In Indonesia, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit off the west coast of Sumatra and in the Philippines, a 6.4-magnitude tremor struck 110 kilometres (68 miles) off Luzon island, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

US officials told media that Russia had requested military equipment and support from its key ally.  

The southern tech hub of Shenzhen told all residents to stay at home as the city struggles to eradicate an Omicron flare-up linked to neighbouring virus-ravaged Hong Kong.

Russia's invasion in February provoked a host of international measures targetting businesses and banks, with some Russian carriers cancelling flights and global payment firms suspending services.

For Sam Sophal, who survived the Khmer Rouge genocide only because his mother bribed Khmer Rouge executioners with her silver watch, the promise of peace was irresistible.

A day after meeting with the national cabinet of state and federal leaders, Morrison told reporters on Saturday morning they had discussed moving to "Phase D" of the national pandemic response plan.

Concern over China's military ambitions for the region, after it provided police and riot equipment to the Solomon Islands, prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to last month announce Washington would open a Solomon Islands embassy.

The action-and-adventure caper "Uncharted" shows a map featuring the so-called nine-dash line, which sets out Beijing's expansive claims to the disputed waters, where Hanoi has rival claims. 

In a statement issued after their consultations on the Indo-Pacific, senior officials of the two allies welcomed the "unprecedented" commitments from countries in the region, including Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and Singapore, to impose costs on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) took 40 of 56 seats, claiming a two-thirds majority in a contest that saw 239 candidates vying for control of the southern state's legislature.

A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lock down several northeastern cities, as over 10 provinces battle local outbreaks, Reuters reported.

Indonesia has said it would look to steer the focus of the Group of 20 (G20), which it currently chairs, to its existing priorities and ruled out the possibility of including the discussion of the ongoing Ukraine crisis into the G20 agenda.

In the statement read by Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming in a meeting in Seoul, the Chinese leader said Beijing is willing to "accelerate stable and long-term improvement" in China-South Korea ties as "strategic cooperation partners."

Pakistan foreign office said in a statement it summoned on Friday India's charge d'affaires in Islamabad to lodge a protest over what it said was the unprovoked violation of its airspace. Pakistan called for an investigation of the incident, which it said could have endangered passenger flights and civilian lives.

Baltazar, 47, belongs to a group of like-minded priests in Asia's biggest Catholic nation who have abandoned their neutrality to oppose the presidential bid of Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the late dictator's son and namesake, and openly endorse his closest rival Leni Robredo, whose team colour is pink.

Previously confined to the tropical north, since late February Japanese encephalitis has travelled as far south as South Australia -- infecting a total 16 people with two confirmed deaths, according to state health authorities.

Malaysia has been experiencing heavy rains over the past few weeks, which officials and environmentalists say is unusual at this time of year and could be the result of climate change.

Speaking at a news conference at the close of the annual parliamentary session, Li did not directly answer Reuters' questions about whether China will refrain from condemning Russia no matter what that country does, or whether China is prepared to provide further economic and financial support for Russia as it faces sanctions.

Political parties are fielding younger candidates, promising jobs, digital connectivity and help for businesses, in a bid to woo new voters in Johor, where reforms lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and allowing automatic voter registration have expanded the local electorate by a third.

"China congratulates Mr. Yoon on his election as the new president of South Korea," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters, adding Beijing is willing to promote "the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations."

"The alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, our economies and our people is ironclad," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement, adding that US President Joe Biden "looks forward to working with the new administration to further expand our close cooperation."

The force would grow by 18,500 personnel to 80,000 over the 18-year period, at a cost of some Aus$38 billion (US$27 billion), the prime minister said at an army barracks in Brisbane.

After a bitter, hard-fought election campaign Yoon, formerly a top prosecutor who has never held elected office, was declared winner as rival Lee Jae-myung from the incumbent Democratic Party conceded defeat.

Stark differences among ASEAN member states in their responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine have resulted in a more muted regional response to the war.

Punitive sanctions on Russia will "further aggravate division and confrontation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters, adding Beijing and Moscow "have always maintained good energy cooperation."

South Koreans are voting Wednesday in a tightly fought presidential election with the deciding votes set to be cast by young people, whose top concerns are economic inequality and unemployment -- not recent sabre-rattling from the nuclear-armed North.

"It has been postponed to a later date because some ASEAN leaders cannot attend the meeting on the proposed dates," Minister Prak Sokhonn said in a text message. Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN.

The winner of the election will face mounting challenges including dealing with the effects of South Korea's worst COVID wave, deepening inequality and surging housing prices that have strained Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, on a visit to the devastated town of Lismore in northern New South Wales state, will also pledge more financial support for people and businesses, reports said. Morrison's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The eruption on Manam in the Pacific island nation occurred at around 6:50 p.m. Tokyo time, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, adding that a volcanic ash advisory center in Australia confirmed the eruption.