Biden downplays impact of ‘dictator’ remarks on Xi

the US Department of State" about the remarks, which Beijing's Embassy in Washington called a "smear" that "seriously contradicts basic facts, breaches diplomatic etiquette, infringes on China's political dignity, runs counter to the commitments made by the US side, and undermines mutual trust".

Moscow, June 29 (IANS) General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian military operations in Ukraine, has been arrested over his alleged involvement to the short-lived rebellion staged by the Wagner mercenary group last weekend, a local media report said.

Although there was no official confirmation of his arrest, The Moscow Times reported citing sources close to the Defence Ministry, saying that the "the situation with him (Surovikin) was not 'OK'". The General, who is also Commander of the Aerospace Forces, has not been seen in public since June 24, the day when Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion against the country's military leadership.

One of the sources told The Moscow Times that the arrest was carried out "in the context of Prigozhin".

"Apparently, he (Surovikin) chose Prigozhin's side during the uprising."

When asked about the General's whereabouts, the source replied: "We are not even commenting on this information through our internal channels."

Earlier on Wednesday, prowar military blogger Vladimir Romanov had said that Surovikin was detained on June 25, a day after the mutiny, and claimed that the General was being held in Moscow's Lefortovo detention centre.

In a Telegram post, Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the shuttered Ekho Moskvy radio station, said that Surovikin had not been in contact with his family for three days and his guards were also not responsive, The Moscow Times reported.

On June 24, mercenary troops led by Prigozhin took over the southern Russian city of Rostovon-Don, marched on Moscow and shot down Russian military helicopters and a plane on their way, the BBC reported. Their mutiny was later aborted after a deal was struck with the help of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Russian authorities have said that the Wagner will be disarmed but its members will escape prosecution over its short-lived rebellion.

Russia sanctions 48 Australian citizens in retaliatory move

Washington, June 23 (IANS)

Despite the Beijing government warning of "consequences" for his remarks, US President Joe Biden has downplayed the impact of his comments comparing his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to a "dictator".

Addressing a joint press conference alongside visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Biden on Thursday said that "I don't think it's had any real consequence" and called rejected concerns over worsening USChina ties as "hysteria", reports CNN.

The President also said he expected to meet Xi in the near future, and suggested he would not going to tone down his rhetoric.

"The idea of me choosing and avoiding saying what I think is facts with regard to the relationship with China is just not something I'm going to change very much."

At a fundraiser in California on Tuesday, President Biden said that Xi was embarrassed over the recent tensions involving a suspected Chinese spy balloon transiting the US which was shot down by an American fighter jet

"The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset, in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it, was he didn't know it was there. That's a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn't know what happened," he said.

In response, Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng on Wednesday "made serious representations and strong protests to senior officials of the White House and

"We urge the US side to immediately take earnest actions to undo the negative impact and honour its own commitments. Otherwise, it will have to bear all the consequences," CNN quoted the Embassy as saying in a statement.

Biden made the remarks just a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken became the highest ranking American official to meet Xi in Beijing.

Blinken's meeting with Xi in Beijing on Monday was part of efforts to improve the strained relations between the two largest economies. On the outcome of the meeting, Xi had said that some progress was made, while Blinken indicated both sides were open to more talks as major differences remained. Blinken's visit to Beijing, which was the first by a Secretary of State to China in five years, restarted high-level communications between the two countries.

Moscow, June 22 (IANS) Russia has imposed sanctions against 48 Australian citizens, who will be barred from entering the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The decision was made in response to the “politically motivated” sanctions imposed by Australian authorities against Russian individuals and entities, the Ministry added on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry, the 48 Australians, among whom are military contractors, journalists, and municipal deputies, were responsible for promoting an anti-Russian agenda, Xinhua news agency reported.

It added that Moscow would continue updating its entry ban list, taking into account Canberra’s anti-Russian course. Australia imposed a new round of financial sanctions against 21 Russian entities and three individuals on May 19, 2023.