Israeli airstrikes on an airbase in northwest Syria early Tuesday caused material damage without inflicting any casualties, Syrian state TV reported.

State TV said eight strikes hit the runway of the Abu Duhur airbase in the northwestern province of Idlib. It gave no further details.

The new sensation among some Chinese moviegoers is an animated film whose characters appear to have been created with rudimentary 3D animation and have been described as "ugly" and "eerie."

But it is the scathing online reviews that seem to have prompted interest in "Niu Lai," an animated film about a calf who had a dream about himself growing up with the help of his family, driving a surprising surge at the box office.

South Korea's president said Tuesday a solid alliance with the U.S. strengthens the foundation of national security, as many South Koreans were baffled and concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt order to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises.

Trump made the surprise announcement in a social media post just before U.S. and South Korean soldiers began Monday's annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which are largely designed to sharpen readiness against North Korean threats.

A marathon meeting Monday between U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the fate of the Gaza ceasefire unclear, with officials signaling moderate optimism but offering no concrete commitment by Israel to the latest U.S.-proposed plan.

Hamas has already agreed to the proposal. American negotiators appeared to acquiesce to Israeli demands that Hamas disarmament must come before any reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian enclave. They did not publicly signal that Israel had made any commitments to withdraw from the 60% of Gaza that Israeli troops currently occupy.

Russia attacked facilities of Ukraine's Naftogaz Group 13 times over the past week and has targeted its premises almost 300 times since the start of the year, the state energy company said Monday.

Russia has repeatedly battered the Ukrainian power grid since its all-out invasion more than four years ago. Moscow hopes to sap Ukraine's will to fight by denying civilians light, heating and running water during the bitter winter months.

One of Belgium's biggest ever wildfires blazed out of control Monday even as cooler weather and rain eased conditions for firefighters, while in Greece a fire briefly flared up near the main airport on the outskirts of Athens.

Europe is sweltering through one of its hottest and driest summers on record, which a recent study said was fueled by climate change.

Torrential rains have pounded southern South Korea, leaving one person dead and four others injured, officials said Monday.

One person died in a landslide that struck an apartment building in the southern city of Geoje on Monday, the Interior and Safety Ministry said in a report. It said two people were injured in Geoje and two others in nearby cities.

Sou Sreynich dreams of becoming a teacher. But she knows she's far behind.

The 13-year-old first entered a classroom at 10, an age when most Cambodian children already have been in school for years. Her mother waited until she was old enough to swim, fearing the boat to school could capsize — a decision familiar to many parents on Cambodia's Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.

South Korea on Monday expressed hopes for resumption of diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea to ease animosities on the Korean Peninsula, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he ordered annual U.S. military exercises with South Korea to be scaled back.

Trump cited his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the decision. The announcement baffled many in South Korea, a key U.S. ally in Asia where national security is a top priority due to threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.

Iran said Monday it is working to finalize a joint statement with Oman on a plan to manage the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Fully reopening the waterway to commercial shipping has been a key demand of the United States, but it remains unclear whether the deal will meet Washington's criteria.

The announcement came as the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were two months ago.