China

The quip, which likened the behaviour of a comedian's dogs to military conduct, irked authorities.

They said Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co and comic Li Haoshi had "humiliated the people's army".

BBC reports the company accepted the penalty and terminated Mr Li's contract.

The offending remark was made during a stand-up performance in Beijing on Saturday, when Mr Li alluded to two canines he had adopted which were chasing a squirrel.

The Minister’s delegation, which comprises his wife, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) Antoine Ravo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Vanuatu Agriculture College (VAC) Peter Napwatt, First Secretary of the Embassy of Vanuatu in Beijing Osborne Taseru, First Political Advisor (PA) David Gibson, and Minister’s Private Secretary Vincent Kapalu arrived in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, on Tuesday.

The Director of Fisheries did not join the delegation due to in-country duties.

Fang is one of several so-called citizen journalists who disappeared after sharing videos of scenes in Wuhan, the epicentre of the pandemic.

After disappearing in February 2020, he was sentenced to three years in jail at a secret trial in Wuhan, sources said.

He was released on Sunday and is in good health, they added.

Fang is now back home in Wuhan. The BBC could not reach his family for comment.

The presentation was made by the Chinese Ambassador to Vanuatu, Liu Quan.

A statement said “The package included building supplies such as 30,000 meters of iron roofing, 3000 emergency lighting, tents, and other necessities along with food supplies like as 20 tons of rice, 200,000 instant noodles, and canned luncheon meat.”

Ambassador Liu said, “This marks a significant moment in our ongoing efforts to support those affected by the recent cyclone disaster. After almost two weeks sailing in the ocean, our assistance has finally arrived at our brother country Vanuatu.”

India's population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people by the end of April, the new data shows.

A different UN body last week predicted that India would overtake China by the middle of this year.

The Asian nations have accounted for more than a third of the global population for over 70 years.

"China will soon cede its long-held status as the world's most populous country," the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said in a statement.

Compared to the same period last year, gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.5%, official figures show.

BBC reports the key measure of economic activity was driven up by a boost in household spending and rising factory activity.

Beijing pledged to boost the world's second largest economy when it lifted coronavirus measures in December.

Also on Tuesday, separate data for March showed that retail sales, the main indicator of household consumption, jumped by 10.6%, compared to a year earlier.

Minister of Finance and Economic Management, John Salong, and Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Vanuatu, Li Minggang signed the handover certificate last week.

The grant will greatly assist Ni-Vanuatu families who have been adversely impacted by Tropical Cyclone (TC) Judy and TC Kevin.

Minister Salong thanked the Government and the people of the People’s Republic of China for their great friendship and the assistance.

The funding will be used to provide emergency assistance to those in need.

But Mr Putin said the plan could be put forward only when they are ready "in the West and Kyiv".

The Russian leader met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Moscow to discuss the conflict, and relations between the two countries.

BBC reports China's plan, published last month, does not explicitly call for Russia to leave Ukraine.

Listing 12 points, it calls for peace talks and respect for national sovereignty, without specific proposals.

But Mr Putin said the plan could be put forward only "when they are ready for it in the West and in Kyiv".

The Russian leader met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Moscow to discuss the conflict, and relations between the two countries.

China's plan, published last month, does not explicitly call for Russia to leave Ukraine.

Listing 12 points, it calls for peace talks and respect for national sovereignty, without specific proposals.

The video-sharing app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is accused of posing a national security risk through data gathered from millions of users.

A request for a change in ownership, first reported in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), was confirmed to BBC News by TikTok.

The company said a forced sale would not change its data flows or access.

The White House has not yet responded to a BBC News request for comment.

For years American officials have raised concerns that data from the popular app could fall into the hands of the Chinese government.