* Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced an Orthodox Easter ceasefire with Ukraine, from 16:00 on April 11 until the end of the day on April 12, 2026, the Kremlin said in a statement on Thursday.
* Pakistan has stepped up security and logistical preparations as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to arrive in Islamabad for high-stakes talks aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East following a recently announced two-week ceasefire.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was "very optimistic" a peace deal with Iran was within reach as Vice President JD Vance is prepared to head to Pakistan for talks aimed at ending the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, according to an NBC News report.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Iran to stop charging fees to tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz if the country is doing so.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday warned the United States against allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "kill diplomacy," as a fragile ceasefire took hold following 40 days of fighting.
* Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Thursday called for permanent peace between Iran and the United States, saying that temporary ceasefires "do not solve problems."
* A member of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that all affairs concerning the country's armed forces are being conducted under the supervision of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
* Israel's military said Thursday night that it has begun striking Hezbollah launch sites in Lebanon. The strikes came hours after the military issued evacuation warnings for parts of Beirut and shortly after Israel announced plans to begin negotiations with the Lebanese government next week in Washington.
* United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa held separate meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday to discuss regional developments, according to media reports.
* The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the Middle East Conflict and its Consequences, Jean Arnault, on Thursday held meetings with senior officials from Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives of the Iranian Red Crescent, and visited some of the civilian sites damaged in strikes, a UN spokesperson said.
* Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains low and tightly controlled following the announcement of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, with no meaningful increase in activity observed, a London-headquartered maritime analytics firm said on Thursday.
* Direct talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to begin next week, Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported Thursday.
* Lebanese Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad on Thursday urged the government to make a ceasefire a precondition for any further action, rejecting direct negotiations with Israel, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
* World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday urged Israel to rescind an evacuation order covering a district in Beirut, warning that it puts hundreds of patients at serious risk.
* More than 3,000 people were killed across Iran in the war launched late February by the United States and Israel, with about 40 percent of the dead requiring forensic identification before being returned to their families, the Iranian Labour News Agency reported on Thursday.
* Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon are "wrong" and "should stop," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday in an interview with ITV.
* Russia welcomes the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran and hopes for the success of the negotiating process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi during a phone call on Thursday.
* Japan plans to release 20 days' worth of oil reserves from May, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said Friday, adding to the ongoing efforts that began in mid-March.
* The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has amplified global geopolitical risks and intensified downside risks for economic growth of developing Asia and the Pacific, according to a new report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday.
* Canada is pushing for Lebanon to be part of the ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran and for its inclusion to be honored by Israel, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News reported on Thursday.
* Malaysia will request the United Nations (UN) to review the terms of deployment for peacekeeping missions, including the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) 850-13 under the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), following the worsening security situation in the country, an official said on Thursday.
* Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez arrived in Grenada on Thursday for an official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
* The Russian Embassy in Britain on Thursday dismissed a claim by British Defense Secretary John Healey of Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic as neither credible nor verifiable.
* At least 56 people were killed and 107 injured in a drone strike on the town of Kutum in Sudan's North Darfur state, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and a medical source said Thursday.
* Chinese border authorities handled 185 million entries and exits in the first quarter of 2026, up 13.5 percent from a year earlier, officials said on Friday.
* The World Bank forecasts Kazakhstan's gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 4.6 percent in 2026 and 3.9 percent in 2027, according to its latest Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Economic Update published on Thursday.
* New Zealand warned of severe impacts as Cyclone Vaianu approaches the country. Authorities are urging farmers, growers and rural communities to prepare for heavy rains and damaging winds.
* Severe seasonal flooding has caused extensive damage across Afghanistan over the past two weeks, Tolo news reported on Friday, citing the United Nations.
* New reports on seasonal outlooks from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts have spotted an important warming signal that, if it strengthens, could have powerful repercussions on Southern California and worldwide.
* Environment and Climate Change Canada said Thursday it will combine artificial intelligence (AI) with traditional forecasting methods to make its weather forecasts more accurate.
