First, they disappeared from public life, then from China's Cabinet lineup. Qin Gang was dropped as the country’s top diplomat and shortly after, Li Shangfu removed as defence minister. Theories abound as to why they fell out of favour.
Beijing correspondent Olivia Siong sits down with Teresa Tang in this episode.
The most immediate discomfort to re-learning my mother tongue came from the absurdly high frequency of basic mistakes I made.
It felt as though as I lost the ability to communicate. My thoughts were sluggish and my speech slurred. Reactions to my poor choice of words or sentence construction were tempting invitations to switch back to my dominant language, English.
Feelings of inadequacy like these would paralyse even the most motivated learners. We can try to quell it by force, to study relentlessly to the point where we feel capable. But with languages being so rich and complex, it is humility rather than prowess that would sustain our learning journey.
Such wisdom was bestowed to me by one of my many mentors, who include family, friends and strangers I met online. While coming from all walks of life, a common trait among these “teachers” was their patience in allowing me to make mistakes as I tried my best to communicate with them in Mandarin.
Whenever I practised Mandarin with them, they waited for me to stutter through my attempts, correcting me only when I finished speaking. I felt like my efforts were acknowledged, which encouraged me to keep engaging in the language despite the steep learning curve.
There is sound reasoning behind this. In his commentary, Daniel Chan, Assistant Dean of NUS Centre for Language Studies, explained that the theory of aggregate marginal gains, in which making a 1 per cent daily improvement would mathematically lead to a 38-fold improvement after a year, can be applied to learning languages.
I can attest this theory holds true. Through consistent self-study, I went from not knowing the Chinese character for “chicken” to writing a 900-word composition for my O-Level exam.
My former CLB teacher, Mr Wen, said it best: “The key to sustaining your learning is that you are neither afraid of mistakes nor in a rush to see results.”
GAZA/JERUSALEM - Israel said its forces fought Hamas gunmen inside the militants’ vast tunnel network beneath Gaza as a hospital director said more than 50 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a refugee camp in the besieged enclave.
The director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital told Al Jazeera that more than 50 Palestinians were killed and 150 wounded in Israeli air strikes on a densely populated area of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The tunnels under the cramped enclave are a prime objective for Israel as it expands a four-day-old ground offensive after three weeks of aerial bombardment into Gaza.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement: “Over the last day, combined IDF combat forces struck approximately 300 targets, including anti-tank missile and rocket launch posts below shafts, as well as military compounds inside underground tunnels belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation.”
The militants responded with anti-tank missiles and machine-gun fire, it added.
“The soldiers killed terrorists and directed air forces to real-time strikes on targets and terror infrastructure,” the IDF said. Israeli armed forces also bombed Gaza overnight in air, sea and ground attacks.
They targeted north-western areas of the Palestinian enclave where Israeli troops were operating on the ground, witnesses said on Tuesday.
The United States and Arab countries have urged Israel to delay any ground operation that would multiply the number of civilian casualties and might ignite a wider conflict.
Witnesses said Israeli forces targeted Gaza’s main north-south road on Monday and attacked Gaza City from two directions. Israel said its troops freed a soldier from Hamas captivity.
Hamas, an armed group that governs Gaza, has so far released four civilians from the 239 hostages that Israel says were captured on Oct 7. Many of the hostages are believed to be held in the tunnels.
The militant group has so far released four civilians from the 240 hostages Israel says were captured in the Oct 7 attacks in which about 1,400 people were killed. Many of the hostages are believed to be held in the tunnels.
Gaza health authorities say that 8,306 people, including 3,457 minors, have been killed in Israeli attacks since Oct 7. UN officials say more than 1.4 million of Gaza's civilian population of about 2.3 million have been made homeless.
Reuters has been unable to independently verify casualty counts.
The al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, said militants clashed early on Tuesday with Israeli forces invading southern Gaza. Four vehicles were targeted with al-Yassin 105 missiles, it said, referring to locally produced anti-tank missiles.
The militants also fired at two Israeli tanks and bulldozers in northwest Gaza, al-Qassam said. In Beit Hanoun, in the northeast, they "liquidated" an Israeli unit which was ambushed as it entered a building.
Reuters was unable to confirm the reports of fighting. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the Hamas accounts.
PARIS: French police on Tuesday (Oct 31) shot and seriously wounded an unarmed woman who was making threats at a train station in Paris during morning rush hour, police and prosecutors told AFP.
According to witnesses, the woman, who was completely veiled, shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) and "made threats", a police source said, adding that "police fired because they feared for their safety".
After passengers on a suburban train alerted police, agents managed to "isolate" the woman at the Bibliotheque Francois Mitterrand station on the capital's south bank which was evacuated, the source said.
She "refused to follow police orders" and threatened "to blow herself up", the Paris prosecutor's office said.
A police officer then fired a single shot, inflicting a life-threatening injury to her abdomen, it said.
No explosives or other arms were found on the woman, the police source said.
Police have launched two investigations, prosecutors said. One will probe the woman's actions, while another will elucidate whether the police's use of a firearm was justified.
Upon realising that the student was not paying attention to his lesson, the male teacher clad in a green shirt, decided to confiscate the student's phone.
"Give it to me," the teacher said, adding: "You are playing video games in the class."
As the teacher continued his lesson while holding on to the phone, the furious student followed the teacher from behind, hoping to get his device back.
Choked the teacher twice
When he couldn't, the student grabbed the teacher and tried to choke him twice.
Students in the class gasped in horror, with some stepping in to help pull the student away from the teacher who was seemingly unfazed by the attack.
Several students also circled the aggressive student to prevent him from assaulting the teacher again.
In response to the incident, the school said that the student involved has been dealt with, although no specific details of the punishment has been mentioned, SCMP reported.
'Must be expelled'
The viral video sparked public outrage among netizens, with many slamming the student for his unruly behaviour towards the teacher.
A user commented: "How can a student be angry enough to choke other people? It's scary."
"Teachers who spank children must be punished and expelled. The child must also be expelled for this behaviour," another user added.
Many online also praised the teacher for his calm demeanour amidst the student assaulting him.
A user wrote: "What a responsible teacher. He restrained himself from hurting the student during the violence."
One user even said: "It is too difficult to be a responsible teacher in the current educational environment."
More than one border crossing was needed to deliver aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and Kerem Shalom controlled by Israel is the only one equipped to take enough trucks, the United Nations said on Monday (Oct 30).
UN officials have repeatedly said this was insufficient for the scale of needs of Gaza's civilian population of about 2.3 million, more than one million of whom have been made homeless by Israel's bombardment.
"More than one entry point into Gaza is indispensable if we are to make a difference - Kerem Shalom, between Israel and Gaza, is the only crossing equipped to rapidly process a sufficiently large number of trucks," senior UN aid official Lisa Doughten told the UN Security Council.
Doughten was speaking on behalf of UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, who is in Israel working to increase deliveries.
The United States is leading negotiations with Israel, Egypt and the UN to try and create a sustained delivery mechanism for aid to Gaza. They are wrangling over procedures for inspecting aid and bombardments on the Gaza side of the border.
Each truck has to offload its cargo at a checkpoint for inspection for possible arms and ammunition, then they are reloaded when the check is complete, UN World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain said last week.
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the number of trucks entering Gaza "must be scaled up urgently". The United States has been trying to balance staunch support for its ally Israel with growing global concern about the humanitarian crisis.
Police said they had arrested 60 people in connection with the unrest.
Shmuel, 26, an Israeli citizen and one of the passengers, told Israeli publication Ynet that police had got passengers onto a bus which was chased around the airport by rioters.
"The bus kept turning around ... and people were chasing it and throwing stones. I put my suitcase against the window," he said.
At one point, he said the passengers had been questioned by locals about their religion.
"They came inside, went from person to person, and asked if they were a Muslim or a Jew. I said I was a Muslim, because I was scared to death. Fortunately, they believed me and continued on," he said.
It was unclear in what circumstances that questioning took place with another passenger telling the Mediazona news website that a small group of locals had been shown the passengers' documents in an airport building where the passengers were being held at the time.
Rabbi Alexander Boroda, the president of Russia's Federation of Jewish Communities, called for a tough response.
In a statement, Boroda said that the riot had "undermined the basic foundations of our multi-cultural and multi-national state" and that anti-Israeli sentiment fuelled by events in the Middle East had become open aggression towards Russian Jews.
"Moreover, we see that local authorities were not prepared for such incidents and allowed large-scale violations of law and order and mass demonstrations with open threats to Jews and Israelis," Boroda said.
"I call on the country's leadership and law enforcement agencies to find and punish all the organisers and participants of these anti-Semitic actions in the strictest possible manner."
Israel's ambassador to Russia was cited by the RIA news agency as saying that no Israeli citizens had been hurt amid unconfirmed reports they had been taken to a military base before being flown out of the region.
Makhachkala airport resumed normal operations on Monday afternoon, Russia's aviation authority said, but it announced that flights from Israel would temporarily be re-directed to other cities in Russia.
Israel raised its travel warning for Russia's North Caucasus region, which includes Dagestan, to its highest level.
The unrest followed several other anti-Semitic incidents in recent days in the region in response to Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza. Israel has urged Russian authorities to protect Israelis and Jews in their jurisdictions.
In the past few days, a Jewish centre under construction in Nalchik, the capital of the nearby Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, was set on fire, emergency officials said.
Russia, which wants an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backs a two-state solution, has tried to maintain contact with all sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict, but has angered Israeli authorities by inviting a Hamas delegation to Moscow. Israel's foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador on Sunday.
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Sunday evening said: "Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis."
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said: "The United States vigorously condemns the antisemitic protests in Dagestan, Russia.
"The US unequivocally stands with the entire Jewish community as we witness a worldwide surge in antisemitism," Watson said on X, formerly Twitter.
Dagestan governor Melikov on Sunday posted a message, saying: "All Dagestanis empathise with the suffering of victims by the actions of unrighteous people and politicians and pray for peace in Palestine.
"But what happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive the appropriate assessment from law enforcement. This will be done."
He also claimed on Monday morning that the "initiators of this action are our enemies who organised it from Ukrainian territory", according to Russia's Ria-Novosti news agency.
Melikov said the riots were instigated by posts on the social media platform Telegram from Utro Dagestan, run by "traitors" working from Ukraine.
Utro Dagestan, a Telegram channel with about 60,000 followers, had shared a post urging a mass gathering at the airport to prevent the arrival of "undesirable" passengers on the Red Wings flight.
Dagestan and Chechnya are mainly Muslim areas in a region that has witnessed years of violent tension with the central Russian authorities.
The RIA Novosti news agency reported on Sunday that a Jewish centre in another North Caucasus republic - Kabardino-Balkaria - had been set on fire in the city of Nalchik.
Dagestan is Russia's southernmost territory and one of its poorest regions.
It has taken an active part in the Ukraine offensive - with independent reports showing it has sent proportionally more men to Ukraine than many more ethnically Russian regions.
BEIJING: Chinese and Russian military chiefs targeted the United States for criticism at a security forum in Beijing on Monday (Oct 30), even as China's second-most-senior military commander vowed to boost defence ties with Washington.
The Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's biggest annual show of military diplomacy, began Sunday without the country's defence minister, who typically hosts the event, but included a US delegation amid roiling regional tensions.
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu warned the West that its involvement in the Ukraine war created grave danger.
"The Western line of steady escalation of the conflict with Russia carries the threat of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences," Russia's TASS state news agency cited Shoigu as saying at the forum.
Shoigu also said the West intends to inflict "strategic defeat" on Russia in a "hybrid war", and praised the model of Russia-China relations as "exemplary", Russian state media reported.
Zhang Youxia, vice chairman under President Xi Jinping on China's Central Military Commission, delivered veiled criticism of the United States and its allies, accusing "some countries" of trying to undermine the government.
"Some countries deliberately create turbulence and interfere in other countries' internal affairs, and instigate colour revolutions," Zhang said in his keynote address, using the term the Chinese government uses to describe attempts to overthrow Communist Party rule.
"Countries should not deliberately provoke other countries on major and sensitive issues," he said, adding that Taiwan is a core interest of China.
But in other parts of his speech, Zhang stressed the need for improved military ties with the United States.
"We will deepen strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia and are willing to, on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, develop military ties with the US," Zhang said in an address being closely watched by military attaches and diplomats amid tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
China's defence minister delivered the keynote speech in previous years.
China and the US have had no high-level military-to-military communications since the Washington-sanctioned former Chinese defence minister, Li Shangfu, was appointed in March.
The conflict began on Oct 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the Gaza border and went on the rampage in Israel, killing 1,400 people and kidnapping 230 others, Israeli officials say.
Since then, Israel has staged a withering bombardment that the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says has killed more than 8,000 people in the Palestinian territory, half of them children.
Israel also imposed a total blockade on normal food, water, medicine and fuel deliveries into Gaza, with the first convoy of humanitarian aid entering only two weeks later.
Since then, UNRWA says 84 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza but aid agencies say the numbers are far too low. Before the conflict, UN figures showed an average of 500 trucks a day entering Gaza.
"Supplies on the market are running out while the humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip on trucks from Egypt is insufficient," said White.
"The needs of the communities are immense, if only for basic survival, while the aid we receive is meagre and inconsistent," said the UN official.
SINGAPORE - Singapore took a clear stand and expressed its concerns on the grave situation in Gaza by supporting a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate and sustained humanitarian truce, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam on Sunday.
The Republic on Friday cast a “very major vote” in support of a non-binding resolution drafted by the Arab states, which received 121 votes in favour, 14 against and 44 abstentions.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mr Shanmugam noted that the resolution – titled “Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations” – had called for a truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.
It also called for an immediate and unhindered provision of essential supplies to civilians in Gaza, for Israel to rescind its evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip, and rejected the forced transfer of Palestinians.
The resolution also reaffirmed that the solution to the conflict should be through a peaceful two-state solution, Mr Shanmugam said at an event organised by non-profit organisation Humanity Matters to pack medical and relief supplies for people in Gaza.
Singapore’s position on the conflict was made clear by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong some days ago, and the UN resolution is consistent with the position that the Republic has taken over 50 years, Mr Shanmugam said.
He added: “But, while we voted in support of the resolution, we did not think it comprehensively set out the whole picture.”
There are two areas the resolution should have mentioned, he said.
“We must still condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas on 7 October, which cannot be justified, and we need to note also Israel’s right to self-defence, but that right to self-defence cannot include indiscriminate killing of civilians, and it must be done in accordance with international law.”
When asked about some posts by the Israeli Embassy that could be advocating for a cause, Mr Shanmugam said Singapore does not take any foreign interference in its domestic politics lightly.
“Our position is quite clear. We expect any ambassador or embassy to respect the way things are done in Singapore,” he added.
“So, we do track closely what foreign missions say and do here, and whenever necessary, we will speak firmly to them, to make our position clear. We have done so before, and if need be, we will do so again.”
Turning to why the authorities have disallowed public rallies at Hong Lim Park relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict on public order reasons, Mr Shanmugam said that if Singapore allows one group to hold rallies, it must allow other groups to do so as well.
For example, religious groups like Muslim and Christian organisations have wanted to hold rallies, he said.
“We took the decision that we will not allow rallies by anyone. We don’t want to import foreign arguments into Singapore.”
BEIJING: China's biggest annual show of military diplomacy started on Sunday (Oct 29) although the Asian power is still missing a defence minister, who typically hosts this event.
China hopes to use the Beijing Xiangshan Forum to promote President Xi Jinping's vision for a safer world and draw developing countries closer, as it faces increased coordination between the United States and its allies to curtail its military ambitions.
Russia, which started a war in Ukraine in 2022, is being given centre stage at the forum. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is listed in the forum's agenda as the first guest speaker at Monday's opening ceremony.
The US defence department has sent a delegation led by Xanthi Carras, China Country Director in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.
This year's forum takes place at an awkward time for China when it is without a defence minister, whose main role is to engage with foreign militaries.
Chinese military leaders more senior than the defence minister have filled in for Li. State media reported that Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, ranked number two and three in the military, separately held bilateral meetings with the defence ministers from Laos, Mongolia and Vietnam on Saturday.
He acknowledged that there is a strong need and desire in the community to do something, but there are ways to do this constructively and by making Singapore's position known internationally.
He also added that people are entitled to express their views online, but they must not cross into incitement or hate speech against other religions and other races.
Asked about posts by the Israeli embassy that could be advocating for a cause, Mr Shanmugam said: "We don't take lightly any foreign interference in our domestic policies. We expect any ambassador or embassy to respect the way things are done in Singapore."
LOCAL HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS
Mr Shanmugam told the media that Humanity Matter's relief supplies packing session on Sunday was the second humanitarian event that he has attended in two days.
The first was the launch of a month-long campaign in Nee Soon to collect supplies and donations to help people in Gaza.
Mr Shanmugam said that seeing over 100 volunteers on Sunday come together regardless of race, language or religion showed a strong desire in the community to help.
"This is unique about Singapore. Everyone comes together to help even though they know most of the help goes towards Muslims in Gaza. They need help, we do what we can," he said.
The relief supplies packed on Sunday included 10,000 packs of intravenous fluids and infusion sets, 5,000 collapsible jerry cans, painkillers and vitamins.
The relief cargo, with a value of S$215,000, is scheduled to be airlifted on Oct 31 to Cairo, Egypt, and later transferred via land to Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
JERUSALEM - Israeli forces waged ground operations against Hamas in Gaza on Sunday in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the second phase of a three-week-old war aimed at crushing the Palestinian militant group.
Gaza's besieged residents faced a near-total communications and Internet blackout as Israel's warplanes dropped bombs and its troops and armour pushed into the Hamas-ruled enclave, with Israeli military chiefs signalling they were gearing up for an expanded ground offensive.
Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu warned Israelis to expect a "long and hard" campaign but stopped short of calling the current incursions an invasion. Some of US President Joe Biden's aides have advised Israeli counterparts to hold off on an immediate all-out assault, US officials have said.
Even as initial ground operations appeared limited for now, Mr Netanyahu pledged to spare no effort to free the more than 200 hostages, including Americans and other foreigners, held by Hamas.
"This is the second stage of the war whose goals are clear - to destroy Hamas' governing and military capabilities and to bring the hostages home," Mr Netanyahu told reporters.
"We are only at the start," he said. "We will destroy the enemy above ground and below ground."
Israel has tightened its blockade and bombarded Gaza for three weeks since the Islamist group Hamas' devastating Oct 7 attack. At least 1,400 Israelis were killed in the deadliest day of the nation's 75-year history, Israeli authorities said.
Western countries have generally backed what they say is Israel's right to self-defence. But there has been a mounting international outcry over the toll from the bombing and growing calls for a "humanitarian pause" to allow aid to reach Gaza civilians and ease the humanitarian crisis.
Medical authorities in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million people, say 7,650 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's campaign to obliterate the Iran-backed militants.
President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority governs parts of the occupied West Bank while Hamas rules Gaza, said, “Our people in the Gaza Strip are facing a war of genocide and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces in full view of the entire world.”
With many buildings reduced to rubble and shelter hard to find, Gazans are short of food, water, fuel and medicines. Their plight got worse from Friday night when phone and internet services were cut - followed by heavy bombing through the night. The communications outage persisted into Sunday.
"God help anyone under the rubble," said one Gaza journalist, who spent a terrifying night in a building stairway as bombs fell and Israeli forces appeared to exchange fire with Palestinian fighters.
Israel sent troops and tanks into Gaza on Friday night, focusing on infrastructure including the extensive tunnel network built by Hamas, the Israeli military said. It provided no details on the size of the deployment.
JOHOR BAHRU – The police have apprehended three individuals believed to be involved in the murder of a 25-year-old Malaysian man.
Johor Bahru South Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said that the suspects, who are in their 20s, were arrested at about 5.30am on Friday.
“At 3.41am on Friday, we received information from the public about a fight involving sharp objects that had occurred in the Johor Bahru area, which resulted in the death of a local man.
“Based on preliminary investigation, we found stab marks on the victim’s chest, stomach, ribcage, shoulder, and back as well as wounds on his fingers and cheek.
“We are still investigating the cause of the fight,” he said in a statement.
He added that the police later detected the three suspects in a car at Jalan Tanjung Puteri in Johor.
“While attempting to locate them, we found a suspicious car. When the police tried to make further checks on the vehicle, the driver sped off until Jalan Tun Dr Ismail before losing control and skidding. The car crashed into two other vehicles and the front gate of Istana Besar.”
"We have completely lost contact with the operations room in the Gaza Strip and all our teams operating there," it said on X, formerly Twitter.
Lynne Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, also stressed on X that "hospitals & humanitarian operations can't continue without communications".
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf, whose inlaws are trapped in Gaza, voiced alarm at the communications shutdown.
"Telecommunications have been cut. We can't get through to our family who have been trapped in this war zone for almost 3 weeks," he wrote on X.
"We can only pray they survive the night."
"STOP THE WAR"
The reports of ground fighting came after the UN General Assembly called on Friday for an "immediate humanitarian truce" in Gaza.
The non-binding resolution received overwhelming support, with 120 votes in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions.
"Today the General Assembly declared a call: Stop the war," the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
It was also welcomed by Hamas, but it was harshly criticised by Israel and the United States for failing to mention Hamas, with Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan calling it an "infamy".
Washington had earlier said it supports a "humanitarian pause" so aid can get into Gaza.
Israel's bombardment has displaced more than 1.4 million people inside the crowded territory, according to the UN, even as supplies of food, water and power to Gaza have been almost completely cut off.
And Israel has blocked all deliveries of fuel, saying it would be exploited by Hamas to manufacture weapons and explosives.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that misery was "growing by the minute".
"I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies," Guterres said.
"Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering."
"NOTHING MORE THAN CRUMBS"
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has cautioned that "many more will die" in Gaza from catastrophic shortages.
"People in Gaza are dying, they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of (the) siege," said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.
A first tranche of critically needed aid was allowed in last weekend, but only 74 trucks have crossed since then. The UN says an average of 500 trucks entered Gaza every day before the conflict.
"These few trucks are nothing more than crumbs that will not make a difference," Lazzarini said.
Between the bombardments and the fuel shortages, 12 of Gaza's 35 hospitals have been forced to close, and UNRWA said it has had to "significantly reduce its operations".
Israel's military accused Hamas of using hospitals in Gaza as operations centres for directing attacks, an allegation Hamas swiftly denied.
The growing toll in Gaza has spurred demonstrations in the occupied West Bank and across the Muslim world, but also in a number of Western countries.
Late Friday, hundreds of people were arrested when police broke up a large demonstration of mostly Jewish New Yorkers who had taken over the main hall of Grand Central station to protest Israel's bombardment of Gaza and demanding a ceasefire.
Violence has also risen sharply in the occupied West Bank since the Oct 7 attacks, with more than 100 Palestinians killed and nearly 2,000 wounded, according to the UN
Wang told Biden that the objective of his visit was to help "stem the decline" in US-China ties "with an eye on San Francisco", without giving any details, according to a brief statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.
The foreign ministry readouts for Wang's meetings with Blinken and Sullivan said that "both sides agreed to work together to achieve a meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco".
"China attaches importance to the US side's hopes of stabilising and improving US ties with China," Wang was quoted as saying in his meeting with Biden.
The Biden administration has seen direct leader-level engagement with Xi as particularly important in managing tensions as it seeks to prevent relations from veering into conflict.
"A big part of a potential meeting would be the two leaders sitting down together and having those conversations on strategic intent," the US official said.
On Thursday, Wang told Blinken that the two countries have disagreements and need "in-depth" and "comprehensive" dialogue to reduce misunderstandings and stabilise ties.
"Not only should we resume dialogue, the dialogue should be in-depth and comprehensive," Wang said.
Wang's three-day visit follows a flurry of bilateral diplomatic engagements in recent months, largely at US request, aimed at salvaging what were rapidly deteriorating ties early in the year following the US downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon.
But some in Washington have questioned whether a slate of mostly unreciprocated US cabinet-level official visits to Beijing over the past six months, including by Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, played into Beijing's hand.
The trips by Yellen and Raimondo led to new bilateral economic and commercial working groups, which critics worry will only pull US focus away from - and possibly delay - sanctions, export controls and broader measures intended to enhance US competition with China.
US officials have maintained that increased diplomacy does not mean a let up in policy.
CONCERN OVER MIDDLE EAST
The Israel-Hamas conflict has added a fresh dynamic to the testy relationship between the superpowers, and Washington is hoping Beijing can use its influence with Iran to prevent an escalation into a wider war in the Middle East.
US officials said the issue came up frequently during Wang's meetings but it was unclear whether Washington was able to get Beijing on board to commit to using its influence to help contain the conflict.
"We expressed our deep concern with the situation and pressed China to take a more constructive approach, and that would include, of course, their engagements with the Iranians, to urge calm," another of the senior administration officials said.
China has condemned violence and attacks on civilians in the conflict, and while Wang has declared Israel's actions "beyond the scope of self-defence" he has not named Hamas in his comments.
The second official said Blinken raised US concerns about China’s recent actions in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, including its “dangerous and unlawful obstruction” of the Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea and its unsafe intercept of a US aircraft.
But it was another 10 hours before Beijing released an official obituary. Published by Xinhua around 6.30pm, the document was signed by the ruling Communist Party leadership, who praised Li’s contribution to the party and state.
Chen Daoyin, a political commentator and former professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said Beijing seemed underprepared in its messaging.
“I think Li’s death was a total surprise to Beijing’s top leaders, as the state media obviously did not prepare his full obituary, unlike what they will do in the case of party leaders who are known to be very ill,” Chen said.
About the brief first official message, Chen said Beijing chose to announce Li’s passing “as soon as possible, because it wants to curb all the conspiracy theories that might arise from this”.
“Beijing will never divulge the full details of Li’s death. But it looks like they are trying to manage the situation by announcing whatever can be made available to the public domain and moving quickly on the arrangement of Li’s funeral.”
Li, 68, died at 00.10am on Friday during a “rest” visit to Shanghai, according to Xinhua. He had stepped down as premier in March after 10 years on the job.
Medical experts tending to Li Keqiang had done everything in their power to revive Li, sources and analysts told the South China Morning Post.
Two sources based in Shanghai said Li suffered a heart attack on Thursday after swimming at the Dong Jiao State Guest Hotel, where he was staying. He was rushed to nearby Shuguang hospital by his security and healthcare team, a comprehensive support system provided for former senior leaders.
03:31
‘People’s Premier’: former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of a heart attack at age 68
‘People’s Premier’: former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of a heart attack at age 68
The hospital mobilised “all the resources available and called for top experts in Shanghai” to tend to Li, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
“They tried everything. Unfortunately, they failed to bring him back,” said a second source with direct knowledge of the matter, adding that Li had previously undergone coronary artery bypass surgery.
Both sources said Li’s body had been flown back to Beijing on Friday night.
Deng Yuwen, former deputy editor of Study Times, the official newspaper of the Central Party School where cadres are trained, said funeral arrangements of former state leaders had to be endorsed by the party’s top decision making Politburo, which was holding a regular meeting on Friday.
“[Li’s death] should have been one of the most important agendas of the meeting, as the party needs to decide on the composition of the funeral committee and make sure the proceedings go smoothly. Xinhua can only announce the full obituary after the Politburo meeting approves it,” Deng said.
Li is among very few retired Chinese leaders to have died before reaching the age of 70. Most stay healthy and live well beyond 90, or even 100, their longevity attributed to the comprehensive medical care and security privileges provided to party and state leaders even after retirement.
But former executive vice-premier Huang Ju, like Li, was only 68 when he died in 2007. Then, too, official media released a short announcement on the day of his death, with a full obituary published later.
Song Ping, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the oldest surviving party elder, is 106 this year. Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and prime minister Li Peng were 96 and 90 when they passed away in 2022 and 2019, respectively.
Special diet plans and dedicated organic food supply are also believed to contribute to their longevity. As early as 1941, the party set up a strict hierarchical supply system based on the Soviet model, giving high-level officials various “special supplies” including food items, tobacco, alcohol, tea and medicine.
Zeng Xuyuan, former director of the nutrition department of Beijing Hospital, who served as a nutrition and health expert for top leaders, and Li Ruifen, former director of the nutrition department of the Beijing Military Region General Hospital, revealed the special dietary principles of leaders in a 2012 interview with party mouthpiece People’s Daily.
According to Zeng, Chinese leaders’ dietary priorities include eating 25 kinds of food every day so that they can have the right mix of balanced nutrition.
DINGYUAN, China - As dusk fell on a remote village in eastern China on Friday, a small group gathered around a mud and thatch house to pay tribute to its most famous resident - former premier Li Keqiang, who died on Friday aged 68.
Once in the running to take over the country’s top job before being passed over for President Xi Jinping, Mr Li had a relatively humble upbringing in rural Anhui province.
On Friday, a cluster of bouquets was laid against the walls of his family home in Jiuzi village, Dingyuan county, where he lived throughout many of his school years.
“Li Keqiang was an amiable premier and was loved by people all over the country,” said one man, who stood staring at the display for some time, looking moved.
“When I heard the news, I was shocked, unable to accept the truth. I happened to be here in Dingyuan, his hometown, and came here to mourn our beloved premier,” he told AFP.
It was not clear whether some of the people milling around were present in an official capacity, with the pile of bouquets slowly added to as the evening went on.
A small group of people gathered, with some laying bunches of yellow and white chrysanthemums - a symbol of mourning in China - and bowing before the house.
“He has done a lot of good things for the people and the country. We are very grateful to him,” one man told AFP.
The mourners speaking to AFP didn’t want to give their names for privacy reasons.
Arriving with a large standing floral arrangement, a delivery man told AFP he had been summoned from about an hour away, as there were no closer flower shops.
The rural surroundings were a far cry from the lofty halls of power in Beijing where Mr Li spent a decade as China’s nominal second in command.
Mr Li reportedly still has relatives living in Jiuzi, a small settlement surrounded by fields of hay, where the sides of the roads are lined by beans left out to dry.
The article praised him for his push for the Belt and Road Initiative, the strategy spearheaded by Xi aimed at trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe and Africa. He was also credited for his efforts to seek economic stability.
He dealt with challenges, including “accelerating world changes, the Covid-19 epidemic and the economic downturn”, the obituary said, but worked steadily and sought progress.
The obituary described most of his work during his premiership as done “under the leadership of the party with General Secretary Xi Jinping as the core”. It said Li’s support for Xi continued after the former premier’s retirement in March.
The obituary said that in March, after Li retired, he “firmly supported the leadership of the Central Committee with Xi as the core, cared about the development of the party and the country, as well as the party’s efforts to build a clean government and fight corruption”.
Li died in Shanghai on Friday morning. State broadcaster CCTV reported that he suffered a heart attack one day earlier.
Chinese media outlets are attributing their reports to CCTV or the state news agency Xinhua, which made the announcement shortly after 8am.
00:55
Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of heart attack
Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of heart attack
The Yan’an Elevated Road connecting the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport with the city centre was blocked from Friday morning, prompting speculation that some top state officials were flying into Shanghai.
A security staff member standing in uniform at the entrance of the Dongjiao State Guest Hotel, a state-owned hotel located in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, said on Friday afternoon the whole hotel had suspended business until further notice.
Another worker said Li had “passed away in the hotel”, adding that the entrance was “packed with police in the morning”.
At the foreign ministry press conference on Friday afternoon, spokeswoman Mao Ning said “we expressed our condolences”, when asked by reporters for comment on Li’s death. Mao also asked journalists to pay attention to official obituaries and funeral announcements.
As of 9am on Friday, the hashtag about Li’s death had been read nearly 700 million times on social media platform Weibo. On the posts about Li, Weibo’s “like” button turned into a daisy about half an hour later.
Comments are severely restricted under the posts of media outlets, with only a tiny number displayed. But among the reposts, most online commenters are expressing their shock and condolences.
Multiple videos of Li are circulating on social media, including his remarks during a press conference at last year’s National People’s Congress, when he said that China’s opening-up policy would not change “just as the course of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers will not be reversed”.
After becoming premier in 2013, he consistently pushed the private economy, foreign investment and simplified government procedures.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) shakes hands with former premier Li Keqiang during the fourth plenary session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall in March, which marked Li’s retirement after serving two five-year terms. Photo: Reuters
Under President Xi Jinping, a large amount of decision-making power over economic affairs, previously under the State Council, has been absorbed by party organs under Xi’s push to tighten the Communist Party’s control in all areas.
A long article complaining about China’s business environment posted online in 2015 by Wu Hai, who went on to found Mei KTV, attracted the attention of Li, who invited him to speak at a seminar at Zhongnanhai, the leadership compound.
The outspoken entrepreneur wept on Friday as he recalled the late premier in a phone interview with the South China Morning Post.
“He really did his best and everything he could for this country, for China’s economy, especially for the business environment,” Wu said. “I hope what he did for the country can be continued.”
James Zimmerman, former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, responded to the news shortly after 9.30am, describing it as “sad” and recalled his meetings with the former premier, starting when Li was vice-premier in 2008.
At that time, Li was leading a conference to encourage and promote development and investment in the region after an earthquake, amid fears the disaster would damage business confidence.
“Li was viewed as a pragmatic leader and encouraged economic reform,” Zimmerman said, adding that Li was considered “less ideological” than others in the leadership but his voice was later sidelined.
“His passing is a significant loss to the moderate voices in the party leadership,” he added, in an email to the Post.
Li stepped down in March – despite not reaching the retirement age set for his level – along with Wang Yang, former chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body.
At the time, a Xinhua article on the selection of top cadres said the decision by some senior officials to voluntarily stand aside for younger people showed “broad-mindedness and high moral integrity”, without mentioning anyone by name.
The parliamentary meeting in March – also known as the “two sessions” – was Li’s last public appearance. He delivered his last government work report at the opening ceremony of the National People’s Congress.
According to videos circulating on social media, Li was seen visiting the Mogao Caves, a World Heritage site in the northwestern province of Gansu, at the end of August, but there were no official reports mentioning the tour.
Li is survived by his wife Cheng Hong, a professor of English literature at Beijing’s Capital University of Economics and Business, who has had several collections of essays or translations published. The couple has one daughter, according to official media reports.
Li’s brother, Li Keming, was once a senior official at China Tobacco, which oversees the country’s tobacco industry and is responsible for producing and selling cigarettes. Li Keming also once headed a State Council agency that supervises large state-owned enterprises.
Chinese media outlets are attributing their reports to CCTV or the state news agency Xinhua, which made the announcement shortly after 8am.
00:55
Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of heart attack
Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of heart attack
The Yan’an Elevated Road connecting the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport with the city centre was blocked from Friday morning, prompting speculation that some top state officials were flying into Shanghai.
At the foreign affairs ministry press conference on Friday afternoon, spokeswoman Mao Ning said “we expressed our condolences”, when asked by reporters for comment on Li’s death. Mao also asked journalists to pay attention to official obituaries and funeral announcements.
As of 9am on Friday, the hashtag about Li’s death had been read nearly 700 million times on social media platform Weibo. On the posts about Li, Weibo’s “like” button turned into a daisy about half an hour later.
Comments are severely restricted under the posts of media outlets, with only a tiny number displayed. But among the reposts, most online commenters are expressing their shock and condolences.
Multiple videos of Li are circulating on social media, including his remarks during a press conference at last year’s National People’s Congress, when he said that China’s opening-up policy would not change “just as the course of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers will not be reversed”.
After becoming premier in 2013, he consistently pushed the private economy, foreign investment and simplified government procedures.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) shakes hands with former premier Li Keqiang during the fourth plenary session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall in March, which marked Li’s retirement after serving two five-year terms. Photo: Reuters
Under President Xi Jinping, a large amount of decision-making power over economic affairs, previously under the State Council, has been absorbed by party organs under Xi’s push to tighten the Communist Party’s control in all areas.
A long article complaining about China’s business environment posted online in 2015 by Wu Hai, who went on to found Mei KTV, attracted the attention of Li, who invited him to speak at a seminar at Zhongnanhai, the leadership compound.
The outspoken entrepreneur wept on Friday as he recalled the late premier in a phone interview with the South China Morning Post.
“He really did his best and everything he could for this country, for China’s economy, especially for the business environment,” Wu said. “I hope what he did for the country can be continued.”
James Zimmerman, former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, responded to the news shortly after 9.30am, describing it as “sad” and recalled his meetings with the former premier, starting when Li was vice-premier in 2008.
At that time, Li was leading a conference to encourage and promote development and investment in the region after an earthquake, amid fears the disaster would damage business confidence.
“Li was viewed as a pragmatic leader and encouraged economic reform,” Zimmerman said, adding that Li was considered “less ideological” than others in the leadership but his voice was later sidelined.
“His passing is a significant loss to the moderate voices in the party leadership,” he added, in an email to the Post.
Li stepped down in March – despite not reaching the retirement age set for his level – along with Wang Yang, former chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body.
At the time, a Xinhua article on the selection of top cadres said the decision by some senior officials to voluntarily stand aside for younger people showed “broad-mindedness and high moral integrity”, without mentioning anyone by name.
The parliamentary meeting in March – also known as the “two sessions” – was Li’s last public appearance. He delivered his last government work report at the opening ceremony of the National People’s Congress.
According to videos circulating on social media, Li was seen visiting the Mogao Caves, a World Heritage site in the northwestern province of Gansu, at the end of August, but there were no official reports mentioning the tour.
Li is survived by his wife Cheng Hong, a professor of English literature at Beijing’s Capital University of Economics and Business, who has had several collections of essays or translations published. The couple has one daughter, according to official media reports.
Li’s brother, Li Keming, was once a senior official at China Tobacco, which oversees the country’s tobacco industry and is responsible for producing and selling cigarettes. Li Keming also once headed a State Council agency that supervises large state-owned enterprises.
Kim walked for hours to get home, in a state of shock.
"I couldn't sleep for two days. As if obsessed with something, I couldn't turn off the news on TV. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I only drank water and kept watching the news."
Kim, a writer, struggled with feelings of survivor's guilt, and eventually her therapist suggested that writing about her feelings might allow her to process what had happened.
At first, she shared her writing only in private forums online, where she received overwhelmingly positive feedback, including from others who said it had helped them with their own Itaewon-linked trauma.
After one of her posts went viral, local newspapers asked her to write for them, which she eventually agreed to - but the reaction from the general public was overwhelmingly negative.
"When it was released to the public, I did not receive comfort from the reactions I received. Personally it was good as a way to release my feelings and it was helpful in relieving my depression," she said.
LEWISTON, United States: Hundreds of police in the US state of Maine hunted on Thursday (Oct 26) for a fugitive gunman who killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar, as President Joe Biden mourned "yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting".
The rampage in the small northeastern town of Lewiston also left 13 people wounded, three critically, in the deadliest shooting this year in America.
A wide area around Lewiston was locked down during the tense search as authorities erected roadblocks, ordered schools and businesses closed, and told residents to stay indoors.
Governor Janet Mills said the suspect was "considered armed and dangerous, and police advise that Maine people should not approach him under any circumstances".
"This attack strikes at the very heart of who we are and the values we hold dear," Mills told a press conference. "This is a dark day for Maine."
Police named the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card - seen in surveillance footage pointing a semi-automatic rifle as he walked into the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley.
Police converged on the home of Card's father in nearby Bowdoin early Thursday evening, closing off roads.
One longtime neighbour, Dave Letarte, said news of the shooting "floored me".
"I would have never expected that from him," he told AFP of the younger Card.
Joseph Walker, a manager at the Schemengees Bar & Grille, was among those killed the night before, his father Leroy Walker told NBC News.
Walker said his family was "suffering and dying in a nightmare we don't understand".
"We were up all night. We didn't know where to go, who to turn to," he said.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY URGES PEOPLE TO EXAMINE ITS DEATH TOLL
Israeli army radio said the military had overnight staged its biggest incursion into northern Gaza in the current war against Hamas, which Israel has vowed to eliminate.
The military later released video on X showing armoured vehicles crossing the highly fortified barrier from Israel and blowing up buildings "in preparation for the next stages of combat".
"Tanks and infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts," it said.
Palestinians in Gaza said Israeli air strikes had pounded the territory again overnight and people living in central Gaza, near the Bureij refugee camp and east of Qarara village, reported intensive tank shelling all night.
Hamas did not comment directly on the Israeli report but said its armed wing had struck an Israeli helicopter east of Bureij. The Israeli military said it was "not aware of this".
Israel has carried out weeks of intense bombardment of the densely populated Strip following the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israeli communities, which it says killed some 1,400 people.
Gaza's health ministry said on Thursday (Oct 26) that 7,028 Palestinians had been killed in the air strikes, including 2,913 children.
"Behind every announced number, there is a known human being with a name and an identity," ministry spokesman Dr Ashraf al-Qidra said. He urged those who doubted its figures to examine its methodology.
Reuters has not been able to independently verify the death toll on either side.
In Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, an Israeli air strike hit a house, killing a mother, her three daughters and a baby boy, whose father held his body in hospital.
"Did he kill? Did he wound someone? Did he capture someone? They were innocent children inside their house," he said.
The director of the Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, Nahed Abu Taaema, said the bodies of 77 people killed in air strikes had been brought in overnight, most of them women and children, Hamas's Al-Aqsa radio station reported.
Many Palestinians are sheltering in Khan Younis's hospitals, schools, homes and existing refugee camps and on the street after Israel warned them to leave their homes in the north.
Israel did not respond directly to the report but said its forces had struck a Hamas missile launch post in the Khan Younis area that was next to a mosque and kindergarten.
It was not clear if both sides were referring to the same incident.
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