The Guatemalan government has destroyed around 1.5 million coca plants with an estimated street value of some $800 million, President Jimmy Morales said on Monday as his government targets organized crime and the cocaine industry.

Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra dissolved Congress on Monday to end a yearlong battle with rightwing lawmakers over his anti-graft campaign, but rebel legislators refused to leave the chamber as protests against them started across the country.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China will stay on the path of peaceful development, but that the military will resolutely safeguard the country's sovereignty and security.

The Guatemalan government has destroyed around 1.5 million coca plants with an estimated street value of some $800 million, President Jimmy Morales said on Monday as his government targets organized crime and the cocaine industry.

A South Korean fighter jet conducted a patrol flight over an island whose ownership is disputed by Japan, a South Korean Air Force pilot said on Tuesday.

Hong Kong went into lockdown on Tuesday, with barricades in the city center, shuttered stores and a heavy riot police presence, as authorities scrambled to ensure anti-government protests do not overshadow China's anniversary festivities in Beijing.

PM Scott Morrison agreed to assist with an investigation into the Mueller inquiry, Canberra confirms.

South Korea showcased newly acquired F-35 stealth fighter jets to mark Armed Forces Day on Tuesday as President Moon Jae-in tries to allay concerns that his policy of engagement with North Korea may be weakening the South's commitment to defense.

The rise comes despite jitters the move will slow spending in the world's third largest economy.

Britain is proposing to set up "customs clearance centers" on both sides of the Irish border after Brexit, Irish national broadcaster RTE reported on Monday, an idea Ireland's foreign minister quickly dismissed as a "non-starter".

Cuba said on Monday the Trump administration denied its health minister a visa to attend a Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) meeting in Washington and accused the United States of repeatedly violating its obligations as the host of an international organization.

U.S. President Donald Trump has contacted other countries to introduce Attorney General William Barr and a Justice Department official who is conducting an inquiry into the origins of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, a Justice Department spokeswoman said on Monday.

Activists say the charges against Hajar Raissouni are part of a crackdown on critical reporters.

The rise comes despite jitters the move will slow spending in the world's third largest economy.

Ireland's foreign minister said on Monday it was time the European Union received a serious proposal from the British government if a Brexit deal is to be agreed, dismissing a reported proposal for the Irish border as a "non-starter"

China will celebrate seven decades of communist rule on Tuesday with a display of power through central Beijing, showing off goose-stepping troops, new missiles and floats celebrating the country's technological prowess.

It includes the legal text of an updated Brexit deal, including suggested "customs clearance zones" in Northern Ireland.

A journalist was wounded by gunfire in Haiti on Monday as police fired live ammunition to disperse protesters, his employer, Haitian broadcaster Radio Sans Fin (RSF) said, amid mounting anger over an escalating economic and political crisis.