* U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order expanding sanctions on the Cuban government.
* Cuba on Friday denounced new U.S. sanctions as "unilateral coercive measures."
* U.S. President Donald Trump told lawmakers on Friday that the war against Iran has "terminated," as the military action -- which was launched without Congressional approval -- has reached a 60-day legal deadline.
* Iran has delivered a new proposal for peace talks with the United States to Pakistan, which is mediating the negotiations, the official IRNA news agency reported Friday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he is "not satisfied" with Iran's latest proposal to end the U.S.-Israeli war with the Middle Eastern country, which is currently under a continuing ceasefire.
* Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Friday urged Iranians to wage an "economic battle" and a "cultural battle" to defeat the country's "enemies," according to a message carried by Iranian media.
* The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier has left the Middle East after taking part in operations against Iran, local media reported Friday, citing a U.S. official. The move leaves two U.S. aircraft carriers in the region: the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush.
* Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and U.S. president's special envoy Steve Witkoff discussed regional developments and the U.S.-Iran negotiations during a phone call on Friday following Iran's new proposal.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday, exchanging views on freedom of navigation and issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
* The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday it has reimposed gathering restrictions in communities along the northern border with Lebanon, citing a security escalation amid continued exchanges of fire with Hezbollah despite a ceasefire.
* Dozens of activists from the Global Sumud flotilla, an international humanitarian convoy bound for Gaza, disembarked on the Greek island of Crete on Friday. The flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Wednesday evening.
* The Pentagon is planning to withdraw about 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, a senior defense official said Friday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's recent remarks on the U.S. war with Iran had been "inappropriate and unhelpful," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was quoted by U.S. media as saying.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to increase tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union (EU) to 25 percent next week.
* U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff threat against the European Union (EU) is unacceptable and shows Washington is an unreliable partner, Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's trade committee, told Xinhua on Friday.
* The European Union (EU) will "keep options open" to protect its interests if the United States takes measures inconsistent with the joint statement between the two sides signed last year on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade, a European Commission spokesperson told Xinhua on Friday.
* Britain's trade with the United States has been notably affected by tariffs levied by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Friday.
* The U.S. administration has bypassed congressional review to offer arms sales worth over 8.6 billion USD to Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
* Spain's Defense Minister Margarita Robles on Friday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to cut American troops from European countries, including Spain, amid disagreements over Washington's military actions against Iran.
* Ecuador on Friday began imposing a 100 percent tariff on all imports from Colombia, escalating trade tensions between the two countries, authorities said. The measure applies to all goods of Colombian origin or shipped from Colombia, based on their customs value.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday that Ukraine is planning to launch a military reform next month, including a significant increase in salaries for frontline personnel.
* Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi said Friday that the provisional launch of a free trade agreement between the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the European Union (EU) could bring more trade and employment after more than 25 years of negotiations.
* Afghan security forces have intercepted a significant cache of smuggled weapons and ammunition in eastern Paktia province, including 10 American-made Beretta pistols, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Saturday.
* Transborder traffic to the United States fell 7 percent year on year to 1.2 million screened passengers in March at Canada's eight largest airports, marking the 14th consecutive month of year-over-year decreases, Statistics Canada said Friday.
* The head of Germany's auto industry association on Friday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to raise tariffs on European car imports, warning the move would place a "serious burden" on transatlantic relations.
* Pakistan's consumer price index (CPI) inflation stood at 10.9 percent year on year in April, up sharply from 7.3 percent in March, official data showed on Friday.
* Russia on Thursday launched its new-generation Soyuz-5 medium-class carrier rocket, marking its maiden launch under the framework of flight development tests, state space corporation Roscosmos said.
* The death toll in central India's boat capsizing rose to 9 on Friday, even as the boat's wreckage was pulled out, confirmed a government official.
* At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured Friday after a tourist bus overturned in the western Mexican state of Nayarit, authorities said.
