Macron has not hidden his hope that Beijing, which remains an important ally of Moscow and has not condemned the invasion of Ukraine launched nearly a year ago, will pressure Russia to return to the negotiating table.

Moscow considers the destruction of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines last September "an act of international terrorism" and will not allow it to be swept under the rug, the embassy said in a statement. 

The cargo train derailment sparked a massive fire and triggered the release of toxic fumes, including from vinyl chloride, a colorless gas deemed carcinogenic by the US National Cancer Institute.

The leaders of the Pacific's five Micronesian nations - Kiribati, Palau, Nauru, Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia - met on Monday and issued a communique on Tuesday saying they had discussed the "value of a visit by US President Joseph R. Biden Jr to the Pacific sometime in the near future." 

The negotiations come amid mounting concern over China's intentions toward self-ruled Taiwan and Beijing's extensive claims in the disputed South China Sea.

For the first state visit by an Iranian president to China in more than 20 years, Raisi has brought a large trade and finance delegation to Beijing and was earlier greeted by Xi on a red carpet.

A recent study by a regional think tank has found that Southeast Asians are increasingly concerned by the escalation of tensions between the United States and China.

Press freedom in the world's biggest democracy has suffered during Modi's tenure, rights activists say, and the opposition Congress party condemned the raids, saying there was an "undeclared emergency" in the country.

Rayyana Barnawi will join fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

Earlier this month, Blinken postponed a planned trip to Beijing due to what he called an unacceptable violation of US sovereignty and airspace by a Chinese surveillance balloon later downed off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4. The US military says it has since shot down another three unidentified objects flying over North America.

The Philippine coast guard said on Monday a Chinese coast guard ship directed a "military-grade laser" at one of Manila's vessels supporting a resupply mission to troops in the disputed waterway on Feb. 6, temporarily blinding its crew on the bridge.

Relations between the US and China have soured in recent weeks in the wake of Washington's decision to shoot down the alleged spy craft in early February, which Beijing has insisted was for civilian purposes.

Indonesia has called on Australia to be transparent about its dealings with regard to AUKUS, its trilateral defense arrangement with the United States and the United Kingdom that aims to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra.

The incident happened on February 6 nearly 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, where Philippine marines are stationed, the coast guard said in a statement.

Jokowi said in a statement to welcome visiting Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak at the Bogor Palace in West Java that he was happy that the country had in principle joined the regional grouping.

The Foreign Ministry has announced that the first of three teams Indonesia is sending to help with disaster relief in quake-affected areas has arrived in Turkey and is headed to Antakya, Hatay, with another team, comprising health workers from the Health Ministry, due to take off today.

Asked whether he had ruled out an extraterrestrial origin for three airborne objects shot down by US warplanes in as many days, General Glen VanHerck said: "I'll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out. I haven't ruled out anything."

It was the fourth flying object to be shot down over North America by a US missile in a little more than a week. 

As the death toll continues to climb, the Turkish Embassy in Jakarta has opened several channels to receive both monetary and goods donations to help earthquake victims in Turkey, while the Indonesian government prepares to deploy its first medical team to help with relief efforts on the ground.

Indonesia and Australia have concluded the regional antitrafficking forum Bali Process, setting the focus on online scams and irregular migrations that have contributed to trafficking incidents in recent years.

Southeast Asians are preoccupied with the looming threat of global economic recessions, potential military tensions and a “slow and ineffective ASEAN," the latest survey finds.

Political opponents accuse Modi of abetting Adani's rapid rise, allowing the billionaire to unfairly win contracts and avoid proper regulatory oversight.

Anwar held his first bilateral meeting with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha since the former won office late last year.

The government is preparing to dispatch a search and rescue team, a medical team and other humanitarian aid to Turkey as the death toll from Monday's earthquakes reaches 17,000, with thousands more injured or left homeless in winter.

The self-published article claimed that the US Navy helped Norway plant explosives on the pipelines running under the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany.

In an interview with PBS NewsHour, Biden said Wednesday that China was constrained in its ability to confront the United States by the need to protect international trade, and that Xi himself is in an unenviable position.

Marcos' trip comes a week after Manila announced a deal giving US troops access to another four bases in the country, and with Japan and the Philippines already in talks on a key defence pact.