Morning Brief, Sunday 31 May

Paris Saint-Germain became only the second club in the modern Champions League era to win back-to-back titles, defeating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties in Budapest after a taut 1-1 draw. Kai Havertz fired Arsenal ahead in the sixth minute, but Ousmane Dembélé levelled from the spot in the 65th minute after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was fouled in the box. Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhães blazed the decisive penalty over the crossbar, handing coach Luis Enrique his third European Cup title.

The celebrations back home quickly turned violent. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced 416 arrests nationwide by early Sunday, with 283 in the greater Paris area and seven police officers wounded. Crowds of around 20,000 packed the Champs-Élysées, and tens of thousands more flooded the street after the final whistle. Projectiles were launched at police near the avenue, fireworks were fired continuously, and a group attacked a police station in the 8th arrondissement. At the Porte de Saint-Cloud, six vehicles and two shops were damaged.

“There were festive demonstrations that were marred by a certain number of excesses, which corresponds to the situation we had foreseen and therefore anticipated.”

Authorities had mobilised 22,000 police and gendarmes nationwide, drawing on lessons from deadly riots after PSG's first title last year. The unrest spread to Rennes, Strasbourg, Clermont-Ferrand, and Grenoble, with reports of looting. Despite the chaos, official celebrations proceeded on Sunday with nearly 100,000 fans expected on the Champ de Mars.

SoftBank Group Corp. pledged to invest up to €75 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure in France, a move that positions the country as a leading European hub for AI computing. CEO Masayoshi Son announced the plan ahead of the ninth 'Choose France' summit at Versailles, where President Emmanuel Macron courts foreign investors. The total investment could reach €75 billion, with €45 billion earmarked for the first phase through 2031.

The project targets more than 5 gigawatts of data center capacity — roughly triple the 1.5 gigawatts installed in France at the end of 2025. Three sites have been identified in the northern Hauts-de-France region: Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain. The first centers are expected to become operational in 2028, with the second phase following by 2031. Son cited France's abundant, 95% decarbonized electricity as the decisive factor.

“The fact that the country is a producer and exporter of energy is absolutely decisive for infrastructure investments in artificial intelligence, especially for data centers.”

The massive project will be developed in collaboration with French industrial group Schneider Electric. CEO Olivier Blum confirmed the partnership, stating Schneider will assist with design and supply of all equipment, including the creation of a factory for prefabricated data center modules at the port of Dunkirk. The announcement comes as opposition to data center construction grows in the United States over environmental and grid concerns.

Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv erupted after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bestowed the honorary title 'Heroes of the UPA' on an elite unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army is remembered in Poland for the massacre of over 100,000 Polish civilians in Volhynia during World War II, an act Poland considers genocide. Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately lodged a formal protest.

President Karol Nawrocki announced he would request the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle to discuss revoking the honour from Zelenskyy during its session on 8 June. The Chancellor of the Order, Professor Michał Kleiber, confirmed he will support the motion. Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller praised Nawrocki's response, while left-wing MEP Robert Biedroń urged 'less hysteria, more reason.' Former Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak called for a measured response, stating that 'shouting will not replace exhumations.'

“It is disgraceful for someone who acts in this way to be a knight of Poland's most important order.”

From Kyiv, Serhii Sternenko, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, accused Polish leaders of hypocrisy. Prime Minister Donald Tusk struck a cautious tone, saying the decision 'hurts historical sensitivity' while urging both presidents to 'rise above historical emotions.' The controversy tests the resilience of a partnership forged under the shadow of Russia's invasion.

US Central Command forces intercepted the Gambian-flagged freighter 'Lian Star' in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to breach the American naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports. CENTCOM reported that US forces issued 'more than 20 warnings' before a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile directly into the ship's engine room, disabling the vessel. No information on casualties has been released. The ship had departed Karachi, Pakistan on 11 May.

This marks the sixth commercial vessel forcibly stopped by US forces since the blockade began. CENTCOM reports that five commercial ships have been neutralized and 116 others diverted since the naval cordon was imposed. President Donald Trump ordered the blockade in early April to cut off Tehran's oil export revenues. The Pentagon estimated in early April that the blockade has cost Iran approximately $4.8 billion.

“US forces observed the vessel 'Lian Star' sailing toward an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman and issued more than 20 warnings, while informing the crew that it was violating the US blockade.”

A fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran has been in effect since 8 April, but negotiations to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz have yet to yield a breakthrough. Hours before the Lian Star incident, Iran reportedly launched a missile attack on the US Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, injuring five people and destroying two American MQ-9 Reaper drones.

The number of confirmed Ebola infections in eastern DR Congo nearly doubled in two days, from 121 to 225 by May 29, with more than 1,000 suspected cases and over 220 suspected deaths recorded. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, has been declared a global health emergency. Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the provincial capital Bunia on Saturday and called on local communities to lead the fight. He visited a newly upgraded laboratory that can now return Ebola test results within 24 hours, cutting delays that previously required sending samples 1,500 km to Kinshasa. The European Union delivered medical aid to Ituri on Thursday, while the United States announced an additional $80 million, bringing its total commitment to over $112 million.

“The communities understand the problems better and they know the solution as well.”

However, Médecins Sans Frontières warned that the number of responding organizations and the level of support remain far below what is needed. The affected region is plagued by conflict between the Congolese army and rebel groups. Tedros called for a ceasefire to facilitate the outbreak response. Deep-seated mistrust complicates containment, with many in Ituri viewing Ebola as a myth and recommended practices clashing with local social norms. Brazilian authorities also announced on Saturday they are investigating a suspected Ebola case in São Paulo involving a man who recently visited the DRC.