CANBERRA -- Anthony Albanese has claimed victory for his Labor Party after incumbent Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded defeat in Australia's 2022 federal election held on Satuday.

The election result would end the Coalition's nearly-nine-year hold on power with Albanese to become Australia's 31st prime minister.

Addressing supporters, Albanese pledged to bring Australians together.

"I say to my fellow Australians, thank you for this extraordinary honor. Tonight the Australian people have voted for change," he said.(Australia-Election-Albanese)

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN -- Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah gave an order to abolish the Southeast Asian country's Ministry of Energy, local media reported on Saturday.

According to the media reports, the Sultan has commanded the abolishment of the Ministry of Energy and the formation of the Department of Energy under the Prime Minister's Office.

Following the change, Haji Mat Suny will no longer be the Minister of Energy with effect from May 21, 2022. Deputy Minister of Energy Haji Matsatejo was transferred to the Prime Minister's Office to lead the newly established Department of Energy effective the same date.(Brunei-Energy Ministry-Abolishment)

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SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday held their first summit talks in Seoul.

According to a joint statement, the two presidents shared the view that the alliance has matured into a deep and comprehensive strategic relationship.

The two presidents pledged to deepen and broaden cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors, eco-friendly electric vehicle batteries, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology and autonomous robotics, as well as cyber security.

Yoon and Biden recognized the growing potential for the bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, agreeing to strengthen partnerships in areas such as defense sector supply chain, joint development and manufacturing. (South Korea-Yoon-Biden Summit)

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MANILA -- The Philippines has detected Omicron sub-variant BA.4 from a Filipino citizen who flew in from the Middle East early this month, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday.

The DOH said the asymptomatic patient, who arrived in the country on May 4, tested positive for COVID-19 four days later.

The DOH urged the local government unit where the first BA.4 case was detected to "rapidly implement detection and isolation" of people who may have been exposed to the patient.

On May 17, the DOH confirmed the local transmission of the highly transmissible Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 in three areas including Metro Manila. The Philippines has detected 17 BA.2.12.1 cases so far. According to the DOH, there is no community transmission of the BA.2.12.1. (Philippines-Omicron Subvariant)

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KABUL -- A blast triggered by an unexploded device has killed a child and injured another in Police District 1 of Ghazni city, the capital of Afghanistan's eastern Ghazni province on Friday, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported Saturday.

Quoting a police official Sayed Ishaq Saleh, the report said the blast was due to an unexploded device left over from wars and went off when the children were playing with it.

A similar incident in Balablock district of the western Farah province on Tuesday claimed one life and injured two more children.(Afghanistan-Blast) Enditem

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