*The Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil recently held a solemn ceremony in Brasilia to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (May 8, 1989-2019).
*The US has announced it will deploy additional Patriot missiles to the Middle East after US officials said intelligence indicates Iran and its proxies could be planning to threaten US forces and interests in the Middle East.
*Indonesian police have recaptured more than 100 inmates who managed to escape from an Indonesian jail on Sumatra island.
*Australia's central bank sharply downgraded forecasts for growth and inflation on Friday. The economy is seen slowing sharply to 1.75% in June from a year earlier, before picking up to 2.75% through to mid-2021.
*Mexico is going to be self-sufficient in the production of gasoline in May of 2022, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday, as the country will invest US$1.4 billion in upgrading six oil refineries.
*The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, dismissed on Wednesday the Board of Directors of Sonangol-EP, led by Carlos Saturnino.
*IAF fighter jets on Friday intercepted a Georgian An-12 aircraft flying from Tbilisi to Delhi via Karachi and forced it to land at the Jaipur airport after the plane entered the Indian air space.
*Four people including three women were killed on the spot with 15 others injured in a truck accident in Myanmar's Kayin state.
*Ten Taliban gunmen were killed in an air raid conducted by NATO forces in Paktika province, eastern Afghanistan.
*The Maltese government launched a public consultation on Friday on a national strategy to reduce single-use plastics pollution. The draft strategy includes 23 measures aimed at setting the country on the path toward a plastic-free environment by bringing about a cultural and behavioral shift.
