BERLIN Germany has offered to Poland extending the deployment of three Patriot air defence units until the end

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By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate, on their return from summer recess on Tuesday, sought

Vladimir Putin has admitted that Russia's security services "stopped a civil war" during the mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries – whose wages and bonuses Moscow funded to the tune of £800m in the past year. His remarks came as the Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, confirmed that the Wagner chief had arrived in his country as part of the last-minute deal that ended the extraordinary attempted coup. Mr Lukashenko said that Mr Progozhin and some of his troops were welcome to stay "for some time" at their own expense. Mr Putin appeared outside the Kremlin the praise his troops, seeking to portray the image of strength that Saturday's events had left a severe crack in. Speaking in front of hundreds of troop, Mr Putin said said the country's armed forces had prove their "loyalty to the people of Russia" in protecting the "motherland and its future". The Russian leader claimed that Moscow had not been forced to withdraw troops from Ukraine and he held a minute’s silence in honour of the servicemen killed when Wagner forces shot down Russian military aircraft, including helicopters and a communications plane, as they marched on Moscow. The mercenaries stopped about 125 miles outside the capital. Mr Putin was joined by the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, whose dismissal had been one of Mr Prigozhin's main demands – having feuded with Russia's military leadership for months. While Russian authorities dropped a criminal case against his Wagner Group – apparently fulfilling another condition of the deal brokered by Mr Lukashenko – Mr Putin appeared to set the stage for financial charges against an organisation owned by Mr Prigozhin. After his speech outside the Kremlin, Mr Putin told a military gathering that Mr Prigozhin's Concord Group earned 80 billion rubles (£733m) from a contract to provide the military with food, and that Wagner received more than 86 billion rubles (£790bn) between May 2022 and May 2023 for wages and additional items. That had come out of the Defence Ministry and state budgets. For years, the Kremlin denied any links to the Wagner group. "I hope that while doing so they didn't steal anything or stole not so much," Mr Putin said, adding that authorities would look closely at Concord's contract. Police who searched his St Petersburg office on Saturday said they found 4 billion rubles (£37m) in trucks outside, according to media reports confirmed by the Wagner boss. He said the money was intended to pay soldiers' families. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would not disclose details about the Kremlin's deal with the Wagner chief – saying only that Mr Putin had provided Mr Prigozhiin with "certain guarantees," with the aim of avoiding a "worst-case scenario." Asked why the armed Wagner forces were allowed to get as close as they did Moscow without facing any serious resistance, National Guard chief Viktor Zolotov told reporters, "We concentrated our forces in one fist closer to Moscow. If we spread them thin, they would have come like a knife through butter." Mr Zolotov also said the National Guard lacks battle tanks and other heavy weapons and now would get them. Some Russian war bloggers have vented outrage about Mr Prigozhin and his troops not getting punished for killing Russian forces. The treatment stands in stark contrast to the harsh jail terms handed out to opposition activists in Russia who have criticised Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In Belarus, Mr Lukashenko said that he had convinced Mr Prigozhin to end the mutiny in an emotional, expletive-laden phone call, adding that Mr Prigozhin had arrived in the southern Russian city of Rostov – which Wagner seized to start the rebellion – in a "semi-mad state". Mr Lukashenko said he tried for hours by phone to reason with the Wagner chief, who has said he was furious at corruption and incompetence in the military leadership and wanted to avenge an alleged Russian army attack on his men. The Belarusian president said their calls contained "10 times" as many obscenities as normal language. Mr Lukashenko also said that, earlier on Saturday, Russian Mr Putin had sought his help, complaining that Prigozhin was not taking any calls. Lukashenko said he had advised Putin against "rushing" to crush the mutineers. Mr Lukashenko said that his country would accommodate Wagner fighters who wanted to go there, though it was not building any camps for them. "We offered them one of the abandoned military bases. Please - we have a fence, we have everything - put up your tents," Lukashenko said, according to state media. Such a prospect alarms Belarus's neighbours. Latvia and Lithuania both called for Nato to strengthen its eastern borders in response, and Polish President Andrzej Duda called the move a "negative signal". Ukraine is hoping to take advantage of the chaos caused by the attempted coup to push on with its counteroffensive to retake its territory from Russia. Mr Putin offering Wagner's troops the chance to sign contracts with the Russian army is said that was "likely in an effort to retain them" in the fight in Ukraine because Moscow needs "trained and effective manpower" as it faces a Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank that monitors the war said. In the US, the Pentagon said it would provide a new military package worth $500 million (£390m) to support Ukraine's war effort. The package will include ground vehicles including Bradley fighting vehicles and Stryker armored personnel carriers, and munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars) to support air defences. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Wagner chief walks free after armed revolt. Other Russians defying the Kremlin aren’t so lucky In China, muted reaction to revolt in Russai belies anxiety over war, global balance of power Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

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Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan. ————————— TOP STORIES ————————— TRUMP-COLUMNIST-LAWSUIT — A jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carroll’s claim that she was raped, finding Trump responsible for a lesser degree of sexual abuse. By Larry Neumeister, Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak. SENT: 1,250 words, photos, videos. PAKISTAN-IMRAN KHAN — Pakistan braced for more turmoil a day after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was dragged from court in Islamabad and his supporters clashed with police across the country. The 71-year-old opposition leader is expected in court later Wednesday for a hearing on keeping Khan in custody for up to 14 days. By Munir Ahmed and Riazat Butt. SENT: 540 words, photos. DEBT LIMIT — Fresh off a White House meeting with no serious breakthrough on the debt limit standoff, President Joe Biden is launching a new phase of his pressure campaign against House Republicans as he makes his case that lawmakers should lift the nation’s borrowing authority without any strings attached. By Seung Min Kim. UPCOMING: 560 words, photos, video by 5:30 a.m.; speech at 1:30 p.m. GEORGE SANTOS-CRIMINAL CHARGES — U.S. Rep. George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. SENT: 810 words, photo. TUNISIA-SYNAGOGUE ATTACK — A Tunisian naval guard shot and killed a colleague and two civilians as he tried to reach a synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba during an annual Jewish pilgrimage, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said. The attacker was slain by security guards, and 10 people were injured. By Bouazza Ben Bouazza. SENT: 400 words, photos. UPCOMING: Video. MALL SHOOTING-TEXAS-THINGS-TO-KNOW — It took four minutes for a neo-Nazi with an arsenal of firearms to kill eight people and wound seven others at a Dallas-area shopping center before a police officer ended the rampage, likely saving untold lives. By Jake Bleiberg and Gene Johnson. SENT: 900 words, photos. ————————— MORE NEWS ————————— WESTMINSTER DOG SHOW — A “PBGV” wins Westminster dog show, a first for the breed. SENT: 550 words, photos. MEDIA-CARLSON-TWITTER — Tucker Carlson says he’s coming back with show on Twitter. SENT: 200 words, photo. PEOPLE-ROBERT DE NIRO — Robert De Niro, at 79, becomes a father for the seventh time. SENT: 180 words, photo. WIFE-MURDER-CHILDREN’S BOOK — Grief book author’s murder charge tangled in estate dispute. SENT: 720 words, photo. HIDE AND SEEK-SHOOTING — Sheriff: Louisiana man shot child playing hide and seek. SENT: 220 words, photos. SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-MARILYN MANSON — Marilyn Manson lawsuit against ex Evan Rachel Wood gutted. SENT: 620 words, photos. RUSSIAN-UKRAINE-WAR-JOURNALIST KILLED — Journalist working for AFP news agency killed in Ukraine. SENT: 320 words, photos. ESCAPED INMATES-PENNSYLVANIA — Perimeter guards absent as two men escaped Philadelphia prison. SENT: 880 words, photos. GEORGIA-WHITE HOUSE INVITE — Georgia’s championship football team declines White House invitation. SENT: 220 words, photo. OBIT-CRUM — Denny Crum, who coached Louisville to two NCAA titles, dies. SENT: 1,160 words, photos. ———————— WASHINGTON/POLITICS ———————— ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Trump will return to CNN’s airwaves, joining the network for a town hall in New Hampshire a day after a civil jury found him liable for sexually assaulting an advice columnist nearly three decades ago. SENT: 820 words, photo. UPCOMING: 990 words after 8 p.m. event. CONGRESS-OVERSIGHT-EXPLAINER — Facing growing pressure to show progress in their investigations, House Republicans this week plan to detail what they say are concerning new findings about Biden’s relatives and their finances. SENT: 1,100 words, photo. ————————— NATIONAL ————————— DEADLY-BUS-STOP-CRASH — Two days after eight people were killed when an SUV slammed into a crowd waiting at a Brownsville, Texas, bus stop, information on the victims remains scarce, leaving relatives of missing people scrambling to locate loved ones and pleading for information. SENT: 800 words, photos. TEXAS PROTEST-SHOOTING — Prosecutors are seeking at least 25 years in prison for a U.S. Army sergeant who fatally shot an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas, saying his history of racist and provocative texts and social media posts expose a threat of violence likely to resurface. SENT: 570 words, photos. LGBTQ SANCTUARY-KANSAS CITY — A Kansas City Council committee will consider a resolution that would designate the city as a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, even as the state’s attorney general is proposing a new restrictions on the procedures for adults and children. SENT: 580 words, photo. ————————— INTERNATIONAL ————————— SOUTHEAST ASIA-SUMMIT — Southeast Asian leaders condemned an armed attack on an aid convoy that the regional group had arranged for displaced people in Myanmar, calling for an immediate stop to violence and for the military government to comply with a peace plan. SENT: 780 words, photos, video. 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SENT: 550 words, photos. ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — The Israeli military said it killed two Palestinian gunmen who fired on troops in the occupied West Bank, the latest in near-daily violence roiling the region. SENT: 330 words, photo. ————————— BUSINESS/ECONOMY ————————— CONSUMER PRICES — After steadily declining for nearly a year, consumer price data to be released will likely show that U.S. inflation remained stubbornly high in April, a sign that it might be entering a newer, stickier phase. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 760 words, photos. UPCOMING: Report at 8:30 a.m. HACKING AI — ChatGPT's maker, OpenAI, and other major artificial intelligence providers such as Google and Microsoft, are coordinating with the Biden administration to let thousands of hackers take a shot at testing the limits of their technology. By Technology Writer Matt O'Brien. UPCOMING: 950 words, photos by 5 a.m. FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares declined in muted trading as investors awaited an upcoming report on inflation in the United States, an important indicator for where interest rates and global growth might go in the coming months. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 600 words, photos. ————————— ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT ————————— BRITAIN-TABLOID-LAWSUITS-PRINCE HARRY — Prince Harry’s legal battle against the British press faces its biggest test yet and threatens to do something he said his family long feared: put a royal on the witness stand to discuss embarrassing revelations. SENT: 850 words, photo. ITALY-COLONIAL RECKONING — Italy is coming to terms that it has stolen antiquities in its museum collections: the relics of a brutal colonial empire that the country hasn’t fully reckoned with. SENT: 1,350 words, photos. ————————— HOW TO REACH US ————————— At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Hiro Komae (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide South Sudanese flee Sudan's conflict yet return to crisis The trials of Prince Harry: 1st phone hacking case to begin Pakistan braces for turmoil as ex-PM Khan due in court