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Novak Djokovic withstood early brilliance from Australian showman Nick Kyrgios to secure a fourth successive Wimbledon title with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6(3) victory on a sun-drenched Centre Court on Sunday.

The 35-year-old Serb stretched his unbeaten streak at Wimbledon to 28 matches as he calmly seized the initiative after being eclipsed in an opening set dominated by the Kyrgios serve.

In claiming a seventh Wimbledon crown, Djokovic took his Grand Slam singles haul to 21, one behind men’s all-time record holder Rafa Nadal.

Playing in his first Grand Slam final, the 27-year-old Kyrgios played some scintillating tennis in a 31-minute opening set in which Djokovic could get nowhere near his serve.

But Djokovic raised his level to break out of nowhere early in the second set and began to take control as Kyrgios’s volatile temperament started to boil in the afternoon heat.

When Kyrgios dropped serve from 40-0 up at 4-4 in the second set and Djokovic held to move a set from victory the Australian appeared close to losing control as he ranted with his box.

Kyrgios re-focused in a fourth set in which neither player saw a break point but his dream of becoming Australia’s first male Grand slam champion for 20 years evaporated as his game fell apart in the tiebreak.

After a Kyrgios backhand hit the net on Djokovic’s third match point, the top seed raised his arms to the sky and after shaking hands bent down to pluck some grass from the famous old court having become the second-oldest men’s Wimbledon champion in the professional era.
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German police are investigating after several women reported feeling unwell following an event hosted by the parliamentary group of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party.

Berlin police said Saturday that the investigation was triggered by a 21-year-old woman, who felt dizzy and unwell several hours into Wednesday’s summer party for the Social Democrats and then was unable to remember the evening the following day. She went to a hospital for checks, and the police ordered a blood test for an analysis of possible toxic substances.

The woman ate and drank at the event, but didn’t consume any alcohol, police said. By Saturday morning, another four cases in which people reported similar symptoms had emerged. German media reported that they apparently were victims of so-called “knockout drops,” which can be mixed into drinks or food. Police said they were awaiting test results.

Police opened an investigation of unknown persons on suspicion of bodily harm. Both they and the center-left Social Democrats said they weren’t aware of any offenses beyond that.

The Social Democrats’ co-leader, Lars Klingbeil, told Welt television he was “furious that something like this could happen at an event” organized by the party. He said the parliamentary group’s leadership is cooperating with authorities and he hopes “that the perpetrator or perpetrators can be caught and then brought to account.”

About 1,000 people attended the annual party Wednesday, including the chancellor, party lawmakers and their employees. 
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Elena Rybakina dropped the first set but roared back to defeat No. 3 seed Ons Jabeur and win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon on Saturday.  

Rybakina, the No. 17 seed who was born in Moscow but has represented Kazakhstan since 2018, triumphed 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 over the Tunisian at the All England Club in London.

Saturday’s clash marked the first Wimbledon title match between two first-time Grand Slam finalists in the Open Era.

Jabeur, who entered as the heavy favorite, jumped out to a 2-1 lead when she broke Rybakina’s serve early in the first set. With Rybakina serving to stay in the set at 3-5, Jabeur broke once again.

But the second set was a different story.  

After winning points on just 53 percent of her first serves in the first set, Rybakina changed her strategy, serving primarily to Jabeur’s backhand. It paid off as she won 73 percent of the first points on her serve and hit 13 winners to seven unforced errors.

And as frustration set in for Jabeur in the second set, so did the miscues. Her percentage of points won on first serve dropped from 80 percent in the first set to 59 percent, and her serve was broken twice by Rybakina, who saved all four of her break points. Jabeur had seven winners against nine unforced errors.

Jabeur dropped serve in the first game of the third set but had a chance to turn the momentum. With the 23-year-old Rybakina serving up 3-2, Jabeur quickly put her down 0-40 and had a triple break point to tie the match.  

But Rybakina fought back, winning five straight points to take a commanding 4-2 lead and then the title.

In her on-court interview, Rybakina said her goal was just to last until the second week of Wimbledon. Her win shocked even her.

“I’m gonna be honest. In [the] second week of Grand Slam at Wimbledon to be a winner, I mean it’s just amazing,” she said.

Asked later about her low-key reaction to the victory, Rybakina said that’s just her personality.

“I’m always very calm. I don’t know what should happen,” she said. “When I was giving [my] speech in the end I was thinking, ‘I’m going to cry right now,’ but somehow, I hold it. Maybe later when I’m going to be alone in the room, I’m going to cry nonstop. I don’t know.

“Maybe because I believe that I can do it deep inside. But [the] same time it’s, like, too many emotions. I was just trying to keep myself calm. Maybe one day you will see [a] huge reaction from me, but unfortunately not today.” Jabeur, 27, was the first Arab woman and the first woman from Africa to play for a Grand Slam title.

“I love this tournament so much and I feel really sad, but I mean it’s tennis,” she said after receiving her runner-up trophy from Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. “There is only one winner. … I’m trying to inspire, you know, many generations from my country. I hope they’re listening.”
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Ukraine reported heavy Russian missile and rocket strikes in the east and south on Saturday. A missile strike on the northeastern city of Kharkiv wounded three civilians, its governor said, though Russia’s main attacks appeared focused on the eastern industrial region of Donbas.   

Ukrainian officials reported strikes in both Luhansk and Donetsk, while Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Moscow was pulling reserve forces from across Russia and bringing them near Ukraine.    

The operational pause announced days ago by Russia has not materialized, according to Ukrainian officials in the Donbas. 

Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on the Telegram messaging service that a Russian missile had struck Druzhkivka, a town behind the front line, and reported shelling in other population centers.  

Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said on Telegram that Russian forces were “firing along the entire front line,” though a subsequent Ukrainian counterattack that hit weapons and ammunition stores had forced Moscow to halt its offensive.  

Russia, which claimed control over all of Luhansk province last weekend, denies targeting civilians.  

To the south, the BBC reported, Ukrainian forces were fiercely defending Mykolaiv, a strategic river port on a key route to Odesa, which is Ukraine’s main export hub. The Russian navy is still preventing Ukraine from shipping grain out of Odesa.  

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has urged residents to leave Russian-occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south. The warning appeared to herald further Ukrainian counterattacks. 

Russian ambassador  

Russia is unlikely to withdraw from a swath of land across Ukraine’s southern coast and will defeat Ukrainian forces in the whole of the eastern Donbas region, Russia’s ambassador to Britain told Reuters Saturday. 

When asked how the conflict might end, Russian Ambassador Andrei Kelin said it was difficult to see Russian and Russian-backed forces withdrawing from the south of Ukraine, and that Ukraine’s soldiers would be pushed back from all of Donbas. 

“We are going to liberate all of the Donbas,” Kelin told Reuters in an interview at his London residence. “Of course, it is difficult to predict the withdrawal of our forces from the southern part of Ukraine because we have already experience that after withdrawal, provocations start, and all the people are being shot and all that.” 

The Ukrainian government did not immediately comment on the Russian ambassador’s remarks. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will never accept Russian occupation of its territory and will fight on until the last Russian soldier is pushed out of Ukraine.   

G-20 talks 

Earlier Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he discussed Russian aggression in Ukraine during more than five hours of talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in which he raised concerns about Beijing’s alignment with Moscow.  

The meeting took place as officials attended a gathering of G-20 foreign ministers on the Indonesian island of Bali.  

“I shared again with the state councilor that we are concerned about the PRC’s alignment with Russia,” Blinken said at a news conference after the talks, referring to the People’s Republic of China. The top U.S. diplomat said he did not think China was behaving in a neutral way, as it had supported Russia in the United Nations and “amplified Russian propaganda.”  

Blinken said Chinese President Xi Jinping had made it clear in a call with President Vladimir Putin on June 13 that he stood by a decision to form a partnership with Russia.  

U.S. officials have warned of consequences, including sanctions, should China offer material support for the war that Moscow calls a “special military operation” to degrade the Ukrainian military. Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion is an unprovoked land grab.  

Advanced training 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian soldiers are in Britain to receive training on the front-line skills needed to battle the Russian forces that have invaded Ukraine. About 1,000 Ukrainians in Britain, the first of about 10,000 expected to participate in the program developed by the British army.  

“Using the world-class expertise of the British army we will help Ukraine to rebuild its forces and scale up its resistance as they defend their country’s sovereignty and their right to choose their own future,” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said, who met with some of the Ukrainian troops. 

New weapons package 

U.S. officials Friday unveiled a new $400 million military package for Ukraine, including four more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 1,000 rounds of 155 mm “precision capable” artillery ammunition, a type that has not been provided to Kyiv until now.   

In addition to the new HIMARS and the precision artillery rounds, the new U.S security package also includes more ammunition for the eight HIMARS already in Ukraine, tactical vehicles, demolition munitions, counter battery systems and spare parts to help Ukrainian forces maintain systems that are getting heavy use.    

“These [weapons systems] are precise,” a senior U.S. defense official said, briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the Pentagon. “We expect them to be used by the Ukrainians to great effect given their success so far.”   

Zelenskyy thanked the Biden administration on Twitter for the military equipment, which he described as priority needs.     

“It offers Ukraine precise targeting, precise capability for specific targets. It will save ammunition. It will be more effective due to the precision,” the U.S. official said. “So, it’s a further evolution in our support for Ukraine in this battle in the Donbas.”     

U.S. officials have been quick to praise Ukrainian forces for the way they have integrated an earlier shipment of eight HIMARS into their efforts to slow the Russian advance in the Donbas.     

VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this story. Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters. 
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Deutsche Welle and Voice of America’s Turkish Service are the latest media outlets to have websites blocked by Turkish authorities. But as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, people in Turkey are adept at circumventing such restrictions. 
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Lawmakers in Germany voted overwhelmingly Friday to approve Finland’s and Sweden’s membership in NATO, with Poland’s lower house moving the ratification forward as well.

NATO allies meeting in Madrid last week signed the accession protocols for the two countries to join the alliance. The move must now be ratified by the governments of all member states.

Following the vote in Berlin on Friday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht told lawmakers their vote strengthens freedom and democracy — and sends a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He bet on our weakness,” she said of the Russian leader. “Now he gets the opposite.”

For decades, Sweden and Finland, while always working with NATO, had historically remained neutral. But Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine in February prompted the nations to pursue membership. Public approval for joining the alliance swelled since the invasion.

Germany joins Canada as the first two nations to fully ratify the NATO expansion.

Meanwhile, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, the Sejm, on Thursday approved Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO, a vote that also was received with a standing ovation.

The ratification bills now go to the upper-house Senate, where they are also expected to easily pass before final approval is given by President Andrzej Duda, who supports accession.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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Humanitarian assistance for more than 4 million Syrians living in opposition-held areas appeared in jeopardy Friday, after Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have extended the mission for another year.

“This was a life-or-death vote for the Syrian people, and Russia chose the latter,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

The authorization for the operation that moves aid from Turkey through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing into northwest Syria will expire on Sunday night, leaving little time for the 15 council members to find a new compromise.

“We need to reach a solution in the immediate term, a solution which renews the mandate for cross-border aid,” Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason said. “There is simply no time to waste. The Syrian people are counting on us.”

Ireland and Norway, which hold the humanitarian file on Syria in the council and led the negotiations, offered a compromise of a total of a 12-month extension of the cross-border mechanism.

“This is our effort to reach a compromise,” Norwegian Ambassador Mona Juul told council members. “This resolution would renew the border crossing of Bab al-Hawa. The resolution ensures that humanitarian assistance reaches all those in need, facilitates further early recovery, and encourages regular follow-up meetings on the implementation.”

A year would have given humanitarians planning and procuring space, and it would have gotten the people who rely on the aid through the coming winter. Now they could lose assistance during the harshest months.

Moscow wanted a six-month renewal, with the possibility for six more — but only after another council resolution, and the potential for another veto, in January. To that end, the Russian delegation put forward its own draft resolution for a vote.

“I hope you will support our draft, because the alternative to that would be the ultimate closure of the crossing,” Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said before their vote.

Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of having “greedily and disrespectfully hijacked” the negotiations from Ireland and Norway.

The Russian proposal failed to get the minimum of nine votes in favor. Only Russia and China voted for it. Britain, France and the United States voted no, and the 10 non-permanent council members all abstained.

After the two failed votes, council members went into a private meeting to discuss where to go from here. Kenya and Brazil both suggested in the public meeting that a nine-month extension should be explored as a compromise. That would at least get the aid recipients through the winter.

Russia has long sought to end the operation, which Damascus does not like, and Polyanskiy signaled that Moscow is not interested in any further compromise.

“You had the choice, and you made the choice,” he told his fellow council members. “And now this page of history has finally been turned and cannot be turned back.”

He later told reporters that his delegation would veto any text that was not the one they had just put forward.

Staggering needs

More than 4 million people live in northwest Syria, in an area outside of government control. Humanitarians reach about 2.4 million people each month with vital assistance through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey.

Russia, China and Syria’s regime argue that all humanitarian assistance to the country’s north should move from within Syria, across conflict front lines, under the control of the government of President Bashar al-Assad. But the United Nations and aid agencies on the ground say the so-called cross-line convoys alone are insufficient to meet the tremendous demands.

Since the resolution was renewed a year ago, only five cross-line convoys – one with only 14 trucks – crossed from government-controlled areas into the northwest. By comparison, in the first six months of this year, 4,648 trucks entered the region from Turkey – or about 800 each month.

When the council initially authorized the aid operations in 2014, four crossing points were activated – two from Turkey, one from Iraq and one from Jordan. In 2019 and 2020, Russia and China forced the closure of all but one – Bab al-Hawa, which connects southern Turkey with northwest Syria.

After more than a decade of war, a pandemic and an economic crisis, 90% of Syrians now live below the poverty line. A recent report from the World Health Organization said an unprecedented number of the country’s children and women are struggling with soaring rates of malnutrition.

Needs are higher now than at any other time during the conflict. The U.N. said 14.6 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance, of which 12 million are food insecure. The U.N. has appealed for a staggering $10 billion this year to assist people both inside the country and those who have sought safety in neighboring countries. The U.N. says nothing short of a permanent cease-fire will end the suffering.
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The European Union has had a bumpy ride with Britain’s outgoing prime minister, Boris Johnson.

The EU and Britain see eye to eye in supporting Ukraine militarily and politically against Russia’s invasion — with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanking Johnson as a “true friend” of the country.   

Russian politicians are celebrating Johnson’s departure. But some experts, like senior analyst Amanda Paul of the Brussels-based European Policy Center research group, predict it will not weaken Britain’s hand — or European unity — when it comes to Kyiv. 

“I think whoever goes into Downing Street will give the same strong support to Zelenskyy. The issue is important to the UK — first of all, because they understand the security threat emanates from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But secondly, because this part of the world — the Black Sea Region, the eastern flank — has always been a priority for the UK in terms of the security support they’ve given there … it’s also important for the UK’s global Britain policy,” Paul said.  

When it comes to matters closer to home, EU relations with Johnson are tense. He was the leader who exited Britain from the bloc, following months of bitter talks.   

French politician Michel Barnier, who led the EU’s Brexit negotiations, tweeted he expected Johnson’s departure would “open a new page” in relations between the two sides.   

Irish leader Micheal Martin warned London against trying to unilaterally scrap a key Brexit trade agreement regarding Northern Ireland — something critics claim Johnson is pushing.    

The EU’s executive arm won’t comment on Johnson’s departure. But when pushed about whether Brussels had ordered extra bottles of champagne to celebrate, one spokesman offered this reaction: “No … we’ve a very limited consumption of alcohol and beverages in the commission I think, and I can’t tell you anything about that.” 

In France, where rivalry with Britain stretches back centuries, reactions are mixed. The country’s leading Le Monde newspaper predicted Johnson’s departure could help heal Brexit wounds. Another, Le Figaro, suggested the French presidency was probably breathing a sigh of relief.   

But analyst Paul said Europeans shouldn’t be counting on London to radically change its EU policies under a new prime minister. 

“I guess, as well, some of them will actually miss Boris, because the guy’s a character. Despite the fact there’s obviously some animosity — he’s the sort of guy you have a love-hate relationship with — I think the French and some others can’t really help but to like the guy,” Paul said.  

Johnson has at least one champion in France. Far-right mayor Louis Aliot, of the southern city of Perpignan, praised the prime minister for delivering so-called independence to Britain with Brexit. Johnson may have made mistakes, Aliot told French TV, but his policies were right.   

 
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A Swiss court acquitted former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and France footballing legend and former head of UEFA Michel Platini of corruption charges Friday, ending a seven-year investigation.

Both were accused of fraud over an alleged 2011 payment of $2 million from Blatter to Platini for consulting fees.

The Swiss judge Friday said the payment was credibly used for consulting work and was likely not fraudulent.

Blatter and Platini had characterized the payment as a “gentlemen’s agreement.”

“I have always said my conscience is clear,” Blatter told reporters outside the court.

“Naturally nobody’s perfect, but in the case of my job, my work, 44 years working at FIFA, for me it is so important that this case has been settled at the highest Swiss level,” the 86-year-old added.

Platini also expressed relief at the decision.

“I want to express my happiness for all my loved ones that justice has finally been done after seven years of lies and manipulation,” Platini said.

“The truth has come to light,” he added. “I kept saying it: my fight is a fight against injustice.”

The two men were banned from soccer several years ago.

Both could have faced prison time or fines.

Some information in this report comes from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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