While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 2, 2025
Smoke rises above the area following what local authorities called a drone attack on a military unit in the Sredny settlement, Russia. PHOTO: REUTERS
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 2, 2025
Ukraine destroys $9 billion worth of Russian bombers in major ground assault
Ukraine said June 1 it destroyed Russian bombers worth billions of dollars in a 'large-scale' drone assault on enemy soil as it geared up for talks with Moscow counterparts to explore prospects for a ceasefire.
In a spectacular claim, Ukraine said it damaged US$7 billion (S$9 billion) worth of Russian aircraft parked at four airbases thousands of kilometres away, with unverified video footage showing the aircraft engulfed in flames and black smoke.
A source in the Ukrainian security services said the drones were concealed in the ceilings of shipping containers which were opened up to release them for the assault.
The long-planned operation came at a delicate moment three years into Russia's invasion.
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US asks Australia to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Australia to increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product during a meeting with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, the Pentagon said on June 1.
The defence chiefs also discussed security issues including accelerating US defence capabilities in Australia, advancing defence industrial base cooperation and creating supply chain resilience, the Defence Department said in a statement.
"On defence spending, Secretary Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of its GDP as soon as possible," the statement said.
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Iata flags policy shortcomings, even as more airlines pledge to use greener fuels
More airlines around the world are committing to using greener jet fuel in a bid to reach their goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
But there are headwinds, with the global trade body representing the industry flagging policy shortcomings that have hindered the production and adoption of such fuels. These are made mainly from waste materials like used cooking oil, and are said to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent compared with regular jet fuel.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) said on June 1 it expects the production of such greener aviation fuels to reach 2 million tonnes in 2025, a dip of 0.1 million tonnes from its earlier projections in December 2024.
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Poland's Nawrocki on course for tight presidential election win
Conservative historian Karol Nawrocki appeared to edge ahead in June 1's presidential election in Poland, after a late exit poll overturned an early showing that gave a razor-thin victory to his rival, the liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski.
A late exit poll by Ipsos for broadcasters TVN, TVP and Polsat showed Mr Nawrocki at 50.7 per cent, and Mr Trzaskowski at 49.3 per cent. Earlier readings published just after voting ended had the eurosceptic nationalist at 49.7 per cent.
The vote is seen as a test of the nation's support for a pro-European course versus Donald Trump-style nationalism.
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Macron condemns 'unacceptable' violence during PSG football celebrations
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned June 1 'unacceptable' violence during celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final victory, as he welcomed the triumphant team to the Elysee palace.
'Nothing can justify what has happened in the last few hours, the violent clashes are unacceptable,' Macron said.
'We will pursue, we will punish, we will be relentless,' he added before congratulating the players on their win.
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Iran seeks to turn ‘new page' in ties with Lebanon
BEIRUT - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Lebanese officials on Tuesday that Iran wanted to turn a "new page" in relations with Beirut, hinting at a shift in diplomatic ties that were long grounded in supporting Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah. Hezbollah was once a powerful armed movement and political party with sway over Lebanon's state, but it was severely weakened by Israel's bombing campaign last year. Since then, Lebanon's U.S.-backed army commander was elected president and a new cabinet with curtailed influence for Hezbollah and its allies took power. Araqchi's one-day trip to Beirut on Tuesday was his first since February, when he attended the funeral of Hezbollah's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, killed in Israeli air strikes in September. Araqchi told both Lebanon's prime minister Nawaf Salam and foreign minister Youssef Raggi that he wanted to "turn a new page" in Iran's ties with Lebanon, according to statements by Salam and Raggi's offices. "Araqchi affirmed his country's keenness to open a new page in bilateral relations with Lebanon, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs," Salam's office said. Araqchi also extended a formal invitation for Salam to visit Iran. The statement from Raggi's office said the pair had a "frank and direct discussion," including on establishing the state's monopoly on the use of arms - an apparent reference to possible negotiations on the future of Hezbollah's arsenal. The top Iranian diplomat briefly addressed reporters on Tuesday after meeting with Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is a key Hezbollah ally. Unlike previous addresses by Iranian diplomats, his comments did not mention Hezbollah. The visit followed several turbulent episodes in ties between the two countries. Lebanon's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to Beirut in April over comments alleging that plans to disarm Hezbollah were a "conspiracy". Last year, then-prime minister Najib Mikati also issued a rare rebuke of Iran for "interfering" in internal Lebanese affairs. In February, Iran blocked Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Tehran after Lebanon said it would not allow Iranian aircraft to land in Beirut because of Israel's threats that it would bomb the planes. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
11 minutes ago
- Straits Times
UK 'deeply concerned' about jailed Egyptian-British dissident's hunger-striking mother
FILE PHOTO: Laila Soueif, mother of jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, poses for a portrait during a hunger strike to protest against her son's detention in Egypt, outside Downing Street in London, Britain, January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo LONDON - The British government said on Tuesday it was "deeply concerned" about the health of the mother of jailed Egyptian-British dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah, Laila Soueif, who has been admitted to hospital while continuing a hunger strike. Soueif, 69, a mathematics professor from a family of prominent activists and intellectuals, was taken to a London hospital last week and has said she is prepared to die to help secure the release of her son from prison. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government was worried about Soueif's health and continues to urge the Egyptian government to release her son. "We are deeply concerned by Laila's hospitalisation and remain in regular contact with her family regarding her welfare," Starmer's spokesman told reporters. The Egyptian embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Abd el-Fattah, a software developer and blogger who rose to prominence as an activist in the 2011 Arab Spring, was jailed for five years in Egypt in 2021 over a social media post, a sentence that followed several previous spells in prison, including before and after the uprising. Starmer's spokesman said the British foreign secretary David Lammy spoke to his Egyptian counterpart on Sunday and urged him to release Abd el-Fattah. "The government is absolutely committed to Alaa Abd el-Fattah's release," he said. "Further engagement at the highest levels of the Egyptian government continues." Abd el-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison in 2021 on charges of spreading fake news, for sharing a social media post about the death of a prisoner. The accusation is commonly levelled at critics of the government and activists who post on social media. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
11 minutes ago
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What will happen next in Dutch government crisis?
Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders speaks to the media following his decision to leave the governing coalition, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw FILE PHOTO: People sit on a bench with a view of the parliament building, ahead of the elections across 27 European Union member states, of which the Netherlands is the first country to go to the polls in this round of elections to the bloc's parliament, in the Hague, Netherlands, June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof leaves the Elysee Palace on the day of a meeting with European leaders and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on peace and security for Ukraine, in Paris, France, March 27, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier AMSTERDAM - Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders triggered a government collapse in the Netherlands on Tuesday by pulling his nationalist PVV party out of the right-wing government coalition, which prompted the cabinet to resign. Here's a look at what will happen next: NEW ELECTIONS Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he would resign following Wilders' unexpected move, which left the coalition with only 51 seats in the 150-seat Lower House of Parliament. After Schoof formally presents his resignation to Dutch King Willem-Alexander, the head of state, a new election is expected to be called. It is unlikely that the vote will be held before mid-October, based on previous election cycles. Wilders' PVV won the last election in November 2023 with a surprisingly wide margin of 23% of the vote. Polls indicate he has lost some support since then, to about 20%, at par with the Labour/Green combination, the second-largest in parliament. Political preferences in the Netherlands have shifted rapidly in recent years, making it almost impossible to predict the outcome of an election in October. Wilders did not emerge as a likely winner of the previous election until a few days before that vote, and other right-wing parties that enjoyed sudden success in recent years have seen their gains disappear as quickly as they came. CARETAKER GOVERNMENT Schoof has already said that he and the remaining ministers of the other three coalition parties will stay in their positions to form a caretaker government until a new government is formed after an election. In the fragmented Dutch political landscape it usually takes months for a coalition to form. "As caretaker government we will do all we can in the interest of the people in this country, within the room granted to us by parliament. We have decisions to take that do not bear any delay," the outgoing prime minister said. In the coming days parliament is expected to set out which disputed topics the caretaker government cannot deal with and which they can still make decisions about. The Netherlands is expected to continue its political and military assistance to Ukraine as this enjoys wide political support. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
