Putin has already spoken of “betrayal” in view of his former confidant. Prigozhin himself must now leave Russia and settle in neighboring Belarus. On Sunday, however, nothing was heard or seen from the 62-year-old, who has been irritating Moscow for weeks with criticism of the war in Ukraine. Despite the success in the power struggle, many experts see Putin (70) weakened. The West has followed developments in Russia closely but has been reluctant to comment.

It is not clear how the new situation in Russia will affect the war in Ukraine, which has raged for more than 16 months. There were deaths and injuries again over the weekend. Wagner mercenaries were among Russia’s most important troops in the Ukrainian war. Kiev hopes the counter-offensive is now progressing better.

The “special military operation” has the highest priority, Putin said in an interview broadcast on Rossiya TV channel on Sunday. “It’s how I start and end my day,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov described Russian officials as weak and said things were “going in the right direction”. This emerges from a telephone conversation with his American colleague Lloyd Austin.

The sudden end of the uprising on Saturday night came as a surprise after a day of rumours. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov promised that Wagner’s insurgent fighters would not be prosecuted for their services at the front. According to the official account, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko had already made Prigozhin surrender.

Videos showed how the mercenary chief left the center of Rostov-on-Don in a black SUV on Saturday. The revolt had begun in the metropolis. Information about his further whereabouts was initially unavailable. The RTVi station received the information from Prigozhin’s press office: “He sends his regards to everyone and will answer questions when he has normal reception again.”

Prigozhin’s prospect in Belarus was met with little enthusiasm by the local opposition. Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya fears further unrest. “Bringing war criminal Prigozhin to Belarus adds another element of instability,” she said.

A sensational 24 hours preceded the deal between the mercenary boss and the Kremlin. Prigozhin and his men kept Russia in suspense. There were also concerns about the civil war. According to Prigozhin, the reason for the uprising was that a Wagner camp inland was attacked with rockets, helicopters and artillery on Friday night. Many mercenaries were killed. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu gave the order, he said. The Department of Defense vehemently denied this.

Prigozhin said in a voicemail that he had 25,000 men under his command. Anyone who resists will be killed immediately. The FSB domestic secret service launched investigations and called on the mercenaries to arrest their leader. Within hours, Prigozhin first crossed the Russian border, and then captured the main military installations in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. It also houses the military headquarters of the Southern Region – a command center for the war against Ukraine.

Other columns of his fighters went to Moscow and fought with security forces in the Voronezh region. In the capital, streets were hastily demolished, sandbags were piled up, checkpoints were set up and a counter-terrorist emergency was declared. In a televised address, Putin spoke of a “blow in the back” and called on Wagner’s troops to surrender. Prigozhin then accused the Kremlin chief of completely misjudging the situation. He said of his insurgent troops: “We are patriots of our homeland.”

As surprising as the outbreak of the crisis was, the mercenary chief then ordered his troops back. Officially, he justified this by wanting to avoid “bloodshed”. He may also have realized that his chances of success were slim. According to observers, Putin finally managed to assert himself relatively quickly. It was also said that there were no moves to withdraw important personalities from politics or the military. However, the head of the Kremlin sees the fact that such an uprising could have happened as a great weakness.

Western politicians were remarkably reserved. Most explanations simply said that the situation was being monitored. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the uprising “clearly raises new issues for Putin to deal with”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seized the opportunity to call on Russians to overthrow their head of state. “The longer that person is in the Kremlin, the greater the catastrophe.”

According to American media reports, there was already evidence of an uprising. According to the Washington Post, US intelligence received information in mid-June that Prigozhin was planning armed action against the military leadership. The White House was also informed. According to the “New York Times”, the US secret service informed senior military officials on Wednesday that Prigozhin was preparing military measures against his own leadership.

The extent of fighting during the uprising remained largely uncertain. According to pro-Russian military blogs, several Russian Air Force pilots were killed. Information on the number of fatalities varied between 13 and more than 20 military personnel, advances the independent Internet portal currenttime. A total of six helicopters and one reconnaissance aircraft were shot down by Wagner. There was no confirmation of this from the Russian authorities.

However, authorities announced on Sunday that 19 houses in the Pavlovsk district of the Voronezh region were damaged by gunfire from Wagner’s gunmen. We want to compensate for the damage. On Sunday night, with the exception of Voronezh, the withdrawal of Wagner’s troops from all areas was reported.

The “anti-terror precautions” taken in Moscow remained in effect on Sunday, but there were significantly fewer police in sight. Passers-by said they weren’t worried.

According to the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) in Washington, the uprising revealed huge weaknesses in the Russian security system. That could weaken the morale of Russian soldiers at the front, he said. According to ISW, the Wagner mercenaries could have reached the Moscow suburbs if Prigozhin had wanted to.

The depths of the earth hold secrets, as do the bottoms of the sea and space. Although several initiatives have dug miles into the earth’s crust, mankind has never progressed beyond this first layer of the planet. Nevertheless, science indirectly achieves a good understanding of the dynamics inside the earth by inferring measurements such as temperature, pressure and certain chemical components of the innermost layers of the earth.

The thickness of the earth’s crust varies and is generally between 5 and 100 kilometers. It may seem easy to traverse where it is thinnest, but these sites are only found on the ocean floor the continents are reserved for the greatest extents of this layer.

The largest drilling in the earth’s crust to date was carried out in Russia during the Soviet Union period. It corresponds to the Kola Superdeep Hole, the name of the peninsula in the northwest of the country where the spring is located. Excavations began in 1970, when the Cold War was pitting the United States against technological advances made by the Soviet Union. Just as there was the race to space, it can be said that there was also a race to the center of the earth.

After 20 years, the Soviets reached a depth of about 12.2 kilometers a record that has not yet been beaten. The Kola Fountain still exists but is now sealed. During the same period, the US tried to dig a well on the seabed precisely because of the lesser thickness of the crust, but the high cost of the project meant that the mission was canceled from the start. Germany also started a similar initiative, which was stopped at 9.1 km in 1995.

Also on German soil, the American artist, sculptor and illustrator Walter De Maria created a conceptual work entitled “The Vertical Kilometer”. With the help of an oil company, the artist drilled a kilometer into the earth’s crust in the city of Kassel and filled it with a brass rod five centimeters in diameter and weighing 18 tons.

The object has a “sister” work called “The Broken Kilometer”. This installation, in turn, consists of 500 twometrelong brass rods arranged in five rows of one hundred. Interpretations of these works claim that they represent a reflection of our place in the universe, or that they “give back” to Earth the material that humanity is withdrawing from it.

This month, China launched a project that aims to drill nearly 11km into the Earth’s crust, reaching rocks as old as 145 million years. Still, the Soviet balance sheet would remain intact. In any case, the 12 km drilled into Russian soil is only 0.18% of the distance from the surface to the center of the planet, which is 6,371 km.

Source: Discover Magazine; BBC

A week before the start of a possible strike at the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC), Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand hopes the two parties will reach an agreement and thus avoid a strike.

Should the discussions fail, the approximately 900 RTC drivers would go on strike from July 1 to 16 at the same time as the Festival d’été de Québec.

“I have all my faith in both parties so that we can reach an agreement and that people are not being taken hostage,” said Mayor Marchand, who was asked about the issue during a ceremony honoring the 75th anniversary of the Quebec flag.

The Administrative Labor Court recently ruled that the RTC was not considered an essential service, meaning no buses would operate on Quebec’s roads during this period.

The mayor of Quebec reiterated that he disagreed with this decision. The lack of public transport would severely limit travel options for many citizens.

We continue to believe that public transport is an essential service. “We very much hope that we will not go on strike,” added the mayor.

In the event of a strike, no bus would ply the streets of Quebec. (archive photo)

Photo: Radio-Canada / Raphaël Beaumont-Drouin

Bruno Marchand does not rule out that the administrative court’s decision could be challenged in the courts of other cities, but he believes it is too late for the July 1st strike.

Negotiations between the RTC and the Union of Public Transport Employees of Metropolitan Quebec, which represents bus drivers’ interests, are ongoing. Union members put On Strike Soon stickers on bus windows this week.

Earlier in the month they had used more pressure tactics and refused to display their line numbers on their buses.

Reading literature from the farthest reaches of the West is always an adventure full of obstacles, but one that is well worth it. The big publishers bombard the reader with proposals, mostly from European or American authors, giants in sales and in making people believe that the West is the center of the world. However, a group of irreducible publishers, mostly small and independent, strive to offer their audience different voices and realities from other continents. Not an easy task, because the sales and advertising channels are being taken over by very powerful publishing groups. Nevertheless, they manage to make their proposals accessible to a limited audience via alternative media. These other literatures have the virtue of opening the minds of those who delve into the pages of their books to other realities and points of view. And they invite you to dream, to travel and to meet people facing similar problems in other parts of the world, with answers not very different from those the reader would give.

Here are nine novels by African-born writers and eight essays to help better understand some countries or issues of this vast continent. An opportunity to open your mind and heart and be questioned by the hundreds of voices that transcend the boundaries that constrict the dominant culture.

novels

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi Women, by Lola Shoneyin (Books of Bad Companies, 2022). In this novel, the Nigerian writer and cultural promoter argues against patriarchy and machismo through the life of a polygamous family. With a lot of irony and a wealth of detail, it describes the everyday life of Baba Segi’s four wives and their children. At the same time, it justifies women’s education as the only way out of the fate to which society and tradition subject them.

The big publishers bombard the reader with proposals, mostly from European or American authors, giants in sales and in making people believe that the West is the center of the world.

Our Enchanted Abyss, by Yamen Manai (Txalaparta, 2023; Translated from French by Sandra Buenaventura). A 15-year-old boy, a victim of family and social violence, and his dog serve as an excuse for the author to immerse himself in contemporary Tunisia. A country characterized by structural violence, hierarchy and corruption, where young people are crowded into neighborhoods. The authorities are demanding that the animal be sacrificed to keep the anger from spreading and the discontent of the youth deep down inside not turning against them.

What Killed Young Abdoulaye Cissé?, by Donato Ndongo (Ediciones Sequitur, 2023). After a few years of silence, a new novel by the Equatorial Guinean writer whose legacy is preserved in the Caja de las Letras of the Cervantes Institute is published. In this novel, Ndongo returns to the subject of migration and racism in Spain. A young Malian man fleeing the crisis in his country to continue his studies cannot achieve his dream. Then he decides to return, but for this he needs a job that will allow him to earn some money. As he walks through downtown Madrid to an employment office, he collapses. what killed him

The Maquis, by Hemley Boum (Baile del Sol / Casa África, 2022. French translation by Pilar Altinier). A historical novel narrating the involvement of the Bassa people in the struggle for Cameroon’s independence. And the settlers’ efforts to continue to control the country through puppet governments. Multiple characters, some real and some fictional, lead to a plot full of intrigue, sacrifice, love and soap-opera touches that challenges the official story, both that of the colonizers and that of the leaders who, after the march, die power takeovers from these

Neighbors, by Lília Momplé (Books of Bad Company, 2022. Translated from Portuguese by Alejandro de los Santos Pérez). The title of this work can cause confusion as it is written in English, but that is not the case, there is an excellent translation into Spanish. Momplé tells a long night in May about the life of four women in a neighborhood of Maputo and some assassins from abroad. In the background the Cold War, apartheid and the dirty tricks so that the newly independent African countries cannot go their own way. A true story with touches of a thriller that keeps the suspense up to the last moment.

The Promise, by Damon Galgut (Asteroid Books, 2022. English translation by Celia Filipetto). The South African author never disappoints. Also in this novel, which features four funerals, is the story of a white family, the Swarts, living on the outskirts of Pretoria. By a promise to the black servant. The narration, as if it were a movie camera, gives voice to the various members of the saga while also recounting the events of recent South African history.

Watch us dance, by Leila Slimani (Cabaret Voltaire 2023. French translation by Malika Embarek López). Amin is proud that he has worked hard to become a member of the new Moroccan bourgeoisie. His wife Mathilde, on the other hand, believes that he wasted the best years of his life taking care of the house and children after the war. Under this pretext, Slimani delves into the early years of an independent Morocco, searching for its own identity between tradition and the mirage of western modernity.

The Winter of the Goldfinches, by Mohamed El Morabet (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2022). The gaze of an innocent child, known only to Al Hoceima, describes everyday life in his city and the lives of its people. He later moved to Tetouan to study and met Olga there. It’s the other look of the book, that of the woman leaving Madrid behind and wanting to make a new home in North Africa. Two overlapping ways of seeing and understanding the world. A novel full of sensations, smells and colors.

The Fox’s Footprint, by Moussa Konaté (Books of Bad Companies, 2023. Translated from French by Alejandro de los Santos Pérez). Noir novel at its finest. Commissioner Habib and his assistant Sosso are forced to leave the comforts of Bamako and move to Dogon country, where a number of bodies have turned up. The Dogon are known for living out of state and for the strength of their magic. In the background, the eternal question of how to integrate tradition and modernity.

Essays

The moon is in Duala and my destiny is in knowledge, by Sani Ladan (Plaza y Janés, 2023). A book that does not stop at the migration process of the young Cameroonian who leaves his hometown and his family to study. If not, it deals with the personal and spiritual development of the author. And that describes the awareness that has made him one of the leading figures in the fight against racism and in defense of migrants in Spain.

Don’t touch my hair. Origin and History of Afro Hair, by Emma Dabiri (Captain Swing, 2023. English translation by Esther Cruz Sataella). Black hair is never hair. The author explores how Afro hair can be viewed as a model of decolonization. A journey from pre-colonial Africa to the present day, through the various movements that have claimed black power.

South of Tangier. A journey into the cultures of Morocco, by Gonzalo Fernández Parrilla (La Línea del Horizonte, 2022). Spaniards can only see Morocco through the clichés and prejudices that have been cultivated for generations. But Fernández Parrilla shows the cultural and social richness of the Alaouite kingdom. Essay, memory and fiction are discussed in this book in order to offer the reader numerous viewpoints that will help him to better explore and get to know the neighboring country.

Seasons, by Tarek Eltayed (Oriental and Mediterranean Editions, 2022). A very original autobiography that immerses the reader in the Cairo of the author’s childhood and adolescence: its neighborhoods, its people, its dreams and the discovery of reading. And then, in exile, how important it is not to lose your roots.

The Last Days of Wild Africa, by Amador Guallar (Editorial Diëresis, 2023). Africa’s wildlife is disappearing rapidly as a result of human activity and climate change. Guallar, journalist, photographer and author, travels to the most remote corners of the continent to tell from the ground what is happening to endangered animals.

The Armed Groups of the Sahel, by Beatriz Mesa (Catarata / Casa África, 2022). It is possible to analyze such a complex topic and make it interesting for the reader. In this work, Mesa examines what is happening in the Sahel and how the armed groups operating there are driven not so much by political or religious ideologies as by a desire to control the criminal economy (drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling). .) . Money keeps moving the world.

History of Ethiopia, by Mario Lozano Alonso (Waterfall / Casa África, 2022). Centuries of history brilliantly summarized in just a few pages. A work full of surprises that introduces the reader to a very unknown country and debunks many of the myths that reign over African nations.

History of Somalia, by Pablo Arconada Ledesma (Waterfall / Casa África, 2023). All we know about Somalia is that it has been at war for years. But this country has a rich history. Arconada covers history from prehistory to the present, providing the keys to understanding why the current conflict arose.

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