Good morning.

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin’s first visit in 24 years but second summit with Kim in nine months. No expense was spared for the lavish reception for Putin, who was greeted with Russian military music and cheering crowds waving Russian and North Korean flags. His face was plastered across banners decorating the city streets, the images underscoring how isolated Russia has become on the world stage, as Putin courts the alliance of a pariah state. Kim said Moscow and Pyongyang’s “fiery friendship” had become closer than ever before, with the two states signing a defence pact that includes a vow of mutual aid if either country is attacked.()

Even though Kim and Putin say there is nothing to see here – it’s just old friends and neighbours catching up – the burgeoning alliance has sparked concern from western countries, particularly the US, about military cooperation between the two. There have been many credible reports that North Korea is providing Russia with much-needed ammunition for the war in Ukraine, in the hope of gaining economic assistance and technological secrets.()

The rare summit comes at a time when tensions between South Korea and North Korea are high. For today’s newsletter I spoke with the Guardian’s Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, about the latest steps towards a closer alliance between North Korea and Russia, and the material and geopolitical benefits they seek to gain. That’s right after the headlines.

Five big stories

1. General election 2024 | One of Rishi Sunak’s close protection officers has been arrested over alleged bets about the timing of the election. The officer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the Metropolitan police said in a statement.()

2. Prisons | Prison governors have been warned that jails will be so overcrowded by the second week of July that they will struggle to accept any more inmates, plunging an incoming government into an immediate crisis.

3. Saudi Arabia | Friends and family of missing hajj pilgrims have been searching hospitals after at least 550 died as temperatures reached 51.8C in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.(

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4. Espionage | A leading businesswoman who is married to the policing minister, Chris Philp, has been reported to the Crown Prosecution Service and is being sued in the high court over allegations of corporate espionage. Elizabeth Philp is accused of data-handling offences and unlawfully using confidential information.

5. Stonehenge | Two people have been arrested after Just Stop Oil activists sprayed orange powder paint over Stonehenge. Rishi Sunak condemned the action, saying: “This is a disgraceful act of vandalism to one of the UK’s and the world’s oldest and most important monuments.”( )

In depth: ‘It’s striking to see Putin now going to Pyongyang

For a long time, UN and US sanctions restrained Russia from deepening ties with North Korea. Putin did not want to be locked out of the international economy by violating these rules.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed everything. Russia is now one of the most sanctioned economies in the world. “They don’t have access to international banking markets, they don’t have direct flights to much of the world, companies have stepped in to cut ordinary Russian citizens off from using their bank cards in Europe or elsewhere around the world,” Andrew says. All of a sudden, there was a lot less to lose from working with North Korea. In the context of both countries remaining heavily sanctioned states, fostering a long-term partnership with Kim makes a lot of strategic sense.( )

It may seem like summits and pacts like this happen all the time among world leaders, but this is likely more than a political spectacle, Andrew says. “I think that Russia does think formalistically and legalistically sometimes and, to them, this is Moscow saying that alliance is going to be a longer-term relationship between the two countries on a military and security level.”

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Mutual distrust and dysfunction

Underlying all this, the driving force behind the closer ties between Russia and North Korea is “need and desperation” Andrew says, with a healthy dose of mutual distrust of the US. North Korea is one of the world’s most isolated and impoverished countries and the pandemic has only exacerbated its position. Human Rights Watch has said that cross-border movement of people, formal and informal commercial trade, and humanitarian aid have nearly completely stopped since 2020. 90% of North Korea’s trade is with China, so Kim is desperate for another trading partner like Russia to alleviate significant pressure for a country where basic necessities are scarce. According to reports from South Korea, North Korea has already received food and energy to address shortages.( )

Aside from trade, Kim wants advanced military technology, satellite wares, nuclear submarine technology, and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) from Russia. North Korea has struggled over the years to get spy satellites into orbit. Andrew was invited to North Korea over a decade ago as part of a group of foreign press for the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-sung’s birth and to report on a satellite launch, which ultimately failed. “North Korea do not have a super successful history of getting these things up into space,” he says. “Russia can help them a lot with high-end military and spy technology that they couldn’t have imagined before because of sanctions.”

On the surface, it is not immediately clear what use such a small and poor state like North Korea is to Russia but it does have one thing the Kremlin really needs: munitions.( )

The war in Ukraine is an “artillery war and the North Koreans have an enormous stockpile of Soviet-era artillery shells,” Andrew says. According to South Korea, North Korea has sent containers that hold up to 5m shells to the Russian military, which has given Moscow time to ramp up domestic production. For context the EU promised Ukraine 1m shells between March 2023 and March 2024 – in the end they only managed to send half.

“Very often the question of whether or not either side can advance is determined by how many shells they can fire per hour to either push the other side back or to prevent them from advancing,” Andrew adds. Russia has had a competitive edge over Ukraine because, for a period of time, Kyiv was very short on ammunition. The Kremlin will probably not rely on North Korean weapons in the medium to long term, but it does provide a highly effective stopgap in the meantime.( )

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International concern

The US has been the most vocal in expressing its concern and alarm at the growing closeness between Kim and Putin. North Korea has a nuclear weapons programme, and though it is unlikely that Putin wants to help Kim develop a more robust nuclear supply, the threat is always there – especially as Russia has been providing political cover for Kim’s desire to advance his nuclear arsenal by blocking UN sanctions on North Korea over its weapons tests. Andrew says China is also keeping an eye on the budding alliance as it wants to “maximise control over the relationship with North Korea, and Russia building closer ties with North Korea undermines that control”.( )

The other glaring issue is that this alliance could weaken the effectiveness of future sanctions as a restraint, if sanctioned countries have the option to join new alliances that in turn could help to prop them up.( )

Although Putin is a political outcast on the world stage, it should be remembered this was not always the case. “This is a man who was in the G8, he was at the UN general assembly, and has had lots of high-level meetings with various western leaders,” Andrew says. “It’s quite striking to see Putin now going to Pyongyang to secure military aid for the war in Ukraine. This summit is quite symbolic.”

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One of America’s most conservative congressmen was locked in a tight renomination battle against an opponent endorsed by former President Donald Trump in Virginia’s primary election Tuesday.(

Rep. Bob Good, who chairs the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, is seeking a third term representing Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, but state Sen. John McGuire has mounted a strong challenge that highlights frictions in the party.

Ballots remained to be counted, and the close margin made the race too early to call. Virginia observes the Juneteenth holiday and isn’t expected to count votes Wednesday as a result. McGuire led Good by 327 votes, or 0.52 percentage points, out of 62,495 ballots counted as of 12 a.m. Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Democrats in northern and central Virginia chose nominees to replace popular incumbents who aren’t seeking reelection. In House District 7, Eugene Vindman won a crowded Democratic primary to try to hold the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor in 2025, while Republicans chose Derrick Anderson.

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And in House District 10, voters chose Suhas Subramanyam from a field of 12 Democrats to try to hold the seat held by U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, who is not seeking reelection to her northern Virginia seat after being diagnosed with a rare, incurable neurological illness. Republican voters nominated Mike Clancy for that seat.

Statewide, voters selected Hung Cao as the Republican nominee to the U.S. Senate to take on Democrat Tim Kaine.

Here’s a look at the major battles on the ballot:

House District 5

Conventional politics might suggest a congressman with the conservative credentials of Good would be safe in a primary. But he earned the wrath of Trump when he endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president. He switched back to Trump after DeSantis dropped out, but Trump is endorsing McGuire and portraying Good as a backstabber.()

Trump continued to bash Good as he campaigned for McGuire in a telephone rally Monday night.

"Unlike Bob Good, John McGuire will not let you down," Trump said, adding that McGuire is "strong on the border" and "will always defend your under-siege Second Amendment."

Good says he considers Trump the best president in his lifetime and only endorsed DeSantis because Trump is constitutionally limited to only one more term.

McGuire, for his part, claimed victory late Tuesday and thanked Trump for "believing in me." No winner has been called by The Associated Press.( )

"There are still a few votes left to count, but it’s clear that all paths end with a victory," McGuire said in a written statement.

Good, meanwhile, posted a statement on social media saying his campaign "implemented the best early voting operation that the 5th District has ever seen."

"We are still waiting for the results of mail-in ballots and provisional ballots," he said. "We are doing what we can to ensure we have teams of observers and legal counsel to ensure all the votes are properly counted in the coming days."

Good also alienated Republican insiders by voting to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, throwing the party into a measure of chaos.

Seeking to capitalize is McGuire, a state legislator and former Navy SEAL who has echoed Trump’s attacks on Good, calling him a "never Trumper."( )

Good has bashed McGuire as a serial campaigner who announced his congressional bid just one week after winning election to a four-year term in the state Senate.

If Good loses, he would be the first House incumbent to go down to a primary challenge this year, with the exception of one race in which two incumbents faced off due to redistricting.

The winner will face Democrat Gloria Tinsley Witt, who defeated Gary Terry and Paul Riley.( )

The 5th Congressional District stretches from Charlottesville in the north, past the far western suburbs of Richmond, through Lynchburg and down to Danville and the North Carolina border.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Tuesday morning that the city will hold a rolling rally parade on Friday at 11 a.m. to celebrate the Boston Celtics' 18th NBA Championship. ()

During the parade, the mayor's office said Celtics players will celebrate on Boston's famous duck boats, which has been the tradition in the city for past championship teams.

The parade will begin in front of TD Garden on Causeway Street, passing by City Hall Plaza and the Boston Common on Tremont Street and ending on Boylston Street by the Hynes Convention Center.(

The city will hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to share additional event details, including safety measures to make the parade a family-friendly celebration and preparations for the heat wave expected this week.

Wu spoke Monday about how the upcoming heat wave might factor in to any Celtics celebrations, and she said there were meetings going on Monday morning at City Hall, "to talk through what the projections are and what the forecasts are, if it is likely to be above a certain threshold of the heat index for multiple days at a time."()

Later Monday, Wu's office declared a heat emergency in Boston, triggering cooling centers and other measures to keep the population cool.

"It's also the last week of school in the Boston Public Schools, and so there's some half days, and we're thinking about how that affects students who might need a full day of support as well," Wu said. "So we'll have more to come probably very shortly on that front."()

The Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the franchise's 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history. It was the first time they'd won the NBA title since 2008 and marks the 13th championship won this century by one of Boston's Big 4 professional sports franchises.( More)

Post-fight quotes from David Benavidez

Endangered wild horses have returned to the Golden Steppe of Kazakhstan for the first time in at least 200 years after decades-long efforts.

The airlifts of seven Przewalski's Horses from Europe to the Central Asian country took place in early June in an operation run by Prague Zoo.

Researchers told the BBC that the horses are already doing well two weeks in: roaming around the plains and even beginning the mating process.()

Zoo officials say it's a triumph of generations of conservation work.

"This is an endangered species returning to their ancestral lands, a species which went extinct in the wild in the 1960s, last seen in Mongolia...so it's just marvellous... a miracle," said Filip Mašek, a spokesman for Prague Zoo.

While the horses have been slowly reintroduced to Mongolia and China in recent decades, this operation marks the first time they are back in Kazakhstan.()

The Przewalski's Horse is the last wild horse species on the planet, named after Russian explorer Nikolai Przewalski who was the first to identify the horse for the European science community.

The species originated millennia ago from the steppes of Central Asia and was taken by researchers to Europe and North America in the 19th and 20th Centuries, where populations were established in zoos.

Some of them ended up in zoos in Munich and Prague - it's their descendants that have now been reintroduced in Kazakhstan.(

Cultural artefacts show people in the country's north were riding and using the horses for food at least 2,000 years before records of domesticated horses in Europe.

But by the time of Przewalski's "discovery" in 1879, the horses could only be found in a small section of western Mongolia. Competition with humans and livestock, along with changes in the environment led to them dying out.

Recognising the threat, international efforts were made after World War Two to save the animals. Prague Zoo was entrusted with the "international studship" of the breed.( )

It introduced the first contingent back into Kazakhstan last week- a group consisting of one stallion and six mares. It aims to bring in at least 40 more over the next five years.

"This is an event of historical import," said the zoo's director Miroslav Bobek in a statement.

"The seven horses that we transported here by two Czech Army planes represent the first individuals of this species in central Kazakhstan in hundreds of years."

Przewalski's horse has long been considered the one true remaining wild horse species- as species such as the American mustang and Australian brumby are feral horses descended from domesticated animals.( )

The Przewalski's horse is shorter and stockier than modern domesticated horses and their genetic differences show that neither species are ancestors of the other.

Prague Zoo, which has spent the past decade and a half introducing the horses back to Central Asia, mainly in Mongolia, said the Kazakhstan operations had been in the plans since 2022 after signing a deal with the local government.

Last week saw the culmination of years of work. Prague Zoo selected horses from different programmes around Europe and put them together in the same zoo in Berlin - Tierpark Berlin - for several months to become acquainted before their journey.( )

That then kicked off in early June, with military 

Przewalski's horse has long been considered the one true remaining wild horse species- as species such as the American mustang and Australian brumby are feral horses descended from domesticated animals.( )

The Przewalski's horse is shorter and stockier than modern domesticated horses and their genetic differences show that neither species are ancestors of the other.

Prague Zoo, which has spent the past decade and a half introducing the horses back to Central Asia, mainly in Mongolia, said the Kazakhstan operations had been in the plans since 2022 after signing a deal with the local government.( )

Last week saw the culmination of years of work. Prague Zoo selected horses from different programmes around Europe and put them together in the same zoo in Berlin - Tierpark Berlin - for several months to become acquainted before their journey.

That then kicked off in early June, with military aeroplanes flying the standing horses in two groups on a 6,000km-route that included stopovers in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

(READ MORE)