* The 11th Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) has concluded its 10th plenary session, outlining major achievements and setting strategic directions for the months ahead.
* Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Sunday that China stands ready to join Indonesia to address risks and challenges, and consolidate cooperation in the "five pillars" of politics, economy, people-to-people and cultural exchange, maritime affairs and security. Li made the remarks during talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
* Malaysia and Laos formed a strategic partnership to boost cross-border trade between Penang Port and the Thanaleng Dry Port (TDP) via rail and sea, with the exchange of a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) in Putrajaya on Sunday.
* The United States took initial steps on Friday to ease sanctions on Syria, following President Donald Trump's pledge to do so during his Middle East trip. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a document, known as GL 25, to ease financial restrictions on Syria.
* Belarus will continue to ensure exchanges of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, Natalya Eismont, press secretary of the Belarusian president, told TASS on Friday.
* The Afghan interim government's Ministry of Industry and Commerce is considering a trade transaction with Russia in local currencies, the afghani and ruble, according to the spokesman for the ministry, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad.
* The United Nations Secretary-General's personal envoy has launched a renewed effort to revive stalled peace talks in Cyprus, with low expectations of a breakthrough ahead of a high-level summit planned for July in Geneva under the auspices of UN chief Antonio Guterres.
* A total of 230 Afghan nationals released from Pakistani prisons have returned home, reported the state-run Radio and Television of Afghanistan (RTA) on Sunday.
* Beijing, capital of China, has reduced the share of coal in its total energy consumption to less than 1 percent, signaling a landmark green energy transformation, the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission has said.
* Lebanon is moving forward with municipal elections in its conflict-ravaged south on Saturday, pressing ahead despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes, widespread displacement, and severe logistical challenges.
* Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Claver Gatete has called on African countries and businesses to intensify efforts to enhance the global visibility and competitiveness of African brands.
* The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said Saturday that the humanitarian aid that has entered the Gaza Strip accounts for less than 1 percent of the Gaza population's basic needs.
* At least 32 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on multiple areas of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to Gaza's Civil Defense.
* Syria's Interior Ministry has unveiled a sweeping restructuring reform aimed at overhauling the nation's internal security framework and modernizing public services.
* Israel's aerial defense systems on Sunday intercepted a missile launched by Houthi forces in Yemen, the Israeli military said in a statement. The missile triggered air raid sirens in Jerusalem, the Dead Sea area and settlements in the occupied West Bank, sending millions to shelters around midday.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met on Saturday in Istanbul to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, the Turkish presidential office said.
* Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Saturday unveiled the Regional Initiative to Protect the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, a strategic move aimed at preserving the flow and sustainability of the two historic waterways.
* Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced on Saturday that it had shut down a pipeline following the discovery of an oil leak south of Zawiya, about 45 km west of the capital Tripoli.
* Egypt has repatriated 71 of its citizens from Libya amid rising tensions in the capital Tripoli, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
* At least 19 people were killed and over 90 others injured as severe weather, including strong winds and hailstorms, lashed several districts across Pakistan's eastern Punjab province on Saturday, an official statement said on Sunday.
* China's national observatory on Sunday warned that the country's southern regions will experience their strongest rainfall so far this year from May 27 to 29, with heightened disaster risks as precipitation returns to recently affected areas.
* A 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted 178 km SSW of 'Ohonua, Tonga at 23:49 local time on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
