SOUTH CHINA SEA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The Philippines has completed a supply mission for troops stationed in a rusty World War Two-era ship, but not without a usual cat and mouse chase with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.

Reuters went onboard one of the Philippine Coast Guard's vessels escorting the mission to the Second Thomas Shoal on Friday and witnessed how the Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels tried to chase and block the Philippine contingent from reaching their destination.

China said the vessels entered the waters without its permission.

CAIRO, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Egypt condemned on Saturday the two terrorist attacks that took place in northeastern Mali, which killed and injured dozens, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Egypt offered its sincere condolences to the government and people of Mali, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured, the statement said, stressing the need for the international community to come together to uproot terrorism and dry up its sources of financing and support.

KATHMANDU, Sept 9 (NNN-XINHUA) – Seven people were killed and 27 others injured, when a passenger bus crashed into a truck last night, in Banke district of western Nepal, local police said, today.

The bus, with 41 people on board, hit a truck parked on the East-West Highway, as it was carrying tourists back from a visit to neighbouring Dang district, said Sundar Tiwari, a police officer from Banke.

TEHRAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that his country is ready to play an effective role in preventing any new conflict and geopolitical change in the Caucasus region.

Raisi made the remarks in a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during which he also expressed satisfaction with the "favorable" progress in bilateral economic cooperation and implementation of the joint agreements, according to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president's office.

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the G20 summit and vowed Saturday to “consolidate and deepen” relations, as Rome considers abandoning Beijing’s “Belt and Road” initiative of Chinese-built and -funded infrastructure projects.

Neither government mentioned the initiative in brief statements after the meeting in New Delhi, the first between Meloni and Li.

CARACAS, Sept 9 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Venezuela’s National Assembly gave the green light for President Nicolás Maduro to leave the country on an international tour of “friendly” nations, it was reported in Caracas.

The Legislative Branch unanimously approved a request for the head of state to be absent for more than five days on a State visit to the People’s Republic of China and other friendly countries “in representation of the highest interests of the nation,” according to Congress Speaker Jorge Rodríguez.

SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a paramilitary parade and a national meeting to celebrate the country's 75th founding anniversary, said the state news agency on Saturday.

The DPRK held the parade at the Kim Il Sung Square in its capital Pyongyang on Friday, with Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, in attendance, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

TRIPOLI, Sept 9 (NNN-XINHUA) — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday said it repatriated 151 illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Libya.

“This week, IOM assisted 151 migrants to safely return home to Bangladesh through the VHR (Voluntary Humanitarian Return) program in a charter flight from Benghazi to Dhaka,” IOM said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Libyan Interior Minister Emad al-Tarabelsi repatriated 270 illegal migrants, confirming that more illegal migrants will be deported from Libya soon.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Hundreds of Pride activists gathered in the Serbian capital Saturday amid a heavy police presence and anti-gay messages sent by the country’s conservative leadership and far-right groups.

Last year, the LGBTQ+ event was marred by skirmishes between the police and anti-Pride groups who believe the event goes against traditional Serbian Christian Orthodox values and should be banned.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Several thousand climate activists blocked a Dutch highway on Saturday in anger at billions of euros in government subsidies for industries that use oil, coal and gas — before police dispersed them with water cannons.

A report earlier this week detailed 37.5 billion euros ($40.5 billion) in such subsidies in the Netherlands, notably related to the shipping industry, prompting calls for a quick halt to the practice.

MEXICO CITY, Sept 9 (Reuters) - When Mexican presidential contenders Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Galvez entered politics at the start of the millennium, more than four in five senators in the country were men. Today, the majority are women.

The rise of Sheinbaum, who was named on Wednesday as the ruling party's candidate for next year's presidential election, and Galvez, the main opposition contender, is the culmination of a rapid process of female inclusion in politics since 2000.

TOKYO, September 9. /TASS/: Development of bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea in all directions is in line with ensuring security and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in his congratulatory message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Day of the Foundation of the Republic.