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BEIJING:
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he was counting on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to “bring Russia to its senses” over its war in Ukraine.
The French president, who arrived on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, has made clear he is seeking to dissuade China from supporting Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
“I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table,” the French head of state told Xi during a bilateral meeting in Beijing.
And in a joint statement following those talks, the two leaders reaffirmed their call for peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow “as soon as possible.”
The two sides also reaffirmed their opposition to the use of nuclear weapons during the conflict.
To coincide with their meeting, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV released a report in which Xi hailed China’s “positive and steady” ties with France as the world undergoes “profound historical changes.”
Macron has said during his trip that Beijing can play a “major role” in finding a path to peace in the conflict and welcomed China’s “willingness to commit to a resolution.”
His visit to China — his first since 2019 — comes as Western pressure mounts on Beijing to help push for peace in Ukraine.
Though Beijing is officially neutral, Xi has never condemned the Russian invasion.
While he recently went to Moscow to reaffirm his alliance with Vladimir Putin — framed as an anti-Western front — Xi has not spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Macron, who is accompanied on his visit by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, said he wants to “be a voice that unites Europe” over Ukraine, and that coming to China with her serves to “underline the consistency of this approach.”
In a Thursday morning meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People, Macron stressed the importance of dialogue between China and France “in these troubled times.”
“The ability to share a common analysis and build a common path is essential,” he said.
And in a separate meeting with Li, von der Leyen told the premier that relations between the EU and China had grown “complex in recent years.”
“It is important that we discuss all aspects of this relationship together today,” she said, especially in the current “volatile geopolitical environment.”
Following Macron’s talks with Xi, the pair will give statements to the press, followed by a meeting with von der Leyen and then a state dinner.
Macron will travel to Guangzhou in southern China to meet students on Friday, taking with him a broad delegation of top politicians, business leaders and even celebrities, including composer Jean-Michel Jarre.
LONDON: The UK capital is preparing to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III on May 6 with a range of events, including in Carnaby, London’s fashion and dining destination.
In the district’s Kings Court, more than 25 dining experiences are on offer for those celebrating the coronation, including Syrian, Korean and Indian cuisine.
Carnaby Street will host a 3D Union Flag shimmer disc, as well as an illuminated crown in the lead-up to May 6.
Nearby, shops in Marylebone Village are offering special product selections to mark the occasion, including Union Jack chocolates, “King’s Blue” English cheese and zero-waste drinks celebrating the monarch’s promotion of environmentalism.
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane, one of London’s most iconic buildings and the only theater in the world still operating under royal charter, has been visited by every reigning British monarch since 1663.
The theater is celebrating the coronation by hosting tours, afternoon teas and special performances.
Its restored Grand Saloon, which features chandeliers and a fine art collection, will host the set of afternoon teas from April 19 to May 10.
A coronation selection will include scones and jam, cakes, tea by the Rare Tea Co. and more. Guests can also take part in the theater tours to discover the site’s four-century history.
Meanwhile, American-inspired shop Hummingbird Bakery, one of the capital’s most popular locations for desserts and treats, is releasing a unique collection to mark the coronation.
The Hummingbird coronation collection includes hampers, vanilla Union Jack cakes, whiskey bundt cakes and more.
LONDON: A British Conservative MP accused of Islamophobia will face no action following an investigation.
Mark Spencer was accused of faith-based discrimination in 2020 by MP Nusrat Ghani, who said he had cited her “Muslimness” as a reason for her being axed as transport minister during a Cabinet reshuffle.
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on the advice of ethics adviser Laurie Magnus, said it was not possible to verify whether Spencer had made the comments.
In his report to Sunak, Magnus said: “Despite a review of considerable evidence, it has not been possible to draw a clear picture of what was discussed between Mr Spencer and Ms Ghani during two meetings which both agree took place on 4th and 23rd March 2020.
“These discussions are central to the allegations made. Ms Ghani and Mr Spencer have differing accounts of these meetings, with different recollections of what was said.
“Each has provided evidence (including some contemporaneous notes) to support their respective accounts, but given the differing evidence presented to me, I am not able to conclude with sufficient confidence what was or was not said at these two meetings.”
But Spencer was cautioned over “shortcomings” as a result of his response to Ghani’s allegations.
He “should have taken more care,” Magnus said, citing the MP’s use of Twitter to dismiss the accusations based on a claimed previous investigation.
Last year, Ghani said that during her departure as transport minister, she was held to a “higher threshold of loyalty” because of her background and faith, and that Spencer’s alleged comments “felt like being punched in the stomach.”
She added: “I felt humiliated and powerless. I was told that at the reshuffle meeting in Downing Street that ‘Muslimness’ was raised as an ‘issue,’ that my ‘Muslim women minister’ status was making colleagues uncomfortable and that there were concerns that I wasn’t loyal to the party as I didn’t do enough to defend the party against Islamophobia allegations.
“When I challenged whether this was in any way acceptable and made clear there was little I could do about my identity, I had to listen to a monologue on how hard it was to define when people are being racist and that the party doesn’t have a problem and I needed to do more to defend it.”
ATHENS: Greece has pledged military assistance to Ukraine for “as long as it takes” but officials cautioned that the country needs to keep much of its Russian-made weaponry for its own defensive needs.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov visited Athens Thursday as part of regular meetings with officials from NATO countries. He was promised more artillery and small arms ammunition shipments, access to Greek hospitals for wounded military personnel and additional Soviet-era BMP infantry fighting vehicles.
Greece “will provide every support to Ukraine at this very important, crucial stage of the war,” Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said during a joint appearance with Reznikov. “We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes — that’s a very clear position that we have taken from the outset.”
Military officials said Greece has also provided trainers for Ukraine’s special forces and tank operators, as a contribution to the massive military assistance effort led by the United States and its allies.
Russia, which had traditionally close ties with Greece before the war in Ukraine, for decades had been a supplier of arms to the NATO member, including the S-300 air defense missile system. Moscow has singled out Athens for criticism over its support for Ukraine.
Panagiotopoulos, speaking in Parliament on the eve of Reznikov’s visit, said Greece would not provide any military assistance that could compromise its own defense, and stressed that major arms procurement plans remain unchanged despite a recent thaw in tension with neighbor and fellow NATO member Turkiye.
German-made Leopard tanks, the minister said, could not be provided.
“The rumors are running rampant: That we will send fighter jets, and S-300s, and this and that. For goodness’ sake,” he told lawmakers. “We give what we can give, but nothing that would weaken in the slightest our own defense capabilities given our own national security challenges.”
Reznikov said Greece had offered assistance to Ukraine to better integrate its navy with NATO.
“After this war, after the victory of Ukraine in this war, together with our partners we will continue to develop our defense capability,” Reznikov said.
KYIV: Ukraine launched a mobile application on Thursday to help find children who have disappeared during more than 13 months of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the National Police said.
Kyiv estimates 19,544 children have been deported to Russia during the invasion, with only 328 of them returned. Moscow, which controls chunks of Ukraine’s east and south, denies abducting children and says they were taken for their safety.
Ukraine has joined forces with US tech company Find My Parent to develop the app “Reunite Ukraine” that would help reconnect families separated during the conflict, said Oleksander Fatsevych, deputy head of the National Police.
“It is one of the instruments to find children and reunite them with the families,” he told an online briefing.
“If we find even one child in such a way or reunite one family, it will be already a victory, a small one, but with every step we will be able to return children home.”
The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine.
Moscow has not concealed a program under which it has brought thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia from occupied areas, but presents it as a humanitarian campaign to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.
The children’s commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, said this week that Russia had accepted more than 5 million refugees from Ukraine’s Donbas region, including 730,000 children with parents or legal guardians, since February 2022.
Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and has called the warrant null and void.
The app was free to download and easy to operate, Fatsevych said. It had multi-level identity security checks. Police would check and confirm personal profiles and act as an intermediary to enable communication via the app.
Fatsevych said the app would enable police to gather more data in a safe and secure way, including from people in Russia, Belarus or in occupied territories who wanted to help the Ukrainian children.