China launches first National Reading Week

Chinese President Xi Jinping says the normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz should be maintained. He made the remarks during a phone call with Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

China has launched its first National Reading Week during the fifth National Conference on Reading in Nanchang which opened on Monday.

Tens of thousands of Japanese people have gathered at the parliament building in Tokyo to protest constitutional reform spearheaded by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

U.S. President Donald Trump says U.S. forces have seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to bypass a naval blockade. Iran has reportedly attacked U.S. military ships in retaliation.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada can no longer rely on close ties with the United States, calling the historic relationship a “weakness” that requires correction through global trade diversification.

President Donald Trump says U.S. representatives will arrive in Islamabad on Monday for negotiation. Pakistan has placed its capital on high security alert ahead of the expected second round of U.S.-Iran talks. Tehran has yet to confirm the plans.

Bulgarians go to the polls on Sunday to vote in the country's early parliamentary election, the eighth vote for the legislature in five years.

The second humanoid robot half marathon has wrapped up in Beijing E-Town. Honor's autonomous navigation robot "lightning" won the title with a net time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds.

The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked since Saturday evening and will not reopen until the U.S. lifts its naval blockade on the waterway.

UN humanitarians say thousands of the 1.2 million people displaced in southern Lebanon are returning home following the ceasefire with Israel despite danger warnings.