The raid targeted a military base not far from Lake Baikal, Governor Igor Kobzev has said

Several drones targeted a military installation in Irkutsk Region on Sunday in what authorities say is the first such attack in Siberia. Governor Igor Kobzev confirmed the strike and said the incident occurred near the settlement of Sredny, about 150 km from Lake Baikal and 70 km from the eponymous regional capital. 

One drone also reportedly hit an abandoned building in the nearby village of Novomaltinsk, according to Kobzev.

The governor said the drones were launched from a small truck, though the exact number of UAVs involved remains unclear. Unverified footage on social media suggests at least three drones took part in the raid.

Kobzev added that the launch site had been “blocked” and that there was “no threat to the lives and health of civilians.” Emergency services and law enforcement were dispatched to the scene.

While Kobzev did not attribute blame, both Russian and Ukrainian media outlets have suggested that the attack was orchestrated by Kiev.

Ukraine has ramped up drone strikes inside Russian territory in recent weeks, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Kiev of attempting to derail negotiations.

In response, Moscow has launched retaliatory strikes on Ukraine’s defense industry sites, as well as military assembly points and warehouses.

The Irkutsk attack coincided with reports of a similar drone strike in Russia’s northern Murmansk Region, though details remain scarce.

Ukraine has significantly escalated drone strikes into Russia in recent weeks, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has suggested that Kiev is trying to derail the process.

In response to the raids, Russia has launched several retaliatory strikes targeting Ukraine’s defense industry facilities, as well as military assembly points and warehouses.

The Irkutsk attack also came as authorities in Russia’s northern Murmansk Region reported a similar drone raid, without providing further detail so far.

Air defenses have been activated in Murmansk Region, Andrey Chibis has said

Russia’s Murmansk Region, located mostly north of the Arctic Circle, is being targeted by drones, local governor Andrey Chibis has said.

Air defenses have been intercepting incoming UAVs in the region, Chibis wrote on Telegram on Sunday.

"Enemy drones have attacked the territory of Murmansk Region,” he wrote.

The governor urged the population to remain calm and report all incidents to the authorities.

Also on Sunday, several drones targeted a military installation in Irkutsk Region, central Russia. Local Governor Igor Kobzev said it is the first UAV raid in Siberia.

The attack occurred in the settlement of Sredny, some 150km from Lake Baikal, Kobzev wrote on Telegram. He added that the drones were launched from a tractor-trailer. “The source from where the UAVs came had been blocked,” he said.

Kiev has significantly intensified drone raids into Russia in recent weeks, targeting Moscow and other regions. Russia has responded by launching a series of large-scale missile and UAV strikes against Ukrainian military-related infrastructure.

Russian officials suggest that the drone incursions are an attempt by Ukraine to derail a US-brokered peace process between Moscow and Kiev. The attacks in Murmansk and Irkutsk regions come a day ahead of a scheduled meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul, during which the sides are expected to discuss each other’s proposals on ways to settle the conflict.

The accusation comes after the Pentagon chief alleged that Beijing posed a “real and imminent” threat

Washington is “vilifying” Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday. The accusation follows remarks made by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is deliberately ignoring calls for peace from nations in the region, according to the ministry.

Earlier, Hegseth claimed that China poses a real and potentially imminent threat, and urged Washington’s allies in the Indo-Pacific region to increase defense and security spending.

“Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region and instead touted a Cold War mentality of bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely labeled China a ‘threat’,” the ministry said in a statement.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, the defense secretary accused Chinese authorities of seeking to fundamentally alter the region’s status quo and aiming to “become a hegemonic power.” Hegseth also raised the issue of Taiwan, which relies on the US for its defense - accusing Beijing of preparing to invade the territory.

The Chinese foreign ministry described the comments as “deplorable” and “intended to sow division” in the Asia-Pacific. It emphasized that the only country that “deserves to be called a hegemonic power” is the US, which it accused of undermining peace and stability in the region.

Responding to Hegseth’s remarks on the self-governing island, the ministry reiterated that the issue is entirely China’s internal affair. It stressed that no foreign nation has the right to interfere and warned the US against using the Taiwan issue as leverage against Beijing.

Taiwan has long been a source of discord between Beijing and Washington. While China advocates peaceful reunification, it has warned that any move toward formal independence could trigger armed conflict. Beijing contends that certain elements within the US government are pushing Taiwan toward that outcome.

China has also repeatedly criticized US-led joint military drills in the Indo-Pacific, arguing that they destabilize the region and provoke tensions over Taiwan.

In addition to geopolitical disputes, the two nations are at odds over trade. US President Donald Trump has blamed Beijing for America’s significant trade deficit with China.

In May, both countries agreed to pause the tariff hikes introduced the previous month for 90 days, while maintaining a baseline 10% duty on mutual imports. Earlier this week, Trump accused China of violating that agreement.

The chief of defense staff acknowledged some “mistakes” in the standoff but emphasized that New Delhi’s tactics were “rectified”

In his first interview with international media since the four-day military standoff with Islamabad last month, Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said on Saturday that India had changed its tactics after an initial "mistake" and established an advantage over Pakistan.

“What is important is not a jet being downed but why they were being downed. The good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistakes that we’ve made, remediate, and rectify them, and implement them again — we flew all our jets, again targeting [sites in Pakistan] at long range,” General Chauhan told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, without providing any details regarding military losses.

When asked to respond to the Pakistani military’s claim that it had downed six Indian jets, he said it was “absolutely incorrect.”

India’s military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May.

Anil Chauhan, chief of defense staff of the Indian Armed Forces, spoke to Bloomberg TV on Saturday, while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in… pic.twitter.com/9y3GW6WJfn

— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) May 31, 2025

In another interview with Reuters, General Chauhan reiterated that India had switched tactics after suffering losses on the first day of the conflict, when it launched strikes against what it called “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan on May 7.

“What was important is, why did these losses occur, and what will we do after that?” he told Reuters. “So we rectified tactics and then went back on the 7th, 8th, and 10th in large numbers to hit air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defenses with impunity, and carried out precision strikes,” he added.

New Delhi has previously rejected Islamabad’s claims while refraining from commenting on alleged losses on its side. 

“We are in a combat scenario; losses are a part of combat. The question you must ask us is... have we achieved our objective of decimating the terrorist camps? And the answer is a thumping yes. The results are for the whole world to see,” the Indian Air Force’s Director General of Air Operations (DGAO) Air Marshal Bharti said, commenting on allegations that warplanes were lost during the media briefing on May 11, a day after New Delhi and Islamabad announced a ceasefire.

India launched military action against targets in Pakistan on May 7 in response to the April 22 massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam, in India’s Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on an Islamabad-sponsored terrorist organization. 

Islamabad denied any involvement in the attack, with top Pakistani officials claiming the country was itself a “victim of terrorism.”

The newspaper has alleged that the billionaire was hooked on ketamine and took ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms

Elon Musk has denied allegations of drug abuse following a New York Times report detailing his purported heavy use of controlled substances during Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

On Friday, the NYT released an article alleging that the mogul was using the substances “far more intensely than previously known.”

In a post on X on Saturday, Musk brushed off the allegations, writing: “Also, to be clear, I am NOT taking drugs! The New York Times was lying their ass off.” 

He added that he had “tried prescription ketamine a few years ago” and had publicly disclosed this fact. “This [is] not even news. It helps for getting out of dark mental holes, but haven’t taken it since then,” Musk stressed.

The Times had alleged that Musk was taking so much ketamine that it was affecting his bladder, a known effect of chronic use. The article also claimed, citing sources familiar with the matter, that Musk took ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms and traveled with a daily medication box containing about 20 pills including the stimulant Adderall.

The NYT stated that it is unclear whether Musk was taking drugs when he joined the Trump administration as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was tasked with slashing the federal bureaucracy. However, it mentioned that during his tenure as a public servant, the businessman “exhibited erratic behavior,” insulted cabinet members, and at one point made a controversial gesture that many interpreted as a Nazi-style salute.

On Thursday, Musk announced that he would no longer serve as a government employee. He thanked Trump “for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending” while stating that DOGE would continue its operations.

While Trump noted that Musk “is really not leaving” and was “going to be back and forth,” the announcement came amid multiple reports of a rift between the mogul and administration officials.

In March, the NYT reported that Musk had clashed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over firings in his department and with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over air traffic control regulations.

Musk also recently voiced disappointment over Trump’s spending bill, which he said would increase the deficit and undermine DOGE’s mission.

Both a passenger and a freight train have derailed in Bryansk and Kursk Regions, resulting in multiple fatalities

The collapses of two bridges that caused train derailments in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk Regions were due to sabotage, the national Investigative Committee has said.

On Saturday evening, a bridge fell in front of a moving train in Bryansk Region, killing seven people and injuring 71 others. Several hours later, early on Sunday, a railway bridge collapsed under a moving freight train in Kursk Region, leaving the driver and two of his assistants wounded.

The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Sunday that the bridges had been “blown up” in both incidents.

Criminal cases have been launched over the bridge collapses and will be investigated by experts from the agency’s Main Investigations Directorate, it said.

Representatives of the Investigative Committee are currently working at the sites of the two derailments in order to establish all of the circumstances, the agency added.

Earlier in the day, the acting governor of Kursk, Aleksandr Khinshteyn, said that a railway bridge in the region had gone down as a freight train was crossing it.

Some of the train cars fell onto a highway passing under the bridge, while most of the train remained on the tracks, he said.

The locomotive also caught fire, but the blaze was swiftly extinguished, the acting governor added.

According to Khinshteyn, one of the train drivers suffered leg injuries, and he and other crew members were hospitalized.

Speaking about the derailment in Bryansk Region, Russian Senator Andrey Klishas blamed Kiev and branded Ukraine “a terrorist enclave, without borders, legitimate authorities or laws.”

Moscow should create a “buffer zone” to offset more attacks, Andrey Klishas has said

The destruction of a bridge in Russia’s Bryansk Region which derailed a passenger train, killing seven people, was the result of a Ukrainian “terrorist” sabotage attack, Russian Senator Andrey Klishas has said.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening, affecting a train traveling from Klimov to Moscow with 388 passengers on board. At least 66 more were reportedly injured. Russian Railways said a bridge pillar collapsed due to “illegal interference with transport operations.” However, Bryansk Region Governor Alexandr Bogomaz later stated that the bridge had been damaged in an explosion.

On Sunday morning, Andrey Klishas, a member of the Russian Federation Council, accused Ukraine of being behind the sabotage. In a post on Telegram, he said the bridge attack and train derailment demonstrated that “Ukraine is being controlled by a terrorist group.” 

“Ukraine has long lost the characteristics of a state and has turned into a terrorist enclave, without borders, legitimate authorities or laws,” he added. Klishas also called for the creation of a buffer zone on the Ukrainian border which would be “extensive enough to prevent terrorists from entering our territory in the future.”
He stressed that Ukraine should undergo “total denazification, demilitarization, and state reconstitution.” 

In late May, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow intended to create a “security buffer zone” along the border, after troops successfully routed an Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Region. He first floated the idea last year, which he said at the time was aimed at protecting civilians from Kiev’s long-range strikes.

Russia has on numerous occasions accused Ukraine of orchestrating various types of attacks targeting civilians, setting up sabotage incidents, and orchestrating plots to assassinate senior officials, media figures, and opinion leaders.

At least seven people have been killed and 69 wounded, Aleksandr Bogomaz has said

A bridge that collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Russia’s Bryansk Region was deliberately blown up, local governor Aleksandr Bogomaz has said.

At least seven people were killed and 69 others wounded in the incident late on Saturday, according to Bogomaz.

“A bridge on a highway was blown up as a train with 388 passengers was moving under it,” the governor told the television channel Russia 24 on Sunday morning.

According to Bogomaz, all of the wounded were swiftly hospitalized following the incident. Two of the patients, including one child, remain in critical condition and will be flown to Moscow for further treatment.

A bridge overpass collapsed onto train tracks in Russia’s Bryansk region, derailing a Moscow-bound passenger train on Saturday evening. At least seven people were killed and 69 others injured, according to officials, who are already treating the incident as a deliberate act of sabotage.

A source in Russia’s law enforcement agencies told RT that, according to preliminary data, a section of the bridge collapsed on the tracks in front of the train, with the driver having no time to avoid the crash.

The driver and his assistant likely died immediately as a result of the collision, the source said.

According to RT’s interlocutor, a probe is now being carried out to determine if the incident was a terrorist attack.

Russian Federation Council member Andrey Klishas has blamed Kiev for the derailment, writing on Telegram that the incident confirmed that “Ukraine is being controlled by a terrorist group.”

“Ukraine has long lost the attributes of a state, turning into a terrorist enclave without borders, without legitimate authorities and laws,” he said.

The senator urged the creation of a vast buffer zone inside Ukrainian territory to make sure that “terrorists” are unable to reach Russia in the future.

The British defense ministry plans at least six new munitions factories

The UK will invest $2 billion in new weapons factories as part of a sweeping rearmament strategy, Defense Secretary John Healey has announced.

The move comes ahead of the publication of the government’s Strategic Defense Review on Monday. The plan includes the construction of at least six new munitions and explosives factories and the procurement of more than 7,000 domestically produced long-range weapons, including drones and missiles. Healey has also pledged to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2034.

“The hard-fought lessons from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind it,” Healey said in a statement on Saturday.

“We are strengthening the UK’s industrial base to better deter our adversaries and make the UK secure at home and strong abroad.”

The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted significant shortfalls in Western arms production. Senior British officers have warned for months about depleted stockpiles, according to the BBC.

Opposition politicians have questioned the timing of the announcement, pointing out that procurement had stalled over the past year.

“We welcome investment in new munitions factories, but we don’t know when they will be ready – only that these orders should have been placed months ago,” said Conservative shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge.

The UK has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest backers in its conflict with Russia, as NATO members in Europe seek to boost military support amid concerns that the US under President Donald Trump may scale back aid to Kiev.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that foreign military assistance would only escalate the conflict without altering its eventual outcome. Russian officials have also accused former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of encouraging Ukraine to abandon peace negotiations in the spring of 2022 – a claim Johnson has denied. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed his denial as a “blatant lie.”

Beijing warns against drawing “unacceptable” parallels between the crisis in Europe and Southeast Asia

Drawing parallels between Taiwan and the Ukraine conflict is “unacceptible,” the Chinese Embassy in Singapore said in response to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron had delivered a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday in which he rejected those who would frame the conflict as a purely European concern. “If we consider that Russia could be allowed to take a part of the territory of Ukraine without any restriction… What could happen in Taiwan?” he said.

“Comparing the Taiwan question with the Ukraine issue is unacceptable. The two are different in nature, and not comparable at all,” the embassy said on Facebook on Saturday, reiterating that the issue of Taiwan is “entirely China’s internal affair.”

Crimea voted to join Russia shortly after the 2014 US-backed coup in Kiev, and four other former Ukrainian regions did the same following referendums in 2022. Moscow has demanded that, for a viable peace deal, Ukraine must recognize Russia’s new borders and withdraw its troops from Russian territory.

Taiwan has had a separate government since 1949, when nationalists retreated to the island after losing a war with the Communists in mainland China. Beijing maintains that it will achieve “national reunification” and has warned the authorities in Taipei against formally declaring independence.

Only a handful of countries recognize Taiwan as an independent country, while most states, including the US and Russia, adhere to the ‘One-China’ principle. Nevertheless, multiple Western countries maintain informal ties with Taiwan.

Muhammad Sinwar was eliminated in an airstrike in the southern part of the Gaza Strip last month, according to the IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has officially confirmed the killing of Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar during an airstrike conducted earlier this month in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis.

According to an IDF statement released on Saturday, the strike was carried out on May 13 in coordination with security service Shin Bet. The army said the target was an underground command center operated by Hamas beneath the European Hospital.

“We eliminated the Head of Hamas, again. He happens to be a Sinwar too,” the IDF wrote on X.

Sinwar took over Hamas after the IDF killed his brother Yahya Sinwar and senior commander Muhammad Deif in October.

“The terrorists were eliminated while operating in an underground command and control center, under the European Hospital in Khan Younis, deliberately endangering the civilian population in and around the hospital,” the IDF said.

The IDF said Sinwar had played a “significant role in planning and executing the brutal October 7 massacre.”

The announcement comes as both sides reportedly signalled their willingness to accept a US-brokered ceasefire proposal.

Also killed in the operation were Muhammad Shabana, commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, and Mehdi Kuwara, head of the organization’s Khan Younis battalion. The IDF identified both as key operatives in the October 7 attack and taking of Israeli hostages.

Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied Sinwar’s death. The militant group had previously denied accusations that it was using civilian infrastructure as cover. Gazan health officials said at the time that 28 people were killed in the May 13 strike.

The strike was reported as Israel stepped up its operations in Gaza, following the collapse of the internationally brokered ceasefire in March.

While reports suggest that both Israel and Hamas have agreed in principle to a new ceasefire framework, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that military operations will continue until Hamas is fully eliminated. Following the hospital strike, he vowed to “go in with full force to complete the operation and free the remaining hostages.”

The US won’t broker the talks indefinitely, spokeswoman Tammy Bruce has said

Washington has done what it can to bring Moscow and Kiev to the negotiating table but won’t wait indefinitely for results, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told Fox News in an interview on Saturday.

Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years on May 16 in Istanbul, where they agreed to submit detailed ceasefire proposals. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed holding a second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, though Kiev has yet to confirm its participation.

“This is not a long-term thing. This is not simply standard operating procedure. It’s not going to go on for months or years,” Bruce said, when asked whether the US had set a concrete timetable for the peace process.

“We have gotten people to the table, and they know what we are requiring. But it’s really up to them,” she added.

US President Donald Trump has previously warned that he would walk away from the process if no progress is made. He also threatened to impose new sanctions on Moscow should it fail to reach an agreement with Kiev. “Now, if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say: ‘You’re foolish. You’re fools. You’re horrible people’ – and we’re going to just take a pass,” Trump told reporters in April.

Moscow has rejected accusations of stalling the talks, saying it intends to present a document outlining its terms at the next meeting. Russian diplomats have also accused Kiev of deceiving Washington and “playing games” instead of negotiating in good faith.

Paris Saint-Germain football club has won the Champions League for the first time

Fans rioted after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) stormed to their first-ever UEFA Champions League title, obliterating Inter Milan with a historic 5-0 rout in the final held in Munich.

The French powerhouse made history as the first club to win a Champions League final by a five-goal margin, cementing their dominance on Europe’s grandest stage. PSG’s Desire Doue became the sixth player in UEFA Champions League history to both score and assist in a final.

In Paris, euphoria erupted as fans flooded the streets, waving PSG scarves from car windows and setting off fireworks to celebrate the team’s maiden Champions League triumph. But the festivities turned chaotic on the Champs-Elysees, where police deployed tear gas and pepper spray to quell unrest.

PSG fans rioting in Paris causing chaos on the streets.

They’re currently 4-0 up, if this is how they celebrate, imagine what would’ve happened if they’d lost? 😨😨 pic.twitter.com/2FEPifzZpx

— 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 (@thecasualultra) May 31, 2025

A police spokesperson said a car was set ablaze near Parc des Princes and said dozens of arrests had been made by the end of the night.

Caos total en París: turbas de aficionados del PSG cortan el tráfico y disparan fuegos artificiales contra la policía. pic.twitter.com/KphUM2NH6r

— Sr.Liberal (@SrLiberal) May 31, 2025

In Munich, footage captured PSG and Inter fans clashing violently on public transport, with bottles flying and fists swinging. According to media outlets, at least one PSG supporter was injured in an ambush at the Universitat subway station, with reports alleging that Inter hooligans wielded bladed weapons.

🚨 Torcidas de Inter e PSG entram em conflito antes da final da UEFA Champions League! #CasaDaChampions

Vídeo: X/ParisByMatch pic.twitter.com/NVeYVxS34N

— TNT Sports BR (@TNTSportsBR) May 31, 2025

The violence underscores the intense rivalries that often erupt during high-stakes European matches.

Trains have derailed in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk Regions

Bridge collapses have derailed trains in two Russian regions, leaving at least seven people dead and multiple others wounded.

On Saturday evening, a bridge fell in front of a moving train in Bryansk Region, killing seven people and injuring 71 others. Several hours later, early on Sunday, a railway bridge collapsed under a moving freight train in Kursk Region, leaving the driver and two of his assistants wounded.

The Russian Investigative Committee said that both incidents were deliberate acts of sabotage.

An overpass collapsed onto a rail line in Bryansk Region leading to a deadly derailment

A bridge collapsed in front of an oncoming passenger train in Russia’s Bryansk Region on Sunday, killing seven people and injuring at least 69 others, the region's governor Alexander Bogomaz has said.

While the exact cause of the incident remains unknown, Russian Railways said the bridge pillar collapsed due to “illegal interference with transport operations.”

The newspaper Izvestia cited a source who said the bridge may have been brought down by an explosion. However, emergency services and prosecutors have not confirmed that a blast occurred.

Multiple Telegram news channels have suggested that the collapse was likely caused by sabotage.

Bogomaz has not yet disclosed the number of victims, saying that "everything necessary is being done to provide assistance" to them.  

Videos circulating in Telegram show a crushed train carriage with passengers being evacuated through shattered windows, and emergency services responding at the scene. The collapse also reportedly affected vehicles on the bridge, which fell onto the railway below.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) reported that fire and rescue units are actively working at the site of the bridge collapse. “All necessary assistance is being provided to the victims. Additional MChS forces, emergency rescue equipment, and lighting towers for nighttime operations have been deployed to the area,” the ministry noted in an official statement. 

Just days earlier, a freight train in Russia’s Belgorod Region ran over an explosive device planted under the tracks, causing a powerful blast. According to the governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the explosion damaged the railway’s contact network but caused no casualties.

Both Bryansk Region and Belgorod Region border Ukraine and have seen numerous attacks.

Ahmed al-Sharaa led a coalition of Islamist forces that toppled the previous government last November

The insurgents who toppled previous Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s government and brought new interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to power could now threaten his political survival, the Washington Post wrote on Saturday.

Multiple militant groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power in Damascus late last year. They included thousands of foreign fighters who remain in Syria, some of whom have ties to extremist groups like Islamic State and other radical factions, the newspaper wrote.

While al-Sharaa “seems intent on keeping” some of them around as he courts Western support, the “hard-line Sunni Muslim militants” are already giving him trouble, WaPo wrote. Some of the militants were involved in massacres of Alawites along the Syrian coast in March, the outlet added. At least 1,300 people, including 973 civilians, were killed in the span of a few days, according to local media. Christian and Druze communities in Syria have also reportedly faced bloody sectarian violence since the change in power.

The most radical of the foreign Islamists are “turning their ire” on al-Sharaa, because the new president has not implemented Sharia law and allegedly cooperated with the US and Türkiye to target extremist factions in Syria, WaPo wrote.

Earlier in May, US President Donald Trump met with al-Sharaa and announced the lifting of sanctions, most of which had been imposed during the rule of Assad. Al-Sharaa has called Trump’s move “a historic and courageous decision, which alleviates the suffering of the people, contributes to their rebirth, and lays the foundations for stability in the region.”

Shortly after the Trump-Sharaa meeting, a top ideologue of Salafi jihadism, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, issued a fatwa branding the new Syrian leader an “infidel.”

Syria remains a hotbed of extremist activity and could destabilize at any time, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The country has become “a playground for jihadist groups, including ISIS and others,” the top diplomat warned last week, adding that it could be “weeks – not many months – away from potential collapse and a full-scale civil war.”

The body has also banned a 2024 Olympics gold medal winner from future events until she is tested

Amateur boxers aiming for the Olympics will now face sex chromosome testing, under a new rule introduced by World Boxing, the sport’s international governing body.

The federation, which will oversee boxing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, has specifically stated that Algeria’s Imane Khelif – an athlete whose eligibility to compete as a woman at the 2024 Paris Olympics was questioned – will not be able to participate until her genetic sex is verified.

The new measure will “determine the eligibility of male and female athletes that want to take part,” World Boxing announced on its website on Friday, explaining that the test is aimed at ensuring the “safety of all participants and… a competitive level playing field for men and women.”

The tests are in the final stages of development, the body said, adding the new rules will come into force on July 1.

Those with “Y chromosome genetic material… or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenization occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category,” World Boxing said. The procedure will involve an appeals process and additional tests in case of any disagreements.

The decision to introduce the new rules was taken by the body’s executive board in May, the organization said, citing what it called “emergency circumstances” and “physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing.” National federations will be responsible for testing and can be subjected to sanctions if they fail to test or provide fake certifications.

The 25-year-old Khelif found herself at the center of controversy at the Paris Olympics when she defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini in just 46 seconds in a preliminary bout, sparking outrage online. She went on to win the gold medal in women’s boxing.

According to Algeria, Khelif is not transgender but is affected by a medical condition characterized by a high level of testosterone and the presence of XY chromosomes. She failed a gender test and had been disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) – the federation that previously oversaw Olympic boxing. However, she was still cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics later.

Khelif herself denied all the allegations and even filed a lawsuit over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” by several prominent figures, including Elon Musk and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

The Ukraine conflict can only end at the negotiating table, Johann Wadephul has said

It has been clear from the very beginning of the Ukraine conflict that Russia cannot be defeated, particularly due to its nuclear status, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has told the SZ newspaper.

Kiev’s Western backers, including top officials in Germany, France, and the UK, as well as the US under former President Joe Biden’s administration, repeatedly stated the intent to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Moscow in the Ukraine conflict, or at least to ensure that it does not emerge victorious. That justification has been used to support continued military assistance to Kiev.

Wadephul admitted on Friday that it was obvious the conflict between Moscow and Kiev can only be resolved in a diplomatic way.

“It was clear from the beginning that this war would most likely end through a negotiated settlement,” Germany’s top diplomat told SZ in a lengthy interview.

“One thing is true: a complete defeat in the sense of a capitulation by nuclear-armed Russia could not have been expected,” the minister stated, adding that “we have now become a little more honest” in this regard. He still maintained that Kiev’s troops have been “successfully defending” against Moscow’s forces, although the Ukrainian military has been losing ground along the entire front over the past several months.

The foreign minister maintained it was important to help Kiev get a “strong negotiating position” at peace talks and claimed that Russia was “threatening” Germany as he justified a planned military buildup and increase in defense expenditures. He also said that relations between Moscow and Berlin could no longer be described as a “clear peace situation.”

Berlin has taken an even more hardline position on Russia under new Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In the weeks since taking office, Merz has lifted range restrictions on Ukrainian strikes with German-supplied missiles and hinted at the possibility of providing Kiev with Taurus missiles, which have a range of 500km and could reach Moscow.

Germany has also announced a new military aid package for Kiev worth €5.2 billion ($5.6 billion), which Berlin says would be allocated mostly to long-range weaponry production inside Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacted to Merz’s statements by saying that Berlin’s “direct involvement in the war is now obvious.” Germany already followed a similar “slippery slope” a couple of times in the last century “down toward its own collapse,” he added.

Former world champion boxer Vitaly Klitschko has accused the Ukrainian leader of a crackdown on democracy

Vladimir Zelensky’s longstanding feud with Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has escalated into “war,” The Times has reported.

The Ukrainian leader has “forced” the former world champion heavyweight boxer – who is said to harbor presidential ambitions – into a “political clinch,” the British daily wrote on Friday. Zelensky is reportedly seizing power from the capital’s civilian government, having taken control of its military administration away from Klitschko in the early months of the conflict.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau has made seven arrests among Klitschko’s subordinates, with a further three under investigation, The Times wrote.

In turn, the Kiev mayor has accused the Zelensky administration of paralyzing the city council with “raids, interrogations, and threats of fabricated criminal cases” that prevent his team from meeting the legal quorum required for decision-making. “This is a purge of democratic principles and institutions under the guise of war,” The Times cited Klitschko as saying. “I said once that it smells of authoritarianism in our country. Now it stinks.”

The dispute is as much personal as it is political, according to the newspaper.

Zelensky made personal attacks against Klitschko after the mayor criticized his approach to peace negotiations.

The Kiev mayor has accused Zelensky of overreach, playing into fears that his use of wartime powers has come at the expense of democracy, The Times said. Despite his presidential term expiring last May, the Ukrainian leader has repeatedly postponed elections, citing martial law. Klitschko said that Zelensky is also usurping power from other mayors in the country, but that his celebrity status grants him some protection.

While boxing champion has brushed off allegations against him as mudslinging, arrests in the Kiev administration are real manifestations of corruption in the capital, the Times wrote, citing analysts. Kiev’s flourishing corruption would be “impossible without the city government,” Zelensky-appointed city military administration head Timur Tkachenko told The Times.

Corruption has been a serious and long-standing issue in Ukraine. Top officials in Washington, which has been Kiev’s biggest military sponsor, have expressed concern that US aid has been systematically misappropriated during the Ukraine conflict.