An Israeli air strike Saturday flattened a 13-floor building housing Qatar-based Al Jazeera television and the US news agency the Associated Press in the Gaza Strip. 

Israel "destroyed Jala Tower in the Gaza Strip, which contains the Al Jazeera and other international press offices," Al Jazeera said in a tweet, with an AP journalist saying the army had warned the tower's owner ahead of the strike.
AFP journalists, whose Gaza offices are in a different place, watched the building collapse to the ground after the Israeli air strike, sending up a huge mushroom cloud of dust and debris.
Israeli defence officials said the building housed not only news bureaus but offices of Hamas militants.
But Walid al-Omari, Al Jazeera Jerusalem bureau chief, was incensed and vowed the network will not be silenced.
-It is clear that those who are waging this war do not only want to spread destruction and death in Gaza, but also to silence media that are witnessing, documenting and reporting the truth- he said.
AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said he was "shocked and horrified" by the attack, adding about a dozen AP journalists and freelancers had been in the office, but were able to flee.
-This is an incredibly disturbing development. We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life- Pruitt said.
The White House, which has kept a relatively low profile on the Israeli-Palestinian flare-up, said it has cautioned Israel about the importance of protecting independent media.
-We have communicated directly to the Israelis that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility- White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted.
Jawad Mehdi, the owner of the Jala Tower, said an Israeli intelligence officer warned him he had just one hour to ensure that the building was evacuated.
In a phone call with the officer, he begged for an extra 10 minutes to allow journalists to retrieve their equipment before leaving.
-Give us ten extra minutes- he urged live on television, but the officer on the other end of the line refused.
AP journalist Fares Akram wrote on Twitter shortly before the strike that he and colleagues "ran down the stairs from the 11th floor" to get away safely.
Mostefa Souag, acting director of the Al Jazeera Media Network, denounced the strike and called for international condemnation.
-The aim of this heinous crime is to silence the media and to hide the untold carnage and suffering of the people of Gaza- he said in a statement.

After the air raid, Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza, Safwat al-Kahlout, pledged in a phone call with the Qatari broadcaster to continue coverage "despite the destruction".

-Suddenly everything became rubble- he said. -We will be on air again with new equipment.-His colleague Harry Fawcett described the strike as "extraordinary".
-This is a very personal moment for all of us. The idea that the place is not there anymore is extraordinary to contemplate- he told the broadcaster.
Israel said its "fighter jets attacked a high-rise building which hosted military assets belonging to the military intelligence of the Hamas terror organisation".
-The building also hosted offices of civilian media outlets, which the Hamas terror group hides behind and uses as human shields- it said.
Israeli air and artillery strikes on Gaza since Monday have killed 139 people including 39 children, and wounded 1,000 more, health officials in the besieged coastal enclave say.
Palestinian armed groups have fired 2,300 rockets at Israel, killing 10 people, including a child and a soldier, and wounding over 560 Israelis.
More than half of the missiles fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip have been intercepted by Israel's air defence system.

Israeli defence officials said the building housed not only news bureaus but offices of Hamas militants

A thick column of smoke rises from the Jala Tower after it was hit in an Israeli air strike that destroyed the 13-floor building housing international media outlets in Gaza City

Israeli air strike flattens Gaza building hosting AP, Al Jazeera

Portugal will open to tourists from nearly all European countries from Monday, the interior ministry said, following months of restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Travellers from EU countries with coronavirus rates below 500 cases per 100,000 residents during the last 14 days can make "all types of visits to Portugal, including even non-essential visits," the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
It said restrictions, limited to essential trips, would be maintained for five EU countries -- Cyprus, Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Sweden.
It stressed restrictions also remained on non-European countries including Brazil, India and South Africa.
-We're not opening tourism to the whole world. Restrictions remain for third countries- a ministry spokeswoman said.
Restrictions are lifted for "passengers from the European Union, the Schengen Area and the United Kingdom," provided their rate is below 500 cases per 100,000 residents, the spokeswoman said.
The Schengen Area covers 26 European countries, most of them in the European Union.
Under the rules, all passengers above two years old heading to the country will still have to present a negative PCR Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before embarking.
Airlines that allow passengers to embark without the test will face a fine between 500 euros and 2,000 euros per passenger.
The announcement came a day after Lisbon lifted restrictions from visitors from Britain, which accounted for some two million annual visitors to the country before Covid-19 hit.
Portugal and Britain currently have two of the lowest virus rates in Europe.
The return of tourism follows a disastrous year for the sector in 2020 and is key to the country's economic recovery.
Last year tourism accounted for 6.3 percent of Portuguese GDP, as opposed to 11.8 percent the previous year.

Travellers from EU countries with coronavirus rates below 500 cases per 100,000 residents during the last 14 days can make "all types of visits to Portugal, including even non-essential visits"

It said restrictions, limited to essential trips, would be maintained for five EU countries -- Cyprus, Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Sweden

Portugal to open to most European tourists from Monday

A major Italian mafia fugitive who controlled cocaine routes within Europe has been returned by authorities to Rome from Spain, police said on Saturday.

Giuseppe Romeo, 35, arrived at Fiumicino Airport under escort from Barcelona Friday night, following his March 11 arrest on a European arrest warrant after three years on the run, police said in a statement. 
Romeo is accused of being a top member of an international drug network run by three 'Ndrangheta clans based in the Reggio Calabria area of the southern Italian region of Calabria. 
The 'Ndrangheta is Italy's most powerful mafia group, involved in nearly all areas of criminal activity beyond drug trafficking and extortion, whose operations extend throughout Europe and beyond.
According to an Italian police statement, Romeo, who lived in Germany, "had the role of promoter, organiser and financier of trafficking of cocaine in Europe." 
-He shuttled between between Calabria, Lombardy and north-western Europe to make agreements with suppliers and with suppliers and with some intermediaries in Belgium, Holland and Germany.-In 2018, he managed to escape the "European Ndrangheta Connection" raid carried out by Italian, German, Dutch and Belgian authorities that targeted about 90 people suspected of involvement in the cross-border drug and money laundering ring. 
In November, Romeo was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for charges related to international drug trafficking, mafia association, drug possession, and money laundering.

Giuseppe Romeo, 35, arrived at Fiumicino Airport under escort from Barcelona Friday night, following his March 11 arrest on a European arrest warrant after three years on the run

Romeo is accused of being a top member of an international drug network run by three 'Ndrangheta clans based in the Reggio Calabria area of the southern Italian region of Calabria

Mafia fugitive returned to Italy from Spain

Two tornadoes that struck central and eastern China killed at least 12 people and injured more than 400, authorities said Saturday.

Violent winds of more than 260 kilometres per hour (160 miles per hour) blasted the central city of Wuhan on Friday night.
Eight people died and more than 280 were injured there, authorities said, adding that around 30 homes had collapsed.
Vehicles were crushed by falling objects, trees uprooted, buildings partially destroyed and electricity pylons felled, leaving more than 26,000 homes without power.
The gale damaged two construction cranes, one of which toppled onto the site below, causing significant damage. 
In Suzhou, near Shanghai, another tornado with winds of more than 200 kilometres per hour wreaked havoc.
Four people were killed and one remains missing, according to local authorities.
Images shared on social media showed a black whirlwind which left a trail of destruction.
In May, a windstorm caused the deaths of 11 people in a different town also close to Shanghai.

Violent winds of more than 260 kilometres per hour (160 miles per hour) blasted the central city of Wuhan on Friday night

People look at damaged vehicles and structures at a construction site after a tornado hit an economic zone in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on May 15.

Two tornadoes strike China, killing at least 12

A German government spokesman refused on Wednesday to condemn the killing of Palestinian children by the Israeli military in Gaza amid a mounting Palestinian death toll.

-On a day like today, our stance is very clear. The terrorist attacks on Israel must stop so that more people do not die- Steffen Seibert responded when asked at a news conference in Berlin whether he would condemn the killing of Palestinian children in Gaza by the Israeli air force.
When pressed as to why it was so hard to simply condemn the murder of Palestinian children, Seibert replied: -I have nothing to add to what I said.-The latest incursion by Israel on the Gaza Strip was prompted by Palestinian protests against possible forced evictions of families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and a raid by Israeli forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Hamas gave Israel a deadline to stop raids at the holy site. When that was ignored, the Palestinian resistance group began attacking Tel Aviv with rocket fire.
Gaza health authorities said at least 53 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military, including 14 children since attacks began.
German Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Christofer Burger caused a stir at the news conference when he said Palestinians had no right to self-defense since international law gives the right to sovereign states and Palestinians are not a state.
-I do not think this is the right occasion for a fundamental discussion of international law. In international law, the right of self-defense applies to a state that is the victim of an armed attack- he added.
Burger reiterated, however, that Israel does have “the right to defend itself against the ongoing rocket attacks as part of its self-defense.”
Israel has faced international criticism for deliberate air attacks on residential buildings in violation of international law, but Burger claimed there was “no evidence” that it violated the law.
Germany has been a staunch ally and supporter of Israel, and Berlin repeatedly condemned Hamas "in the strongest possible terms” for launching rocket attacks on Israel.
Six Israelis have also been killed. The Israeli army alleged that 1,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards various locations in Israel.
The Israeli attacks on Gaza are the largest since a seven-week war erupted in 2014.

Right of self-defense in international law does not apply to Palestinians, according to German Foreign Ministry

The Israeli attacks on Gaza are the largest since a seven-week war erupted in 2014.

Germany refuses to condemn Israel's killing of Palestinian children

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday Israel "has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory" as violence escalates.

Biden made the remarks to reporters after speaking by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding he hopes the ongoing conflict "will be closing down sooner than later."
During his call with Netanyahu, the US president "conveyed the United States’ encouragement of a pathway toward restoring a sustainable calm," and "conveyed his unwavering support for Israel’s security and for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people, while protecting civilians," the White House said in a statement.
-He condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups, including against Jerusalem and Tel Aviv- it said. -He shared his conviction that Jerusalem, a city of such importance to people of faith from around the world, must be a place of peace.-Tensions have been running high since an Israeli court last week ordered the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, leading to Palestinian protests and Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians, including worshippers at the city’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. The mosque is the third holiest in Islam.
The latest death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip rose to 65, including five women and 16 children, with 365 people injured, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Heavy damage has also been recorded across Gaza's residential areas, including the leveling of multi-story buildings.
To date six Israelis have been killed in the recent violence – five of them in rocket attacks – in addition to one soldier killed when his military vehicle was struck.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the city in its entirety in 1980 – a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

Joe Biden conveys 'his unwavering support for Israel’s security' during telephone call with Israeli leader: White House

US President Biden: Israel "has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory"

Protestors gathered Wednesday in front of the United Nations in Geneva to demonstrate against the recent attacks by Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. 

Among the more than 1,000 people who organizers said attended were a group of Turks who waved Turkish and Palestinian flags while protesting under a three-legged broken chair monument to landmine victims worldwide.
Human rights organizations supported the demonstrations led by the Welfare and Justice Association (Refahder), the Geneva-based International Association for Human Rights and Development, and the Association of Torture Victims.
Among the protestors was Hani Ramadan, the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood organization, who spoke out against the attacks by Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem around Al-Aqsa Mosque and against Palestinian protesters.
Ender Demirtaş, president of Refahder’s European branch and the International Association for Human Rights and Development, said "the cause of Jerusalem and Palestine is to honor all humanity.”
-The Jerusalem case is not alone; the Muslims there are not alone.-He said they would do everything to defend their rights.
Demirtaş said the city of Jerusalem is common to all of humanity and not only Muslims.
Demonstrators chanted slogans such as "Long live Palestine," "Palestine's capital is Jerusalem" and "Terrorist Israel."

Cause of Jerusalem and Palestine is for all of humanity, say demonstrators

Demonstrators chanted slogans such as "Long live Palestine," "Palestine's capital is Jerusalem" and "Terrorist Israel"

Protestors gather in front of UN in Geneva over Israeli attacks

Ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 11 more Palestinians, taking the death toll to 83, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Fatalities include 17 children and seven women, while a total of 487 people were injured to date, the ministry statement said.
Tensions have been running high since an Israeli court last week ordered the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

Fatalities include 17 children, 7 women; 487 others injured, says Palestinian Health Ministry

Tensions have been running high since an Israeli court last week ordered the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 83

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, who was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, was flown to Germany Thursday for treatment, officials said.

The 53-year-old democracy pioneer and climate activist was the target of a remote-controlled bomb rigged to a motorbike one week ago in the capital Male.
He underwent 16 hours of surgery to remove shrapnel from his liver, lungs and abdomen. The hospital discharged him Thursday, clearing the way for a medical evacuation to Germany.
An ambulance surrounded by heavy security took Nasheed to the airport where a special flight was waiting.
Hospital employees posted a photo of Nasheed on social media in a blue medical jacket posing with four staff members.
Nasheed thanked the staff in his first Twitter comment since the May 6 attack.
-A special thanks to the health sector of the Maldives- Nasheed said. -By the grace of Allah, I remain committed to delivering democratic good governance for the people.-Police have arrested three men in connection with the attack, which they said was linked to Islamic extremism.
There has been no claim of responsibility but Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party has said religious extremists and political interests could be involved.
The Indian Ocean archipelago of 340,000 people is majority Muslim and has had past brushes with Islamic extremism in the past.
In October 2019 police arrested a suspected Islamic State recruiter accused of sending dozens of Maldivians to Syria.
Nasheed ended decades of one-party rule in the Maldives and became its first democratically elected president in 2008, only to be toppled in a coup in 2012.
He is known internationally for championing the fight against climate change and rising sea levels that threaten the nation of 1,192 coral islands.

The 53-year-old democracy pioneer and climate activist was the target of a remote-controlled bomb rigged to a motorbike one week ago in the capital Male

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed

Ex-Maldives president flown to Germany after assassination bid

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged Israel and the Palestinians to halt fighting in a call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the world needs to give Israel a "strong" lesson.

-Serious concern was expressed about the continuing clashes and the growing number of people killed and wounded- the Kremlin said in a statement adding that Putin had "called on the parties to de-escalate tensions and peacefully resolve the emerging issues".
The Israeli army has launched hundreds of air strikes on the Gaza Strip since Monday, where Hamas and other militants have responded by firing back volleys of rockets on Israeli cities.
The worst violence in seven years has claimed 50 lives since breaking out last Friday.
The world needs to give Israel a "strong" lesson Erdogan told Putin, as the UN Security Council prepared to address surging Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Erdogan, a vocal advocate of the Palestinian cause, has stepped up diplomacy, speaking to a range of regional leaders and condemning Israel's "terror".
Erdogan told Putin in the call that "the international community needs to give a strong and deterrent lesson to Israel," the Turkish presidency said.
The UN Security Council, where Russia is a permanent member, must "deliver a determined and clear messages for Israel to stop its attacks," Erdogan said.
UN Security Council will hold an urgent meeting later on Wednesday, its second such session in three days, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
The first, held Monday, ended without a joint statement, with the United States expressing reluctance to adopt a draft statement proposed by Norway "at this point."
Erdogan said nations should also discuss the "idea of sending an international protection force to the region in order to protect Palestinian civilians," the presidency said. 
The surge in violence has sparked successive nights of large protests in Istanbul and Ankara, which have been held in support of the Palestinian cause despite tough coronavirus restrictions.
Turkey additionally has also withdrawn an invitation for Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the southern coastal city on June 18-20.

The worst violence in seven years has claimed 50 lives since breaking out last Friday

Putin calls for de-escalation in Israel-Palestinian clashes

Mourners laid flowers Wednesday at the gates of a Russian school where a day earlier a lone gunman killed nine people, mostly children, in one of the country's worst shooting incidents in recent history. 

Flags were flown at half-mast on official buildings Wednesday, an official day of mourning, while funerals were planned for some of the dead later in the day. 
Flowers were piled high outside School No. 175 in Kazan, the capital of the predominantly Muslim Russian republic of Tatarstan, where the shooting took place. 
-This is a huge and unexpected loss- Irina Krasnikova, 42, told AFP.
-We live in such a nice city. It's hard to believe this happened to us... It didn't happen to my children, but it is so painful, it's hard to speak.-The shooting left seven students and two adults dead, including a teacher, which TASS news agency identified as Elvira Ignatyeva who shielded students from the shooter.
A health ministry spokeswoman confirmed to the RIA Novosti news agency Wednesday that 18 children were in hospital, including eight with gunshot wounds and two in critical condition.
The state-run TASS news agency cited a source as saying funerals would be held Wednesday, while RIA reported the remains of the victims were being returned to families.
The shooting shook Russia and spurred President Vladimir Putin to order a review of gun laws.
In the wake of the attack, the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin called on lawmakers to debate a bill tightening controls over gun licences next week.
Russia has relatively few school shootings due to normally tight security in education facilities. 
Buying firearms legally is also not easy, although it is possible to register hunting rifles.
The gunman was identified as 19-year-old Ilnaz Galyaviev from Tatarstan who had been expelled from a local technical college over a poor academic record.

Flags were flown at half-mast on official buildings Wednesday, an official day of mourning, while funerals were planned for some of the dead later in the day

Mourners carry the casket of teacher Elvira Ignatyeva, who was killed in the shooting

Russians mark day of mourning after school shooting

A Russian court on Tuesday banned a 19-year-old anti-Kremlin activist from leaving her town near Moscow for more than two years after finding her guilty of vandalism, a sentence her supporters said was unduly harsh.

Olga Misik, a journalism student in Moscow, became an anti-government protest symbol as a 17-year-old, when she sat down on the pavement in front of a row of riot police during a 2019 protest and read the constitution aloud.
Moscow's Mirovoy Court sentenced Misik, sometimes known as "the girl with the constitution", to two years and two months of restricted liberty for splashing paint on a booth outside the Prosecutor General's office to protest a state crackdown against activists, she said.
The court ruling also means she cannot leave her home at night.
The court, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, also sentenced Igor Basharimov and Ivan Vorobyovsky, who took part in the protest with Misik, to similar restrictions. Their defence said it would appeal the ruling.
-All of this for a dribble of paint at the entrance of the Prosecutor General's office that was washed off that same morning- opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov said.
Police have stepped up their crackdown on opposition activists in the wake of protests calling for the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Russian authorities had warned that the protests were illegal and those taking part could face charges.

Olga Misik, a journalism student in Moscow, became an anti-government protest symbol as a 17-year-old

Olga Misik sits in front of police officers during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, July 27, 2019.

Russian court rules to curb freedom of teen political activist

Only direct negotiations can resolve all the problems between Israelis and Palestinians, an EU official said on Tuesday.

-The latest events and the escalation just illustrate how necessary it is to relaunch negotiations on finding a sustainable, peaceful solution to the current situation- Peter Stano, the European Commission's chief spokesperson on foreign affairs, said at the body's daily press conference.
-What is going on in Palestinian territories, in the occupied West Bank, in East Jerusalem, in and around Gaza is really deeply worrying for the European Union- Stano said, adding that the "firing of rockets" from the Gaza Strip against civilian populations in Israel was "totally unacceptable."
He urged all sides to uphold international humanitarian law and avoid further escalation in order to protect civilian lives.
He also underlined that the bloc's ongoing diplomatic efforts were geared towards urgently ending the "recent upsurge of violence" and at restoring "the political horizon."
The EU is committed to relaunching direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians that could lead to a two-state solution, he added.
Recent weeks have seen a serious rise in tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank, particularly in East Jerusalem, over the eviction of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to construct Israeli settlements.
On Friday and Monday, Israeli security forces clashed with Muslim worshippers near and in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the world’s third holiest Muslim site, firing rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades and wounding hundreds.
The violence escalated further since Monday night. According to Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palestinian armed groups have launched some 250 rockets towards Israel, while the Israeli military has carried out airstrikes into Gaza.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is seen as occupied territory under international law, thus making all Jewish settlements there illegal.
Like Turkey and much of the international community, the EU does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territories it has occupied since 1967.
Since 2001, Brussels has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement activity and to dismantle those that already exist.

EU diplomacy committed to de-escalation, relaunching of talks with perspective of 2-state solution, says spokesman

The EU is committed to relaunching direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians that could lead to a two-state solution

EU calls for direct talks between Israel, Palestine

The number of Palestinians killed rose to 28 in raids Tuesday by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip, including 10 children and a woman, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

It said the number of injuries climbed to 152.
The ministry put the number killed at 26 on Monday. One of the children killed was a 10-year-old girl and the others were boys of various ages, according to the ministry.
Israeli warplanes launched raids beginning late Monday in separate areas of the Gaza Strip in Operation Guardians of the Wall.
The army announced Tuesday that it targeted 130 sites and assassinated 15 Hamas activists, since the start of its incursion on the Strip.
Tensions moved to Gaza after Palestinian factions gave Israel a deadline of 1500 GMT Monday to withdraw soldiers from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem and release detainees.

Injuries rise to 152 from Israeli incursion

Israeli warplanes launched raids beginning late Monday in separate areas of the Gaza Strip in Operation Guardians of the Wall

Number of casualties in Gaza Strip rises to 28

Japanese, US and French troops kicked off their first-ever joint military drill Tuesday in southwestern Japan, as concerns rise over China's growing assertiveness in the region.

An Australian naval ship is also taking part in the week-long air, land and sea exercises involving 300 ground troops from the three countries.
It comes as Tokyo looks to deepen defence ties beyond its key US ally and with eyes on Beijing's moves in the East and South China seas.
-The drill is no doubt a deterrent to China's increasingly aggressive behaviour in the region- Takashi Kawakami, head of the Institute of World Studies at Takushoku University, told AFP.
-In the long term, European commitment in the Indo-Pacific could lead to closer ties between Japan and NATO, something former prime minister Shinzo Abe advocated- he added.
The drills, which include fighter jet and amphibious operation exercises, will be held in the Kyushu region and at sea with virus countermeasures.
A Japanese submarine and 10 surface ships -- six Japanese, two French, one American and one Australian -- will be used, a French naval official told AFP.
China claims the majority of the South China Sea, invoking its so-called nine-dash line to justify what it says are historic rights to the key trade waterway.
Japan has long said it feels threatened by China's vast military resources and territorial disputes.
It is particularly concerned by Chinese activity around the Japanese-administered Senkaku islands, which Beijing claims and calls the Diaoyus.
France has strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific including territories like Reunion in the Indian Ocean and French Polynesia in the South Pacific.
The nation unveiled its own Indo-Pacific strategy in 2018, describing Japan, Australia, India and the US as key strategic partners in the region.
Japan has rarely held joint military drills with European counterparts, but both a British aircraft carrier and German frigate are expected to be sent to the Indo-Pacific region later this year.

An Australian naval ship is also taking part in the week-long air, land and sea exercises involving 300 ground troops from the three countries

The drill is the first involving all three countries and coming with rising concern about China's stance in the region

Japan launches first joint military drill with US, France

At least seven people were killed and one reported missing after a landslide at an Indonesian gold mine, authorities said Tuesday.

Torrential rains triggered a landslide on Monday, inundating the mine with mud mixed with stones and debris in South Solok regency, West Sumatra, said the local emergency department head Fikri, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.
In a statement, the department said "at least seven killed and one is missing".
Rescuers managed to save nine survivors from the mud and were combing the area to find the missing miner, Fikri said.
-Initially, rescuers were having difficulties to evacuate victims to a rescue vehicle because the terrain at the site was challenging- Fikri said, but in the end all survivors went to hospital for emergency treatment.
The disaster occurred just two weeks after another landslide hit the Chinese-backed Batang Toru hydropower project in North Sumatra, killing 10 people.
Three people were still missing when rescuers ended their search last week.
Fatal landslides and flash floods are common across the country during the rainy season.
Last month, more than 200 people were killed in a cluster of far-eastern islands and neighbouring Timor Leste as Tropical Cyclone Seroja turned small communities into wastelands of mud and uprooted trees.
Indonesia's disaster agency estimates 125 million people -- nearly half of the country's population -- live in areas at risk of landslides.
The disasters are often caused by deforestation and poor mitigation planning, according to environmentalists.

Rescuers managed to save nine survivors from the mud and were combing the area to find the missing miner

Torrential rains triggered a landslide on Monday

Israeli air strike flattens Gaza building hosting AP, Al Jazeera

Portugal to open to most European tourists from Monday

Mafia fugitive returned to Italy from Spain

Two tornadoes strike China, killing at least 12

Germany refuses to condemn Israel's killing of Palestinian children

US President Biden: Israel "has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory"

Protestors gather in front of UN in Geneva over Israeli attacks

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 83

Ex-Maldives president flown to Germany after assassination bid

Putin calls for de-escalation in Israel-Palestinian clashes

Russians mark day of mourning after school shooting

Russian court rules to curb freedom of teen political activist

EU calls for direct talks between Israel, Palestine

Number of casualties in Gaza Strip rises to 28

Japan launches first joint military drill with US, France

Seven killed in landslide at Indonesia gold mine

World

Israeli air strike flattens Gaza building hosting AP, Al Jazeera

Portugal to open to most European tourists from Monday

Mafia fugitive returned to Italy from Spain

Two tornadoes strike China, killing at least 12

Germany refuses to condemn Israel's killing of Palestinian children

US President Biden: Israel "has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory"

Protestors gather in front of UN in Geneva over Israeli attacks

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 83

Ex-Maldives president flown to Germany after assassination bid

Putin calls for de-escalation in Israel-Palestinian clashes

Russians mark day of mourning after school shooting

Russian court rules to curb freedom of teen political activist

EU calls for direct talks between Israel, Palestine

Number of casualties in Gaza Strip rises to 28

Japan launches first joint military drill with US, France

Seven killed in landslide at Indonesia gold mine