RUSSIA: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is hosting leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations at a summit that opened today, seeking to bolster business and other ties with members of the regional bloc.

The two-day Russia-Asean summit in Kazan aims to expand Russia’s “strategic partnership” with Asean, which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam.

VENEZUELA: Venezuela’s interim president signed an agreement with United States energy giant General Electric on Tuesday aimed at rebuilding the country’s electricity grid.

Delcy Rodriguez came to power after a US military action in January killed 100 people and during which President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores were kidnapped.

SPAIN: Spain’s former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero appeared before a judge in Madrid today in connection to his alleged role in a government airline bailout and links to jewellery discovered in a police raid on his office.

Mr Zapatero was placed under investigation last month for alleged influence peddling, money laundering and other possible financial wrongdoing in connection with the Spanish government’s rescue of the Plus Ultra airline.

HAITI: United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres visited Haiti on Tuesday, where surging violence has left more than one in 10 people homeless.

New statistics released by the UN reveal that 2,300 people have been killed across Haiti so far this year, with another 100 kidnapped, while 1.5 million have been displaced. Among those abducted is James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defence Ministry, who was kidnapped last week in the capital, Port-au-Prince.