Category World News

The biggest breakup is between Donald Trump, the country’s richest man, billionaire Elon Musk, and the world’s richest person.

After their friendship, Musk and Trump both gained rewards by contributing to Trump’s re-election campaign in the form of a role for him in his own government.

What was once a mutually beneficial alliance turned into a series of insults on social media as a result of the relationship’s political, or fiscal differences, however.

Elon Musk’s statement thus undermined US democracy.

Do Donald Trump’s friendships and interests have an impact on US policy?

Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam

Guests:

Niall Stanage, a political analyst and columnist for The Hill newspaper, writes about the White House.

Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities’ managing director, is an analyst for technology.

Coco Gauff defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, and 6-4 in the final of the French Open, marking Coco Gauff’s first French Open victory.

The second-ranked Gauff won the tension-heavy Saturday contest, earning her a second major trophy after the 2023 US Open, where she also defeated Sabalenka in the final set.

It was the second time in Paris in the past 30 years and the first time Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in the top one-to-two final.

The 21-year-old American rested her forehand on the clay after Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff’s second match point. Three years after losing her first Roland-Garros final, Sabalenka celebrated with her entourage and gave Spike Lee a hug after greeting her on the net.

Sabalenka successfully held her first service game, sticking to her high-risk strategy.

In the third game, Gauff reacted by advancing her level, winning a fantastic rally that attracted enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience. After a heated exchange of drop shots, Gauff attempted to shoot between her legs before intercepting it before scoring the winner.

Gauff maintained a consistent baseline presence and earned a break point when Sabalenka double-faulted to give her a 2-1 lead. Sabalenka turned her head in frustration and yelled in frustration before regaining her composure, breaking again at 3-3.

The leader of al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch has targeted US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk over United States backing for Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and its besieged Palestinian population.

“There are no red lines after what happened and is happening to our people in Gaza”, said Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki in a half-hour video message that was spread online Saturday by supporters of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemeni branch of the armed group.

“Reciprocity is legitimate”, he said.

Al-Awlaki’s video message also included calls for so-called lone wolves to assassinate leaders in Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states over the war, which has decimated Gaza, killing at least 54, 772 Palestinians over the past 20 months.

The message featured images of Trump and Musk, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, as well as logos of Musk’s businesses – including electric carmaker Tesla.

Born in 2009 from the merger of al-Qaeda’s Yemeni and Saudi factions, AQAP is completely distinct from Yemen’s Houthi rebel group, which controls most of the country and agreed to a ceasefire with the US earlier this month.

AQAP grew and developed amid the chaos of Yemen’s war, which has pitted the Houthis against a Saudi-led coalition backing the government since 2015.

Al-Awlaki became the group’s leader in 2024, replacing predecessor Khalid Batarfi, who died that year.

He already has a $6m US bounty on his head, having, as Washington puts it, “publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies”.

Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and suspected US drone strikes killing its leaders, the group had been considered the most dangerous branch of al-Qaeda still operating since the US killing of founder&nbsp, Osama bin Laden in 2011.

United Nations experts estimate AQAP has between 3, 000 and 4, 000 active fighters and passive members, claiming that it raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as by smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies and conducting ransom operations.

The Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, though the latter’s targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years, while its fighters keep attacking the Saudi-led coalition forces.

Now, with its focus on Israel’s war on Gaza, AQAP appears to be following the lead of the Houthi group, which has launched missile attacks on Israel and targeted commercial vessels moving through the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli fire.

“As the Houthis gain popularity as leaders of the ‘ Arab and Muslim world’s resistance ‘ against Israel, al-Awlaki seeks to challenge their dominance by presenting himself as equally concerned about the situation in Gaza”, said Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert with the Basha Report risk advisory firm.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s claims that he is almost certain that he won’t play at the Club World Cup defy Gianni Infantino’s wishes to host one of the biggest attractions of football at the tournament are met with disappointment.

The Portugal star said on Saturday that he had received “quite a few” offers from participating clubs to play for them at the tournament starting on June 14, but that he had decided against accepting any of them.

You can’t take part in everything, Ronaldo said, “Some things make sense to talk about, and others don’t, and, as a person said, other things don’t.”

You must consider the short, medium, and long-term. Although I’ve received a number of invitations to attend the Club World Cup, I’ve decided not to participate in it.

The day before Portugal’s UEFA Nations League match against Spain, Ronaldo made a speech in Munich.

In a 2-1 semifinal win over Germany on Wednesday, the 40-year-old scored his 137th international goal to earn Portugal’s spot in the final.

Ronaldo responded to Ronaldo’s initial question regarding the FIFA Club World Cup, “This is irrelevant right now.” Other than the national team, “it makes no sense to talk about anything.”

The notorious Rukban displacement camp in Syria’s desert, a ominous symbol of the country’s civil war, has ended, with only a few survivors making their way back to their hometowns.

A tragic and sorrowful chapter of displacement stories created by the bygone regime’s war machine comes to an end, according to Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa on Saturday on X.

The regime left people in the barren desert to face their agonizing fate, he continued, noting that “Rukban was not just a camp; it was the triangle of death that bore witness to the cruelty of siege and starvation.”

The camp was set up in a deconflict zone that was run by coalition forces led by the United States to fight ISIL (ISIS), in 2014 at the height of the nation’s ruinous civil war.

The camp was used to house those who sought refuge and hope to cross the border into Jordan after being bombarded by the then-President’s government and fighting against ISIL.

However, al-Assad’s regime’s regime rarely permitted aid to enter the camp because neighbors’ nations blocked access, leaving Rukban stranded there for years, putting it under a severe siege.

Around 8, 000 people stayed in mud-brick homes where food and basic items were being smuggled in at high prices.

Families started leaving the camp and going home after al-Assad was toppled in December following a lightning attack led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the current head of Syria’s interim government.

Following the fall of al-Assad, al-Sharaa has pledged to unite Syria, restore the nation domestically, and join the international community abroad.

Al-Sharaa convened with world leaders last month, including US President Donald Trump, who announced that all sanctions against Syria would be lifted, giving the nation a “chance at greatness.” Sanctions were lifted as well as the European Union stepped up. After nearly 14 years of war and economic devastation, Syria now has a crucial lifeline for economic recovery.

A&B: “A&#; Castle in my eyes”

Yasmine al-Salah, who marked the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and returned to her home after nine years of displacement in the Rukban camp, told The Associated Press news agency on Friday that her emotions are “uncountable.”

Even though our house has been destroyed, our family has no money, we are hungry, and we have debts, and my husband is ill and unable to work and we have children, al-Salah said. Still, our home is a castle in my eyes.

During the war, her home in the Homs province’s eastern town of al-Qaryatan suffered damage.

Raed al-Saleh, the minister for emergency situations and disasters in Syria, stated on X that the camp’s closure represents “the end of one of the harshest humanitarian tragedies that our displaced people have ever seen.”

We hope that this action will lead to the restoration of the camps’ residents’ dignity and safety, he continued.

Western media outlets have repeatedly attributed Hamas’ failure to the various ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The group’s perspective on the negotiations and the media narratives that surround them is rarely heard in the coverage this week.

Contributors:
Tahani Mustafa, Senior Analyst for Palestine, International Crisis Group
Hamas is a Politburo member, according to Basem Naim.
University College London Associate Professor Julie Norman
Lecturer at Birzeit University, Abdaljawad Omar

On our radar:

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Ryan Kohls, a contributor to The Listening Post, examines how community-based movements have rethought their ties to digital technology.