Hoping to avert a recurrence of transboundary haze ahead of the peak of the El Niño climate phenomenon, Singapore is rallying behind multilateral initiatives with its fire-prone neighbors, including Indonesia, which has already seen a surge in forest fires across several provinces this year.

Indonesia will use this week's ASEAN foreign ministers' meetings in Manila to push for a more resilient, forward-looking and strategically independent regional bloc, arguing that Southeast Asia must strengthen its internal cohesion as geopolitical rivalries and global conflicts increasingly spill into the region.

Wang will also have bilateral talks with Philippine counterpart Maria Theresa Lazaro, foreign ministry spokesperson Dominic Xavier Imperial told a briefing.

"Most of their interactions took place through online messages. They also met on the sidelines of public events," wrote Wong. 

Current bilateral trade amounts to NZ$4 billion (US$2.34 billion), shared evenly with New Zealand and Indonesia if services, including tourism, are included.

Questions have begun to mount over a shift in ASEAN’s approach toward closer engagement with Myanmar’s military government nearly five years after the coup, with critics expressing concern that the bloc risks emboldening the junta despite its repeated failure to comply with the group’s peace roadmap.

The Indonesia-Singapore Defense Alumni (Persahan) was launched in conjunction with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Day reception. 

China can say that ASEAN countries acquisced on China's claim that there are no high seas in South China Sea if ASEAN countries do not lodge formal protest with the United Nations Secretary General. 

"According to preliminary information, the two vessels departed from Myanmar's Rakhine State in late June carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, reportedly including some who had travelled from refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh," the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency said in a joint statement, saying more than 500 were feared dead.

Australia will enact laws to regulate how artificial intelligence data centers use power and water, and to protect creative copyright, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday.

Key priorities in the agreement include cooperation in science and technology as well as investment in agricultural technology, education and the strengthening supply chains for electric vehicle batteries.

Although firefighters arrived within minutes, a combination of factors proved deadly for many of the people trapped inside the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub in northern Bangkok.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled in favor of the Philippines on July 12, 2016, clarifying that China’s claim over maritime areas within the so-called “nine-dash line” have no lawful effect, unless stipulated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China, as well as Taiwan, rejected the ruling.

An explosive fire at a pub in Thailand's capital Bangkok killed 27 people and injured dozens, officials said on Monday, with police investigating possible negligence including obstructed emergency exits as people scrambled to flee the burning venue.

The meeting between foreign ministers of several members of the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Myanmar's Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe was the first such gathering since a 2021 military coup in the country.

Myanmar's leadership has been banned from top-level ASEAN meetings over their failure to implement a "five-point consensus" peace plan agreed with the bloc, which has made barely any progress.

Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year sentence, recently commuted by one-third, on a multitude of criminal charges that her allies say were fabricated to keep her out of politics.

South Korea issued its first-ever emergency heatwave alert on Sunday under a new warning system launched this year, advising people to halt outdoor activities and keep cool.

Modi's visit, at the tail end of a July 6-11 tour that has also taken him to Indonesia and Australia, comes shortly after China test-fired a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, stirring unease in the region.

While Bavi, which is gradually weakening, will not make landfall on Taiwan, the government is taking all precautions to prevent loss of life, given forecasts for almost 1 meter of rain in some areas.

The true strength of the AOIP regional framework lies in practical cooperation across sustainable infrastructure, digital transformation, and economic security, ASEAN secretary general said.

Financial security emerged as the most important factor in forming a romantic relationship, with 81 percent of respondents identifying it as their top consideration.

Myanmar has been largely frozen out of the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since a military coup five years ago, but junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was installed as civilian president in April.

Ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Jakarta is part of Indonesia's effort to intensify international cooperation with global leaders and other prominent figures amid recent geopolitical developments, according to the Presidential Secretariat.

India has long eyed Australia's uranium reserves to help meet a target of 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity by 2047, while Australia is looking to diversify trade beyond its reliance on China, its top partner.

ASEAN member states need to find consensus before having negotiations on the South China Sea with China, according to United States Ambassador to ASEAN Kevin Kim.

President Prabowo Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded the latter's three-day state visit to Indonesia on Tuesday with a tour of Yogyakarta's iconic Prambanan Temple, underscoring the centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties that continue to shape relations between the two countries.