* Simon Harris became Ireland's youngest ever prime minister on Tuesday, pledging to bring new ideas and energy to the less than 12 months he has boost the coalition government's bid to halt a first electoral victory by left-wing Sinn Fein.
* Former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday was elected as the chairman of the Senate, or the upper house, of the country's parliament, Presiding Officer of the election Senator Ishaq Dar announced.
* Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev appointed a caretaker government on Tuesday led by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, and set June 9 as the date for snap elections, the president's office said in a statement.
* Russia and China have agreed to discuss ways to deepen security co-operation across Europe and Asia to counter attempts by the United States to impose its will on the region, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday after talks in Beijing.
* Switzerland has not invited Russia to the summit on Ukraine it plans to host, and Moscow will not participate, the RIA news agency cited the Russian embassy in Switzerland as saying on Tuesday.
* Russia and Europe currently lack dialogue on strategic stability and need to develop new regimes, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday on Turkey's recent suspension of a multilateral arms control pact.
* Russia has requested an extraordinary session of the 35-nation Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over what it claims are Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) on Sunday, a Russian envoy said on Monday.
* The UN Security Council on Monday renewed consideration of Palestine's full UN membership application and decided to refer the matter to its Committee on the Admission of New Members.
* Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador suggested on Tuesday that Ecuador felt supported by other governments in its raid on Mexico's embassy in Quito, which drew criticism from governments across Latin America.
* Ecuador's former Vice President Jorge Glas was rushed to the hospital Monday with drug poisoning three days after he was arrested at the Mexican Embassy in Quito, according to local media.
* Sri Lanka's cabinet approved to establish diplomatic relations with Chad as part of its move to enhance ties with the African region, a statement from the government's information department said on Tuesday.
* Iran's nuclear chief said on Monday the country had unveiled 150 scientific and technological achievements in the nuclear industry in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 19, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel will launch an offensive against Hamas in Gaza's Rafah and "no power in the world" could prevent it.
* Egypt, Jordan, and France on Monday urged an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which has been under deadly Israeli siege and bombardment over the past six months.
* Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will meet several of his European Union counterparts over the next week to try to garner support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the government said on Tuesday.
* Hamas said on Tuesday that an Israeli proposal on a ceasefire in their war in Gaza met none of the demands of Palestinian militant factions, but it would study the offer further and deliver its response to mediators.
* Turkey will impose restrictions on the export of products from 54 different categories to Israel until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza, the Turkish Trade Ministry said on Tuesday, adding the measures would take effect immediately.
* France's foreign minister said on Tuesday that pressure, and possibly sanctions, must be imposed on Israel to open crossings to get humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
* The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy said on Tuesday Israel's presence in the United Arab Emirates was a threat to Tehran and this "should not happen".
* Turkey restricted exports of a wide range of products to Israel on Tuesday until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza, in Ankara's first significant measure against Israel after six months of war.
* Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa on Monday discussed Cairo's efforts to reach a ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
* Israel says aid is moving into Gaza more quickly after international pressure to increase access, but the amount is disputed and the United Nations says it is still much less than the bare minimum to meet humanitarian needs.
* The Jordan Armed Forces conducted on Monday seven airdrops of aid to the northern Gaza Strip with the participation of other countries. The airdrops, which included humanitarian aid and relief materials, targeted several locations in the northern Gaza Strip, the state-run Petra news agency reported.
* Maldivian Minister of Islamic Affairs Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed on Tuesday announced that 100,000 USD from the country's Zakat Fund will be utilized to fund food for Palestinians in besieged Gaza.
* At least 33,360 Palestinians have been killed and 75,993 others wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct.7, Gaza's health ministry reported on Tuesday.
* The U.S. military said on Monday it destroyed air defense and drone systems of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the area of the Red Sea, with no injuries or damage reported to commercial, U.S. and coalition ships.
* The Afghan security forces have beefed up security measures ahead of Eid al-Fitr as police personnel has been deployed around mosques, recreational parks and sensitive areas to check any possible security incident.
* Lebanon and Cyprus emphasized on Monday their keenness to maintain strong ties and preserve security in both countries and the East Mediterranean by finding a comprehensive solution to the Syrian refugee crisis, according to a statement by the Lebanese Council of Ministers.
* The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday called for health care facilities and personnel to be protected from targeted violence during conflicts.
* At least 38 migrants, including children, have died in a shipwreck off the Djibouti coast, the United Nations migration agency said on Tuesday.
* More than 600 enterprises, including over 200 Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders, have signed up for the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will be held later this year, the CIIE Bureau said on Tuesday.
* In the first quarter of this year, Latvia imported 158,325 tons of cereals from Russia, an increase of 39.8 percent against the first three months of last year, LETA news agency reported on Monday, citing data released by the State Revenue Service.
* The International Monetary Fund on Monday said its staff reached agreement with authorities from Ivory Coast on a review of two lending programs, which will pave the way for disbursement of $574 million, once approved by the IMF's executive board.
* The Israeli government's expenses for the ongoing conflict with Hamas have amounted to 52.5 billion shekels (14.2 billion USD) at the end of March, the country's Finance Ministry said on Monday.
* El Salvador launched a purchase offer for the Central American country's external debt due from 2025 to 2029, President-elect Nayib Bukele said on Monday in a post on X.
* Several Horn of Africa countries are set to experience heatwaves due to elevated temperatures, said the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, Tuesday.
* Heavy dust and snow storms will hit large parts of Mongolia starting Thursday, the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Tuesday.
