European Union leaders vowed on Tuesday to strengthen ties with the Western Balkans, a drive reinvigorated by Russia's war on Ukraine.

The war has underscored the importance for the EU of bringing the Balkans into its orbit, to stabilise the region and counter the influence there of both Russia and China.

"The future of our children will be safe and more prosperous with the Western Balkans within the EU, and we are working very hard in order to make progress," EU Council president Charles Michel told reporters as he arrived at a meeting in Tirana of EU and Balkan leaders.

The signing of an initial deal by Sudan's military regime and civilians has been widely hailed by the international community, but many at home eye it with deep scepticism.

Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, has been mired in deep turmoil since army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan carried out a military coup in October last year, derailing a transition to civilian rule.

That power grab came just two-and-a-half years after enormous street protests had pressed the army into ousting long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

Iran sentenced five people to hang for killing a paramilitary member, the judiciary said Tuesday, a ruling condemned by rights activists as a means to "spread fear" and stop protests over Mahsa Amini's death.

Another 11 people, including three children, were handed long jail terms over the murder, judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told a news conference, adding the sentences could be appealed.

Prosecutors said paramilitary member Ruhollah Ajamian, 27, was stripped naked and killed by a group of mourners who had been paying tribute to a slain protester, Hadis Najafi.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Saudi Arabia from Wednesday, the oil-rich kingdom will seek mostly economic gains rather than a meaningful shift away from its longtime protector the United States, analysts say.

Xi will arrive on Wednesday for a three-day visit including meetings with Saudi royals, the regional Gulf Cooperation Council and other Middle East leaders, Saudi state media said.

It coincides with heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United States over issues ranging from energy policy to regional security and human rights.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia this week, meeting the king and de facto ruler of the world's biggest oil exporter.

The Chinese leader will arrive on Wednesday, the official Saudi Press Agency said, for only his third trip abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began and his first to Saudi Arabia since 2016.

Al Jazeera submitted the case of slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to the International Criminal Court on Tuesday, saying the veteran reporter was deliberately killed by Israeli forces.

The Qatar-based television channel said it had unearthed new evidence on the "brutal" death of the Palestinian-American, shot while covering an Israel army raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on May 11.

Any person or group can file a complaint to the ICC prosecutor for investigation, but the Hague-based court is not obliged to take them on.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a three-day visit, his first to the world's biggest crude oil exporter since 2016, Saudi state media reported on Tuesday.

The visit will include a bilateral summit chaired by Saudi King Salman and attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

TV network Al Jazeera submitted the case of slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to the International Criminal Court on Tuesday, saying she was killed by Israeli forces.

The Qatar-based channel said it had "unearthed new evidence" on the death of the Palestinian-American, shot while covering an Israel army raid in Jenin on May 11.

Any person or group can file a complaint to the ICC prosecutor for investigation, but the Hague-based court is under no obligation to take on such cases.

The engineer who developed the air conditioning for Qatar's World Cup stadiums says that a cooling system for an Olympic marathon is possible if the Gulf state bids for the Games.

Amid reports that Qatar is targeting the 2036 Olympics, Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, widely known as Dr. Cool, said Qatar has already "proven" its technological capability for the World Cup and can repeat the feat for a new mega event.

Doha was a contender for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics and sports officials have said it is studying a new campaign using the World Cup as a launchpad.

More than 100 days of protests in Iran have shattered taboos and shaken the ideological pillars of the Islamic republic in a push for change that has defied a fierce crackdown.

The demonstrations, which erupted in mid-September following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, are a reflection of pent-up public anger over economic shortcomings and social restrictions, analysts say.