* The European Union (EU) hopes that the ongoing cross-party discussions in Britain will produce a positive outcome, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said in Dublin on April 8.
* Russia and Turkey will enhance investment cooperation and start more joint projects in various fields, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday (April 8). According to Putin, bilateral trade of the two countries in 2018 grew by over 15 percent and exceeded US$25 billion, while the volume of mutual investment is approaching US$20 billion.
* US President Donald Trump will discuss tensions in the Middle East, security, economic reform and human rights in Egypt during a meeting with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the White House on April 9, a senior administration official said.
* Israel on April 9 morning started day-long general elections across the country to choose its next parliament and decide the premiership.
* Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on April 8 reiterated his willingness to promote a negotiated solution to Venezuela's political crisis.
* US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has ordered to ban 16 Saudi individuals from entering into the United States over the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the US State Department said on April 8.
* Heavy gunfire was heard at a protest outside the Defence Ministry in Sudan's capital Khartoum on April 9, live broadcast by al-Hadath TV showed, and activists said in a statement that security forces were trying to break up the protest by force.
* An Iranian delegation landed in Venezuela on April 8 to discuss launching direct flights between the two countries, Venezuela's foreign minister said, as Tehran voices support for President Nicolas Maduro against the opposition backed by most Western countries.
* Turkey's High Election Board has rejected a request by the ruling AK Party for all votes to be recounted in 31 of Istanbul's 39 districts, the AKP's representative on the board Recep Ozel said on April 9.
* Three US service members and an American contractor were killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device on April 8, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement. Three US service members were also wounded in the incident near Bagram air base close to Kabul, the statement said.
