Russia, Ukraine conducts significant prisoner swap
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 307 prisoners on Saturday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The swap was part of a larger deal made during recent talks in Istanbul, Reuters reported.
As stated by the ministry, 307 Russian servicemen were returned from Ukrainian custody in exchange for the release of an equivalent number of Ukrainian captives. This exchange follows another swap on Friday involving 270 military personnel and 120 civilians from each side.
Officials verified that both parties agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, marking the largest such exchange since the conflict began in 2022. Russia indicated that large-scale prisoner swaps would continue, according to Reuters.
X faces second outage due to data centre issues
Elon Musk's microblogging platform, X, experienced another outage on Saturday, May 24, following a similar disruption the day before.
According to Downdetector, reports of service troubles increased, and users worldwide experienced difficulties accessing the homepage, app interface, and login services, with some reporting seeing blank timelines, Firstpost reported.
While X has not released a statement regarding Saturday's event, the platform did admit a data center outage on Friday. In a post on May 23, the technical team stated that they were aware of the performance issues and were actively working to resolve them.
Pentagon tightens press access over security concerns
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced new limitations on media access to the Pentagon, requiring journalists to be officially approved and escorted in a majority of the building. The directive, which takes effect immediately, is intended to prevent the disclosure of sensitive or secret information, Reuters reported.
Hegseth stated that maintaining national security and operational integrity is a primary responsibility. The Pentagon Press Association condemned the action, calling it a threat to press freedom and pointing out that comparable limits were never imposed following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the Pentagon was targeted by hijacked American Airlines Flight 77.
The move comes as part of a broader assault on leaks by the Trump administration, which includes investigations, polygraph exams for federal employees, and a reshuffling of media access that has favored conservative outlets. Legacy media outlets such as CNN and The New York Times have been evicted from Pentagon offices in favor of OANN and Breitbart, according to Reuters.
Journalists will now be required to acknowledge their responsibility to protect sensitive information and will be issued new press credentials.
Gaza faces famine, UN warns
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that Gaza is entering its worst phase yet in the continuing conflict, with the population risking hunger as a result of Israel's blockades and military escalation.
Israel has banned aid into Gaza for nearly 80 days, and despite a recent partial easing, Guterres said current aid levels are "a teaspoon when a flood is needed." He emphasized that 80 percent of Gaza is under evacuation orders or designated as a military zone, making humanitarian access dangerous and limited, as reported by UN News.
Local reports say Palestinians are struggling to access food and water, with aid insufficient to meet urgent needs. Since Friday, at least 76 more Palestinians have been killed, bringing the total to over 53,800 deaths and 122,000 injuries since October 7, 2023.
