"China, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit," Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore.

Biden had come under increasing pressure from a desperate Ukraine to ease his ban, but had so far resisted amid fears it could drag NATO into direct conflict or even a nuclear standoff with Moscow.

Flight QR017, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, landed shortly before 1 p.m. Dublin time (1200 GMT), the airport said.

Holding posters reading SOS Residents, Enough Mass Tourism, protesters marched through Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the largest Balearic Island. About 10,000 demonstrators took part, a Spanish National police spokesperson said. 

"I feel much better here than in France," the 32-year-old of North African descent told AFP.

While China does not want to upend its ties with the West, and insists it is not sending lethal weapons to Moscow, Washington has stressed that Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without Beijing.

Wilders won an election nearly six months ago and reached a deal on Wednesday to form a coalition with three right-wing partners. He has not yet proposed his choice for prime minister, but has ruled himself out.

The 26-page coalition agreement emerged early Thursday after six months of gruelling talks between four parties following the stunning election victory of far-right leader Geert Wilders.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, a 59-year-old four-time premier who came back to power after his Smer-SD party won a general election last year, chaired a government meeting in the central town of Handlova. Shots were fired after the meeting.

"Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed that all international events scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated," Sergii Nykyforov said in a post on Facebook.

Wilders, who has influenced Dutch immigration policy from the opposition benches since 2006 and is known for his outspoken views on Islam, was expected to announce a four-party coalition later in the day.

Xi began his trip earlier this week in France, a visit that was cordial but also highlighted tensions between Beijing and the EU over the war in Ukraine and global trade.

The company also said it would proceed to withdraw the vaccine Vaxzevria's marketing authorizations within Europe.

In early January, China said it had launched an anti-dumping investigation into brandy imported from the European Union, in a move seen as targeting France. 

China and the EU should stay committed to partnership, Xi said in opening remarks at a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.   

Putin has upped his nuclear rhetoric since the Ukraine conflict began, warning in his address to the nation in February there was a "real" risk of nuclear war.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to urge Xi to reduce trade imbalances and to use his influence with Russia over the war in Ukraine. China's President is due to meet Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.

The ministry said it would "for the first time in history" use a digital spokeswoman to read its statements, which will still be written by humans.

Norway retained its top position, while Eritrea came last, taking over from last year's lowest-ranked country, North Korea. 

Labour seized the constituency of Blackpool South, in the northwest of England, in the latest by-election defeat for the Tories as it appears on course to lose an upcoming general election.

The crisis in his Scottish National Party (SNP) opens the door to the opposition Labour Party regaining ground in its former Scottish heartlands before a national election - bolstering its chances of taking power nationwide from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party. 

The visit to France marks the Chinese leader's first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.

"There is a risk our Europe could die," Macron said in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, adding that Europe was at a tipping point and needed to do more to compete with rapidly re-arming global rivals.

"Everything we're witnessing over the last 12 months is indicating that the international global system is on the brink of collapse," Amnesty's secretary general Agnes Callamard told AFP as the group released its annual "State of the World's Human Rights" report.

Hours after the bill passed, a French newspaper reported that at least five migrants had died in an attempt to cross the Channel. The French coast guard could not confirm the details but said there were several "lifeless bodies". 

President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, according to Russian and US diplomats.

Diethylene glycol is toxic to humans when consumed and can result in acute kidney failure. In the 2022 cases, the contamination in the syrups came from the raw materials used by manufacturers in India and Indonesia.

The grim warning by Bill Burns came as the US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Saturday on a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine that has been held up for months by Republican lawmakers allied with Donald Trump as he seeks reelection.

Serbia could soon sign a deal on the procurement of 12 Dassault Rafale multi-purpose fighter jets from France, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday.

"I won't dance. Promise. #TikTok," Scholz posted on X.