The Ukraine conflict, which started with a Russian invasion in February, dominated a two-day G20 summit in Bali last month, to the frustration of some members that wanted more attention on global economic woes.

But such is First Lady Jill Biden's sang-froid that she will offer America's best to French President Emmanuel Macron and his entourage at a lavish White House dinner on Thursday -- just one of the elaborate details and valuable gifts forming part of the diplomatic dance surrounding this state visit.

Anger over China's zero-Covid policy -- which involves mass lockdowns, constant testing and quarantines even for people who are not infected -- has sparked protests in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"That's a big thing for us, that is why we need to fight (for what is ours) and take advantage if there really is oil there," Marcos told reporters. 

The pair displaced last year's number one Tel Aviv, which fell to third place this time round in the Worldwide Cost of Living index from London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Jiang took power in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown and led the world's most populous nation towards its emergence as a powerhouse on the global stage.

The Chinese H-6 bombers repeatedly entered and left the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) off South Korea's southern and northeast coasts starting at around 5:50 a.m. (2050 GMT Tuesday), Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. 

In its annual report, the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) said democratic institutions were being undermined by issues ranging from restrictions on freedom of expression to increasing distrust in the legitimacy of elections.

Roth had tweeted after Musk's takeover that by some measures, Twitter safety had improved under the billionaire's ownership.

The summit, which follows on from a first one held in 2021, will showcase the ability of democracies to handle "the world's most pressing challenges," the White House said.

The British colonial-era law penalised sex between men with up to two years in jail, although the statute was not actively enforced.

Speaking in a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Jokowi said the planned task forces would be crucial to start work on projects under the bilateral and multilateral arrangements.

In his first major foreign policy speech, Sunak said Britain's approach to China needed to evolve and Beijing was "consciously competing for global influence using all the levers of state power".

"The actions of the US military seriously violated China's sovereignty and security," said Tian Junli, spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army.

The country's leadership is facing a wave of protest not seen in decades, fuelled by anger over the unrelenting lockdowns as well as deep-rooted frustrations over China's political direction.

The comments came after hundreds of people took to the streets in China's major cities over the weekend, in a rare outpouring of public frustration that has spread to international Chinese-speaking communities.

A UNESCO-tasked report on Monday said that warming seas and agricultural pollution had put the reef at risk, and that its resilience had been "substantially compromised".

The protests on the mainland were triggered by a fire in China's Xinjiang region last week that killed 10 people who were trapped in their apartments.

US and allied military inventories are shrinking, and Ukraine faces an increasing need for more sophisticated weapons as the war drags on. Boeing's proposed system, dubbed Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), is one of about a half-dozen plans for getting new munitions into production for Ukraine and America's Eastern European allies, industry sources said.

That compares with 39,791 new cases a day earlier – 3,709 symptomatic and 36,082 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.

Morrison appointed himself minister for finance, home affairs, treasury, resources, agriculture and environment, without telling the public or existing ministers.

The riots took place in several places across the Belgian capital where dozens of soccer fans, some draped in Moroccan flags, clashed with riot police with water cannons and tear gas.

The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has based its strategy on five major planks: promoting peace and security, notably by sending a warship to the region; bolstering trade and investment; boosting "feminist international assistance"; financing sustainable infrastructure; and increasing its diplomatic presence.

The appointment of Anwar Ibrahim as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia will strengthen Indonesia-Malaysia relations due to his closeness with Indonesia as well as his image as a pluralistic moderate Muslim figure from Malaysia, experts believe.

Growing discontent overshadows ASEAN progress on the Myanmar crisis as Indonesia searches for the regional bloc’s next special envoy and the junta regime in the conflict-torn country inks a cooperation deal with Moscow.

Government agencies have two weeks to review the implications of narrowing the subsidies, he told a news conference.

"There is a powerful strategic intimacy that is being born with Indonesia and France," French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu told AFP.