JOHANNESBURG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on emerging market economies and developing countries to enhance cooperation in addressing common challenges.

Xi made the remarks in a speech to an outreach dialogue grouping leaders from the BRICS, the "BRICS Plus" and African countries at the 10th BRICS summit here.

The leaders discussed international development and cooperation, as well as the important cause of South-South cooperation, and reached broad consensuses.

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. China plans to carry out the first-time test firing of Russia’s S-400 Triumf missile defense systems in the end of July or in early August, a military and diplomatic source told TASS.

"It is planned that in late July-early August the unit of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, which underwent training in Russia, will carry out the firing against a simulated ballistic target at a Chinese firing ground," the source said.

Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation has declined to comment on the report.

JERUSALEM, July 27 (NNN-Ma'an) -- The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolay Mladenov, said in a statement that the besieged Gaza Strip is on the verge of total economic and social collapse.

Mladenov stressed that half of Gaza’s population suffers from unemployment and that basic services are severely overstretched.

By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jul 27 (PTI); A key Congressional committee has unanimously passed a crucial bill on Tibet under which Chinese officials responsible for discriminating against Americans who try to enter Tibet would be banned from entering the US.

The bill titled 'The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act', seeking unhindered access to Tibetan areas to US officials, journalists and common citizens, something which is routinely denied by the Chinese government, now moves to the House of Representatives.

Tehran, July 28, IRNA - US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis dismissed a recent report suggesting the Trump administration was preparing to launch attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities as “fiction.”

ISLAMABAD, Jul 26 (APP):Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) Imran Khan Thursday vowed to improve governance, fight corruption, improve taxation and hold across the board accountability to make the country a welfare state, when he forms the next government.

ANKARA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will never tolerate threats from anybody, Turkish Foreign Minister said on Thursday in response to warnings of sanctions from the United States leadership.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that the United States will slap "significant economic sanctions" on Turkey unless it immediately releases detained U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson.

"No one dictates Turkey. We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Rule of law is for everyone, no exception," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a Twitter message.

New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI); Leading the race to become Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan will always be first and foremost the enigmatic 'Kaptaan', who pulled off the impossible -- transform an immensely talented but fractious bunch of cricketers into world beaters.

There were many international captains during the '80s but there was only one leader on the cricket field and that was Pakistan's Imran Khan.

26 July 2018; AFP; Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he has signed a law which grants expanded autonomy for the mainly Catholic nation's Muslim south, a key step to ending one of Asia's longest and deadliest conflicts.

The measure has for years been a crucial missing element to a languishing peace pact with the country's largest Islamic rebel group which, along with other guerrillas, has waged a rebellion in the southern Philippines that has claimed about 150,000 lives since the 1970s.

Mumbai, Jul 26 (PTI); The Congress would take out a morcha against the non-disclosure of the Rafale jet purchase price by the BJP-led Central government, in Mumbai on July 30.

The forthcoming march is the part of similar protests the Congress is planning to organise across the country, senior party leaders said today.

The morcha would start from Fashion Street and conclude at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

The Congress has been demanding that the government disclose the purchase price of each Rafale jet during the ongoing session of Parliament.

Islamabad, Jul 26 (PTI); Imran Khan, who is set to become Pakistan's premier, today said he will not live in the official residence of the prime minister and the "lavish" house will be converted into a public space like an educational institution.

The 65-year-old chief of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party promised to make Pakistan free of the perpetual rich-getting-richer and poor-getting-poorer cycle and said that "change has to come from the top."

WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said here on Thursday that the United States will slap "significant economic sanctions" on Turkey unless it immediately releases a detained U.S. pastor.

Pence said Turkey should take immediate action to free Andrew Brunson or "be prepared to face the consequences."

U.S. President Donald Trump also tweeted earlier that Ankara should release Brunson, calling the cleric's detention "a total disgrace."