Designed to project China's military might and diplomatic clout, it also comes as US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs and volatile policymaking strain its relations with allies and rivals alike.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

Local media outlet Matichon, citing Pheu Thai secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong, said the process to dissolve parliament was underway, just days after a court dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra due to an ethics violation, plunging Southeast Asia's second largest economy into turmoil.

La Nina is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that cools surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It brings changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossed the border into China on his special train early on Tuesday to attend China's celebration of the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two, North Korean state media said on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday that their countries' ties were at an "unprecedented level" during talks in Beijing ahead of a massive military parade.

"We are following closely the spate of violence in Indonesia in the context of nationwide protests over parliamentary allowances, austerity measures, and alleged use of unnecessary or disproportionate force by security forces," said UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.

The earthquake struck just before midnight, shaking buildings from Kabul to neighbouring Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.

Indonesia was rocked by protests in major cities, including Jakarta, on Friday after footage spread of a motorcycle taxi driver being run over by a police tactical vehicle during an earlier rally against low wages and financial perks for lawmakers.

Foreign Minister Sugiono will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit as a representative of President Prabowo Subianto, who has opted to remain in Jakarta because of the widespread demonstrations.

Early reports showed 30 dead in a single village, the health ministry said, but added that accurate casualty figures had yet to be gathered in an area of scattered hamlets with a long history of earthquakes and flooding.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has set a model for a new type of international relations, Xi said in opening remarks addressing more than 20 world leaders at a two-day summit held in northern China's port city Tianjin.

Thailand was thrown into political turmoil on Friday when the court sacked prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over her handling of a border row with Cambodia, saying she had "not upheld the ethical code of conduct".

Indonesia and Australia’s joint efforts at sea would target “a full range of maritime threats”, including “those against sovereignty”, human and drug trafficking and environmental crimes, both countries’ ministers said after the 2+2 meeting in Canberra.

Roger Wicker, a Republican, told Taiwan President Lai Ching-te during a meeting at the presidential office in Taipei that he and his colleague, Senator Deb Fischer, were visiting to get a better understanding of Taiwan's needs and concerns.

Paetongtarn, daughter of billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office last month after being accused of failing to stand up for Thailand in a June call with powerful former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which was leaked online.

While acknowledging that the Singapore-Malaysia deal was a step forward in regional maritime security, several academics in the Riau Islands, which border vital waterways, have bemoaned that Indonesia was not involved in a potential three-way cooperation.

Among those detained was Mandinu Padmasiri Perera, better known as Kelehelbaddara Padme, who is accused of organizing the courtroom murder of a rival in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo.

Users of vapes laced with the substance will face a fine and mandatory rehabilitation of up to six months instead of just a fine, while importers of etomidate face up to 15 strokes of the cane and a maximum of 20 years in jail, up from a maximum of two years' jail.

Against the backdrop of China's growing military might during the "Victory Day" parade on September 3, the three leaders will project a major show of solidarity not just between China and the Global South, but also with sanctions-hit Russia and North Korea. 

Sports enthusiasts in Asia are in for a treat when they schedule their year-end holidays, as Hong Kong is set to host an exhilarating showcase of world-class athleticism and sportsmanship this November and December.

Bangladesh has recorded a surge of refugees from Myanmar since early 2024, with 150,000 more Rohingya arriving.

Heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent worldwide because of human-caused climate change, scientists say, and Japan is no exception.

Aside from Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia have been invited to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, to be held in the northern port city of Tianjin from August 31 to September 1.

It marks the first time Australia has expelled an ambassador since World War II.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he wanted to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year and was open to further trade talks with South Korea even as he lobbed new criticisms at the visiting Asian ally.

Typhoon Kajiki killed at least three people and injured 10 others in Vietnam, authorities said on Tuesday as they warned that heavy rains could cause flooding and landslides.

Japan and the United States have exchanged a commitment to bolstering security in the Indo-Pacific region, as both countries are among those participating in annual military drills hosted by Indonesia over the next two weeks.

The law "will have a disastrously chilling effect on the freedom of speech of all Cambodian citizens", a coalition of 50 rights groups warned in a statement on Sunday.

Children make up half the 1.3 million Rohingya refugees now living in Bangladesh, most of whom fled a brutal 2017 military crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar that UN investigators called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".