Vladimir Putin will leave Russia and travel the farthest distance from his home country for the first time since an arrest warrant was issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to a report. Mr Putin has reportedly accepted an invitation by Xi Jinping to visit China and the Kremlin is gearing up for his attendance at the Belt and Road Forum in October, three people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. News of the visit comes after Mr Putin declined an invitation by India to attend G20 summit next week. The Kremlin said the Russian leader has a “busy schedule” while his main focus at the moment is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia will be instead be represented by its foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. Moscow is an ally to Delhi and Beijing, both of whom are regional rivals and share strained diplomatic ties with each other. Both countries are not signatories to the ICC either. The Russian leader has, ever since the warrant was issued, travelled only to Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine. Before the warrant, he had visited Iran last year. On Tuesday, the Kremlin said a schedule for bilateral Russian-Chinese contacts was being worked out, when asked about the reported visit. “The schedule of bilateral Russian-Chinese contacts at various levels, including at the highest level, is being coordinated,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We will inform you about specific events and deadlines in a timely manner.” Mr Putin and Mr Xi have declared a “no limits” partnership between their countries. China has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine directly while emphasing the importance of upholding Kyiv’s territorial integrity. In March, an arrest warrant was issued against Mr Putin and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, for alleged war crimes committed by deporting Ukrainian children into Russia during the conflict. Human rights groups have estimated that more than 19,000 children were deported and placed with Russian families. Russian officials have claimed the children were taken in as a war-time humanitarian gesture. The Kremlin has rejected the war crime accusations. The Russian leader had earlier avoided going to South Africa, which is an ICC signatory, to attend the Brics summit last week. Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan also invited Mr Putin to visit Ankara for talks on a Black Sea grain deal, but he is now said to be considering traveling to Moscow himself. Turkey is not an ICC signatory. The flurry of announcements about the diplomatic visits come as British foreign minister James Cleverly visited China in the first such visit by a UK diplomat in five years. Mr Cleverly said he will urge China to fulfil its international commitments and show responsibility on the world stage on the Ukraine invasion. On Mr Putin’s purpoted visit to Beijing, he said, “Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine cannot be justified by Moscow or indeed anywhere else”. Read More India protests China's land claim ahead of the G20 summit President Xi Jinping is expected to attend Russia earns less from oil and spends more on war. So far, sanctions are working like a slow poison Vladimir Putin ‘too busy’ to face world leaders at G20 The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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Paris Hilton has revealed why she didn’t hesitate to defend her 10-month-old son, Phoenix, from comments about his appearance. The 42-year-old actor spoke candidly about her tactics as a mother – days after announcing the surprise birth of her second baby, London, with husband Carter Reum – during a recent interview with People. Her comments come weeks after she first hit back at fan remarks and speculation about the size of Phoenix’s head. During her interview with People, published on 28 November, Hilton said that her “mama bear instincts” came out when she first addressed commentary about her son. She continued to explain why she defended her son, before noting that she was surprised by the criticism surrounding his appearance. “Usually, I wouldn’t even dignify anything like that with a response, but I was just heartbroken that there are such cruel people in the world,” Hilton explained. “I couldn’t believe that they could be mean and vicious about a little innocent baby.” She then sent a message to critics, stating that she “feels sorry” for anyone who would bully a child online. "They’re that miserable in their lives that they would go and speak about a child in such a way,” she said. The Paris In Love star also expressed her gratitude to people on social media who defended her son amid the commentary about his appearance. "It makes me feel so grateful knowing that there’s so many people in the world that love and support me,” she said. “Sticking up for me meant the world to me, and to have people looking out for Phoenix in that way, it meant a lot.” She continued to describe how moved she was by “messages from people saying how much they love Phoenix and how beautiful he is”. She also praised the fans who encouraged her to avoid listening “to trolls”. “That just meant a lot to me, to see how much love there is for me and my son,” Hilton continued. “So anyone reading this, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate everyone looking out for us.” In October, Hilton first hit back at the criticism on TikTok, after her Instagram photos of her son’s first trip to New York City went viral. In the comments of a TikTok video, which defended Hilton and her son, she wrote: “There are some sick people in this world. My angel is perfectly healthy.” The mogul added: “And yes, of course he has been to a doctor, he just has a large brain.” Last week, Hilton took to Instagram on Thanksgiving Day to announce the arrival of her second child with Reum: a baby girl. She revealed the news by posting a photo of a pink pyjama set with the name “London” inscribed on the Peter Pan collared top. “Thankful for my baby girl,” the DJ captioned the post. She also placed a pair of hot pink heart-shaped sunglasses and a brown, knitted toy bunny alongside the pyjama set. During an interview on Today, which aired on 27 November, Hilton spoke candidly about becoming a parent of two with her husband. “She is just a little angel and my life just feels so complete with my little baby boy and my baby girl,” Hilton said. “We’re just over the moon.” When asked how her journey to motherhood compares to previous chapters of her life, the reality TV star candidly admitted: “I’m loving my mom era. I feel just so at peace, so happy, so grateful for my husband and this beautiful family and life that we’re building together.” Read More Paris Hilton opens up about welcoming ‘angel’ baby London: ‘I’m loving my mom era’ Paris Hilton announces surprise birth and name of second child Paris Hilton’s husband reveals why she wanted to keep their son’s birth secret Paris Hilton makes grand entrance into F1 party but ‘no one’ is there to watch Rosalynn Carter remembered for her mental health advocacy at poignant tribute service Smelling a mince pie could kill me, says woman allergic to Christmas

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