Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 14 expressed Israel's "dismay" to Russian President Vladimir Putin at Russia's decision to lift a self-imposed ban on supplying S-300 missiles to Iran.

President Barack Obama told Congress on April 15 he intends to remove Cuba from a US list of state sponsors of terrorism, clearing the main obstacle to restoring diplomatic relations and reopening embassies shut for more than half a century.

US President Barack Obama stops short of fully endorsing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton-just one day after she announced her White House bid.

On April 13, Ukraine's military accused pro-Russian rebels of using heavy weapons that were meant to have been withdrawn under a ceasefire deal, after one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and six wounded in rebel-held territories.

Republican Marco Rubio presented himself as the leader of a new political generation and the most viable alternative to Democrat Hillary Clinton as he entered the 2016 White House race on April 13 and drew a contrast with his mentor and expected opponent Jeb Bush.

The World Bank cut its 2015 growth forecasts for developing East Asia and China, and warned of "significant" risks from global uncertainties including the potential impact from a strengthening dollar and higher US interest rates.

Hillary Clinton cast herself as a champion for everyday Americans on April 12, kicking off her long-awaited second run for the White House with a vow to fight for a level playing field for those recovering from tough economic times.

In the first meeting of its kind in nearly 60 years, US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro sat down together for over an hour on April 11 at a regional summit in Panama, moving a step closer to restoring diplomatic ties.

Pro-government forces repelled an attack on a key Syrian military airport by Islamic State group affiliated militants, losing 20 fighters but killing almost as many jihadists, a monitor said on April 11.

Gunmen in Pakistan killed 20 laborers as they slept early on April 11, a government official said, in what appeared to be the latest violence by separatist rebels battling for control of resources in gas- and mineral-rich Baluchistan province.