It wasn't until Whitmarsh had been herded into the main hall that he grasped what he'd signed up for: 'a geopolitical event, not an intellectual one,' as he put it, with hosts including Greece and China's ministries of culture.
China's leader, Xi Jinping, will attend the parade alongside 26 visiting heads of state. Among the notable guests: Russia's president Vladimir Putin, and North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un. Seating arrangements will be closely watched a photo-op of Xi, Putin and Kim side by side would be a powerful image. Other attendees include Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iran's president Masoud Pezashkian and South Korea's National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik.
Authorities arrested Cui Guanghai and John Miller for allegedly hiring individuals to harass a Los Angeles resident critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping.