From his arrival in the Kremlin to the rebellion of the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group against the Russian General Staff, a look back at the key moments of Vladimir Putin, who ruled Russia for more than two decades.

• Also read: Putin “is deeply wrong,” says Wagner boss, who is accused of “treason.”

• Also read: Putin opposes the “mortal threat” posed by the Wagner leader’s rebellion

• Also read: Russia’s weakness is “obvious,” says the Ukrainian president

• Also read: Putin calls his Belarusian and Kazakh allies

Appearance of Putin

In August 1999, Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s first president after the fall of the Soviet Union, promoted a virtually unknown Vladimir Putin to prime minister. This former head of the FSB (ex-KGB) quickly acquired the image of a strong man in a country traumatized by a wave of Chechen separatists (almost 300 dead).

Boris Yeltsin, weakened by alcohol and illness, resigns on December 31, 1999. His dolphin will finally succeed him in the presidential elections in March 2000.

War in Chechnya

From 2000 to 2009, the conflict against Chechen and Islamist rebels, which was marked by abuse and indiscriminate bombing of Grozny, claimed tens of thousands of lives.

At the same time, the hostage takings demanded by the rebellion ended with bloody attacks by Russian forces, notably in a theater in Moscow (850 hostages and 130 dead) and in Beslan in North Ossetia (more than 1,000 hostages and 330 dead). . including 186 children).

First turn of the screw

During his first two terms in office, Vladimir Putin increased his influence in parliament, placed the regional governors under Moscow’s control, strengthened the FSB, and brought the media and the powerful and wealthy oligarchs under control. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the ousted boss of the oil company Yukos, put up resistance and served as an example: he remained behind bars for ten years.

In 2006, the assassination of dissident journalist Anna Politkovskaya and the polonium-210 poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko sent shockwaves around the world.

The Medvedev Interlude

With the constitution barring him from a third consecutive mandate, Vladimir Putin elects his subordinate Dmitry Medvedev as the dolphin, elected on March 2, 2008 with no real competition. Without losing any of his influence, he became prime minister.

War in Georgia

In August 2008, the Russian army intervened in Georgia, a former Soviet Union candidate for NATO, after Tbilisi sought to regain control of a pro-Russian separatist area. Moscow crushes the Georgian army.

The return

A dispute erupted in late 2011 after the parliamentary elections were marred by fraud, according to the opposition. Tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Moscow every week.

Putin was re-elected president in March 2012 and brutally repressed the demonstrations.

“Great Russia”

Vladimir Putin donned the clothes of a restorer of “Greater Russia” by annexing Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014 in response to a Western-instigated revolution in Kiev.

This operation is followed by a war in eastern Ukraine with pro-Russian separatists. Putin remains unfazed by Western sanctions.

Syria

In 2015, the Russian army came to the aid of Syrian Bashar al-Assad, whose troops were routed against rebels and jihadists.

Intervention saved the regime and Putin installed Russian power in the Middle East, albeit at the cost of indiscriminate and murderous bombing, particularly in Aleppo.

Eliminate the opposition

Since 2020, the Kremlin has been pursuing a policy of systematic repression. His main target: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most famous critic who, after narrowly surviving an intoxication he blames on power, is serving a nine-year sentence and faces a 30-year sentence in a new trial. runs.

At the same time, media, NGOs, websites and social networks are blocked.

invasion of Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin sent his forces into Ukraine, claiming to save the Russian minority in that neighbor he allegedly wanted to “denazify” and which posed the existential threat to Russia as a NATO pawn.

Faced with an armed rebellion

In a televised speech on June 24, 2023, he denounced the “mortal threat” and the risk of a “civil war” following an armed uprising led by the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, Evguéni Prigojine, against the Russian command, which he accused of bombing his troops .

Previously, the Wagner boss had claimed to keep the Russian army’s headquarters in Rostov, the nerve center of operations in Ukraine, and to control several military sites.

Taylor Swift reportedly declined an invitation to join Meghan Markle’s podcast despite receiving a “personal letter” from the Duchess.

The pop singer was asked by Meghan herself to perform at Archetypes, but she declined through her rep, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The newspaper summed up Harry and Meghan’s deals with Netflix as “big ideas, underperforming” after executives at the streaming giant and Spotify reportedly said they were “disappointed” by the couple’s lack of strong ideas and productivity.

Since the couple stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and flew to California to live in their new $14 million nine-bedroom mansion, the pair have built an intricate network of “entertainment” businesses to ” to spread their truth”.

Following Spotify’s axing of Archetypes and the £18million partnership with the couple, Netflix has also said it’s unlikely to renew its deal after it expires in 2025.

However, it has been confirmed that the couple is currently creating a Great Expectations-inspired show for Netflix titled Bad Manners.

Described as a prequel to the Charles Dickens classic, the series tells the story of a lonely Miss Haversham living in a patriarchal society.

Despite sending a personal letter herself, Meghan Markle’s (pictured) request to add Taylor Swift to her Archtypes podcast was turned down

Taylor Swift (pictured at this year’s Grammy Awards) reportedly turned down an invitation to join Meghan on her podcast

Spotify confirmed last week that the podcast won’t be getting a second season

It is currently unknown if the show was commissioned by Netflix itself.

A documentary about the Invictus Games, a production the couple agreed on shortly after signing the £80million deal with Netflix in 2020, is also in the works.

The Heart of Invictus program will accompany participants around the world as they train for the games in The Hague, originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.

It’s one of the couple’s only ideas that hasn’t been turned down by the streaming giant.

The Wall Street Journal analysis said Harry and Meghan had proposed shows too similar to already popular Netflix programs, such as sitcoms like Emily in Paris but “about a man,” and a show about LGBTQ characters, similar those in Heartstopper.

Another proposal was a documentary on misinformation, which also didn’t come off the draft board.

A documentary about the Invictus Games, a production agreed shortly after signing the £80m deal with Netflix in 2020, is still in the works

Harry and Meghan are pictured in their Netflix docuseries making bombastic revelations

A team assigned to the task at Archewell inevitably had questions, including whether Harry and Meghan would appear on the show and offer their opinions on the matter.

According to the WSJ, the couple had a poor response to the requests and the idea was scrapped.

Also rejected was an animated series about powerful women in history called Pearl.

When it was announced that the children’s show was canceled in May 2022, Netflix officials said they had decided that children would not be affected by the fact that the show was produced by a duchess.

Meghan’s podcast, which was produced by Spotify as part of her deal and deals with stereotypes about women, also fell through this month and will not be signed for a second season.

The streaming giant and the Sussexes’ audio production company, Archewell Audio, released a joint statement last week, saying they had “amicably agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we’ve made together.”

Meghan and Harry reportedly signed a £15million ($20million) deal with Spotify for the project in late 2020, but insiders close to the audio giant claim the royal couple have what it takes to receive the full payout Productivity threshold not reached, Wall Street Journal reported.

Talent agency WME, which recently signed Meghan, said: “The team behind Archetypes continue to be proud of the podcast they have created at Spotify.”

Meghan’s podcast is produced by Spotify as part of their deal talks about stereotypes women face

Netflix reportedly spent a whopping £81million on bombshell documentary series Harry & Meghan last December as part of a multi-year deal with the company

“Meghan continues to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.”

It also revealed that while working on the Archetypes podcast, Spotify executives grew increasingly frustrated with Archewell’s snail’s-pace approach, stressing that it would take a long time to conceive an episode idea and Meghan would ask for last-minute changes.

It also proved difficult to get guests for the show – Taylor Swift turned down an appearance.

Despite these pressures, the podcast launched in August last year and topped the streaming charts in its first week.

It didn’t come from Harry’s appearance on podcasts – which was part of the Spotify deal.

He reportedly struggled to get a concrete idea, as The Wall Street Journal revealed, he suggested topics about veterans, misinformation and a point of view article about being a new resident of America.

However, the couple has found that their personal experiences, recounted in Harry’s memoir Spare, and their joint six-part Netflix documentary, led to book sales and Netflix popularity.

Harry’s bombastic autobiography grossed £16million and became the fastest-selling non-fiction book since records began in 1998, according to publishers. In its first week, more than 3.2 million copies were sold worldwide.

According to publishers Transworld, the UK division of Penguin Random House, more than 750,000 copies were sold in the UK over the same period.

Prince Harry is understood to have donated a significant portion of the money raised from the release to charity. The father of two is expected to donate around £1.6million to charity.

Harry’s bombastic autobiography, Spare, grossed £16million and became the fastest-selling non-fiction book since records began in 1998

The couple hoped to chart their documentary, Live To Lead, but failed to make the top ten

Netflix reportedly spent a whopping £81million on bombshell documentary series Harry & Meghan last December as part of a multi-year deal with the company.

The series became the second highest-grossing documentary of all time on Netflix – behind The Tinder Swindler.

The project is understood to have caused tension at Archewell after Harry and Meghan helped with the final touches and were sometimes overruled.

The pair then hoped to re-enter the streaming charts with their Live to Lead series, a documentary about global leaders and activists, which aired on New Year’s Eve 2022.

However, the show failed to make the top ten most-streamed shows during that period.

Both her failed Spotify deal and her limited-time deal with Netflix were reportedly impacted by external factors, in addition to allegedly strained working relationships with the couple, Archewell and the streaming giants.

Post-pandemic, Netflix struggled to retain loyal viewers who sat in front of their screens during lockdown, bringing profits to the company.

Netflix’s subscriber growth began to slow as customers returned to normal life and in 2022 announced its first quarter of subscriber losses in a decade. In turn, producers and film studios are much more selective when it comes to content output.

And recently, Spotify announced it would lay off about 200 employees — about 2 percent of its workforce — who work on its podcast teams. It was pointed out that although podcasts are popular with listeners, it is difficult to make them profitable.

China’s new prime minister used his first overseas trip to unveil a new approach to Europe, focusing on areas where both sides agree to avoid a repeat of the troubled relationship between Beijing and Washington.

In Germany and France this week, Li Qiang launched a charm offensive with government officials and business leaders, promising to focus on fighting climate change and announcing debt relief for Zambia at a climate finance summit convened by Emmanuel Macron – a diplomat – in a victory for the French presidents.

Li’s approach signaled that Beijing is taking a two-pronged approach with Europe, trying to keep business ties and climate cooperation separate from more sensitive issues like China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war.

By contrast, Chinese officials have often made climate cooperation with the US dependent on foreign policy demands.

“Chinese elites view reassurance and dialogue with Europe as a top strategic priority,” said Seaver Wang of the Breakthrough Institute, a California-based think tank. “Because of the Russian war in Ukraine, Europe and the US are more strategically aligned than they have been in decades.”

French President Emmanuel Macron (left) welcomes Li Qiang at the Élysée Palace on the sidelines of the new global financial pact summit in Paris © Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

Beijing’s new stance comes at a time when the European Commission is looking at ways to “de-risk” its economic ties by reducing its reliance on raw materials from China and limiting exports of cutting-edge technology to the Asian giant, prompted by the country’s broader policies USA is pushing restrictions.

Chinese state media and diplomats have slammed the term and warned European capitals against getting too involved in trade disputes with the US.

In May, China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned his German counterpart that if the EU “attempts to decouple from China in the name of de-risking, it will decouple from opportunity, cooperation, stability and development.”

But Li, whose mandate is to deal with China’s ailing economy, which is increasingly dependent on private investment, took a more conciliatory approach in Berlin. During a round of talks with German companies, Li said that he “understands the security concerns of both sides” and that “protecting against risks is not at odds with cooperation.”

As the concept of de-risking still leaves room for interpretation, “the Chinese side is trying to figure out where the gap is between rhetoric and action,” said Yu Jie, senior research fellow at think tank Chatham House. “Political Europe talks about it all the time, while business in Europe is less interested in it.”

Li channeled some of business leaders’ own fears, warning them: “Non-cooperation is the greatest risk, non-development is the greatest uncertainty.” Martin Brudermüller, CEO of chemical giant BASF, warned in March that while there are risks associated with operating in China, “it but there is also a great risk of not being in China”.

BASF is one of several large German groups, including chipmaker Infineon and the country’s top automakers, that rely heavily on China for both sales and supply chains.

Li Qiang with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, in the Federal Chancellery in Berlin © Kay Nietfeld/dpa

A growing number of CEOs, including the heads of Siemens and Mercedes-Benz, are publicly rejecting calls from Berlin and Brussels to diversify away from China, arguing the market is simply too big. In the words of a manager at an automotive supplier: “We are totally dependent on China.”

This development has made German multinational corporations the “most open and probably the most effective lobbying force for more and not less economic engagement with China,” said Yanmei Xie, Europe-China analyst at the consulting firm Gavekal Dragonomics.

Li was joined on his trip to Germany and France by Chinese companies, including battery giant CATL, which has opened a German plant, and solar panel maker Longi, which hopes to build one in the country.

Li also hailed France’s opposition to decoupling and “factional confrontation” in a veiled allusion to the US approach.

Last week, President Xi Jinping met Antony Blinken, the first US Secretary of State to visit Beijing in five years, and announced there was “progress” in stabilizing ties. But just a day later, at a private fundraiser, President Joe Biden sparked outrage in Beijing by calling Xi a “dictator.”

In contrast, during a roundtable discussion with French business leaders, Li said, “The good level of political trust between France and China allows us to see stability, security and mutual growth opportunities in our interdependence, rather than risks.”

As Li was on his way to dine with a delegation of Bavarian officials and companies in a marble-clad hall on Tuesday, the European Commission said it would present a proposal to review foreign investments and improve the implementation of export controls – measures seen as focusing on technology links targeting China. However, the EU member states remain reluctant to take such measures.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, one of Europe’s most aggressive politicians in China, called on member states to join the “risk reduction” strategy. However, she acknowledged that “the vast majority of trade and economic relations” with China will remain “business as usual”.

While the Commission’s new proposals remain controversial, German executives remain convinced that more extensive diversification of supply away from China is needed. Some say the Chinese side is overestimating its ability to form a coalition with European companies against de-risking.

“Li’s statement that the business community does not want to reduce the risk is nonsense. “We’ll take care of it,” a German manager told the Financial Times.

Jens Hildebrandt, head of the German Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, said: “We are seeing clear signs of de-risking.” He said some companies were shifting their production from China to other Asian countries to protect themselves from future sanctions or export controls.

“The reasons for de-risking come from multiple quarters. “The Chinese government does not have all the tools to tell German companies that they need to do less de-risking,” Hildebrandt added.

Climate change and the green transition also played an important role in Li’s meetings in Germany. Both sides published a memorandum in which they set out the basic principles of climate cooperation.

Beijing froze climate talks with the US for several months last year, and attempts to resume them have made little progress. But Europe’s more stable relationship with China “helps the West preserve its last beachhead of cooperation with China on climate change, which can never meaningfully be addressed without talking to Beijing,” Greenpeace Asia’s Li Shuo said.

But both climate analysts and German companies warn that they’ve been waiting for Chinese action to cut emissions for a long time, not words.

“Now is the time to deliver. We have to be realistic; Some things they just can’t solve,” added Hildebrandt.

Additional reporting by Patricia Nilsson in Frankfurt

Swimming, dengue fever, generator… The regional health authority (ARS) is issuing recommendations to be followed for a few days after Storm Bret passes through. Necessary measures to prevent diseases.

Storm Bret hit Martinique on the night of Thursday 22nd to Friday 23rd June. After this phenomenon passed, the regional health authority issued several recommendations to be followed for at least three days, ie until Monday June 26th.

On weekends, some might find it tempting to head to the beach or river to cool off and have a good time. The ARS recommends avoiding bathing. The rain and winds have washed soil and various debris into the waterways, which can affect bathing water quality.

In addition, the rains on the island caused the water to rise in places.

Before returning to the water, you must wait until the water is clear again, there is no debris or debris, and the area surrounding the swimming areas is safe.

Storm Bret caused power outages. The EDF teams are working hard to bring the situation back to normal. In the meantime, people use of generators. In order to use it safely, precautions must be taken. Avoid any risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, a toxic and undetectable gas.

In order to limit the risks as much as possible, generators must therefore be operated outdoors or in ventilated shelters.

When using stove-like utensils, be careful to avoid burns and keep children away.

Other recommendations from the ARS include the Risks associated with cleaning work. If you want to restore your garden or your house, you have to take precautions. To prevent injuries, it is advisable to wear covering clothing, gloves and closed shoes. A reinforced recommendation when you need to touch areas soiled by water or mud.

Watch out for wounds that could become infected and for signs of leptospirosis, particularly transmitted through rat urine. If you suffer from the following symptoms: fever with chills, headache, muscle pain or diffuse joint pain, you must consult a doctor.

After all, the body requires special attention in places where water stagnates. This could favor breeding grounds for mosquitoes. This vigilance is important to avoid the risk of dengue, zika, or chikungunya recurrence.