* Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Friday agreed in Beijing to hold a China-Canada Economic and Financial Strategic Dialogue in the second half of this year.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to pay a working visit to Istanbul on Saturday, Turkish presidency has announced. In a statement posted on social media platform X, Burhanettin Duran, head of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, said the visit will focus on key items on the bilateral agenda and recent regional developments.
* The White House Office of Management and Budget on Friday released its 2027 budget proposal, featuring defense spending rising to 1.5 trillion USD, alongside major cuts to domestic programs.
* U.S. officials confirmed Friday that two U.S. rescue helicopters involved in the search and rescue efforts for an F-15 fighter jet downed earlier on Friday were struck by Iranian fire, according to U.S. media reports. Crew members aboard the helicopters were unharmed, said an NBC News report, citing a U.S. official.
* Diesel price in Cambodia has more than doubled since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, the Ministry of Commerce said Friday midnight.
* Azerbaijan has dispatched a third batch of humanitarian aid to Iran, the state news agency AZERTAC reported on Saturday.
* Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Saturday that Australia's fuel supply "remains strong" and more petrol is getting to service stations across the country.
* The Romanian government has approved an emergency ordinance to reduce excise duties on diesel and introduced a solidarity tax on exceptional profits in the oil sector, government spokesperson Ioana Dogioiu announced Friday.
* Portugal will apply a new discount on its fuel excise tax starting Monday, as the government moves to cushion the impact of rising energy prices driven by tensions in the Middle East, according to an official order published on Friday.
* The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday that nuclear power plant sites or nearby areas must never be attacked, following a fourth strike near Iran's nuclear power plant.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said regional conflict started by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran has entered a "geostrategic deadlock", during a phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Saturday, according to the Turkish Presidency.
* Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran seeks to secure the terms of a "conclusive and lasting" end to the U.S. and Israeli war imposed on the country.
* As many as 365 U.S. troops have been wounded in action as of Friday since the United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, according to an online update from the Pentagon.
* Iran has authorized the passage of ships carrying essential and humanitarian goods through the Strait of Hormuz to it ports, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday.
* Two bombs from a cluster missile launched from Iran fell around Saturday noon near the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News and other media outlets reported.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Saturday that it had hit an Israel-linked vessel with a drone, setting it on fire. The IRGC Navy said in a post on social media platform X that it hit the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
* The Jordan Armed Forces said on Saturday that its air defense systems intercepted the vast majority of missiles and drones targeting the kingdom during five weeks of heightened military escalation in the region.
* Iraqi authorities announced Saturday the suspension of trade and passenger movement at the southern Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran following a strike that left one person dead and five others injured.
* Hamas on Friday called for the start of work of a transitional Palestinian administrative committee to manage the Gaza Strip and implement the provisions of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
* World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday in a social media post that urgent support is needed for the health systems of five countries affected by the conflict in the Middle East - Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
* At least 61 people were killed, 116 others injured, and four others went missing in recent rain-triggered accidents across Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Afghan government, announced on Saturday.
* Flooding in Demak regency, Indonesia's Central Java province, has forced around 3,000 residents to evacuate, with one person reported missing, the country's National Disaster Management Agency said on Saturday.
