The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkey last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel's blockade of the Palestinian territory, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.

President Xi Jinping hailed China and Russia's "unyielding" ties in talks with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, as the pair met to underscore their alliance days after Donald Trump's visit to the Asian superpower economy.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he had been just "an hour away" from relaunching Washington's attacks on Iran before postponing the order, after weeks of a fragile ceasefire and talks to end the war, which began on February 28.

Indonesia and nine other countries have condemned Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla as a “blatant” breach of international law, while demanding the immediate release of activists detained during the humanitarian mission, including five Indonesians.

The police are investigating the shooting incident, caused by two teenage gunmen opening fire at the mosque and which led to the killing of a security guard and two other men, as a hate crime.

The letter of intent signed in Washington mentioned respecting each country's territorial integrity, the need for a mechanism ifIndonesia agreed to airspace access, and respect for local laws, Sjafrie told a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense.

Indonesian journalists, volunteers among those taken hostage after vessels lost contact.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned attack against Iran after Tehran sent a peace proposal to Washington, and that there was now a "very good chance" of reaching a deal limiting Iran's nuclear program.

Amid mounting geopolitical turbulence, officials from Indonesia and the Netherlands said in a forum on Monday that safeguarding key international legal frameworks such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has become more critical and that the rights of archipelagic states cannot be ignored.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed that 744 Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel are scheduled to depart for the conflict-hit region on May 22 as part of the regular rotation of Indonesian peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon. 

For several days, biologists from Buenos Aires will set traps at various locations on the southern island of Tierra del Fuego to analyze whether the captured rodents carry the Andes strain of the virus, the only one known to spread between people.

"The public health risk has been reassessed with the most current information available, and the global risk remains low," said a WHO statement.

The hantavirus infection often causes symptoms that are also seen in other illnesses, which potentially make the disease to be misdiagnosed as other ‘milder’ diseases, health experts have said.

A surge in arrests of suspected foreign scammers in Sri Lanka has authorities concerned that the island is fast becoming a hub for online crime, following sweeping crackdowns in hotspots Cambodia and Myanmar.

The Philippines said it has asked the country's Supreme Court to allow it to arrest ex-president Rodrigo Duterte's chief drug war enforcer to stand trial in an international tribunal.

The World Health Organization on Sunday declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern", posing risks to neighboring countries.

The political drama has engulfed the archipelago for months, pitting the ruling Marcos against the camp of Duterte’s daughter and current Vice President Sara Duterte as the ICC pursues accountability for a drug crackdown that killed thousands.

The United States State Department would hold negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent political agreement on June 2 and 3 and that the Pentagon would bring together delegations from the countries' militaries on May 29.

Federal prosecutors expect to unseal an indictment against Castro, 94, in Miami on May 20, based on a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down planes operated by a group of Cuban exiles.

Tehran had wanted the grouping of emerging economies to condemn the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and accused U.S. ally the UAE of direct involvement in military operations against it.

Indonesia on Thursday called on BRICS to play a more active role in maintaining global peace, calling for the fair enforcement of international law and reaffirming support for Palestine as tensions over the Iran conflict exposed deepening divisions within the bloc.

Tehran had wanted the grouping of emerging economies to condemn the US-Israeli war on Iran and accused US ally the UAE of direct involvement in military operations against it.

Trump has repeatedly signaled that he wants to topple the communist government in Cuba.

The power cuts occurred even though Philippine government agencies are observing a four-day work week, imposed shortly after the start of the Iran-US-Israel war.

Authorities rescued 23 Indonesians after a migrant boat sank near Perak, while officials continue searching for seven others still missing.

While confirming that they had received the offers from Japan, Indonesian authorities said discussions were still ongoing and no agreements were reached on the procurement of Japanese warships and other defense equipment.

China is close to Iran and is the main buyer of its oil. Iran has largely shut the strait to ships apart from its own since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, causing the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies.