Xi to hold talks with Malaysia's king

Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar in Beijing Friday afternoon.

Sultan Ibrahim arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a four-day state visit to China at the invitation of Xi.

This is Sultan Ibrahim's first visit to a non-ASEAN country after he swore in, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

U.N. Secretary-General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Thursday called on all members of the U.N. Security Council to exert a positive influence in promoting the easing of tensions between Lebanon and Israel.

Dujarric made the statements in response to the escalating crisis along the Lebanon-Israel border.

"The Secretary-General and senior staff and especially colleagues on the ground have been following the situation very closely in terms of the developments in south Lebanon and in northern Israel. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, has been in constant contact with all concerned actors to urge for restraint and calm as well as to support diplomatic efforts to end this cycle of violence urgently. We continue to urge the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and return to a cessation of hostilities to restore stability. It is important that member states also exercise a positive influence on moving towards de-escalation," he said.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have escalated since Oct 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack the previous day. Israel retaliated with heavy artillery fire toward southern Lebanon.

The Israel-Hebollah tensions have grown even worse after the deadly back-to-back attacks targeting Hezbollah members in Lebanon – with pagers simultaneously exploding across the country on Tuesday, then walkie-talkies detonating in a similar fashion on Wednesday. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attacks, while Israel has made no response to the charge.

At least 37 people, including children, have been killed in the attacks. Thousands more are injured – many maimed and in critical condition after communications devices exploded in their pockets or in their face.