World leaders mark WWI centenary in sombre Paris ceremony

[caption id="attachment_217436" align="alignnone" width="550"] Heads of states and world leaders attend ceremonies at the Arc de Triomphe Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 in Paris. (AP/PTI)[/caption] Paris, Nov. 11 (PTI/AFP): US President Donald Trump, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and dozens of other world leaders joined France's Emmanuel Macron in commemorating the centenary of the end of World War I in a solemn ceremony in Paris on Sunday. The ceremony at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe war memorial on the Champs-Elysees marked the culmination of events for the 100th anniversary of the end of the four-year onflict which claimed 18 million lives. Macron led dozens of heads of state and government including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on foot towards a viewing stand at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triopmhe. Trump and Putin arrived separately from other leaders at the commemorations, which took place in the rain. Minutes before the start of the ceremony two topless protesters from the radical feminist group Femen attempted to waylay Trump's motorcade as it rolled up the Champs-Elysees. They were immediately overpowered by police. Putin was one of the last to take his place among the ceremony, on the front row next to Macron's wife Brigitte. Putin shook hands on arrival with Trump, and Trump also shook hands with Merkel and some of the other leaders placed next to him but pointedly did not extend a hand to Trudeau, whom he disparaged earlier this year as "dishonest and weak". Over 3,400 people, including veterans of the armed forces of France and its allies, were invited to the ceremony, which began with a rendition of the Marseillaise and a review by Macron of cadets from France's military schools. Cadets from West Point military academy in the US took part in the commemorations, alongside members of France's Republican Guard resplendent in plumed hats and uniforms red epaulettes. French-born Chinese American cellist Yo-Yo Ma played a Sarabande from Bach's 5th cello suite and schoolchildren read accounts of soldiers from eight countries who served in the war, in their native language. There were also tributes to troops from African countries, with Beninese star Angelique Kidjo performing a song to lives lost on behalf of the former colonial power. The rain added to the solemnity of the occasion, with Macron eschewing an umbrella as he remembered the suffering of those who fought in the so-called "war to end all wars" in a speech. On Saturday, Trump cited the bad weather for his decision to cancel a visit to an American cemetery in northern France -- a decision for which drew criticism. Queen Elizabeth leads televised remembrance tribute to fallen soldiers In a televised commemorative show on Saturday evening, UK's Queen Elizabeth II led tributes to soldiers who died in conflict since the beginning of the First World War. The commemorative show was held at London's Royal Albert Hall (RAH), and was organised by the main veterans' charity association the Royal British Legion (RBL), Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. The annual RBL Festival of Remembrance show in front of the RAH's 5,000-strong audience and millions of TV viewers featured songs from Welsh stars Tom Jones and Bryn Terfel, who were joined by several choirs, military bands and serving soldiers. The Festival of Remembrance began in 1927 and is always held on the evening before the official day of remembrance for dead soldiers on Remembrance Sunday. Remembrance Sunday is the second Sunday in November, the closest Sunday to November 11 which is the day on which the First World War ended in 1918. This year the Festival and Remembrance Sunday have special significance as they come on the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Topless protesters held in bid to 'welcome' Trump to Paris French police on Sunday arrested three topless rights protesters who approached the motorcade of US President Donald Trump on the Champs-Elysees in Paris heading to a ceremony marking 100 years since the end of World War I. One of the protesters, who had slogans including "fake peacemakers" and "hypocrisy parade" written on their chests, got within metres of the rear of the motorcade after jumping over a barricade. She was grabbed by a police officer, while a second woman could be seen being hauled away by security services on the edge of the famous thoroughfare. A third woman, who was positioned a little higher up the avenue, also managed to breach the security cordon and run towards Trump's convoy with her arms raised. She too was quickly overpowered by the police and all three were arrested. The incident revealed chinks in the tight security put in place for the event, with some 10,000 security force members deployed around a city which has been hit by a series of jihadist attacks since 2015. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Trump's security had "in no way been threatened". Inna Shevchenko, one of the leaders of radical feminist group Femen, confirmed the group was behind the protest. "FEMEN activists 'welcomed' the cortege of @realDonaldTrump twice on his way to Arc de Triumph," she tweeted. Constance Lefevre, another activist who was among the crowd but did not participate in the protest, told AFP that Femen was protesting the presence in Paris of leaders "who are responsible for most of the world's conflicts". She cited Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among others. Trump's motorcade briefly paused due to the breach of security before continuing on to the Arc de Triomphe where around 70 world leaders had gathered to mark the centenary of the Armistice. Three Femen protesters had already demonstrated at the Arc De Triomphe on Saturday morning to denounce the presence of "war criminals" among the guests at the ceremony. The three were also arrested.