The deal gives the Holy See a decisive role in the appointment of all bishops in the country. The Vatican said Pope Francis recognised the legitimacy of the seven remaining state-appointed Chinese bishops.
Around 240,000 Maldivians will head to the polls on Sunday to choose their president in the small Indian Ocean nation.
Tensions escalate as Washington slaps financial sanctions on a Chinese military unit for purchasing Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missiles.
Beijing has built strong defences to "cushion" the shock of US-led economic aggression, but the confrontation can throw emerging economies into disarray.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Mount Paektu, considered sacred by Koreans, on the last day of Moon's visit for summit talks on the nuclear standoff and other inter-Korean affairs.
As China and the US vye for political and economic influence in several regions, the rivalry will inevitably turn into a clash. Which country is best placed to come out on top?
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says "unilateralism" does not offer solutions, a day after US and China swapped tit-for-tat trade tariffs, adding further, Beijing will not use yuan depreciation to boost exports.
The tit-for-tat measures are the latest escalation in an increasingly protracted trade dispute between the world's two largest economies.
Typhoon Mangkhut hit the Philippines with gale force winds of 200 kph, unleashing widespread devastation in which at least 69 people have been killed so far.
Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in high-risk areas ahead of the category 5 storm's arrival due to major flooding and landslide risks.
The international community has often proven incapable of dealing with state led crimes against humanity, and Myanmar could prove another missed milestone.
The Hengyang city government said the suspect in the case had previous convictions for crimes including drug trafficking, theft and assault and, acting alone, had sought to "get revenge on society."
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