* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the resumption of talks between Washington and Tehran is highly probable.
* Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged closer and stronger strategic coordination between China and Russia to firmly defend their legitimate interests and safeguard the unity of Global South countries. Xi made the remarks when meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing.
* U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke by telephone on Tuesday, confirmed the latter in a post on social media. According to Modi's post on X, the duo discussed bilateral cooperation in various sectors, and also the current situation in the Middle East, stressing the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.
* Norway and Ukraine agreed on Tuesday to strengthen cooperation in defense and security, including closer collaboration in defense industries to develop new technologies, expand production, and enable Ukrainian drones to be manufactured in Norway.
* Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye from April 15 to April 18, according to an official statement.
* The U.S. military said on Tuesday that U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea in less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he wasn't thinking about extending the ceasefire with Iran. In an interview with ABC News, Trump said he didn't think it would be necessary to extend the truce.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said he was surprised by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's refusal to support U.S. strikes on Iran, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Tuesday.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss the situation in the Middle East and developments in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.
* Peter Magyar, leader of Hungary's Tisza Party, said Tuesday that securing the release of frozen European Union (EU) funds will be a "top priority" following a phone call with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen.
* Russian forces struck Ukrainian energy facilities and military-related targets, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
* Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday she was suspending the country's defense agreement with Israel, which involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, media reports said.
* Russia plans to deliver the first batch of its domestically developed MC-21 medium-range passenger jets in 2026-2027, a senior industry official said Tuesday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump late Tuesday slammed NATO again for not being there for the United States. In a Truth Social post, Trump said NATO "won't be there for us in the future."
* Almost 400 U.S. troops have been wounded in action since the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, a spokesperson with the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday.
* Israel-Lebanon direct talks at the ambassador level are underway on Tuesday at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C.
* At least two vessels transited through the Strait of Hormuz en route to Iranian ports after altering their Automatic Identification System (AIS) destination data, following a U.S. blockade on ships entering and leaving Iran, British shipping media Lloyd's List reported on Tuesday.
* Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday the United States and Israel have made the removal of enriched material from Iran as a condition for ending their joint offensive.
* Qatar on Tuesday called for intensified regional diplomacy to stabilize the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States, stressing that dialogue remains the only viable path to lasting stability.
* The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday met with visiting European Council President Antonio Costa to discuss regional developments and their broader implications, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
* The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said on Tuesday that Israel's targeting of civilian police officers in the Gaza Strip aims to "sow chaos," calling on the countries mediating the ceasefire agreement to assume their responsibilities regarding Israeli practices.
* Hezbollah said it fired rockets toward the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on Tuesday, in response to Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement and continued attacks on villages in southern Lebanon.
* Lebanon and Israel should seize the opportunity for direct talks during the ongoing U.S.-Iran ceasefire, foreign ministers from 18 countries said in a joint statement issued Tuesday.
* The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to extend the ban on the illicit export of petroleum, including crude oil and refined petroleum products, from Libya.
* The International Monetary Fund has lowered its global economic growth forecasts for 2026 to 3.1 percent in the World Economic Outlook report published on Tuesday, while keeping its projection for 2027 at 3.2 percent.
* Southeast Asia's cruise industry generated an estimated 10 billion USD in economic output and contributed 4.5 billion dollars to gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, underscoring its growing role in the regional economy, according to a joint report by Tourism Economics and Cruise Lines International Association revealed on Tuesday.
* The International Monetary Fund(IMF) has downgraded the United Kingdom's economic growth outlook more sharply than any other major advanced economy, saying the country remains particularly exposed to rising energy prices and global geopolitical tensions.
* About 250 people are missing after a boat carrying refugees capsized in the Andaman Sea, according to a joint statement released Tuesday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) offices in Bangladesh.
* The Portuguese government has disbursed 835 million euros (984.9 million USD) to companies affected by storms that struck the country earlier this year, Goncalo Regalado, chief executive of Portuguese Development Bank (Banco Portugues de Fomento), told Parliament on Tuesday.
* Indonesia's Ministry of Health has introduced a front-of-pack nutrition labeling policy aimed at helping consumers identify levels of sugar, salt and fat in processed foods and beverages, as part of efforts to reduce the prevalence of major non-communicable diseases.
* A total of 236 measles cases have been recorded in Japan since January, roughly 3.6 times the number for the same period last year, a national health research body said Tuesday.
* Authorities said on Wednesday that 12 more people have died after eastern Papua New Guinea (PNG) was hit by Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila, taking the total reported death toll to 23.
