Xi calls on China, EU to provide more stability, certainty for world through steady, sound bilateral relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on China and the European Union (EU) to provide more stability and certainty for the world through steady and sound China-EU relations.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who are here for the 25th China-EU Summit in Beijing.

All 49 aboard crashed Russian plane confirmed dead: authorities

All the 49 people aboard the Russian passenger plane that crashed near Russia's Far Eastern city of Tynda were confirmed dead, Russia's Investigative Committee (IC) said on Thursday.

The An-24 aircraft, operated by Angara Airlines, was en route from Khabarovsk to Tynda with a stopover in Blagoveshchensk. The aircraft was expected to contact air traffic controllers at a control checkpoint near Tynda airport, but failed to check in. The wreckage was later found on a mountainside approximately 15 km from the city of Tynda.

At least 12 killed, over 150 injured in NW Syria explosion

A powerful explosion rocked the area around Maarrat Misrin in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, including a woman and a child, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The blast, which occurred in an area east of al-Foua and near the town of Sirin, is believed to have originated from a weapons depot, the observatory reported. Explosions continued later in the day as additional ammunition detonated, further complicating rescue efforts.

UN chief urges Thailand, Cambodia to exercise maximum restraint

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Thailand and Cambodia to exercise maximum restraint, a UN spokesman said Thursday.

"The Secretary-General is following with concern reports of armed clashes at the border between Cambodia and Thailand. The Secretary-General urges both sides to exercise maximum restraint and address any issues through dialogue and in a spirit of good neighbourliness, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the dispute," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, at a daily briefing.