RAMALLAH -- Palestine on Tuesday slammed Israeli killing of senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Atta and his wife during a predawn attack in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the "Israeli military escalation" against the Gaza Strip, describing it as a "hideous crime" in a statement published on the official Palestinian News Agency WAFA.

The presidency "called on the international community to provide protection for the Palestinian people everywhere."

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BEIJING/SAO PAULO -- Despite the thousands of kilometers between them, China's historical and artistic mark on Brazil has existed for about 300 years, said Brazilian sinologist Jose Roberto Teixeira Leite in his book "China in Brazil."

The commercial relationship between the two countries has existed for a long time, he noted, adding that incoming ships "would fill up Brazilian cities like Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Recife with Chinese products like porcelain, silk and fans."

The sinologist also found Chinese influence "not only in the arts and architecture of Brazil," but also "in the most diverse sectors of Brazilian society, like the economy, medicine and popular culture."

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CANBERRA -- Australia's treasurer has called for reform of major international economic institutions.

In a speech delivered at the Australian National University (ANU) on Tuesday, Josh Frydenberg praised the role of global economic institutions but argued for significant changes including new trade dispute rules and a greater role for "emerging" Asian economies.

Frydenberg said that Australia would "remain a strong advocate for a transparent and rules-based global economic system that has strong multilateral institutions."

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SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday emphasized the significance of the upcoming summit with 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) set to be held later this month in the country's southern port city of Busan.

Moon said his government continued efforts to strengthen cooperation with the ASEAN since he took office two and a half years ago, leading to the faster-than-ever advance in their cooperative relations in every field, including diplomacy, economy, culture and exchanges.

From that perspective, the deal on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was "very meaningful," Moon noted.

"The RCEP is the world's largest mega free trade agreement (FTA) covering half of the world's population, and taking up one third of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and about 30 percent of trade worldwide," Moon said. Enditem

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