The 99-year-old Mahathir, who served as prime minister for more two decades, has a history of heart problems and has undergone bypass surgeries. He has been in and out of hospital in recent years, and was last hospitalized in July. 

Two Singapore air force F-15SG jets scrambled and escorted Air India flight AXB684 away from populated areas after the airline received an email that there was a bomb on board its plane, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post. 

"China is willing to be a partner and friend with the United States. This will benefit not only the two countries, but the world," Xi said in remarks from a letter to the 2024 annual awards dinner of the National Committee on US-China Relations, according to a CCTV news report.

Xi Jinping said Monday that China is willing to work with Indonesia to jointly promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, ensure the sustainable operation of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and create more highlights of cooperation to better benefit the people of both countries, Chinese state media Xinhua reported. 

Beijing has not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control and Monday's drills represent its fourth round of large-scale war games in the past two years.

The ASEAN statement called for confidence-building measures that could "reduce tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings and miscalculation" in the South China Sea.

ASEAN has agreed to promote safe artificial intelligence systems with the United States and to eradicate online crimes with China, which has become a prominent issue in Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia.

Chinese ambassador-designate Wang Lutong arrived in Jakarta on Saturday with a mission to foster bilateral ties with the country he described as Beijing’s strategic partner and a “key member of ASEAN”.

With the average age among the roughly 105,000 hibakusha still alive now 85, it is vital that young people continue to be taught about what happened.

The two countries on Saturday also agreed to boost economic ties, with China pledging to further open its market for Vietnamese farm produce while Vietnam would facilitate Chinese investment.

The glacial ice in the southern Osh region was destroyed when a private company "illegally built a road to a coal mine" in the area, allegedly in collusion with a state-owned firm, prosecutors said on Thursday.

While Mimaki said the prize would give a major boost to his group's efforts to demonstrate that it was possible to abolish nuclear weapons, he acknowledged that many countries seemed uninterested in seeing a world without them.

Suspicion between nations and exchanges of jabs were on display at the Vientiane summit, which had sought to encourage dialogue and de-escalation amid numerous geopolitical conflicts.

"The destructive character of US actions in this part of the world is obvious," Lavrov told reporters at an East Asia Summit in Laos.

The usually tranquil, temple-lined streets of the landlocked nation's capital Vientiane have been briefly transformed into a hub of global diplomacy for the annual East Asia Summit, on the heels of meetings of the 10-country ASEAN regional bloc.

"We remain concerned about China's increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions on the South and East China Seas, which have injured people, harmed vessels from ASEAN nations and contradict commitments to peaceful resolution of disputes," Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Laos.

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin on Thursday met with China in high-level ASEAN talks in Vientiane, calling for stability and increased communication in regard to the South China Sea as pressure continues to mount on the organization to respond to Beijing’s activities in the disputed waters.

Describing a situation that has "gone from bad, to worse, to horrific", UN special rapporteur Tom Andrews said more than three million people have been displaced by fighting in the Southeast Asian nation in as many years.

Yoon and Ishiba, in their first phone call last week, agreed to forge a united response together with the United States to counter North Korea's threats.

The ASEAN leaders on Wednesday repeated their longstanding calls for restraint and respect for international law, according to a draft summit chairman's statement.

The crisis dominated the first day of the ASEAN summit in Vientiane, where the disputed South China Sea will also be high on the agenda.

As more extreme rainfall hits South Asia leading to floods that do not recognize national borders, regional countries must work together more to combat the mutual threat, experts said.

“This is the last summit to be attended by the administration of President Joko Widodo,” Ma’ruf said in a speech at the 44th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, as quoted in a statement issued by the vice presidential office.

Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved parliament on Wednesday, saying that an election this month was a chance to "create a new Japan" by revitalizing rural regions.

A Turkish minister said the nature of the Discord platform made it difficult for authorities to monitor and intervene when illegal or criminal content is shared, forcing authorities to block access to the messaging platform.

ASEAN has tried to no avail for three years to find a negotiated solution to the Myanmar crisis, which has left thousands dead and forced millions to flee their homes.

A surge of drugs is engulfing the paradisal South Pacific, as cartels and triads use far-flung island nations to channel narcotics across the globe, top police and UN officials have told AFP.  

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will represent the United States at summits with Asian leaders in Laos this week and expects to discuss human rights in Myanmar, China's "irresponsible" behavior in the South China Sea and Ukraine, the top United States diplomat for East Asia said on Tuesday.

The topics of regional tension in the South China Sea and the civil war in Myanmar are expected to take center stage at the leaders' meeting hosted by Laos in Vientiane.

The Philippines accused China's coast guard on Tuesday of firing water cannon at government ships taking supplies to fishermen at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, but Beijing said its "control measures" followed the boats' intrusions in its waters.