The Beijing Hour

China and Belarus have pledged to maintain strategic communication and strengthen bilateral relations during their presidents' meeting in Beijing (01:06). The US and Iran have reportedly agreed to halt recent hostilities and renew talks about the Strait of Hormuz (12:40). Rescue teams and aid are pouring in to Venezuela following the deadly twin earthquakes last week (19:14).

Chinese President Xi Jinping has held separate meetings with Cambodian People's Party President and Senate President Hun Sen and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Beijing, pledging to promote cooperation with the two countries (01:16). Rescue efforts are underway in Venezuela for hundreds of people trapped under rubble after two powerful earthquakes struck the country on Wednesday (09:31). The UN maritime agency has suspended an evacuation operation for ships and sailors stranded in and around the Strait of Hormuz amid an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman (21:00).

Two powerful earthquakes that jolted Venezuela on Wednesday had killed over 160 people by early Thursday, with around 1,000 injured (00:51). The Annual Meeting of the New Champions or the Summer Davos has wrapped up, with business leaders hailing the "China Opportunity 2.0" idea (09:04). Scientists have discovered a rare marine blue hole in the South China Sea, which could help unlock new clues about the evolution of marine ecosystems (23:47).

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has addressed the annual meeting of the Summer Davos in Dalian, saying the country's economy has demonstrated stability, innovation, vitality and integration with the rest of the world (01:03). China's "first secretaries" are helping to revive and inspire the country's rural communities (20:27). A supercomputer in China has outranked its US counterparts as the world's most powerful (44:11).

The Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as Summer Davos, is underway in Dalian, northeast China, gathering more than 1,700 global business leaders (01:02). Iran says it will continue its peace talks with the United States following the discussions in Switzerland over the weekend (09:10). Andy Burnham has been sworn in as Labour Member of Parliament in Britain, a step closer to his goal to become the new prime minister (20:05).