By Guy Faulconbridge

(Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Vladimir Putin on Monday that he was convinced Russians would support him in a presidential election due in 2024, even though the Kremlin chief has not yet said if he will seek another term.

Putin, who came to power on the last day of 1999 when Boris Yeltsin resigned, is the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin.

“I know Russia will hold a presidential election,” Xi told Putin in Mandarin.

“Under your strong leadership, Russia has made great strides in its prosperous development. I am confident that the Russian people will continue to give you their firm support.”

As Xi’s words were translated into Russian, Putin looked Xi in the eye and smiled briefly.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov swiftly pointed out that Xi had not specifically said Putin would participate in next year’s election but added that the Kremlin shared Xi’s confidence in Russians’ support for Putin.

Xi and Putin were due to hold one-to-one talks on Monday and then dine. The menu included blini with quail and mushrooms; sterlet sturgeon soup; pomegranate sorbet, nelma – an Arctic fish – with vegetables; venison with cherry sauce; pavlova; and wines from Russia’s southern Krasnodar region.

‘DEAR FRIEND’

When he first came to power, Putin vowed to end the chaos that gripped Russia after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, but the invasion of Ukraine has triggered by far the biggest challenge of his rule.

The war ushered in the gravest confrontation with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, while Russia’s military has suffered a series of defeats in Ukraine and the West has slapped the toughest sanctions ever on Russia’s $2.1 trillion economy.

China’s “no limits” partnership with Russia has come under greater scrutiny, with the U.S. concerned that Beijing might be considering supplying weapons to Moscow.

Beijing has denied that and also pushed back against what it casts as the West’s fanning of the Ukraine war.

Xi was the first leader to meet the Russian president since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia during its year-old invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow said the charge was one of several “clearly hostile displays” and opened a criminal case against the ICC prosecutor and judges. Beijing said the warrant reflected double standards.

Xi called Putin his “dear friend”, and Putin used the same term to his guest.

“In recent years, China has made a tremendous leap forward in its development,” Putin said. “It arouses genuine interest all over the world, and even we envy you a little.”

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Cawthorne)

By Helen Coster

(Reuters) – Fox Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch is engaged to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, his spokesperson confirmed on Monday, which will mark the fifth marriage for the 92-year-old media mogul.

Murdoch finalized his divorce from actress and model Jerry Hall in August.

Murdoch and Smith, 66, first met in September at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California, and he called her two weeks later, Murdoch told the News Corp-owned NY Post, which broke the news of the engagement. Smith is a widow whose late husband was Chester Smith, a country singer, radio and TV executive.

On March 17 in New York, Murdoch presented Smith with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring, according to the Post. They will be married in late summer.

“I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy,” Murdoch told the Post

Murdoch’s nuptials are unlikely to change the ownership structure of businesses in which he holds stakes, including Fox Corp, the parent company of Fox News Channel, and News Corp. Murdoch controls News Corp and Fox Corp through a Reno, Nevada-based family trust that holds roughly a 40% stake in voting shares of each company.

Fox is currently defending itself in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems.

Dominion has accused the cable TV network of amplifying debunked claims that Dominion voting machines were used to rig the election against Republican Donald Trump and in favor of his rival Joe Biden, who won the election.

Fox has defended its coverage, arguing claims by Trump and his lawyers were inherently newsworthy and protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

(Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

By Khalil Ashawi

JANDARIS, Syria (Reuters) – The simple gravestone of a girl killed in last month’s earthquake in Syria bears no name, but notes she was wearing a green sweater at the time of her burial, a description left in the hope it may help someone identify her.

The bodies of up to 70 unidentified people have been buried in the cemetery in the northern Syrian town of Jandaris since the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake

The cemetery’s caretaker Maysara al-Hussein said people burying unknown victims would sometimes take pictures of their faces.

“Other times – for this child for example – they couldn’t take a picture. Why? Because of disfigurement or because there’s no one who can identify her,” he added.

“So we wrote down that she was wearing a green sweater, things like that.”

Hussein shows the images to people who visit looking for missing loved ones. Occasionally, he has managed to identify a person and guided relatives to their tombstone. But more often, he is unable to help and points them to other graveyards to continue their search.

Local authorities have no figures for the number of people still missing since the earthquake, which killed thousands of people in Syria and tens of thousands in Turkey.

In Jandaris, Intisar Sheikho is still waiting for news of her 12-year-old nephew, Mustafa.

He was not found in the rubble of the building where his mother and two of his siblings died. One of his brothers survived as did his father, though he sustained a brain injury and is now being cared for at Sheikho’s home.

She visited the cemetery but did not find Mustafa among the photos.

“I am still making contacts but I’m not finding any news about him,” she said, weeping as she stood near a pile of rubble and twisted metal bars where the building once stood.

Fadel El Jaber, 65, is searching for three grandchildren missing since their apartment block collapsed in the town of Salqin. The bodies of their father, mother and two siblings were recovered.

“More than 50 people died here. Two or three survived, and those three remain missing,” Jaber said, standing on rubble.

There had been rumours the three – Mohamed, 13, Cham, 11, and Sahar, 6 – had survived, he added, appealing for information as he looked at family photos on his phone. He said they had been reported missing to local police.

“We heard from the beginning that they were out, but until now this hasn’t been confirmed. We just want some news to prove whether they made it out or not.” 

(Writing by Tala Ramadan and Tom Perry, editing by Ed Osmond)

By Dominique Vidalon and Manuel Ausloos

PARIS (Reuters) -Paris police clashed with demonstrators for a third night on Saturday as thousands of people marched throughout the country amid anger at the government pushing through a rise in the state pension age without a parliamentary vote.

The growing unrest and strikes have left President Emmanuel Macron facing the gravest challenge to his authority since the so-called “Gilets Jaunes” (Yellow Vests) protests four years ago.

“Macron, Resign!” and “Macron is going to break down, we are going to win,” demonstrators chanted on the Place d’Italie in southern Paris. Riot police used tear gas and clashed with some in the crowd as trash bins were set on fire.

Municipal authorities had banned rallies on Paris’s central Place de la Concorde and nearby Champ-Elysees on Saturday night after demonstrations that resulted in 61 arrests the previous night. There were 81 arrests on Saturday night.

Earlier in the French capital, a group of students and activists from the “Revolution Permanente” collective briefly invaded the Forum des Halles shopping mall, waving banners calling for a general strike and shouting “Paris stand up, rise up”, videos on social media showed.

BFM television also showed images of demonstrations underway in cities such as Compiegne in the north, Nantes in the west and Marseille in the south. In Bordeaux, in the southwest, police also used tear gas against protesters who had started a fire.

“The reform must be implemented … Violence cannot be tolerated,” Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Le Parisien newspaper.

A broad alliance of France’s main unions has said it would continue to mobilise to try to force a U-turn on the changes. A day of nationwide industrial action is scheduled for Thursday.

Rubbish has been piling up on the streets of Paris after refuse workers joined in the action.

Some 37% of operational staff at TotalEnergies’ refineries and depots – at sites including Feyzin in southeast France and Normandy in the north – were on strike on Saturday, a company spokesperson said. Rolling strikes continued on the railways.

While eight days of nationwide protests since mid-January, and many local industrial actions, have so far been largely peaceful, the unrest over the last three days is reminiscent of the Yellow Vest protests which erupted in late 2018 over high fuel prices. Those demonstrations forced Macron into a partial U-turn on a carbon tax.

Macron’s overhaul raises the pension age by two years to 64, which the government says is essential to ensure the system does not go bust.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Gilles Guillaume and Forrest Crellin; Editing by David Holmes, Peter Graff and Daniel Wallis)

By John Revill, Rachel More and Joanna Plucinska

ZURICH/BERLIN/LONDON (Reuters) – Urs Kessler, who runs Jungfrau Railways, a train that takes tourists up the highest mountain in Switzerland, was excited for the return of Chinese tourists after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted late last year.

But barring one small group in February and a few larger ones expected in May, few have materialised.

Many tour operators like Kessler are disappointed by lower-than-expected bookings from high-spending Chinese travellers who before the pandemic would typically splash between 1,500 and 3,000 euros per person, according to the Global Times newspaper.

Chinese outbound flight bookings to Europe during March and August are only 32% that of pre-pandemic levels, according to travel data firm ForwardKeys.

The travel industry is also grappling with cash-strapped domestic holidaymakers looking for cheaper vacations as energy and food bills rise. This summer, the second since Europe’s COVID restrictions ended, is a test for airports and airlines, scrambling to hire staff and avoid a repeat of last summer’s chaos.

“There’s still a long way to go to full recovery,” said Olivier Ponti, an executive at ForwardKeys.

“Chinese airlines are doing anything, everything they can to … operate those routes. But, you need the staff, you need the slots, you need the right level of service.”

Kessler, who ran a marketing campaign featuring pianist Lang Lang playing on top of the mountain to pander to the Chinese audience, is hoping groups from countries like the United States, South Korea and India will make up the shortfall.

Before the pandemic, Chinese tourism made up 10% of stays from non-EU tourists in Europe, with the market growing 350% in the decade to 2019, driven by a particular interest in luxury shopping and fine dining.

But bogged down by visa restrictions, long passport wait lines and limited airline tickets to Europe, which are in some cases 80% more expensive than before the pandemic, Chinese tourists are staying closer to home.

Instead, they’re taking their hard-earned pandemic savings to places like Hong Kong, where arrivals were up 1,400% in the last two months, or Thailand and Macau.

For the less wealthy, the price of getting to Europe is also a deterrent.

“Cost is definitely part of the consideration. A lot of flights haven’t opened up yet – that makes it harder to look at going to Europe soon – but we would love to travel outside of China more,” Shanghai-based Stephanie Lin, 33, told Reuters.

BRING IN THE AMERICANS

Tour operators are looking to Americans, who, bolstered by a strong dollar, are coming to Europe in droves. Some analysts predict transatlantic travel to places like London and Paris could surpass 2019 levels.

Sophie Lu, 26, came to London in early March from Hawaii and was pleasantly surprised by how affordable the food was.

“I was not planning on splurging whatsoever, but when I got here I kind of just noticed that there are a lot of things that America doesn’t have and it’s a little cheaper from where I’m living,” she said, standing in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace.

On the Champs-Elysee in Paris, Colleen Danielson, 40, who was visiting from Boston, said she was also more keen to spend because of the dollar’s strength.

“When we were in Dior, we were thinking should we make a bigger purchase, a bag or something like that. The exchange rate does have an impact,” she said.  

OPTIMISM FOR THE FUTURE

Many tourist operators and retailers hope the second half will bring a relaxation in visa policies, more flights and the long-expected influx of Chinese tourists.

Retailers banking on a gradual return are already running flashy marketing campaigns.

Harrods launched branded stickers, including its iconic teddy bear, on China’s popular WeChat messaging platform this year to attract Chinese tourists.

Bicester Village, a discount designer retail outlet near Oxford, is also using WeChat to facilitate shopping trip planning and Chinese payment options.

Kessler believes his Lang Lang campaign was still worth it.

“I think it will go a little bit like an ice hockey stick,” he said. “The start of the year will be flat, but then pick up as we go through the year.”

(Reporting by Casey Hall in Shanghai, Mimosa Spencer in Paris, Rachel More, Ilona Wissenbach and Nette Nostlinger in Berlin, Richa Naidu in London; writing by Joanna Plucinska; editing by Christina Fincher)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat, said on Sunday that he will quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, adding to a number of lawmakers from both parties who have been absent from the Senate.

“Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms,” Durbin said in a tweet.

The Illinois Democrat said he would follow Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which call for five days of quarantine for those who test positive.

Two other Democrats, Senators Dianne Feinstein and John Fetterman, have been absent from the Senate for health reasons. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell entered a rehabilitation facility last week after fracturing a rib in a fall earlier this month.

Democrats hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, which is expected to vote this week on legislation to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMFs, against Iraq.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Chris Reese)

By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen drills simulating a nuclear counterattack against the U.S. and South Korea in a warning to the allies who are scaling up their joint military exercises, state media KCNA said on Monday.

The North’s drills involved a short-range missile launch but – unusually – the missile flew from a buried silo, which analysts say would help improve speed and stability in future tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

KCNA said the exercises on Saturday and Sunday were designed to boost the country’s “war deterrence and nuclear counterattack capability,” accusing Washington and Seoul of making an “explicit attempt to unleash a war” against it.

“The drill also aimed to demonstrate our tougher will to make an actual war response and send a stronger warning to the enemy who expand their war drills for aggression,” KCNA said.

In the exercises, a ballistic missile equipped with a mock nuclear warhead flew 800 km (497 miles) before hitting a target under the scenario of a tactical nuclear attack, KCNA said.

KCNA photos showed Kim attended the test, again with his young daughter, as flames roared from the soaring missile before it hit the target.

Analysts said the photos suggested the launch involved a KN-23 short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), but unlike past tests, the engine exhaust appeared to be vented either side at the moment of liftoff, which could mean that a silo was used.

“Until now, North Korea has preferred mobile launchers for everything from SRBMs to even huge ICBMs, but given its poor road and system conditions, it was difficult to guarantee the stability of the missile during actual operations,” said Yang Uk, a fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. “The latest launch might possibly serve as a test for future launches of larger missiles like the Hwasong-17 ICBM in a silo.”

South Korea’s defence ministry spokesman said the North is making significant technological advances in its nuclear programme but did not elaborate.

‘NUCLEAR WAR DETERRENCE’

Kim said the exercises improved the military’s war capability and urged the military to stand ready for any “immediate and overwhelming nuclear counterattack anytime.”

“The present situation, in which the enemies are getting ever more pronounced in their moves for aggression against the DPRK, urgently requires the DPRK to bolster up its nuclear war deterrence exponentially,” KCNA quoted him as saying.

Kim was using the acronym of his country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The nuclear force of the DPRK will strongly deter, control and manage the enemy’s reckless moves and provocations with its high war readiness, and carry out its important mission without hesitation in case of any unwanted situation,” he added.

South Korea and Japan reported a launch of a North Korean short-range ballistic missile off the east coast on Sunday, the latest in a series of missile tests in recent weeks.

North Korea has reacted furiously to South Korea-U.S. combined military drills, calling them a rehearsal for invasion against it.

The allies have been carrying out exercises this month, including air and sea drills on Sunday involving U.S. B-1B bombers.

The U.S. and South Korea navies and marine corps are set to kick off their first large-scale Ssangyong amphibious landing exercises in five years on Monday for a two-week run until April 3.

Last month, the two countries staged tabletop exercises simulating North Korea’s nuclear attack amid South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s push for more confidence in U.S. extended deterrence – its military capability, especially nuclear forces, to deter attacks on its allies.

In another dispatch, KCNA said more than 1.4 million North Koreans have volunteered to join or re-enlist in the military to fight against Seoul and Washington, up from about 800,000 reported by a state newspaper just two days before.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin in Seoul; Additional reporting by Josh Smith in Seoul; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Chris Reese. Editing by Gerry Doyle)

By John Revill

ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland’s two biggest political parties sharply criticized UBS’s takeover of Credit Suisse saying multi-billion state support for the deal created enormous risks for the country.

Swiss authorities announced on Sunday that UBS had agreed to buy rival Swiss bank Credit Suisse in a shotgun merger aimed at containing a crisis of confidence that was spreading through global banking.

Parties across the political spectrum raised concerns about the vast amounts of amounts of money provided through the liquidity injection from the central bank as well as government aid.

Credit Suisse and UBS could benefit from around 260 billion Swiss francs ($280 billion) in state and central bank support, a third of the country’s gross domestic product. The aid comes in the form of 250 billion in liquidity which will be repaid, while the government will absorb up to 9 billion in losses from the deal.

Roger Nordmann, leader of the Social Democrats (SP) in the Swiss lower house of parliament, warned that the support package amounted to an “enormous risk”.

“The new UBS is also another massive risk – it’s going to have more than 1,500 billion francs in assets, and it’s simply too big for Switzerland,” he told Reuters on Monday.

The Social Democrats are the second biggest party in the Swiss parliament and have two ministers in the country’s ruling cabinet.

The criticism ups pressure on the ruling cabinet, which rules by consensus, although it is unlikely to derail the deal.

Nordmann said he was also concerned about job losses, and blamed Credit Suisse’s leadership for the bank’s failure.

“What has happened is terrible for the credibility of Switzerland,” he said. “It’s a warning shot for Switzerland about having banks which are just too big. I’m very concerned about the new UBS.”

Meanwhile the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) said it was worried about the billions now being deployed to make up for what it called the mistakes of Credit Suisse leadership and the “rip offs” by management.

In a memo seen by Reuters that was sent to staff on Sunday after the deal announcement, Credit Suisse reassured staff that their bonuses would be paid in full.

“Everything must be done to ensure … the Swiss people are not harmed in the rescue,” said the party in a statement.

The party, the biggest in the Swiss parliament and which also has two members of the seven-strong cabinet, demanded clear conditions for the takeover.

“Otherwise UBS will become the next dangerous restructuring case,” the SVP said.

(Additional reporting by Julie Zhu in Hong Kong; editing by John O’Donnell and Christina Fincher)