Senior Saudi and Iranian figures clashed behind closed doors at a private meeting convened by the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to try to promote peace in Syria, participants said.

The United States is not looking for conflict with China but steps it is taking in the South China Sea are self-isolating and prompting other countries to seek help from Washington, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Friday.

The deployment of autonomous weapons would represent a dangerous new era in warfare, scientists said.