Desperate Afghans clawed through rubble in the dead of the night in search of missing loved ones after a strong earthquake killed some 800 people and injured more than 2,500 in eastern Afghanistan, according to figures provided Monday by the Taliban government.

The 6.0 magnitude quake late Sunday hit towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighboring Nangarhar province, causing extensive damage.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China plans to accelerate the creation of a development bank and to set up an international platform for energy cooperation, announcements he made Monday at a summit that represents an emerging challenge to U.S. global leadership.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the leaders meeting in Tianjin, in northern China, for the latest annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The security forum was originally seen as a foil to U.S. influence in Central Asia. It has grown in size and influence over the years.

A 'massive' overnight Russian attack on central and southeastern Ukraine killed at least one person, authorities said Saturday, with homes and businesses damaged in multiple cities.

Since sending the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington, President Donald Trump has openly mused about sending troops to some of the nation's most Democratic cities — including Chicago and Baltimore — claiming they are needed to crack down on crime.

The threats to expand a federal intervention have legal experts and some military officials raising concerns that Trump is considering novel ways to use National Guard troops in American cities that could set up conflicts not seen since the civil rights era.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukrainian officials want to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders next week to discuss recent developments in efforts to end the three-year war with Russia.

The proposed meetings appeared designed to add momentum to the push for peace, as Zelensky expressed frustration with what he called Russia's lack of constructive engagement in the process while it continues to launch devastating aerial attacks on civilian areas.

The death toll in a major Russian missile and drone strike on the Ukrainian capital rose to 23, including four children, officials said Friday, as U.S.-led efforts to end the three-year war remain stuck in apparent limbo.

Authorities in the Kyiv region declared Friday an official day of mourning. Flags flew at half-staff and all entertainment events were canceled after Russia hammered Ukraine with almost 600 drones and more than 30 missiles overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, including rare strikes on downtown Kyiv.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Washington sought direct talks with Iran on ending its nuclear program after European powers moved to restore sanctions on Tehran.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make his first visit to China in six years to attend a military parade next week, the two countries said Thursday, in an event that would bring him together with a large group of world leaders for the first time since taking office in late 2011.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin also coming for the parade, the event will underline the three-way alignment among Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang in the face of a U.S. push to bolster its alliances with South Korea and Japan.

Iran's ambassador to Australia was seen preparing to leave the country on Thursday, days after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ordered him to leave over accusations that Tehran masterminded at least two antisemitic arson attacks in the country.

Local television stations Network Seven and Network Nine spoke to Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi as he headed for a flight at the airport in Sydney.

A paramilitary group fighting against Sudan's military shelled a besieged city in the western region of Darfur, killing at least 24 people, a medical group said Thursday.

The Rapid Support Forces shelled the densely populated areas of the central market and Awlad al-Reef neighborhood in el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country's civil war. The attack wounded 55 people, including five women, it said.