Reuters: World

World leaders join Ukraine summit in test of Kyiv's diplomatic clout World leaders gathered at a Swiss mountain resort on Saturday to try to build support for Ukraine's peace proposals at a summit skipped by U.S. President Joe Biden, shunned by China and dismissed as a waste of time by Moscow. More than 90 countries will take part, but China's absence in particular has dimmed hopes the summit would show Russia as globally isolated, while recent military reverses have put Kyiv on the back foot. The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has also diverted the world's attention from Ukraine. read more

Putin demands more Ukrainian land to end war, terms swiftly rejected by Kyiv President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia would end the war in Ukraine only if Kyiv agreed to drop its NATO ambitions and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow, demands Kyiv swiftly rejected as tantamount to surrender. On the eve of a conference in Switzerland to which Russia has not been invited, Putin set out maximalist conditions wholly at odds with the terms demanded by Ukraine, apparently reflecting Moscow's growing confidence that its forces have the upper hand in the war. read more

Protests erupt as Armenia nears peace deal with Azerbaijan Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday that a peace treaty with Azerbaijan was close to completion, but that his country would not accept Baku's demands that it change its constitution. After Pashinyan made the comments, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators, the latest in a series of protests denouncing his policies, including the handing back of ruined villages to Azerbaijan, and demanding his resignation. read more

French conservatives' chief wants election deal with far right, in major shift The leader of France's conservative Republicans on Tuesday called for an alliance between his party's candidates and the far right National Rally in a snap parliamentary election - a political shift that will have wide repercussions. "We say the same things so let's stop making up imagined opposition," Eric Ciotti told TF1 television. "This is what the vast majority of our voters want. They tell us 'reach a deal'." Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration, eurosceptic National Rally (RN) is widely expected to emerge as the strongest force after President Emmanuel Macron unexpectedly called snap elections for June 30 and July 7, although it may fall short of an absolute majority. read more

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Malawi president: all killed on plane carrying Vice President Chilima Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera said on Tuesday during an address to the nation that everyone on board the airplane carrying Malawi Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima that went missing on Monday had been killed. source

Far-right advances in EU election, France calls snap national vote Gains by the far-right in voting for the European Parliament on Sunday prompted a bruised French President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap national election and added uncertainty to Europe's future political direction. While the centre, liberal and Socialist parties were set to retain a majority in the 720-seat parliament, the vote dealt a domestic blow to the leaders of both France and Germany, raising questions about how the European Union's major powers can drive policy in the bloc. read more

China says US provoking arms race in moves into South China Sea The U.S. poses the largest security challenge in the South China Sea as its military deployment there is turning it into "the whirlpool of an arms race", Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said in remarks published on Sunday. Recent maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, have made the highly strategic South China Sea a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing. read more

India's president invites Modi to head new coalition government, swearing-in on Sunday Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that President Droupadi Murmu had invited him to form a government, as he promised his new coalition of 15 parties would strive for unanimity and emerge successful. Modi's comments came after he met Murmu and accepted her invitation to head the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)coalition government and run the world's most populous nation for the next five years. He said the new government would be sworn in on Sunday evening, which would make him prime minister for a historic third consecutive term. read more