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Beijing (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he told Chinese President Xi Jinping in talks that he wanted Beijing to use its “influence” on Moscow to stop the war in Ukraine.

Pope Francis warns the world is on the edge of a “delicate precipice” buffeted by “winds of war”, during a trip aimed at building dialogue between faiths.

Sakhir (Bahrain) (AFP) – One of the world’s leading Islamic clerics calls for dialogue between the faith’s two main currents to settle sectarian differences, in an address to religious leaders including Pope Francis.

Belize City (AFP) – In Belize City, residents are cleaning up after Hurricane Lisa battered the Central American nation, causing flooding and power outages.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang receives German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Scholz is the first G7 leader to visit China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen the world’s number two economy largely close its borders. IMAGES

When a North Korean missile triggered air raid sirens on South Korea’s island of Ulleungdo on Wednesday, no one – including the deputy mayor – knew what to do. The missile eventually splashed down 167 kilometres from the island in South Korean waters, in what Seoul described as “effectively a territorial invasion”.

Wazirabad (Pakistan) (AFP) – Police investigate the scene where former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was shot in the leg at a political rally. The former international cricket star has been leading a chaotic convoy of thousands since Friday from the city of Lahore towards the capital Islamabad, campaigning for fresh elections after being ousted from office in April.

Beijing (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives in Beijing seeking to bolster a vital economic relationship but facing criticism about his country’s heavy reliance on a nation growing more authoritarian under Xi Jinping. IMAGES

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In his daily address, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says that about 4,5 million people across Ukraine are affected by power cuts caused by Russian strikes on energy infrastructures.

Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP) – Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was in a stable condition after being shot in the leg at a political rally on Thursday in what the country’s president deemed “a heinous assassination attempt”. Khan escaped with a bullet wound to his right calf, while several of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party officials were also hit by the spray of gunfire aimed at their modified container truck as it slowly drove through a thick crowd near Gujranwala.

Lualaba (DR Congo) (AFP) – Five thousand diggers pack tightly together at the bottom of a crater in southeastern DR Congo, swinging hammers and picks to prise chunks of speckled blue-gold ore from the earth. The huge pit in Shabara, about 45 kilometres (30 miles) from Kolwezi, is home to cobalt – a strategic metal found in abundance in the impoverished central African nation. But it’s also emblematic of a headache. The mining has been carrying on for years in flagrant violation of DRC laws and in defiance of the site’s owner, a subsidiary of mining and commodities giant Glencore.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country would not participate in the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia if Russian President Vladimir Putin also attends. “If the leader of the Russian Federation was to take part, Ukraine would not be participating,” Zelensky tells a press conference with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Kyiv. Putin is yet to say if he will attend.