Johari Abdul Ghani did not identify the foreign banks but said they did not conduct proper due diligence before facilitating fund transfers related to the sovereign fund. 

In a resignation letter dated Tuesday but published by the prime minister's office on Thursday, Iswaran said he rejected the charges and "will now focus on clearing my name".

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro in a statement also accused spokesperson Mao Ning of "spouting state-sanctioned propaganda and disinformation". 

The director and producer of local film, "Mentega Terbang", were charged under the penal code and face a one-year jail sentence and fines if convicted. The duo, Khairi Anwar and Tan Meng Kheng, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Ambassador Xiao Qian also told reporters that Nauru's decision this week to form diplomatic relations with China at the expense of Taiwan was "their own choice" and would not impact Australia's ties with Nauru, a tiny nation of 12,500 that uses the Australian currency.

Since last year, thousands of migrants, mostly from Bangladesh and Nepal, have been left in limbo after arriving in Malaysia, where they were told that jobs promised to them in exchange for steep recruitment fees were no longer available. 

"This morning, Assistant Minister Nong Rong summoned the ambassador of the Philippines to China to make solemn representations and urge the Philippine side to give the Chinese side a responsible explanation," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular press conference.

Marcos on Monday congratulated Lai for winning Taiwan's election, referring to him as its next president. 

Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the waterway, but relations sharply deteriorated recently over a series of incidents involving vessels from both countries.

The UN's World Meteorological Organization said new monthly temperature records were set every month between June and December, and the pattern is likely to continue due to the warming El Nino weather phenomenon.

In his victory speech, Lai Ching-te said he would maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but pledged to defend the island from Chinese belligerence.

Located on a key maritime gateway linking the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan is home to a powerhouse semiconductor industry producing precious microchips -- the lifeblood of the global economy powering everything from smartphones to cars and missiles.

President Jokowi and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong signed fresh deals on fisheries, agriculture and electric vehicles during the former's visit on Friday, as well as discussed regional security with a specific focus on the South China Sea.

Ahead of Jokowi's trip, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the country was ready to work with other Southeast Asian nations to finalise a long-delayed code of conduct for the South China Sea, amid tensions with Beijing in the contested waterway.

More than 1,000 troops were on standby "to step in wherever necessary" under the emergency decree, Prime Minister James Marape announced, a day after the violence broke out.

An Islamic marriage ceremony for the 32-year-old prince and Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah, 29, was held inside a gold-domed mosque in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province and has never renounced the use of force to take it one day.

Myanmar's junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup, is facing its biggest threat yet, according to analysts, after a coalition of armed ethnic groups launched a sweeping northern offensive last year.

The organisation's Global Risks Report 2024, released ahead of its annual meeting of political and business elites in Davos next week, also warns of the threats posed by climate change, the cost-of-living crisis and war.

In a joint press conference in Manila, Marcos said the two leaders also had a fruitful and honest discussion about events in the South China Sea.

It was the latest high-level attempt to save the life of Mary Jane Veloso, who was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin and was later sentenced to death.

It was the latest high-level attempt to save the life of Mary Jane Veloso, who was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms of heroin and was later sentenced to death.

Beijing and Washington have butted heads in recent years on flashpoint issues from technology and trade to human rights, as well as tensions over Taiwan and competing claims in the South China Sea. 

China already flexes its military prowess against self-ruled Taiwan daily, sending fighter jets, reconnaissance drones and naval ships around the island.

The agreement between Indonesia and Taiwan will regulate about the protection for migrant fishers working on Taiwanese vessels working on open seas, among other provisions.

About 120 million voters will choose from nearly 2,000 candidates for the 300 directly elected parliamentary seats. There are 436 independent candidates, the most since 2001.

North Korea's military said it had conducted a naval live-fire drill as a "natural countermeasure" against South Korean threats, according to a statement on the official Korean Central News Agency.

Analysts have said that factors like elections in the US and Indonesia, as well as doubts over Laos’ ability to lead consensus-driven ASEAN, would likely complicate efforts to navigate the region’s most urgent issues.

Hasina's ruling Awami League has presided over exceptional growth in a country once beset by grinding poverty, thanks to a lucrative garment export industry supplying the world's top fast fashion brands. 

The airliner collided with a coast guard plane after landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday evening. All but one of the six people on the smaller aircraft were killed.