The astronauts of NASA’s Artemis-2 mission expressed awe and called for global unity after completing their record-breaking lunar journey. Speaking at a press conference organized by NASA in Houston, they described Earth as a solitary “lifeboat” in the vast emptiness of space. The crew safely splashed down off the coast of California on Friday, marking the first time in over 50 years that humans have orbited the Moon.

Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, and Christina Koch shared their reflections on the mission’s significance. Koch urged humanity to preserve brotherhood, describing Earth as a calm and steady vessel in the universe. Hansen highlighted the mission’s milestones, noting that Glover was the first Black astronaut, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to orbit the Moon. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the crew for inspiring the world to dream again.

Artemis-2 is the first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis program, aimed at establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon as a step toward deeper space exploration. NASA expects humans to walk on the lunar surface again by 2028.

French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the regional situation and the ceasefire between Iran and the United States. The discussion took place amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, with both leaders emphasizing the need for restraint and adherence to ceasefire agreements.

Macron stated on social media platform X that they first discussed the situation in the Middle East and called on all parties to respect the ceasefire and ensure that it includes Lebanon. He added that both sides urged respect for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and stressed the importance of achieving a strong and lasting diplomatic solution.

The conversation reflects continued diplomatic engagement between France and Turkey over regional security and efforts to prevent further escalation between Iran and the United States.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the upcoming peace talks between the United States and Iran, urging both sides to participate with genuine intent. According to a BBC report, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during a regular UN press briefing that the Secretary-General called on both parties to seize this diplomatic opportunity to move toward a lasting and comprehensive agreement and to reduce tensions.

Dujarric added that dialogue remains the only effective path to avoid conflict and prevent a return to a state of war. Guterres emphasized that there is no alternative to peaceful resolution of international disputes, which must be pursued in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

The UN also confirmed that the Secretary-General’s personal envoy is currently in the region to support ongoing diplomatic efforts.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the upcoming peace talks between Iran and the United States, calling on both sides to participate with goodwill. His spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, conveyed the message during a press briefing at the UN on Friday, emphasizing the importance of using this opportunity to work toward a lasting and comprehensive agreement aimed at easing tensions and preventing renewed conflict.

Dujarric added that the Secretary-General reaffirmed there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of disputes in full compliance with the UN Charter and international law. The UN’s position underscores its continued commitment to diplomatic solutions amid ongoing regional and bilateral strains.

The call comes as both nations prepare for discussions amid complex regional dynamics, including issues related to Iran’s assets and ceasefire efforts in Lebanon, as noted in related reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen very soon, regardless of Iran’s cooperation. He made the remarks on Friday while speaking to reporters before peace talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Pakistan. The strategic waterway has been effectively blockaded by Tehran, causing instability in global energy supplies.

Trump said the United States would open the Gulf region and that other countries were ready to assist. However, he acknowledged that the task would not be easy, emphasizing that the reopening would happen soon. He did not provide details on how Washington plans to remove the blockade but made clear he would not accept the tolls imposed by Iran on the strait.

The statement comes amid complex negotiations in Islamabad, where key issues include Iran’s frozen assets and a Lebanon ceasefire, with the United Nations Secretary-General urging both sides to engage constructively.

A fragile ceasefire between Iran, the United States, and Israel has been announced, but experts caution that oil and gas prices will take months to return to previous levels. During the conflict, Iran restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about 20 percent of global oil and gas exports, causing prices to surge. Attacks on energy infrastructure in several Gulf countries also pushed up helium prices and disrupted fertilizer production, worsening inflation and shortages, particularly in developing nations across Asia and Africa.

Tufts University professor Rockford Wizd said no one knows when conditions will normalize, emphasizing that stability depends on safe and regular shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the conflict, 120 to 140 ships crossed daily, but only five and seven ships passed on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Reports suggested Iran was charging tankers fees, prompting former U.S. President Donald Trump to call for an end to such charges. The IMF’s Kristalina Georgieva warned that global growth forecasts will be lowered next week, even if the ceasefire holds.

Iraq could resume production of 3.5 million barrels per day, which may help reduce prices, but uncertainty over the ceasefire and past attacks keeps its output outlook unclear.

Israel and Lebanon are set to meet in Washington next Tuesday to discuss a possible ceasefire aimed at ending the ongoing conflict involving Hezbollah. The meeting will be mediated by the United States, according to a statement from the office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Representatives from both countries will convene at the U.S. Department of State to determine a date for announcing a ceasefire and initiating direct negotiations.

The arrangement for the talks followed a phone conversation between the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel to the United States and the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon. The discussions are part of broader diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The upcoming meeting signals a potential step toward renewed dialogue between the two nations, though the outcome of the talks remains uncertain.

Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar, stated that the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Israel includes a provision to halt attacks in Lebanon. He questioned why confusion was being created over Lebanon’s inclusion, asserting that it is a clear part of the proposal.

Earlier, the White House had clarified that Lebanon was not included in the two-week ceasefire agreement announced between the United States and Iran. White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt said this during a briefing, noting that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had spoken by phone on Tuesday night. Netanyahu expressed support for the ceasefire efforts and was described as an important partner in the discussions.

The differing statements from Pakistan and the White House highlight uncertainty over the scope of the ceasefire and whether it extends to Lebanon, a point that could affect regional stability if not clarified.

U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Iran of acting in violation of existing international agreements by imposing fees on tankers passing through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump warned that Iran should immediately stop collecting such fees if reports are accurate. The Strait of Hormuz is a key global energy route, carrying about 20 percent of the world’s oil and LNG shipments.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to begin direct talks with Lebanon aimed at disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations. The U.S. State Department is expected to host a meeting in Washington next week to discuss a possible ceasefire. However, Netanyahu told northern Israeli residents that no ceasefire is currently in effect.

Recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have caused heavy casualties, with the Lebanese Health Ministry reporting at least 303 deaths and 1,150 injuries. The World Health Organization warned that evacuation orders in southern Beirut threaten hospitals treating hundreds of patients, calling the situation nearly impossible to manage.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank Group (WBG), and World Food Programme (WFP) issued a joint statement warning that the ongoing war in the Middle East poses a serious threat to global energy markets, food security, and economic growth. The statement, released on Wednesday, said the conflict has already caused one of the largest energy disruptions in modern history, driving up prices of oil, gas, and fertilizer, and disrupting transport systems. These effects are expected to worsen food insecurity and raise prices worldwide.

The organizations cautioned that the heaviest burden will fall on low-income, import-dependent countries with limited fiscal capacity to respond. Rising energy and food prices could further strain economies already struggling with debt, reducing governments’ ability to protect vulnerable households. The IMF, WBG, and WFP said they are closely monitoring the situation and will coordinate all available tools to support affected countries and communities.

The conflict escalated after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, prompting retaliatory strikes by Iran. A two-week ceasefire agreement reached last Tuesday has brought some relief globally.

Meta announced an updated Advanced AI Scaling Framework and a forthcoming Safety & Preparedness Report for its Muse Spark model, emphasizing stronger safety, reliability, and user protections. The new framework expands on the company’s earlier Frontier AI Framework by broadening the range of risks assessed, including chemical, biological, cybersecurity, and loss-of-control scenarios. It also introduces stricter deployment standards and transparency measures through detailed reporting on risk assessments and evaluation results.

The Safety & Preparedness Report for Muse Spark highlights extensive pre-deployment testing across thousands of scenarios to identify weaknesses and ensure safeguards function effectively. Meta evaluated the model’s reasoning capabilities, potential for autonomous behavior, and adherence to safety policies covering violence prevention, child safety, and ideological balance. The company reports that Muse Spark demonstrated strong safeguards and minimal ideological bias.

Meta stated that safety mechanisms are integrated throughout the model’s lifecycle, from data filtering to product-level guardrails. The company’s evolving approach trains models to understand the reasoning behind safety principles, enabling them to handle new situations more effectively while maintaining human oversight and continuous monitoring.

Factory.ai has released its new Factory desktop app, a native interface for managing Droids across software workflows. The app is available immediately on macOS and Windows and supports running multiple Droid sessions simultaneously. Each session maintains its own context, progress, and history, allowing users to manage different tasks such as feature builds or migrations without interruption. The app also introduces persistent Droid Computers that retain installed packages, repositories, and credentials between sessions.

The release expands Factory’s ecosystem with support for both cloud-managed and user-provided machines. Teams can register their own hardware, including GPU-equipped systems, to run local AI models through Factory’s BYOK system, ensuring data remains within secure networks. The desktop app integrates with VS Code, supports AI-native visualizations, and provides a unified interface for monitoring logs, configurations, and system status. It also extends to mobile devices, enabling users to manage sessions remotely.

Factory.ai reports that enterprise adoption of Droids increases significantly when both CLI and desktop interfaces are available, suggesting broader accessibility for non-engineering roles such as designers and product managers.

Cursor has released version 3.0, transforming its platform into a unified workspace for AI coding agents. The update allows developers to run multiple agents simultaneously across local machines, cloud environments, isolated worktrees, and remote SSH sessions. The new Agents Window enables parallel execution and switching between cloud and local setups within the same interface. Cursor also introduced a /best-of-n feature that runs tasks across multiple models in parallel, letting developers compare outputs and select the strongest result.

The company is positioning Cursor 3 as an orchestration layer rather than a traditional AI-enhanced editor. The release reflects a broader industry shift toward platforms that help developers manage, review, and coordinate multiple AI agents efficiently. Cursor’s enterprise focus includes self-hosted cloud agents, audit logs, sandboxed terminal commands, and admin controls, aimed at organizations seeking secure AI integration within their own infrastructure.

Cursor’s approach underscores the growing competition to become the default workspace for AI development. The company’s bet is that developers want a full AI workspace with parallel workflows and enterprise-grade controls, though it remains uncertain whether more agents will lead to better software outcomes.

Former interim government chief adviser and Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus has called on global leaders to take immediate and effective measures to end the ongoing war in the Middle East. In a statement released to the media on Wednesday, he warned that the conflict is pushing an already wounded world toward deeper instability and causing immense suffering for civilians, particularly children.

Dr. Yunus described the war as not merely a regional crisis but a profound moral challenge for all humanity. He said the conflict is heightening global uncertainty and instability, with poor nations bearing the greatest cost as marginalized communities face worsening hardship. He emphasized the urgent need for courage, compassion, and a clear vision to build global unity.

He urged world leaders to act decisively to uphold international law, prioritize diplomatic dialogue over military escalation, and strengthen multilateral cooperation. According to him, humanity must choose peace over war, dialogue over aggression, and unity over division.

Several countries including China, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Oman, Germany, Australia, and others have welcomed the recently announced ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The ceasefire, reportedly lasting two weeks, was described by many governments as a positive step toward easing tensions in the Middle East. Statements of support were issued through official channels and social media, with leaders emphasizing the need for dialogue and restraint.

China’s foreign ministry said it had worked toward lasting peace in the region, while Japan called the truce a positive move and awaited a permanent peace deal. France’s President Emmanuel Macron praised the development but warned that Lebanon’s crisis must also be addressed. The UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to help sustain the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Oman, Germany, and Australia highlighted the importance of diplomatic efforts and thanked mediating nations such as Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

Other nations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Iraq, and New Zealand, echoed calls for compliance with the ceasefire terms and avoidance of provocations. Many expressed hope that the truce would lead to a permanent resolution and regional stability.