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Nato’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited the port city of Odesa on Tuesday and said the organisation’s support for Ukraine remains “unwavering.”

He also emphasised that Nato allies have already promised over €20 billion (about $22 billion) in security aid in the first three months of the year, Firstpost reported.

Mark Rutte also met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Odesa.

His visit occurred just days after two Russian missiles struck Sumy on Palm Sunday morning, killing at least 35 people, including two children, and wounded 119.

The strike on the north-eastern city, which is around 30 kilometres from the Russian border, was the second major attack in just over a week to cause heavy civilian casualties.

China's first-quarter economic growth beat expectations, underpinned by solid consumption and industrial output even as policymakers brace for the impact of U.S. tariffs that analysts say pose the biggest risk to the Asian powerhouse in decades, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump has ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese goods to eye-watering levels, prompting Beijing to slap retaliatory duties on U.S. imports in an intensifying trade war between the world's two biggest economies that markets fear will lead to a global recession.

Data on Wednesday showed China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.4% in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, unchanged from the fourth quarter, but beat analysts expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 5.1%.

The outlook is expected to dim, however, as Washington's tariff shock hits the crucial export engine, heaping pressure on Chinese leaders as they try to keep the world's second-largest economy on an even keel and prevent mass job losses, according to Reuters.

Former President Joe Biden delivered a significant address on Tuesday, during which he criticized President Donald Trump's administration for its perceived threats to Social Security.

Speaking at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago, Biden emphasized the critical importance of Social Security for millions of Americans and expressed grave concerns regarding its future under the current administration, CNN reported.

Biden, who has largely refrained from public appearances since departing from the White House in January, articulated his views against the backdrop of a broader Democratic initiative labeled as Social Security Day of Action.

CNN reports: In his remarks, he blasted the Trump administration's policies as hurtful and destructive. "In less than a hundred days, this new administration has caused so much devastation and destruction. "It's quite breathtaking," Biden added.

He specifically accused the new administration of significantly undermining the Social Security Administration, asserting that they have "taken a hatchet" to vital services that benefit millions of Americans.

Hamas has rejected an Israeli proposal for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, which conditioned the pause on the disarmament of Palestinian militant groups, BBC reported.

A Hamas official, speaking anonymously, confirmed the rejection ahead of the group’s formal response to ceasefire mediators.It comes as Israel continues its military offensive in Gaza.

Mediators had previously expressed optimism about reaching a deal soon, but concerns remain that temporary ceasefires could be undermined if they lack U.S. guarantees for a permanent resolution to the conflict, according to BBC.

The Israeli proposal also included a commitment to negotiate a lasting end to the hostilities, contingent upon Hamas and other militant factions agreeing to disarm. This information was provided by Egyptian mediators and both Hamas and negotiation officials, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussions.