* The Group of 20 (G20) Finance Track meetings kicked off Monday in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, with discussions focusing on the challenges and constraints to growth in developing countries, particularly in African countries.
* The Lao National Commission for the Advancement of Women and Mother-Children (NCAWMC) convened in Vientiane to enhance efforts to promote the rights and well-being of women, mothers, and children in the country.
* Indonesia's free meal program has been running across 38 provinces in the archipelago since its launch on Jan. 6, according to Dadan Hindayana, head of the National Nutrition Agency.
* Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban outlined a series of measures designed to strengthen the nation's economic and political landscape in 2025.
* Malta launched over 10 million euros in schemes on Monday to help households transition to sustainable energy.
* The Australian government has revealed a plan to extend the mobile network to cover almost all of the country. Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland on Tuesday announced that the government will update the existing universal service obligation (USO) to include mobile phone services.
* The Sri Lankan government has planned to increase industrial sector's contribution to GDP from the current 26 percent to 28 percent by 2030, state media reported Tuesday, citing Thilaka Jayasundara, secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development.
* Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that history and reality show that China and Russia are good neighbors that cannot be moved away, and true friends who share weal and woe, support each other and achieve common development. He made the remarks when having a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the latter's request.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia and the United States should take the first step toward building mutual trust to resolve the Ukraine crisis and other pressing issues, suggesting possible cooperation in multiple fields.
* When asked about an upcoming deadline for tariffs on Mexico and Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at a joint press conference on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House that "the tariffs are going forward."
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that developing the rare earth metals industry is a strategic priority that will enhance Russia's global competitiveness, economic growth and quality of life.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Ukraine has signed 28 security agreements with its partners, according to the presidential press service.
* Russia has reached an agreement with Ukraine to evacuate displaced Kursk residents to Russia, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said Monday.
* Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, said the U.S.-proposed resolution on the Ukraine crisis, adopted Monday by the Security Council, is "a starting point" for further efforts toward a peaceful settlement.
* Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China is happy to see Russia and relevant parties make positive efforts to defuse the Ukraine crisis. Xi made the remarks when talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin over phone.
* The European Council on Monday adopted the 16th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting multiple sectors including energy, trade, transport, infrastructure, and finance, according to a statement issued by the Council.
* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that the European Union will provide Ukraine with 3.5 billion euros (3.67 billion USD) in fresh financial aid starting next month, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.
* Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday pledged an additional 1,000 million euros (1,046 million USD) in aid to Ukraine, according to a press release from Moncloa, the Spanish Government Presidency.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Ancara on Monday as Turkey intensified its efforts to mediate a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
* Eight Nordic and Baltic countries issued a joint statement on Monday pledging to bolster their support for Ukraine on the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to a release from the Finland's Presidential Office.
* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not ruling out sending Canadian troops to Ukraine as part of a possible peace deal, local media reported Monday.
* The leaders of Azerbaijan and Pakistan have agreed to reinforce the two countries' strategic partnership as President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held high-level talks in Baku, culminating in Azerbaijan's pledge to invest up to 2 billion USD in Pakistan's economy.
* Italy and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to strengthen bilateral ties via a landmark 40-billion-dollar investment deal and the signing of over 40 new business agreements, according to officials.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned Sudan rebels and allies intend to set up a parallel government in its control areas, a UN spokesman said on Monday.
* Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Monday welcomed the decision by the European Union (EU) to suspend certain sanctions on the country, calling it a step toward alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people.
* Hamas on Monday said ensuring the agreed-upon release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners by Israel is a prerequisite for further talks aimed at consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza.
* Israeli troops have raided Syrian army bases and seized or destroyed weapons found there, the Israeli military said in a statement on Monday.
* President of the Libyan Presidency Council Mohamed Menfi emphasized the importance of Libya-Somalia cooperation during a press conference on Monday following talks with visiting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
* The Sudanese government on Monday vowed to take escalatory measures against Kenya for hosting activities by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
* Iraq's Oil Ministry on Monday affirmed its commitment to the agreement with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, collectively known as OPEC+, on additional voluntary production cuts in addition to efforts to compensate for exceeding the quota during the previous months.
* The Joint Cooperation Plan for 2025 between Cape Verde and the United Nations is set to have a budget of 20 million USD, the UN Resident Coordinator in Cape Verde Patricia Portela announced Monday in Praia.
* Indonesia has requested technical assistance from the World Bank for its plan to build 3 million houses per year, according to the Ministry of Housing and Settlement.
* Republic of Korea's central bank on Tuesday slashed this year's growth outlook for the Asian economy by 0.4 percentage points amid growing uncertainties at home and abroad. Real gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for inflation, was forecast to rise 1.5 percent in 2025, down compared with 1.9 percent estimated three months earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
* U.S. egg prices have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, with wholesale costs reaching over 8 USD per dozen as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to devastate commercial laying flocks across multiple states.
* The number of scam and cybercrime cases in Singapore rose 10.8 percent in 2024, reaching 55,810 cases compared to 50,376 in 2023, the Singapore Police Force said in its annual report on Tuesday.
