China 'elephant in the room' at fraught Pacific Islands summit

Juan Ayuso sprinted to victory in the 12th stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Thursday to seal his second win at this year's race.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have been recorded on a hot mic discussing how organ transplants and other medical advances could let humans live past 150 years -- or even become immortal.
Stock markets mostly climbed and global bonds stabilised on Thursday as investors looked to US jobs data to cement rate-cut bets.
President Xi Jinping reassured Kim Jong Un of North Korea's enduring importance to China on Thursday, saying Beijing's position "will not change" as the two leaders met for talks.
French authorities have detained seven people in an investigation into the kidnapping of a young Swiss citizen believed to be the latest abduction targeting the hugely lucrative cryptocurrency world, a source close to the case said on Thursday.
Over two dozen countries have pledged to take part in a force to be deployed in Ukraine after any peace accord with Russia, aiming to deter Moscow from ever again attacking its neighbour, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday.
Leading lights of the silver screen on Thursday mourned the death of fashion legend Giorgio Armani, whose client list read like a who's who of Hollywood royalty.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said Thursday that firing the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was "absolutely necessary" to restore high standards, as he faced blistering criticism from Democrats urging him to resign.
The bicycle-loving Netherlands was on Thursday mulling tougher rules on fat bikes and e-scooters, after a surge in accidents that has alarmed lawmakers and officials in cities across the country.
Tapping Italy's long heritage of classic, impeccable tailoring, Giorgio Armani built a multi-billion dollar fashion empire, making his name synonymous around the world with relaxed, restrained elegance.
France and Switzerland on Thursday signed two agreements on how to manage their shared waters of Lake Geneva and the River Rhone -- an increasingly pressing issue as climate change takes its toll.
The US trade deficit expanded more than expected in July to its widest in four months, government data showed Thursday, on a surge in imports before a fresh wave of President Donald Trump's tariffs kicked in.
Portugal held a day of national mourning on Thursday after one of Lisbon's famous funicular trains violently derailed and killed 16 people, including foreigners, and leaving five seriously injured.
German law enforcement authorities have voiced alarm that the "dangerous" chief suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann will soon leave prison and could flee the country.
Italian fashion legend Giorgio Armani, king of a high-end lifestyle empire, has died at the age of 91 "surrounded by his loved ones", his company said Thursday.
Spain's premier cycling race, La Vuelta, has been shaken by pro-Palestinian protests which riders believe have put them at risk and threaten to derail the event.
Tourists and locals wrestled with shock and dismay on Thursday in Lisbon, a day after one of city's famed funiculars -- climbing railways that serve both communities -- came off the tracks and crashed, killing 16 people.
Award-winning comedy writer Graham Linehan, whose recent arrest reignited a UK row over freedom of speech, appeared in court Thursday to face separate charges over "abusive and vindictive" posts against a transgender person.
European leaders on Thursday spoke to US President Donald Trump after holding a summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace accord to end Russia's three-and-a-half war against Ukraine.
Thieves snatched three porcelain works worth millions of euros and classed as national treasures in a heist at a French collection in the small hours of Thursday, the museum said.
Italy's MediaForEurope (MFE) announced Thursday it had taken control of one of Germany's biggest private broadcasting groups, as it seeks to build a pan-European group able to compete with streaming giants.
The European rights court on Thursday found France's laws on sexual consent are insufficient, ruling against the authorities in a case involving a woman who accused her boss of coercing her into an abusive relationship.
Four nights and days since the earth shook and levelled his home in eastern Afghanistan, Khan Zaman Hanafi thought he had endured the worst, until the rain came.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to discuss bolstering security cooperation Thursday in violence-swept Ecuador, as he champions a shoot-first crackdown on the region's criminal groups.
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan at the weekend rose sharply to more than 2,200 on Thursday, according to a new toll, making it the deadliest in decades to hit the country.
One of thousands of public servants in Gaza's Hamas-run government, Karim, a public works ministry employee, received what seemed like an ordinary message on his phone: an invitation "for a coffee".
Stock markets diverged and global bonds stabilised on Thursday as investors looked to US jobs data to cement rate-cut bets.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un met for talks in Beijing on Thursday, state media reported, while the North Korean leader is in China on a rare foreign visit.
At age 70, Pete Maie appears nervous at the start of a job interview to work as a part-time parcel delivery driver for a German logistics company.
Tottenham's Djed Spence said the opportunity to make history as the first male player who publically identifies as a Muslim to represent England was a "blessing" as he prepares for a potential debut.
Portugal held a day of national mourning on Thursday as the death toll from the derailment of one of Lisbon's iconic funiculars rose to 17 people, with 21 injured.
Taiwanese megastar Shu Qi told AFP that she used her troubled childhood growing up with an alcoholic father as the basis for her directorial debut which premieres at the Venice Film Festival Thursday.