The British government faces weeks of uncertainty as embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares for a leadership challenge from the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who can't formally launch his bid until he finds a way back into Parliament.

Burnham's path to Westminster is far from certain. He will first have to overcome a strong challenge from the anti-immigrant Reform UK party in a special election for the parliamentary seat that was vacated to make way for him.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that a Russian missile attack on a Kyiv apartment building the previous day killed 24 people, including three children.

Emergency workers finished digging through the building's rubble after more than a day, Zelenskyy said on X.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump that missteps on Taiwan could push their two countries into "conflict", a stark opening salvo as they met Thursday at a superpower summit in Beijing.

Efforts to unseat British Prime Minister Keir Starmer broke out into open rebellion Thursday, with one potential rival resigning from the Cabinet and another clearing the way for her to enter any future leadership contest.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting became the first senior minister to quit Starmer 's Cabinet on Thursday in what is expected to be a precursor to challenging his leadership.

Russia targeted Ukraine's capital with a mass drone and missile attack early Thursday morning that killed at least one and injured 33 people, local authorities said.

Ukraine's Air Force said its air defenses shot down or jammed 693 targets overnight, including 41 missiles and 652 drones of various types across the country. Fifteen missiles and 23 drones scored direct hits across 24 locations, the Air Force said. Debris from downed drones fell across an additional 18 locations.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping offered stark warnings about avoiding possible clashes between his nation and the U.S. on Thursday, and even cautioned visiting President Donald Trump that Washington's handling of its relations with Taiwan could lead to "conflicts."

His tone was a sharp contrast to Trump, who opened the highly anticipated summit with Xi by praising his Chinese counterpart and declaring that "it's an honor to be your friend."

Russia on Wednesday renewed its hardline demands for ending the Ukraine war, ruling out a ceasefire or comprehensive negotiations with Ukraine unless it withdrew from the eastern Donbas region.

A daytime Russian drone barrage mainly targeting western Ukraine killed at least six people and wounded dozens, the Ukrainian president said on Wednesday, in what appeared to be a pivot in Moscow's aerial bombardment strategy.

Iran's military spokesman said on Wednesday that Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz could generate "significant" economic revenue and strengthen the country's international position.

U.S. senators on Wednesday narrowly rejected a resolution curbing President Donald Trump's power to wage war on Iran -- their first vote on the conflict since a 60-day deadline expired for the White House to seek formal authorization.