Russian cathedral project suspended after protests

U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters on Wednesday that reports saying Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a private jet that crashed was not surprising.

The reporter has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest in March. Moscow accuses Evan Gershkovich of espionage, which he and his newspaper deny.

After not attending the BRICS summit in South Africa, Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to travel to India for the G20 summit, the Kremlin says.

Surrendered without a shot fired, the town of Kupyansk was one of the first Ukrainian territories to face Russian occupation. Under the facade of Moscow’s Russification strategy, a divided city was further broken.

Ukraine is known as one of Europe's biggest grain producers. But it also possesses highly valuable natural resources such as iron ore and coal — which Russia is keen to exploit.

Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday, placing President Ali Bongo under house arrest and naming a new leader after the Central African state's election body announced Bongo had won a third term.

A year ago, Russia stopped gas flows to the EU via the Nord Stream pipeline to inflict pain on the bloc for its overwhelming support for Ukraine. The weaponization of its gas supplies has ended up hurting Moscow more.

The vote for the largely ceremonial role is widely viewed as a test of support for the ruling People's Action Party.

The regional bloc CCAS, and the country's opposition coalition, have urged international partners to push for a rapid return to civilian rule. Also in this edition: In Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 48 protesters are reported to have been killed in the eastern city of Goma. And finally: In South Africa, the death toll rises to 76 after the devastating Johannesburg fire at an abandoned apartment block that housed dozens of homeless people and squatters.

Pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili is facing possible impeachment after she visited leaders in the bloc. The current government is seen by the opposition as taking the country away from Europe and toward Russia.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday an inquiry into a U.S. allegation that a Russian ship had picked up weapons in South Africa late last year found no evidence the vessel had transported weapons to Russia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is urging Russia to return to a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain, easing a global food crisis. However, Moscow is seeking concessions that only the West can offer.