* The relations between Russia and China can serve as a solid example of relations between two countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said to reporters at the Kremlin early Sunday.
* China has decided to offer a visa-free policy to five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and will expand the policy to cover more regional countries in due course, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order aimed at lowering drug prices, demanding that drug companies offer prices for prescription drugs comparable to those in other developed nations.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed the law ratifying a natural resources deal with the United States, which would establish a joint investment fund for Ukraine's reconstruction, according to the parliament's website.
* British and European foreign ministers and officials met in London on Monday but concluded without substantial breakthroughs on the situation in Ukraine.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday criticized the U.S. decision to suspend the import of live Mexican cattle for 15 days, calling the measure unjustified and demanding mutual respect in bilateral relations.
* Latvia on Monday hosted the second Latvia and African Countries Partnership forum in Riga, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and supporting Latvia's campaign for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
* South Africa is on track to welcome and host Group of 20 (G20) leaders at the Johannesburg Summit this November, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said on Monday.
* Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Monday outlined the key priorities of the new leadership during his first official press briefing, stressing the importance of promoting peace and security, fostering continental integration, and mobilizing domestic resources to finance Africa's development.
* The Maldivian government is aiming to cut its carbon emissions to 1.52 million tonnes this year, Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim said on Monday.
* Trade between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries exceeded 500 billion USD for the first time in 2024, which was more than 40 times that of the beginning of this century, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
* Syria's foreign authorities on Monday welcomed remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the potential lifting of sanctions imposed on Damascus, calling the remarks an encouraging step toward alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people.
* A batch of Qatari humanitarian aid arrived Monday in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, Syria's state television reported Tuesday. The convoy, consisting of 60 trucks loaded with flour, tractors, and agricultural machinery, is part of Qatar's efforts to support local food production and basic civilian services in the war-torn country.
* A total of 1,000 houses had been built and handed over to families affected by earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika province, the state-owned Bakhtar news agency reported on Monday.
* A total of 330 Afghan inmates imprisoned in Pakistan have been released and returned to their homeland, official data from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation showed Tuesday.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has held a phone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, exchanging views on the Iran-U.S. nuclear talks, the latest status of bilateral relations, and several regional issues, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
* The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a press statement that it released Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander from southern Gaza on Monday.
* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas lifted on Monday a months-long ban on the operations of Al Jazeera television, allowing the Qatar-based media outlet to resume activities in the Palestinian territories starting Tuesday, according to local media.
* South Sudan is currently hosting 559,615 refugees and asylum seekers across 142,432 households, settled in 29 locations across the country as of April, the United Nations refugee agency said on Monday.
* The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced Monday that it has discovered more than 225 hidden weapons caches south of the Litani River since November 2024 and has referred all it found to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
* Yemeni security forces on Monday detained 132 migrants from the Horn of Africa who were attempting to enter the country illegally via the coast of southwestern Lahj province, a local government official told Xinhua.
* Violent clashes erupted on Monday in the Libyan capital Tripoli between rival armed factions, amid reports of the death of Abdul-Ghani al-Kikli, known as Ghaniwa, who headed the Stability Support Department affiliated with the Presidency Council.
* The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Monday called for de-escalation in Tripoli, following reports of military mobilization and tensions between rival armed factions in the Libyan capital.
* Amid fighting and disease, deadly floods posed additional dire challenges in South Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians said on Monday.
* Annual inflation in Belarus amounted to 6.5 percent in April 2025, the country's statistical committee said on Monday. The consumer price index amounted to 101 percent in April 2025 compared to March 2025, and 106.5 percent compared to April 2024.
* The foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Philippines declined by 61.9 percent year over year in February to 529 million USD, the Philippine central bank said.
* Israel's budget deficit for the 12 months to April narrowed to 5.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the Finance Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
* Remittances from Egyptian expatriates increased by 72.4 percent from March 2024 to February 2025, reaching approximately 32.6 billion USD, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) said in a report on Monday.
* Chilean market analysts have forecast 2 percent growth for the South American country's economy in both 2025 and 2026, the Central Bank of Chile said Monday.
* Canadian-resident return trips from the United States continued to decline in April, Statistics Canada said Monday. According to the national statistical agency, return trips by automobile from the United States totaled 1.2 million in April, a steep decline of 35.2 percent from the same month in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year declines.
* NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured new details of Jupiter's auroras, revealing that the planet's atmospheric light shows are far more dynamic and powerful than previously thought, NASA said on Monday.
* As heatwave sweeps large parts of Bangladesh, the South Asian country has issued an emergency advisory urging people to remain cautious and take protective measures.
