* Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Paris on Sunday for a state visit to France, with the two sides poised to bolster bilateral ties and reiterate their commitment to fortifying their partnership amid shifting global landscapes.
* Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith will, at the invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin, lead a high-level delegation to pay a working visit to Russia from May 7 to 11.
* Russia has begun preparations to hold a military exercise to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to carry out combat missions, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday.
* Italy's Defence Minister said on Monday economic sanctions against Russia had failed and called on the West to try harder to negotiate a diplomatic solution with President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
* Israel called on civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah on Monday in what appeared to be preparation for a long-threatened assault on Hamas holdouts in the southern Gaza Strip city where more than a million war-displaced Palestinians have been sheltering.
* Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Monday that Israel's Rafah evacuation order ahead of an expected offensive is a "dangerous escalation that will have consequences".
* The recent round of Gaza truce talks concluded on Sunday in the Egyptian capital Cairo, with the Hamas delegation leaving for Qatar to conduct additional discussions on a ceasefire proposal, according to a senior Hamas official.
* Japan's estimated child population as of April 1 stood at 14.01 million, marking a fall for the 43rd straight year, government data showed.
* The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army said on Sunday that it has carried out five airdrops of humanitarian and food aid targeting several locations in northern Gaza Strip.
* Russia's Gazprom said it would ship 42.1 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Monday, a volume in line with recent days.
* Agreements worth over 26 billion USD were signed at an investment forum in Tashkent, according to Uzbekistan's trade and investment ministry.
* Saudi Arabia announced Sunday a budget deficit of 12.39 billion Saudi Riyals (3.30 billion USD) in the first quarter of 2024.
* The death toll from heavy rains that have caused flooding in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 78, local authorities said on Sunday, with more than 115,000 people displaced.
* Tanzania's 396-kilometer highway connecting the port city of Dar es Salaam and southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara was shut down on Sunday after flash floods washed away at least four main bridges, said an official.
