Thousands of American and Philippine troops, joined for the first time by a significant contingent of Japanese forces, began annual military exercises Monday set against the backdrop of the Middle East war.

Among the vessels that made it through on Saturday, five of them last loaded cargoes from Iran ranging from oil products to metals. Three of them are liquefied petroleum gas carriers with one each heading to China and India.

Victims of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades began government-supervised visits to their ravaged former homes on Monday for the first time since the November blaze, looking to retrieve personal items that might have survived.

Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not hold after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.

Indonesia has extended its deepest condolences to France over the death of its peacekeeper in southern Lebanon, reiterating its call for enhanced protection of the United Nations peacekeeping missions in the war-torn Middle East country.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday intended to speed up access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic drugs.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address that there has been "progress" in talks with Washington "but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain."

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea and Japan said on Sunday, marking the latest in a flurry of launches by Pyongyang to accelerate efforts to boost its military capabilities.

Pope Leo sought to downplay his feud with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour "has not been accurate in all its aspects".

The attack follows an agreement between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday for a 10-day ceasefire to negotiate an end to six weeks of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group.

The war, now in its eighth week, has killed thousands, spread to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and sent oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil shipments.

Japan is deepening cooperation with United States allies in the Asia-Pacific region that, like Tokyo, are involved in territorial disputes with China.

More than one in seven of the estimated 6,500 Rohingya refugees who attempted the sea crossing last year were reported missing or dead.

The sentence has been cut by one-sixth, but it remains unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize winner will be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest, the lawyer said.

Kosovo intends to send 22 members of the security forces, while Bosnia said more than 60 Bosnian soldiers are expected to join the peacekeeping force.

Subsequent statements and clarifications from both sides left uncertainty over how quickly shipping might return to normal, and some vessels could be observed making unsuccessful attempts cross the strait on Friday before turning back.

Hegseth also said the US will blockade Iranian ports for "as long as it takes."

Shortly after the truce went into effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT), the army told residents of the south—many of whom had to flee their homes following sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings—not to return, citing "several Israeli acts of aggression".

The Foreign Ministry announced that it is carrying out a third evacuation wave from Iran, aiming to repatriate 45 Indonesians this week as a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East continues to hold. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the deal, which fills 20 percent of the fertiliser needed for the planting season, was a "significant outcome for our farmers".

The Foreign Ministry said there were no reports that Jakarta’s deliberations on the United States’ overflight proposal have affected the talks for two Indonesian tankers stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.

The new commitment follows pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration for Canberra to boost military expenditure as a share of total annual economic output.

A Pakistani delegation arrived in Tehran bearing a new message from Washington after US President Donald Trump indicated negotiations could resume this week following last weekend's failed talks in Islamabad.

The rights group recommends countries with democracies should slap sanctions on foreign leaders who favor transnational repression through forced returns of dissidents back to their home countries.

The trawler, carrying men, women and children, is believed to have sunk in severe weather after leaving Teknaf in southern Bangladesh for Malaysia, amid rough seas and strong winds.

The Chinese-owned tanker was among at least eight ships crossing the waterway on Tuesday, the first day of the US blockade.

President Prabowo Subianto was hosted by counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace Tuesday, where they "discussed strengthening strategic cooperation," a statement from the government said.