Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment that “some world leaders” had not signed up to a peace summit this month, after China signalled Xi Jinping would not attend and with US President Joe Biden yet to commit.
Mr Zelenskyy made the remarks at a security forum in Singapore as he sought to rally support for the conference on Ukraine taking place in Switzerland in June.
He also appealed for more military aid for Ukraine, which has been ceding ground to Russian troops.
“We are disappointed that some world leaders have not yet confirmed their participation in the peace summit,” Mr Zelenskyy said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, without mentioning China or the US by name.
The peace summit threatens to be overshadowed if key Ukraine backer Mr Biden – who is locked in campaigning against Donald Trump and has given no sign he would participate – ultimately stays away.
He accused China of working hard to stop countries from attending the summit, which Beijing has criticised because Russia is not invited.
“China, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit,” Mr Zelenskyy told reporters during the Shangri-La Dialogue, which draws defence officials from around the world.
Beijing believes the conference “should have the recognition of Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans”, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday.
“Otherwise, it is difficult for the conference to play a substantive role in restoring peace,” she said.
Mr Zelenskyy also met US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday on the sidelines of the Singapore security forum. Mr Zelenskyy told reporters they had a “very good” meeting.
In a post on X, Mr Zelenskyy said the pair discussed “the defence needs of our country, bolstering Ukraine's air defence system, the F-16 coalition, and drafting of a bilateral security agreement”.
In a readout of the talks, Pentagon spokesman Maj Gen Pat Ryder said Mr Austin reiterated “unwavering US support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression”.
Mr Austin also “reaffirmed the US commitment to maintaining the strong support of a coalition of over fifty countries to help Ukraine defend its freedom”, Maj Gen Ryder said.
The meeting came after Washington decided to partially lift restrictions on using US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia, which Mr Zelenskyy has hailed as a “step forward”.
Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Austin last met face-to-face in December in Washington, where Mr Zelenskyy made a last-ditch plea for US aid before it ran out.
The US Congress approved in April a $61-billion aid package for Ukraine following months of political wrangling, unlocking much-needed arms for the country's outgunned troops.
Chinese defence spokesman Wu Qian told AFP he was not aware of any plans for Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun to meet Mr Zelenskyy in Singapore.
Ukraine is struggling to hold back a Russian ground offensive in the Kharkiv region, where Moscow recently made its largest territorial gains in 18 months.
Mr Zelenskyy has been touring European nations in recent days seeking more military aid for Ukrainian troops, and warning partners of the risks if they show any signs of fatigue over the war.
“It is very important for Ukrainians that the world does not get tired … that the world understands that it cannot get tired of the war launched by the aggressor,” Mr Zelenskyy said in Portugal on Tuesday.
Agencies contributed to this report.
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Sri Lanka World Cup squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0
West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Everton 0 Liverpool 0
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
