Trump says U.S. will blockade Strait of Hormuz after Iran peace talks fail

Latvian centre-right Prime Minister Evika Silina has announced her resignation, after the Progressives Party, her left-leaning coalition partner, pulled support from the government and left her without a majority, aljazeera.com reports.

Her resignation came days after Latvia’s Defence Minister Andris Spruds, from the Progressives Party, was forced to resign over the government’s handling of several incidents involving stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine crossing into Latvian territory. Silina said at the time that Spruds had lost her trust and that of the public.

The drone incidents "clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defence sector has failed to fulfil its promise of safe skies over our country", Silina said on Sunday, explaining Spruds’s resignation.

 

The Global South Media and Think Tank Forum Chinese-Arab Partnership Conference opened Tuesday at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, Xinhua reports.

The two-day event, under the theme "Pooling Wisdom, Embarking on a New Journey: Jointly Building a China-Arab Community with a Shared Future," gathers about 250 representatives from around 110 media outlets, think tanks, government institutions, enterprises from China and Arab countries, as well as from international and regional organizations.

In his opening remarks, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the League of Arab States, said that countries of the Global South are facing a wide range of challenges. The Global Governance Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, he noted, has opened up broad prospects for promoting the democratization of international relations, narrowing the North-South divide, resolving global crises through peaceful means, and building a better future together.

Arab and Chinese media outlets and think tanks urgently need to strengthen cooperation, build consensus, foster strong bonds between the Arab and Chinese peoples, and promote a more just and equitable international order, he stressed.

Holding the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum Chinese-Arab Partnership Conference at the headquarters of the League of Arab States carries important significance, Gheit said, noting that it will promote experience-sharing between Arab and Chinese media outlets and think tanks, open up broader prospects for cooperation, deepen exchanges and mutual learning in ideas and civilizations between the two countries, and make Arab-China media and think tanks an important pillar in strengthening Arab-China friendship.

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua, for his part, said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi and the leaders of Arab states, China-Arab relations have entered their best period in history: strategic mutual trust has been steadily deepened, cooperation across multiple fields has continued to expand, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges have yielded fruitful results.

Media and think tanks play a vital role in China-Arab friendship and cooperation by amplifying voices, contributing intellectual insight, and connecting hearts, Fu said, stressing that Xinhua will continue to promote and explain in depth the idea of a community with a shared future for mankind and the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi, fully showcase the vivid practice of China and Arab countries walking hand in hand and engaging in pragmatic cooperation, further improve and strengthen cooperation mechanisms between Chinese and Arab media and think tanks, promote closer exchanges through more practical measures, advance exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations and closer people-to-people ties, and contribute media and think-tank strength to building a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era.

In his address, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang said that 10 years ago, President Xi visited the headquarters of the League of Arab States and delivered an important speech in this very hall, offering China's answer to the "Middle East question," stressing that recalling it today makes it all the more instructive.

Not long ago, President Xi put forward a four-point proposal on safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, which has received broad support and a positive response from the international community, Liao added.

The League of Arab States is an important platform for Arab countries to strengthen solidarity and self-reliance, he said, noting China-Arab relations have a long and enduring history, and this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Arab states.

The Chinese ambassador expressed his belief that the forum will further promote the exchange of governance experience between China and Arab countries and deepen their traditional friendship and people-to-people bonds. The Chinese side, he said, stands ready to work with Arab friends to carry forward the spirit of China-Arab friendship and stride forward on the bright path toward building a higher-level China-Arab community with a shared future.

Chinese and foreign guests attending the event said that China and Arab countries, as important members of the Global South, have always been committed to promoting peace and development and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, playing an important role in advancing international fairness and justice and improving global governance.

They added that China-Arab cooperation has become a model of solidarity and common development among developing countries, expressing hope that Global South media outlets and think tanks will further deepen China-Arab exchanges and mutual learning, build consensus on development, promote more practical cooperation outcomes, and advance substantive cooperation between Chinese and Arab media and think tanks.

Fu presented Gheit with the Arabic edition of the book China's Governance Under Xi Jinping's Leadership. The opening ceremony also featured a China-Arab art exhibition titled "Art Integration: Across Millennia, the Silk Road Culture Endures," as well as a certificate-awarding ceremony honoring outstanding contributions by Global South joint communication partners.

The conference is co-hosted by Xinhua and the League of Arab States. During the event, participants will conduct in-depth discussions on topics including peaceful development, diverse narratives, digital innovation, and mutual learning among civilizations. A think-tank report titled "Achievements, Opportunities, and Prospects of China-Arab Cooperation in the New Era" will also be released.

 

A 3.4-magnitude earthquake struck near Redlands in Southern California on Friday evening, close to the border between Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the U.S. Geological Survey.

According to the USGS, the tremor occurred at 6:40 p.m. local time approximately 4 miles southwest of Redlands. The earthquake originated at a shallow depth of around 2 miles below the surface.

The latest seismic event marks the third notable earthquake recorded in the Inland Empire region this week. Earlier on Friday, a 3.3-magnitude quake was reported in the same area, while a separate 3.1-magnitude tremor struck San Bernardino County on Wednesday morning.

Authorities continue to remind residents and visitors across California to stay prepared for seismic activity. The state’s Earthquake Readiness Guide notes that earthquakes may occur at any moment and encourages individuals, families, and businesses to use preparedness plans and early warning technologies to respond quickly during emergencies.

 

The Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency, released a report titled "The Theory of Cultural Empowerment: China's Cultural Consciousness in Marching Toward High-Quality Development" on Thursday, Xinhua reports.

The report was issued during a forum on exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations to mark the 20th anniversary of the China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership.

The report systematically elaborates on the underlying logic of empowering economic and social development through culture, along with China's practices, methodology and global inspirations in this field.

For China, empowering economic and social development with culture is an inevitable requirement for the new stage of development, a contemporary innovation of Marxist cultural theory, and a strategic choice amid the evolving global landscape of competition and cooperation among civilizations, said the report.

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, China is leveraging culture to foster new drivers of economic growth, unleash consumer vitality, promote effective social governance, and build momentum for development, it said.

Scholars attending the forum said that empowering economic and social development through culture provides crucial theoretical guidance and practical pathways for addressing global development bottlenecks, promoting both material progress and cultural-ethical advancement, and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Full text: The Theory of Cultural Empowerment: China's Cultural Consciousness in Marching Toward High-Quality Development

 

U.S. President Donald Trump has been evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Dinner after what appears to be a security incident at the event, according to a live broadcast on Saturday night, Xinhua reports.

Attendees were seen on the live broadcast ducking around their tables and taking cover. Multiple news outlets reported that gunshots were heard in the White House ballroom.

Organizers announced that the program will resume momentarily, but did not offer more details.

This would mark Trump's first time attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

 

Across Chinese cities, lush greenery, well-maintained parks, and clean streets have become a common sight. The pleasant environment and fresh air deeply impress overseas visitors. China's commitment to ecological construction has greatly improved urban landscapes, winning wide recognition from the international community, news.cn reports.

 

Four astronauts returned safely to Earth on Friday after completing a 10-day mission around the Moon, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said.

The capsule Orion touched down at about 17:07 local time (0007 GMT on Saturday) in the Pacific Ocean, some 96 km off the San Diego coast, California, according to NASA. It was the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972, Xinhua reports.

After splashing down, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman said that all four crew members are in good condition.

 

Flash floods caused by torrential rains have claimed 77 lives and left 137 others injured across Afghanistan, the country's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement on Saturday.

According to the NDMA, the heavy deluge has either destroyed or partially damaged 3,466 homes. The floodwaters also washed away 337 km of roads, inundated 11,676 acres of farmland, and caused severe damage to 121 water canals and irrigation networks. The authority further noted that a total of 5,811 families have been affected by the latest natural disasters so far, Xinhua reported.

Afghanistan's meteorological department has forecast more heavy rainfall in the coming days, warning of a heightened risk of flooding, particularly in remote and vulnerable areas.