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A Turkish court on Monday convicted five mayors from municipalities controlled by the country’s main opposition party on corruption charges in a case critics have described as politically motivated. The Istanbul court heard allegations involving bribery, bid-rigging and fraud related to municipal contracts. Critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government say the case was aimed at weakening the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and that prosecutors relied on secret witnesses and testimony from defendants who implicated others in exchange for reduced sentences. The Turkish government maintains that the country’s judiciary is independent and not subject to political influence. The case centered on allegations that companies controlled by businessman Aziz Ihsan Aktas obtained municipal contracts through bribery, bid-rigging and fraud. The opposition has argued that municipalities controlled by Erdogan’s party that had business dealings with Aktas were not investigated with the same intensity. Of the five mayors convicted, Riza Akpolat, mayor of Istanbul’s Besiktas district, received the longest sentence — 23 years and three months — for bribery, money laundering and bid-rigging. The other four mayors, who like Akpolat were removed from office after their arrests, were sentenced to between five and eight years in prison. The seven-month trial was held at a courthouse beside Silivri Prison, west of Istanbul, and involved 200 defendants. Some were also convicted while others were acquitted, although details of the individual verdicts were not immediately available. Aktas was arrested in Istanbul in January last year, prompting authorities to launch investigations into other Istanbul districts governed by the CHP. Investigations were also opened in the southern cities of Adana and Adiyaman, which are also controlled by the opposition party. Aktas initially denied the allegations but later testified against other defendants under Turkey’s “effective repentance” law. He alleged that he had given cash, cars and other bribes to mayors and officials to secure municipal contracts. In a separate case, Aktas was sentenced to two years and eight months for bid-rigging but was acquitted of bribery charges. Most defendants denied having any relationship with Aktas and accused him of providing false testimony. They also said the tenders had been awarded through long-established procedures and that previous audits had found no irregularities. The prosecution’s use of secret witnesses was another contentious issue in the trial. Several of the witnesses acknowledged that their testimony was based on hearsay. Akpolat told the court that investigators had offered to withdraw the charges against him if he provided information in a separate investigation involving the CHP’s 2023 leadership congress. That investigation resulted in a court order in May removing the CHP’s top leadership over alleged voting irregularities during the leadership election. Many CHP members subsequently followed ousted leader Ozgur Ozel to the New Party, which has since become the largest opposition group in parliament. The CHP won several major cities, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, in the 2019 local elections. It secured further victories in the 2024 municipal polls, but a series of legal cases against the opposition has followed. Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul’s metropolitan mayor and the opposition’s preferred candidate to challenge Erdogan in the next presidential election, has been in detention since March last year. He faces several legal cases, including a major corruption case involving the Istanbul municipality that contains allegations similar to those in the Aktas case. If convicted in the cases, he could face a combined sentence of more than 2,300 years.

Zelenskyy also pointed to problems with defense spending and inaccurate information from the Defense Ministry that contributed to an awkward exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump over Ukraine’s use of Starlink in Russia. He made the remarks during a two-hour meeting with reporters Saturday, with a transcript released Sunday. Zelenskyy said he still has a positive view of Fedorov, whom he credited with helping modernize Ukraine’s military and expand its use of technology and drones. But he said Fedorov had become involved in issues he considered inappropriate. Fedorov was dismissed last month following reports of tensions with Ukraine’s top military commander. His removal triggered weeks of protests, while he later called for elections. Zelenskyy said he offered Fedorov four options to remain in government, but he rejected all of them. On the Starlink dispute, Zelenskyy said the Defense Ministry had told him earlier this year that SpaceX had agreed to allow Ukraine to use Starlink over Russian territory for deep-strike operations, subject to political approval. Based on that information, Zelenskyy said he discussed the proposal with Trump and told him that Elon Musk had confirmed it. However, Musk later rejected the proposal, saying it could lead to dangerous escalation. Trump subsequently accused Zelenskyy of misleading him. Zelenskyy said he did not directly accuse Fedorov of providing false information but indicated that the incident was among the reasons for taking action against him. He also defended former army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and current Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara against protesters who had harshly criticized them, saying such attacks went too far. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said Ukraine faces a $27 billion shortfall in its defense budget after funds originally planned for the second half of 2026 were spent earlier in the year. He also said anti-corruption investigators had found no evidence of his involvement in a money-laundering case involving a deputy head of the presidential office. On the battlefield, Zelenskyy claimed Ukrainian forces had nearly retaken the entire Dnipropetrovsk region, with only about 10 square kilometers and three small villages remaining under Russian control. He said Ukraine expected another military operation to produce results by the end of August. He predicted that by the end of 2026, Ukraine could achieve near parity between territory seized by Russia and territory retaken by Ukrainian forces. According to him, Russia has occupied about 990 square kilometers since the beginning of the year, while Ukrainian forces have regained roughly 820 square kilometers. Zelenskyy said Russia’s main military objective remained the Konstantynivka-Sloviansk-Kramatorsk axis and that Moscow continued to demand Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbas as part of any settlement. The Ukrainian president also highlighted a growing shortage of Patriot air-defense missiles. Ukraine received 675 Patriot missiles in 2023, compared with 364 in 2025, while only about 264 are expected in 2026. He said Ukraine wants to secure another 300 Patriot missiles before winter, although its air force has requested 360. Zelenskyy said he hoped Ukraine could obtain even 5% to 10% of U.S. reserves and was prepared to pay for them. He warned that Russia could eventually produce up to 1,300 ballistic missiles annually, compared with an estimated current capacity of about 600. Ukraine is also exploring alternatives to Starlink, including a European communications project, as Russia and China develop competing satellite communication systems.

Swedish police on Saturday confirmed that the victim of Friday's deadly school sword attack in Fagersta was a 17-year-old girl. An 18-year-old male student, armed with a sword, carried out the attack at the Brinell School northwest of Stockholm while classes were in session. The rampage left one dead and three minors injured. Two boys, aged 12 and 17, were severely wounded, while a third minor was slightly injured and has been discharged from the hospital, according to Swedish media. The suspect has been arrested on murder and attempted murder charges. Police fired shots during the operation but did not hit the attacker, and they believe there are no other perpetrators. While the motive remains unknown, investigators have conducted two house searches. The local state of emergency ended Saturday as around 70 residents gathered at a municipal memorial. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who visited the site alongside opposition leader Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, expressed solidarity, stating, "What must never happen has happened again." With Sweden’s parliamentary election due in September, political parties suspended campaign events on Saturday, and Kristersson invited all party leaders to a briefing on the investigation. Sweden has experienced a series of school attacks over the years. Last year, 11 people, including the gunman, died at an Örebro education center in the country's worst mass shooting, leading to proposals for tougher gun laws. In 2022, an 18-year-old killed two female teachers with a knife and an ax in Malmö. In 2015, a 21-year-old local man stabbed three people to death in a racist hate crime targeting dark-skinned victims at Trollhättan’s Kronan school before police fatally shot him.

Georgia has decided not to join the latest sanctions imposed by the European Union on Iran, saying its foreign policy decisions are based solely on the country’s national interests, Georgian media says.Tengiz Sharmanashvili, a lawmaker from the ruling Georgian Dream party, said Georgia would not back any international policy that conflicts with its own priorities.“Whether Georgia will join any resolution or take steps related to international politics is determined by only one criterion: whether it is in Georgia’s interests at that moment or not,” Sharmanashvili said.“If a decision is against those interests, we do not care at all whose interests it serves afterwards,” Sharmanashvili said, according to media.With inputs from Al jazeera

An 18-year-old man armed with a sword attacked a school in central Sweden on Friday, killing one person and seriously injuring at least two others, police said. Police Chief Tommy Alriksson said the suspect was arrested after the attack at Brinell School in Fagersta, a town northwest of Stockholm. Police fired shots while apprehending the suspect. Authorities did not immediately say whether he was wounded, but confirmed that he remained in police custody and was not taken to a hospital. The attack occurred while classes were underway at the school, which had around 400 to 500 students at the time. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive. "We have no reason at this time to believe that there are multiple perpetrators," Alriksson told reporters, adding that the investigation was continuing. National police said investigators had conducted two searches of properties linked to the suspect and planned to question a large number of witnesses. Alriksson said authorities were withholding some details to avoid affecting witness accounts as the investigation progresses. According to Sweden's TT news agency, Vastmanland County officials said the two seriously injured victims were boys aged between 12 and 17. Authorities did not immediately release information about the person who died. Police spokesperson Pelle Vamstad told TT that officers received an emergency call shortly after noon Friday. A large area around the school was sealed off as police responded to the incident. Several nearby schools were also placed under lockdown, while roadblocks were established in the area, officials said. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed sorrow over the violence in Fagersta, which occurred shortly after students returned from their summer break. "We do not yet know what lies behind the act, but we know that the police are working very intensively," Kristersson said in a post on X. He added that his thoughts were with everyone affected. Fagersta's municipal authorities opened a crisis center at a nearby sports hall to provide support following the attack. Vastmanland County officials said many people had been affected by the incident, with police, firefighters and health care workers involved in the emergency response.

A series of Russian missile strikes hit Kyiv overnight Thursday, killing at least six people and leaving 33 others injured, Ukrainian officials said. The attacks struck 12 sites in the capital’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging apartment buildings, a medical center and an educational facility. Rescue teams worked through the rubble to locate and free people who were trapped. In Solomianskyi district, the upper two floors of a nine-story residential building were destroyed, while fires erupted on several lower floors. Residents were also trapped inside two other apartment buildings and a school shelter. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said the air raid warning remained in place into the early hours of Thursday. The latest strikes come as Russia has increased its use of ballistic missiles against Kyiv, seeking to put further pressure on Ukraine’s already stretched air defense capabilities. Kyiv has only a limited number of systems able to intercept ballistic missiles, while supplies of ammunition for its U.S.-supplied Patriot systems remain tight. U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier approved Ukraine’s plans to secure licenses to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, but subsequently withdrew the authorization. Ukraine has responded by expanding its own long-range attacks on targets inside Russia, including weapons depots, military sites and other strategic facilities, in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s capacity to sustain its strikes on Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed one of his senior officials on Wednesday as anti-corruption investigators named a deputy head of the presidential office among suspects in a money-laundering case. The developments came a day after Ukraine's recently dismissed defense minister called for national elections despite Russia's more than four-year-old invasion. Although Zelenskyy has not been implicated in the corruption investigation, the case could draw him into another political crisis and test his political resilience. Investigators provided few details but said they had identified a group of people suspected of laundering 150 million hryvnias ($3.4 million) to pay bail for a defendant in a major corruption case last year, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. That case, involving the state-owned nuclear power company, led to the resignations of Ukraine's justice and energy ministers. The latest suspects include a former lawmaker, the chairperson of a state bank's board and the head of its supervisory board, as well as a deputy head of the presidential office, the agency said. Zelenskyy did not publicly comment on the investigation but issued a decree removing Iryna Mudra as deputy head of the Office of the President. Investigators have not identified Mudra as a suspect. Lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko said investigators searched Mudra's office on Wednesday. Zelenskyy has continued to face scrutiny over high-level corruption investigations, although he has never been named as a suspect. Several officials close to him have been caught up in such probes. Last year, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak resigned and was later named as a suspect in a major corruption investigation linked to a luxury construction project, creating the biggest threat to Zelenskyy's government since Russia's 2022 invasion. The European Union has described deep-rooted corruption as one of the major obstacles to Ukraine's bid to join the bloc. Ex-defense minister calls for wartime electionZelenskyy is also facing pressure following his dismissal last month of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, one of the longest-serving members of his team and a close ally who helped him win the 2019 presidential election. Seeking to ease tensions between the Defense Ministry's young, technology-focused reformers and Ukraine's experienced, Soviet-trained battlefield commanders, Zelenskyy reshuffled his wartime leadership. He removed both Fedorov, whose reforms to military procurement were aimed at reducing corruption, and commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi. The move prompted sustained street protests in support of Fedorov. It marked the second time within a year that a decision by Zelenskyy had sparked strong public opposition, following his 2025 attempt to limit the authority of anti-corruption agencies. In a video address posted to YouTube late Tuesday, Fedorov called for national elections, appearing to directly challenge Zelenskyy, whose presidential term expired in 2024. Ukraine's constitution bars elections while martial law remains in effect. “We must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged war,” Fedorov said. He argued that Ukraine is facing a governance crisis, saying the current system is focused on protecting itself and resisting change. He also criticized corruption among officials without naming individuals, saying it had weakened the country's ability to wage war. Zelenskyy's office did not immediately comment on Fedorov's remarks. It was also unclear whether the call for elections would gain broad support among Ukrainians. Meanwhile, lawmakers on Wednesday approved Zelenskyy's nominee, Maj. Gen. Yevhenii Khmara, as the new defense minister, effectively making Fedorov's return to the post unlikely in the near future. Parliament also approved Andrii Sybiha to remain foreign minister after serving in an interim capacity. Political turmoil follows Ukrainian battlefield gainsThe political uncertainty comes after a number of recent Ukrainian successes on the battlefield. Using advanced drone technology, Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil facilities, contributing to fuel shortages. Ukrainian forces have also struck warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, and slowed Moscow's advances along the front despite Russia's larger military. However, Zelenskyy has struggled to make progress in US-led peace efforts, while Ukraine remains vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks because additional US-made Patriot interceptors are unavailable amid limited global supplies. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also resisted negotiating a peace agreement directly with Zelenskyy. In the latest reported attack, a Ukrainian drone struck an oil refinery in Ufa in Russia's Bashkortostan region, according to Gov. Radiy Khabirov as quoted by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Ufa has three oil refineries, all of which have previously been targeted. Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 453 Ukrainian drones overnight over several regions, as well as Russian-controlled Crimea and the Black Sea. The ministry also said Russian forces struck a bulk carrier in the Black Sea southeast of Odesa on Tuesday, alleging it was carrying military equipment. On Wednesday, Russian forces struck fuel and lubricant storage facilities for the Ukrainian military at the southern port of Chornomorsk, it said. In southern Ukraine, a Russian drone struck a minibus in Kherson on Wednesday, killing four people and injuring four women, according to regional military administration head Oleksandr Prokudin. Another Russian drone hit a civilian vehicle in the regional capital, killing a woman, he said. Amid the continuing fighting, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 103 prisoners of war, according to Zelenskyy and Russia's Defense Ministry.

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russia since Moscow began its full-scale invasion more than four years ago, while a Russian missile strike on a village in northeastern Ukraine killed at least 10 people, officials said Tuesday. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 791 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions, including annexed Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. The attack came just two days after another large-scale Ukrainian drone assault. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 600 drones were detected heading toward the Moscow region, with 180 of them intercepted. No deaths or major damage were immediately reported in the capital region, although three people were injured, according to regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov. Three others were wounded in the neighboring Ryazan region, where three private houses were damaged, Gov. Pavel Malkov said. The overnight drone barrage also sparked a fire at a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, in an industrial area. The company said the facility suffered only minor damage. Ukraine has previously targeted Wildberries, alleging that it supports supplies for the Russian military, a claim denied by Moscow. The latest attacks reflect an escalating campaign of long-range strikes by both sides as neither has made significant gains along the roughly 1,250-kilometer frontline. Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically produced long-range drones to strike targets deep inside Russia, seeking to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to peace talks. “Putin continues to drag out the war instead of accepting Ukraine’s realistic ceasefire proposals and ending the bloodshed,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike hit the village of Pechenihy in the Kharkiv region, killing at least 10 civilians and injuring 17, regional military administration chief Oleh Syniehubov said. The attack destroyed or damaged 10 homes, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven vehicles, according to Syniehubov. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as a “brutal attack” and vowed a response. Separately, Russian attacks killed three people and injured three others in Ukraine’s Sumy region over the past 24 hours, according to Ukraine’s National Police. Russian state television largely did not report the massive drone attack on Moscow and surrounding areas in its morning news bulletins. However, several state and pro-Kremlin media outlets carried reports about the assault on their websites. Britain meanwhile reaffirmed its support for Ukraine after Moscow warned of unspecified consequences over Kyiv’s reported use of British-made drones in attacks on Russian territory. “We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself,” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said, adding that Britain’s position remained unchanged. The Sunday Times reported that two British companies had manufactured drones used by Ukraine to strike targets in Russia. The Russian Embassy in Britain said London’s actions would “inevitably carry consequences.”

Firefighters were battling a massive wildfire in eastern Belgium on Sunday after flames swept through about 30 square kilometers (12 square miles) of the High Fens nature reserve, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Authorities ordered around 600 people living in the nearby municipalities of Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, to leave their homes Saturday as shifting winds pushed smoke and flames closer to populated areas. Tourists were also advised to leave the region, while a local gymnasium was opened as an emergency shelter for evacuees. More than 250 emergency personnel, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, were deployed to tackle the blaze, according to Liège provincial governor Hervé Jamar. Police, military personnel and civil protection teams were also assisting the operation. Firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium's federal police and the Netherlands were supporting crews on the ground. René Dahmen, chief engineer at the Department of Nature and Forest, said the fire continued to spread Sunday in difficult terrain that was challenging for firefighters to access. He said a stretch of the fire line at least one kilometer long was slowly moving toward a municipal forest, making it a priority for firefighting teams. "The situation is extremely difficult," Dahmen said, stressing the need for continued helicopter support. No homes had been damaged as of Sunday morning, officials said. However, the fire remained near residential areas and thick smoke continued to blanket parts of the region. Authorities urged residents and visitors to stay away from the affected area, warning that unnecessary traffic could obstruct emergency vehicles and hamper firefighting efforts. European countries provide assistance Belgium activated the European Union's civil protection mechanism to seek international assistance as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze. EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said Belgium was receiving support from other European countries. Sweden sent two water-bombing aircraft, while three helicopters — two from the Netherlands and one from the Czech Republic — were also being deployed to assist Belgian and German crews. The wildfire comes after weeks of unusually hot and dry weather in Belgium. The High Fens, which contains large areas of heathland and peat bogs, has proved particularly difficult to fight because of the terrain and dry vegetation. Another intense heat wave affected Belgium this week, with temperatures reaching around 37 C (98.6 F) in parts of the country on Friday.

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russia since the start of the war on Sunday, killing at least six people and sending hundreds of drones toward Moscow and other areas, Russian officials said. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted and destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said around 600 drones were detected heading toward the Russian capital, with about one-third of them destroyed over the Moscow region. An 83-year-old man was killed when a Ukrainian drone struck a private home in the Moscow region, regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov said. Vorobyov also said a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at a warehouse belonging to Russian retail giant Wildberries. Images circulated by Russian media showed thick columns of black smoke rising over the town of Podolsk, where the warehouse was located. Five other people were killed in Russia’s southern Rostov region, according to regional Governor Yury Slyusar. He said three towns in the region came under attack, though further details were not immediately available. The scale of Sunday’s attack highlighted Ukraine’s growing use of long-range drones against targets deep inside Russian territory as the war continues.