* China's top legislator Zhao Leji arrived in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday and held talks with his counterpart, Choe Ryong Hae, on promoting exchange and cooperation between the two countries in all areas, the DPRK's KCNA news agency said on Friday.
* Russia expelled a Slovenian diplomat in a tit-for-tat retaliatory move after Ljubljana ordered a Russian diplomat to leave, Russia's foreign ministry said on Friday.
* The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday called for "maximum restraint" after Sunday's drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), which he said have significantly increased the risk of a nuclear accident.
* China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in ensuring the safety and security of nuclear facilities after recent drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), a Chinese envoy said on Thursday.
* The Mexican government formally denounced Ecuador's government to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the police raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito on April 5, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena announced on Thursday.
* Chilean President Gabriel Boric said on Thursday that he will recall his country's ambassador to Venezuela, Jaime Gazmuri, for consultations after Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil denied the existence of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.
* New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Friday described his official tour covering six cities in five countries across three continents as "renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges."
* Russia, Germany and Britain on Thursday urged countries in the Middle East to show restraint and Israel said it was preparing to "meet all its security needs" in a region on edge over an Iranian threat to strike Israel.
* The United States said on Thursday it had restricted its employees in Israel and their family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva areas amid Iran's threats to retaliate against its regional adversary.
* The French foreign ministry on Friday advised French citizens against travelling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian territories amid Iran's threats against its regional adversary.
* Denmark extends its tightened control on its border to Germany by six months, the justice ministry said on Friday, pointing to a continued high threat of terrorism due to among other things the war in Gaza.
* Ukraine on Thursday inaugurated an embassy in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, in an attempt to expand its diplomatic presence in Africa.
* Slovenia, an incumbent non-permanent member of the United Nations' (UN) Security Council, said on Thursday that it supports the membership of Palestine in the UN.
* Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said Thursday that Cote d'Ivoire is committed to strengthening economic relations with Gabon.
* The Moroccan navy rescued 54 migrants from a boat off the Atlantic coast, 186 km south of the port of Dakhla, said a statement from the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces on Thursday.
* At least 33,634 Palestinians have been killed and 76,214 injured in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since Oct.7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Friday.
* Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fell 2.5% to a record low in the fiscal year through March 2023, government data showed on Friday, helped by reduced emissions in the industrial and service sectors.
* South Korea will host the second global AI (artificial intelligence) safety summit on May 21-22, six months after Britain held the inaugural event at Bletchley Park.
* Authorities in the Russian city of Orenburg called for the mass evacuation of local residents on Friday due to rising floodwaters, Sergei Salmin, the mayor announced.
* Almost 100,000 people have been evacuated due to floods in Kazakhstan, the country's emergencies ministry said on Friday. A state of emergency remained in effect in eight out of Kazakhstan's 17 provinces, the ministry said.
* With global growth outlook well below the historical average, and a growing divergence in economic fortunes, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday urged policymakers to deal decisively with inflation and debt, and promote economic transformation.
* Britain's economic output grew by 0.1% in monthly terms in February, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed on Friday.
* The performance of manufacturing production in the Philippines sustained its growth in February, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Tonga signed a 10-million-USD policy-based grant agreement on Friday to help expedite economic recovery from disasters caused by natural hazards and health emergencies.
* A small volcano in a scenic lake south of Manila blew "a white steam-laden plume" 2,400 meters into the sky on Friday morning, but is "unlikely" to progress into magmatic eruption, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
