Marine Corps personnel conducted two separate exercises to improve their reconnaissance and artillery firepower capabilities 

Israel recently eased its blockade and introduced a revamped aid mechanism in cooperation with a newly formed US-backed organization, bypassing the longstanding UN-led system.

Temperatures were forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius this week as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings officially commences on Wednesday. 

China has objected to Hegseth calling it a threat in the Indo-Pacific, the ministry added, describing his comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday as "deplorable".

ASEAN has set its sights on strengthening economic cooperation in an attempt to navigate regional security challenges, though analysts warn that such ambitions may fall short without meaningful institutional reform.

As great powers loom large over the Indo-Pacific, the United States and France competed for clout at the region's security forum in Singapore over the weekend.

"There is no humanitarian blockade. That is a blatant lie," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement, defending its efforts to allow in aid. 

China has objected to Hegseth calling it a threat in the Indo-Pacific, the ministry added, describing his comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday as "deplorable" and "intended to sow division".

Even as he warned in a speech on Saturday that China posed an "imminent" threat, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made clear he wanted Europeans to concentrate on European security as they boosted military budgets.

The White House on Saturday withdrew its nominee for NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, abruptly yanking a close ally of Elon Musk from consideration to lead the space agency.

Iran carried out secret nuclear activities with material not declared to the UN nuclear watchdog at three locations that have long been under investigation, the watchdog said in a wide-ranging, confidential report to member states seen by Reuters.

The foreign ministers of several Arab countries, who had planned to visit the occupied West Bank this weekend, condemned on Saturday Israel's decision to block their trip.

Brunei's ruler, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, has been discharged from a Malaysian hospital and will rest for several days in Malaysia, the Brunei Prime Minister's Office said late on Saturday.

In recent months, cases of kidnappings or attempted abductions in the cryptocurrency world have multiplied globally as bitcoin, the most capitalized cryptocurrency, has grown to historical peaks.

Organizers from both camps have told police they expect tens of thousands of supporters to rally in Seoul's central Gwanghwamun square and the southern Seocho neighbourhood on Saturday afternoon.

The United States was "reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China", Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defences in the face of mounting threats.

The UN says that in the past 12 days it has only managed to transport some 200 truckloads of aid into Gaza, hindered by insecurity and Israeli access restrictions.

French President Emmanuel Macron is following leaders of China, Japan and other European countries in visiting the region in recent weeks, in a sign of Southeast Asia's strategic importance amid uncertainties on global supply chains and trade.

Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra also rejected the use of the term "normalization of ties" considering that Indonesia and Israel never had any diplomatic relations.

With international pressure mounting on Israel over the deepening hunger crisis in Gaza, Macron said action was needed "in the next few hours and days". 

President Prabowo Subianto hosted France’s President Emmanuel Macron in Magelang, Central Java, on Thursday as the two leaders pledged closer ties, particularly in defense, to navigate a world bereft of trust and full of conflict.

Macron's trip to Indonesia is the second stop of a three-nation, six-day tour of Southeast Asia that began with Vietnam and concludes in Singapore.

"I am delighted that the letter of intent signed today could open up a new perspective with new orders for Rafales, Scorpenes, light frigates," Macron said at a joint press conference alongside President Prabowo Subianto. 

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will try to convince Asian defense leaders this weekend that the United States is a more trusted partner for the region than China, US officials told Reuters, as questions linger about the Trump administration's commitment to the region.

They say it could deepen Western splits, not only within the already-divided European Union, but also with the United States, Israel's staunchest ally, and would need to be accompanied by other measures such as sanctions and trade bans if recognition were to be anything more than a symbolic gesture.

Israel accused the United Nations Wednesday of seeking to "block" Gaza aid distribution, as the global body said it was doing its utmost to gather the limited assistance greenlighted by Israel's authorities.

In democracies worldwide, a political gender divide is intensifying among Gen Z voters, with young men voting for right-wing parties and young women leaning left, a break from pre-pandemic years when both tended to vote for progressives.