Indonesia hosted the first meeting of the Indonesia-Pacific Forum for Development (IPFD) in Bali on Wednesday, where regional participants committed to strengthening their ties.

Canberra said it was "seeking further clarity" after Jakarta approved legislation to overhaul its criminal code and outlaw sex outside of marriage on Tuesday. 

Speaking after annual AUSMIN talks between the allies, Austin said the two countries also agreed to "invite Japan to integrate into our force posture initiatives in Australia."

While Indonesia’s Group of 20 presidency has come and gone, experts insist the forum still has merit – if only the Group of Seven is willing to back a more equitable world order.

The students, all under 25 years old, were sentenced by a military court for their alleged involvement in a shooting in April that killed a former military officer. They are among more than 130 people put on death row since the military seized power in a coup last year, according to the United Nations. 

Thailand is due to go to the polls early next year and on Tuesday the main opposition Pheu Thai party launched some of its campaign themes.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles in Washington on Monday as part of the annual AUSMIN talks that on Tuesday will include the two nations' foreign ministers.

Japan lays claim to the Russian-held southern Kuril islands, which Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, a territorial row that dates to the end of World War Two, when Soviet troops seized them from Japan.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the United States had a stake in China's response to COVID-19 as Beijing eases stringent restrictions following protests.

Malaysia, in 2021, unveiled a plan for a state-owned agency to own all 5G spectrum, with various carriers using the infrastructure to provide mobile services. 

In October, Australia ended mandatory home quarantine for COVID-infected people. 

The three astronauts - commander Chen Dong and teammates Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe - who had been overseeing the final, pivotal period of construction at the space station, which was completed in November, all said they were feeling well after landing in audio aired on CCTV.

Although China's daily COVID cases are near all-time highs, some cities are taking steps to loosen testing and quarantine rules after Xi's zero-COVID policy triggered a sharp economic slowdown and public unrest. 

He named Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Fadillah Yusof - two coalition partners - as co-deputy prime ministers.

Anger and frustration with China's hardline pandemic response spilled onto the streets last weekend in widespread demonstrations not seen in decades.

The report did not state what time the announcement would be made. Anwar's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the timing. 

The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat, and one member takes over the presidency each year to steer the grouping's agenda that is split into two tracks - one led by finance ministers and another by emissaries of leaders of member countries.

But the law, which took effect in March 2021 after talks with the big tech firms led to a brief shutdown of Facebook news feeds in the country, may need to be extended to other online platforms, the review said.

The ummah (Muslim community) ought to muster the spirit of collaboration as championed in the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference, Indonesia’s top diplomat Retno LP Marsudi said in a public lecture on Wednesday.

"The South China Sea is now becoming one of those regions where NATO is not averse, as they once did in Ukraine, to escalating tensions," Lavrov told a news conference.

Vast gaps in learning quality and human development will bring the ASEAN region to the middle-income trap.

The Ukraine conflict, which started with a Russian invasion in February, dominated a two-day G20 summit in Bali last month, to the frustration of some members that wanted more attention on global economic woes.

Anger over China's zero-Covid policy -- which involves mass lockdowns, constant testing and quarantines even for people who are not infected -- has sparked protests in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"That's a big thing for us, that is why we need to fight (for what is ours) and take advantage if there really is oil there," Marcos told reporters. 

The pair displaced last year's number one Tel Aviv, which fell to third place this time round in the Worldwide Cost of Living index from London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Jiang took power in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown and led the world's most populous nation towards its emergence as a powerhouse on the global stage.

The Chinese H-6 bombers repeatedly entered and left the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) off South Korea's southern and northeast coasts starting at around 5:50 a.m. (2050 GMT Tuesday), Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. 

The summit, which follows on from a first one held in 2021, will showcase the ability of democracies to handle "the world's most pressing challenges," the White House said.

The British colonial-era law penalised sex between men with up to two years in jail, although the statute was not actively enforced.

Speaking in a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Jokowi said the planned task forces would be crucial to start work on projects under the bilateral and multilateral arrangements.