RENMIN RIBAO (CHINA): Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Sunday that he hopes China and France will light up their way forward with the torch of history, open a brighter future of China-France relations and make new contributions to world peace, stability and development. Xi made the remarks in a written speech upon his arrival here for a state visit to France. He said during the visit, he will have an in-depth exchange of views with French President Emmanuel Macron on growing China-France and China-Europe relations under the new circumstances as well as major international and regional issues in the world today. “I hope this visit will help cement our long-standing friendship, enhance political trust, build strategic consensus and deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields,” he said.
LE MONDE (FRANCE): Xi Jinping en France: l’Ukraine et les tensions commerciales au cœur des enjeux de la visite. Le président chinois, en visite d’Etat dans l’Hexagone les 6 et 7 mai avant un passage en Serbie et en Hongrie, veut pousser les Européens à prendre leurs distances avec les Etats-Unis. Xi Jinping ne s’est jamais rendu à Kiev et ne semble pas avoir l’intention de le faire. La guerre en Ukraine devrait néanmoins dominer la tournée que le président chinois s’apprête à faire en Europe, alors que le conflit s’enlise, vingt-six mois après l’invasion russe. Longtemps incertain, le programme du voyage a été âprement négocié : si l’Elysée reconnaît “ne pas être maître de l’agenda” de son hôte, Paris est satisfait de constituer la première étape de son voyage, ce qui affirme sa prééminence face à Belgrade et Budapest, à la fois proches de la Russie et ouverts à l’influence chinoise sur le continent.
VEDOMOSTI (RUSSIA): Си и Макрон попробуют расширить поле для сотрудничества за счет личного доверия. Макрон планирует, в частности, поднять темы торгового дисбаланса в пользу Китая на 15% и конфликта на Украине. Во Франции по-прежнему хотят, чтобы Пекин использовал свое влияние на Москву, для того чтобы она прекратила проведение специальной военной операции. Впрочем, такие попытки “обречены на провал”. В повестке также проблематика Ближнего Востока. Задача-минимум, о которой Макрон рассказал изданию La Tribune, – убедить Си поддержать олимпийское перемирие “для всех театров военных действий”. Председатель КНР же явно хочет добиться нормализации отношений с европейскими государствами. Со стороны Си существует потребность ослабить эскалацию напряженности, которая “угрожает разжечь торговую войну” между Китаем и ЕС, а также минимизировать ущерб для компаний из КНР.
LES ECHOS (FRANCE): L’appétit chinois pour les ports européens suscite des inquiétudes croissantes. Les entreprises chinoises sont présentes dans 14 grands ports européens. Dans une Allemagne tributaire de ses exportations, les ports illustrent la difficulté de concilier intérêt économique et protection des infrastructures critiques. Comment trouver la bonne distance avec la Chine ? Alors que le président Xi Jinping est en Europe à l'occasion d'une visite en France , puis en Serbie et en Hongrie, cette question hante les pays européens. Mises en concurrence par la Chine, les nations du Vieux Continent cherchent toutes à concilier partenariats économiques et protection des infrastructures critiques.
ASIA TIMES (HONG KONG, CHINA): France has sent its first troops officially to Ukraine. They have been deployed in support of the Ukrainian 54th Independent Mechanized Brigade in Slavyansk. The French soldiers are drawn from France’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, which is one of the main elements of France’s Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère). The initial group of French troops numbers around 100. This is just the first tranche of around 1,500 French Foreign Legion soldiers scheduled to arrive in Ukraine. These troops are being posted directly in a hot combat area and are intended to help the Ukrainians resist Russian advances in Donbas. The first 100 are artillery and surveillance specialists.
ASHARQ AL-AWSAT (GB): Israel called on civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah on Monday in what appeared to be preparation for a long-threatened assault on Hamas holdouts in the southern Gaza Strip city where more than a million war-displaced Palestinians have been sheltering. Instructed by Arabic text messages, telephone calls, and flyers to move to what the Israeli military called an “expanded humanitarian zone” 20 km (7 miles) away, some Palestinian families lumbered out under chilly spring rain, witnesses said. Israel’s military said it had begun encouraging residents of Rafah to evacuate in a “limited scope” operation. It gave no specific reasons, nor did it say if any offensive action might follow.
HAARETZ (ISRAEL): Israel begins Rafah evacuation; defense chief says Hamas left no choice. Israeli foreign minister says Israel agreed to concessions but Hamas refused. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that Israel agreed to “significant concessions” in negotiations with Hamas, but the organization “has repeatedly refused,” in a post on X. “Everyone understands that Sinwar has no intention of releasing all hostages, even in exchange for everything,”" Katz added.
THE NEW YORK TIMES (USA: Cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas again at an impasse. There had been signs the two sides were inching closer to an agreement, but talks in Cairo stalled and a Hamas delegation left the city. The latest round of negotiations between Israel and Hamas hit an impasse on Sunday as mediators struggled to bridge remaining gaps and a Hamas delegation departed the talks in Cairo, according to two senior Hamas officials and two other officials familiar with the talks. An Israeli official also confirmed the negotiations had stalled and described them as being in “crisis.” For months, the negotiations aimed at achieving a cease-fire and a release of hostages have made little progress, but signs the two sides were coming closer to an agreement appeared over the last week. Israel backed off some of its long-held demands and a top Hamas official said the group was studying the latest Israeli offer with a “positive spirit.” But the setback over the weekend meant Palestinians living in miserable conditions in Gaza would not experience an imminent reprieve and the families of hostages held by militants would have to wait longer for the freedom of their loved ones. The main obstacle in the talks was the duration of a cease-fire, with Hamas demanding it be permanent and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel expressing openness to only a temporary halt in the fighting.
THE ECONOMIC TIMES (INDIA): Red Sea disruption cuts Q2 capacity by 15%-20%, Maersk says. The company, viewed as a barometer of world trade, last week said that shipping disruptions caused by Houthi militants’ attacks on vessels in the Red Sea were expected to last at least until the end of the year. “The risk zone has expanded, and attacks are reaching further offshore,” Maersk said in an advisory to customers on Monday.
ARAB NEWS (SAUDI ARABIA): Malaysia takes a strong stance on the war in Gaza and condemns the “sheer hypocrisy” of Western countries over the ongoing Israeli killing of Palestinian women and children, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said. Speaking to Arab News during a visit to Riyadh for a special meeting of the World Economic Forum last week, he said that a failure to prevent genocide in Gaza could foster extremism.
THE JERUSALEM POST (ISRAEL): Government votes to shut down Al Jazeera in Israel. Israel’s cabinet on Sunday voted unanimously to shut down the Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, nearly six months after first announcing its intentions to do so due to security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war. The decision, which requires recertification every 45 days, includes shutting down Al Jazeera broadcasts in Arabic and English; shutting down Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel; seizing equipment used for its broadcasts; and limiting access to its websites.
POLITICO (USA): Pro-Palestinian protesters are backed by a surprising source: Biden’s biggest donors. Some of the most outspoken groups against Biden and Israel get funding from foundations attached to some of the biggest names in Democratic circles. President Joe Biden has been dogged for months by pro-Palestinian protesters calling him “Genocide Joe” — but some of the groups behind the demonstrations receive financial backing from philanthropists pushing hard for his reelection. The donors include some of the biggest names in Democratic circles: Soros, Rockefeller and Pritzker, according to a POLITICO analysis. Two of the organizers supporting the protests at Columbia University and on other campuses are Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. Both are supported by the Tides Foundation, which is seeded by Democratic megadonor George Soros and was previously supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It in turn supports numerous small nonprofits that work for social change. Soros declined to comment. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has previously funded the Tides Foundation and other groups, said it no longer has active grants to Tides. It also does not support Jewish Voice for Peace or IfNotNow. Another notable Democratic donor whose philanthropy has helped fund the protest movement is David Rockefeller Jr., who sits on the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 2022, the fund gave $300,000 to the Tides Foundation; according to nonprofit tax forms, Tides has given nearly $500,000 over the past five years to Jewish Voice for Peace, which explicitly describes itself as anti-Zionist.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (USA): Bondholders to push Ukraine to resume debt payments after hiatus. Firms including BlackRock, Pimco form committee, hire advisers to negotiate deal. Ukraine’s lenders said Kyiv could wait to pay them back after Russian troops stormed into the country two years ago. Now, their patience is starting to run out. A group of foreign bondholders including BlackRock and Pimco plans to press Ukraine to start paying interest on its debt again as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the matter.
GLOBAL TIMES (CHINA): Defense chiefs from the US, Australia, Japan and the Philippines gathered in Hawaii on Thursday (local time) for their second joint meeting, lining up yet another regional group dubbed the “Squad” by Pentagon officials, while vowing a strengthened alliance among the four countries. Chinese analysts warned on Sunday that this new quadrilateral grouping, distinct from the older version of the Quad which was also assembled by the US, poses a more targeted challenge to China. The grouping, part of Washington’s “Indo-Pacific Strategy,” aims at containing China, leading to concerns about more complex tensions and division among regional countries. Chinese analysts warned that the Philippines, increasingly manipulated by the US, is losing its autonomy and becoming a pawn of the US in the region, which could lead to the “Ukrainization” of the Philippines.
THE WASHINGTON TIMES (USA): Noncitizens caught voting in U.S. elections. Federal prosecutors in North Carolina brought charges against 37 noncitizens who voted in the 2016 election, illustrating that it does happen and that partisan politics seemed to play a role in who got registered.
THE TIMES (GB): Britain facing hung parliament, PM claims. Rishi Sunak expresses disappointment after Tory losses in last week’s local elections. Britain is heading for a hung parliament, Rishi Sunak has claimed as he urged Tory MPs to end their divisions and “come together” to take on Labour. In his first comments since the full extent of the party’s local election losses became clear, the prime minister admitted that the results had been disappointing.
IZVESTIA (RUSSIA): Консервативная партия (тори) действующего премьер-министра Великобритании Риши Сунака потеряла рекордное число мест в местных советах на выборах в Англии по результатам местных выборов. В общей сложности консерваторы потеряли 474 места, в то время как лейбористы получили 186, либерал-демократы — 104, “ «зеленые”» — 74, а другие партии — 100. Таким образом, консерваторы, у которых ранее было около 1000 мест в английских советах, потеряли около половины. Тори потеряли управление 12 советами, а лейбористы получили большинство в восьми.
INDEPENDENT (GB): Rishi Sunak faces a Tory political power struggle as he tries to recover from disastrous results in the local elections. As tensions mounted, Labour warned that Mr Sunak risks becoming “a prisoner” of those on the right wing of his party “with dangerous views” as he tries to cling to power after calamitous local election results. The events of the last few days have triggered another ferocious battle for the soul of the Conservative Party, as leading figures exchanged blows on which way it should turn. It emerged that the right wing of the Tory party has already attempted to capitalise on Mr Sunak’s weakness and lack of support among Tory MPs, who have spent the weekend debating his future behind the scenes. A meeting in the last fortnight between the prime minister and two grandees from the party’s right wing – Sir John Hayes and Sir Edward Leigh – saw Mr Sunak being pushed to become more right wing if he wanted to stay as prime minister. A source told The Independent that the two represented a much larger group of MPs, and that “the facts were laid out for the prime minister that he needs to become more conservative”.
HINDUSTAN TIMES (INDIA): IAEA chief due in Iran as concern grows over nuclear activity. The visit comes at a time of heightened regional tensions and with the International Atomic Energy Agency criticising Iran for lack of cooperation on inspections and other outstanding issues. Grossi, head of the IAEA, is expected to deliver a speech at Iran's first International Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology. The three-day event, which starts on Monday, is being held in Isfahan province, home to the Natanz uranium enrichment plant and where strikes attributed to Israel hit last month. The IAEA and Iranian officials reported “no damage” to nuclear facilities after the reported attack on Isfahan, widely seen as Israel’s response to Iran’s first-ever direct attack on its arch foe days earlier, which itself was a retaliation for a deadly strike on Tehran’s Damascus consulate.
THE MAINICHI SHIMBUN (JAPAN): Almost a fifth of the food produced globally in 2022 was wasted, even though around a third of humanity is facing hunger, a U.N. body said in a recent report. Of the 1.05 billion tons of food waste, around 60% from households, while the food service and retail sectors were responsible for about 28% and 12%, respectively, according to the U.N. Environment Program's Food Waste Index Report.
THE WASHINGTON POST (USA): There’s something fishy going on in the water. Across Earth’s oceans, fish are shrinking — and no one can agree why. It’s happening with salmon near the Arctic Circle and skate in the Atlantic. Nearly three-fourths of marine fish populations sampled worldwide have seen their average body size dwindle between 1960 and 2020, according to a recent analysis. Overfishing and human-caused climate change are decreasing the size of adult fish, threatening the food supply of more than 3 billion people who rely on seafood as a significant source of protein.
KOMMERSANT (RUSSIA): Трое из четверых пациентов при лечении COVID-19 получали ненужные антибиотики. Эксперты ВОЗ проанализировали мировые данные о пациентах, госпитализированных c COVID-19 в 2020–2023 годах. Выяснилось, что подавляющее большинство “на всякий случай” получало антибактериальную терапию. Такое лечение оказалось не просто ненужным, но и вредным — оно повысило уровень антибиотикорезистентности, то есть устойчивости бактерий к препаратам.
NIKKEI (JAPAN): Countries across Asia are on guard for more severe heat and rain as experts highlight the region's disaster-prone and fast-warming characteristics along with a “cocktail” of health hazards looming over workers in the face of climate change. After 2023 became the world’s hottest year on record and Asia faced “phenomenal” levels of heat waves and humidity, “I’d expect to see similarly intense heat waves to last year ... and also typhoons,” said Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, professor of climate science at Australian National University (ANU).