Xi Jinping heads to Europe on Sunday to defend China's "no limits" alliance with Russia, first to key Ukraine backer France, then to Serbia and Hungary, which have close ties to the Kremlin. The world's second-biggest economy is seeking to deepen political and

Solomon Isla­nds’ lawmakers elected China-friendly former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele as prime minister on Thursday, choosing him over an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing’s reach in the Pacific nation. Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot of 50 MPs,

Rebuilding homes in the Gaza Strip could drag into the next century if the pace follows the trend of previous conflicts, according to a UN report released on Thursday. Nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment have caused billions of dollars in damage, leaving many of the crowded

The European Union has offered Lebanon a financial package of 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) to support its faltering economy and its security forces, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday during a visit to Beirut. Von der Leyen said the support package

A gang of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank attacked two humanitarian aid convoys on Wednesday traveling from Jordan to Gaza, the Jordanian government said. Israel earlier reopened the sole crossing on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, allowing aid trucks to

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced plans to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over its war in the Gaza Strip, which human rights advocates and other experts have warned could amount to genocide. Speaking to a crowd marking International Workers’ Day in Bogota on

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israeli officials to improve the facilitation of humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza amid warnings from the United Nations and aid agencies of a looming famine in parts of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. Blinken on Wednesday travelled

The death toll in a highway collapse in southern China has risen to 36, as emergency teams continue efforts to recover cars from the scene. “As of 5:30am on May 2 … 36 people have died, and 30 people have been injured,” state news agency Xinhua reported, adding that

Police and private security throng every entrance but one. Steel barriers line the streets. Students pack up belongings in their cars and leave for home - classes are cancelled, and exam plans are up in the air. Everywhere there is gloom, and uncertainty about what happens next at

Lawmakers in the Solomon Islands have selected a pro-China candidate as their prime minister, in an indication the Pacific nation will remain a close Beijing ally. Jeremiah Manele won the prime minister vote on Thursday, beating out his opponent in a 31-18 count. He will succeed

Hamas will respond to an Israeli truce proposal for Gaza “within a very short period,” an official with the Palestinian militant group said Wednesday, stressing though that any ceasefire needs to be permanent. Hamas is considering a plan for a 40-day ceasefire and the

Saudi Arabian authorities shuttered schools in several regions on Wednesday as flash floods inundated roads, the latest instance of heavy rains disrupting life in the desert Gulf. AFPTV footage showed partially submerged cars struggling to drive through standing water in the central

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will launch an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah regardless of truce talks with Hamas. It comes amid ongoing attempts to try to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and hostage releases. But at a meeting of hostages'

Over 100 protesters were arrested Tuesday at Columbia University and City College of New York, according to a law enforcement official. Most of the arrests were made at Columbia, including about two dozen protesters who police say tried to prevent officers from entering the campus, the

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed Tuesday to Jordan where he will discuss ways to boost aid deliveries into Gaza and quietly thank the kingdom for its help during recent Iran-Israel clashes. Blinken flew to Amman after talks with Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh, part of his

Demonstrators at Columbia University barricaded themselves inside a campus building early Tuesday, escalating a standoff with school officials as pro-Palestinian protests upend campuses across the United States. The occupation of Hamilton Hall at the prestigious university in New York

Indonesia’s remote Mount Ruang volcano erupted several times again on Tuesday, the country’s volcanology agency said, forcing evacuations, the closure of a nearby international airport and the raising of the alert level to its highest. Authorities had warned the threat from

China's coast guard said on Tuesday it "expelled" a Philippine coast guard ship and another vessel from waters adjacent to the Scarborough Shoal, Chinese state media reported. The coast guard did not provide additional information in a statement, but the incident was the

At least 25 people died and more than a dozen were injured when a bus plunged into a ravine from a mountain road in northern Peru, local authorities said on Monday. Local official Olga Bobadilla told RPP radio the incident late on Sunday happened on a potholed dirt road in the Andean

New York City's Columbia University has begun suspending students involved in a pro-Palestinian protest on campus after they defied a deadline to disperse. College leaders earlier warned those who failed to disband from the two-week encampment by 14:00 EST (18:00 GMT) on Monday