If war were to break out today in the Indo-Pacific, experts believe ASEAN and its member states would be ill-equipped to respond.

Startup-focused lender SVB Financial Group became the largest bank failure since the financial crisis on Friday, in a sudden collapse that roiled global markets and stranded billions of dollars belonging to companies and investors.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday nominated Li Qiang, 63, to become premier during the ongoing annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp parliament, a role charged with managing the world's second-largest economy.

"Dear friend, please accept sincere congratulations on the occasion of your reelection," Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin.

The appointment by China's rubber-stamp parliament comes after Xi locked in another five years as head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in October.

In early February, four members of an anti-junta group in the Myanmar city of Mandalay said they received a secret, one-page, handwritten note spirited out of a prison that details two days of clashes and beatings of female political prisoners.  

Li's back-channelling - sources said he bypassed the China Securities Regulatory Commission, which lost some of its power under the new set-up - demonstrated what became a reputation for pragmatism as well as close ties with President Xi Jinping.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was charged on Friday with abuse of power and money laundering over projects launched under his premiership, accusations that he said were politically motivated.

A dwarf elephant the size of a Shetland pony once roamed the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. In the West Indies, a giant rat-like rodent tipped the scales at more than 400 pounds (180 kg), rivaling an American black bear.

Anwar, when launching the 27th Revenue Day on Monday, said the move was aimed at ensuring that those who are obliged to pay income tax do not evade or escape legal claims.

The disruption came during a fresh wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine which killed at least nine people and led to power outages across the country.

US President Joe Biden will host Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday in San Diego, site of major US Navy operations, to chart a way forward for Australia's plans to obtain nuclear-powered submarines. 

United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink has said the US is looking forward to a legally binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, as ASEAN states and China prepare to resume negotiations.

Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be charged with corruption-related offenses on Friday, the chief of the country's anti-graft agency told Reuters.

Diesel fuel and thick oil from the vessel have contaminated the waters and beaches of nine municipalities along the coast of Oriental Mindoro province.

Australia's nuclear submarines will ensure peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific, southeast Asia and Indian Ocean, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday ahead of a landmark agreement between Washington, Canberra and London.

Australia is expected to buy up to five U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the 2030's as part of a landmark defense agreement between Washington, Canberra and London, four US officials said on Wednesday, in a deal that would present a new challenge to China.

US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to agree on Friday to begin negotiations on ensuring free-trade agreement-like status for the European Union, two sources familiar with the plans said on Wednesday.

Yunus is credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his pioneering micro-credit bank, but he has fallen out with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who has said he is "sucking blood" from the poor.

The body found in a capsized boat in the waters of the disputed Senkaku Islands has been confirmed to be of Taiwanese nationality, while the remaining six crew members, all Indonesians, remain missing, Jakarta said late on Tuesday night.

The US and NATO have called the attacks, which occurred seven months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine and destroyed three of the four pipelines running under the Baltic Sea, "an act of sabotage".

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi on Monday reaffirmed Indonesia's bilateral relations with Japan, with an emphasis on key trade and investment cooperation by reaffirming commitments to advance the amendment of protocols for the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA).

A new pact to facilitate the safe transfer of EU citizens' personal data to the United States might not come into force in time to avoid a suspension of Facebook's transatlantic data flows, the US firm's lead European regulator said on Tuesday.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday his government wants to diversify trade and foreign investment partners, as he prepares to lead a business delegation to India which he said shares Australia's democratic values.

The Foreign Ministry is continuing to coordinate with authorities in Japan and Taiwan over an unidentified vessel that capsized north of the Senkaku Islands with at least six Indonesian sailors aboard.

"At any cost, we won't tolerate any action by anybody who wishes to destroy peace in Cambodia," he said.

The Foreign Ministry said on Monday it was coordinating with the embassy in Japan and the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (KDEI) in Taipei after six Indonesian crewmembers reportedly went missing after their boat capsized in the disputed Senkaku Islands, an official has said.