Rome bar bans virus talk

Chinese support for Russia over the war in Ukraine, renewed tensions over Taiwan and a row over Chinese subsidies giving China's companies an unfair advantage over European competitors.

Can you still send strong messages when you have rolled out the red carpet and chilled the champagne for a state dinner? China’s Xi Jinping feted in the French capital for his first visit to Europe since 2019, this despite trade tensions, spy scandals and insistence that he isolate Vladimir Putin over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How much has changed since a year ago when Emmanuel Macron was accused of lax messaging on human rights and Taiwan when he traveled to Beijing?

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to be inaugurated for a fifth term. In other news, there's new information on how Ludwig van Beethoven may have lost his hearing, some 197 years after his death. Finally, this year's Met Gala throws up a variety of sublime and ridiculous outfits.