China ranks among top 3 trading partners for 157 countries, regions: official

China has ranked among the top three trading partners for 157 countries and regions worldwide, said Sun Meijun, head of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), at a press conference on Monday.

In 2024, China's trade with Belt and Road Initiative participating countries reached 22 trillion yuan (about 3 trillion U.S. dollars), comprising over 50 percent of its total imports and exports, Sun said.

Israel calls deadly Gaza hospital strike "tragic mishap" as Arab League, Egypt condemn

The Arab League and Egypt on Monday condemned an Israeli strike on Gaza's Nasser hospital that killed at least 20 people, an incident Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "tragic mishap."

Gaza health authorities said the strike on the hospital in Khan Younis, the last one operational in southern Gaza, killed five journalists and four medical staff.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called the attack "just one episode in a relentless series of massacres deliberately targeting civilians." The Egyptian Foreign Ministry labelled it a "new episode in a long series of blatant Israeli violations of international humanitarian law."

Iranian president reiterates opposition to nuclear weapons in call with Putin

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday reaffirmed Iran's opposition to nuclear weapons during a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a statement by the Iranian Presidency.

Pezeshkian pledged to personally oversee the accelerated construction of the Rasht-Astara railway, a key link in the International North-South Transport Corridor connecting the Persian Gulf with Russia and Central Asia, along with other bilateral projects.

Trump threatens to expand National Guard deployment to Baltimore

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to expand military deployment to Baltimore in a clash with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who criticized the deployment of National Guard in Washington, D.C., and invited Trump to visit his state and discuss public safety.

"Wes Moore's record on Crime is a very bad one, unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other 'Blue States' are doing," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

"But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum (Newsom) did in L.A., I will send in the 'troops,' which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime," he added.