The two countries have sought to boost security ties in the face of increased flashpoints in the region including the South China Sea, where several states claim sovereignty over disputed islands and waterways.

This is the first sedition conviction against any journalist or editor since Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China in 1997.

Typhoon Shanshan slammed into Japan on Thursday, injuring dozens as howling winds smashed windows and blew tiles off houses while torrential rains sparked floods and landslide warnings

The conflict is the bloodiest in a protracted conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that has rumbled on for seven decades and destabilised the Middle East.

Durov, 39, was charged on several counts of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app following a hearing with investigating magistrates in Paris.

China said Wednesday it was “willing to engage” with the UN Human Rights Office over its northwestern region of Xinjiang but rejected efforts to “smear” its policies there.

Russian bombardments on the eastern Ukraine region of Donetsk killed six people yesterday, the governor of the region said, as Moscow announced it had taken another village in the area.

Pacific Island leaders endorsed a landmark regional policing plan yesterday at a summit in Tonga, a contentious move seen as trying to limit China’s security role in the region.

Torrential rains in India caused heavy flooding that killed at least 15 people, local media reported yesterday.

Donald Trump said Tuesday he had “reached an agreement” for a September 10 debate with Kamala Harris, two days after he threatened to pull out -- although there was no confirmation from the US vice president that a deal had been struck.

Thousands of protesters clashed in India’s eastern city of Kolkata yesterday, where demonstrations seeking justice for a murdered doctor spiralled into violent street skirmishes between political rivals.

Top US and Chinese officials exchanged warnings against stoking regional tensions during a meeting in Beijing yesterday after China became embroiled in security rows with American allies Japan and the Philippines.

Israel launched a large-scale military operation Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, where the army said it killed nine Palestinian fighters, while the nearly 11-month Gaza war showed no signs of abating.

Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, was to appear in a French court Wednesday to face possible charges of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app after his arrest at the weekend.

Unlike the ancient fort, its roof is lined with solar panels, which provide all the school's power in an area with frequent electricity cuts.

Predominantly Buddhist Thailand has strict alcohol laws, restricting liquor sales to certain hours of the day and banning them on religious holidays.

Donald Trump faced a revised federal indictment on Tuesday accusing him of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, with prosecutors narrowing their approach after a US Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution

Donald Trump said Tuesday he had "reached an agreement" for a September 10 debate with Kamala Harris, two days after he threatened to pull out -- although there was no confirmation from the US vice president that a deal had been struck

Cuba's iconic capital Havana is drowning in a sea of uncollected trash as a critical shortage of fuel and vehicle parts affects garbage collection on the island crippled by sanctions and economic woes

Relations between Moscow and Paris have reached a nadir following the arrest of Russian-born Telegram boss Pavel Durov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday, after the tech billionaire’s detention was extended until Wednesday.