WASHINGTON/BEIJING – A senior Chinese military officer warned his U.S. counterpart on Thursday that any “arbitrary provocations” would be met with a “firm counterstrike” by China, but added that the two sides should strengthen dialogue and controls risks.

Portugal is bracing for a heat wave, with temperatures in some areas forecast to climb as high as 43 C (109 F) this weekend just as a severe drought grips the country.

The presidents of NATO members Poland and Lithuania have voiced confidence that allied troops can fully safeguard a strategically vital corridor that links their countries, Concern over NATO’s ability to defend the so called Suwalki Gap, a 70-kilometer (43-mile) wedge joining Poland and Lithuania, has rocketed since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Finland’s Parliament has passed amended legislation on border security that allows for the closure of crossing points with Russia.

Somalia’s president has called for assistance from Turkey to combat the effects of severe drought that is threatening the Horn of Africa.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne says the government plans to nationalize French electricity giant EDF amid an energy crisis aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

European Union lawmakers have voted to include natural gas and nuclear in the bloc’s list of sustainable activities.

Slovakia’s government is facing another serious crisis after a junior party threatened to withdraw from the four-party coalition.

A top U.S. diplomat urged allies of Ukraine to help the war-battered country meet its “immediate and urgent” needs, as scores of countries wrapped up a two-day conference aimed to help Ukraine recover from Russia war when it ends one day.

European Council President Charles Michel has urged North Macedonia to back a French-proposed compromise on ending a dispute with neighboring Bulgaria that’s blocking the country’s long-delayed European Union accession bid.