Five years after #MeToo took the world by storm, Taiwan, a liberal democracy that has prided itself on gender equality, is facing its own reckoning over sexual harassment – brought about by a hit Netflix series.

The series, “Wave Makers,” follows the fictitious lives of a team of campaign staffers in the run-up to a presidential election in Taiwan. Though branded as a political drama, it is the show’s sexual harassment plot line that has attracted the most attention and made waves in real life.

Since late May, the show has sparked more than a dozen real-life #MeToo accusations involving political figures on the self-ruling island, as it too gears up for a presidential election in January.

With tensions between Taipei and Beijing running at their highest in decades, the fallout from the #MeToo revelations risks adding more uncertainty to the all-important presidential race.

The allegations have rocked the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), prompting resignations in its upper ranks and public apologies from President Tsai Ing-wen.

“As the former party chairman, I should bear full responsibility,” Tsai wrote in a Facebook post on June 2, pledging to “reflect on our mistakes.”

The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party has also been hit, and has vowed to probe a sexual harassment allegation against one of its lawmakers.

Since then, the storm has spread from the center of political power to other parts of society, with a growing list of allegations hitting academia, sports and cultural circles as well as the island’s exiled mainland Chinese dissident community.

The turn of events took the creators of “Wave Makers” by surprise. They said they had not expected such an impact and were now witnessing “high waves” being made every day.

“Cases have been popping up in all walks of life recently, and you can see why it resonates,” said Chien Li-ying, who co-wrote the script with Nina Peng. “There had been so many incidents like this, but they couldn’t be discussed or told.”

Since its release in late April, the hugely popular show has provided a common language for discussions about sexual harassment, said Wen-Ti Sung, a political analyst based in Taipei.

“It also gave victims who came forward a common reference point around which they could rally support and strengthen solidarity,” he said.

‘Let’s not just let this go’

A central rallying point for Taiwan’s #MeToo reckoning is a powerful line from one of the best known scenes in “Wave Makers” involving two of the show’s main characters.

In it, one of the characters, a senior party member, promises to seek redress for an incident in which a junior staffer had been groped by a colleague, despite pressure from higher up to hush up.

“Let’s not just let this go, OK? We can’t let things go this easily. Otherwise, we’ll slowly wither away and die,” she tells her.

The line was referenced at the top of a Facebook post that kicked off the whole #MeToo storm.

In the post, a former DPP staffer claimed her supervisor dismissed her workplace sexual harassment complaints and discouraged her from reporting the incident formally.

Her account drew an outpouring of support online and a swift apology from William Lai, the DPP’s chairman and presidential candidate. The former supervisor, who had risen to become a senior party official, was suspended the next day and later resigned.

The case encouraged dozens of others to come forward with their own stories, including allegations against Wang Dan, an exiled leader of the 1989 Tiananmen protests. Wang, who was accused by a man of attempted rape, has vehemently denied the accusations.

Kang Ting-yu, an associate professor specializing in gender and media studies at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, said after watching the show, many sexual harassment victims felt they shouldn’t “just let it go.”

In addition to posting on social media, some have filed sexual harassment complaints through official channels, Kang said.

“I know of multiple cases where they explicitly said they were inspired by the show,” she said.

Chien, the scriptwriter, said the line “let’s not just let it go” embodies their aspirations for an ideal society, where the “the victims could be helped, supported and told that they don’t need to blame themselves.”

In reality, she said, most sexual harassment victims were told to “let it go,” especially in organizations with a strong common goal. “The victims are prone to self-censor, because they are afraid what they say would spoil the bigger cause,” she said.

Such culture of self-sacrifice is deep rooted in Taiwan’s political reality, where the “big picture” often comes above everything else, Chien said.

“It seems like the issue of sexual harassment and assault has been suppressed all along – as if we’ve been swallowing it for a bigger political cause and sacrificing ourselves for the sake of the bigger picture,” she said.

Following the accusations, some DPP supporters have criticized the victims for jeopardizing the party’s presidential election campaign. Others have blamed Wang’s accuser for sabotaging the overseas pro-democracy movement against the Chinese Communist Party, noting the allegations emerged just days before the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre.

Tsai, Taiwan’s President, has called on the public not to blame the victims and cause them secondary harm.

‘It’s just the beginning’

As Taiwan’s first female President, Tsai has prided her government’s efforts on improving gender equality, especially female participation in politics.

Women account for 42% of Taiwan’s parliament – well above the average of 21% in Asia and also higher than North America’s 37%, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Taiwan is also at the forefront of LGBTQ equality in the region. In 2019, it became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

But workplace sexual harassment is still prevalent and those who decide to seek justice could face a daunting and grueling process, experts say.

“Even the protagonists in ‘Wave Makers’ might not be able to persevere in our system,” said Kang at the National Chengchi University.

The woman, surnamed Liao, said it took her two attempts to have the police register her report of sexual harassment, and a year for a government agency “mediating” her case to rule that her allegations were substantiated.

She said she was then told by the agency that she could take the case to court, but as a fresh graduate, she had no financial means to fund a lawsuit. “In the end, I let it go,” she said.

Liao criticized “Wave Makers” for painting too “rosy” a picture on how sexual harassment complaints are handled at the workplace, but she is happy to see the impact the show has had.

“If Taiwan’s #MeToo wave has come five years late, it would be great if we could seize the opportunity to reform the outdated laws on sexual harassment,” she said.

Many experts are now calling for reforms. “The reporting mechanisms of sexual harassment cases in organizations, such as the assurance of protecting the victims’ anonymity, need to be improved,” Kang said.

More education and awareness campaigns on sexual misconduct, as well as new legislation against online sexual violence, are also essential, said Lu Sheng-yen, an assistant professor of gender studies at National Taiwan Normal University.

As more and more people came forward with experiences of sexual harassment, the island’s President issued a second apology on Tuesday and pledged wide-ranging reforms.

The government will reexamine and improve the existing mechanisms for reporting sexual harassment complaints and push to amend laws on gender equality, Tsai said.

“Our society as a whole must educate ourselves again,” Tsai said in a Facebook post. “The people who have been sexually harassed are victims, not wrongdoers. These are people we must protect, not treat with prejudice.”

For the show’s scriptwriters, Taiwan’s #MeToo moment has not fully arrived.

“I think it’s just the beginning, the first step,” Peng said, citing the lack of social consensus on the support for sexual harassment victims.

Chien said the #MeToo reckoning should not be limited to progressive circles or organizations. “Only when it happens across society – including in more conservative circles, and people are still willing to come forward – will it be the real #MeToo moment.”

For years, the ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – have hoovered up grand slams, each providing their own reasons to be crowned as the greatest men’s player of all time.

Now, with Federer retired and Nadal injured, Djokovic has an opportunity to stake his own claim in that unending debate and win a record 23rd grand slam title on Sunday at the French Open, surpassing the mark he currently holds with Nadal.

Standing in Djokovic’s way is Casper Ruud, who has now reached three of the last five grand slam finals, including last year’s final at Roland Garros where he was dismantled 6-3 6-3 6-0 by Nadal.

If Djokovic can win on Sunday, he will also return to the top of the world rankings and become the first male player to win each grand slam tournament at least three times. Such pressure, however, is familiar to the Serb, he said after his semifinal victory.

“History is always something that’s hovering over me, but I’m very happy to be in this position to write history of this sport,” he said, according to the ATP Tour. “I’m just thinking about winning the next match.

“Pressure is always on my shoulders, so it’s not going to be different. But it’s part of my sport, part of my life, all that I do. I think that having pressure is a privilege. But it’s a source of motivation, as well. Great motivation to play well and to reach Sunday.”

It has been a relatively straightforward route to the final for Djokovic, as he has dropped just two sets – one against Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals and one against the No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.

That match against Alcaraz had been billed as a classic, but in the end, Djokovic coasted to victory after the young Spaniard suffered from cramp at the beginning of the third set, with the match finely poised at a set apiece.

The Serb has been imperious in grand slams during the last three years, a loss to Nadal at the French Open last year the only blemish at the majors in which he has been able to compete.

But lining up against such a dominant player is a familiar position for Ruud as he faces an opponent seeking to break or extend their record grand slam title total for the second consecutive year.

“Last year it was against Rafa, this year it’s against Novak, so what can you say? It’s two of the toughest players in history,” Ruud said after his semifinal victory, according to the Guardian. “I’ve got to be the underdog like today, playing without too many feelings, just try to enjoy.”

The 24-year-old Norwegian has never even won a set against Djokovic, losing all four of their matches, and that gulf ensures that he will walk onto court as the underdog, though he can now draw on the experience of two previous grand slam final appearances.

“It’s going to be tough, for sure,” Ruud said, according to the ATP Tour. “He’s playing for his 23rd. I’m playing for my first. So I’m going to just try to play without pressure and just try to enjoy the moment.

“I think that was my mentality last year (against Nadal) as well, and it didn’t go my way. Obviously, I would like to try to do better than last year. Let’s see if I have learned something from the two previous (major finals) that I played last year. It just feels great to be back.”

Despite coming into the tournament after a mixed start to the season, Ruud has found his form, winning against a top-10 player at a grand slam for the first time when he defeated Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, and dismantling Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.

That semifinal performance will galvanize Ruud ahead of the final, as he seeks to upset the odds and take a first grand slam title.

Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was freed from Russia late last year after being wrongfully detained, was harassed Saturday by a man described as a social media “provocateur” at a Dallas airport.

Griner was confronted by the man who was yelling at her about “the Merchant of Death.” The confrontation got so heated that the man was tackled, and law enforcement was involved, according to the source.

The WNBA said in a statement the encounter was “orchestrated by a social media figure and provocateur. His actions were inappropriate and unfortunate.”

Before the season began, the WNBA said it worked with Phoenix Mercury and Griner “to ensure her safety during her travel, which included charter flights for WNBA games and assigned security personnel with her at all times.” It’s not clear whether Griner was traveling on a charter flight on Saturday when the incident took place.

“We remain steadfastly committed to the highest standards of security for players,” the statement reads.

The Phoenix Mercury said in a statement that the team is “reviewing the incident.”

“The health and well-being of our players and staff are our top priority and we will always take every step within our power to protect player safety,” the statement said.

“No one, regardless of identity, should ever fear for their safety. We will be coordinating with the WNBA on next steps,” it continued.

Griner’s teammate, Brianna Turner, posted to Twitter on Saturday, saying, “Player safety while traveling should be at the forefront. People following with cameras saying wild remarks is never acceptable. Excessive harassment. Our team nervously huddled in a corner unsure how to move about. We demand better.”

In April, the WNBA announced the league would expand its charter flights program for all postseason games and select regular season games where teams have back-to-back games on the schedule.

Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said in a post on Twitter that Griner and WNBA players “are leaders who inspire hope for a better, more inclusive and less divided America.”

“They are celebrated for the ways their activism inspires positive change. In doing that, they also become targets for hate, threats and violence,” Colas said. “We cannot celebrate these women and their leadership without also protecting them. It’s past time for charters and enhanced security measures for all players.”

The union representing WNBA players also released a statement on Twitter in response to the incident, saying in part: “As we continue to hear from our members throughout the start of the season and particularly today with the situation involving the Phoenix Mercury at the Dallas airport, we are quite clear that the matter of charter travel is NOT a ‘competitive advantage’ issue.”

Arcangelo was declared the winner of the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes in New York.

With Arcangelo’s victory Saturday, Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer in history to train a Belmont Stakes winner. Antonucci is only the 11th woman to train a Belmont horse in the 155-year history of the race.

Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure led for most of the race, before Arcangelo made a late push inside to capture the historic victory. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano tallied his first victory at the Belmont.

“I don’t know that we have words right now, we’re going to need a minute,” said Antonucci after the race. “We’re trying to soak all this in, just so proud of this horse right now. It’s amazing.”

Arcangelo has “got the heart of a champion,” she added.

This is a developing story. More to come.

For sporting greatness to be achieved, there needs to be a defining moment. The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on Saturday was Manchester City’s, the scene where an obsession finally became reality and history was made.

Ever since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Abu Dhabi United Group took ownership of the club in 2008, winning Europe’s premier cup competition had been the ultimate aim.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent in the last 15 years, and controversy has surrounded the club, but now the Champions League is, finally, theirs after a 1-0 win over Inter Milan which will live long in the memory for the significance of the result, rather than the match itself.

This was not only a night when City won its first Champions League. In beating three-time champion Inter, Pep Guardiola’s side became only the second English team to achieve the treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.

The first to do so was Manchester United in the 1998/99 season, and while comparing teams from different eras is futile, this City side is certainly as dominant domestically as that United team of Alex Ferguson, winning five league titles in six seasons.

The challenge now is to accumulate titles as ruthlessly in Europe. After all, it is the competition’s serial winners who are remembered and feted the most.

It was a match of few chances but plenty of intrigue.

Bernardo Silva went close in the first five minutes for City, while Erling Haaland had his best chance of the match in the 26th minute, forcing a low save from Inter goalkeeper André Onana.

The Norwegian’s effort came minutes after Nicolò Barella spotted City goalkeeper Ederson off his line and took aim at goal only to skew his first-time strike dreadfully wide.

That was as good as it got in the first half as Inter’s high-energy, aggressive pressing left City with plenty of possession but little to show for it.

The second half was just as fraught, Inter continuing to defend brilliantly, City continuing to probe for openings. Yet, once Rodri put City ahead in the 68th minute, his curling first-time shot from a Bernardo Silva cut-back beating several Inter defenders, Inter could have at least have scored twice.

Federico Dimarco’s header struck the crossbar, while his follow-up effort from six-yards out hit teammate Romelu Lukaku. In the closing minutes, Ederson stopped a Lukaku header from point-blank range for a save that secured the trophy for City.

It was in September 2008 that Sheikh Mansour – who attended only his second City game on Saturday – wrote an open letter to City fans, telling them that the owners were ambitious yet “not unreasonably so,” understanding that it took time to construct a team, a club that could challenge for league titles and European trophies.

Within four years the Premier League was conquered, a first title won, snatched from Manchester United in the final seconds of the final day of the season, starting an era of dominance which continues to this day.

Yet, success in Europe has taken longer than many would have expected. For all the money spent, City continued to fail in the knockout stages of the Champions League: beaten by Monaco in 2017, Liverpool in 2018, Tottenham in 2019, Lyon in 2020, Chelsea in 2021 and Real Madrid in 2022. “This competition is so difficult to win,” Guardiola told BT Sport after the match.

It was the arrival of Guardiola in 2016 that was meant to change City’s fortunes in the Champions League, yet it was the acquisition of Haaland last summer which made City formidable in Europe. The striker himself this week admitted he was bought to help win this competition. He “feels the pressure,” he said. Not that it has showed on the pitch during a season in which he has scored an extraordinary 52 goals, though he did fail to find the net in Istanbul with Inter’s defence keeping him on the periphery.

It is the Norwegian’s goals which have been key to turning what Guardiola described in the build-up to the game as a “dream” and an “obsession” into reality. Yet, the man behind the success is Guardiola himself.

It is hard to believe that this was a club playing in the third tier of English football in 1999, struggling to win games let alone trophies. A 2003 stadium move, to what is now known as the Etihad, followed by investment by the club’s Abu Dhabi owners, the likes of which soccer had not seen before, paved the way to this memorable night in Istanbul.

Will City dominate the Champions League like it has the Premier League? The first could lead to many under the leadership of Guardiola, a manager who has been described by many as the greatest in the history of the game, a man many of his players have called a genius, and now the first manager to win the treble twice, having initially achieved the feat with Barcelona.

Dark clouds could be on the horizon, however, with the Premier League in February accusing City of more than 100 breaches of the league’s finance rules and referring the club to an independent commission. City has denied any wrongdoing, saying it was “surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches.”

According to the league’s handbook, it could lead to a suspension from the league, points deduction or an unlimited fine if found guilty.

Whatever the commission’s findings, which could take years, and whether success comes with a caveat or not, there is no doubt that the team Guardiola has constructed is one of the finest in history.

On Saturday, thoughts were merely on celebrating this season’s achievement. A tearful Jack Grealish, the most expensive British player in history, struggled to find the words during his live televised on-pitch interview.

“This is what you work your whole life for. I’m so happy right now,” he told BT Sport. “I played so awful today but I don’t care. To win the treble with this group of players is so special…

“This is what I’ve worked for my whole life. To all the people that have helped you along the way, seeing my family in the crowd, it just makes me emotional.”

Senegal’s foreign ministry announced Tuesday it was temporarily closing its overseas consulates amid raging political tensions that have fueled attacks on its diplomatic missions in Paris, Bordeaux, Milan and New York.

Deadly protests broke out last week in the Senegalese capital Dakar and other cities, following the sentencing of popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Several days of rioting left at least 16 people dead and hundreds injured as Sonko’s supporters clashed with security forces.

The fallout from crisis has reverberated abroad with the Senegalese diaspora leading demonstrations at the country’s consulates overseas.

Its foreign ministry says it is taking a “precautionary measure” to shut its diplomatic missions in France, Italy and the United States for the time being, following a “series of attacks.”

The Senegalese consulate in Milan was the worst hit, the ministry said, noting that “machines used to produce passports and national identity cards were destroyed.”

It added that services will resume at the consulates “as soon as the material and security conditions allow it.”

More than 40 protesters believed to be Sonko’s supporters converged on the Senegalese consulate in Milan on Monday, Italian public broadcaster RAI reported, adding that the consulate building was looted and the Consul General Mamadou Lamine Diouf was attacked.

Calm after deadly protests

“Only one case of demonstration was noted yesterday (Monday) in Malika in the Dakar suburbs,” said Nfaly Sadio of the Senegalese Red Cross.

Tensions, however, remain high and there are fears the protests could flare up again as uncertainty swirls around Sonko’s sentencing which could jeopardize his chances of running in next year’s presidential race.

Sonko has yet to be arrested after being convicted last week of “corrupting youth” which according to the country’s penal code is “immoral behavior” towards a person younger than 21. He was absent from court as the sentence was handed down Thursday.

He was cleared of a rape charge and death threats against an employee of a massage parlor.

Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall told Senegalese media that the state is prepared to arrest the opposition leader once it gets the nod from the country’s prosecution office. The arrest could happen at any time, he added.

Businesses were gradually re-opening in the capital city Dakar where public and private buildings were destroyed as demonstrators clashed with riot police.

Other troubled cities hit by the deadly clashes are also returning to normalcy, local media reported.

Youth venting anger and frustration

Sonko leads the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) and enjoys widespread support among young people in the country.

When he was first held on the rape charge in 2021, angry youth clashed with police leaving at least eight people dead, Amnesty International reported at the time.

Senegal is considered one of West Africa’s most stable democracies but has in recent years been rocked with deadly protests, mainly from young people who are frustrated about unemployment, inequality and corruption.

In the aftermath of the 2021 protests, President Macky Sall said he understood their anger and pledged to provide extra funding and more opportunities for employment.

However, he has not commented publicly during the latest demonstrations and some Senegalese have called him out.

“Senegal experienced a tragedy that moved the whole world. Unarmed demonstrators, or at most equipped with harmless stones against armored vehicles and shields, the blind repression launched against these citizens produced 16 deaths in 2 days. Not even Macky’s tweet. Contempt,” tweeted journalist Pape Alé Niang.

Sall has been most recently engaged in peace negotiations with the African Union on the Russia-Ukraine war, according to his office.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan swore in a new cabinet over the weekend, ushering in what he has called “a new period of glory” for the Turkish Republic as it begins its second century, and one that he hopes will cement his rule over the nation of 85 million.

The cabinet appointments hint at a return to orthodox economic policy while holding course on foreign policy as the president heads into his third decade in power.

On the economic front, the return of Mehmet Simsek as finance minister – a post he previously held between 2009 and 2015 before going on to become Erdogan’s deputy prime minister – has been eagerly anticipated in business circles at home and abroad.

When Simsek’s predecessor Nureddin Nebati officially handed over his portfolio on Sunday, microphones picked up a sigh of relief from him. That was no surprise given the state of the Turkish economy. Erdogan’s unorthodox economic policies over the past few years have led to a cost-of-living crisis and a plummeting Turkish lira. Efforts to defend the battered currency have resulted in Turkish central bank reserves dropping to record lows. The lira plunged 7% on Wednesday, hitting 22.98 against the US dollar, Reuters reported. That’s what Simsek is up against as he takes office.

“Transparency, consistency, predictability and compliance with international norms will be our basic principles in achieving this goal in the upcoming period,” Simsek said in his first speech since being appointed to the post. “Turkey has no choice but to return to a rational basis. A rule-based, predictable Turkish economy will be the key to achieving the desired prosperity.”

With that message Simsek may be able to convince foreign investors and instill enough hope domestically to keep the G20 economy afloat.

In the international arena, Turkey has deployed a muscular policy implemented through the foreign and defense ministries along with Turkish intelligence that has expanded its reach regionally and carved out an independent path for the NATO member. In that regard, continuity is likely.

Shadow diplomat

The new foreign minister is a well-known figure to Turks and international players who have negotiated with Turkey of late. Hakan Fidan, who had served as head of Turkish Intelligence Agency (MIT) since 2010, has been in every room and every discussion that has been pivotal to Turkish foreign policy over the last few years. He’s been ever-present but rarely heard – a shadow diplomat in Erdogan’s foreign policy arsenal who has charted rough waters in Syria, Libya and beyond.

Fidan has played a central role in shaping and carrying out foreign policy along with former chief spokesperson and de facto national security adviser Ibrahim Kalin, who has now taken his old job as intelligence chief.

“I will continue to improve our national foreign policy vision, which is based on the sovereign will of our people and independence of our state from all spheres of influence,” Fidan said in his handover ceremony.

Ankara’s foreign policy has put it on a collision course with neighbors, allies and partners including Greece, with which it has tense relations in the eastern Mediterranean, and Western countries, over the perceived threat from Kurdish groups backed by the US in northern Syria.

“There is a willingness from Turkey to put (its) guard down when it comes to the West,” he said. “But when it’s all take and no give from the West, Turkey doesn’t want to settle for that… It will continue to put its foot down and stand against being dictated to,” said Celik.

Those strained relations will not be easy to mend but Fidan has been masterful in his previous role as spymaster in finding ways to negotiate breakthroughs in difficult relations. He has stepped in to mend frayed ties with Gulf Arab states, and has been a driving force behind the slow rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara. The shadow diplomat now enters an era where he is the main voice for Turkey abroad.

All eyes will be on him as he navigates Sweden’s attempt to join NATO. While the US and European NATO members have been in a hurry to admit the Scandinavian country, Turkey has held up membership due to what Ankara says is Sweden’s harboring of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is outlawed in Turkey, the EU and the US. Sweden has acknowledged that the group’s activities in the country were “extensive” and “a bigger problem than we realized”.

Softer-spoken interior minister

At the interior ministry, Suleyman Soylu, a self-styled tough guy, is being replaced by career bureaucrat and former governor of Istanbul Ali Yerlikaya. Its portfolio is one of the country’s largest. Yerlikaya’s main areas of focus will be the ongoing response to the earthquake which killed more than 50,000 people in southern Turkey, the 3.5 million Syrian refugees in the country and the continued counter-terrorism efforts against the PKK.

The fight against terrorism, which has broad support across the political spectrum in Turkey, is likely to remain the same but the tone of the ministry is likely to change, according to Celik. Yerlikaya is a softer-spoken politician who has quietly run Istanbul since 2018 and is unlikely to emulate Soylu’s harsh rhetorical style. A shift in tone may serve to bridge some of the social divide that has plagued Turkey in recent years.

The outgoing cabinet members are, however, far from retired. Soylu, former Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and ex-Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu are all lawmakers from Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). They’ve just been sworn in for their new terms in parliament, highlighting the party’s tremendous strength there. Their voices will likely echo louder than those of opposition MPs, who now will face an even tougher time convincing voters of their chops in the legislature.

Overall, the new cabinet is a departure from the political appointments that have defined the era in Turkey following the attempted coup in 2015, instead drawing on a strong pool of technocrats.

As Erdogan leads the Turkish republic into its second century, he appears to be employing a back-to-the-basics approach. With social polarization at an all-time high, the economy in crisis and a region that is rife with difficulties, the cabinet has potential to reset some economic missteps of the previous years while holding the line on foreign policy. But a lot will come down to what Erdogan wants, because in Turkey, the buck stops with him.

A major dam and hydro-electric power plant in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine suffered a collapse early Tuesday, prompting mass evacuations and fears for large-scale devastation as Ukraine accused Moscow’s forces of committing an act of “ecocide.”

Residents downstream from the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in Kherson were told to “do everything you can to save your life,” according to the head of Ukraine’s Kherson region military administration, as video showed a deluge of water gushing from a huge breach in the dam.

The critical Nova Kakhovka dam is the largest reservoir in Ukraine in terms of volume. It’s the last of the cascade of six Soviet-era dams on the Dnipro River, a major waterway running through southeastern Ukraine. There are multiple towns and cities downstream, including Kherson, a city of some 300,000 people before Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.

Here is what we know about the crisis.

What happened?

It is unclear what caused the dam to collapse in the late evening of Monday or early hours of Tuesday.

The satellite images show the road bridge that ran across the dam was intact on May 28. However, imagery from June 5 shows a section of the same bridge missing. Analysis of lower-resolution satellite imagery suggests the loss of the bridge section took place between June 1 and 2.

Both Ukrainian and Russian officials said the dam collapsed in an explosion and are blaming each other for it. The incident happened as Ukraine was gearing up for a widely anticipated counter-offensive.

The Ukrainian military intelligence said an explosion occurred at 2:50 a.m. local time on Tuesday (7.50 p.m. ET Monday), when “Russian terrorists carried out an internal explosion of the structures of the Kakhovka hydro-electric power plant.”

Meanwhile, the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontiev, initially denied the dam had collapsed in an interview with Russian state media RIA Novosti, calling it “nonsense.” He later confirmed the destruction of parts of the dam in what he called “a serious terrorist act” but said there was “no need to evacuate.”

The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected the accusations. In his regular call with journalists, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed the attack was “planned and carried out by order received from Kyiv, from the Kyiv regime,” aiming to “deprive Crimea of water.”

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres he believed it was clear that the dam destruction in Kherson region is “another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” but added that the UN doesn’t have access to information to independently verify the cause.

What are the consequences?

The dam holds back around 18 cubic kilometers of water in the Kakhovka Reservoir, about equal to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah.

Mohammad Heidarzadeh, senior lecturer in Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of Bath in England, said the Kakhovka reservoir is one of the largest dams in the world in terms of capacity.

“It is obvious that the failure of this dam will definitely have extensive long-term ecological and environmental negative consequences not only for Ukraine but for neighbouring countries and regions,” Heidarzadeh told Science Media Centre on Tuesday, adding that the Kakhovka dam was an “embankment” dam, which means it was made of gravel and rock with a clay core in the middle.

“These types of dams are extremely vulnerable, and are usually washed away quickly in case of a partial breach… a partial damage is sufficient to cause a complete collapse of the dam because water flow can easily wash away the soil materials of the dam body in just a few hours,” he added.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior Ukrainian official, said the water level in the reservoir was falling “rapidly, about 15 centimeters per hour.

The damage appears to be vast and the potential devastating impact – both upstream and downstream – is worrying. Multiple towns and cities downstream from the dam are at risk of severe flooding and Podolyak had previously urged citizens to “collect your documents and most needed belongings” and wait for evacuation buses. “I ask you to do everything you can to save your life. Leave the dangerous areas immediately,” he added.

The country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that there were “about 80 settlements in the flood zone” and that he has ordered evacuations. The cities include Kherson, a city that was home to some 300,000 people before Moscow’s invasion.

Around 16,000 people on the west bank of Kherson region are in a “critical zone,” Oleksandr Prokudin, the Ukraine-appointed head of the Kherson region military administration, said.

More than one thousand people have been evacuated from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and Kyiv-held parts of the wider region, according to Prokudin.

He added that about 1,335 houses on the west bank of the Dnipro River, which is located near the dam, “appear to be underwater.”

He also said he understood that the settlements of Korsunka and Dnipriany on the Russian-occupied east bank of the Dnipro river were “fully flooded,” while others are partially flooded.

Ukraine’s Energy ministry said in a statement earlier Tuesday that almost 12,000 people in the Kherson region had lost power due to the flooding and that “there may be problems with water supply.”

Meanwhile, Andrey Alekseenko, a Russian-installed Kherson official, played down the threat saying the situation along the banks of Dnipro was “under control.”

“There is no threat to people’s lives,” Alekseenko said, adding that Ministry of Emergency Situation staff are in control of water levels in the river.

“If necessary, we are ready to evacuate the residents of embankment villages, buses are prepared,” Alekseenko added.

Ihor Syrota, the CEO of Ukrhydroenergo – which oversees all the hydropower plants in Ukraine – said he thought flood levels would peak on Wednesday morning at around 5 o’clock in the morning local time.

“The water level will not fall after its peak. The water will continue to flow for two more days, and only on the fourth [day] may it start to fall,” he said. “I think that within eight to ten days all this water will go down to the Black Sea. That is, eight to ten days or so for the water to completely run off.”

How could the collapse affect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant?

The damage is also affecting the area north of the reservoir, where the water levels are falling.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, lies upstream from the destroyed dam. The reservoir supplies cooling water to the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, and is crucial for its safety.

The International Atomic Energy agency said there was “no immediate nuclear safety risk” at the plant, adding that the agency’s experts on site were “closely monitoring the situation.” It said the main line of cooling water is fed from the reservoir and pumped up through channels. It said it is estimated that the water through this route “should last for a few days.”

Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom said that while water from the reservoir is needed for the “replenishment for turbine condensers and safety systems” of the plant, the cooling pond is “full” and as of 8:00 a.m. local time “the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the plant’s needs.”

Ukraine’s state nuclear regulatory inspectorate also said it did not expect “serious consequences” to result from the dam breach, explaining that precautionary measures had been developed for a scenario in which dam water levels decrease.

If these measures are now implemented and all ZNPP units are shut down, the decrease in the water level, “should not affect the nuclear radiation safety” of the plant, it said.

Has it been damaged before?

The area around the dam has been one of the most heavily contested since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Kherson, which sits on the right bank of the Dnipro river, was liberated by Ukrainian military in November after eight months of Russian occupation.

Russian forces, however, still control much of the left bank of the river south of the Kakhovka dam. The front line now runs alongside the river and through the reservoir, and the area has been under heavy fire for months.

Both sides have accused each other of planning to breach the dam. At the time of the Kherson liberation, the dam did suffer some damage, although it was unclear what caused the damage. Satellite images from Maxar showed water flowing out of three sluice gates at the dam.

Will this impact the situation on the battlefield?

In recent days Ukraine’s forces have increasingly taken the fight to Russia’s entrenched frontlines in the south and east ahead of a widely expected summer counter-offensive.

Podolyak, who is a senior aide to Zelensky, said the dam’s destruction would “create obstacles for the offensive actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

Ukraine’s military accused Russia’s forces of blowing up the dam “in panic.”

The Crimean peninsula has had a history of water supply issues since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, after Ukraine cut the water supply. Russia forces captured the North Crimea Canal and began restoring the water supply in the days immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Sergey Aksenov, the Russia-appointed head of the annexed region, said the canal which connects the reservoir to Crimea will “become shallow,” but added that currently there are 40 million cubic meters of reserves in the canal.

Aksenov said “there is more than enough drinking water,” and work on “minimizing the water disruption to supply is being carried out.”

Britain’s Princess Eugenie has given birth to a boy, she announced on Instagram.

The princess, who is 11th in line to the British throne, is King Charles III’s niece. She’s the daughter of the monarch’s younger brother Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

Princess Eugenie said Monday that she and husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed their second child, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, on May 30.

“Jack and I wanted to share the news that we had our little boy, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank on 30th May 2023 at 8.49 weighing 7.1lbs,” she said in the Instagram post.

“He is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald,” it continues.

The couple have another boy, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, born in February 2021.

“Augie is loving being a big brother already,” said Eugenie in Monday’s post.

The princess married Brooksbank at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in October 2018, a few months after Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex tied the knot there.

Eugenie was born on March 23, 1990. The princess’ parents announced their separation when she was two and divorced in 1996, sharing joint custody of Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice.

One of two giant rubber ducks on display in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor was deflated on Saturday to protect it from sweltering temperatures.

Organizers said they made the decision to deflate the duck just one day after the pair arrived in the harbor, after an inspection found that its surface had stretched in the hot weather.

The deflated duck will be sent for repairs, while its friend will remain in the harbor as part of a pop-art installation dubbed “Double Duck.”

Locals and tourists had gathered at the waterfront in the scorching sun to catch a glimpse of the artwork – with some left disheartened at only seeing one duck.

One Hong Kong resident, 35, explained that she had brought her child out specially to see the oversized bath toys.

“Today, we originally planned to bring my child to see the yellow duck. We saw it 10 years ago as well. Back then, there was only one yellow duck, but today we came to see double ducks.

“However, unexpectedly, there is only one duck now. We don’t feel disappointed though. As long as the children are happy, that’s enough.”

A tourist from Thailand explained that her sister is a “big fan” of the giant ducks.

“So, she was super sad, because she can see just only one.”

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s “Rubber Duck” initially appeared in Victoria Harbor a decade ago.

Conceived in 2001 before debuting in France six years later, the installation appeared in cities including Osaka, Sydney and Sao Paolo before arriving in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory in May 2013.

The artwork’s previous arrival in Victoria Harbour made a splash worldwide — in part because it mysteriously deflated overnight before being reinflated days later.

The pop art installation returned to the harbor on Friday, this time with not one, but two ducks. At 18 meters (59 feet) tall, they are slightly larger than the one that made global headlines 10 years ago.

“Double duck is double luck,” artist Hofman said in a statement. “The work emphasizes friendship and getting connected … ‘Double Ducks’ is not about looking into the past but enjoying the moment together!”