Free Republic

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will visit China on February 28 for a state visit, the Chinese foreign ministry said Saturday. Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has backed Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, with Belarus dependent on its neighbour both financially and politically. "At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will pay a state visit to China from February 28 to March 2," spokesperson Hua Chunying said. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang told his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik that Beijing is willing to work with Minsk to deepen mutual political...

A woman who killed her lover with an axe told a jury yesterday she believed she had done "the right thing".Janet Charlton, 36, said there was no other way of saving either herself or her four-year-old daughter Amy from the violence of Danny O'Brien."I thought he was an animal," Charlton told Leeds Crown Court. "He was mad. He would have done absolutely anything. I believe he was mentally unstable."Charlton, who was giving evidence for the sixth day, said: "I have to live with this for the rest of my life. I know that the only reason I can is because...