SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss military issues and the regional security environment, state media said Thursday as the country celebrated the 70th anniversary of an armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Prince Harry can take some of his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group to trial but allegations of phone-hacking were too late, the High Court in London ruled on Thursday.

Harry, younger son of King Charles and the late Princess Diana, is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over multiple alleged unlawful acts he says were carried out on behalf of its tabloids, the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, from the mid-1990s until 2016.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With millions of Americans facing broiling heat across the Southwest, President Joe Biden on Thursday plans to announce new steps to improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible, according to the White House.

He’ll be joined by the leaders of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, described the heat wave as “a difficult time” and said Biden was treating climate change with “the urgency it requires.”

BEIJING, July 27 (APP): Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque on Thursday invited the Chinese drone manufacturers to move in Pakistan and set up unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) / drone industry and production units in the special technology zones which were being set up in the country.

The present government is offering special incentives and tax exemptions with a focus on civil application of drones, he said while addressing the China-Pakistan Conference on “Building a viable drone industry in Pakistan” held in Pakistan Embassy Beijing.

UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- In a short statement released by his spokesperson, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday strongly condemned the coup attempt in Niger.

"The secretary-general is following closely the situation in Niger. He condemns in the strongest terms any effort to seize power by force and to undermine democratic governance, peace and stability in Niger," according to the statement.

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/: Trade turnover between Russia and Africa reached $18 bln in 2022, which is one of the results of the Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the Russia-Africa forum.

"I would like to note that last year trade turnover between Russia and Africa reached $18 bln," he said. "This is one of obvious results of the Russia-Africa summit in Sochi," Putin added.

"I am confident that we all can scale up trade more massively in the foreseeable future," he stressed.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli military fire killed a 14-year-old Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said Thursday, as an extremist Israeli Cabinet minister visited a sensitive Jerusalem mosque that has been a frequent flashpoint for violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

RAMALLAH, Jul 26 (NNN-WAFA) – The Palestinian leadership is making efforts to create a broad international front, to resume the peace process with Israel, which has been stalled since 2014, said a senior Palestinian official, yesterday.

The resumption of the stalled peace talks with Israel “should be based on implementing the international resolutions and the Arab peace initiative,” Majdi Al-Khaldi, a diplomatic advisor to Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, told the radio station, Voice of Palestine.

CATANIA, Italy, July 26 (Reuters) - A fire early last week at Sicily's main airport is still causing massive disruption for visitors to the island, laying bare the disorganisation and poor infrastructure that challenge Italy's tourism ambitions.

The fire broke out on July 17 at Catania airport, below Mount Etna, which acts as a hub for the east of Sicily and attracts more arrivals than the capital Palermo.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 27 (APP): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardsri on Wednesday held a telephonic call with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and discussed post-flood recovery in Pakistan, food security for developing countries and Black Sea Grain Initiative.
On his Twitter handle, the foreign minister said that he thanked the UNSG for his leadership and support for Pakistan flood response.
The foreign minister highlighted challenges faced by the developing countries for food security following supply chain disruptions.

BEIRUT, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Wednesday reiterated its strong and determined rejection of the desecration of the Islamic holy book of Quran, said a statement released by the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon.

"Following the recent acts by individuals in Europe that have offended many Muslims, the EU reiterates its strong and determined rejection of any form of incitement to religious hatred and intolerance," the statement said.

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/: Russia is calling on the parties to the conflict in Niger to settle their dispute through dialogue, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a comment on Thursday.

"We are calling on the conflicting parties to refrain from the use of force and resolve all controversies through a peaceful and constructive dialogue," the Russian diplomat said.