June 26, Monday, 2023

1. A US media outlet says Janet Yellen, the country’s treasury secretary, may visit Beijing early next month for high-level economic talks with her Chinese counterpart. Attention is focused on whether the visit, if it happens, will help improve the strained relations between the world’s No.1 and No. 2 economic powers.
2. Mercenaries have challenged Russian authorities by marching toward Moscow. But the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, says he had not intention of seizing power. Officials in the Kremlin said Prigozhin called off his forces on Saturday in exchange for an offer to go into exile in Belarus. 3. Western leaders are denying accusations they knew Russian mercenaries were preparing to march on Moscow. US President Joe Biden said on Monday that his administration has made clear to Russian leaders that they had “nothing to do with it.”