why now? Because it’s hard to further delay it. [US] Senator Lindsey Graham visited and said that there is no time to wait and [Kiev] should send even more people to the grinder." Sputnik

Taiwan earthquake: 9 dead and dozens trapped after strongest quake in 25 years

"The earthquake, which struck on Wednesday morning, has killed nine people, injured more than 900 and left dozens trapped in underground tunnels. The powerful quake, Taiwan's strongest in 25 years, collapsed buildings, knocked out power and triggered landslides, while also prompting tsunami warnings in southern Japan and the Philippines. Taiwanese officials reported the quake as having a magnitude of 7.2, while the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) seismometers logged a magnitude of 7.4." LiveScience

Chaos As Anti-Netanyahu Protesters Storm Israel's Knesset

"Chaos broke out at Israel's parliament the Knesset amid an ongoing multi-day protest led by hostage victims' families which is being staged just outside. For the first time demonstrators overwhelmed the Knesset while it was in session, and smeared glass panels of the guest gallery with yellow paint." ZeroHedge

Electricity substation on fire in Moscow region

"A fire broke out at an electricity substation in Podolsk, Moscow region of Russia, leading to a power outage in several districts of the city." Ukrin