Syria's new leaders call for peace after deadly clashes
Syria's interim leader called for peace Sunday after hundreds were allegedly killed in the worst violence the country has seen since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Loyalists of the deposed president have clashed in recent days with government-affiliated fighters near the Mediterranean coast, the home of Syria's minority Alawite community. The fighting presents a major test for the new government as it tries to unite a diverse and deeply divided country after more than 13 years of civil war.
The outbreak could make Kurdish-led forces in Syria more reluctant to disarm, and weaken Western and regional support for Damascus, Al-Monitor wrote: 'The political transition in Syria is at the knife's edge of collapse because of mistrust between armed and organized minority communities that do not trust the [new] regime,' one expert said
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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Zelensky warns oil price surge could help Russia's war effort
KYIV, Ukraine — A sharp rise in global oil prices following Israeli strikes on Iran will benefit Russia and bolster its military capabilities in the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in comments that were under embargo until Saturday afternoon. Speaking to journalists Friday in Kyiv, Zelensky said the surge in oil prices threatens Ukraine's position on the battlefield, especially because Western allies have not enforced effective price caps on Russian oil exports. 'The strikes led to a sharp increase in the price of oil, which is negative for us,' Zelensky said. 'The Russians are getting stronger due to greater income from oil exports.' Global oil prices rose as much as 7% after Israel and Iran exchanged attacks over the previous 48 hours, raising concerns that further escalation in the region could disrupt oil exports from the Middle East. Zelensky said he planned to raise the issue in an upcoming conversation with President Trump. 'In the near future, I will be in contact with the American side, I think with the president, and we will raise this issue,' he said. Zelensky also expressed concern that U.S. military aid could be diverted away from Ukraine toward Israel amid the worsening conflict in the Middle East. 'We would like aid to Ukraine not to decrease because of this,' he said. 'Last time, this was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine.' Ukraine's military needs have been sidelined by the United States in favor of supporting Israel, Zelensky said, citing a shipment of 20,000 interceptor missiles, designed to counter Iran-made Shahed drones, that had been intended for Ukraine but were redirected to Israel. 'And for us it was a blow,' he said. 'When you face 300 to 400 drones a day, most are shot down or go off course, but some get through. We were counting on those missiles.' An air defense system, Barak-8, promised to Ukraine by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sent to the U.S. for repairs but never delivered to Ukraine, Zelensky said. The Ukrainian president conceded that momentum for the Coalition of the Willing, a group of 31 countries that have pledged to strengthen support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, has slowed because of U.S. ambivalence over providing a backstop. 'This situation has shown that Europe has not yet decided for itself that it will be with Ukraine completely if America is not there,' he said. The offer of a foreign troop 'reassurance force' pledged by the 'coalition of the willing' was still on the table, 'but they need a backstop, as they say, from America,' Zelensky said. 'This means that suddenly, if something happens, America will be with them and with Ukraine.' The Ukrainian president also said the presence of foreign contingents in Ukraine would act as a security guarantee and allow Kyiv to make territorial compromises, which is the first time he has articulated a link between the reassurance force and concessions Kyiv is willing to make in negotiations with Russia. 'It is simply that their presence gives us the opportunity to compromise, when we can say that today our state does not have the strength to take our territories within the borders of 1991,' he said. But Europe and Ukraine are still waiting on strong signals from Trump. Without crushing U.S. sanctions against Russia, 'I will tell you frankly, it will be very difficult for us,' Zelensky said, adding that it would then fall on Europe to step up military aid to Ukraine. In other developments, Russia repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Russian officials said Saturday, cited by Russian state media. The officials said Ukraine did not return any bodies to Russia on Saturday. Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed in a statement that Russia returned 1,200 bodies. Ukraine and Russia also exchanged another group of ill and severely wounded servicemen on Saturday, officials from both countries said, although the sides did not report the numbers. Zelensky said in a post on X that the Ukrainian servicemen who returned were members of the armed forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service and the State Transport Special Service. The first round of the staggered exchanges took place Monday. The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the June 2 Istanbul talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump held a 50-minute phone call Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East and Ukraine peace talks, Putin's foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov said. According to Ushakov, Putin told Trump about the implementation of the agreements during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, including the exchange of prisoners of war. 'Our president noted that an exchange of prisoners of war is taking place, including seriously wounded and prisoners of war under 25 years of age,' said Ushakov, adding that Putin also expressed readiness to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians. Trump, he said, 'noted his interest in a speedy end to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.' Continuing a renewed battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 600-mile front line, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that its troops captured another village in the Donetsk region, Zelenyi Kut. The Ukrainian military had no immediate comment on the Russian claim. Russia launched 58 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday, according to the Ukrainian air force, which said its air defenses destroyed 23 drones while another 20 were jammed. A 45-year-old man was killed when a Russian drone dropped explosives in the Kherson region Saturday, Ukraine's prosecutor general's office said. Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 66 Ukrainian drones overnight. Attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During the June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters, making a quick deal unlikely. Kullab writes for the Associated Press.
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Rwanda-DRC peace talks under intense pressure as US sets ambitious deadline
A senior U.S. diplomat has stated that the United States is intensifying pressure for rapid progress in peace talks between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the goal of brokering a peace agreement as early as June or July. The United States is urging rapid advancements in peace talks between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Key negotiation principles are in place, but implementation details remain under discussion. The security crisis in eastern Congo, exacerbated by rebel activity, drives international concern and engagement. Speaking at an online briefing attended by participants and stakeholders, the U.S. State Department's lead official for African affairs, Troy Fitrell, provided an update on the ongoing negotiations between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the two warring nations. He said: " This coming week, we have technical teams on the ground to try to move to the next stage," Fitrell stressed the urgency of the situation, noting that while key principles of negotiations have been established, debates remain on implementation and agreements, with a June or July peace deal still in sight. He also added, " There's no time for delay. If we're going to make this happen, we need to act now," underscoring Washington's push to accelerate negotiations. His comments come amid persistent tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali, where a planned peace deal meeting in May between the Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers was canceled; highlighting the fragility of dialogue despite ongoing mediation from Washington and Qatar. Notably, the United States' renewed diplomatic urgency stems from growing concerns over the escalating security crisis in eastern Congo, where the M23 rebel group has recently seized large tracts of territory, triggering mass displacements and posing a threat to regional stability, which in turn could impact potential US mining investments and future operations in the region. Mediation in Doha In a complementary effort, Qatar-led peace talks have been underway in recent months, with delegations from the DRC government and M23 rebels set to reconvene in Doha for further discussions. This initiative is tantamount to the US-led regional peace push and aims to address the ongoing military conflict in North Kivu, where the M23's resurgence has raised concerns about cross-border involvement. Both initiatives seek to protect individual interests, particularly the region's natural resources. The DRC's accusations that Rwanda is backing the M23 rebels remain a point of contention, with Kigali consistently denying the allegations. According to diplomatic sources, mutual distrust between the two nations continues to hinder peace efforts, despite increased international engagement U.S. Mediation Role Recall the recent diplomatic push to stabilize the Great Lakes region, where the US has taken on a key role. In March and May, Washington hosted senior officials from the DRC and Rwanda for backchannel talks, and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio urged a ceasefire through diplomatic channels. However, analysts caution that without stronger political will and trust-building measures, any agreement may be fragile. A Western diplomat familiar with the process noted, " Diplomatic timelines have limits; sustainable peace requires concrete action and genuine engagement from both sides.' As technical teams reconvene and mediators intensify their efforts, the focus is on whether the parties can overcome their deep-seated animosity to achieve a breakthrough in the coming weeks.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
The 21 cases left for the Supreme Court to decide, including transgender care
The Supreme Court is in the homestretch of a term that has lately been dominated by the Trump administration's emergency appeals of lower court orders seeking to slow President Donald Trump's efforts to remake the federal government. But the justices also have 21 cases to resolve that were argued between December and mid-May, including a push by Republican-led states to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. One of the argued cases was an emergency appeal, the administration's bid to be allowed to enforce Trump's executive order denying birthright citizenship to U.S.-born children of parents who are in the country illegally. The court typically aims to finish its work by the end of June. 7 The Supreme Court has 21 cases to resolve that were argued between December and mid-May. REUTERS Here are some of the biggest remaining cases: Tennessee and 26 other states have enacted bans on certain treatment for transgender youth The oldest unresolved case, and arguably the term's biggest, stems from a challenge to Tennessee's law from transgender minors and their parents who argue that it is unconstitutional sex discrimination aimed at a vulnerable population. At arguments in December, the court's conservative majority seemed inclined to uphold the law, voicing skepticism of claims that it violates the 14th amendment's equal protection clause. The post-Civil War provision requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. 7 The oldest unresolved case stems from a challenge to Tennessee's law on transgender youth AP 7 The court is weighing the case amid other federal and state efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, such as which bathrooms they can use, and pushes to keep transgender athletes from playing in girls' sports. The court is weighing the case amid a range of other federal and state efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use. In April, Trump's administration sued Maine for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes in girls sports. Trump also has sought to block federal spending on gender-affirming care for those under 19 and a conservative majority of justices allowed him to move forward with plans to oust transgender people from the U.S. military. Trump's birthright citizenship order has been blocked by lower courts The court rarely hears arguments over emergency appeals, but it took up the administration's plea to narrow orders that have prevented the citizenship changes from taking effect anywhere in the U.S. The issue before the justices is whether to limit the authority of judges to issue nationwide injunctions, which have plagued both Republican and Democratic administrations in the past 10 years. 7 Protesters confront law enforcement outside of a federal building and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Los Angeles. Getty Images These nationwide court orders have emerged as an important check on Trump's efforts and a source of mounting frustration to the Republican president and his allies. At arguments last month, the court seemed intent on keeping a block on the citizenship restrictions while still looking for a way to scale back nationwide court orders. It was not clear what such a decision might look like, but a majority of the court expressed concerns about what would happen if the administration were allowed, even temporarily, to deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the country illegally. Democratic-led states, immigrants and rights groups who sued over Trump's executive order argued that it would upset the settled understanding of birthright citizenship that has existed for more than 125 years. 7 A majority of the court last month expressed concerns about what would happen if the administration were allowed to deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the country illegally. REUTERS The court seems likely to side with Maryland parents in a religious rights case over LGBTQ storybooks in public schools Parents in the Montgomery County school system, in suburban Washington, want to be able to pull their children out of lessons that use the storybooks, which the county added to the curriculum to better reflect the district's diversity. The school system at one point allowed parents to remove their children from those lessons, but then reversed course because it found the opt-out policy to be disruptive. Sex education is the only area of instruction with an opt-out provision in the county's schools. 7 LGBTQ+ veterans hold signs protesting the ban on transgender military members as they march in the World Pride parade in Washington, DC on June 7. Nathan Posner/Shutterstock The school district introduced the storybooks in 2022, with such titles as 'Prince and Knight' and 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding.' The case is one of several religious rights cases at the court this term. The justices have repeatedly endorsed claims of religious discrimination in recent years. The decision also comes amid increases in recent years in books being banned from public school and public libraries. A three-year battle over congressional districts in Louisiana is making its second trip to the Supreme Court Lower courts have struck down two Louisiana congressional maps since 2022 and the justices are weighing whether to send state lawmakers back to the map-drawing board for a third time. The case involves the interplay between race and politics in drawing political boundaries in front of a conservative-led court that has been skeptical of considerations of race in public life. At arguments in March, several of the court's conservative justices suggested they could vote to throw out the map and make it harder, if not impossible, to bring redistricting lawsuits under the Voting Rights Act. 7 The case about Louisiana congressional maps involves the interplay between race and politics in drawing political boundaries in front of a conservative-led court. AP Before the court now is a map that created a second Black majority congressional district among Louisiana's six seats in the House of Representatives. The district elected a Black Democrat in 2024. A three-judge court found that the state relied too heavily on race in drawing the district, rejecting Louisiana's arguments that politics predominated, specifically the preservation of the seats of influential members of Congress, including Speaker Mike Johnson. The Supreme Court ordered the challenged map to be used last year while the case went on. Lawmakers only drew that map after civil rights advocates won a court ruling that a map with one Black majority district likely violated the landmark voting rights law. The justices are weighing a Texas law aimed at blocking kids from seeing online pornography Texas is among more than a dozen states with age verification laws. The states argue the laws are necessary as smartphones have made access to online porn, including hardcore obscene material, almost instantaneous. The question for the court is whether the measure infringes on the constitutional rights of adults as well. The Free Speech Coalition, an adult-entertainment industry trade group, agrees that children shouldn't be seeing pornography. But it says the Texas law is written too broadly and wrongly affects adults by requiring them to submit personal identifying information online that is vulnerable to hacking or tracking. The justices appeared open to upholding the law, though they also could return it to a lower court for additional work. Some justices worried the lower court hadn't applied a strict enough legal standard in determining whether the Texas law and others like that could run afoul of the First Amendment.
