Wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants, warned in June of a "very troubling" trend in trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade.

The containers have been sitting in Manila Bay since Oct. 20 as authorities wrangle with the company they say the shipment originated from.

The US has sought to shore up its presence in Southeast Asia and counter the growing influence of China.

The announcement on social media was issued just before Trump -- who boasts frequently about being a peace president --  went into a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.

The broadcaster had already laid off or furloughed more than 90 percent of staff and drastically scaled back production since President Donald Trump's administration in March axed most money to US government-funded media.

Trump and his supporters have repeatedly raised the question of a 2028 presidential run for the 79-year-old, drawing concern from his foes and cheers from backers. 

"It’s a catastrophic situation expected in Jamaica," WMO tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan said at a Geneva press briefing. "For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure."

The zoo announced last month the pair would be leaving at the end of November due to Huan Huan's kidney ailment, making the return trip the last opportunity for them to be able to make the journey.

The ceremony in the Sistine Chapel, broadcast live by the Vatican's official news service, came during a state visit by the 76-year-old monarch and his wife Queen Camilla.

"The initiative calls for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence until the technology is reliably safe and controllable, and has public buy-in," according to an open letter published by the Future of Life Institute, a US-based NGO that campaigns against the dangers of AI.

The stolen pieces span two centuries of history and belonged to queens and empresses of France.

A ministry spokesman said ministers from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had all been invited.

"At least 50 killed, including 22 children and a number of women and children, as a result of the ongoing Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since last night," Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the agency, told AFP.

It remains unclear whether Arab and other states will be ready to commit troops, in part given the refusal ofPalestinian Hamas militants to disarm as called for by the plan, while Israel has voiced concerns about the make-up of the force.