* The Philippine National Police (PNP) went on full alert on Saturday to ensure a peaceful, fair, and orderly May 12 mid-term elections. The police's full alert status started at 12:01 a.m. local time on Saturday and would continue until 11:59 p.m. local time on May 15.
* Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak submitted his resignation to the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) on Saturday, citing constitutional constraints and obstructions that hampered his reform initiatives.
* The Gabonese government announced Friday night in a statement that the transition period established after the coup of Aug. 30, 2023, officially ends this Saturday with the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.
* An art exhibition will be held in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and promote art exchanges between China and Russia.
* Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has abruptly cut short his official visit to the United States and is returning home after experiencing a sudden medical issue, the country's national broadcaster RTS reported Saturday.
* The U.S. arms buildup on the Korean Peninsula and in the region will be an unwise option to further increase the uncertainty of U.S. mainland security, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Saturday.
* The U.S. State Department has approved an F-16 fighter jet training and sustainment package worth 310 million USD for Ukraine, the Pentagon announced Friday.
* The Ukrainian parliament will vote on ratifying a natural resources agreement with the United States next week, parliament members said on Friday.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. According to PM Mark Carney, their focus “will be on both immediate trade pressures and the broader future economic and security relationship between our two sovereign nations”.
* Pakistan on Saturday conducted a successful training launch of its surface-to-surface "Abdali Weapon System," the military said in a statement.
* U.S. President Trump said on Friday that Harvard University would lose its tax-exempt status, repeating his intent to enlist the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in his feud with the university and upend its finances.
* A group of 174 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrived Friday at Caracas' Maiquetia International Airport, Venezuelan authorities said. The repatriation is part of Venezuela's "Plan Vuelta a la Patria" (Return to the Homeland), a government initiative aimed at reintegrating returning migrants.
* The Trump administration will hold a military parade on June 14, said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a post on social media on Friday.
* Nigeria has introduced a fully digital e-visa system and an automated landing and exit card system as part of major reforms under a new policy.
* Israel on Friday carried out its most intense airstrikes on Syria this year, targeting more than 20 positions in at least six provinces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and state media.
* The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate as the Israeli blockade enters its third consecutive month, severely restricting the entry of food, water, and essential supplies to the coastal enclave, home to over 2 million Palestinians.
* The Maltese government confirmed on Friday evening in a statement that no aircraft or vessel in connection with an attack on the Gaza aid ship "Conscience" entered Maltese airspace or waters at any point in time.
* Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a missile attack towards central Israel, which triggered air raid sirens across Jerusalem earlier in the day.
* Senior Hamas leader Abdul Rahman Shadid confirmed Friday that the movement had presented to mediators a proposal for a comprehensive Gaza peace deal, which includes a five-year truce.
* At least 57 Palestinians, mostly children, have died from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on Oct. 7, 2023, a Palestinian health official said Saturday.
* Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), on Friday cautioned against the still "fragile" situation in southern Lebanon and stressed the importance of maintaining security during the country's upcoming municipal elections.
* At least 30 Palestinians were killed on Saturday in Israeli strikes targeting homes and tents sheltering displaced persons across the Gaza Strip, according to the Civil Defense in Gaza.
* U.S. employers added 177,000 jobs in April as federal government employment continues to decline, with the unemployment rate unchanged at 4.2 percent, the U.S. Labor Department reported on Friday.
* Inflation in the Netherlands climbed sharply in April, exceeding the 4 percent mark for the first time since December last year, driven primarily by higher prices for food and services.
* Global food prices edged higher in April, driven in part by new import tariff policies in the United States, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday.
* Afghanistan has exported 466,000 tons of fruits and dried fruits during the Persian calendar year of 1403 ending on March 20, the office of the acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs said on Saturday.
* Twelve pediatric deaths associated with seasonal influenza virus infection were reported in the United States in the week ending April 26, bringing the season total to 216 pediatric deaths, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.
* A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Gorontalo province on Saturday evening, with no risk of triggering large waves, according to the country's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency.
