A ceasefire in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo will be extended by 48 hours beginning at 1 am on May 10, state news agency SANA said on May 9, quoting the Syrian military high command.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said it would strengthen its defensive nuclear weapons capability, the official KCNA news agency reported on May 9, a decision adopted in defiance of UN resolutions at a rare congress of its ruling Workers' Party.

The ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) Plus Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise, which is co-hosted by the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), is underway in Singapore and Brunei from May 2-12.

An air strike by a US-led coalition killed a senior Islamic State official in Iraq last week, a Pentagon spokesman said on May 9.

Myanmar state advisor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi and Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai vowed to promote the countries’ relations in all sectors during their meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on May 9. 

Rodrigo Duterte, a candidate of the PDP-Laban political party, is taking an early lead in the presidential election in the Philippines, according to the local media’s unofficial statistics.

Russia on May 9 showcased its military hardware in a parade to commemorate victory over the Nazis in World War Two.

Filipinos police said seven people were shot dead and one injured when a convoy of vehicles was ambushed on May 9 just a few hours before polls opened for the Philippines’ national election. 

Senior officials from ASEAN member nations and the group’s partners, including the US, Russia, Japan, China, and the European Union met at the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials' Meeting (ARF SOM) Luang Prabang, Laos on May 8.

Polling stations across the Philippines opened at 6 AM on May 9 for millions of Filipinos to cast their votes selecting a new President and other congressional and local positions.