Russian President Vladimir Putin has wrapped up his two-day visit to China, where he and his counterpart Xi Jinping pledged a "new era of strategic partnership". The two leaders had tea together and celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations at a gala, with the Chinese leader giving his guest a warm hug.

Governments face increased borrowing, taxes and public sector cuts to finance their soaring military budgets. European NATO members are set to spend a record $380 billion on defense this year — a tough sell to voters.

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and some other senior officials had a “hard landing” in northwestern East Azerbaijan province on Sunday, according to Iran’s state TV.