* The Lao government has reviewed the current situation and urgent priority tasks, and is intensifying efforts to stabilize the economy and strengthen regulation in key sectors. The government's monthly meeting for April was held in Vientiane from Monday to Tuesday, bringing together senior officials to review recent developments and set detailed priorities for the coming month.
* Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday signed a decree enacting a free trade agreement between the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the European Union (EU), marking a key step toward creating one of the world's largest trading areas. The agreement, previously approved by Brazil's Congress, will begin to take effect gradually from May 1.
* U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed his administration to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran as the ceasefire remains in place amid stalled talks, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. officials.
* A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called on parties in the Middle East conflict to strive for the early restoration of stability in the region.
* Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said on Tuesday that GCC states have rejected Iran's illegal measures to close the Strait of Hormuz and obstruct navigation through the waterway. The statement was made at the 19th Consultative Meeting of GCC leaders held in Saudi Arabia's port city of Jeddah on Tuesday.
* Israel views the extension of the current ceasefire through mid-May as the final window for reaching a permanent agreement with Lebanon, state-owned Kan TV reported Tuesday, citing Israeli officials.
* The Kremlin said Tuesday that Ukraine had targeted oil storage facilities with reserves designated for export in a recent drone attack, warning that the strike would worsen shortages in global oil markets.
* The World Bank predicted Tuesday that energy prices may surge 24 percent in 2026 to their highest level since the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in 2022 due to the war in the Middle East, while overall commodity prices are projected to increase 16 percent.
* The Swedish government on Tuesday issued an early warning over the risk of aviation fuel shortages amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, said reports from the Swedish capital Stockholm.
* South Africa on Tuesday announced an extension of temporary fuel levy relief measures to cushion households from rising fuel prices following the Middle East conflict.
* Spain's Vice-President and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo on Tuesday warned that the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran could shave between 0.4 and 1.0 percent off the country's GDP in 2026, while pushing inflation higher.
* Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday launched the groundbreaking ceremony for 13 second-phase downstreaming projects across the country, with the main event held in Cilacap, Central Java.
* Malaysia is eyeing some 30 billion USD in green investments over the next decade, Malaysian Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Abdul Rahman Mohamad said on Tuesday.
* Thailand's economy is projected to expand 1.6 percent in 2026, down from 2 percent seen earlier, supported by domestic and external demand despite pressures from global geopolitics and energy prices, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday.
* Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Singapore rose 8.4 percent year on year to 197 billion Singapore dollars (about 154.3 billion USD) in 2025, driven largely by higher equity capital, official data showed on Tuesday.
* Australia's rate of inflation rose to its highest level in over two years in March as a result of record fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said on Wednesday.
* Bangladesh reached a historic milestone in its energy sector on Tuesday afternoon when unit 1 of its first nuclear power plant began fuel loading.
* The Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) and Poland's Foreign Intelligence Agency on Tuesday conducted a five-for-five prisoner swap at the border of both countries, the KGB said.
* Leaders of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) Commission on Tuesday called for faster implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.
* Israel said Tuesday it had struck and destroyed two Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon, part of what it described as a broader effort to dismantle the group's underground infrastructure near the Israeli border.
* Two Lebanese soldiers were wounded Tuesday when an Israeli airstrike struck an army patrol during a rescue operation in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said.
* Assimi Goita, Mali's transitional president, said Tuesday that operations would continue until all groups involved in the April 25 attacks are neutralized and lasting security is restored across the country.
* Europe suffered record or near-record climate extremes in 2025, with heatwaves, wildfires, marine heat and ice loss intensifying across the continent, the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a report on Wednesday.
