French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump rekindled the most touchy-feely bromance in world politics as they met on Monday for talks on Ukraine.

The two votes highlighted a seismic shift in the balance of power at the UN, where Washington had steadfastly voted for resolutions that favored Ukraine and condemned Russia, until the abrupt rupture with Kyiv.

"I think it's a good idea. The US would cut by 50 percent and we would cut by 50 percent and then China would join if it wanted," Putin said in a televised interview.

Indonesia maintains a neutral foreign policy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict or in great power competition between the United States and China.

A long-time rival of centrist ex-chancellor Angela Merkel within the CDU party, Merz has attacked her open-door migrant policy and drawn her ire for accepting support from the far-right AfD on the flashpoint issue in parliament.

The pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 after having trouble breathing for several days and subsequently had pneumonia diagnosed in both lungs.

Nakatani met his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro in Manila for a meeting in which the two ministers tackled regional security issues, including the maritime situation in the East and South China Seas.

RIA state news agency cited the press office of the Security Council as saying the trip will last until February 28. 

Indonesia’s senior diplomat has emphasized the need for multilateral reform on the global stage, highlighting the multilateral system’s erosion because of a growing lack of interest among countries in cooperating to maintain peace and stability.

Securing bus drivers is becoming a major challenge for Japan, with the government projecting a shortage of around 22,000 workers in 2029.

Pakistani non-profit HANDS says Trump's aid embargo has blocked $1.5 million earmarked to make the scheme viable in the long-term, putting the water pump and purification project at risk "within a few months".

Tedros urged countries not to sink the agreement on a word, a comma or a percentage in the text, imploring them not to make perfect the enemy of the good.

The official Saudi Press Agency said the "fraternal consultative" meeting saw an "exchange of views on various regional and international issues, especially joint efforts in support of the Palestinian cause, and developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip".

While removing the Philippines from the grey list, the FATF added Laos and Nepal, bringing the total number of countries on the list to 25 that includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Monaco, Nigeria and Yemen.

Francis is being treated at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he was admitted on Feb. 14 after struggling with breathing difficulties for several days.

The military has been carrying out near-daily raids in West Bank cities and camps for several weeks now targeting Palestinian militants.

Late on Thursday, the Vatican said Pope Francis is "slightly improving" and his blood analyses are stable, in the latest sign of progress as the 88-year-old pontiff battles double pneumonia.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was worried about the lack of transparency surrounding the "live fire exercises", and would be raising her "concerns" with Beijing.

"This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy," said Musk, holding the gleaming power tool aloft at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

The new rail line will run through some of Vietnam's key manufacturing hubs, home to Samsung, Foxconn, Pegatron and other global giants, many of whom rely on a regular flow of components from China.

To some, the chant is provocative. German media and commentators have highlighted how it recalls the phrase "Alles fuer Deutschland" (Everything for Germany) a banned Nazi-era slogan, engraved on the daggers of Adolf Hitler's paramilitaries. A state AfD leader, Bjoern Hoecke, has been fined for using those words. Weidel's spokesman denies a resemblance.

In a post on X, Ambassador MaryKay Carlson also called on China "to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law."

However, no specifics on a possible meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin emerged from the gathering in Riyadh, the first high-level official Washington-Moscow talks since Ukraine's 2022 invasion.

The United States has provided essential funding and arms to Ukraine, but Trump made an abrupt policy shift by opening talks with Moscow just weeks after he returned to the White House.

As the 4-1/2-hour meeting in the Saudi capital was underway, Russia hardened its demands, notably insisting it would not tolerate the NATO alliance granting membership to Ukraine.

Disaster-prone, isolated, and threatened by rising seas, tropical Pacific island states are some of the most aid-reliant nations on Earth, development agencies say. 

With European policymakers still reeling from US Vice President JD Vance's withering attack on the European Union at an annual security conference in Munich, key leaders attended the meeting at the Elysee Palace called at the last minute by President Emmanuel Macron.