- Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF
- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
- Florida seaside haven a ghost town as hurricane nears
- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
- Biden-Netanyahu talk as Hezbollah, Israeli forces clash
- Musk's X available again in Brazil after 40-day ban
- Reddy stars as India crush Bangladesh to clinch T20 series
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- Arch rivals Ghana, Nigeria drawn together in CHAN qualifying
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
- Trump lauds India's Modi as 'total killer'
- Wall Street, Europe rise as Chinese shares tumble
- Hunkering down for Hurricane Milton at Disney -- but first, a few rides
- Reddy, Rinku power India to 221-9 in second Bangladesh T20
- Overshooting 1.5C risks 'irreversible' climate impact: study
Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
Southeast Asian leaders will hold summit talks Thursday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, with the disputed South China Sea on the agenda after months of escalating clashes between Beijing's vessels and Philippine and Vietnamese fishermen.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet Li at their gathering in Vientiane after a day of talks among themselves dominated by the Myanmar civil war.
Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea will also join the summit, along with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
The ASEAN leaders on Wednesday repeated their longstanding calls for restraint and respect for international law, according to a draft summit chairman's statement seen by AFP.
Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, a waterway of immense strategic importance through which trillions of dollars in trade transits every year.
But several ASEAN members -- the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brunei -- also have competing claims to various small islands and reefs.
The meeting with Li comes after a slew of violent clashes at sea, particularly with the Philippines around the Spratly Islands.
Chinese coast guard and other vessels have rammed, water-cannoned and blocked Philippine government vessels.
And earlier this month Vietnam issued an angry condemnation after some of its fishermen were attacked and robbed off the Paracel Islands by what it called "Chinese law enforcement forces".
Beijing responded that the islands are its sovereign territory and its personnel were taking action to stop "illegal fishing" by the Vietnamese.
China has for years sought to expand its presence in contested areas of the South China Sea, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the waterway has no legal basis.
It has built artificial islands armed with missile systems and runways for fighter jets, and deployed vessels that the Philippines says harass its ships and block its fishers.
The talks with Li are also expected to cover Myanmar -- which counts China as its main ally -- as the bloc seeks to breathe life into its ailing attempts to end the country's bloody conflict.
ASEAN leaders condemned attacks on civilians and "urged all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence", according to a draft summit chairman's statement seen by AFP.
ASEAN agreed to a five-point peace plan with the Myanmar junta more than three years ago but generals have ignored it and the bloc has not found a way to compel them to comply.
The conflict that began with the February 2021 coup has left thousands dead and forced millions to flee their homes.
On Friday the leaders will be joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and others for the annual East Asia Summit.
W.Lapointe--BTB