* Indonesia on Monday launched a multilateral naval exercise in its waters, alongside navies from countries including the United States, Britain, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, amid simmering tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
* The Kremlin said on Monday that a statement by United States national security adviser Jake Sullivan calling for bilateral arms control discussions was "positive", and that Russia remained open for dialogue.
* India and the United States have concluded a roadmap for defence industry cooperation for the next few years, the Indian government said on Monday, a move expected to bolster New Delhi's defence manufacturing ambitions.
* Russia's Ministry of Defense announced Monday that its Pacific Fleet had commenced exercises in the waters of the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.
* Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, state media reported, as the kingdom continues to expand its diplomatic outreach beyond traditional Western alliances.
* Iran will reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital on Tuesday, Iranian sources told semi-official Fars news agency, months after Tehran and Riyadh agreed to end years of hostility.
* Libyan leaders were due to meet in Morocco on Monday to finalise a deal on new electoral laws, but any agreement they announce on voting rules or a new interim government is likely to trigger opposition that may further delay the political process.
* The European Commission said that concluding the Mercosur-EU agreement is a priority, adding that Latin America and Europe should work on reducing "excessive dependency" on third countries, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday.
* An EU diplomat on Sunday expressed solidarity with the victims of the last wave of tension that broke out in May between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip.
* The second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly kicked off in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Monday, with delegates renewing the call for concerted efforts to regenerate urban centers.
* Poland's agriculture minister has received a draft regulation from the European Commission extending a ban on imports of some Ukrainian food products until September 15, he said on Monday.
* Russia will extend its voluntary oil production cut of half a million barrels per day until the end of 2024, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Sunday.
* Algeria will maintain the current reduction of 48,000 barrels per day in oil production until late December 2024, said the Ministry of Energy and Mines on Sunday.
* The International Monetary Fund has yet to see enough banks pulling back on lending that would cause the U.S. Federal Reserve to alter course with its rate-hiking cycle, CNBC reported on Sunday, citing IMF's Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
* Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday his plan to stop migrants arriving in Britain in small boats had reduced crossings by 20%, an update he hopes will ease criticism from his party and in the country over immigration policy.
* The German economy ministry wants to make around 2 billion euros ($2.14 billion) in funding available for industrial group Thyssenkrupp's hydrogen-based climate strategy tkH2Steel, it said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Monday.
* Most of Ukraine's winter grain crops are in good condition but grain yields could fall by 20% if current dry and hot weather persists, APK-Inform consultancy quoted agricultural scientists as saying on Monday.
* India's monsoon onset over the southernmost Kerala coast is delayed by another two-three days because the formation of cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea has reduced cloud cover over the Kerala coast, weather officials said on Monday.
* Bangladesh could face further power cuts due to higher demand, its power minister said, as a fuel shortage sparked shutdowns of several power generating units including its biggest coal-fired plant.
* Turkey's new Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan promised to continue the vision of "national foreign policy" as he took office on Monday.
* All airports in Afghanistan are currently operational, according to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation on Monday. The ministry noted that 20 foreign flights are using the country's airfields daily and that currently, all airports are operational.
* Mongolia has welcomed 216,668 foreign tourists so far this year, with Russia and China being the biggest source of arrivals, the country's Ministry of Environment and Tourism said Monday.
* The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Monday raised the alert level over the most active volcano on the southernmost tip of Luzon island due to "increasing unrest" that can lead to an eruption.
