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FRANKFURT The euro zone's current account surplus surged in June on higher goods exports and lower imports, European

Provides an overview of Bosnia, including key dates and facts about this country in the Balkans.

Elon Musk said he had engaged in direct conversation with Vladimir Putin, according to a former Pentagon official. Mr Musk’s comments had been made in a discussion the billionaire had with Pentagon officials in October last year about the satellite-based internet provided by SpaceX to Ukraine’s military. The billionaire had told Colin Kahl, then the under-secretary of defence for policy at the Pentagon, that he had spoken to Mr Putin personally, according a report on Monday in the New Yorker. “Even though Musk is not technically a diplomat or statesman, I felt it was important to treat him as such, given the influence he had on this issue,” Mr Kahl is quoted as saying. The conversation between Mr Musk and the then-Pentagon official occurred while Ukrainian forces were experiencing a disruption in their connection to Space Exploration Technologies Corp’s (SpaceX) Starlink service, coinciding with their entry into territory contested by Russia. “My inference was that he was getting nervous that Starlink’s involvement was increasingly seen in Russia as enabling the Ukrainian war effort, and was looking for a way to placate Russian concerns,” Mr Kahl told the outlet. Another source told the New Yorker that Mr Musk had previously expressed the same assertion in the weeks leading up to his tweet about a pro-Russia peace plan. He mentioned that his consultations with the Kremlin were occurring regularly. But he later denied having spoken to Mr Putin about Ukraine. A senior official is quoted as saying that on the phone call, Mr Musk said he was looking at his laptop and could see “the entire war unfolding” through a map of Starlink activity. “This was, like, three minutes before he said, ‘Well, I had this great conversation with Putin’,” the senior defence official was quoted as saying. “And we were, like, ‘Oh, dear, this is not good’.” SpaceX had put forward a request for the US and its allies to bear a larger portion of the expenses for Starlink in Ukraine. As per the unclassified talking points for the call, during the conversation, Mr Musk was reportedly appreciated for his endeavours in Ukraine, and the considerable expenses he had shouldered were acknowledged. Additionally, Mr Kahl said there was a plea made for a brief extension of a few weeks to formulate a contract. “If you cut this off, it doesn’t end the war,” Mr Kahl recalled telling Mr Musk. After a 15-minute call, Mr Musk reportedly agreed to give the Pentagon more time. Later though, in response to public backlash, he retracted his earlier statements of discontinuing the service. “The hell with it,” Mr Musk tweeted. “Even though Starlink is still losing money and other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.” In June this year, the Department of Defence disclosed that it had successfully reached an agreement with SpaceX. “We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the resilient satellite and communication capabilities they need. Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine’s overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type,” the Pentagon said in a statement at the time. Read More Ukraine war – live: Russia closes major airports as Moscow apartments hit in drone strike Elon Musk ‘stopped Ukraine military using Starlink for military operation’ Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are leaking radiation that harms deep space astronomy, study warns The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Leaders of the BRICS nations will focus on ways to reduce dependence on dollars when they meet starting

Mercenary group Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has shared his first video address two months after he launched a failed coup attempt against Vladimir Putin. Mr Prigozhin on Monday appeared in a clip, toting an assault rifle and wearing military fatigues, likely shot in Africa in which he claimed he is recruiting “strongmen”. The video was shared on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner group, as Mr Prigozhin said the mercenary group was “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free”. “The temperature is +50 (122 degrees Fahrenheit) – everything as we like. The Wagner PMC [private military company] makes Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa – more free. Justice and happiness – for the African people, we’re making life a nightmare for Isis and al-Qaeda and other bandits,” he said in the video. He then said Wagner is recruiting people and the group “will fulfil the tasks that were set”. In the background of the video, pickup trucks and other people dressed in fatigues could be seen. A telephone number was displayed as well for those who wanted to join the group. The Independent could not verify the date and exact location of the video, but Mr Prigozhin’s comments and posts on Telegram channels have hinted that it was shot in Africa. According to the Russian social media channels affiliated with the mercenary leader, the Wagner leader is recruiting fighters to work in the continent. He is inviting investors from Russia to put money in the Central African Republic through Russian House, a cultural centre in the African nation’s capital, they suggested. Mr Prigozhin was last seen in a video in July shot in Belarus shortly after his attempt to stir mutiny against the Kremlin failed, sparking speculation that he was taking refuge in the Russian ally nation as part of a deal to broker peace. He was later photographed on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in the Russian city of St Petersburg. There is no official announcement of his current whereabouts. But one of the most prominent sites is the Central African Republic, where Wagner’s troops for hire have been active and accused of committing gross human rights abuses. Till June this year, the Wagner leader and his mercenary fighters, comprising mostly prison convicts, spent months fiercely fighting Ukrainian soldiers in the eastern region, mostly Bakhmut. Mr Prigozhin staunchly criticised Russia’s military performance and the top brass of the Russian defence ministry before he called for an armed uprising on 23 June to oust the defence minister and marched from Ukraine toward Moscow with his mercenaries. The hours-long mutiny ended after a deal was brokered by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, following which Mr Prigozhin agreed to end his rebellion in exchange for amnesty for him and his fighters and permission to relocate to Belarus. Before moving to Belarus, Wagner handed over its weapons to the Russian military, part of efforts by Russian authorities to defuse the threat posed by the mercenaries. Read More ‘Wagner is victim of its own brand name’: How much of a threat does mercenary group pose in Belarus? Wagner mercenaries issue a chilling message on Poland’s doorstep: ‘We are here’ Belarus begins military drills near its border with Poland and Lithuania as tensions heighten Wagner tracker: Charting Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenary group through the Ukraine war Drones, military confusion and cracks in Putin’s authority: Ukraine’s push to sow discord in Russia’s ranks

UK government borrowing came in below official forecasts in the first four months of the fiscal year, providing

UBS Group AG named Richard Wilks as head of equity capital markets syndicate in Asia Pacific and Kevin

The steam and geysers rising from the valleys of Tuscany inspired Dante Alighieri’s vision of hell in The

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom Westbrook Bond selling extended on Tuesday to

The NBA offseason may be quiet, but FIBA play is going to continue to give us basketball junkies their fix. Dario Saric, Deandre Ayton, and Argentina all made headlines this week.Many are counting down to the start of the NBA season as they wait for basketball to come back, but there are still p...

(Bloomberg Markets) -- Computer-generated children’s voices so realistic they fool their own parents. Masks created with photos from social media

BHP Group Ltd., the world’s biggest miner, reported a 37% decline in full-year profit, missing analysts’ forecasts, as