World

Ukraine war poised to take centre stage at tense EU-China summit

Published

2 years ago

April 1, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is about to take centre stage throughout a digital high-level assembly between EU and Chinese language leaders on Friday, that comes on the heels of months of strained relations.

Brussels is bent on pushing Beijing to keep up a hands-off, equidistant strategy within the battle, fearing any type of intervention may supply the Kremlin a much-needed enhance to re-energise its stalled navy marketing campaign.

China is underneath intense scrutiny by the worldwide neighborhood for its intentionally ambiguous position within the conflict, which has now entered its second month with no decision in sight.

On the one hand, Beijing has expressed help for Ukraine’s independence, referred to as for “most restraint” and even supplied assist to safe a ceasefire.

However alternatively, it has criticised Western sanctions in opposition to Russia, denounced NATO for its “Chilly Struggle mentality” and abstained on a United Nations decision that condemned the invasion.

United States officers have warned China is prepared to offer Moscow with financial and monetary help to climate the fallout of the hard-hitting sanctions and can also be considering sending navy assist.

China has vigorously denied the accusations. Brussels says it has thus far not seen any indication of navy help.

However an encounter on Wednesday between the Chinese language and Russian international affairs ministers, Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov, despatched a robust sign the 2 nations are standing collectively.

“Each side are extra decided to develop bilateral ties, and are extra assured in selling cooperation in varied fields,” Wang mentioned whereas internet hosting his counterpart for a two-day assembly centered on Afghanistan.

“China is prepared to work with Russia to take China-Russian ties to a better stage in a brand new period underneath the steering of the consensus reached by the heads of state.”

In a current column revealed on Euronews, a prime Chinese language official struck a extra conciliatory tone, calling for the restoration of peace “at an early date.”

“China and Europe have been victims of wars and beneficiaries of peace and stability. The present scenario in Ukraine is one thing China doesn’t wish to see,” wrote Wang Hongjian, Chargé d’Affaires on the Chinese language mission to the EU.

EU leaders will attempt to decipher the combined messages and demand China keep clear from interfering within the battle and lending Moscow a serving to hand, a situation that will mark a turning level within the conflict’s evolution.

Beijing has been a vocal defender of worldwide rules of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interreference in home affairs, all of which Russia is presently violating.

“China has been enjoying a balancing act, retaining a place that fits its personal pursuits,” mentioned a EU official talking on situation of anonymity, calling the Ukraine problem “the million greenback query”.

The EU’s precedence will likely be to make sure Beijing’s ambiguity doesn’t flip into “overt help” for Russia that permits a circumvention of Western sanctions or props up the broken financial system.

Brussels believes that China, on account of its worthwhile commerce relations with the EU and the US, stands to lose out from a possible intervention in Moscow’s favour, whose financial ties are negligible compared.

“China has a selected duty as a everlasting member of the the UN Safety Council,” the official famous. “It has to understand the conflict doesn’t concern solely Europe however is a hazard to the whole rules-based world order and has an influence on the worldwide financial system.”

The EU entrance will likely be represented by European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and Excessive Consultant Josep Borrell.

Within the morning, they’ll maintain talks with China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang and later trade views with China’s President Xi Jinping within the early afternoon.

The encounter will likely be solely digital and can prolong over 5 hours on Friday.

A more and more fraught relation

The twenty third EU-China summit had been scheduled earlier than Vladimir Putin ordered the brutal invasion and without end modified the continent’s geopolitics. The assembly was initially organised to handle the good vary of tensions which have plagued the relations between the 2 sides lately.

Chief amongst them, accusations of financial coercion in opposition to Lithuania. The Baltic state claims China is punishing the nation for permitting Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing sees as a breakaway province, to open a de-facto embassy in Vilnius.

The European Fee has collected proof that means China is refusing to clear Lithuanian items by way of its customs system, rejecting import functions and pressuring EU corporations to take away Lithuania-made element from their provide chains.

China has denied such systematic coverage exists, however the justification has not been sufficient for the chief, which earlier this yr determined to open a authorized case earlier than the World Commerce Group (WTO).

The Lithuania row solely served to worsen the state of bilateral relations, already badly hit since March 2021.

In that fateful month, the EU, in coordination with worldwide allies, imposed a restricted set of sanctions on 4 Chinese language officers and one entity believed to be concerned within the human rights violations in opposition to the Uyghur Muslin minority.

The West has repeatedly mentioned that severe abuses, comparable to mass arbitrary detention, torture and compelled political indoctrination, are going down in focus camps situated within the Xingjian autonomous area.

China lashed out in opposition to the allies, calling the fees “nothing however lies and disinformation.” In a tit-for-tat response, Beijing sanctioned ten European people and 4 entities, together with 5 Members of the European Parliament.

The retaliation in opposition to democratically-elected representatives shocked Europeans and prompted a sudden rethink of EU-China relations. A parliamentary decision referred to as the transfer “an assault in opposition to the European Union and its Parliament as a complete.”

In that very same textual content, MEPs voted to freeze a controversial funding deal that had been agreed in precept in December 2020 and was meant to extend entry for EU buyers and firms doing enterprise in China, a notoriously airtight market.

The settlement, which President von der Leyen as soon as described as an “essential landmark,” stays wedged in an deadlock as Beijing refuses to raise the sanctions in opposition to the lawmakers.

Commerce obstacles, Taiwan, territorial disputes within the South China Sea and human rights are all anticipated to be mentioned throughout Friday’s summit. Local weather change, digital regulation and the post-coronavirus financial restoration, much less controversial points the place compromise is simpler to search out, will even function on the agenda.

EU officers anticipate a “frank” dialogue to handle the a number of factors the place the 2 sides diverge in an “trustworthy, open and constructive” method.

However, the darkish cloud of the Ukraine conflict is about to solid an extended shadow over the whole assembly, probably tainting all the opposite matters of dialog.

“I do not see – with out overcoming this level – how one can transfer or are you able to progress on different points,” Ricardo Borges de Castro, affiliate director on the European Coverage Centre, informed Euronews.

“This battle, and the truth that we’re on completely different sides, may contaminate to different issues that the EU and China relationship have had over the previous two, three years. And, truly, my evaluation is that we’re on a destructive downward pattern in relationships between the EU and China.”

Notably, the summit won’t produce a joint assertion, which is the frequent final result of high-level summits of this type. This absence displays the assembly is neither “routine” nor “enterprise as typical,” officers mentioned.

“The large lesson from the present conflict is that having enterprise and dependencies on nations that do not share your values can have an enormous value. The lesson that many Europeans may [draw] is that we’d must rethink {our relationships} with China and even possibly query this concept of of China being a companion, a competitor and a rival,” Borges de Castro mentioned.

“This isn’t solely a watershed second for Europe, however is a watershed second for EU-China relations.”

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World

‘SNL’ Cold Open Riffs on Trump Trial and His VP Picks

Published

1 hour ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

‘SNL’ Cold Open Riffs on Trump Trial and His VP Picks

The 49^th season finale of “Saturday Night Live” opened with James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump speaking at the barricades of a Manhattan courthouse, in a nod to Trump’s ongoing legal woes amid his presidential campaign.

During the sketch, Johnson as Trump spoke about his “weird and depressing” state at the courthouse, saying, “I don’t like being in court because they say very mean things about me as I’m trying to sleep.” (It was reported that Trump fell asleep in court during proceedings.) He goes on to say, “Now that my defense is supposed to begin on Monday, I would love to testify; I’m not afraid to testify at all, I’m just not going to out of fear.”

He continues to say how he doesn’t want to go back to the White House, “But it appears people want to send me there.” Johnson’s Trump pokes fun at Trump’s rigged election claims, too. “For me, it’s much better for me to not win and say it was rigged.”

Making fun of Trump’s sexist comments about women (and how he once said Heidi Klum is “no longer a 10”), Johnson, as Trump says of a juror at his trial, “They call her juror 9, but to me, she’s like a six, baby.”

Johnson’s Trump then introduced three of his potential VP candidates. “We love to say ‘VP’, like ‘Veep’ with Elaine from ‘Seinfeld.’ She can’t dance!” He says he won’t announce his VP just yet. “In many ways, it will be determined by the winner of the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight.” Trump says he’s invited a few people from “my short bus––I mean my shortlist.”

He brings out South Carolina Governor Tim Scott (played by Devon Walker). “I’m here to help Trump win the Black vote,” he says. Trump adds, “I’m more popular than you among the Blacks, which is really saying something.” Walker, as Scott says, “Black people have called my support humiliating, but trust me, I am my own man!”

Trump then brings out South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (played by Heidi Gardner), wearing a red MAGA hat, holding a stuffed dog, and pointing a fake gun at the dog (a reference to her shooting a dog). “She shot a dog, which you really can’t do…but on the other hand, she shot a dog, which is pretty awesome.” Gardner, as Noem chimes in and says, “I kill goats, too!”

Finally, he wheels out his final VP pick, “The late great Hannibal Lecter!” Trump says, as Mikey Day as Hannibal Lecter is wheeled out in an orange jumpsuit and wearing the famous mask. “I think he’d really scare everybody at the border. “Get him out of here, he’s giving me Pence vibes,” says Trump, as Hannibal Lecter is then wheeled away.

Trump says it’s going to be “the summer of Trump. You’re gonna get that Trump espresso,” he sings in a reference to a Sabrina Carpenter song. Johnson, as Trump says he’ll be selling more Trump Bibles as well, along with a “Trump Torah.”

Trump finishes the cold open shouting, “In the words of my mentor, the late great Hannibal Lecter, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

This week’s “SNL” host is actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and Sabrina Carpenter stars as the week’s musical guest.

Watch the sketch below:

World

Blue flash caught in night sky over Spain, Portugal lights up social media

Published

2 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Blue flash caught in night sky over Spain, Portugal lights up social media

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It’s a bird… it’s a plane… it’s a blue meteor? Fireball? Piece of a comet?

Whatever it was, it lit up the night sky for millions of people early Sunday morning in Spain and Portugal. Social media users took stunning pictures and videos for all to revel in the natural science phenomenon.

The spectacular sight crossed the night sky at 12:46 a.m., according to CCTV footage released by the mayor’s office in Cádiz.

The European Space Agency (ESA) Operations says the “blue meteor” everyone is referring to was actually “a small piece of a comet” that flew over the European countries at the speed of 45 kilometers a second, which is equivalent to almost 28 miles.

MERGER OF MASSIVE BLACK HOLES FROM EARLY UNIVERSE UNCOVERED BY WEBB TELESCOPE, SCIENTISTS SAY

It burned up over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of 60 kilometers, or more than 37 miles above the surface.

“The likelihood of any meteorites being found is very low,” ESA Operations tweeted after the agency’s Planetary Defence Office analyzed the size and trajectory of the object.

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER LARGE, ‘COTTON CANDY-LIKE’ PLANET WITH UNUSUALLY LOW DENSITY

The night sky in Cadiz, Spain, prior to the fireball’s appearance. (Ayuntamiento de Cadiz via Storyful)

Cadiz mayor's office camera captures fireball

The moment the blue fireball first appeared on the camera rolling at the Cadiz mayor’s office. (Ayuntamiento de Cadiz via Storyful)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration explains the color was likely due to magnesium, and that “meteor color depends on whether the metal atom emissions or the air plasma emissions dominate.”

The blue fireball lit up Spain’s sky early in the morning May 19, 2024. (Ayuntamiento de Cadiz via Storyful)

“Short-period comets, also known as periodic comets, originate from a disk-shaped band of icy objects known as the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune’s orbit, with gravitational interactions with the outer planets dragging these bodies inward, where they become active comets,” Space.com states.

Many on social media referred to what they witnessed as a “once in a lifetime sight,” according to news.com.au, with at least one joking, “That’s no meteor, that’s Optimus Prime.”

Fox News’ Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.

World

How is Azerbaijan involved with France and New Caledonia?

Published

3 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

How is Azerbaijan involved with France and New Caledonia?

France has accused Azerbaijan of meddling in its Pacific territory, New Caledonia, by supporting independence movements and spreading disinformation, amid broader geopolitical tensions.

France has accused Azerbaijan of meddling in its Pacific archipelago territory of New Caledonia.

Despite the vast geographical and cultural distance between the Caspian state and the French Pacific territory, this claim is rooted in a complex web of historical, political, and diplomatic tensions.

The Crisis in New Caledonia

New Caledonia, located between Australia and Fiji, is a French territory with a history of striving for independence.

The recent unrest in New Caledonia was ignited by a new electoral law perceived by the indigenous Kanak population as discriminatory.

This law allows people who have lived in New Caledonia for at least ten years the right to vote in local elections, which pro-independence supporters argue will dilute the Kanak vote.

France’s Accusations

France’s Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, has publicly stated that Azerbaijan, along with China and Russia, is interfering in New Caledonia’s internal matters. “This isn’t a fantasy. It’s a reality,” Darmanin told the France 2 TV channel, emphasizing the seriousness of the allegations.

The French government points to the sudden appearance of Azerbaijani flags at Kanak independence protests and the backing of separatists by groups linked to Baku.

Azerbaijan has vehemently denied any involvement, calling the accusations baseless. “We completely reject the baseless accusations,” said Ayhan Hajizadeh, a spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry. “We refute any connection between the leaders of the struggle for freedom in Caledonia and Azerbaijan.”

A significant element in this story is the Baku Initiative Group, established during a conference in July 2023 in Azerbaijan. This group, which includes participants from various French territories seeking independence, aims to support anti-colonial movements against France.

The group has expressed solidarity with the Kanak people and condemned the recent electoral reforms in New Caledonia. “We stand in solidarity with our Kanak friends and support their fair struggle,” the Baku Initiative Group stated.

Why are France and Azerbaijan clashing diplomatically?

The tensions between France and Azerbaijan extend beyond New Caledonia. France is a traditional ally of Armenia, Azerbaijan’s historical rival, particularly regarding the contentious Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Following the 2020 war and a subsequent 2023 offensive by Azerbaijan to reclaim control of Nagorno-Karabakh, France has openly supported Armenia.

This support includes defence agreements and military equipment supplies, fuelling further animosity from Azerbaijan. Darmanin referred to Azerbaijan as a “dictatorship,” highlighting the deep-seated distrust.

France has also accused Azerbaijan of engaging in disinformation campaigns to destabilise its territories. Pro-Azerbaijani social media accounts have been linked to the spread of misleading content about the French police’s actions in New Caledonia.

A French government source mentioned a “pretty massive campaign, with around 4,000 posts generated by (these) accounts,” aimed at inciting violence and mistrust.

This follows France recalling its ambassador to Azerbaijan in April, with President Macron expressing regret for Azerbaijan’s actions, along with his hope that the Azerbaijanis would clarify their intentions.

Why New Caledonia?

While Azerbaijan’s direct interest in New Caledonia might seem far-fetched, it fits into a broader strategy of challenging the French colonial legacy and supporting separatist movements.

By aligning with anti-colonial sentiments, Azerbaijan aims to position itself as a champion of liberation movements, simultaneously discrediting France on the international stage.

This effort is seen as part of a broader geopolitical manoeuvering, including Azerbaijan’s efforts to tarnish France’s image, as noted by its alleged disinformation campaign against France’s capability to host the Olympic Games.

The heightened tensions have had further repercussions. The French Sports Minister cancelled the Olympic flame’s journey through New Caledonia, for security reasons, but also an action that reflects the severity of the unrest and the accusations of foreign interference.

The involvement of Azerbaijan in New Caledonia’s unrest is a multifaceted issue rooted in broader geopolitical rivalries and historical grievances.

For Azerbaijan, supporting independence movements in French territories is a way to strike back at France for its support of Armenia and to bolster its own international standing.

For France, these actions represent a direct challenge to its sovereignty and stability in its overseas territories, prompting strong accusations and heightened tensions between Paris and Baku.