The typhoon -- the strongest to hit Taiwan in eight years -- had already forced authorities on the island to close schools and offices, suspend the stock market and evacuate thousands of people.

Due to the delay, the top US diplomat will no longer attend the funeral on Friday of Vietnam's late leader Nguyen Phu Trong.

Addressing the meeting of the SEANFWZ Commission during the ongoing ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the Foreign Minister has urged ASEAN states to do more in pushing for a nonnuclear world, noting the weakening commitment among nuclear-armed states to noproliferation and disarmament deals.

The typhoon also triggered flooding and landslides in the nearby Philippines, where authorities said four people were killed south of the capital Manila.

Hopes are not high that the talks in Vientiane will result in significant progress on the South China Sea issue, such as a code of conduct (COC) for nations operating in the body of water, but analysts warn that ASEAN must at least refrain from backpedaling on its existing position.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the event where he will "discuss the importance of adherence to international law in the South China Sea", according to the US State Department.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the man was charged with one count of child trafficking, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail.

Blinken and Austin will hold security talks with US allies Japan and the Philippines. Blinken will also visit Singapore and Mongolia, and stop in Vietnam for the funeral of Nguyen Phu Trong, head of the ruling Communist Party, who died last week.

The resupply arrangement followed talks with Beijing this month when the countries agreed to "de-escalate tensions" and increase the number of communication channels to resolve maritime disagreements between them.

Trong was educated in the Soviet Union and was regarded as a Marxist-Leninist ideologue, but he nonetheless nurtured ties with the United States.

The Indonesian diplomatic corps is readying itself for a week of ministerial-level meetings on ASEAN in Vientiane next week, amid simmering tensions in the region and several unresolved negotiations critical to Southeast Asia’s security. 

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Monday met with visiting Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape to emphasize the importance of cooperation in security and development, amid simmering tensions in the region and Jakarta’s increased emphasis on maintaining ties with its Pacific island neighbors.

A preliminary examination found no evidence of injuries related to a fight or theft but suggested all six had ingested a toxic substance, police said. 

A "smart bandage" developed by a research team from the Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering may help diabetic patients measure their blood sugar level and other indicators without the need to prick their fingers; an innovation that could pave the way for noninvasive health monitoring.

The police chief of Rote Island told AFP the migrants landed last month in two boats they said they had been forced to board after an Australian vessel intercepted their wooden craft.

In written remarks ahead of his attendance at a NATO summit in Washington DC this week, Kishida also signaled concern over Beijing's alleged role in aiding Moscow's two-year-old war in Ukraine, although he did not name China.

"The Pacific Fleet Sovershennyi corvette, together with a detachment of PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy warships ... conducted training to inspect a suspicious vessel during a joint naval patrol in the Philippine Sea," TASS cited the press service as saying. 

The Reciprocal Access Agreement, or RAA, provides the legal framework for the deployment of Japanese troops and equipment in the Philippines, and vice versa. 

Japan, wary about possible future US policy changes in the region, was seeking to play a larger role in security, analysts said.

Philippine defence minister Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa signed the deal in a ceremony in Manila witnessed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, presidential communications secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a message. 

According to an official schedule published by the Vatican on Friday, the Asia voyage will include 16 speeches and three masses held in stadiums in the capital cities of Jakarta, Singapore and Papua New Guinea's Port Moresby. 

The Australian student visa has become one of the most expensive in the world after the government decided to increase the cost of student visa applications from A$710 (US$477) to A$1,600 in a bid to lower migration rates into the country in the academic field.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi on Wednesday met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and her counterpart Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan in preparation for the annual bilateral dialogue between the two countries, with negotiations on border disputes and citizen protection at the forefront of the working visit. 

The US Army said in April it had deployed the Mid-Range Capability missile system which can fire the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile in the northern Philippines.

Putin and Xi regularly meet under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) alliance, whose latest session is being held in Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana. 

The Director General of the Australian Signals Directorate, Rachel Noble, said the national security agency would also increase its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse data under the shift, which would see top secret data centres built in Australia.

The bill is being introduced as New Zealand media companies struggle against technology firms for advertising dollars, leading them to find new ways to provide news programming. 

Climbers must pay 2,000 yen ($12) and their numbers will be limited to 4,000 a day after complaints of litter, pollution, and dangerously crowded trails flowed in last year.

The country's share of coal in electricity generation rose for the fifteenth straight year in 2023, the data showed, despite a target to cut dependence on the fuel to less than half of total power output by 2030. 

From July 1, the international student visa fee has risen to A$1,600 (US$1,068) from A$710, while visitor visa holders and students with temporary graduate visas are banned from applying onshore for a student visa.