ASIA TODAY Prigozhin called for a rebellion against the Russian army. Putin on TV: betrayal

Today’s news: Moscow holds its breath over the mutiny of the Wagner company, which claims to have seized control of Rostov. The Indian opposition debates in Patna a “common front” against Modi (but Kejrival and the Congress remain divided). The Islamabad government confirmed that 350 Pakistanis were on board the migrant ship that sank in the Aegean Sea. Heat wave in Beijing, never recorded so many days above 35 degrees. First OCHA convoy in Idlib after the earthquake.

RUSSIA

Since last night, the founder of the Wagner company, Evegenij Prigozhin, challenge Putin with a mutiny. Although he does not speak openly of the coup, Prigozhin called for a rebellion against the army, targeting Defense Minister Shoigu and General Gerasimov. He claims to have taken control of the city of Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia. Putin declared this morning on television that what is underway is a betrayal and – without naming Prigozhin, who has risen among his loyal collaborators – said that the fight against terrorism is underway and that there will be “harsh punishments” for those who want to divide Russia .

INDIA

Indian opposition parties met yesterday in Patna with the aim of forming a common front against the ruling party, the BJP, for the 2024 elections. Bihar’s local government chief, Nitish Kumar, said all the leaders agreed to stand together against Modi. However, deep differences emerged during the meeting between Kejriwal’s Aam Admy Party and the Congress Party. According to the president of the Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, in a forthcoming meeting in Shimla the characteristics of the common front will be defined.

PAKISTAN

There was at least 350 Pakistanis aboard the migrant-laden fishing boat that sank off southern Greece on June 14. This was confirmed in Parliament by the Pakistani Interior Minister, based on the families who requested government help and who underwent DNA tests. Sanaullah stated that for Pakistan “there has perhaps never been such a high number of casualties in any incident, not even terrorist ones.”

CHINA

In Beijing, overwhelmed by a heat wave, temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees today as well, for the third day in a row. In the Chinese capital, between 1990 and 2020, the average number of days with temperatures equal to or higher than 35°C was 10.6, reported the beijing daily, citing official data. This year, however, that figure has already been exceeded in the month of June: with today there are 11 days.

SOUTH KOREA

The Seoul Municipality submitted a draft Service ferries by the Han river. The goal is to create a route between the Gimpo Grand Bridge, west of the capital, and the Jamsil Grand Bridge, southeast of Seoul. The initiative is expected to start in the second half of next year, with vessels capable of carrying at least 150 passengers and 20 bicycles.

SYRIA

Ten UN aid trucks entered Syria’s last rebel enclave for the first time since the disastrous earthquake in February. The convoy with humanitarian supplies passed through a government-controlled area in Aleppo province and entered Idlib, according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The last such aid shipment had crossed the front line of the conflict in January.

KAZAKHSTAN-RUSSIA-SYRIA

The negotiations for the solution of the conflict in Syria were left without their most suitable venue, that of the “Astana format”. Kazakhstan refused to host any more similar meetings on its territory, explaining that all the goals that were set six years ago in the Kazakh capital had already been achieved after 20 meetings in Astana itself. This stunned all parties involved, Russia, Turkey and Iran, who believe that the peace process is still far from over.