Manila city mayor Francisco Domagoso, Senator Panfilo Lacson and former Defence Secretary Norberto Gonzales, in a joint press conference on Sunday, vowed to fight together "any attempt to subvert the true will of the people by pre-emptive manoeuvres or otherwise limit their choices".

Flight MU5843, operating the 800 variant of the 737, departed the southwestern city of Kunming at 9:58 am local time (0158 GMT) and landed in Chengdu at 11:03 am, according to Flightradar.com.

Canberra is concerned the security deal, details of which have not been publicised, could foreshadow a Chinese military presence fewer than 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Australia.

The scale of the would-be hazardous waste underscores the ongoing move within the government to reexamine a rule banning the exports of radioactive waste at a time when few municipalities are willing to accept such waste.

The US-ASEAN Special Summit was initially planned for late March but postponed, with Cambodia, the current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, reportedly citing scheduling conflicts.

“The acts of violence against civilians cannot be justified and must be stopped, especially at a prayer site like the Al Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday.

The legislation, designed to combat fake news, online abuse, text scams and militant bombings, also required mobile phone users to provide their personal details when buying SIM cards.

The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), which accounts for two-thirds of the retail fuel market, said it would limit the quantities drivers can buy, and banned pumping into cans altogether to prevent motorists stocking up on petrol or diesel in fear of further rationing.

The tally, which also includes foreign residents, dipped for the 11th consecutive year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

China's military sent frigates, bombers and fighter planes to the East China Sea and the area around Taiwan on Friday, People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command spokesman Shi Yilu said, according to China's state broadcaster.

The 49-year-old Wong, once Lee's principal private secretary, is seen assuming the post after Singapore's next general election, expected in 2025.

Indonesian finance ministry official Wempi Saputra also told a briefing that Jakarta was considering whether to invite Ukraine to the meeting, which will be held on April 20 in Washington, to discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine.

Fiji newspapers reported on Thursday that police had seized the superyacht Amadea, owned by a Russian billionaire, Suleiman Kerimov, who has been sanctioned by the United States, Britain and the European Union over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and detained its crew.

Khan was dismissed Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote, and Sharif elected by Pakistan lawmakers the following day.

The report is "inaccurate," Psaki said, noting that the top Japanese government spokesman has also denied the claim that Tokyo was approached over possible AUKUS participation.

The United States circulated the draft to the 15 council members this week. It was not immediately clear if or when it could be put to a vote. A resolution needs nine "yes" votes and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, Britain, or the United States.

Still, the draconian restrictions were unable to contain the coronavirus, and with more than 8,600 deaths of mostly elderly, unvaccinated people, many just in the past two months, Hong Kong's citizens are reckoning with the costs of some of the world's most stringent social distancing rules on their mental health and livelihoods.

Sri Lanka's 22 million residents have seen weeks of power blackouts and severe shortages of food, fuel, and even life-saving medicine in the country's worst downturn since independence in 1948.

The island nation is in the grip of its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, with severe shortages of essential goods and regular blackouts causing widespread hardship. 

Despite a national election campaign putting the Australian government in "caretaker" mode, when ministers traditionally avoid diplomatic engagement with international governments, Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja visited Honiara with the support of Australia's main opposition Labor Party.

Most of the deaths from tropical storm Megi -- the strongest to hit the disaster-prone archipelago this year -- were in the central province of Leyte where a series of landslides devastated communities.

New Zealand had some of the toughest border controls in the world during the COVID pandemic as part of government efforts to keep the coronavirus out. A short-lived travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia was suspended in mid-2021 after COVID-19 outbreaks.

Border communities in the two impoverished former Soviet states regularly clash over land and water supplies, with border guards often involved. 

Kishida is planning to travel to Thailand in early May during his trip that will include Indonesia and Vietnam, while he is also considering visiting Britain and Italy in the holiday period.

Despite a national election campaign putting the Australian government in "caretaker" mode, when ministers traditionally avoid diplomatic engagement with international governments, the Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja landed in Honiara for two days of meetings with the support of Australia's main opposition Labor Party.

"The government plans to expand the fourth round of vaccination to those aged 60 and older," Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told a meeting, adding the infection rate in the age group has continued to rise to stand above 20%.

The finance ministry said creditors, including foreign governments that had lent to the South Asian nation, were free to capitalise any interest payments due to them from Tuesday afternoon or opt for payback in Sri Lankan rupees.

China has stuck to a policy of "zero COVID", aiming to eliminate infections through rigid lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

"It is important that all countries, especially those with leverage, press Putin to end the war," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the virtual summit, which was followed by an in-person meeting with his Indian counterpart and the defense ministers from both countries.

In February, Taiwan's Cabinet proposed toughening the rules, amid rising concern in Taipei that Beijing, which claims the democratically ruled island as its own territory, is stepping up its economic espionage.