The meeting would be held alongside an international conference set to take place in Southeast Asia, the Sankei said, citing multiple government sources.

Scholz is the first G7 leader to visit China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen the world's number two economy close its borders and Xi largely eschew in-person diplomacy.

In early October, supervisors suddenly warned him that 3,000 colleagues had been taken into quarantine after someone tested positive for Covid-19 at the factory.

"If the leader of the Russian Federation was to take part in it, Ukraine would not be participating," Zelensky told a press conference with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Kyiv. Putin is yet to say if he will attend.

Beaten-down Chinese stocks had soared this week on speculation that Beijing would ease its "dynamic zero-COVID" policy, despite the rising case numbers and reiterations of a stance that makes China an extreme outlier nearly three years into the pandemic.

Levels of the most dangerous particles -- PM2.5, so tiny they can enter the bloodstream -- were 588 per cubic metre early on Thursday morning, according to monitoring firm IQAir.

He noted the infection wave driven by the XBB sub-variant is clearly waning, and that Singapore had managed to deal with the wave with practically no restrictions, with indoor masking requirements and vaccination-differentiated safe management measures having been lifted.

"Had a phone conversation with President Putin and discussed about the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Welcome Russia’s decision to rejoin the initiative," President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said in a tweet posted from his handle @jokowi on Wednesday evening.

"The proposed sale will improve Australia's capability to meet current and future threats by providing the Royal Australian Air Force with replacements for its aging cargo fleet, guaranteeing a reliable airlift capability," the Pentagon said in a statement.

"There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy security without investing in renewables," Sunak wrote on Twitter.

Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had informed his Turkish counterpart that the deal will resume.

Pakistan had been struggling with a balance of payments crisis even before devastating floods hit the country this summer, causing it an estimated $30 billion or more in losses.

Victory it was not. Death came in the form of an end to his presidency, which he grudgingly accepted Tuesday -- two days after the election was declared for his opponent.

"We are on the brink of a very large victory," a smiling Netanyahu told supporters at his Likud party headquarters, after late-night exit polls predicted his bloc would win a narrow parliamentary majority in the Nov. 1 election, paving the way for his political comeback and a record sixth term in office.

One short range ballistic missile crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two countries, prompting a rare warning for residents on the island of Ulleungdo to seek shelter in bunkers.

"Putin publicly acknowledged ordering missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure," spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Twitter.

Exit polls showed Netanyahu, Israel's longest serving premier, could clinch a narrow majority and make a comeback with the anticipated backing of ultra-Orthodox Jewish and ascendant far-right parties.

Japan does not legally recognize same-sex marriage, but couples who obtain a certificate under the so-called Tokyo Partnership Oath System will be able to, for instance, apply for municipal housing and include their children's names on their partnership certificates.

While the people of ASEAN clearly acknowledge the economic benefits of ASEAN-China cooperation, they are less trustworthy of Beijing when it comes to security matters, a recent survey has found.

The latest ballot follows the collapse of the so-called "change" coalition, which united eight disparate parties who succeeded in ousting Netanyahu last year after a record run as prime minister, but ultimately failed to bring political stability.

Dedicated facilities for the bombers will be set up at the Royal Australian Air Force's remote Tindal base, about 300 km (190 miles) south of Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory, said the source, who declined to be identified because they are not authorised to speak publicly on the issue. 

Wang also said in a Monday phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that export controls that Washington imposed on China severely damaged its legitimate rights and must be rectified, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. 

The module named Mengtian, or "dreaming of heavens," was "launched on a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang launch centre" on China's tropical island Hainan, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Footage from just before the collapse showed a group of young men taking photos while others tried to sway the bridge before they tumbled into the river below as the cables holding it together gave way.

The victory marks a stunning turnaround for charismatic but tarnished leftist icon Lula, who left office in 2010 as the most popular president in Brazilian history, fell into disgrace when he was imprisoned for 18 months on controversial, since-quashed corruption charges, and now returns for an unprecedented third term at age 77.

The resort said at 11:39 a.m. local time (03:39 GMT) it would immediately shut the main theme park and surrounding areas including its shopping street until further notice to comply with virus curbs.

The US$13.9 billion worth of purchase by the Indonesian Defense Ministry of the F-15 Eagle heavyweight fighters from the United States remains in negotiations, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has said.