World

Sixty-six members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have adopted an e-commerce agreement, establishing a legal framework to facilitate faster and more seamless online transactions.

The inaugural meeting of the Lao government's 10th-term cabinet opened on Monday to address key national priorities, focusing on delivering tangible results in response to mounting economic and fuel pressures.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said the visit of the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, to Russia remains on the agenda, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Sunday described the latest visit of a Russian parliamentary delegation to the United States as "very significant."

The conflict in the Middle East shows no signs of easing. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, numerous oil and gas facilities in the region have suspended operations, and countries are scrambling to secure alternative supplies, tap into strategic reserves, and even resort to improvised measures to stabilise their domestic energy markets.

Mongolian parliament voted on Friday to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar. A total of 74 percent of the 73 lawmakers present at the plenary session of the 126-seat unicameral parliament voted in favor of approving his resignation.

Escalating conflict in the Middle East has caused immeasurable human and material losses, leaving regional security hanging by a thread and triggering large-scale, unsafe irregular migration flows. As a result, Europe once again finds itself on edge.

Representatives from the Lao government, private sector and international organizations convened to review Laos' macroeconomic assessment in 2025 and its outlook for 2026, highlighting persistent challenges that may impact the country's economic growth.

The newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) secured a landslide victory in Nepal’s recent parliamentary election, injecting fresh vitality into the South Asian nation’s politics after profound upheaval. New leaders now face both high expectations and pressures as a comprehensive test of their governance, substantive reforms, and social stability.

The European Union (EU) and Australia have announced the conclusion of negotiations and the signing of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA). This rather unexpected announcement has been warmly welcomed by people across Europe and Oceania, who have waited nearly a decade for a firm handshake between the two continents in the field of trade.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged the United States and Israel to end the war against Iran and called on Iran to stop attacking its neighbors.

Amid increasingly extreme climate conditions, the agenda of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) continues to draw significant global attention. At the forefront is the urgent need to find effective solutions to save island nations facing the risk of disappearance.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief on Tuesday reiterated his call for maximum restraint following a fresh attack on Iran's nuclear facility.

Japan will start releasing oil from state reserves on Thursday, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said Tuesday, as concerns over supply mount amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The first session of the 10th Lao National Assembly elected Sonexay Siphandone, a member of the Political Bureau of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, as prime minister on Monday.

Bolivia will deploy around 250,000 personnel to ensure transparency and security in the subnational elections scheduled for Sunday, in which more than 7.4 million citizens are eligible to vote.

A group of eight Vietnamese workers encountered a sea accident triggered by large waves in Japan’s Fukui prefecture on March 21, leaving one person dead, three missing and one injured receiving treatment in hospital, and three others rescued unharmed, reported the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that the next meeting aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict would take place in the United States on Saturday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged the United States and Israel to end the war, and pressed for diplomacy to replace military action.

Anutin Charnvirakul, a candidate from the Bhumjaithai Party, was re-elected Thailand's prime minister after securing a simple majority in a vote cast by the House of Representatives on Thursday.