* The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday debated the use of veto power in the Security Council, just ahead of the second anniversary of a special measure implemented to oversee its application.
* The United Nations unveiled the Climate Promise 2025 initiative on Tuesday, a concerted global effort to prevent temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius as stipulated in the Paris Agreement.
* Cambodia and Laos on Tuesday vowed to boost their bilateral relations and regional cooperation for the benefit of the two countries and peoples, said a news release from the Cambodian prime minister's spokesperson unit. The commitment was made during a meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and visiting Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith at the Peace Palace in the capital Phnom Penh.
* Indonesia president-elect Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday vowed to fight for all Indonesians and called for unity among political elites to take the country forward, as he seeks to strengthen his parliamentary clout ahead of taking office in October.
* Italy's cabinet approved a bill on Tuesday aimed at laying down ground rules for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), earmarking investment in the sector and setting sanctions for AI-related crimes, ministers said.
* Newly installed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa announced a package of reforms on Tuesday aimed at strengthening the Palestinian Authority (PA) amid increased global pressure for a revival of political dialogue with Israel.
* Russia will intensify attacks on logistics centers and storage facilities of Western weapons in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.
* NATO exercises starting on April 26 in Finland and in close proximity to the Russian-Finnish border are provocative in nature, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told RIA state news agency in remarks published on Wednesday.
* NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that he expected the United States would remain a "strong and staunch" NATO ally, regardless of whoever won this year's U.S. Presidential election.
* The Ukrainian state-run energy company Ukrenergo said Tuesday that it will introduce power supply restrictions to businesses and industry due to electricity shortages caused by Russian missile attacks.
* The U.S. military called on Iraq's government on Tuesday to take steps to safeguard American troops in both Iraq and Syria after failed attacks a day earlier by Hezbollah group.
* Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday, a long-awaited trip to Berlin the British leader hopes will deepen security cooperation after he announced London's move to increase defence spending.
* Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov and his British counterpart David Cameron signed a declaration on comprehensive cooperation on Tuesday.
* Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday for a brief state visit aimed at strengthening ties, during which he will also open a $514-million hydropower project.
* Bangladesh and Qatar on Tuesday signed five agreements and five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday criticized the European Union's recent decision to expand sanctions on Tehran.
* Qatar is undergoing reassessment of its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas in the ongoing Gaza conflict due to "campaigns against Qatar," said a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday.
* More than a million residents in the Gaza Strip have lost their homes and 75 percent of the population in the Palestinian coastal enclave have been displaced since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict 200 days ago, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.
* The growing burden of public debt due to climate-related disasters and the shrinking fiscal space because of increasing financing needs have put Africa at a crossroads, Claver Gatete, executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), has said.
* The German government plans to resume cooperation with the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) in Gaza, the foreign and development ministries said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
* Israel has ordered new evacuations in the Beit Lahia area of northern Gaza, describing it as a "dangerous combat zone", Israel's army spokesperson said on Tuesday.
* Indonesia implemented a transitory residence permit policy, known as a bridging visa, which allows foreigners to extend their residence permits without having to leave the archipelago country, an official said on Tuesday.
* Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu will carry out the Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceflight mission, and Ye will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
* South Korea's births kept falling in February, fueling worry about a continued slide in the Asian country's population, statistical office data showed Wednesday.
* Argentina's economic activity decreased 3.2% in February from a year earlier, the country's official statistics agency said on Tuesday.
* Colombia expects to attract $10 billion in foreign investment from Europe this year, especially in renewable energy, Finance Minister Ricardo Bonilla said during a visit to London.
* Ireland is set to deliver a budget surplus this year of 8.6 billion euros, or 2.8% of national income, in line with forecasts and allowing most excess cash to be invested in a new wealth fund, the finance ministry said on Tuesday.
* Australia's annual rate of inflation has fallen to 3.6 percent, according to official figures published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday.
* Pakistan's Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that the country's economy is moving in the right direction, highlighting the government's commitment to robust economic growth and comprehensive social development.
* Greece reported on Monday a better-than-expected primary budget surplus of 1.9 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) last year. Its primary surplus in 2023 totaled 4.01 billion euros (4.29 billion USD), according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
* Slovenia's consumer sentiment has reached the highest level since February 2022, encouraged by improved expectations regarding the economic outlook, latest figures show.
* Myanmar plans to cultivate over 15 million acres of monsoon paddy in fiscal year 2024-25, with an increase of over 8,000 acres from the previous year, a Department of Agriculture official said on Tuesday.
* Thailand welcomed 1.92 million foreign tourist arrivals during the extended Songkran festival between April 1-21, a surge of 37.54 percent over a year earlier, giving a boost to the country's vital tourism industry, official data showed on Tuesday.
* Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall struck Finland's capital Helsinki on Tuesday, disrupting commuter traffic, tram operations and flight schedules.
