Mount Lewotobi, located in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Wednesday, triggering a flight warning and safety advisories, the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre said.

The eruption released a column of ash up to 3,500 metres into the sky, and the thick gray cloud moved westward and northwestward of the crater.

To mitigate risks posed by the volcanic ash, a Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation has been issued at the orange level, the second-highest warning, banning planes from flying below 5,000 metres in the vicinity of Mount Lewotobi. Aircraft should also exercise caution regarding the presence of volcanic ash, which can disturb their flights.

To protect the residents living on the slope of the volcano from the risks of hot clouds and volcanic materials, the centre has issued safety advisories, news agency reported. The residents, tourists, and visitors should not engage in any activities within a radius of six km from the volcano.

The United States has carried out extensive airstrikes against Houthi targets across Yemen on Wednesday.

US aircraft reportedly struck more than 50 Houthi sites across multiple provinces in the north, center and west of Yemen,

The Houthis did not disclose the number of casualties as a result of the US airstrikes, vowing that the US attacks "will not go unanswered."

The group said it will continue to attack vessels with links to Israel or the United States.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel has adopted a policy of blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza to undermine Hamas' control over the population.

In a statement a day after a field visit to Gaza with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior military commanders, Katz outlined Israel's broader war strategy, which he said aims to secure the release of hostages and ultimately defeat Hamas.

"Israel's policy is clear -- no humanitarian aid is about to enter Gaza," Katz said. "No one is currently preparing or intending to bring any humanitarian aid into Gaza under the current circumstances," he added.

Israel resumed its blockade on the entry of food, water, medicine, fuel, and other supplies on March 2,news agency reported. Netanyahu said the move was intended to pressure Hamas into accepting a deal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage-release agreement, without requiring Israel to end the war.

Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Sadiq Khan landed in Kabul on Wednesday on a day-long visit to participate in the second round of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting as Islamabad aims to settle border disputes with the neighbouring country.

The JCC meeting is happening after 16 months as Pakistan plans to initiate high-level engagements to de-escalate and normalise bilateral relations.

The Afghan Taliban side will be represented by Deputy Minister of Defence, Mullah Abdul Qayum Zakir - an ex-Guantanamo detainee regarded as the most predacious Taliban commander since the death of Mullah Dadullah - who holds a hardline stance on Pakistan.

The South Korean People Power Party (PPP) said on Wednesday that it has selected eight presidential aspirants to advance to the first round of its primary to pick a candidate for the June 3 presidential election.

The eight hopefuls include former Labour Minister Kim Moon-soo, former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, PPP lawmakers Na Kyung-won and Ahn Cheol-soo, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, North Gyeongsang Governor Lee Cheol-woo and former lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja. They were chosen from among 11 registered applicants.

The party will conduct a public survey on them to shortlist four candidates for the next round on April 22.

A second round of the primary will be held on April 29 to select two finalists, based on a combination of party member votes and public polling, each weighted at 50 per cent. The final nominee will be confirmed on May 3, news agency reported.

Four Pakistanis were among the 11 dead in a Libya boat capsize incident, Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed.

The bodies of at least four Pakistani nationals were among the 11 recovered off the Harawa shoreline near Sirte in eastern Libya after a boat carrying foreign migrants overturned.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives, vowing to take strict action against those responsible for luring citizens into the death traps.

PM Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Pakistan Mission in Tripoli and the Foreign Office to work with the local authorities to retrieve the remains of the deceased Pakistani nationals.

As Singaporeans prepare to head to the polls on May 3, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday that "Singaporeans should decide on the team to lead our nation" at this critical juncture.

"The global conditions that enabled Singapore's success over the past decades may no longer hold," Wong said in a Facebook post, adding that this is why he has called the general election.

Earlier on Tuesday, Wong advised President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to dissolve the parliament, officially triggering the election process, news agency reported. The Nomination Day will take place on April 23, when political parties will announce their final slate of candidates contesting across Singapore's 33 constituencies.

Two health workers affiliated with Pakistan's anti-polio campaign were abducted by unidentified gunmen in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said Tuesday.

The incident occurred in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district, where armed men intercepted a passenger bus en route to Dera Ismail Khan and forcibly took the two workers -- Raz Muhammad and Muhammad Asif -- to an unknown location, a local police official said.

The victims were returning from official duties related to the country's polio eradication campaign, police said.

Law enforcement agencies have launched a search and rescue operation in the area. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction, news agency reported.

Iran has confirmed that Muscat, the capital of Oman, will remain the venue for the second round of "indirect" negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

"Following consultations, it was decided that Muscat continues to be the host of the second round of the negotiations, which are scheduled to be held on Saturday," the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying on Tuesday.

In the first round of Muscat talks on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi engaged in "indirect" discussions with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, facilitated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi. These talks focused on Iran's nuclear programme and the potential removal of US sanctions.

Three climbers who earlier went missing have been confirmed dead on Yuzhu Peak, a popular mountaineering destination in northwest China's Qinghai Province, the Qinghai provincial sports authorities said on Tuesday.

On Monday morning, emergency response authorities alerted the provincial sports department that three climbers had gone missing on Yuzhu Peak. A rescue team, comprising police officers, firefighters and experienced mountaineering guides, was swiftly dispatched to conduct search operations.

Upon reviewing registration records, officials discovered that the missing climbers had bypassed the mandatory registration process. Later that same day, the rescue team located the bodies of all three climbers on the mountain.

Due to harsh weather conditions, the rescue team was forced to suspend operations and take shelter at the Yuzhu Peak mountaineering base camp in Qumalai County in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture during their return, news agency reported. They resumed efforts to transport the bodies of the three climbers on Tuesday.