International

World Leaders Congratulate Charles III, AND Wife, Camilla

Published

3 years ago

May 7, 2023

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Leaders in the United States and Europe sent congratulations to Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their coronation on Saturday, while China called for “cooperation” and “peace”.

Among the world leaders are:

US President Joe Biden, whose country was represented at the lavish ceremony in London by First Lady Jill Biden, paid tribute to the “enduring friendship between the US and the UK”.

He tweeted that the countries’ relationship was “a source of strength for both our peoples” and that he was “proud” his wife could be there for the “historic occasion”.

In an interview aired Friday, he said he would meet Charles, 74, in July to talk in particular about environmental issues.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the UK to work for “a stable and mutually beneficial… relationship” with his country after recent strains in their relations.

“China and Britain, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, should take a long-term and strategic view to jointly promote the historical trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation,” he said.

Britain’s King Charles III wearing the Imperial state Crown, and Britain’s Queen Camilla wearing a modified version of Queen Mary’s Crown chat on the Buckingham Palace balcony while viewing the Royal Air Force fly-past in central London on May 6, 2023, after their coronations. – The set-piece coronation is the first in Britain in 70 years, and only the second in history to be televised. Charles will be the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at the central London church since King William I in 1066. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

The head of the European Union’s executive, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, called the coronation “a testament to the enduring strength of the British monarchy”.

“A symbol of stability and continuity,” von der Leyen tweeted, alongside a picture of her at the pageant-filled ceremony in Westminster Abbey.

EU Council President Charles Michel said the members of the 27-nation bloc, which the UK voted to leave in 2016, “appreciate the king’s vast experience to promote understanding and respect” and “his tireless efforts to promote the sustainability of our planet”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is in Kenya for a visit, also welcomed the newly crowned monarch’s interest in tackling climate change.

“(It) is very important that he is someone who is committed to a close cooperation between Great Britain and the European Union, and who also has his own personal agenda to advance climate protection,” Scholz said.

“That will also help us.”

– ‘Friends of France’ –
French President Emmanuel Macron, who also attended the London ceremony, sent his “congratulations” to Charles and Camilla, calling them “friends of France”.

“Proud to be with you on this historic day,” he tweeted.

– ‘Best wishes’ from Rome –
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose country was represented at the coronation by President Sergio Mattarella, sent her “best wishes to King Charles III, to Queen Camilla and the entire British people”.

In a message on social media, she noted the symbolism of the Italian craftsmanship involved in the rare mosaic floor of Westminster Abbey.

She said the ancient “Cosmati pavement” on which the Coronation Chair was placed was “masterfully created” and “there to amaze the world and to recall the historic and fruitful cooperation between Italy and the UK, which we are certain… will further strengthen with King Charles III”.

– Friend of Greece –
The foreign ministry in Greece, where Charles’s father Prince Philip was born in 1921 on the island of Corfu, tweeted in English to “warmly congratulate HM King Charles III, a proven friend of Greece, in his Coronation day”.

It wished him “success in his duties” and said it was “looking forward to continuing excellent cooperation and further deepening bilateral historic relations”.

AFP

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International

Child marriage in southern Germany: Over 350 cases recorded, some brides as young as 11

The most recent entries in the overview relate to 2026. They include, among other things, marriages of 16- and 17-year-old girls to adult men.

Published

2 days ago

October 13, 2026

OCHEFA

37 Views

• Child marriage / UNICEF

In the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, a total of 358 so-called child marriages have been officially recorded since 2012.

Euro News reported that only eight of these forced marriages have so far been legally annulled.

According to authorities, the other 350 cases were brought to an end in other ways.

This alarming finding comes from a response by the Baden-Württemberg state government to a minor inquiry submitted by AfD state parliament members Nikolaos Boutakoglou and Emely Knorr.

The Tübingen regional authority is responsible for recording the data, the answer came from the Ministry of the Interior.

The eight final annulments took place between 2018 and 2024. Among the documented cases was the marriage of an 11-year-old girl from Iraq to a 17-year-old Iraqi, which was annulled in 2020.

As early as 2018, the marriage of a 14-year-old Afghan girl to a 30-year-old man had been ended.

In 2024 two further annulments were added: they concerned a 16-year-old German girl and a 25-year-old Pakistani man and a 16-year-old Syrian girl and a 27-year-old man from the same country.State parliament member Nikolaos Boutakoglou wrote on Facebook that the issue was “really awful” but was being treated as a taboo.

According to its own account, the ministry deals exclusively with such marriages entered into abroad.

Since summer 2017, the Act to Combat Child Marriages has been in force in Germany.

In 2024, the Bundestag adopted new rules to protect minors in marriages concluded abroad.

Hundreds of cases without state intervention

The significantly higher number of cases concluded in other ways raises questions about how these marriages continued.

For the period from 2015 to 2026, the regional authority lists a total of 350 proceedings under the heading “other disposals.”But what became of the other child marriages?

The state government cites, among other things, the death of a spouse, reaching adulthood, a decision not to seek annulment or a new marriage concluded abroad.

In these cases, there was therefore no legally binding annulment.

For 2023, the records include the case of a 12-year-old Afghan girl who was married to a 21-year-old Afghan man. Girls aged 13 and 14 also appear several times in the statistics.

The most recent entries in the overview relate to 2026. They include, among other things, marriages of 16- and 17-year-old girls to adult men.

The statistics record the age of the spouses at the time of marriage and their respective nationalities.

International

JUST IN: Pope Leo XIV to Undergo Surgery for Early-Stage Lung Nodule

Published

3 days ago

October 12, 2026

Charles Flames

36 Views

Pope Leo XIV has announced that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a small, localized nodule found on his lung during a recent routine medical checkup.

The 71-year-old pontiff made the disclosure himself during his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square. “Doctors found a localized nodule in my lung,” he said. “It was detected at a very early stage and is well-contained.

The doctors believe it is advisable to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it.”

The Vatican confirmed the operation is scheduled for the first days of this week at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which has a dedicated papal suite. Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni said the Pope is expected to need about a week to recover. On Monday, the Vatican added that Leo will be admitted Tuesday morning.

The nodule’s nature—whether benign or malignant—has not been specified. Medical experts note that most lung nodules are non-cancerous, and early detection generally carries a favorable outlook.

This marks the first significant health issue of Leo’s papacy since his election in May 2025. The American-born pope, known for remaining physically active, has continued his full schedule of audiences and is still expected to proceed with a planned trip to Latin America next month.

International

‘Up to our people’ to pick leader, Zelenskyy responds to Trump’s pledge for new elections in Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine are locked in a long-range aerial war while their armies remain largely deadlocked on the front line, more than four and a half years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Published

4 days ago

October 11, 2026

OCHEFA

66 Views

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday his country could hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day total ceasefire, pushing back against US counterpart Donald Trump’s call for Ukraine to pick a new leader.

“First of all, with all respect to President Trump, it’s up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader”, Zelenskyy told ABC News in a televised interview, a day after Trump said Ukraine needed a new president who would agree to end the war.

Zelenskyy said he told Trump’s team that if they really wanted Ukraine to hold elections, “please tell Putin to give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organise elections”.

“We want peace, we are ready for a ceasefire, we are ready to begin with any kind of steps of de-escalation”, Zelenskyy told ABC in a TV interview.

“And if the Russians want us not to attack their diesel, their refineries, etc., we are asking President Trump to give them a signal not to attack the energy infrastructure of Ukraine”.

Russia and Ukraine are locked in a long-range aerial war while their armies remain largely deadlocked on the front line, more than four and a half years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Euro News