BEIJING, July 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese military-run hospital ship has arrived in Kiribati for the first time, as China vies with the United States for influence in the Pacific region.

The arrival of the 14,300 metric ton "Peace Ark" - the first time a Chinese navy vessel has visited Kiribati - marks a step up in Chinese soft power in the Pacific Island state that switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019.

ISTANBUL, July 16. /TASS/: The decision whether to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative will be made at the very last moment, as there’s no indication yet that its participants have reached a compromise, a diplomatic source in Turkey told TASS on Sunday.

"Obviously, the decision will be made at the very last moment," the source said.

Russia would agree to extend the grain deal only if it regards the move appropriate, according to the person.

PHNOM PENH, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has pinned hopes on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to boost its exports of garment, footwear and travel (GFT) goods.

Cambodian Footwear Association president Ly Khun Thai said the Southeast Asian country has seen a significant rise in the exports of shoes to China and South Korea since the RCEP and Cambodia's bilateral FTAs with China and South Korea entered into force last year.

BRUSSELS, July 16 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — The European Union (EU) and the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH) are promoting a project to implement a smart city model in Havana, Nelys García, director of the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, said.    

Invited to participate in the civil society forum “EU-Latin America and the Caribbean, partners for change,” which ended on Friday, the director of International Cooperation at the Office told Prensa Latina that the event is a space to address bi-regional collaboration.

BEIJING, July 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese naval flotilla set off on Sunday to join Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan in an exercise aimed at "safeguarding the security of strategic waterways", according to China's defence ministry.

Codenamed "Northern/Interaction-2023", the drill marks enhanced military cooperation between China and Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and is taking place as Beijing continues to rebuff U.S. calls to resume military communication.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A Palestinian gunman opened fire on a car in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, wounding three Israelis, including two girls, Israeli authorities said. The suspect fled the scene of the shooting, but he was later captured.

The bloodshed was the latest in a relentless cycle of violence that has gripped the region, driving up the death toll and sparking the worst fighting between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank in nearly two decades.

July 16 (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck the Alaska peninsula region early on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, and a tsunami warning for nearby regions was issued but later withdrawn.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System withdrew a warning it had issued for coastal areas of South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula.

USGS revised the magnitude of the earthquake down from an initial reading of 7.4, and it revised the depth of the quake to 32.6 km (20.3 miles) from an initial 9.3 km.

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 16 (APP): Pakistan has called for a coordinated effort to help the vulnerable nations of the Asia-Pacific region confront many climate change-related challenges like floods, heat waves, water shortages and melting glaciers.

“Together, we can build a world where climate action and sustainable development go hand in hand, leaving no one behind,” Romina Khurshid Alam, Special Assistant to the prime minister, told a U.N. conference on Sunday.

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. (AP) — A sudden flash flood swamped a southeastern Pennsylvania road, sweeping several cars away and claiming at least four lives. Three other people, including a 9-month-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, remained missing, authorities said.

AMMAN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Sunday signed a 250-million-U.S. dollar agreement with the World Bank Group to finance a water efficiency project for the kingdom.

The agreement was signed by Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan and World Bank Middle East Country Director Jean-Christophe Carret, according to a ministry statement.

SANAA, Jul 16 (NNN-SABA) – Houthi rebels shelled a residential area in Yemen’s south-western province of Taiz yesterday, killing a mother and her son, a local medical official said.

The shelling struck their house in the village of al-Hajamah, in the al-Abous district, damaging several other houses and farms in the area.

The medical official said, the attack was the latest in a series of Houthi shellings on Taiz, which has been under the rebels’ siege for more than seven years.

BEIJING, July 16 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal has said that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will provide an opportunity for Chinese investments to take advantage of incentives that Pakistan offers to foreign investment with concessions.

“We are working on nine special economic zones.

The first Rashakai Special Economic Zone will be inaugurated later this month. Similarly, the other economic zones are also in the advanced stages, in Sindh, Punjab, and Baluchistan,” he told APP during his recent visit to China.