Mercenaries seize Russian military sites as Putin vows to punish rebellion
Events are unfolding at a dramatic pace in Russia. This is what has happened over the past few hours.
- The rebelling Wagner mercenary group says it has seized control of Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, and reports suggest it also controls key sites in Voronezh, a city further north.
- Wagner troops appear to be advancing in the direction of Moscow, and have been spotted as far north as the Lipetsk region - which is still hours from the capital.
- Video from regions along their route - some of which the BBC has verified - appear to show explosions, and mercenary boss Prigozhin claims his convoys have been fired upon.
- Travel has been restricted in a region bordering Moscow, while people in other areas such as Lipetsk have been urged not to leave their homes.
- The Kremlin has rejected claims Putin has left Moscow, after his plane was spotted on a flight tracker heading north west.
- And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to the unfolding situation, saying: "Russia's weakness is obvious."
Images of tanks in streets of Moscow evoke memories of a faltering Soviet Union’s final months in 1991
For months Yevgeny Prigozhin has theatrically railed against Russia’s military leaders. He has lambasted the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and commander in chief, Valery Gerasimov, accusing them of bungling and incompetence over the war in Ukraine.
In one video Prigozhin blamed Moscow for the deaths of soldiers from his Wagner mercenary unit. Their bodies were piled up behind him. In a letter, he challenged Shoigu to visit the bloody Ukrainian frontline for himself, where Wagner troops have been fighting and dying in the eastern city of Bakhmut.
India's opposition parties to unite against Modi in 2024
Leaders from various opposition parties met in Bihar to discuss a united front at next year's election. They will formulate a plan to run joint candidates against the BJP in key consultancies.
Leaders of 17 political parties in India agreed on Friday to form a united front against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Loose coalitions have been formed in the past, but not since the 1980s have so many different parties banded together on a national level to take on ruling party in government, The Indian Express reported.
"There certainly will be some differences among us but we have decided we will work together, work with flexibility," said Rahul Gandhi, a key figure in the Indian National Congress (INC) who was disqualified from parliament in March in a defamation case.
The meeting was hosted by the chief minister of the eastern Bihar state, Nitish Kumar, and was held in the state capital of Patna.
Air strikes, artillery, killings in Sudan as aid stalls
Artillery fire, air strikes and gun battles rocked Sudan's capital on Saturday, witnesses told AFP, as the UN urged a stop to "wanton killings" that have left decomposing bodies in Darfur.
While fighting rages, relief efforts have stalled after more than two months of fighting between rival generals.
Houses in Khartoum shook from the fighting that continued unabated, residents said, with entire families sheltering in place, running low on vital supplies in the baking summer heat.
The United Nations says nearly 1.5 million people have fled the capital since violence erupted in mid-April, pitting the regular army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Entire districts of Khartoum no longer have running water, and those who remain in the city have had no electricity at all since Thursday, several residents told AFP.
Chinese public sees Japan, U.S. as least trustworthy: survey
Chinese citizens view Japan and the United States as the least trustworthy nations among 10 global actors and the most likely to engage in military conflict with Beijing in the next decade, a recent survey in Canada found.
The University of Alberta survey, which drew some 2,000 valid responses from across mainland China between January and March, also found that Japan was rated as having the least important relationship with China. Russia topped the rankings both for trustworthiness and long-term importance.
The respondents were quizzed about their views on China's relations with nine countries -- Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia and the United States -- plus the European Union.
Israeli forces kill Palestinian teen after checkpoint shooting
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed the 17-year-old gunman, who opened fire at a West Bank checkpoint, as a member.
A Palestinian teenager was left bleeding to death after a shooting attack at Qalandia military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Ishaq Hamdi Ajlouni, 17, was shot and killed by Israeli forces after he opened fire at the checkpoint on Saturday, lightly wounding a security guard, the agency said.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed Aljouni as a member. The group is the armed wing of Fatah – the movement that controls the Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in the occupied territory.
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