PLA launches exercises in middle, southern areas of Taiwan Strait

The Chinese People's Liberation Army has conducted military exercises code-named "Strait Thunder-2025A" in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait.

The Eastern Theater Command says the exercises aim to test the troops' capabilities of area regulation and control, joint blockade and control and precision strikes on key targets.

Putin urges Russia, China to further strengthen strategic cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Russia and China to enhance their strategic cooperation amid global turbulence.

Putin met visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Kremlin.

He stressed the high-level development of bilateral ties, with deepening cooperation in various fields.

Wang said China-Russia relations have become a resilient partnership characterized by deepening political trust, closer strategic alignment and sustained cooperation.

During his visit, Wang also held multiple rounds of talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss bilateral and international issues.

Russia-U.S. talks on Ukraine continue amid difficulties: Kremlin

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia and the United States are continuing talks to resolve the Ukraine conflict, calling it a "complex issue."

Peskov was commenting on reported threats from the United States to impose additional sanctions on Russia's oil industry if ongoing peace talks fail to make substantive progress.

Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said the country could not simply accept the U.S.-backed proposal on Ukraine, as it fails to address Russia's demands for resolving the root causes of the conflict.

Egyptian, U.S. leaders discuss Middle East developments

The presidents of Egypt and the United States have discussed the latest situations in the Middle East.

In a phone call, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed mediation efforts to restore calm to the region.

The two presidents also exchanged views on ways to strengthen bilateral relations.

Canadian, Mexican leaders talk about trading, investment ties

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum about trading and investment relationship between the two countries.

The two leaders emphasized the importance of safeguarding North American competitiveness while respecting the sovereignty of each nation.

Carney highlighted his plan to fight unjustified trade actions against Canada, protect Canadian workers and businesses and build Canada's economy, including through increased trade between Canada and Mexico.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to unveil the full scope of his protectionist trade policy on Wednesday.

Japanese leader vows to help domestic companies with U.S. tariff hike

The Japanese prime minister has pledged to provide financing and procurement support to domestic companies in response to additional U.S. tariffs on automobiles.

Shigeru Ishiba said if the U.S. implements a 25-percent tariff on car imports, the government will set up consultation offices in around 1,000 locations across Japan to meet the funding needs of affected companies.

Nationwide power outage strikes Syria due to "technical failure"

Syria has experienced a nationwide power outage due to a technical malfunction in the country's electrical system.

Authorities say repair efforts are underway to restore electricity as quickly as possible.