ISRAEL: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his far-right government has voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of broadcaster Al Jazeera, escalating Israel’s long-running attacks on the channel.

Mr Netanyahu’s office said the decision goes into immediate effect and could include closing the channel’s offices in Israel, confiscating broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites.

CHINA: President Xi Jinping left Beijing today for state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary.