Relations between Beijing and Canberra have charted a bumpy course over the past decade, a period marked by repeated disagreements over national security and competing interests across the vast Pacific region.

The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) is the most prominent of more than 90 such areas established across the Mekong region in recent years, often offering people reduced taxes or government regulation.

Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov was visiting Beijing after a trip to North Korea, where he received assurances of support for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Cambodia's parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced.

Trump had threatened Indonesia with a 32 percent tariff rate effective Aug. 1 in a letter sent to its president last week.

Raids on agricultural sites Thursday resulted in the arrests of 200 undocumented migrants, as part of US President Donald Trump's wide-ranging anti-immigration crackdown, and clashes between law enforcement officials and protesters.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced that Washington was sanctioning the outspoken a special rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council, Francesca Albanese, "for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt [ICC] action against US and Israeli officials, companies and executives".

"In May, the secretary reviewed and approved thoughtful plans submitted by the bureaus, which included a targeted reduction in domestic workforce," Michael Rigas, deputy secretary of state for management and resources, said in a statement.

Beijing and Moscow should work to "unite countries of the global South and promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction", Xi said, according to Xinhua.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing.  

Trump and Rutte unveiled a deal under which the NATO military alliance would buy billions of dollars of arms from the United States -- including Patriot anti-missile batteries -- and then send them to Ukraine.

The indirect negotiations in Qatar appear deadlocked after both sides blamed the other for blocking a deal for the release of hostages and a 60-day ceasefire after 21 months of fighting.

The Israeli military, which has recently intensified operations across Gaza, said that in the past 24 hours the air force "struck more than 150 terror targets".

The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities, but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the Iran-aligned group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.

"Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt (International Criminal Court) action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.