* China's foreign minister Qin Gang said it is imperative to stabilise Sino-US relations, avoid a downward spiral and prevent accidents between China and the United States, according to a statement from the foreign ministry on Monday.
* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio met with the Republic of Korean lawmakers and business leaders in Seoul on Monday to discuss potential bilateral cooperation as he wrapped up the first visit by a Japanese leader in 12 years.
* Japanese and French defence and foreign ministers will hold a so-called "2 plus 2" meeting online on Tuesday, Japanese foreign ministry said on Monday.
* Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called a snap presidential election, Russia's RIA news agency reported on Monday, without giving a date.
* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Tuesday, which is Europe Day, the European Commission announced on Monday.
* China's foreign minister Qin Gang will visit Germany, France and Norway on May 8-12, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
* The China-Central Asia summit will be held on May 18-19 in China's northwestern province of Shaanxi, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
* Moldova's unrecognised breakaway region of Transdniestria said on Monday it wanted Moscow to bulk up its small contingent of peacekeepers because of what it called growing security risks, Russia's RIA news agency reported.
* Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday the reopening process of the Iranian diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia is in its final stage, according to official news agency IRNA.
* Qatar said its position regarding normalizing ties with Syria remains unchanged, Qatar's foreign ministry said on Sunday.
* The Arab League Council issued a resolution on Sunday to form an Arab ministerial contact group to communicate with the Sudanese parties and influential countries, aiming to reach a settlement of the crisis in Sudan.
* Large-scale rallies were held in Istanbul, the country's largest city, over the weekend, marking the final weekend before the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for May 14th.
* Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday said the Arab League (AL)'s decision to restore Syria's membership in the league is a step in the right direction to a unified Arab stance.
* Palestine on Sunday condemned the construction of a new Israeli settlement outpost in the suburb of the Palestinian village of Mukhmas north of East Jerusalem.
* The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that Iran is serious about resolving problems and misunderstandings in its relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to official news agency IRNA.
* The annual Europe Day reception scheduled for Tuesday in Tel Aviv, Israel, was canceled over the participation of Israel's ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
* US President Joe Biden ordered on Sunday the country's flag to be flown at half-staff as a mark of respect for the victims of the mass shooting at a mall in Allen, Texas.
* Japan on Monday officially downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to the same category of seasonal influenza and relaxed other COVID-19 measures previously in place.
* Denmark and Sweden have signed an agreement on mutual support in case of gas shortages, the energy authorities of the two countries said on Monday.
* The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the Cambodian Agriculture Cooperative Corporation (CACC) have launched a new project targeting over 1,200 smallholder farmers and their extended families in northeast Mondulkiri province.
* Standard Chartered STAN.L Chief Executive Bill Winters said on Monday he sees a big recession in the United States as unlikely, although a period of negative growth was possible.
* The German economy is expected to recover more slowly next year than previously forecast as the need for spending on greener infrastructure mounts, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Monday.
* Indonesia posted foreign exchange reserves of 144.2 billion USD at the end of April, down from the previous month's 145.2 billion dollars, according to the central bank on Monday.
* Sri Lanka has earned nearly 700 million USD from tourism in the first four months of 2023, an increase of 17.8 percent from the same period last year, an official said on Monday.
* Fiji's tourism industry is thriving and expanding, with more than 900,000 visitors arriving in the country since the reopening of borders at the end of 2021, says Tourism Fiji, a tourism marketing arm of the Fijian government.
* At least 22 people including children died when an overcrowded double-decker tourist boat capsized in an estuary in southern India, authorities said.
