Morning bird: According to Macron, France officially recognizes the state of Palestine. President Pavel visited the Japanese emperor
France is preparing to officially recognize the state of Palestine. Czech President Petr Pavel visited Japanese Emperor Naruhito. The leaders of China and the European Union issued a joint statement regarding the need to fight climate change. Uber is introducing a new feature in its American app that allows female passengers to request female drivers,
France will recognize Palestine, suddenly announced President Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will recognize Palestine as a state, making a bold diplomatic move amid global anger over starving people in Gaza. Israel has condemned this decision. In a post on X, Macron said that the decision will be formalized at the UN General Assembly in September. "The urgency today is for the war in Gaza to end and the civilian population to be saved," he wrote according to AP.
This largely symbolic step represents further diplomatic pressure on Israel at a time when war and humanitarian crisis are raging in the Gaza Strip. France is now the largest Western power that has recognized Palestine, and this step could pave the way for other countries to do the same. More than 140 countries, including more than a dozen European ones, recognize the Palestinian state.
Japanese Emperor received Czech President Pavel
The meeting of the Czech head of state with the Japanese emperor was the culmination of the official state visit of President Petr Pavel in Japan. As is customary at the Japanese imperial court, the program of the meeting was not public. Emperor Naruhito is a member of the world's oldest reigning dynasty and the first Japanese emperor to be born after World War II. Petr Pavel visited Hiroshima, Himeji and Osaka during his visit, reported the agency ČTK.
EU and China representatives issued a joint statement regarding climate change
During an otherwise tense bilateral summit in Beijing, which was marked by significant disagreements over trade and the war in Ukraine on Thursday, China and the European Union issued a joint call for action against climate change. Both economic powers issued a joint statement on climate change, calling for greater reductions in emissions and greater use of ecological technologies, and confirmed their support for the Paris Agreement on Climate, as well as a call to adopt drastic measures at the upcoming climate summit COP30 in Brazil.
"In the current changing and restless international situation, it is crucial that all countries, especially large economies, maintain policy continuity and stability and intensify efforts to solve climate change," says a joint statement. Their climate agreement was the bright spot of a tumultuous day when European leaders in talks with President Xi Jinping called for more balanced relations with China, AP reported.
Uber introduces the opportunity for women to travel with female drivers in the USA
Uber is introducing a new option in its American app, which will allow female travellers to request female drivers, after the company has been struggling for a long time with the prevention of sexual assaults on its platform. The feature called Women Preferences will be launched in a pilot phase in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit in the next few weeks, Uber said in a blog post on Wednesday.
This is the first time the popular ride-sharing app has introduced this option into its services in the United States, having already launched it in 40 other countries. Uber is thus joining Lyft and other cab hailing apps like HERide and Just Her Rideshare that connect female riders with female drivers, CNN reported.
Sources: ČTK, CNN, AP
