Seven British cities are vying to host Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine
The BBC announced on Friday that seven UK cities have been chosen to host the next Eurovision Song Contest, which is being held on behalf of Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion of Britain.
Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield were chosen from the twenty cities that had expressed an interest in hosting the iconic competition. The decision will be announced in autumn.
The EU ‘united’ in its support for Ukraine
Anne-Claire Legendre reiterated “the unity of the European Union” in her support for Ukraine in the conflict she has waged against Russia since February 24.
“The path of dialogue must be maintained”
“The origin of the endangerment of this plant is the Russian occupation. (…) Despite everything, the path of dialogue must be maintained, at some point the negotiation phase will become necessary,” said the spokesman for the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Zaporizhia power plant: “We demand the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops”
The spokeswoman for the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Anne-Claire Legendre, was a guest of Franceinfo this Friday morning. “We are very concerned about this Russian occupation in this plant in Zaporizhia. We demand an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from this plant,” she said.
Zelenskyi welcomes help from “friendly countries”
In his daily statement Thursday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked “friendly states that are helping to meet the humanitarian needs created by this war.”
Still dead in the east and southeast
In Nikopol, southeastern Ukraine, about a hundred kilometers from Zaporijia, across the Dnieper, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko reported three dead and nine injured in nightly launches of Russian Grad multiple rockets.
In the east, in the Donbass mining basin, the head of the military administration of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, announced in the morning that 11 civilians had been killed in the past 24 hours.
Zaporijjia: “These incidents could lead to a catastrophe,” fears the UN
“Unfortunately, instead of a de-escalation, even more worrying incidents have been reported in recent days, incidents which, if continued, could lead to disaster,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said to himself on Thursday. “Deeply concerned about the situation in and around the plant”.
“It must be clear that any damage to Zaporizhia or any other nuclear site in Ukraine or elsewhere could have catastrophic consequences not only nearby, but for the region and beyond. It’s totally unacceptable,” he said.
Zaporizhia: The International Nuclear Energy Agency is asking for access as soon as possible
The site of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, was bombed again on Thursday, with Ukraine and Russia blaming each other, while the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency asked for access “as soon as possible” during an emergency meeting of the Security Council . “The situation is serious and the IAEA must be authorized to carry out its mission in Zaporijjia as soon as possible,” Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the UN for whom “hurry up”.