Despite diplomatic efforts to put an end to the conflict, Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange prisoners of war.
On Thursday, Moscow and Kyiv officials confirmed the swap, but neither side disclosed the number of detainees who had been released.
The “warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service” were returning home, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, on X.
“The majority of them have been in captivity since 2022,” they said. He said, “We are doing everything we can to find each person and check the information on every name.”
“We must bring all of our neighbors home. I want to thank everyone who has aided us in this endeavor.
Russian Defense’s Ministry of Defense announced on Telegram that another group of Russian soldiers had left Ukraine.
Russian service members are currently receiving the necessary psychological and medical care on the Russian Federation’s territory, according to the ministry.
The ministry added that the soldiers would then be transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation.
Russian service members are seen in front of buses in Belarus [Handout via Reuters]
One of the few agreements and cooperation between the two countries was made during their direct meeting on June 2 in Turkiye, where Russia and Ukraine pledged to swap at least 1, 000 soldiers.
However, future discussions about a solution to the conflict have stalled because the Moscow-Kiv border has remained unchangeable.
Russia has stated on numerous occasions that any territory it acquired during the conflict must be kept in order to bring it to a ceasefire. Kyiv has, however, rejected giving up its land.
According to the regional mayor, at least one person was killed and two others were hurt in the most recent prisoner exchange that occurred during Russian airstrikes against Ukraine.
Additionally, Russia announced that its forces had taken control of two villages in the Donetsk region as Oleksandr Syrskii, the country’s army chief, ordered the construction of more defensive lines as Russian forces advance further into the Dnipropetrovsk region.
At the request of Abiy Ahmed Ali, the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Kashim Shettima has made an official state visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Gedion Timothewos, the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps’ minister of foreign affairs, and other officials welcomed him at the airport.
Vice President Shettima will take part in Ethiopia’s flagship environmental initiative’s official launch during the visit.
Read more about Shettima’s official visit to Ethiopia in Nigeria.
The planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over the course of four years is a goal of the program’s goals to combat deforestation, increase biodiversity, and combat climate change’s negative effects.
Elinor Barker, a four-time Olympian, has announced that her second pregnancy is the end of her 2025 campaign.
After finishing 16th overall in the British National Road Championships in Ceredigion, more than five minutes behind compatriot Zoe Backstedt’s title-winning competitor, the 30-year-old Welsh competitor broke the news to social media.
We are expecting our second child in December, so we had our last race of 2025 today at Nationals TT.
Extremely fortunate to be surrounded by so many experts, support from @unoxteam, and @britishcycling once more, and.
She continued, “Ps. Try to find a job that doesn’t demand that you wear skin-tight Lycra every day if you’re trying to conceal a pregnancy at work.
Barker will miss the time trial and Women’s Road World Championships in September.
After already winning Olympic team pursuit gold in Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo in 2021, Barker gave birth to son Nico in 2022.
She added another silver medal in the madison in Paris in 2024, where she also won another silver.
Iran’s 12-day war, which was supported by the United States, was heavily aided by operations launched from deep inside Iranian soil by the Israeli military, which included hundreds of fighter jets, armed drones, and refueling planes.
On June 13, the Israeli army and the Mossad spy agency released footage that appeared to have been recorded at night in Iran’s undisclosed locations just hours before dawn.
One gloomy video showed Mossad agents posing as civilians while crouched in what appeared to be desert terrain, wearing tactical gear like night-vision goggles and concealing themselves from incoming attack aircraft.
Others depicted ballistic missile platforms and projectiles slammed into Iranian missile defense batteries with mounted cameras. Spike missiles, which are relatively small, precision-guided anti-armour missiles that can be programmed to fly toward targets outside their line of sight, appeared to be the projectiles.
State media also reported images of the weapons being used by Iranian authorities, who confirmed the weapons’ use, in one of the open areas where they were found. They claimed that the weapons were run by “terrorist Mossad agents” and had been “internet-based automation and remote-controlled systems” installed.
In November of this year, an Israeli operation in which Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a senior figure in Iran’s nuclear program, was killed while moving in a car with his wife and bodyguards in a city near Tehran, was carried out. A one-tonne gun was reportedly brought into Iran by Mossad in pieces and mounted on the back of a pick-up truck after Fakhrizadeh was killed, according to Israeli authorities at the time, who confirmed that the assassination was carried out using remote-controlled and artificial intelligence-guided equipment.
In the northwest of West Azerbaijan, Iran executed three men who are suspected of being involved in the murder of Fakhrizadeh and other murders on Wednesday morning.
Iranian nuclear scientists were killed in drone strikes on June 25, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. [Majid Saeedi/Getty Images]
Iranian drone manufacturing
In addition, it appears that Israel, as part of its multifaceted assault operations, used numerous explosive-laden small drones and quadcopters during the 12-day conflict to obliterate Iran’s defenses.
Iranian media reported that Iran’s air defenses were in place to stop small drones and larger military-grade counterparts like the Hermes 900, which Iran claimed to have shot down throughout the war. Al Jazeera cannot, however, confirm the precise number of drone launches and how successful they were at hitting their targets.
As Israeli warplanes dropped more bombs across the nation and US President Donald Trump briefly rhetorically backed the possibility of regime change, the smaller drones attracted a lot of attention and forced authorities to mount large-scale search operations to neutralize them.
Soon afterward, authorities discovered pick-up trucks with custom cargo beds that could house small, predetermined drones that they claimed could be launched by coming close to their intended targets. Similar tactics have been successful elsewhere, such as when Ukraine managed to demolish up to a third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet on the tarmac of four Russian airfields deep inside Russian territory.
Security forces from Iran organized search parties consisting of police officers who searched the streets in motorcycles or other vehicles to spot any suspicious trucks or movements, especially at night. In sprawling Tehran and throughout the nation, including in northern provinces where millions of people flocked after fleeing the capital, which frequently stopped and searched pick-up trucks with covered cargo beds.
Their agents appear to have been able to set up small production lines of the unmanned vehicles inside Iran following what the Israelis claimed were years of preparation.
A three-story building in Shahr-e Rey, in southern Tehran, was said to be dedicated to handing out drones, homemade bombs, and a lot of explosives.
In Shahr-e Rey, south of Tehran, security forces discovered a hacked drone factory. Israeli agents assembled and stored UAVs meant for terrorist operations in the three-story building. Additionally, over 200 kg of explosives and homemade bombs were discovered by authorities. pic. twitter.com/wrZz1vc12x
A second similar operation, involving six Iranian “Mossad agents,” was also shown on state television, where quadcopters with timers, grenades, and other weapons were being assembled. There were also reports of explosive-laden vehicles, but Iranian authorities did not provide any official confirmation.
On state television, some of the arrested suspects were depicted giving their confessions while holding their hands in their eyes. One unnamed suspect was personally interrogated by Tehran’s public prosecutor Ali Salehi on state television, who claimed he attempted to film air defenses for the Mossad from rooftops.
We are all being watched, he said.
Eyal Zamir, the chief of staff of the Israeli military, confirmed in a video statement on Wednesday that commando forces “operated covertly deep in enemy territory and carried out operations that gave us operational freedom of action.” He did not specify whether he was speaking about the commandos that were visible at the start of the first night or other potential operations.
Regarding alleged Israeli commando operations conducted inside Iranian territory, Iranian officials have not made any direct comments.
Authorities have executed at least six people accused of cooperating with Israel and the US, but they haven’t stopped announcing dozens of arrests in Iran since the start of the war.
In an effort to restrain Iran’s retaliation, Israeli intelligence operations inside Iran are thought to have been a major factor in the success of the surprise attacks on June 13 that started the conflict, which resulted in the deaths of numerous top military commanders and nuclear scientists. Additionally, they incapacitated some air defenses and targeted some missile launch sites, all of which were done by Israel.
Two of Israel’s largest banks and the nation’s largest cryptocurrency exchange were temporarily destroyed by massive cyberattacks launched by pro-Israel hacking groups.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the assassinated head of the crucial aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stated in a speech that “we are all under surveillance” by Mossad using mobile phones and other communication devices during an unreleased video that was released by state-linked media this week.
Hajizadeh, who was killed in a meeting with a number of other top aerospace commanders in an underground bunker in or around Tehran, urged people to use caution, turn off, and occasionally replace their phones during the address.
Iranian authorities also temporarily halted access to the internet, reportedly choking off 97 percent of the massive nation’s connectivity as a result of their response to the Israeli offensive, according to NetBlocks internet observatory. One of the most extensive internet blackouts ever to be implemented in Iran and probably elsewhere in the world.
Two days after Trump announced a ceasefire, the majority of the restrictions imposed during the conflict were lifted.
As the Queen icon expressed doubt over the claims, rumors that Freddie Mercury may have had a secret lovechild following an alleged affair have been dispelled by Brian May.
Brian May ‘doesn’t believe’ Freddie Mercury had secret lovechild as result of affair(Image: Redferns)
Queen legend Brian May was left shocked by news of Freddie Mercury’s lovechild – but doesn’t believe it. Wife Anita Dobson said when she heard the news: “I went ‘what?’ I thought no’? And I said to Brian: ‘Do you know about this?’ And he said: ‘Do you believe this?’”
Lesley-Ann Jones, the star’s biographer, has confirmed that she has a child and that she has DNA proof that the woman, 48, is the singer’s daughter.
In a biography published in May, she claimed that the child was born by accident in 1976 while having an affair with a close friend’s wife. According to legend, Mercury regularly visits his daughter and keeps 17 volumes of intimate journals for her.
However, actor Anita is persuaded that the news about Freddie had already been leaked.
Freddie Mercury reportedly had a secret lovechild(Image: Getty Images)
There must be many people who have children, she said. Simply put, it’s because of him. because of his reputation. And given how unusually animalistic he was, having a child with someone we don’t know about seems incomprehensible.
Continue reading the article.
Former EastEnders actress Anita added: “If he does have one where is she – step forward. If she exists. Maybe it is just more fake news.”
Following the book’s claim that Freddie had informed his bandmates about the existence of the love child, Anita made comments. According to the author of the book, Love, the singer claimed to have a daughter as a result of a relationship with a friend’s wife. She had relationships with both men and women.
She claims that she always knew the musician, real name Farrokh Bulsara, was her father, and that he had given her 17 volumes of his personal journals before his 1991 death. She lives in Europe and is a mother herself. She reached out to Ms. Jones to share her story.
Brian May’s wife can’t believe the news of Freddie’s lovechild(Image: Getty Images)
A handwritten letter from the woman, known as B, is included in the book, which is due out in September. She states, “My father was and is Freddie Mercury.” From the moment I was born to the last 15 years of his life, we had a very close and loving relationship.
He was devoted to me and adored me. By the standards of most people, the circumstances surrounding my birth may seem unusual and even outrageous. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. He never let his love for and care for me go away.
“Those who knew of my existence kept my greatest secret from Freddie,” he said. The star called every day while he was touring with Queen, and he even had his own room in their family home so he could spend as much time with her as possible.
Freddie died in November 1991(Image: Getty Images)
Since then, Jones has reacted to those who claim the story wasn’t up to par.
She urged those who “demand” a DNA test to provide proof otherwise they wouldn’t believe it, and that legal teams have been involved, but that information is kept private and not made public.
She rebuffed those who questioned whether an abundance of Mercury’s secret notebooks was fabricated using artificial intelligence. Wait and see, she wrote, “To those who insist Freddie Mercury’s diaries were faked with AI, that his daughter doesn’t exist, and that I’ve made the entire thing up.”
His own story, which is told in his own words, is incredible. I can’t help but love him even more. You’ll do it, too.
Continue reading the article.
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READ MORE: Maura Higgins swears by this Sol de Janeiro body oil for her glowy holiday skin
Faith Kipyegon’s attempt to become the first woman to run a distance of less than four minutes failed.
In order to achieve the remarkable feat, the Kenyan, 31, set a time of four minutes 06.42 seconds, which is one second quicker than her world record, at Stade Charlety in Paris.
Because Kipyegon was assisted by a team of male and female pacemakers and participated in the Nike-sponsored “Breaking4,” the time will not be considered an official record.
That sensational performance in Monaco gave Kipyegon the idea that sub-four, once viewed as physiologically impossible for a woman, was within her reach.
However, the three-time Olympic 1500m champion was still forced to run two seconds faster than she had before.
As she ran her sub-60 second laps, which amounted to about 15 miles or 24 kilometers per hour, Kipyegon was outfitted out in an aerodynamic skinsuit and specially designed spikes.
Georgia Hunter Bell, a British Olympic 1500m bronze medalist, and Jemma Reekie, a pacemaker, assisted her in chasing the Wavelights, who were located on the track’s inside curb.
Kipyegon completed the third lap in 3:01.84, but her hopes for the finish line began to wane over the final 400 meters.
Before collapsing to the ground, she continued to run through the finish tape in the fastest time a woman has ever done so.
Eliud Kipchoge, who became the first person to complete a marathon in less than two hours, recorded the recording for the tape.
It’s only a matter of time, I have shown it is possible. Someone else will be the recipient if not me, Kipyegon predicted.
“I will keep going for it, not to lose hope.” I’m hoping to receive it someday.
Mile moonshot comes close for Kipyegon.
Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to break the mile-per-minute barrier, has been around for more than 70 years.
That occurred in May 1954, and it was perceived as “as elusive and seemingly unattainable as] reaching the summit of] Everest.”
Since then, many more people have reached the highest point on Earth, surpassing Bannister’s feat.
Diane Leather became the first woman to run a sub-five minute mile on the same month as Bannister’s historic milestone.
Sifan Hassan’s 2019 world record of 4: 12.33, which was previously inconceivable, was obliterated by Kipyegon after decades of incremental increases by women.
Kipyegon would run barefoot from school in her Kenyan village long before she chased history in Nike’s most recent high-tech shoes.
Without a doubt, the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic 1500m titles, she also won her first global title at the 2011 World Junior Cross Country Championships.
On Thursday night, Kipyegon donned a black aerodynamic skinsuit with arm and leg sleeves, a headband, and a 3D-printed “aeronodes” that were strategically placed. These items were all designed to lessen wind resistance and drag.
She had carbon fiber plates on the sole and air pockets in the forefoot, which increased propulsion, and her shoes were based on the Nike Victory 2 spikes, which she won Olympic gold last summer.
