BEIJING — On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated their “no-limits” friendship, which has expanded as both countries face mounting tensions with the West, and blasted US military deployments in Asia and the Pacific.

At their summit in Beijing, Putin hailed Xi for China’s recommendations to settle the conflict in Ukraine, which Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected as mostly adopting the Kremlin’s line.

Putin’s two-day state visit to one of his biggest allies and commercial partners comes as Russian forces launch an operation in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, marking the most serious border incursion since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022.

China claims to be impartial in the crisis, but it has supported the Kremlin’s accusations that the West led Russia into attacking Ukraine, and it continues to supply vital components required by Moscow for weapons manufacture.

China And Russia Reaffirm Their Close Ties As Moscow Presses Its Offensive In Ukraine

China, which has not condemned the invasion, suggested a broad-based peace plan in 2023, calling for a cease-fire and direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Both Ukraine and the West rejected the idea because it did not call on Russia to vacate Ukraine’s occupied territories.

China also lent a verbal nod to Russia’s narrative about Nazism in Ukraine, with a joint statement issued Thursday saying Moscow and Beijing should protect the post-World War II order and “severely condemn the glorification of or even attempts to revive Nazism and militarism.”

Putin has claimed the “denazification” of Ukraine as a primary purpose of the military action, falsely referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government as neo-Nazis.

The mostly symbolic and ceremonial visit emphasized cooperation between two countries facing challenges in their relations with the United States and Europe.

“Both sides want to show that despite what is happening globally, despite the pressure that both sides are facing from the U.S., both sides are not about to turn their backs on each other anytime soon,” said Hoo Tiang Boon, a Chinese foreign policy researcher at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

While Putin and Xi stated they wanted to stop the war, they made no new ideas in their public remarks.

“China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this,” Xi said in prepared remarks to the media in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. His statements echoed China’s overarching peace initiative.

Earlier in the day, Putin was greeted in Tiananmen Square with military fanfare and cannon fire.

On the eve of his visit, Putin stated that China’s proposal may “lay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take Russia’s security concerns into account and contribute to achieving long-term and sustainable peace.”

Zelenskyy has stated that any negotiations must entail the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the departure of Russian soldiers, the release of all captives, a tribunal for those responsible for the assault, and security assurances for Ukraine.

China And Russia Reaffirm Their Close Ties As Moscow Presses Its Offensive In Ukraine

Putin said he would brief Xi on the situation in Ukraine, adding, “We appreciate the initiative of our Chinese colleagues and friends to regulate the situation.”

Following Russia’s latest attack in Ukraine last week, the war has reached a crucial point as Ukraine’s depleted military awaits new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery rounds from the United States, which have been delayed for months.

China and Russia’s joint statement also harshly slammed US foreign policy, citing US-formed alliances as having a “Cold War mentality.”

“Both sides expressed serious concern about the consequences caused to the strategic stability of the Asia-Pacific region by AUKUS,” according to the statement, referring to the acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

China and Russia have accused the United States of installing land-based intermediate-range missile systems in the Asia-Pacific region under the guise of joint drills with allies. They claimed that the United States’ operations in Asia were “changing the balance of power” and “endangering the security of all countries in the region.”

The united declaration underscored China’s support for Russia.

“There’s so much Chinese falling over themselves to give Russia face and respect without saying anything specific, or committing to anything,” said Susan Thornton, a former diplomat and senior fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center.

The meeting was another endorsement of China and Russia’s amicable “no limits” friendship, which they signed in 2022, just before Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has been increasingly economically dependent on China since Western sanctions have limited its access to most of the global commercial system. China’s expanding commerce with Russia, which reached $240 billion last year, has helped the country buffer some of the worst effects of sanctions.

Moscow has transferred most of its energy exports to China and relied on Chinese enterprises to purchase high-tech components for Russian defense sectors to avoid Western sanctions.

China And Russia Reaffirm Their Close Ties As Moscow Presses Its Offensive In Ukraine

“I and President Putin agree we should actively look for convergence points of the interests of both countries, to develop each’s advantages, and deepen integration of interests, realizing each others’ achievements,” added Xi.

Xi congratulated Putin on the start of his fifth term in office and commemorated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the former Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, which were formed after a civil war in 1949. In the March election, Putin eliminated all significant political opponents and faced no serious threat. He, like Xi, has not spelled out a succession strategy.

“In a famous song of that time, 75 years ago — it is still performed today — there is a phrase that has become a catchphrase: ‘Russians and Chinese are brothers forever,'” Putin stated.

During the war, Russia and China expanded their military ties. In recent years, they have conducted several cooperative war simulations, including naval drills and long-range bomber patrols over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Russian and Chinese ground forces have also moved to the other country’s territory to conduct joint training.

China continues to be a major market for Russian military hardware, while the country’s defense industry is rapidly developing, including the production of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.

Putin has already stated that Russia has shared highly sensitive military technologies with China, considerably improving its defense strength.

SOURCE -(AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The sun released its largest flare in nearly two decades Tuesday, only days after strong solar storms battered Earth and caused stunning northern lights in unexpected places.

“Not finished yet!” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated in its update.

Sun Shoots Out Biggest Solar Flare In Almost 2 Decades, But Earth Should Be Out Of The Way This Time

According to NOAA, it is the largest flare of this 11-year solar cycle, which is nearing its peak. The good news is that Earth should be safe this time since the flare erupted on a portion of the sun that rotates away from Earth.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the dazzling flash of the X-ray flare. It was the strongest flare since 2005, with an X8.7 rating.

Sun Shoots Out Biggest Solar Flare In Almost 2 Decades, But Earth Should Be Out Of The Way This Time

Bryan Brasher of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, believes it may have been much stronger after scientists gathered data from other sources.

It comes after nearly a week of coronal plasma flares and mass ejections that threatened to disrupt power and communications on Earth and in space. Brasher stated that an ejection connected with Tuesday’s flare appeared to be directed away from our planet, and further investigation is underway.

Sun Shoots Out Biggest Solar Flare In Almost 2 Decades, But Earth Should Be Out Of The Way This Time

According to NASA, the weekend geomagnetic storm forced one of its environmental satellites to rotate unexpectedly due to reduced altitude from space weather and enter a precautionary slumber known as safe mode. The seven astronauts on the International Space Station were urged to stay in places with strong radiation shielding. The crew was never in danger, according to NASA.

SOURCE – (AP)

As a wildfire rages uncontrollably south of Fort McMurray, Alberta, over 6000 inhabitants have been told to evacuate their homes. The wildfire, which was discovered on Thursday around 25 kilometers southwest of the city, has expanded into an 11,000-hectare storm.

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, it was approximately 7.5 kilometers from Fort McMurray’s dump and 6.5 kilometers from the intersection of Highways 63 and 881 according to Fort McMurray Today.

According to Alberta Wildfire spokesperson Josee St-Onge, the fire has grown in size and spread to the northeast since the last estimate.

She stated that the wind is driving it towards Fort McMurray. According to St-Onge, the fire is approximately 13.5 kilometers from the Fort McMurray landfill, but “smoke is impacting visibility” and making it difficult to identify actual distances.

“We’re seeing extreme fire behaviour,” she stated. “Smoke columns are developing.” Firefighters have been removed from the fire lines for their own safety, according to St-Onge, but the aerial onslaught continues.

“We understand that this is a very stressful time for the community.” We’re doing everything we can,” she explained.

People in the Abasand, Beacon Hill, Grayling Terrace, and Prairie Creek communities have been asked to leave. Abasand and Beacon Hill lost the majority of the 2,579 properties burned by the Horse River wildfire of 2016.

Rush to evacuate Fort McMurray

People in Fort McMurray have been urged to prepare for an evacuation since Friday afternoon, when the wildfire, known as MWF-017, reached 200 hectares. A same warning applies to Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, Saprae Creek, and the Fort McMurray First Nation.

“If you live in an area not subject to these evacuation orders, please allow these communities to evacuate first.” “It’s critical that we approach this in a safe, orderly, and respectful manner,” said Jody Butz, the RMWB’s regional fire chief and emergency director, at a press conference.

“It’s critical for me to understand that this fire activity is completely different from the 2016 Horse River wildfire. We have a plethora of resources and are well positioned to handle this crisis.”

Despite Butz’s warnings, many individuals from other communities clogged Highway 63 as they rushed to evacuate Fort McMurray. The Wood Buffalo RCMP stopped the route between route 881 and Highway 69, limiting transportation to persons in evacuation zones.

It will take awhile for emergency personnel to determine the real number of people that evacuated Fort McMurray.

High Winds Fueling the Fire

Butz stated at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that he is sure that no additional evacuation orders would be issued for the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region. He also stated that there are currently no signs that the wildfire would cross the Athabasca River.

Winds are moving the wildfire northeast toward Fort McMurray. Current forecasts indicate that winds will begin to carry the blaze west and northwest around 8 p.m. However, Butz also stated that the weather has shifted from beneficial to combative for firefighters fighting the wildfire.

“The previous days’ forecast was highly good. The favorable winds carried the fire and smoke away from the neighborhood. There were also projections for precipitation. That has changed, and they are factors over which we have no influence,” Butz explained.

Butz expressed “a high, high level of confidence” that firefighters will succeed in keeping the wildfire away of Fort McMurray. Butz mentioned benefits that firemen now have that did not exist in 2016, during the press conference, earlier interviews, and a council meeting.

There are less fuel sources for the fire because the 2016 Horse River wildfire burnt through dead and dry vegetation that had accumulated over time. The fire is now burning through dead grass and burned trees from 2016.

In the past eight years, wildfire combat strategies and methods have also improved. In comparison to 2016, there are more fire guards closer to Fort McMurray and more workers fighting the blaze.

Many emergency management leaders are veterans of the 2016 wildfire. People also have more experience dealing with evacuations.

“This fire is much different than 2016,” Butz added, expressing hope that reentry will be “quite quick.” “We are far more prepared and we have definitely reduced the impact of welfare on our communities.”

The Fort McMurray municipality advises people to:

• Follow rmwb.ca/alerts for evacuation information
• Be aware and stay informed by following official and trusted channels such as alberta.ca/wildfire-status
• Download the Alberta Emergency Alerts App
• Check road updates at 511.alberta.ca
• Follow local media sources
• Arrange with neighbours to advise one another of an emergency notification
• Prepare an emergency kit for your household
• Make an emergency plan for your household
• Evacuees should register online. Anyone needing accommodation or support should report to the Parkland One registration centre in Lac La Biche.

Wildfires in Fort Nelson BC Expands to 17 Square Miles Forcing Evacuations

Wildfires in Fort Nelson BC Expands to 17 Square Miles Forcing Evacuations