Here are all the latest headlines this lunchtime.

A tropical storm in the southern Philippines unleashed flash floods that swept away people and houses and set off landslides, reportedly leaving more than 120 people dead and 160 others missing, officials said.

China's Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has unveiled the line-up of the party's highest body who will rule alongside him as he embarks on a second five-year term as party leader.

Chinese president Xi Jinping has urged a reinvigorated Communist Party to take on a more forceful role in society and economic development to better address "grim" challenges facing the country as he opened a twice-a-decade national congress.

Floods and landslides caused by a tropical depression have killed at least 43 people in Vietnam.

Latest: A number of bodies have been found on a flooded US warship after 10 sailors went missing when it collided with an oil tanker in south-east Asian waters, the US Pacific Fleet said.

The US Navy has ordered a broad investigation into the performance and readiness of the Pacific-based 7th Fleet after a collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker.

The continent, and not just the EU, prizes rules and co-operation, but the US and China favour a bullying approach that benefits themselves alone, says Ana Palacio.

Among the many threats associated with climate change, deteriorating global security could turn out to be the most frightening of all, says Gulrez Shah Azhar

Chinese president Xi Jinping has warned Donald Trump that "some negative factors" are hurting US-Chinese relations, as tensions flared between the two nations.

India has lost 2,000 square kilometres to its neighbour’s daily, cross-border stealth missions, but a bullet has yet to be fired. It’s time to be assertive, says Brahma Chellaney. 

The Dalai Lama’s visit to an Indian state that China claims as its own has seen the countries’ relationship take a turn for the worse, writes Shashi Tharoor.

As China continues to expand its sphere of influence, Brahma Chellaney looks at the steps the US can take to demonstrate its concerns.

Twenty-two people wore life jackets and formed a human chain at sea for more than 10 hours before being rescued off Malaysia's coast after their boat sank on Sunday.

Taiwan's leader has urged China to engage in "calm and rational" dialogue to maintain peace, vowing not to give in to Beijing's recent moves to "threaten and intimidate" the self-ruled island.

A powerful typhoon that battered the Philippines on Christmas Day leaving at least four people dead and destroying homes roared over a congested region near Manila on today.

There’s no harm in wishing for a better year than the procession of misery served up by 2016, writes Jonathan deBurca Butler

President-elect Donald Trump has said the United States should let China keep the navy unmanned underwater glider that it seized in the South China Sea.

China has said military officials are in contact with their American counterparts on "appropriately handling" the Chinese navy's seizure of a US Navy unmanned underwater glider, one of the most serious incidents between the forces in years.

A Chinese warship seized a US Navy unmanned underwater vehicle that was collecting unclassified scientific data in the South China Sea, the Pentagon has said.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

75 years on, the consequences of Pearl Harbour have yet to be fully played out, writes Geoffrey Roberts

The president of the Philippines has hit out at ally Barack Obama in his latest tirade against the US over its criticism of his deadly anti-drug campaign.

Russia, Turkey, Iran, and China are testing the waning influence of the US. The power vacuum will be filled by someone, and that’s dangerous for a divided EU, says Mark Leonard           

China has said it is closing off part of the South China Sea for military exercises this week.

US President Barack Obama lifted a decades-old arms export embargo for Vietnam during his first visit to the communist country today, looking to bolster a government seen as a crucial, though flawed partner even as he pushes for better human rights from the one-party state.

China rejects US claims warplanes manoeuvred unsafely

A foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor many compare to Donald Trump is the man to beat in the Philippines presidential election as voters weary of poverty, corruption and uprisings in the hinterlands look for a radical change at the top.

Global military spending rose in 2015 to nearly €1.5trn, the first increase in several years, driven by conflicts including the battle against Islamic State (IS), the Saudi-led war in Yemen, and fears about Iran.

James Creedon, a journalist based in Paris for France 24, spent a year recording the memories of his elderly cousin, the last Irish missionary nun in Japan. As he turns the footage into a documentary, he tells her story.

China has feigned outrage at the US sailing a warship within 20km of one of its islands. It’s all about it wanting to protect military power, writes Bill Emmott