BANGKOK (AP) — Senior U.S. and Chinese representatives are expected to meet in the Thai capital as the two countries seek to cool tensions.

Officials from both sides said U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi would meet in Bangkok. The exact schedule for their talks was not announced, but both are scheduled to be in the city from Friday, where they’re meeting separately with Thai officials.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said their planned meeting “continues the

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — A man shook and convulsed for minutes on the gurney as Alabama carried out the first-of-its-kind execution that has ignited debate over the humaneness of the method.

Breathing through a nitrogen-filled face mask that deprived him of oxygen, 58-year-old convicted killer Kenneth Eugene Smith convulsed in seizurelike spasms for at least two minutes of the 22-minute execution by Thursday. The force of his movements at times caused the gurney to visibly shake.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The estate of is suing the media company behind a fake hourlong comedy special that purportedly uses to recreate the late standup comic’s style and material.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday asks that a judge order the podcast outlet Dudesy to immediately take down the audio special, “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” in which a synthesis of Carlin delivers commentary on current events. Carlin died in 2008.

Carlin’s

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United Nations was wrapping up last month when John Kerry went to a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua only to find a surprise waiting for him. Xie’s 8-year-old grandson had brought Kerry a card for his 80th birthday.

The lanky American, who had signed the landmark Paris climate accord with his own granddaughter on his knee almost a decade earlier, bent down to thank the boy and praise his grandfather, according to someone who described the private encounter on

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United Nations was wrapping up last month when John Kerry went to a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua only to find a surprise waiting for him. Xie’s 8-year-old grandson had brought Kerry a card for his 80th birthday.

The lanky American, who had signed the landmark Paris climate accord with his granddaughter on his knee almost a decade earlier, bent down to thank the boy and praise his grandfather, according to someone who described the private encounter on the

SYDNEY (AP) — Strong winds hit Australia’s northeast coast Friday, leaving thousands without power, but the area was spared heavy damage as Tropical Cyclone Kirrily weakened into a tropical storm.

Wind gusts of up to 170 kilometers an hour (105.6 miles per hour) battered coastal cities and towns, while fallen trees caused property damage. Weather officials warned of continuing heavy rain and strong winds.

But the cyclone was downgraded Friday to a tropical storm after making landfall in Queensland state Thursday night

BANGKOK (AP) — Simmering tensions in the South China Sea between China and several Southeast Asian nations now regularly . Fighting in Myanmar against the military government that seized power three years ago has grown to the point that most say the country is .

Hopes were high that Indonesia might be able to make significant inroads on both issues during its 2023 chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, using its clout as the bloc’s largest country, but little progress was made. Now Laos, the bloc’

WASHINGTON (AP) — By any standard, the past 18 months have been remarkable for getting wrongfully detained Americans home. There were major swaps with adversaries like and , including one that secured the freedom of WNBA star Brittney Griner, and a .

But Harrison Li has had little to celebrate. Despite the succession of high-profile releases, jubilant family reunions and triumphant photos on government airplanes, his father, Kai, remains detained in China on espionage-related charges his family says are bogus and politically motivated.

Li

The United Nations’ top court on Friday ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but the panel stopped short of ordering Jerusalem to end the military offensive that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave.

In a ruling that will keep Israel under the legal lens for years to come, the court offered little other comfort to Israel in a genocide case brought by South Africa that goes to the core of one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. The court