* Han Duck-soo, Republic of Korea's former prime minister, on Friday announced his presidential run after stepping down on the previous day.
* China's commerce ministry said on Friday that the country is making assessment as the United States has recently reached out to convey messages to China through relevant parties many times, expressing hope to engage in talks with China over tariff issues.
* Japan's central bank on Thursday cut its economic and inflation projections for fiscal 2025 and kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged as it continues to gauge the impact of U.S. tariffs on the economy.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday she had a "very positive" telephone call with her U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, during which they agreed to continue working together to improve the trade balance and address pending issues.
* UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, reaffirming his country's support to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
* U.S. President Donald Trump restarted blackmail against Iran on Thursday, saying any country or person that buys oil or petrochemicals from Iran would face immediate U.S. sanctions, after the indirect talks between the two countries were postponed.
* Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Thursday that the fourth round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, scheduled for Saturday in Rome, has been postponed at the mediator Oman's proposal.
* A Ukrainian drone strike hit a crowded market in the town of Aleshki in Kherson region on Thursday, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 20 others, local authorities said.
* Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a revised 10-year energy plan aimed at saving up to 17 billion USD by excluding high-cost power generation projects and restructuring the country's electricity market, the Prime Minister's Office said on Thursday.
* The Bangladeshi interim government has announced plans to establish a free trade zone (FTZ) in the country. According to a media release from the Chief Adviser's Office, a national committee has been formed to explore the establishment of such an FTZ within a year, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported Wednesday.
* The Afghan interim government promised on Thursday to spare no efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in the field of agriculture and livestock products.
* Kenya has submitted its Second Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, outlining its roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change from 2031 to 2035, a senior official said.
* The United Nations relief agency on Thursday called for immediate emergency assistance to support 45,000 people affected by flooding across Somalia.
* The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has officially commenced the phased withdrawal of its military mission in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as SAMIDRC, as of April 29, according to a statement released on Thursday.
* The tenth batch of emergency humanitarian aid supplies dispatched by the Chinese government was handed over to Myanmar on Friday in Yangon, Myanmar. The aid supplies included 18,000 tons of diesel oil. Yangon Region Chief Minister U Soe Thein accepted them in Yangon.
* Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu announced that 150,000 expatriates have completed biometric registration, which includes capturing 10 fingerprints and facial recognition photographs, said the President's Office on Thursday.
* The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Lebanon issued a joint statement Thursday highlighting their shared commitment to deepening bilateral relations and enhancing regional cooperation during the first official visit of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the UAE
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Jerusalem on Thursday that defeating Hamas is Israel's main goal and takes precedence over securing the release of the hostages still held in Gaza.
* Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Thursday strongly condemned fresh U.S. sanctions on individuals and entities in Iran and other countries on the pretext of cooperating with Tehran in different areas, calling them a clear sign of U.S. attempts at "economic terrorism."
* Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz sent a stern message to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday, vowing harsh responses if clashes with the Druze minority continue in Syria.
* NASA announced Thursday that its SPHEREx space observatory has officially begun science operations, marking a major step toward uncovering new insights into the origins of the universe, the evolution of galaxies, and the building blocks of life in the Milky Way.
* Britain recorded its hottest May 1st this year, the Met Office announced on social media platform X on Thursday, as the temperature at Kew Gardens in London reached 28 degrees Celsius and is continuing to rise. The Met Office noted that the previous May 1 record was 27.4 degrees Celsius, set in 1990 at Lossiemouth, Scotland.
* Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned on Thursday that the Southeast Asian country is entering the dry season, which could bring extreme heat and an increased risk of forest fires.
