Security analysts and regional military attaches are watching China's budget closely as it scrambles to modernise the military by 2035, while stepping up deployments across East Asia and purging the top brass to tackle graft.

Off Sri Lanka, an Iranian ship that had been on a friendly visit to India was suddenly sunk by a US submarine, the first such torpedoing since World War II. The attack killed at least 87 people, Sri Lankan officials said, with 61 remaining missing. 

Hundreds were crowded at Ngurah Rai International Airport, many dressed in shorts, flip-flops and summer dresses, their expressions dour.

The Southeast Asian country, which is one of the world's top chip exporters, signed an agreement with the firm last March to boost production of high-end semiconductors, as the US-China tech trade war shook global markets.

If convicted by the Senate at trial, Duterte would be removed from office and disqualified from holding any future government position.

Pakistan described its actions as a response to cross-border assaults, while Kabul denounced them as a breach of its sovereignty, saying it remained open to dialogue but warned any wider conflict would result in serious consequences.

For years, Islamabad has blamed Afghanistan for attacks inside Pakistan aimed at overthrowing the government, claiming the Taliban shelter Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan fighters.

AFP reporters in Kabul and Kandahar heard blasts and jets overhead until dawn, as Pakistan launched air strikes on the Afghan capital and the southern power base of the Taliban authorities.

Judges Jeremy Poon, Anthea Pang, and Derek Pang said in the judgement that they allowed the appeal from Lai, and another defendant in the case, to proceed, as a lower court judge had "erred".

Albanese was evacuated from his residence in Canberra late on Tuesday following a security threat, and returned a few hours later after nothing suspicious was found.

Merz, on his first visit to China, becomes the latest European leader seeking to reset ties with China after Britain's Starmer and Canada's Carney earlier this year, while Beijing touts the benefits of engaging with its massive consumer market and advanced manufacturing base.

In a letter to Starmer on Monday, Albanese said his government would agree to any proposal to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of royal succession, describing the allegations against him as "grave".

A total of 462 Indonesians were repatriated in the week beginning on Feb. 16 after flying back on tickets they purchased themselves, having received support from the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh.

What started as a ruckus at a K-pop concert in Malaysia has snowballed into a wave of racist online attacks by some South Korean users against Southeast Asians, triggering a rare show of regional solidarity across social media.

The blaze on the World Legacy has been extinguished, and there were no other reports of injuries among the crew or 271 passengers on board, authorities said in a statement.

"I have offered and Indonesia has accepted the position of deputy commander for the ISF," Major General Jasper Jeffers announced at the inaugural meeting of President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" attended by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty in the case, closely watched in a deeply divided country. It is the most consequential yet for the ousted leader, whose bid triggered a national political crisis and tested democratic resilience.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty in the case, closely watched in a deeply divided country. It is the most consequential yet for the ousted leader, whose bid triggered a national political crisis and tested democratic resilience.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for children's safety on AI platforms as he addressed the gathering on Thursday, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

"I'm talking to him about it. We had a good conversation, and we'll make a determination pretty soon," Trump said, adding that he has a "good relationship" with the Chinese leader, whose country claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its territory.

Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancellations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted.

The diplomatic spat comes as the Myanmar military faces international scrutiny for its role in an alleged genocide against the minority Muslim Rohingya in a case being heard at the International Court of Justice.

The captain, identified by the agency as Chinese national Zheng Nianli, 47, was released after China guaranteed payment of cash collateral, public broadcaster NHK and other local media reported.

NCP, a political party led by youth activists critical in toppling Sheikh Hasina, fails to secure majority.

In Indonesia, 95.25 percent of students surveyed said they had used generative AI models, compared with 46.2 percent of educators and 62.19 percent of parents.

More than 300,000 soldiers and police are deployed countrywide, with UN experts warning ahead of voting of "growing intolerance, threats and attacks", and a "tsunami of disinformation", especially targeting millions of young first-time voters.

Thousands gathered in central Sydney on Monday to protest against Herzog's visit to Australia, which comes after a mass shooting at a Jewish religious event at Bondi Beach in December that killed 15 people.

Investigations are ongoing in Singapore into a car accident that killed a six-year-old Indonesian girl, as Indonesian authorities said the embassy continues to provide support for the victim’s mother, who remains in the hospital following the incident last Friday. 

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may hope to build on the momentum of her ruling coalition's landslide victory in Sunday's election, but a divided parliament likely for years to come means no smooth ride as premier.

As the scale of her government's historic victory became clear on Sunday — capturing 352 of the 465 seats in the lower house — Takaichi said she would "work flat out to deliver" an agenda that includes building a military strong enough to deter Chinese threats to its islands, including those close to Taiwan.