* China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening maritime law enforcement cooperation, Chinese state media said on Wednesday.
* President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a decree establishing temporary control of the Russian assets of two foreign energy firms, signaling Moscow could take similar action against other companies if need be.
* Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will chair the fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting on April 27 in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Tuesday.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the Lachin Corridor in a phone call, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
* A summit meant to reinvigorate talks between the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro and opposition political parties, attended by representatives from 19 countries and the European Union, produced no concrete results on Tuesday, though a further meeting was planned.
* The Iranian foreign minister said on Tuesday that Iran and Oman held consultations on the talks on restoring a 2015 nuclear deal and removing the sanctions on Iran.
* A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called on the international community to work with the greatest sense of urgency for a lasting settlement of the Palestinian question.
* Fighting in Sudan is quickly turning an already dire humanitarian crisis into a catastrophe, said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya on Tuesday.
* Despite a cease-fire, shortages of essentials are becoming acute in Sudan, sending prices soaring while evacuees head for the borders, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
* China's military is willing to work with Pakistan's military to deepen and expand cooperation and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, the vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission said on Wednesday.
* Slovakia will impose border controls between May 24-June 8 during the Globsec international security conference to be held in Bratislava, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
* Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he cancelled his scheduled campaign rallies on Wednesday due to health reasons, ahead of landmark May 14 elections.
* The Taliban have killed an Islamic State militant who was the "mastermind" behind a suicide attack at Kabul's international airport in 2021 that killed 13 U.S. troops and scores of civilians during the United States' chaotic evacuation from the country, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.
* India is likely to produce 32.8 million tonnes of sugar in the 2022-2023 marketing year, down 3.5% from the previous forecast, as sugar cane yields in major producing states fell due to erratic weather conditions, a leading trade body said on Wednesday.
* Myanmar exported more than 1.91 million tons of beans and pulses in the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.
* Sweden's central bank raised its policy rate by half a percentage point to 3.50% in line with market forecasts on Wednesday and said it expected a further hike at its upcoming meeting in June or in September.
* The Republic of Korea's births kept falling for the 87th straight month in February, fueling concerns about a so-called demographic cliff, statistical office data showed Wednesday.
* Sri Lanka's cabinet of ministers endorsed a proposal to authorize the Finance Ministry to proceed with negotiations seeking a 350 million USD loan and another 1.5 million dollar grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), cabinet spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena said on Tuesday.
* Ukraine has received 6 billion euros (about 6.6 billion USD) in direct budget support from the European Union (EU) so far this year, the Ukrainian government press service reported.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday presented state medals to 55,000 personnel from local and foreign rescue teams for their contributions to the rescue and relief efforts after the massive earthquakes in February.
* Britain's Heathrow Airport said it recorded 16.9 million passengers in the first three months of the year, up 74% on last year's pandemic-affected level, but it posted a 139 million pound (173 million USD) adjusted loss.
* Nearly 36,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring Iran over one month, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported on Wednesday.
* A total of 293 people have been killed and 521 others injured in 436 terrorist attacks in Pakistan since January this year, the Pakistani military's media wing ISPR said on Tuesday.
* Illegal deforestation on indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon jumped 129 percent between 2013 and 2021, a study released Tuesday by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation revealed.
