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Vladimir Putin claimed that Russians were more united than ever after responding to the short-lived but dramatic mutiny by his private mercenary Wagner group and its march on Moscow. The Russian president was speaking alongside Asian leaders such as his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at the virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Tuesday. He was delivering his first remarks outside of Moscow acknowledging June’s aborted coup – the biggest challenge to the Russian leader’s rule in decades. “The Russian people are consolidated as never before,” he said "Russian political circles and the whole of society clearly demonstrated their unity and elevated sense of responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland when they responded as a united front against an attempted armed mutiny,” Mr Putin said in his remarks to his allies. The speech on a united front to Russia’s key allies by Mr Putin comes as he looks to assure the leaders about his challenged authority on the world stage while Russian forces continue to carry out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine for nearly 500 days. Hundreds of Wagner fighters led by Mr Putin’s affiliate and the group’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin marched on Moscow after taking control of a southern city on 24 June, threatening to overthrow the defence ministry. After a failed rebellion, Mr Putin accused the Wagner group of a “stab in the back” and said Russia was “facing treason”. He also thanked his army and security services for averting chaos and civil war. On Tuesday, 10 days after the Wagner’s insurgency, Mr Putin shifted his focus to the invasion of Ukraine in his public remarks at the virtual summit helmed by New Delhi and tried to project confidence. He said Russia will stand up against the West’s sanctions and “provocations”. Moscow and the country’s oligarchs are reeling under hundreds of financial sanctions imposed by the international community for launching a war on Ukraine. Thanking the SCO nations for backing the Russian authorities during the rebellion, he said that the West turned Ukraine into “a virtually hostile state – anti-Russia”. Mr Putin said Moscow was looking to boost ties with the SCO member nations, and backed the transition to settlements in local currencies in foreign trade. The Russian president, who launched a “special military operation” on Ukraine in February last year, added that the world was seeing an increasing potential for conflicts, and that the risk of a global economic crisis was on the rise. Experts have said the summit gave Mr Putin a rare window to demonstrate control over rumblings in Moscow. “Putin will want to reassure his partners that he is very much still in charge, and leave no doubt that the challenges to his government have been crushed,” said Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. The summit of the security-led group saw the top leaders of its member states China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in attendance as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi commenced the gathering virtually. Mr Modi, who wrapped up his state visit to the US two weeks earlier with pomp and fervour after meeting Joe Biden, did not mention the war in Ukraine in his opening remarks. While he warned of global challenges to food, fuel and fertiliser supplies, Mr Modi did not blame Moscow’s continuing invasion and halt on grain deal which has shot up the prices across the world. International trade, especially for Russia’s allies, suffered a major setback but all SCO members avoided directly mentioning the war. Mr Modi instead kept his focus on indirectly targeting Pakistan for terrorism, asking the SCO members to not hesitate while criticising the nations “using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy”. India has largely protested any support to Pakistan, accusing its neighbour of breeding terrorism and armed insurgent groups for decades. “Terrorism poses a threat to regional peace and we need to take up a joint fight,” Mr Modi said without naming Pakistan. He was joined by Pakistan prime minister Shahbaz Sharif in condemnation of terrorism, who defended his nation’s fight against it. “While the sacrifices made by Pakistan in fighting terrorism are without parallel, this scourge continues to plague our region and remains a serious obstacle to the maintenance of peace and stability,” Mr Sharif said. “Any temptation to use it as a cudgel for diplomatic point scoring must be eschewed,” Mr Sharif said. The Asian security grouping founded by Russia and China in 2001 to counter Western alliances also welcomed Iran as a new member, bringing its membership to nine nations. Belarus has also queued up at the summit for membership. Read More Russia-Ukraine war– live: Putin claims Russia ‘united’ days after mutiny pushes country to brink of civil war Ukraine’s push to smash Russian defences on the battlefield: ‘Small advances have colossal meaning’ Russia ‘arrests General Armageddon’ over knowledge of Wagner mutiny Putin admits Moscow paid Wagner mercenaries £800m in wages in a year – and that his forces ‘stopped civil war’ A week after an armed rebellion rattled Russia, key details about it are still shrouded in mystery

Rivian Automotive Inc. started delivering the electric vans it makes for Amazon.com Inc. to Europe in the EV

Russian troops are continuing to suffer from “key weaknesses” amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said. The MoD said Kremlin forces were particularly affected by “overstretched units” and a shortage of artillery munitions. Earlier, Russia said at least five drones headed for Moscow were intercepted in the skies over the capital region this morning. Russia’s defence ministry claimed Russian air defences destroyed four of the drones, and the fifth was intercepted and fell. Kyiv has not yet confirmed or denied the reports. Officials at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport diverted several flights and the schedules for both take-offs and landings were restricted, according to Russian news agencies. No reason was provided for the re-routings and there was no immediate confirmation that this was linked to the reports of drone activity. The drones were shot down near the village of Valuevo, located 30 kilometres (19 miles) southwest of the Kremlin. No immediate casualties or damage have been reported. Read More Russian tank explodes after driving over mine in Bakhmut Russians and Belarusians back at Wimbledon as war in Ukraine continues Mapped: The damage caused by Ukraine’s devastated dam How significant are the reported territorial advances made by Ukrainian forces so far?

The bosses of the biggest UK banks have been called to a meeting later this week with the

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The British tourist who attracted outrage in Rome after being accused of carving his name into the Colosseum walls with a key is facing up to five years in prison and a €15,000 (£12,850) fine. The man – identified as Ivan Dimitrov, a 27-year-old fitness instructor and delivery driver resident in Bristol but originally from Bulgaria – was visiting Italy’s Eternal City with his girlfriend Hayley Bracey when he was filmed scratching “Ivan + Hayley 23” into the ancient stone walls of the 2,000-year-old amphitheatre. The venue, a protected Unesco World Heritage site, was constructed during the reigns of the emperors Vespasian and Titus in the first century AD. It attracted the Roman public to see spectacular gladiatorial bouts, historical reenactments and parades of exotic wild animals imported from Africa and the Middle East, including elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, lions, leopards, panthers and ostriches. The act of vandalism was caught on camera by another visitor, Californian Ryan Lutz, who was incensed by the incident and asked “Are you serious, man?”. He then uploaded the footage to YouTube under the title “A****** tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome”, where it promptly went viral. The Italian Carabinieri responded to the video and quickly identified Mr Dimitrov as their suspect, with Major Roberto Martina telling the media he had expressed “sincere remorse” for his actions when confronted. “He told us he was very upset by what he had done, and he kept apologising for it,” Major Martina told Mail Online. “I think he was worried about the consequences of any trial and we explained that he could be jailed for between two and five years and be fined up to €15,000,” he said. The major went on to say he believed the case would be reasonably straightforward to prosecute because of the video evidence. “He had contacted us after we secured his mobile telephone from hotel records and left a message for him to call us,” Major Martina said of the Carabineri’s investigation. “He was naturally worried about the legal implications, and these were all explained to him. “We didn’t ask him why he did it, that will be for a judge to hear, we just told him that he was a suspect and was part of the investigation.” The officer added that Ms Bracey “is not part of any complaint so is an innocent party as far as we are concerned”, adding: “Although technically, she could be seen as an accessory.” Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano thanked the police for identifying the suspect of the “uncivilised and absurd act committed at the Colosseum”. “It was an act that offended those around the world who appreciate the value of archaeology, monuments and history,” he said. “Now I hope justice will take its course by rigorously applying the laws.” This is not the first such incident at the Colosseum. A Russian tourist was given a suspended four-year jail sentence and fined €20,000 (£17,000) in 2014 for engraving a “K” on its walls. The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they likewise carved their names into its stones. Read More British tourist who carved name into Colosseum begs for forgiveness Tourist accused of vandalising Colosseum in Rome could face trial and up to five years in prison Tourist who carved name into Rome’s Colosseum ‘is British fitness trainer’ What happened to the tourist accused of carving his name into Rome’s Colosseum? Tourist who carved name into Colosseum begs for forgiveness Tourist who carved name into Rome’s Colosseum ‘is British fitness trainer’

China’s decision to restrict critical mineral exports will hit critical sectors in the European Union’s effort to decarbonize

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Hong Kong police are offering HK$1,000,000 ($127,650) rewards for information leading to the arrest of eight pro-democracy activists

More than €1 million (£860,000) has been raised for the family of a French police officer who shot dead a teenager at a traffic stop, an act that sparked riots across the country. That is far more than a similar campaign for the family of the boy killed. The online fundraiser started by Jean Messiha, an independent right-wing populist and former adviser to Marine Le Pen, has attracted donations from more than 52,000 people, while a fund set up by the policeman’s colleagues has raised around €60,000. The grandmother of Nahel Merzouk, 17, said she was heartbroken by the donations. “He took the life of my grandson. This man must pay, the same as everyone,” Nadia said to BFMTV about the officer. "Jean Messiha is playing with fire," said MP Eric Bothorel, part of President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party. He called the fundraiser "indecent and scandalous". The justice minister, Eric Dupond-Moretti, said the fundraiser was “fuelling the fire” of unrest, describing it as a populist “instrumentalisation” of the teenager’s death. Meanwhile, a fundraiser for the victim’s family has raised more than €200,000 from around 100,000 donations. Nahel, who was of Algerian descent, was shot dead in his car by a police officer last Tuesday during a traffic check in Paris. The 38-year-old officer has been charged with voluntary homicide and remanded in custody. He claims he had the right to fire his gun to protect himself, a colleague and other road users. Prosecutor Pascal Prache concluded in an initial investigation that “the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met”. Thousands of protesters have been arrested since fiery clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre where the teenager was killed. The family of the slain teen has pleaded for the unrest to “calm down” after council-run buildings including libraries and primary schools, and law enforcement stations were attacked, and vehicles and buildings were torched. The aunt of the slain teen told The Independent: “The family is very much against the violence. “But I hope that Nahel’s death is going to trigger some kind of change that means this never happens again.” Criminal lawyer Carole-Olivia Monteno called the fundraiser for the officer “insulting” to Nahel’s family. “It only increases hate where there’s too much of it already, its completely inappropriate and politically it does nothing,” she said. La France Insoumise MP Mathilde Panot also wrote: “Killing a young North African, in France in 2023, can earn you a lot of money.” While first secretary of the opposition Socialist Party Olivier Faure has called for it to be shut down. Itc omes after the home of a Paris mayor was raided and set alight on Sunday while his wife and children were inside sleeping. Vincent Jeanbrun, who is in charge of the area of L’Hay-les-Roses in the southern suburbs, said rockets were thrown as the family fled from the burning house in what he has called an “assassination attempt”. Mr Jeanbrun’s wife, Melanie Nowak, broke her leg as she attempted to flee through rocket fire and one of the couple’s two children was also injured. Overnight, 297 vehicles were torched across France, along with 34 buildings. Some 157 people were arrested, down from a peak of 3,880 arrests during the fiery night of June 30. More than 3,000 people have been detained overall since Nahel’s death. Hundreds of police and firefighters have also been injured in the violence, although authorities have not commented on how many protesters have been hurt. Read More Cleverly hails ‘close and friendly’ UK-EU ties in Brussels speech Leon Gautier, last member of French D-Day military commando, dies at 100 New June record for migrant Channel crossings France riots – live: Paris protests ease as family of teen killed in shooting makes desperate plea to rioters France riots: Aunt of teenager shot dead by police in Paris pleads for violence and looting to end Outrage and agony at funeral of boy whose ‘execution’ set France alight

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last month’s attempted mutiny by Wagner mercenaries failed because the country’s armed