SEOUL, Nov 18 — South Korea's Foreign Minister held a series of talks with his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts in San Francisco this week and requested their countries' support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, his office said today.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 18 — Pacific Rim leaders showed divisions over the wars in Ukraine and Gaza after a two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum yesterday, although they pledged support for reform of the World Trade Organisation.

MANILA, Nov 18 — The United States (US) and the Philippines signed a landmark deal yesterday which enables Washington to export nuclear technology and material to Manila, which is exploring the use of nuclear power to decarbonise and boost energy independence.

HANOI, Nov 17 — Vietnam has been ramping up its dredging and landfill work in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, creating another 330 acres of land since December last year, a United States think tank said in a report.

MANILA, Nov 17 — Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco to discuss tensions and formulate ways forward in the South China Sea.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 17 — Countries in the United States (US)-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) announced an agreement on two more "pillars" of the initiative yesterday, covering cooperation on clean energy and anti-corruption measures, even as IPEF trade talks languish.

JAKARTA, Nov 17 — Asean defence ministers have raised their growing concerns over the escalating situation in the Middle East during the 17th Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and 10th ADMM-Plus meetings, according to the chairman’s statement.

BEIJING, Nov.

JAKARTA, Nov 16 — President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that three fields of cooperation, including energy transition in the region, can become the focus of the Asean Caucus in the Apec Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Antara News Agency reported.

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 — US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume bilateral military communications and curb illicit fentanyl production during a meeting in California on Wednesday, in a display of their desire to stabilise the taut relationship between the two superpowers.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 16 — China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States (US), and there is plenty of room for bilateral cooperation, President Xi Jinping told American executives in San Francisco yesterday.

JAKARTA, Nov 16 — Defence ministers and officials from the United States (US), China, Russia, and Southeast Asia gathered in Indonesia on Thursday for a meeting where they are expected to discuss geopolitical crises in and outside the region.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 16 — Trade ministers from members of an Asian free trade pact abandoned by the United States (US) affirmed a desire for more countries to join the bloc if they can meet its standards.

GAZA CITY, Nov 16 — The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Oct 7 has risen to 11,500, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women, the government media office in Gaza announced on Wednesday.

JAKARTA, Nov 15 — Asean defence ministers have urged for a swift finalisation of the comprehensive code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea in accordance with international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

JAKARTA, Nov15 — Indonesia booked a US$3.48 billion trade surplus last month, bigger than predicted, as exports and imports fell less than expected, official data showed on Wednesday, bolstering some predictions the central bank could keep rates on hold next week.

BANGKOK, Nov 15 — Thailand will receive 300 billion baht (US$8.46 billion) worth of investment from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and Microsoft, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

HANOI, Nov 15 — Torrential rain since early this week left three people missing in the central region of Vietnam, Xinhua quoted the latest report by the country's National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on Wednesday.

GAZA CITY, Nov 15 — The Israeli army stormed Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City early on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 — The US House of Representatives passed a legislation to temporarily fund the federal government through two separate dates and avoid a government shutdown, sending the bill to the Senate for consideration, reported Sputnik.