China

It comes only days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Tonga, during which he expressed concern at China's influence in the Pacific.

Known as the "Peace Ark", the vessel belonging to the Chinese Navy, was received in a welcoming ceremony hosted by Tonga's Prime Minister Hu'akvameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni.

Police said they have arrested a 25-year-old man with the surname Wu in Lianjiang town.

The other victims are a teacher and two parents, AFP reported, quoting a local city official. One person is also injured.

The attack happened on Monday at 7.40am local time.

The man was arrested at 8am and police have called this a case of "intentional assault".

A storeowner who works near the kindergarten told the BBC the surrounding area has been sealed off.

A report commissioned by the New Zealand China Council has found 11.6 percent of all New Zealand research in 2022 was co-authored with Chinese researchers, an increase from 2017's 7.7 percent figure.

Council chair John McKinnon said the report pointed to China as a leading research partners across multiple disciplines, behind Australia (20 percent), the United States (17.5 percent) and the United Kingdom (14.2 percent).

The quip, which likened the behaviour of a comedian's dogs to military conduct, irked authorities.

They said Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co and comic Li Haoshi had "humiliated the people's army".

BBC reports the company accepted the penalty and terminated Mr Li's contract.

The offending remark was made during a stand-up performance in Beijing on Saturday, when Mr Li alluded to two canines he had adopted which were chasing a squirrel.

Fang is one of several so-called citizen journalists who disappeared after sharing videos of scenes in Wuhan, the epicentre of the pandemic.

After disappearing in February 2020, he was sentenced to three years in jail at a secret trial in Wuhan, sources said.

He was released on Sunday and is in good health, they added.

Fang is now back home in Wuhan. The BBC could not reach his family for comment.

India's population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people by the end of April, the new data shows.

A different UN body last week predicted that India would overtake China by the middle of this year.

The Asian nations have accounted for more than a third of the global population for over 70 years.

"China will soon cede its long-held status as the world's most populous country," the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said in a statement.

Compared to the same period last year, gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.5%, official figures show.

BBC reports the key measure of economic activity was driven up by a boost in household spending and rising factory activity.

Beijing pledged to boost the world's second largest economy when it lifted coronavirus measures in December.

Also on Tuesday, separate data for March showed that retail sales, the main indicator of household consumption, jumped by 10.6%, compared to a year earlier.

But Mr Putin said the plan could be put forward only when they are ready "in the West and Kyiv".

The Russian leader met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Moscow to discuss the conflict, and relations between the two countries.

BBC reports China's plan, published last month, does not explicitly call for Russia to leave Ukraine.

Listing 12 points, it calls for peace talks and respect for national sovereignty, without specific proposals.

But Mr Putin said the plan could be put forward only "when they are ready for it in the West and in Kyiv".

The Russian leader met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Moscow to discuss the conflict, and relations between the two countries.

China's plan, published last month, does not explicitly call for Russia to leave Ukraine.

Listing 12 points, it calls for peace talks and respect for national sovereignty, without specific proposals.

The video-sharing app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is accused of posing a national security risk through data gathered from millions of users.

A request for a change in ownership, first reported in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), was confirmed to BBC News by TikTok.

The company said a forced sale would not change its data flows or access.

The White House has not yet responded to a BBC News request for comment.

For years American officials have raised concerns that data from the popular app could fall into the hands of the Chinese government.