* The growth in the Asia-Pacific region will moderate to 4.5 percent this year from the outperformed 5 percent in 2023, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its "Regional Economic Outlook Asia and Pacific" launched in Singapore Tuesday.
* U.S. climate change diplomat John Podesta said on Tuesday he will meet his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin in Washington in early May, resuming bilateral talks on climate cooperation amid simmering tensions over trade and security.
* The Group of Seven (G7) countries are ready to make a commitment to phasing out coal in the first half of the 2030s, local media reported on Monday.
* At the invitation of China, representatives of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) recently came to Beijing for in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation, and achieved positive progress, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.
* The U.S. State Department unveiled its proposal to reduce licensing requirements for transferring military equipment and sensitive technology to Australia and Britain as part of the AUKUS defense project.
* President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a new national security memorandum to boost the resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure, replacing a decade-old policy.
* Norway will increase its aid to Ukraine this year by 7 billion Norwegian crowns ($633 million) to a total of 22 billion in a revised government budget next month, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Tuesday after meeting with opposition leaders.
* The Russian government has decided to eliminate tariffs on thermal coal and anthracite exports from May 1 to August 31, the administration announced on Sunday via its Telegram channel.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg discussed aid for Ukraine during their meeting in Kiev, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported Monday.
* The Hamas delegation has left the Egyptian capital following talks on a Gaza ceasefire and will "return with a written response to the truce proposal," according to Egyptian sources quoted by Al-Qahera News on Tuesday.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday to go ahead with a long-promised assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, whatever the response by Hamas to the latest proposals for a halt to the fighting and a return of Israeli hostages.
* Israel will open a new crossing into northern Gaza this week after U.S. President Biden requested it in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said on Tuesday, adding that more than 200 aid trucks are entering each day.
* The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) called on Tuesday for countries to back an independent investigation into alleged killings and detentions of its staff and damage to its premises once the Israel-Hamas conflict ends.
* More than 34,535 Palestinians have been killed and 77,704 wounded in the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 last year, the Gaza health ministry said on Tuesday.
* International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is scheduled to visit Iran to take part in a nuclear conference from May 6-8 and meet Iranian officials, Iran's Mehr news agency said on Tuesday.
* Germany on Tuesday welcomed a ruling by the International Court of Justice against issuing emergency orders to stop German arms exports to Israel.
* The Israeli military said on Tuesday its forces opened fire on a group of suspects in the area of Mount Harif, around halfway down its border with Egypt, wounding a number of them.
* Japan's unemployment rate in March was unchanged from the previous month at 2.6 percent, government data showed Tuesday.
* Thailand's industrial output extended a decline for the 18th consecutive month in March due to a continued fall in automotive manufacturing amid high household debt and interest rates, official data showed on Tuesday.
* The disbursement of $1.1 billion by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will help Pakistan achieve greater economic stability, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday, amid discussions for a new loan programme.
* The Italian government approved an economic package on Tuesday focused on temporary tax breaks for firms that hire staff on open-ended contracts and a cash bonus of up to 100 euros ($107) for low earners.
* Argentina's lower house of Congress on Tuesday approved a sweeping economic reform plan proposed by President Javier Milei in an overall vote, with lawmakers also giving backing to some key articles of the bill as detailed voting continued.
* Euro zone government bond yields rose on Tuesday as inflation in the bloc steadied in March and the economy rebounded in the first quarter, while separate data showed U.S. labour costs increased more than expected in the first quarter.
* The Czech government approved changes to the country's pension system on Tuesday, raising retirement ages and lowering pensions for future retirees as it aims to save the system billions of dollars per year.
* The European Union will offer economic aid for Lebanon when the head of the bloc's executive and the Cypriot president jointly visit Beirut on Thursday, a Cypriot official said on Tuesday.
* The German economy rose by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter, local media reported Tuesday, citing figures released by the Federal Statistical Office.
* Turkey's foreign trade deficit declined by 12.4 percent in March from a year ago to 7.3 billion USD, according to official data announced on Tuesday.
* Iraq exported about 106.11 million barrels of crude oil in March, the country's Oil Ministry announced on Monday. A total of 464,453 barrels were sent to neighboring Jordan.
* Gasoline shortages persisted in Nigeria's major cities on Tuesday, causing a sharp increase in prices and exacerbating the country's cost-of-living crisis.
* Kenya expects a green light for a $1 billion disbursement from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next month, President William Ruto said, which would boost an economy showing improvement after averting a debt crisis earlier this year.
* More than 120,000 foreign tourists have visited Mongolia since the beginning of this year, the country's Ministry of Environment and Tourism said Tuesday.
* A 13-year-old boy was confirmed dead and four others were injured after a man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in Hainault, east London, on Tuesday.
* Cambodia ordered all public schools to reduce two hours off their regular school days due to soaring temperatures in the ongoing dry season, according to a directive released on Tuesday.
* A severe heat wave is set to scorch parts of India, with eastern states like Odisha, Bihar, and West Bengal along with the southern state of Andhra Pradesh facing red alerts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday.
* A government official said Tuesday that the Philippines is mulling cloud seeding to quench the country's thirst amid the drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon, which has affected 2.9 million people.
* At least 10 people including eight men and two women died in a week in Bangladesh due to scorching temperatures, the government confirmed Tuesday, which highlighted the danger of successive heat waves affecting the South Asian nation.
* Brazil has surpassed a record 4 million cases of dengue in 2024, the highest number ever registered for the mosquito-borne disease, the Ministry of Health said Monday.
* Ruang volcano in Indonesia's Sulawesi erupted again early Tuesday morning, triggering an increase in danger status to its highest level and the temporary closure of airports.
