France's rivals for the presidency, centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, are set to hold duelling rallies in Paris on Monday, the May Day holiday that will also see major demonstrations against both candidates.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Saudi King Salman on Sunday, state media said, as she began a visit focused on bilateral relations and preparations for the next G20 meeting. 

Demonstrators stormed Macedonia's parliament on Thursday and attacked MPs, including the opposition leader, in protest against a vote for a new parliamentary speaker.

Two suspected jihadists arrested in Spain have admitted being in Brussels airport at the time of the deadly March 2016 attack but deny involvement, a court spokesman has said.

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen delivered a ferocious attack on Thursday on her globalist rival Emmanuel Macron, saying voters faced a choice "for or against France".

The 2017 World Travel and Tourism Summit began Wednesday in Bangkok, Thailand with more than 900 leading figures in the travel and tourism industry from across the world attending.

French presidential frontrunner Emmanuel Macron has rejected accusations he was resting on his laurels after winning the first round of the election, insisting "nothing's won yet" in the race against the far right's Marine Le Pen.

Donald Trump pressed for the funding of a Mexico border wall on Sunday as a looming spending showdown in Congress threatens to shut down the US government on the president’s 100th day in office.

An ambush by the Islamic State group killed 10 members of the security forces on Sunday in western Iraq, where federal and other forces recently ramped up an anti-jihadist offensive.