MANILA, Dec 26 — The Philippines is not provoking conflict in the South China Sea, the country's military spokesperson said today, in response to China's accusation that Manila is encroaching on Beijing's territory.

GAZA, Dec 26 — Palestinian refugees in Gaza endured a night of horror on Christmas Eve as Israeli airstrikes hit residential areas, killing and wounding many.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 — Egypt welcomes the establishment of a United Nations (UN) mechanism for accelerating the provision of humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza, to address the dire situation in the besieged enclave.

GAZA CITY (Palestine), Dec 24 — The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October7 has risen to 20,258, with 53,688 injured, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said on Saturday.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Dec 22 — The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Thursday postponed for the fourth time this week a vote on a draft resolution on humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

WASHINGTON, Dec.

LONDON, Dec 22 — The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday said "carnage must stop," in Gaza, where the Palestinian death toll has climbed to 20,000.

PRAGUE/LONDON, Dec 22 —- At least 15 people were killed and 24 others injured in a shooting incident at a university in the Czech Republic’s capital Prague on Thursday, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

ANKARA, Dec.

NEW YORK, Dec 21 — The head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday issued a dire warning that the absence of safe drinking water in Gaza could lead to the tragic loss of "many more children" to disease.

BEIJING/MANILA, Dec 21 — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told the Philippines to address through dialogue serious difficulties in their relations over the South China Sea, warning that any miscalculation would prompt Beijing to defend itself and "respond resolutely".

BEIRUT, Dec 21 — At least 66 per cent of jobs have been lost in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct 7, according to data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on Wednesday.

LOS ANGELES, Dec 21 — A new coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is spreading fast in the United States, becoming a significant contributor to new Covid-19 cases in the country.

NEW DELHI, Dec 21 — Pakistan and Iran have called for coordinated efforts by Islamic countries to end Israeli atrocities in Palestine.

BEIJING, Dec 20 — The Chinese government on Wednesday allocated 30 million yuan (US$4.23 million) in emergency funding for the restoration of roads in quake-hit Gansu and Qinghai provinces in the northwest of the country, reported Xinhua.

DOHA, Dec.

NEW YORK, Dec 20 — United Nation's (UN) Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, said 2023 ends as one of the deadliest in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with the situation deteriorating on nearly all fronts.

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 —Alphabet's Google has agreed to pay US$700 million and to allow for greater competition in its Play app store, according to the terms of an antitrust settlement with U.S.

MANILA, Dec 19  — Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

BANGKOK Dec 19 — Thailand's cabinet has approved debt suspension for smaller businesses and support for retail debtors, the prime minister said on Tuesday, in the government's latest move to address the country's festering debt issues.