In today’s newsletter: Putin has gone from G8 member to outpast relying on Pyongyang to aid his efforts in Ukraine. How worried should the west be?
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North Korea’s Kim Jong-un rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin’s first visit in 24 years but second summit with Kim in nine months. No expense was spared for the lavish reception for Putin, who was greeted with Russian military music and cheering crowds waving Russian and North Korean flags. His face was plastered across banners decorating the city streets, the images underscoring how isolated Russia has become on the world stage, as Putin courts the alliance of a pariah state. Kim said Moscow and Pyongyang’s “fiery friendship” had become closer than ever before, with the two states signing a defence pact that includes a vow of mutual aid if either country is attacked.
General election 2024 | One of Rishi Sunak’s close protection officers has been arrested over alleged bets about the timing of the election. The officer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the Metropolitan police said in a statement.
Prisons | Prison governors have been warned that jails will be so overcrowded by the second week of July that they will struggle to accept any more inmates, plunging an incoming government into an immediate crisis.
Saudi Arabia | Friends and family of missing hajj pilgrims have been searching hospitals after at least 550 died as temperatures reached 51.8C in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.
Espionage | A leading businesswoman who is married to the policing minister, Chris Philp, has been reported to the Crown Prosecution Service and is being sued in the high court over allegations of corporate espionage. Elizabeth Philp is accused of data-handling offences and unlawfully using confidential information.
Stonehenge | Two people have been arrested after Just Stop Oil activists sprayed orange powder paint over Stonehenge. Rishi Sunak condemned the action, saying: “This is a disgraceful act of vandalism to one of the UK’s and the world’s oldest and most important monuments.”
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