* Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday declared April 21, the day of parliamentary elections, and the day after as a public holiday.
* Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked all ministries to propose annual goals for their departments for the next five years, according to a government document, underlining his confidence of winning a general election starting next month.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said late on Tuesday that he will consider China for his first overseas trip during his new presidential term that he secured in weekend election.
* China and Australia should be partners rather than rivals, as the two countries enjoy all-round and multi-field relations, and their common interests far outweigh their differences, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Canberra on Wednesday.
* The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) oversaw a ground jet test of multi-stage solid-fuel engine for an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Wednesday. The test, conducted on Tuesday morning and afternoon, was a "great success," KCNA said.
* The Republic of Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for deeper defence ties with the United Kingdom on Wednesday as he met the visiting British deputy prime minister, with the two countries also kicking off a new round of trade negotiations this week.
* Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal welcomed an interim EU deal on farm imports as "good news" on Wednesday, saying it would allow Ukraine to support its producers and maintain its export levels.
* The Kremlin, commenting on a visit by NATO head Jens Stoltenberg to the South Caucasus region, said on Tuesday that the bloc's efforts to expand its presence in the area were unlikely to help bring stability.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Council President Charles Michel held phone talks over Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union (EU), Zelensky's press service reported Tuesday.
* Estonia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday declared a member of the Russian embassy staff persona non grata. The ministry said that it had summoned the Russian charge d'affaires to formally hand in a diplomatic note on the expulsion.
* Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called on NATO allies on Tuesday to increase their defence spending to over 3% of gross domestic product (GDP).
* The Philippines and the European Union (EU) resumed negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) on Monday, the Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced Tuesday.
* New Zealand is saving an additional 46 million NZ dollars (27.81 million USD) of tariff in the European Union (EU) market this season for Kiwifruit and onion exporters, by ratifying the New Zealand-EU Free Trade Agreement (NZ-EU FTA) months earlier than expected.
* Russia formally accepted the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on Monday, bringing this agreement closer to entering into force.
* Israel's military said on Wednesday it had killed around 90 gunmen and arrested 160 in a raid on Gaza's Al Shifa hospital.
* U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the Middle East on Wednesday for his sixth visit since the start of Israel's war with Hamas to push for a deal to secure a temporary pause in fighting and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
* Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Wednesday said it was vital for a pause in fighting between Israel and militant group Hamas to enable the release of hostages in Gaza, but a lot of conditions first needed to be met for a lasting ceasefire.
* Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid for Gaza may amount to a starvation tactic that could be a war crime, the United Nations human rights chief said on Tuesday.
* The director of Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms that delivered 200 tonnes of food aid to Gaza this week said he is determined to keep the deliveries going despite the significant danger to his team from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
* U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said he visited Damascus on Tuesday to restart talks focused on fostering confidence in the peaceful use of atomic energy by Syria.
* Unidentified youths shot dead 15 people in South Sudan's Pibor region, including its commissioner, a senior official said on Wednesday, in the latest flare-up of violence in the country.
* Yemen's Houthis targeted a fuel tanker, MADO, in the Red Sea with naval missile and Israel's Eilat port and resort region with winged missiles, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Tuesday.
* Every major global climate record was broken last year and 2024 could be worse, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday, with its chief voicing particular concern about ocean heat and shrinking sea ice.
* The Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Tuesday decided to end its negative interest rate policy in its first rate hike in 17 years, marking a major shift away from the long-running monetary easing that Japan has seen over the past decade to put an end to deflation.
* The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday said it had reached a staff level agreement with Pakistan, which if approved by its board, will disburse $1.1 billion for the indebted South Asian economy also saddled with a balance of payment crisis.
* Bangladesh's current account surplus increased significantly to more than 3 billion USD from July 2023 to January this year under the current 2023-24 fiscal year ending in June.
* The growing burden of oral diseases in Africa can be curbed by investing in hygiene education, human resources and robust clinical interventions, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday, ahead of World Oral Health Day which falls on Wednesday.
* The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has called for urgent support from the international donor community as millions suffer from acute food insecurity in East Africa.
* The New Zealand government said on Wednesday it will ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, increase fines on retailers that sell to those younger than 18 years old and better regulate retailers.
* Japan welcomed 2.79 million visitors in February, a record for the month and the most for any month since the COVID-19 pandemic, official data showed on Tuesday.
