* Two British nationals have been confirmed to have contracted hantavirus, with a third British national suspected of infection on the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday.
* Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of continuing attacks despite a declared ceasefire.
* A Ukrainian drone strike on the administrative building of the Southern Russia Air Navigation branch disrupted operations at 13 airports across southern Russia, the Russian Ministry of Transport said Friday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday met with visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the White House in the wake of their disputes over tariffs.
* Venezuela said Thursday it has removed disused nuclear material from the RV-1 Experimental Reactor at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research, with support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
* The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) visited the country's new destroyer Choe Hyon and ordered that it be handed over to the navy in mid-June, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Friday.
* Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol said on Thursday that the kingdom's firm commitment to eradicate online scam operation centers will ensure a safe and trustworthy atmosphere for both investors and tourists.
* Sri Lanka has arrested over 168,000 suspects in anti-drug operations since October 2025 and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has ordered legal reforms to strengthen the anti-drug campaign, the President's Media Division (PMD) said in a statement on Thursday.
* Russia expects to begin serial production of the MS-21 passenger aircraft in 2027, state-owned technology corporation Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said Thursday.
* The European Union (EU) on Thursday reached a political agreement on the new "digital omnibus on artificial intelligence (AI)." This is a major step, it said, toward simplifying the implementation of the AI Act, while protecting safety, fundamental rights, and public trust.
* The Brazilian government announced Thursday that Brazil will implement a visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens holding valid ordinary passports, starting May 11, 2026.
* Israel and Lebanon will hold a third round of direct talks in Washington next week amid an extended fragile ceasefire, U.S. State Department officials said Thursday.
* Three world-class American destroyers that just transited out of the Strait of Hormuz sustained no damage, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday, urging Iran to quickly sign a deal.
* Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Thursday night the U.S. army attacked two Iranian vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and concurrently carried out airstrikes on civilian areas in southern Iran in cooperation with some regional states.
* Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Thursday night the U.S. army attacked two Iranian vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and concurrently carried out airstrikes on civilian areas in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan and Qeshm Island in cooperation with some regional states.
* Qatar's prime minister on Thursday called on all parties to respond constructively to ongoing mediation efforts aimed at reviving negotiations between the United States and Iran and reaching a lasting peace agreement.
* UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi discussed regional developments and their impact on regional and international security and stability during talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
* UN humanitarians on Thursday urged Israeli authorities to allow Gaza sanitation workers to remove waste from displacement sites and residential areas to Gaza’s designated landfills to mitigate potentially life-threatening risks of fire.
* The United Arab Emirates' air defense systems are responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran, the Ministry of Defense said on Friday.
* Lebanon's Health Ministry said the death toll from Israeli strikes since March 2 has risen to 2,727, with 8,438 wounded.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held a phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
* Malaysia is set to benefit from higher crude oil prices as a net exporter, but rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and supply disruptions in the Gulf could heighten inflationary and fiscal risks, according to analysts.
* International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol warned on Thursday that the global energy markets have entered a period of volatility, promising additional strategic reserve release if supply disruptions continue.
* Global food prices rose in April for the third consecutive month, with vegetable oil prices surging amid supply disruptions tied to the Iran war, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday.
* Cambodia exported a total of 469,909 tonnes of milled rice in the first four months of 2026, up 66 percent from 282,315 tonnes over the same period last year, the Cambodia Rice Federation said in a news release on Thursday.
* Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 0.5 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2026, lower than previous forecast, the Bank of Russia said Thursday.
* The Philippines' gross international reserves (GIR) settled at 104.1 billion USD as of the end of April 2026, according to preliminary data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Thursday.
* Bangladesh's trade deficit in the first three quarters of the current fiscal year 2025-26 (July 2025-June 2026) ballooned over 24 percent year on year to 19.17 billion USD, according to the latest data released by the Bangladesh Bank.
* At least 8 people were killed and 44 others injured on Thursday after a bus originating from Malawi overturned in South Africa's Limpopo Province, local authorities said on Friday.
* Indonesian authorities have launched a rescue operation for about 20 hikers after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday, local officials said.
