* Russia carried out a large-scale strike on Ukrainian military-industrial and energy facilities over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
* Ukraine has started receiving drones from the biggest ever drone package announced by Britain, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
* Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil and EU envoys met on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation.
* China will steadily expand its pilot opening-up programs in areas including value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
* Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan's firm commitment to advancing its efforts to encourage both the United States and Iran "towards an agreement aimed at lasting peace and stability in the region" during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to his social media post on Thursday.
* The U.S. troops deployed around the world "will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran," said a top U.S. general on Thursday.
* U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Thursday that if Iran does not accept a deal, the U.S. military will strike Iran's "infrastructure, power and energy."
* The Pentagon is stepping up contingency planning for a possible military operation in Cuba, in case U.S. President Donald Trump orders an intervention on the island country, USA Today reported Wednesday.
* Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has warned that the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could break the ongoing ceasefire between Iran and the United States, said a RIA Novosti report on Thursday.
* Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that the top priority is to return the United States and Iran to the negotiating table and seek a political solution.
* Germany is prepared to participate in a potential mission to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz by providing mine clearance and maritime reconnaissance capabilities, provided specific conditions are met, local media reported on Thursday.
* Russia has managed to minimize the impact of Western sanctions and will continue to make it, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
* Russia plans to build no less than 100 new industrial parks by 2030 to bolster its industrial infrastructure, Anton Alikhanov, minister of industry and trade, said on Thursday.
* Europe may have only about six weeks of jet fuel remaining if current supply disruptions persist, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol warned on Thursday.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed the need for an immediate end to all hostilities affecting coastal states of the Persian Gulf, especially attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, during a phone call on Wednesday.
* Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on Thursday voiced support for Hezbollah and the people of Lebanon, condemning Israeli actions and warning of broader regional consequences.
* Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, according to a presidency statement reported by local Al Jadeed TV.
* A member of the Presidium of the Iranian Parliament said on Thursday that Iran seeks a "regulatory role" in the Strait of Hormuz, rather than creating "disruption or extortion," according to the ISNA News Agency.
* Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Thursday for Tehran, a truce in Lebanon is as important as the ceasefire in Iran, according to the official news agency IRNA.
* Syria's foreign affairs authority said Thursday that all military sites previously used by U.S. forces in the country have been evacuated and transferred to the Syrian interim authority, marking the completion of the U.S. military withdrawal.
* Saudi Arabia has announced an additional 3 billion USD deposit at the State Bank of Pakistan. It also decided to extend the term of an existing 5 billion dollars deposit at the bank to strengthen the resilience of Pakistan's economy amid evolving global challenges, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
* Kazakhstan's exports totaled 12.04 billion U.SD in January and February 2026, up 11.3 percent in nominal terms year on year, the Interfax-Kazakhstan News Agency reported on Thursday, citing data from the Bureau of National Statistics.
* Fiji is strengthening contingency planning and identifying coping mechanisms to maintain essential services as global fuel supply disruptions raise concerns about potential shortages.
* The Indonesian Navy plans to reduce fuel consumption by deploying drones and autonomous submarines in maritime patrol operations, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Muhammad Ali said on Thursday.
* Sri Lanka will receive its first crude oil tanker since the start of the conflict in the Middle East on Friday, Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL), Sri Lanka's primary petroleum storage and distribution services provider, announced Thursday.
* Malaysia and Australia have reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring stable and resilient energy supplies, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.
* A total of 82 Afghan inmates were released from Pakistani prisons and returned to their homeland over the past week, a news release from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said on Thursday.
* Singapore-based data center provider ST Telemedia Global Data Centers (STT GDC) has partnered with artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure solutions provider SuperX AI Technology to launch an AI Innovation Center in the city-state, aimed at accelerating enterprise adoption of AI by addressing infrastructure bottlenecks.
* The Australian government will increase military spending by 53 billion Australian dollars (38.1 billion USD) over the next 10 years under the 2026 national defense strategy (NDS) announced on Thursday.
* Bangladesh recorded 1,191 new suspected measles cases and six more deaths in the past 24 hours as of Thursday morning, the country's health authority said.
