Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan will hold an urgent, high-level meeting under a joint defence pact ​to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, while Saudi’s top religious authority told troops to be ready to lay down their lives to fight their Iran-aligned enemy.

US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for a lavish summit that was heavy on symbolism but light on substance, with no sign of breakthroughs on thorny ​issues such as AI, trade, Taiwan and the war with Iran.

China’s Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump on Thursday that he hoped the US will adhere to the “correct position” of opposing Taiwan independence, and that the Chinese stance on “reunification” is clear-cut.

Iranian airlines were barred from neighbouring countries including the UAE and Oman on Thursday in response to new US sanctions, the first ​big impact of a shift in US policy to target companies in third countries that do business with Iran.

President Donald Trump urged countries to leave the International Criminal Court immediately, calling it “evil” and “a rogue institution,” but only Naoero, a tiny Pacific ​island nation formerly known as Nauru, has followed suit during the UN General Assembly this week.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da ​Silva has maintained a two-percentage-point lead ‌over Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, his main challenger, in a potential runoff ahead of October’s election, a Datafolha ​poll showed on Thursday.

NATO is stepping up intelligence-sharing in response to a wave of sabotage and other incidents apparently linked to ‌Russia but should be “calm and confident” that it can handle any threat posed by Moscow, the alliance’s top commander told Reuters on Thursday.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims of having ​secured peace in Gaza, saying not a single humanitarian corridor had been reopened in the enclave despite the proclaimed peace.

The US State Department on Wednesday pledged an additional $267 million ​toward fighting the Ebola outbreak in ‌central Africa, as health authorities battle to get the deadly virus under control.

Meta’s Muse the first major consumer product to emerge under Alexandr Wang since he was ‌hired to head its AI efforts last year, has split the fortunes of US stocks this week.

A US judge appeared skeptical on Wednesday about the legality of Donald Trump’s decision to bar CNN, ​MS NOW and Politico journalists from the White House, indicating he may grant their request to lift the ban they describe as unlawful retaliation for news coverage ‌the president dislikes.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Moscow at the United Nations on Wednesday that ​Ukraine would strike back and make the coming winter deeply painful for Russia, if the two sides cannot agree a truce ‌on energy attacks before the cold sets in.