Mr Obama said last week that India may "start pulling apart" if minority rights weren't protected.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins took a two air force jets with him on a trip to

Donald Trump told an audience of MichiganRepublicans that the push for electric vehicles will mean the “decimation” of the state’s traditional auto industry. The former president made the comments as he appeared at the Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner on Sunday night, his first appearance in the battleground state in the 2024 cycle. “It’s going to be a level that people can’t even imagine,” Mr Trump said during his address inside the Suburban Collection Showplace, in Novi, Michigan. Mr Trump told the crowd that the “maniacal push” for electric vehicles would kill auto jobs in the United States, and mocked the range of the vehicles, saying that they were a win for “tow truck companies.” “If somebody wants an electric car, I’m all for it. But you should be able to have a choice,” Mr Trump told the crowd. The event came the day after he told a crowd of evangelicals on Saturday that the federal government has a “vital role” in the restriction of abortion access while he once again took credit for overturning Roe v Wade. But the former president did not detail his proposal for national abortion restrictions, in contrast to his 2024 rival Mike Pence, who supports outlawing care nationally at 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mr Trump’s remarks to a Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington DC came on the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision to revoke constitutional protections for abortion. Though he has repeatedly taken credit for the ruling, he has avoided questions about whether he would back a national ban if Republican lawmakers managed to pass one through Congress. Read More Trump news – live: Trump makes first 2024 campaign visit to battleground state of Michigan Republicans try to thread the needle on abortion on anniversary of the death of Roe Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes Trump celebrates anniversary of anti-abortion ruling as he tells religious crowd ‘I’m getting indicted for you’ Trump is returning to Michigan with hopes of repeating the battleground success he found in 2016

An attempted uprising by mercenaries has revealed cracks in Vladimir Putin’s authority, according to the US secretary of state. The mutiny by the Wagner Group, which saw its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin order his troops to march on Moscow, left the Russian president hiding from public view on Sunday after being forced into an amnesty deal. Though the astonishing revolt was short-lived – with the fighters withdrawing under the agreement that saw Mr Prigozhin exiled to Belarus – it has raised questions about Mr Putin’s grip on power. The Russian president has not commented publicly since the deal was struck to de-escalate one of the biggest challenges since he rose to power more than two decades ago. He said he was giving top priority to the conflict in Ukraine in excerpts from an interview aired by state television on Sunday, but it appeared to have been recorded before the rebellion. Speaking on Sunday, US secretary of state Anthony Blinken said the revolt was a “direct challenge of Putin’s authority”. Mr Blinken said the turmoil has weakened Mr Putin in ways that could aid Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Mr Blinken told US media: “We’ve seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade. It is too soon to tell exactly where they go... but certainly, we have all sorts of new questions that Putin is going to have to address in the weeks and months ahead.” The Wagner Group’s forces were just 195km (120 miles) from Moscow before the rebellion was called off to avoid shedding Russian blood. Mr Prigozhin had said his “march” on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. Mr Prigozhin has for months accused Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters as they battled to take Bakhmut in Ukraine. This month, Mr Prigozhin defied orders to place his troops under defence ministry command. He launched the rebellion on Friday after alleging the military had killed some of his men in an airstrike – a claim denied by the defence ministry. Mr Prigozhin, 62, was seen leaving the district military headquarters in Rostov, hundreds of miles south of Moscow, late on Saturday. His whereabouts on Sunday were not known. The deal brokered by Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko also means Wagner fighters who joined the “march for justice” will face no action. In an earlier televised address on Saturday, Mr Putin said the rebellion put Russia‘s very existence under threat. “We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history,” Mr Putin said, vowing punishment for those behind “an armed insurrection”. In his daily address on Sunday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Mr Putin is “obviously very afraid” and is “probably hiding”, while his defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said the 36-hour mutiny shows Russian authorities are “weak”. Mr Reznikov said: “Had a phone conversation with my friend and colleague secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin III. “We talked about recent events in Russia. We agree that the Russian authorities are weak and that withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine is the best choice for the Kremlin. Russia would be better served to address its own issues.” He added: “We also discussed the #UAarmy‘s counteroffensive and the next steps in strengthening our defence forces. Things are moving in the right direction. Ukraine will win.” Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War said Russia struggled to respond clearly and coherently to the threat from the Wagner Group. It said the incident has highlighted “internal security weaknesses likely due to surprise and the impact of heavy losses in Ukraine”. Commons defence committee chair Tobias Ellwood told the i newspaper: “Putin’s days are clearly numbered, he might survive the initial wound for a period of time but as Russian history shows, often it triggers a series of subsequent events that lead to the leader’s downfall. “Power is ebbing away. The Wagner Group may be neutered, Prighozin exiled, but Putin is definitely weaker and the hawks are now circling.” Read More Ukraine says Wagner’s mutiny proves Putin’s fragility – but this war ends on the battlefield US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says ‘we haven’t seen the last act’ in Russia’s Wagner rebellion Russia-Ukraine war live: Wagner rebellion shows Putin’s power is finally cracking, US says The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

The Biden administration has warned that more turmoil is possible in Russia after a short-lived coup instigated by a mercenary group once loyal to Putin. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the prediction on Sunday in the first comments from a senior administration official on Russia’s future after a whirlwind 48 hours which left the leader of the Wagner Group exiled after his troops marched on Moscow. "This is an unfolding story, and I think we're in the midst of a moving picture," Mr Blinken said on CBS show Face the Nation. "We haven't seen the last act. We're watching it very closely." He went on to say that the rebellion showed “real cracks” in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s power structure, and raised “profound questions” about his ability to hold on to that power. His comments came after the Kremlin announced that Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, would accept a deal requiring him to leave Russia for Belarus in exchange for immunity for members of Wagner which has been on the front lines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for months. In that time, Mr Prigozhin has been increasingly vocal about supposed failures in Russia’s command, and accused the nation’s generals of mismanaging the war. A senior administration official noted as much to The Washington Post in a report which revealed that US intelligence agencies have known about the mercenary group’s impending attack for several weeks. The secretary’s comments are in line with many commentators in the US and Europe who have predicted that Mr Putin’s control over Russia and his country’s military will continue to slip as further victories are won by Ukraine’s military against their invading foes. “This is the biggest crisis of his time in power since [Putin] became president in 2000,” Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, added on MSNBC in an interview with Jen Psaki. Mr Prigozhin’s exile is at the very least a black eye for Mr Putin given that just a day ago the Russian leader was denouncing the advancing forces as traitors and vowing retribution; as it stands, none of those involved will see any consequences for their actions. The secretary of State added in his interview Sunday that he expected the public would learn more in the coming days what concessions (if any) Mr Prigozhin was able to secure in his deal with the Russian president. "We still don't have finality in terms of what was actually agreed between Prigozhin and Putin," he told CBS News. "I suspect that we're going to learn more in the days and weeks ahead about what deal they struck." Read More Russia-Ukraine war live: Wagner rebellion shows Putin’s power is finally cracking, US says Putin is weakened – but the endgame could be a dangerous one Ukraine says Wagner’s mutiny proves Putin’s fragility – but this war ends on the battlefield The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

One year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and ended the enshrined right to seek an abortion, Christian conservatives convened in Washington DC to size up the GOP’s leading 2024 candidates. The Faith and Freedom Coalition held its Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton over the weekend, where every major Republican 2024 candidate appeared to try to win over the crucial evangelical wing of the party. Former president Donald Trump closed out the event on Saturday evening; former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former vice president Mike Pence; former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, Sen Tim Scott (R-SC), Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy also made their case to social conservatives. Last year’s Dobbs v Jackson decision has caused a split among Republicans. Some have said that the Supreme Court’s decision likely cost Republicans the opportunity to win the majority in the Senate as the GOP failed to flip a single seat, and Republicans only won a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. An NBC News poll showed that 61 per cent of Americans disapprove of the Dobbs decision, with 80 per cent of women between the ages of 18 and 49 and two-thirds of suburban women saying that they disapproved of it. But Republican candidates did not reflect any anxiety about the decision in their remarks to the crowd of Christian conservatives who consider abortion to be murder. “We have to start with tomorrow’s anniversary and thank God Almighty for the Dobbs decision,” Mr Scott said in his speech. “We are creating a culture of life in America, and that’s a really good thing.” Mr Pence, an ardent social conservative, said Dobbs was only the beginning. “Now some you will hear from at this very podium will say that the Supreme Court returned to the issue of abortion only to the states and nothing could be done at the federal level,” he said. He also criticised Republicans for saying some abortion legislation was “too harsh.” “Some have even gone on to blame the overturning of Roe v Wade for election losses in ‘22,” he said. “But let me say from my heart, the cause of life is the calling of our time and we must not rest and must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country.” In turn, Mr Pence called for passing a national 15-week abortion ban. But many attendees said they preferred to leave abortion to the states. “It’s a state issue, I think it ought to stay a state issue,” Gay Dillard told The Independent. Ms Haley called herself “unapologetically pro-life,” but said that people needed to not “demonise” the issue.” Ms Haley said she thought there was a place for a federal law restricting abortion, but noted it would require a House majority and 60 Senate seats to overcome a filibuster. As a result, she talked about reducing late-term abortions, focusing on adoption and foster care. “We have one goal: To save as many babies as possible and protect as many mothers as possible,” she said, something Ms Dillard repeated. “We need to just make sure we have enough support, emotionally, physically, financially, to support women who do choose,” she said. “So it’s not just about having, not having an abortion, it’s about if they keep their baby. We have to embrace them and help and help surround them.” Max Fisher, a candidate for state legislature in Virginia, said that the focus should be on increasing options. “So make sure that adoption is an option on the table and make sure that people have the information that they need to make sure that they’re not doing, like, you go to a bar and get drunk and then you make bad decisions,” he said. “It’s the same reason why you can’t get a tattoo when you’re drinking. Make sure that you have all of the information that you have available in order to make a well-educated choice for yourself from whether that’s adoption, whether or not as another decision, but that’s entirely up to the individual.” Despite the fact that Mr Trump nominated three of the Supreme Court justices in the majority on Dobbs, the former president has at times not fully embraced the anti-abortion decision. The “too harsh” criticism that Mr Pence cited was how Mr Trump characterised Mr DeSantis’s six-week abortion ban in Florida. In fact, Mr Trump refrained from supporting any new abortion restrictions during his closing address to the conference, but instead focused on attacking Democrats. “I will continue to stand proudly for pro-life policies just as I did for four strong years,” he said. “They are the radical extremists.” Ken Cuccinelli, who runs the Never Back Down Super PAC that supports Mr DeSantis, said the Florida governor is more sufficiently pro-life. “Well, for one, he has a central core belief system that supports faith and, and you can see it reflected in policies like his pro-life stance,” he told The Independent, noting how Mr DeSantis supported abortion restrictions as a member of Congress and implemented them as governor. “He signed the heartbeat bill, while the resident is condemning it. And that’s still the biggest issue here to these voters. And then the cultural battle that these voters care about.” But Mr Trump mentioned that his actions with judges will give Republicans more power. “You have tremendous negotiating power now,” he said. “We've now given pro-life people tremendous power to negotiate something that will be happy, that will be good for everybody and you have power for the first time.” Read More Trump news – live: Trump’s legal team handed over tapes to Jack Smith as MAGA loyalists turn on each other Trump takes credit for overturning of Roe v Wade while raising questions about DeSantis’ six-week ban Chris Christie defiant as conservative crowd boos Trump criticism Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes Trump celebrates anniversary of anti-abortion ruling as he tells religious crowd ‘I’m getting indicted for you’ The religious right used to be uneasy about Trump – but his dominance is now complete

President Joe Biden led Republican front-runner Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 election rematch in an NBC News

One person is dead and seven others have been injured after a rollercoaster derailed in Sweden. The horror unfolded at the Grona Lund amusement park in Stockholm when the Jetline roller coaster partially came off the tracks mid-ride. Emergency services including a helicopter, ambulances and fire engines were seen arriving soon after the incident on Sunday. Police confirmed seven people, including both children and adults, had been hospitalised. One of the ride’s carriages was reportedly seen coming off the rails at a “great height” before falling towards the ground. Journalist with Swedish broadcaster SVT, Jenny Lagerstedt, happened to be at the park with her family and said her husband witnessed the horror take place. “My husband, who was sitting outside, saw how a carriage came loose and fell from a great height, and that there were people in it,” she told local media. Another witness told Swedish outlet Expessen that he saw the rollercoaster’s wheels come off. The injured and uninjured passengers who were stuck in other carriages had to be removed from the ride with the help of rescue crews. The park has been evacuated while emergency services tend to the injured. Head of information at the park Annika Troselius, said the full extent of the injuries and damage to the rollercoaster was unclear. “It is incredibly tragic and shocking. Unfortunately, we have received the news that one person has died and that several others are injured,” she said. “This must not happen and it should not happen. We are all very taken and shocked and are currently focusing on taking care of all those affected and our staff.” Grona Lund’s website now includes a black banner which acknowledges that a “serious accident has taken place on the Jetline”. The Jetline reaches speeds of 90kmh and is 30m high at its peak. Read More Roller coaster derails in amusement park in Sweden, killing 1 person and injuring several others Alton Towers crash victim shares inspirational video documenting journey over eight years since ‘life flipped’ A routine chiropractor visit left her paralysed at 28. One year on, this is what her mother wants you to see Soldiers accuse Wagner chief of ‘walking off’ after Putin deal Watch: Wagner convoy leaves Voronezh region after Putin deal Time running out for Spain to deal with its darkest chapter

Donald Trump has referred an armed rebellion from a Russian mercenary leader as a “big mess” in a pair of statements on his Truth Social account attacking Joe Biden and his son Hunter. “A big mess in Russia, but be careful what you wish for. Next in may be far worse!” he wrote. His statement came hours before his scheduled address to an evangelical political conference in Washington DC on Saturday, the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision to revoke constitutional protections for abortion, a landmark decision hailed by conservative Christian groups. During his appearance, Mr Trump railed against the criminal indictments against him and celebrated the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling. Mr Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the decision to overturn Roe v Wade, after he appointed three conservative justices to the nation’s highest court in office. His appearance at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual event follows comments at the conference from his 2024 rival and former vice president Mike Pence, who announced his endorsement of a national ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy. Read More Trump declares himself the ‘most pro-life’ president in American history Trump celebrates anniversary of anti-abortion ruling as he tells religious crowd ‘I’m getting indicted for you’ Trump says US government has 'vital role' opposing abortion, won't say if he backs national ban Trump dubs Russia coup a ‘big mess’ as fellow presidential candidates weigh in on Wagner rebellion

Russia began lifting emergency restrictions in an effort to restore normality after the dramatic end to an armed

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing on Sunday, a

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will be exiled from Russia to Belarus as part of a truce agreed with Vladimir Putin after an explosive armed rebellion raced to Moscow on Saturday. The mutiny was called off at the 11th hour as Prigozhin said he wanted to “avoid bloodshed”. Wagner’s forces were about four hours away from Moscow when news of the dramatic turnaround came. His decision to stop Wagner soldiers storming through Moscow saved him and his men from facing criminal charges over the attempted coup, the Kremlin said. The move marked a humiliating climbdown for Putin after he earlier vowed to take revenge on those behind the mutiny. Prigozhin, who sent out a series of audio and video updates during his revolt, has gone silent since the Kremlin announced the deal had been brokered for him to end his march and leave Russia. Before the mutiny was called off, there was speculation about Putin’s whereabouts after one of his planes was seen leaving Moscow. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said: “The man from the Kremlin is obviously very scared and is probably hiding somewhere.” Read More Mutiny, mayhem and panic on the streets of Moscow: Russia saved from brink of civil war at 11th hour Russian mercenary leader's exile ends revolt but leaves questions about Putin's power ‘Let’s go home’: Wagner paramilitary troops prepare to turn around from Moscow advance