HMS Tamar is forward deployed permanently in the Indo-Pacific region together with sister ship HMS Spey with a primary logistics hub in Singapore.

The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, comes as the United States is keen to leverage the continent's strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China's rapid military build-up, analysts said.

"I am willing to continue strengthening our leadership (over our countries' bilateral ties), carry forward the brotherly friendship between our two peoples, deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation," Xi told his Myanmar counterpart, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Sea surface temperatures in the region exceeded El Nino thresholds and atmospheric indicators all aligned with the phenomenon that brings extremes of weather, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

New York was a sea of Knicks orange as the team closed in on what will be their first title in 53 years if they win the clash with the San Antonio Spurs being played away in Texas.

US producer prices posted their biggest increase in four years in April, boosted by soaring costs for goods and services since the war began.

The Justice Department on Tuesday dropped a contentious plan to create a US$1.8 billion compensation program that critics had denounced as a "slush fund" for President Donald Trump's political allies.

President Vladimir Putin hosts a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in the central Russian city of Kazan from Wednesday, as the West pressures Moscow to end its Ukraine offensive.

Now into the final year of his presidency, Macron has a chance to push his vision at the meeting of the seven leading powers where Trump will sit down at the table with France's top European allies, plus Canada and Japan.

France hosts from Monday a summit of the G7 group of leading powers set to be dominated by scrutiny of US President Donald Trump's deal to end the war with Iran.

The fund is designed to give both sides an economic incentive to conclude a final deal to end the war, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not yet been announced as Washington and Tehran prepare to sign on Friday.

The reopening of one of the world's most important energy chokepoints would mark a major step toward ending months of deadly conflict and economic turmoil triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

US and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the US blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Iran's nuclear program to further negotiations.