* Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will soon visit Russia at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Monday.
* Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin delivered his government policy statement to parliament on Monday, highlighting immediate measures to drive economy with a digital money handout and energy price cuts.
* Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday holding indirect talks with the United States through mediators on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal and the removal of sanctions against Iran is possible.
* UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Sunday underscored the need for a political solution to Syria's enduring crisis, warning that failing to address the political dimensions of the crisis will perpetuate the ongoing economic turmoil and humanitarian suffering in the country.
* Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that Azerbaijan's officials have sent a message to Tehran stressing that they do not seek to take any military action against Armenia.
* Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili on Monday announced that the country has decided to introduce a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens, and more details will be declared later.
* Emirates Airlines will resume immediate flight schedules to Nigeria and lift a visa ban on Nigerian travellers, following a meeting between the leaders of the two countries on Monday, the Nigerian presidency said.
* Somali National Army (SNA) forces on Monday regained full control of the al-Shabab stronghold El Garas in the central state of Galgaduud, a government official said.
* Malaysia's economy is projected to expand at 5-5.5 percent per year for 2023-2025, according to the Mid-Term Review of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) revealed on Monday.
* Colombia will invest more than 100 trillion pesos ($24.9 billion) in rail, port, river and road infrastructure projects during the current presidential administration in a bid to boost economic development in various communities, the transport minister said on Monday.
* The European Commission cut the European Union's (EU) and the eurozone's 2023 economic growth forecast on Monday.
* Foreign direct investment (FDI) that flowed into the Philippines dropped year-on-year by 3.9 percent in June to reach 484 million USD, the Philippine central bank said Monday.
* Remittances sent by overseas Pakistani workers increased by 3.1 percent in August month on month, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Monday.
* Citing the recent increase in COVID-19 infections, doctors in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, are urging the public to voluntarily wear face masks again to protect themselves and others.
* After completing all assigned tasks, the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft separated from the space station combination at 4:46 p.m. Monday (Beijing Time) and switched to independent flight, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
* The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Monday expressed its willingness to support the Libyan authorities in battling floods that have hit eastern Libya.
* Volcanic ashes were thrown as high as 1 km above the peak of Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia when it erupted on Monday, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.
