The US ambassador to South Africa on Thursday accused the South African government of delivering arms and ammunition to a sanctioned Russian cargo vessel late last year, local media said.

“Among the things we noted was the docking of the cargo ship in Simon’s Town naval base between the 6th to the 8th of December 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons and ammunition onto that vessel in Simon’s Town as it made its way back to Russian,” Ambassador Reuben Brigety II told local media, including News24.com.

“We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel, and I would bet my life on the accuracy on that assertion,” the ambassador also said in a video released by Newzroom Afrika, a local news channel that was also at the briefing.

“The arming of the Russians is extremely serious, and we do not consider this issue to be resolved, and we would like SA to [begin] practicing its non-alignment policy,” he said, according to both news outlets.

In response to the ambassador’s claims, South Africa has summoned Brigety to Pretoria. In a statement released on Twitter Friday, Clayson Monyela, the head of public diplomacy for the South African foreign ministry, said it would “demarche the USA Ambassador to South Africa following his remarks yesterday.”

Monyela said a detailed statement would be released following the meeting. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor would also speak to her US counterpart, Secretary Antony Blinken, about the matter, he added.

The presence of the mysterious ‘Lady R’ cargo vessel caused significant speculation when it docked at the naval base in Simon’s Town near Cape Town in December last year. Cargo vessels routinely dock at Cape Town’s civilian harbor, not the naval base.

At the time, opposition member of parliament and shadow Defense Minister Kobus Marais said in a statement that goods were loaded off and onto the ship during the overnight hours and demanded answers from the government.

The US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control added the Lady R to its sanctions list in May last year for alleged weapons shipments, along with a host of other Russian-flagged cargo vessels.

The South African presidency called the explosive allegations “disappointing” and warned that the remarks “undermine the spirit of cooperation and partnership” between the US and South African government officials who had been discussing the matter.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement late Thursday that no evidence had been provided to support these allegations and that the government planned to form an independent inquiry into the matter.

“In recent engagements between the South African delegation and US officials, the Lady R matter was discussed and there was agreement that an investigation will be allowed to run its course and that the US intelligence services will provide whatever evidence in their possession,” the statement read.

“US intelligence services said they had evidence that they would only provide to us via a credible investigation or inquiry. We take the allegations seriously, and we want to have a credible independent voice to state the actual facts of the matter,” he said.

“Otherwise, we risk a back forth series of accusations and denials, which is not going to be helpful in the context of our bilateral relations.”

It is unusual for a US ambassador in South Africa to make such public accusations against the government.

The South African government has come under intense criticism for its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has routinely abstained from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations General Assembly.

While South African leadership has repeatedly stated that they are neutral in the conflict and have frequently called for a negotiated settlement, their actions have come under increasing scrutiny from Western powers.

In February of this year, South Africa convened naval war games off its coast including both the Russian and Chinese military.

Later this year, South Africa will host the BRICS summit, a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to that summit.

South African officials have flip-flopped in their public commitment to the Rome Statute – the treaty that compels signatory nations to arrest individuals indicted by the court – after Putin was indicted for alleged war crimes in March.

While South Africa’s ruling party African National Congress has an ideological history with Russia and the former Soviet Union, the European Union and the United States are far bigger trading partners.

Here’s a look at the life of Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.

Personal

Birth date: November 14, 1948

Birthplace: Buckingham Palace, London, England

Birth name: Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor

Father: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh

Mother: Queen Elizabeth II

Marriages: Camilla Parker Bowles (April 9, 2005-present), Lady Diana Spencer (July 29, 1981-August 28, 1996, divorced)

Children: with Princess Diana: William (June 21, 1982), Henry “Harry” (September 15, 1984)

Education: Trinity College, Cambridge, UK, B.A., 1970, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire, UK, 1971

Military: Royal Navy 1971-1976. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth appointed him honorary five-star ranks in the three military branches of army, navy and air force: He is Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

Other Facts

Britain’s longest serving monarch-in-waiting.

First royal heir to earn a university degree.

President or patron of more than 400 charitable organizations.

Enjoys playing polo, skiing, fishing and hunting. His hobbies include gardening, painting and writing.

As a child, he acted in school productions, sang in the school choir, played the trumpet, the cello and the electric guitar.

His other interests include architecture and its effects on the environment, farming, alternative medicine and different religions.

Timeline

February 6, 1952 – Three-year-old Prince Charles becomes the heir apparent, when his grandfather dies and his mother ascends the throne.

July 26, 1958 – Is named Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, by his mother before Parliament. He is the 21st Prince of Wales and the first since 1936.

July 1, 1969 – He is invested as the Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester during a televised ceremony at Caernavon Castle.

February 11, 1970 – Takes his seat in the House of Lords.

September 1971 – Earns his wings for jet aircraft flying at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell and joins the Royal Navy.

1974 – Qualifies as a helicopter pilot and joins the 845 Naval Air Squadron on the HMS Hermes. Two years later he completes his military service, taking command of a coastal minehunter, the HMS Bronington.

1976 – Founds The Prince’s Trust, a philanthropic venture to help disadvantaged youth.

July 29, 1981 – Weds Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

December 9, 1992 – Prime Minister John Major announces the separation of Charles and Diana.

1993 – Affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles becomes public when the transcript of a 1989 intimate phone conversation between the two is made public.

June 29, 1994 – A televised documentary, “Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role,” airs; in it he admits to adultery.

September 1997 – Charles accompanies the body of Princess Diana from Paris to London and during the funeral procession walks behind her coffin with his father, sons and Diana’s brother, the Earl of Spencer.

January 28, 1999 – First public appearance as a couple with Parker-Bowles, when they are seen leaving the Ritz Hotel in London after a party.

June 2000 – Formally introduces Parker-Bowles to Queen Elizabeth II at a party held at Highgrove, his country estate.

2003 – Clarence House becomes the official London residence of Charles and his sons. The estate is the former home of the Queen Mother, Charles’ grandmother.

April 9, 2005 – In a civil ceremony at Guildhall in Windsor with a blessing at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Charles and Camilla wed.

November 1-8, 2005 – Makes his first official visit to the United States since 1994.

October 2006 – Announces plans for second multi-faith coronation ceremony, if/when he is made king, to include all non-Christian faiths, and for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be crowned Queen at the same time.

January 27, 2007 – Receives the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment, presented by former US Vice President Al Gore.

November 16, 2010 – Announces the engagement of eldest son, Prince William, to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton.

December 9, 2010 – Student demonstrators breach security on the streets of London’s West End and attack the 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI carrying Charles and Camilla to a performance at the London Palladium. The couple escapes any physical harm. The students are protesting the hike in tuition fees.

May 8, 2013 – Attends the opening of Parliament for the first time in 17 years. This is first time he and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the opening together.

March 2015 – Visits the United States with Camilla. The trip includes a tour of Mount Vernon, a meeting with President Barack Obama and a festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

May 19, 2015 – Meets Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. This is the first meeting between a member of the British Royal Family and the leader of Sinn Fein.

November 27, 2017 – Announces the engagement of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.

April 20, 2018 – Leaders of the Commonwealth agree that Prince Charles will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the next head of Commonwealth.

May 19, 2018 – Walks his daughter-in-law Meghan down the aisle in her wedding ceremony to Prince Harry.

November 8, 2018 – A televised documentary, “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70,” airs; in it he promises not to meddle in controversial affairs once he takes on the role of the monarch.

March 25, 2020 – Announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating in Scotland.

September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies, and Charles ascends to the throne.

September 10, 2022 – Is officially proclaimed the King of the United Kingdom.

October 11, 2022 – Buckingham Palace announces Charles’ coronation is scheduled to take place May 6, 2023.

May 6, 2023 – Charles’ coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey.

Current line of succession:

1. The Prince of Wales, Prince William, son of King Charles (1982)

2. Prince George of Wales, son of Prince William (2013)

3. Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of Prince William (2015)

4. Prince Louis of of Wales, son of Prince William (2018)

5. The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, son of King Charles (1984)

6. Prince Archie of Sussex, son of Prince Harry (2019)

7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex, daughter of Prince Harry (2021)

8. The Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II (1960)

9. Princess Beatrice of York, daughter of Prince Andrew (1988)

10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, daughter of Princess Beatrice (2021)

Goalkeeper Santiago Ramírez scored an absurd long-range goal to cap off a wild semifinal between his Atlético Morelia team and Celaya in Mexico’s Liga de Expansión.

Trailing 2-1 in the second leg and 3-2 on aggregate, Celaya threw everything forward in a desperate attempt to find an equalizer in stoppage time.

That included goalkeeper Allison Revuelta, who for a brief moment looked as though he had made himself the hero by getting on the end of a cross with his head.

However, he ended up inadvertently assisting Ramírez for his near length-of-the-pitch goal as his soft headed effort dropped kindly into his opposite number’s hands.

With Revuelta and the rest of his teammates attempting to run back to their unguarded goal, Ramírez let fly with a booming kick out of his hands that sent the ball into the opposition net, bouncing just twice in the penalty area on the way.

#NoTeLoPierdas

¡GLAZ de @C_A_Morelia!

¡De Portería A Portería!

Santiago Ramírez aprovechó que el arquero de los Toros fue a rematar y con este despeje anotó el 1-3 definitivo en el Miguel Alemán.

Global 2-4#Semifinales Vuelta #Clausura2023 pic.twitter.com/YlvRBb7Rhh

— Liga BBVA Expansión MX (@LigaMXExpansion) May 15, 2023

The goal sparked wild scenes in the away end and in the dugout, as it secured Morelia’s place in the final of the Clausura – the tournament in the second half of the league season – with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

It was a fitting end to a chaotic game that featured five red cards – two for Celaya and three for Morelia – and four goals.

Morelia will play the first leg of the final against CD Tapatío on Wednesday, with the winner going on to play Atlante – the winner of the season-opening Apertura tournament – in the Champion of Champions final.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner suffered a skull fracture and a concussion on Saturday after he was hit in the head by a 92.7-mph line drive.

Feltner was struck when his pitch was hit back towards him by Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos in the second inning of the Phillies’ 7-4 win. Feltner was hit on the back of the head as he tried to duck and avoid the ball.

The 26-year-old immediately fell to the ground and but didn’t appear to lose consciousness. After spending a few minutes on the ground, he was helped to his feet before being escorted off the field by Colorado training staff.

Rockies manager Bud Black confirmed that Feltner had spent the night in hospital and that, after scans, it had been discovered he’d suffered a skull fracture and a concussion.

“But overall, he’s fine,” Black told reporters. “The feeling’s that it could have been worse, obviously. But he’s going to miss some time.

“Ryan was communicating with players via text, so he was pretty stable by the time the game ended and guys were getting home, 11 o’clock, midnight. He was texting with our medical staff, his parents, and we texted last night. He was obviously in a concussion state, but he was fairly lucid.”

Black said that doctors told Feltner that the fracture would not require surgery.

“The biggest thing is he has to let the trauma heal and let nature take its course on this one,” Black said. “He suffered a head injury. Time is the best healer. From everything that I’ve been told here this morning, things are looking up.”

Castellanos, who was safe with a single after the incident, appeared shaken up afterwards.

“It happens, and then I felt like I was running to first base because it was my job,” Castellanos told reporters afterwards. “Instantly what I thought was, like: ‘Holy sh*t, I hit him.’ There was a part of me that wanted to go to the mound, but I guess the baseball player takes over and you go to first.

“As soon as I touched first, I turned around and was just really hoping that what happened didn’t happen.”

The West has taken a dive straight into summer, with temperatures well above those normally seen even at the end of July. Record-breaking temperatures and a heat wave will continue to grip the entire region through much of this week.

Yesterday, several locations across the Pacific Northwest broke daily high temperature records:

“Today will be the 4th day in a row with highs in the 80s for Seattle,” the National Weather Service office in Seattle said. “This will tie the record for most consecutive days with highs 80 degrees plus in the month of May.”

For reference, Seattle’s normal high at the end of July is around 79 degrees, so temperatures are well above even the normal highs seen in the dog days of summer.

Many people in the Pacific Northwest do not have air conditioning, and with overnight lows running warm as well, the body is not able to easily recover from the daytime heat. It has prompted heat alerts for more than 10 million people across the Pacific Northwest and portions of Central California.

The weather setup very much resembles a weather pattern seen in the middle of summer for the region. A big dome of high pressure is sitting over the Northwest, allowing dry, downslope winds to come off the mountains, spiking temperatures well above average.

As the heat continues to build this week, nearly 150 high temperature records will be in jeopardy across the West.

While the heat will spread farther east throughout the week to include the Rockies and central and southern Plains, the most dramatic heat will be in the West. Temperatures are running 20 to 30 degrees above normal across the Pacific Northwest.

“To put it in perspective, highs will be near record values each day,” the weather service in Boise, Idaho, said. “These hot temperatures will increase snowmelt in the mountains. Mainstream rivers fed by snowpack will be running high, swift and cold.”

Weather service offices all across the West are urging people to stay out of the water and find relief from the heat in other ways. Water temperatures are in the 50s for the most part, cold enough to cause cold water shock and hyperthermia.

This heat is not just affecting the US. It has been even more extreme across western portions of Canada.

Several cities across British Columbia set new monthly records Sunday, including Lytton, which topped out around 97 degrees; hotter than the average temperature Phoenix, Arizona, experiences around this time of year.

Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for northern portions of Alberta and portions of British Columbia, where high temperatures are forecast to reach the mid 80s. Temperatures here are running 15 to 25 degrees above normal, so the weather agency is urging people to cancel outdoor plans if they aren’t necessary, as heat-related illnesses are possible.

One bit of good news is, “While the developing heat may result in daily temperature records being broken, it must be emphasized that the expected hot conditions will not approach those reached during the ‘Heat Dome’ of late June 2021,” Environment Canada said.

The heat is also having a huge effect on Canada’s active start to the fire season. There are currently 89 fires burning in Alberta alone, where fires have scorched 1.3 million acres so far this year. It puts 2023 as the fifth-busiest fire season on record in Alberta, and we still have several months of fire season yet to go.

While the hottest temperatures may have peaked over the weekend, the long-range outlook looks to remain quite warm for the Northwest.

The Climate Prediction Center has the Northwest above normal as far as temperatures go through the next two weeks at least. While it doesn’t mean temperatures will be as extreme as they currently are, the trend is definitely on the warmer side.

Powerful Cyclone Mocha made landfall on Myanmar’s west coast Sunday and is barreling toward millions of vulnerable people with winds equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane as aid agencies warn of the potential for a major disaster.

Since forming in the Bay of Bengal early Thursday, the tropical cyclone has intensified, with sustained winds of 259 kilometers per hour (161 mph) and gusts of up to 315 kph (195 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center on Sunday.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said Sunday that Mocha is likely to move north-northeasterly across Rakhine State in Myanmar and “completely cross” Cox’s Bazar.

Aid agencies in Bangladesh and Myanmar say they have launched a massive emergency plan as the storm brings the threat of flooding and landslides.

Disaster response teams and more than 3,000 local volunteers who have been trained in disaster preparedness and first aid have been put on standby in the camps, and a national cyclone early warning system is in place, according to Sanjeev Kafley, Head of Delegation of the IFRC Bangladesh Delegation.

Kafley said there are 7,500 emergency shelter kits, 4,000 hygiene kits and 2,000 water containers ready to be distributed.

“We expect this cyclone to have a more severe impact than any other natural disaster they have faced in the past five years,” said Jain. “At this stage, we just don’t know where the cyclone will make landfall and with what intensity. So we are hoping for the best but are preparing for the worst.”

Evacuations of people in low-lying areas or those with serious medical conditions had begun, he said.

In Myanmar, residents in coastal areas of Rakhine state and Ayeyarwady region have started to evacuate and seek shelter at schools and monasteries.

Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers are on standby and the agency is relocating vulnerable people and raising awareness of the storm in villages and townships, the IFRC’s Kafley said.

The last storm to make landfall with a similar strength was Tropical Cyclone Giri back in October 2010. It made landfall as a high-end Category 4 equivalent storm with maximum winds of 250 kph (155 mph).

Giri caused over 150 fatalities and roughly 70% of the city of Kyaukphyu was destroyed. According to the United Nations, roughly 15,000 homes were destroyed in Rakhine state during the storm.

Rohingya refugees preparing for the worst

About 1 million members of the stateless Rohingya community, who fled persecution in nearby Myanmar during a military crackdown in 2017, are living in the sprawling and overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Most live in bamboo and tarpaulin shelters perched on hilly slopes that are vulnerable to strong winds, rain, and landslides.

Jain said the shelters can only withstand wind speeds of 40 kph (24 mph) and he expects winds from Cyclone Mocha to exceed that.

“Low lying areas of the camps are likely to flood rapidly, destroying shelters, facilities such as learning centers, as well as infrastructure such as bridges that have been constructed with bamboo,” he said.

The cyclone adds to an already disastrous year for the Rohingya, and without more funds from the international community, Jain said they won’t have enough to rebuild.

“They faced a 17% cut in their food rations earlier this year due to funding cuts and we expect a further cut in their rations in the coming months. 16,000 refugees lost their home in a devastating fire in March. And now they must deal with the cyclone. Unfortunately, we don’t even have the funds to help refugees rebuild their homes and facilities if the devastation is severe,” he said.

There are also concerns for 30,000 Rohingya refugees housed on an isolated and flood-prone island facility in the Bay of Bengal, called Bhasan Char.

In Myanmar, about 6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Rakhine state and across the northwest, with 1.2 million displaced, according to the UN humanitarian agency.

Worrying climate trend

The past few decades have seen an increase in the strength of tropical cyclones affecting countries in parts of Asia and recent research predicts they could have double the destructive power in the region by the end of the century.

While scientists are still trying to understand ways climate change is affecting cyclones, a slew of research has linked human-caused global warming to more potent and destructive cyclones.

Tropical cyclones (also known as hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms depending on ocean basin and intensity), feed off ocean heat. They need temperatures of at least around 27 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit) to form, and the warmer the ocean, the more moisture they can take up.

The waters in the Bay of Bengal are currently around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit), about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than average for May.

As the climate crisis pushes up the temperatures of oceans – which absorb around 90% of the world’s excess heat – it provides ideal conditions for cyclones to gain strength.

Warmer oceans also increase the chances of cyclones rapidly intensifying, according to recent research.

Climate-change fueled sea-level rise adds to the risks, worsening storm surges from tropical cyclones and allowing them to travel further inland.

Bangladesh and Myanmar are particularly threatened because they are low-lying, as well as being home to some of the world’s poorest people.

Until Sunday, Sinan Ogan was a fringe, ultranationalist Turkish politician virtually unknown outside Turkey. But for the next two weeks, he may become the most important figure in Turkish politics, potentially deciding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political fate.

Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) on Monday said neither Erdogan nor his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu received more than 50% of the votes required to become president, taking the race to a second round.

Preliminary results from the YSK showed Erdogan as having received 49.51% of the vote, while Kilicdaroglu had 44.88%.  

Ogan, the third candidate, received 5.17%, enough to swing the runoff vote in favor of either of the candidates. With that, he found himself as the kingmaker in the most important elections in modern Turkey’s history.

The 55-year-old has been keen to avoid throwing his weight behind either candidate.

“We will consult with our voter base for our decision in the runoff,” he told Reuters on Monday. “But we already made clear that the fight against terrorism and sending refugees back are our red lines.”

Murat Somer, a political science professor at Koc University in Istanbul, said that Ogan is critical of both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu, but that the majority of his voters are closer to president than his main rival, noting that the parliamentary election results already gave Erdogan and his Justice and Development (AK) Party a leading advantage.

Berkay Mandiraci, a Turkey analyst at the Belgium-based International Crisis Group think tank, said on Twitter that the momentum is in Erdogan’s favor, adding that opinion polls that suggested otherwise ahead of the vote failed to capture an undercurrent in favor of the ruling alliance.

“(There were) very few shifts compared to 2018 elections despite economic challenges, the covid-19 pandemic, and devastating earthquakes,” he wrote.

Kemalists to decide

It is unclear if Ogan will set conditions for his support for either candidate and what they may be, but his previous affiliations and political positions may give an indication as to how his backers may vote.

Ogan said on Sunday night that Turkish nationalists and Kemalists will be the “determinants of the runoff.” Kemalism refers to Turkey’s staunchly secular, pro-republican state ideology as envisaged by its founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Kilicdaroglu’s center-left Republican People’s Party (CHP) is the main Kemalist party in the country, established by the Turkish republic’s founder himself. In recent years it has softened its position on the role of religion in the country and that of Kurds, a sizeable ethnic minority that has long complained of persecution, and from which anti-state militancy has emerged at times. For Sunday’s elections, it courted defectors from Erdogan’s Islamist-leaning AK Party and even received an endorsement from the pro-Kurdish HDP party and its jailed leader.

How does the voting process in Turkey work? I caught up with @ertim_orkun of ‘Vote and Beyond’ at an Istanbul voting station to see it firsthand. “I believe the system is quite safe,” he said. #TurkeyElections pic.twitter.com/KCNmW9cBjs

— Becky Anderson (@BeckyCNN) May 14, 2023

Somer said Ogan’s policies are anti-immigrant and anti-PKK, referring to the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is officially regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. He sees the HDP’s endorsement of Kilicdaroglu as problematic, Somer said, but he is also opposed to Erdogan joining forces with the Islamist Huda Par (Free Cause) party, which is affiliated to the Sunni Islamist Kurdish Hezbollah.

Asked by journalists in March if he would endorse Erdogan or Kilicdaroglu should there be a runoff, Ogan said that his party would look at each candidate’s “national stances and competence” as well as “at the situation of affiliation with terrorism and seeking help from terrorism.”

“We will decide with common sense,” Ogan said. “Common sense shows us that we may not be able to promise heaven, but it’s time to close the gates of hell.”

Ogan ran for president as the candidate for the ATA alliance of like-minded nationalist parties. But his political career began with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), where he spent six years before splitting with it, partly due to its growing closeness with Erdogan’s AK Party, according to Turkish media.

Formerly in the opposition, the MHP joined the People Alliance that is led by Erdogan’s AK Party in this election.

Ceylan Akca, a parliamentary candidate for Green Left Party in largely Kurdish Diyarbakir province, said that Ogan’s votes show the rise of a right-wing, nationalist and anti-refugee wave in Turkey.

Somer said the election results on Sunday shed light on how polarized Turkey has become.

“When society is divided into two ossified rigid blocs that see each other as an existential threat, that is really hard to overcome,” he said, adding that despite the opposition’s attempts to overcome the nation’s fault lines, it was unable to successfully do so.

Here’s a look at the French Open tennis tournament.

May 22-June 11, 2023 – The French Open is scheduled to take place at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris.

May 16-June 5, 2022 – The French Open takes place.

Facts

The French Open is one of four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. The others are the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

It is the only Grand Slam tournament played on a clay court.

2022 Results

Rafael Nadal defeats Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0 in the final, capturing his record-extending 14th title at the French Open.

Iga Swiatek defeats Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3, winning her second Grand Slam title.

Open Era Records

Nadal has the most men’s singles wins with 14.

Chris Evert has the most women’s singles wins with seven.

Nadal was the oldest in the Open era to win the men’s singles title, at 36 years and two days of age in 2022.

Michael Chang was the youngest to win the men’s singles title at 17 years and three months of age in 1989.

In 1990, Monica Seles was the youngest woman to win the singles title, at 16 years and six months of age.

Serena Williams is the oldest woman to win the singles title, at 33 years and eight months of age in 2015.

Timeline

1891 – The first French tournament, the International Championship of Tennis, is held and is limited to members of French clubs.

1897 – Women’s singles matches are added to the tournament, but still restricted to French club members.

1925 – The tournament is opened to international competitors from non-French clubs. Women’s doubles are also added.

1928 – The tournament moves to a new stadium. The stadium and tournament are named after Roland Garros, and the tournament is still widely known by that name. Garros was an aviator who made the first successful crossing of the Mediterranean in 1913.

1940-1945 – The tournament is canceled due to World War II.

1956 – Althea Gibson wins the women’s singles title, becoming the first African-American player to win a Grand Slam event.

1968 – The Roland Garros is the first Grand Slam to become an open tournament.

2006 – The French Open awards equal prize money to the men’s and women’s singles champions, although disparity remains in all other rounds.

2007 – Equal prize money is awarded to all female and male players across the board in all events. The French Open is the last of the four Grand Slam tournaments to make the move for equal pay in prize money.

2011 – Li Na becomes the first Chinese national to win a Grand Slam.

March 17, 2020 – It is announced that the Open has been rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Originally set for May 18-June 7, the 2020 tournament takes place September 21-October 11.

May 30-June 13, 2021 – Originally scheduled for May 7-June 6, 2021, the French Open takes place. It was rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Yevgeny Prigozhin has denied a report that he proposed sharing Russian intelligence with Kyiv in exchange for ceded territory around the besieged city of Bakhmut – a denial that came days after the Wagner chief issued a series of criticisms revealing deep fissures within Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

The Washington Post article was based on a trove of highly classified US intelligence documents leaked on social media in April, which revealed the degree to which the US has penetrated Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Post reported Sunday that Prigozhin offered to give the Ukrainian military information on Russian troop positions if Kyiv would pull back its forces from the area around Bakhmut, which remains a key battleground in the Kremlin’s attempted advance through eastern Ukraine.

Prigozhin made the offer to Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, known as HUR, in January, the Post alleged. It quoted one leaked document as stating that Prigozhin met HUR officers in an unspecified country in Africa.

But the head of the Russian paramilitary group speculated the story could have been planted by his enemies, according to an audio message posted to his Telegram channel on Monday.

“I can say with confidence, if we’re being serious, that I have not been in Africa at least since the beginning of the conflict, but in fact a few months before the start of the SMO (Special Military Operation),” Prigozhin said, referring to Moscow’s euphemism for the war in Ukraine.

“Therefore, I simply could not meet with anyone there physically.”

In his message, Prigozhin asked rhetorically, “Who is behind this? I think that either some journalists decided to hype, or comrades from Rublyovka have now decided to make up a beautiful, planted story.” Rublyovka is the name of an affluent neighborhood in Moscow along the Rublyovo-Uspenskoye highway, which is known for its luxurious residential estates and mansions for the Russian elite.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday that he could not comment on the Washington Post report, other than to say, “It looks like another hoax.”

Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, declined to comment when he was asked about the Post report on Ukrainian television on Monday, saying: “Who would benefit from discussing such initiatives now?”

Prigozhin’s audio message on Monday was the latest outburst from the Wagner head, who has launched a storm of criticism against the Kremlin in recent weeks, accusing it of negligence amid Moscow’s faltering invasion of Ukraine.

Last week, he accused a Russian brigade of abandoning its position in frontline Bakhmut and allowing Ukraine to take territory, saying the 72nd brigade “just ran the hell out of there.”

Bakhmut is the site of a months-long attack by Russian troops, including Wagner fighters, that has ravaged the embattled city and forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes. But Moscow has so far been unable to gain ground and instead sustained heavy losses, despite swarming the area with huge amounts of manpower.

Kyiv also said it was operating “effective counterattacks” in the Bakhmut area, matching remarks by Prigozhin that Kyiv had recaptured some territory.

At the same time, Prigozhin criticized the Russian military’s focus on the Victory Day parade last week – marring an occasion that Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously used to show off Moscow’s unity and military might.

Turkey will have a runoff election on May 28 after longtime leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced into a second round with only a narrow lead over his rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Neither candidate achieved the required 50% to take the presidency outright, after 100% of ballot boxes were opened, according to Turkey’s Supreme Election Council. All ballot boxes in the country were opened and the voter turnout rate is 88.92%, council chairman Ahmet Yener said.

But Kilicdaroglu now faces a tough battle to win the second round after Erdogan performed better than some opinion polls had suggested.

Official final results for Turkey’s election will be announced on Friday, the chairman of Turkey’s supreme election council Ahmet Yener said.

With the final count, the electorate will turn to a second round of voting that could extend Erdogan’s 20-year grip on power, or set the stage for a change in political direction.

Each candidate looked to re-energize voters once results began to surface in the early hours of Monday, in remarks that framed their contrastingly conservative and secular approaches to power.

Erdogan said he was “already ahead” of his “closest rival.”

“We are already ahead of our closest rival by 2.6 million votes. We expect this figure to increase with official results,” he commented.

He added that his camp does not know yet “if the presidential election is over in the first round,” but said, “We believe we will finish this round with over 50% of the votes.”

The leader of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party received a litany of criticism in the months preceding the election, fielding accusations of negligence following the deadly February 6 earthquake, and overseeing an unorthodox fiscal policy that has plunged the nation into a cost of living crisis.

His decision to maintain close relations with Russia amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine has also caused friction with NATO allies, after he blocked requests for Finland and Sweden’s accession to the transatlantic military alliance. He campaigned on a manifesto championing the stability of his long rule, independent foreign policy and lowering the retirement age.

Kilicdaroglu, who represents an election coalition of six opposition parties, has promised an overhaul of Erdogan’s Islamist-leaning policies in favor of a political slogan based on secularism and fixing Turkey’s economic woes.

Kilicdaroglu said in a video message on Twitter that he “will fight until the end.”

“I swear I will fight until the end. I. Am. Here,” he said in the video, which he released following the announcement that a runoff vote will be held on May 28.

Earlier he welcomed the prospect of a runoff vote and said his party would triumph.

Deciding factor

Supporters for both candidates claimed momentum was on the side of their candidate, but the final results of the runoff could be determined by a key third component.

Before Sunday’s election, Sinan Ogan was a fringe, ultranationalist politician virtually unknown outside Turkey. But now he could be a potential kingmaker for either leader.

The 55-year-old far-right candidate, who received 5.17% of Turkey’s first round of votes, has enough support from the first round to swing the vote in either Erdogan or Kilicdaroglu’s favor, depending on whom he chooses to endorse.

“There will be another difficult 15 days ahead,” Ogan said on Sunday at a press briefing in Ankara.

“We will do our best to make this process a good one for our nation and our country. At this time, we are not saying that we will support one party or the other.”

He told Reuters on Monday that if he signs an alliance with either wing, there will be no concessions on “sending refugees” to their homeland, as the country’s intake of asylum seekers from neighboring Syria has become central to the political debate in Turkey.

“We have certain red lines (to support any candidate), such as fighting against terrorism and sending refugees back. We have voiced these conditions before,” Ogan said in comments made before the runoff was announced.

“If we decide to be with an alliance, a protocol will be signed with them and we put in words that no concessions will be made regarding the (pro-Kurdish) Peoples’ Democratic Party.”