Issued on: 29/04/2024 – 19:10Modified: 29/04/2024 – 19:11

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The visit to France, which will be followed by trips to Serbia and Hungary, marks the Chinese leader’s first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.

“This visit takes place on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and follows on from the president’s visit to Beijing and Guangzhou in April, 2023”, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement.

“Exchanges will focus on international crises, first and foremost the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, trade issues, scientific, cultural and sporting cooperation,” the Elysee palace added. 

According to the statement, Xi and Macron will also discuss “joint actions to tackle global challenges, in particular the climate emergency, the protection of biodiversity and the financial situation of the most vulnerable countries.”

“China looks forward to working with France to take this visit as an opportunity,” said Lin Jian, spokesman of China’s foreign ministry, also referring to Beijing’s readiness to “make new contributions to world peace, stability, development and progress.”

Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron will host Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan in Paris on May 6. On May 7, the two couples will travel to the southwestern department of Hautes-Pyrenees, where Macron travelled often as a child to see his grandmother.            

‘Continue to engage China’

France is preparing to host the Olympic Games this summer, and Macron has said he will do “everything possible” to have an Olympic truce during the Games. 

The truce is a historic tradition that peace reigns during the Olympics.

Macron has said he will ask the Chinese president to help him in that aim when he visits Paris.

Macron has been seeking to dissuade China from supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. In 2023, the French president called on Xi to “bring Russia to its senses” over Ukraine and urged him not to deliver weapons to Moscow. 

But despite Western pressure, cooperation between China and Russia has only grown since the invasion of Ukraine.

“We must continue to engage China, which is objectively the international player with the greatest leverage to change Moscow’s mind”, said a French diplomatic source, while acknowledging that no immediate breakthrough should be expected.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he plans to visit China in May, his first planned trip abroad since re-election in March.

The West has viewed Russia and China with increased anxiety over the past two years as they boost military co-operation and seek to expand their global influence.

Beijing, which says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.

In mid-April, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Xi to press Russia to end its “senseless” war in Ukraine.

And last week, top US diplomat Antony Blinken urged China to curb support for Russia as he met with Xi for talks.

‘Eastern opening’

After visiting France, Xi is due to visit Serbia and Hungary. He will stop in Hungary on May 8-10, the central European country’s government announced last week.

Despite its small size, Hungary has attracted a flood of major Chinese projects in recent years, mostly related to battery and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing.

The Hungarian government boasted about having around 15 billion euros worth of ongoing projects originating from the Asian country.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been championing an “Eastern opening” foreign policy since his return to power in 2010, seeking closer economic ties to China, Russia and other Asian countries.

Last October, the Hungarian premier was the sole EU leader to attend the summit for Xi’s flagship Belt and Road initiative in Beijing.

(AFP)

A British man vacationing in the Caribbean is in stable condition after he was attacked by a shark in Tobago on Friday morning.

The man, identified by the BBC as 64-year-old Peter Smith, was seriously injured in Turtle Beach waters near the Starfish hotel in Courland Bay, on the west side of the island.

When he was attacked by what local officials believe was a bull shark, Smith’s wife said two of their friends stayed in the water to “battle the shark” in an attempt to save Peter.

Jo Smith said her husband suffered “damage to his left arm and leg, puncture wounds to the abdomen and injuries to his right hand.”

He was brought to the island’s Scarborough General Hospital for treatment. According to Jo, Peter is “aware of what is happening and is able to communicate a little, although he is still under strong medication.”

Officials in Tobago also revealed Peter had some fingers severed during the attack, though they were reattached at the hospital.

The Tobago House of Assembly estimated the bull shark was 10 feet long (about three metres) and two feet wide (less than one metre).

The government closed seven beaches and a marine park in the area after the attack as a precautionary measure. Starfish’s water sports manager Orion Jakerov told local news outlet TTT Live no one saw the shark approach Peter in the “waist-deep” water.

“Even while the shark was around and doing the attack, the other people in the water were physically trying to fight off the shark,” he recounted.

The Tobago House of Assembly initially offered a TT$10,000 (about C$2,000) reward for the successful capture of the shark that attacked Peter. Chief Secretary Farley Augustine later retracted the reward.

Peter and Jo Smith were scheduled to leave Tobago and return to the U.K. on the day of the shark attack.

Bull sharks are highly territorial and are known to be aggressive towards humans, making them one of the most dangerous species of shark in the world. They are found in coastal waters all over the world and can survive in fresh water for long periods of time.

Shark attacks are rare. In 2023, the International Shark Attack File reported 69 unprovoked shark bites and 10 fatal unprovoked shark bites, an uptick compared with previous years. An additional 22 attacks last year were intentionally or unintentionally provoked.

According to the BBC, there have been only two recorded shark attacks as far south as Tobago in the last 20 years — and neither of those attacks occurred within 320 kilometres of the island itself.

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Great White Shark killed by lone Orca whale in first-ever instance caught-on-camera

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চাঁদপুরের মতলব উত্তর উপজেলায় আনারস প্রতীকের চেয়ারম্যান পদপ্রার্থী গাজী মুক্তার হোসেনের নির্বাচনী প্রচারণায় হামলার অভিযোগ উঠেছে। এতে চেয়ারম্যান প্রার্থীর গাড়িসহ ১২ গাড়ি ভাঙচুর ও ১৫ নেতাকর্মী আহত হয়েছেন বলে দাবি মুক্তার হোসেনের।

সোমবার (২৯ এপ্রিল) বিকেলে উপজেলার মোহনপুর ইউনিয়নের মুদাফর বাজারে (টেক্কা পোল বাজার) এ ঘটনা ঘটে।

স্থানীয়রা জানান, আনারস প্রতীকের চেয়ারম্যান প্রার্থী নেতাকর্মীদের নিয়ে টেক্কা পোল বাজারে ভোট চাইতে আসলে হঠাৎ করে একদল লোক লাঠিসোঁটা ও দেশীয় অস্ত্র নিয়ে হামলা চালায়। হামলাকারীরা আনারস প্রতীকের চেয়ারম্যান প্রার্থীর গাড়িসহ ১০-১২টি মোটরসাইকেল ও একটি সিএনজি ভাঙচুর করে। ঘটনার পরপরই মতলব থানা পুলিশ এসে পরিস্থিতি নিয়ন্ত্রণ করে।

আনারস প্রতীকের চেয়ারম্যান প্রার্থী গাজী মুক্তার হোসেন জানান, বিকেলে নির্বাচনী গণসংযোগে নেমে কয়েকটি ইউনিয়নে গণসংযোগ শেষে মোহনপুর ইউনিয়নের টেক্কা পোল বাজারে যান। সেখানে তার কর্মী-সমর্থকদের নিয়ে গণসংযোগ করেন। হঠাৎ করে ঘোড়া প্রতীকের সমর্থক সুভা চেয়ারম্যানের নেতৃত্বে একদল সন্ত্রাসী দেশীয় অস্ত্র নিয়ে তার ওপর হামলা করে। হামলায় আহত এক কর্মীর অবস্থা গুরুতর হওয়ায় চিকিৎসার জন্য তাকে ঢাকায় পাঠানো হয়েছে। বাকিদের মতলব উপজেলা স্বাস্থ্য কমপ্লেক্সে ভর্তি করা হয়েছে।

এ বিষয়ে মতলব উত্তর থানার ভারপ্রাপ্ত কর্মকর্তা (ওসি) শহীদ হোসেন জানান, হামলার খবর পেয়ে সঙ্গে সঙ্গে ঘটনাস্থলে পুলিশ পাঠানো হয়। পরিস্থিতি নিয়ন্ত্রণে আছে। এ ঘটনায় লিখিত অভিযোগ পেলে আইনগত ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া হবে।

তবে হামলার অভিযোগ অস্বীকার করেছেন কালাকান্দা ইউনিয়ন পরিষদের চেয়ারম্যান সোবহান সরকার সুভা। তিনি জানান ঘটনার সময় তিনি ঢাকায় ছিলেন।

শরীফুল ইসলাম/কেএসআর

CHINA is set to send a robot spaceship up into space to explore the chilling dark side of the moon in the coming days.

The three-part journey will see China’s extraordinary Chang’e-6 spacecraft embark on a mission to visit the moon’s surface and gather enough data to allow astronauts to return by 2030.

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Chinese scientists are also hoping they will continue to run away with the world’s space race by getting their team of expert space dwellers to build a moon base up there.

Sometime this week the Chang’e-6 is set to blast off and land on the untouched side of the moon that is permanently facing away from Earth.

The daring first mission will take 53 days and will be done completely through a relay satellite orbiting the moon.

Chang’e-6 is thought to be getting sent up to collect 2kg worth of rock and dirt samples from the surface of the moon.

The spacecraft will use an inbuilt mechanical scoop and drill.

Space expert and author Leonard David told Reuters: “If successful, China’s Chang’e-6 mission would be a milestone-making event.

“The robotic reach to the Moon’s far side, and bringing specimens back to Earth, helps fill in the blanks about the still-murky origin of our Moon.”

Just a few days ago, the communist regime launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station in a bid to push its ambitious space program.

The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China atop a Long March 2-F rocket.

So far, China has managed to lay out a timeline for the seismic exploration attempt starting with the initial mission this week.

They have hopes to deploy a Chang’e-7 in 2026 and a Chang’e-8 in 2028.

Both of these missions will be done to further explore the moon’s dark side and will use the satellite instead of being controlled by humans.

But by 2030, when China has managed to successfully pinpoint a potential water supply in space and built a rudimentary outpost with Russia they hope to have astronauts walking on the moon.

Something that hasn’t been replicated since Apollo 17 back in 1972.

Any signs of water are expected to be found on the moon’s south pole – a place described as the “golden belt” for lunar exploration by scientists.

However, the US and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are preparing their own mission to send humans to the moon even sooner.

They will be rocketing off in 2026, say the space specialists, under the Artemis programme where they will explore the South Pole.

The initial Chang’e expedition took place in 2007 with China battling against NASA ever since to find a way back up to the moon.

The spacecraft is set to carry payloads from France, Italy, Sweden, and Pakistan on board.

Chang’e-7 is preparing to launch with Russian, Swiss and Thai payloads as well.

It is believed to be landing on the northeastern side of the gigantic South Pole-Aitkin Basin – the oldest recognised crater in the solar system.

Every sample from the moon so far has been collected from the near side of the moon hence the desperation to be the first nation to embark over to the dark side.

CHINESE SPACE CONCERNS

NASA chief Bill Nelson has also been outspoken with his fears about China’s activities in space.

He warned China may be hiding secret military projects in space as they look to claim the entire moon as their own territory.

Bill said: “My concern would be if China got there first and said, ‘This is our territory, you stay out’.

“Obviously you don’t want to interfere with each other but don’t declare that this whole territory is suddenly yours.”

China has denied the accusations as purely scientific.

Under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, China has spent roughly £11.2billion on its ambitious space programme in 2023, according to Statista.

It comes as China is also preparing to bolster their space weapons by tripling its number of spy satellites in the next six years.

Experts warn the Communist regime could use them to support an invasion of Taiwan, with submarines firing missiles at targets that have been identified by the space tech.

In early March, scientists at the China National Space Administration revealed Chinese plans to build a Disneyland-sized lunar base with a CCTV system that’s powerful enough to see activity on Earth.

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New Delhi — Prajwal Revanna, a member of India’s parliament from the southern state of Karnataka, has left the country amid allegations that he sexually assaulted multiple women over the last few years and recorded the acts on his phone. Another politician, from an allied party, said he received a USB drive containing the videos, some of which have leaked online, and he’s accused Revanna of using them to blackmail women into continuing sexual relationships with him.

Revanna is the grandson of former Indian Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. He’s currently a Member of Parliament for the Janata Dal Secular Party (JDS), which is allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

Revanna is seeking reelection to his seat in the general elections that kicked off last week. India’s national election is taking place over about seven weeks, in phases, and is set to be the largest election ever held globally, with almost 1 billion eligible voters.

Some of the video clips of the alleged sexual assaults involving the 33-year-old politician first leaked online just days before the polls opened in Revanna’s constituency.

Revanna has denied the allegations and filed a police complaint alleging that the videos are manipulated. Soon after the videos leaked, two women appeared on local news outlet Power TV accusing Prajwal of sexual assault.

Separately, another woman, a 47-year-old who’s worked at the politician’s home, filed a police case alleging that she too had been sexually abused by Revanna multiple times between 2019 and 2022 — and once by his father HD Revanna.

The woman has also accused the younger politician of behaving inappropriately on a video call with her daughter, according to reports in Indian media. 

Karnataka police have registered a case against Revanna on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman, and the state government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the allegations.

Revanna has not been questioned or detained, however, as he reportedly left India soon after the leaked videos surfaced.

Prajwal’s father, who’s the leader of the JDS party and is also named in the police complaint, told journalists Monday that his son was traveling but would come back to India if and when required for the investigation.

The prime minister’s party has sought to distance itself from the controversy swirling around its political allies, but a local BJP leader, Devaraje Gowda, has reportedly issued the stunning claim that he warned BJP’s leaders in Karnataka state against aligning with JDS a year ago, after receiving a “pen drive” he said contained 2,976 explicit videos of women.

“We will be tainted as a party that aligned with the family of a rapist,” Gowda warned in a letter to BJP’s leader in the state, according to the report by India’s NDTV.

India’s main opposition party, called the Congress Party, held a protest in Bengaluru on Sunday and pointedly questioned the ruling BJP party’s decision to ally with JDS despite the apparent knowledge of the videos.

“Why did the PM campaign for and shared the stage with Prajwal Revanna despite knowing that Prajwal is the kingpin of the world’s biggest and murkiest sex abuse?” Congress leader Pawan Khera wrote in a social media post.