Diplomatic ties between Australia and Israel have soured since Albanese's centre-left Labor government last week announced it would conditionally recognize Palestinian statehood, following similar moves by France, Britain and Canada. 

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba proposed an "economic zone" encompassing the Indian Ocean region and Africa during a major aid conference for African nations on Wednesday, seeking to tap into the economic potential of a continent where China is increasing its clout.

Any escalation in the Indo-Pacific region would have unforeseeable consequences that would threaten global prosperity and security as well as Germany and Europe’s interests in general, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during his visit to Jakarta.

An Indonesian Military (TNI) humanitarian mission dropped 10 tonnes of aid of food and other basic necessities over Gaza on Aug. 19, marking the second airdrop of humanitarian support in the war-torn enclave.

The call-up notices could be sent in the coming days, with reservists to report for duty in September, the military official said.

The embattled junta plans to hold elections in areas it controls starting on December 28 and has been pressing a series of counter-offensives to expand its territorial holdings.

A row between Israel and France over Paris's plan to recognize a Palestinian state next month escalated to crisis level on Tuesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Emmanuel Macron of fomenting "antisemitism".

China will stage a massive military parade next month in the heart of Beijing to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War Two following the surrender of Japan, mobilizing tens of thousands of people and showcasing never-seen-before weapons.

Netanyahu's comment followed Israel's revocation of the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority on Monday, after a decision by Canberra to recognise a Palestinian state and cancel the visa of an Israeli lawmaker.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with Foreign Minister Sugiono in Jakarta as part of her trip to Indonesia and Vietnam to bolster ties with both countries, often deemed as important Southeast Asian partners for Australia.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was certainly hoping that a spot of fashion diplomacy Monday could get US counterpart Donald Trump to help his country reach a peace deal with Russia.

The Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal, Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane and Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec were participating in the operation, which a Philippine military official said was not directed at any country.

Modi will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit opening on August 31 in Tianjin, his first visit to China since 2018, Ajit Doval said, in public comments at the start of a meeting with Beijing's Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Macron's remarks came as Russian and Ukrainian presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky looked set for a peace summit after fast-moving talks Monday between Donald Trump and European leaders that focused on the key issue of long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.

Mediators Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, have struggled to secure a lasting truce in the conflict, which has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Hopes of a breakthrough rose after Trump said he had spoken by phone with Russian counterpart Putin -- whom he met in Alaska last week -- following a "very good" meeting with the Europeans and the Ukrainian president at the White House.

Myanmar's junta said Monday that long-promised elections will start on December 28, despite a raging civil war that has put much of the country out of its control, and international monitors slating the poll as a charade.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday discussed border peace, trade issues and bilateral exchanges, aiming to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Hamas has accepted a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza, a senior member from the group said Monday, after a fresh diplomatic push to end more than 22 months of war.

US President Donald Trump said Monday he had started arranging a peace summit between Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin, after intensive talks with Zelensky and European leaders at the White House.

Pockets of Indonesia’s diaspora community, estimated to be six million, came together in the hundreds or thousands to participate in flag-raising ceremonies, tumpeng (yellow rice) cutting celebrations and a plethora of traditional games, gathering from Geneva, Tehran, Islamabad, Den Haag and Kuala Lumpur against the backdrop of an increasingly complicated geopolitical landscape. 

Air Canada's fleet of hundreds of planes remained grounded on Monday morning after striking flight attendants refused a government-backed order to get back to work and called on the airline to return to the bargaining table.

"For weeks I have been unable to work," said Fooladi, who uses Iran's homegrown ride-hailing app Snapp to find customers. "Most of the time was wasted wandering around aimlessly," the 35-year-old Iranian driver added. 

Speaking to reporters, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul praised Japan's solidarity with Europe over Ukraine as he prepared to board a plane, and highlighted the importance and economic potential of the two populous Asian countries.

Japan's role as a peace promoter faces increasing challenges in a conflict-prone world, even as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reiterated on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II the importance of maintaining "remorse" and the lessons learned from the deadly war.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered on Sunday evening in Tel Aviv to call for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, one of the largest demonstrations in Israel since the start of the fighting in October 2023.

As Spain enters its third week of heatwave alerts, firefighters continue to battle blazes in the northwest and west of the country, with army units deployed to help contain the blazes.