Xi, not Trump, has the most power over Putin. Will he use it?
The Kremlin had feared Trump would be more forceful and a relieved Moscow stock exchange jumped sharply. Along with a desire to encourage Europeans to buy US-made weapons to support Ukraine (France, Italy and the Czech Republic have already declined), Trump's main initiative was to give Putin 50 days to end the fighting or he would turn to his favourite geopolitical instrument: tariffs.
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BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Parades, flags and songs: The campaign to force Ukrainian children to love Russia
Being taught to love Russia starts early for children in occupied areas of eastern a nursery school in Luhansk, more than 70 youngsters line up holding a long black and orange Russian military banner in the shape of a letter Z, the symbol of Russia's invasion of the city, seven little girls jump up and down and gesture in front of a Russian flag to the brash song "I am Russian" that blares out of loudspeakers. When the music stops they shout out together: "I'm Russian."In an occupied town called Anthracite, nursery school children have made trench candles and blankets for Russian is all part of a campaign that seeks not only to erase Ukraine's national identity, but also turn young Ukrainians against their own do that with children you need teachers, and as many Ukrainian teachers have fled, the government in Moscow has begun offering lump-sums of 2m roubles (£18,500) to Russian teaching staff willing to relocate to occupied parts of biggest and most powerful Russian organisation involved with children is Yunarmia (Youth Army).Affiliated with the Russian defence ministry, it accepts members as young as eight. It operates across all of Russia, and now has branches in occupied areas of Ukraine."We're providing children with some basic skills which they'll find useful should they decide to join military service," says Fidail Bikbulatov, who runs Yunarmia's section in occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia region in south-east was deployed from Russia's Bashkortostan, where he headed the "Youth Guard" division of the ruling United Russia party. The EU has sanctioned Yunarmia, and Bikbulatov personally, for "the militarisation of Ukrainian children". Yunarmia is also targeted by UK sanctions for being part of Russia's campaign of "brainwashing" Ukrainian is not alone. Other Russian state-sponsored organisations that have moved in include "Movement of the First Ones" and "Warrior", a network of centres for "the military and athletic training, and patriotic education of young people" set up on Russian President Vladimir Putin's groups organise competitions such as Zarnitsa games rooted in the Soviet era, where Ukrainian children are required to demonstrate "general military literacy, knowledge of Russian statehood and military history, firearms firing skills".As the children progress through the education system, they are taught in Russian, using the Russian curriculum and textbooks that justify Russia's war against such book portrays Ukraine as little more than a Western invention created to spite Russia, and argues that human civilisation would have possibly ended had Russia not invaded Ukraine in who attended a school in occupied Donetsk, says students there were forced to take part in events celebrating Russia and the USSR."When they were preparing a parade of some sort, I, the whole of my class and the whole of my year were forced to attend every weekend and train. We had to hold posters. I could not say no, it wasn't my choice. I was told I had to do it to graduate," Lisa says."Every time lessons started, our teacher made us stand up, put a hand on our hearts and listen to the Russian anthem, which she made us learn by heart, too."Lisa now lives in the US and has been posting about her experiences on TikTok. Serving Russian soldiers also play a role in the campaign of indoctrination, visiting schools to give so-called "bravery lessons". They glorify their exploits at war and depict Ukrainian forces as violent, unruly Tropkin, an official from the ruling United Russia party now based in the occupied part of Kherson region, says these lessons are held "so that children understand the objectives" of what the Kremlin calls "the special military operation" in school, Ukrainian children are taken to see specially organised exhibitions glorifying Russia and the "special military operation".One centre catering for such trips is hosting exhibitions called "Russia - My History" and "Special Military Operation Heroes" in Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia trips do not stop Kremlin has also launched a big campaign to take Ukrainian children on tours of Russia as part of efforts to instil pro-Russian culture minister Olga Lyubimova claims that more than 20,000 children from occupied Ukrainian territories have been taken to Russia under one programme alone, called "4+85". According to the Russian government's concert agency Rosconcert, which runs the programme, it seeks to "integrate the new generation into a unified Russian society".However, Russia's "integration" campaign goes far beyond of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the three years of the full-scale invasion have not been allowed to to the Ukrainian government, more than 19,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia. The UK government estimates that some 6,000 Ukrainian children have been relocated to a network of "re-education camps" in humanitarian law bans activities like this. For example, the Fourth Geneva Convention says that an occupying power may not enlist children "in formations or organizations subordinate to it" and that it may apply "no pressure or propaganda which aims at securing voluntary enlistment" of locals in occupied areas into its armed or auxiliary 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Putin, in part for the unlawful deportation of children. Putin and his government deny the its war on Ukraine, Russia is not only after territory. It is also trying to put its stamp on the people who live there, no matter how young they are.
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Great British Energy solar panels' for schools were made in China
The first schools in England to install what the government described as "Great British Energy solar panels" were made in China, the BBC has first 11 schools involved in the GB Energy scheme bought solar panels from Aiko and Longi, two Chinese government said the scheme was "the first major project for Great British Energy - a company owned by the British people, for the British people".Labour MP Sarah Champion said GB Energy should be buying solar panels from companies in the UK rather than China, where there have been allegations of forced labour in supply chains. "I'm really excited about the principle of GB Energy," she told BBC News. "But it's taxpayers' money and we should not be supporting slave labour with that money. And wherever possible, we should be supporting good working practices and buy British if we can."She added: "That means that yes, unfortunately, in the short term, solar panels are probably going to be slightly more expensive."There are solar panels made around the world in Taiwan, Canada, even in the UK."Longi and Aiko both told the BBC they forbid forced labour in their production and supply is the world's leading producer of solar panels and the suppliers in the Xinjiang region have been linked to the alleged exploitation of Uyghur this year, the law was changed to ban GB Energy from investing in renewables if there is evidence of modern slavery in their has dominated the market and, according to the International Energy Agency, the country's global share in all the manufacturing stages of solar panels exceeds 80%.Champion, who is chair of the International Development Select Committee, said "abuse in renewable supply chains is insidious and hard to root out".But she urged ministers to exclude known human-rights offenders from winning public contracts.A GB Energy spokesperson said all of the solar contracts issued under the schools initiative complied with the UK's modern slavery rules. The Xinjiang challenge Up to 50% of the world's supply of polysilicon - a key component in solar panels - is estimated to come from the Xinjiang Candlish is the director of GB-Sol, which calls itself the only manufacturer of conventional solar panels in the said polysilicon was "a key social issue facing our industry, with the risk of forced labour in the main mining areas".He added: "The global solar market is so dominated by China that it is difficult to avoid buying Chinese if you want the low cost energy and low carbon benefits of solar PV."Many businesses and governments - including the UK's - buy Chinese solar panels because they are cheaper than those made thirds (68%) of the solar panels imported by the UK came from China in 2024, according to HMRC trade data. That's an increase on the figure in 2023, when Chinese products accounted for 61% of UK solar imports.A report by Sheffield Hallam University in 2023 linked various solar companies to suppliers in the Xinjiang of the report's authors, Alan Crawford, said the general lack of transparency in the entire solar supply chain was greater now than it was in 2023, when his Over-Exposed report was published."Companies that were willing to comment are now silent," he said. 'Ethical supply chains' GB Energy is a state-owned company that was set up by the Labour government to invest in renewables, such as solar its first big investment, GB Energy is spending about £200m on rooftop solar for 200 schools and NHS hospitals across the first tranche of this funding has been spent on the Chinese solar panels for the 11 Department for Education told the BBC which companies had made the solar panels in response to a freedom of information request.A GB Energy spokesperson said the company would "lead the way in ethical supply chains" and insisted there was "no place for forced labour or unethical practices in the UK's energy transition".The spokesperson added: "That is why we are introducing a statutory duty on Great British Energy to prevent modern slavery in its supply chains, and reviewing supplier transparency and disclosure standards to ensure confidence in all public-facing renewable programmes."All contracts issued under this schools and hospitals solar initiative complied with UK procurement rules, including extensive requirements under the Modern Slavery Act."GBE will seek to uphold these requirements in its contracting arrangements and are actively engaging with international partners to raise the bar globally on solar supply chain accountability." China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of state-sponsored programmes, detainees are forced to produce goods including polysilicon, a core ingredient in solar panels, according to the US Department of Chinese government has denied all allegations of human rights abuses in and Aiko are both members of the Solar Stewardship Initiative, which is a scheme designed to develop confidence in the supply chain and the responsible sourcing of solar Aiko spokesperson said the company was "committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical business conduct and responsible sourcing"."We take any concerns related to human rights and labour practices seriously and expect our suppliers to do the same," the spokesperson said."As part of our ongoing efforts, we engage with suppliers to promote transparency and continuous improvement in line with international guidelines. We are also closely monitoring global supply chain developments and remain committed to working with stakeholders to support a fair and sustainable solar industry."Longi said it regretted the findings of the Sheffield Hallam University report and "categorically affirms that forced labour has no place within our supply chain".A company spokesperson said the conclusions in the Over-Exposed report "may not fully reflect the comprehensive measures Longi has implemented to ensure full compliance with international labour standards"."Independent third-party audits play a critical role in verifying compliance and identifying potential risks," the spokesperson said."While the complexity of global supply chains presents challenges, Longi remains steadfast in its efforts to eliminate any risks associated with forced labour."
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
After Donald Trump sues Wall Street Journal over claim he wrote bawdy note to paedophile, MoS reveals Bill Clinton sent 'warm and gushing' letter for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday
Bill Clinton wrote a 'warm and gushing' letter which was included in Jeffrey Epstein 's infamous 50th 'birthday book', The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The former US president was one of hundreds who contributed to a heavy leather-bound, gold-embossed album of letters that Epstein's ex-lover Ghislaine Maxwell took more than a year to compile leading up to the landmark date. Mr Clinton's letter is one page and is embossed with: 'From the desk of William Jefferson Clinton' at the top. Donald Trump is now suing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for $10billion (£7.46billion) for a story published last week alleging his contribution to the book was a 'sexually suggestive' and 'bawdy' letter to Epstein, framed by the outline of a naked woman with Mr Trump's signature mimicking pubic hair. Mr Trump has branded the letter a 'fake', saying: 'I don't draw pictures of women. It's not my language, it's not my words.' Mr Trump has said he parted ways with Epstein before allegations against him became public in 2006. The Mail on Sunday has learned Maxwell, currently serving 20 years in jail on child sex trafficking charges, began asking Epstein's friends for contributions to the birthday book at the end of 2001. It was presented to Epstein, who was later convicted of being a paedophile, on his 50th birthday, on January 20, 2003. Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson – both friends of Epstein at that time – are also believed to have contributed letters to the book alongside Mr Clinton, who regularly flew in Epstein's private jet, dubbed 'the Lolita Express'. Last night, a source said: 'Ghislaine asked everyone they knew and that included presidents, princes and kings. 'Bill Clinton wrote a warm and gushing letter. It was one page and profuse in its admiration for Jeffrey.' The MoS has been told Epstein's close friend, Harvard scholar Henry Rosovsky, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson and computer pioneer Marvin Minsky also all contributed letters. The WSJ claimed Epstein's lawyer Alan Dershowitz wrote a letter but he has yet to comment about the claim. The whereabouts of the original book is not known. It is thought to have been seized during one of the raids on Epstein's homes in Florida and New York, where Maxwell kept 'dozens of albums' filled with pictures of their trips together including holidays to visit Prince Andrew at Balmoral, Buckingham Palace and Windsor. She would have huge leather-bound albums made up after every trip, often with blue leather covers. The letters are believed to have been included in more than 100,000 pages of evidence recently reviewed by 1,000 FBI agents working in 24-hour shifts. It is believed the letters were copied by investigators and entered into evidence as facsimiles around the time the book was seized. A source claimed the WSJ's story was based on a 'poor facsimile' copy of the alleged Trump letter and said: 'The book is now sitting in a storage facility somewhere, if it still exists. 'What was in the evidence pile were poor-quality copies of single pages, not a copy of the whole book.' Mr Trump has found himself embroiled in a row over Epstein with his loyal MAGA base. He had vowed 'full and complete transparency', saying he would release the Epstein files, but his Attorney General Pam Bondi caused outrage earlier this month when she released a statement claiming there was no 'client list' and that no further information would be released, sparking claims of a cover-up. On Friday, Ms Bondi backtracked and filed court documents seeking the release of Grand Jury testimony in both the Maxwell and Epstein cases. Epstein died in jail in 2019 as he awaited trial on child sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide but Maxwell's brother Ian told the Mail yesterday he believed the billionaire was murdered. His sister is currently seeking an appeal in the Supreme Court. Sources say it is unlikely that Prince Andrew will be mentioned in either tranche of documents. Virginia Giuffre accused Epstein of trafficking her three times to Andrew for sex, twice when she was just 17 and under age. Andrew vehemently and consistently denied the charges and later settled a £12 million civil suit with no admission of guilt. The FBI has closed the investigation into Andrew and a source close to the probe said: 'The timelines of the cases are not when Andrew would have been around.' Mr Clinton was approached for comment.
