Axios

The EU and U.S. positions on China have converged, due in part to Beijing's growing assertiveness and burgeoning partnership with Russia, according to Stefano Sannino, secretary-general of the EU’s foreign policy arm.

Why it matters: The EU declared Beijing a "systemic rival" in 2019, but European leaders have been slower than their U.S. counterparts to shift their focus from economic opportunities to security concerns. Today though, Sannino said, Brussels and Washington have reached a common assessment of the challenges posed by China — though not always a shared approach to addressing them.

The executive committee of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), decided to stand by President Cyril Ramaphosa following emergency meetings on Monday after an independent panel recommended he face an impeachment inquiry over the "Farmgate" scandal.

Why it matters: Ramaphosa made up his mind to resign last Thursday before his allies convinced him to fight it out, the Mail and Guardian reports. He now seems likely to avoid impeachment, but he'll still have to navigate additional investigations and convince his fractured party to re-elect him as its leader at a nominating conference in two weeks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law on Monday expanding the country's prohibition of so-called "LGBT propaganda," the latest crackdown on LGBTQ rights in the country.

Driving the news: The new law will prohibit the dissemination of such "propaganda" — or promoting information about LGBTQ people — across "social networks, in the mass media, films and advertisements," according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

Explosions rocked two Russian air bases hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border on Monday morning, Russian media reported.

Driving the news: Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday said it shot down Ukrainian drones that had attacked military airfields in Russia's Saratov and Ryazan regions, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signed a coalition agreement with Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich that will give the far-right politician unprecedented authority over the policy on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and relations with the Palestinians.

Why it matters: Smotrich, a radical right-wing settler known for his Jewish supremacist rhetoric, supports the annexation of the West Bank and the expansion of settlements. He has also called for increasing the number of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian houses in the area of the West Bank that is not controlled by the Palestinian Authority, known as Area C.

Government officials, scholars and policy experts from Israel and more than six Arab countries are convening in Morocco on Monday for a three-day meeting on education, coexistence and people-to-people ties in the region.

Why it matters: The conference, which is organized as part of the Atlantic Council and the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation N7 initiative, aims to come up with ideas and practical proposals for regional government projects.

The Dominican Republic will host the first international office for the Major League Baseball Players Association, Axios has learned.

The big picture: The new office, set to be announced later Monday in the country's capital, Santo Domingo, comes as the league and union work to enhance their presence in the Caribbean and Latin America. 

Iranian protesters on Sunday called for a three-day strike this week, as the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's morality police continued into their third month, Reuters reported.

Why it matters: The call for a strike comes amid conflicting reports that Iran's morality police had been abolished.

OPEC and its allied producers agreed to maintain their current oil-output targets during a videoconference on Sunday.

Why it matters: The decision comes despite a recent decline in energy prices and a price cap on Russian oil by the Group of 7 nations set to take effect on Monday.

At least 2,500 dead seals have been found along Russia's Caspian Sea coastline in the province of Dagestan, officials said on Sunday.

Driving the news: The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Dagestan said in a Telegram post that officials continue to count the number of dead seals, but it is still unclear how they died.

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken said in a speech at the J Street conference in Washington on Sunday that the Biden administration will engage with the new Israeli government according to its policies, not based on specific ministers. 

Why it matters: It's the first public and official comment by a senior Biden administration official on the composition of the new Israeli government, which will include ministers from Jewish supremacist parties and others on the far right.

Nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated after Indonesia's Mount Semeru volcano erupted on Sunday, according to a statement from the country's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

Driving the news: Although no casualties have been reported so far, authorities issued a Level IV alert due to the eruption, the highest alert level possible, per a statement from the National Disaster Management Agency.