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United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L), Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (centre) and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) pose for a family photo during COP29, 12 November, 2024. Photo: AFP / Alexander Nemenov Analysis - Every day this week, COP29 has managed to spark international headlines for all the wrong reasons. First, the eight-hour agenda fight over what, actually, diplomats will spend time negotiating this year. Then on Tuesday the President of Azerbaijan, which is hosting COP29 in the capital Baku, called oil and gas a "gift of God" and denounced "fake news" media for reporting on human rights abuses. President Aliyev doubled down the next day, denouncing France's colonial "crimes" in the Pacific, prompting an announcement on Thursday that the Fr...

The birth rate in China, which has a population of 1.4 billion, hit a record low last year. Photo: Rodrigo M. Nunes President Xi Jinping is calling for more efforts to maintain China's fertility levels and population size, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, as the country grapples with the fallout of an ageing population. The legal system overseeing population and reproduction matters should be improved to help strengthen demographics, Xinhua cited Xi as saying in an article to be published in the official journal of the Chinese Communist Party on Saturday. The birth rate in China, which has a population of 1.4 billion, hit a record low last year, and fellow Asian giant India has outpaced it to become the world's most populous nation. China's ageing population is burdening its...

Christopher Luxon has been warmly welcomed by China's President in Lima on the sidelines of the APEC Summit. It is the first time Xi Jinping and Luxon have met, with the meeting scheduled for 30 minutes. In his opening remarks, President Xi acknowledged the sound and steady growth between China and New Zealand and commended Luxon for his efforts building the relationship since he took office a year ago. He also said China was ready to work together with New Zealand to create more firsts. President Xi noted Luxon had visited China many times in his previous life before politics. NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets with China's President, Xi Jinping in Lima. Photo: Pool / Chris Skelton "Since taking office as the Prime Minister you have attached importance to New Zealand's relati...

US House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson. Photo: AFP / Drew Angerer US House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson said that a congressional ethics panel should not release a report examining allegations of sexual misconduct against Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for US attorney general. Lawmakers of both parties on the Senate Judiciary Committee have said they want to see the unreleased House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz, as part of a Senate confirmation process for cabinet nominees that would start next year with public hearings. "I'm going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report, because that is not the way we do things in the House," Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters in the US Capitol on Friday (local time). G...

A ball of fire erupts as an Israeli strike hits a building in Beirut's southern Ghobeiri neighbourhood on 15 November 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. Photo: AFP Hezbollah is considering a US-Israeli ceasefire proposal, sources told CNN, as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group intensify. The US ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson, relayed the proposal to the Lebanese government on Thursday night (local time), a Lebanese official familiar with the discussions told CNN. Authorities are "optimistic" that Hezbollah will agree to the terms of the agreement and expect to submit an official response to the latest proposal next Monday, the official said. "Diplomatic efforts are on fire now," the source said. Israel launche...