* Amid widespread opposition, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs", imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" and higher rates on certain trading partners.
* US stocks ended higher on Wednesday, as investors were waiting for US President Donald Trump's tariff announcement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 235.36 points, or 0.56 percent, to 42,225.32. The S&P 500 added 37.90 points, or 0.67 percent, to 5,670.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 151.15 points, or 0.87 percent, to 17,601.05.
* Hungary will begin the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing concerns over the court's politicization, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, Gergely Gulyas, said on Thursday.
* Brazil's Congress on Wednesday passed a bill that allows the government to impose reciprocal trade and environmental measures against foreign restrictions, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new 10 percent tariff on all Brazilian imports.
* Governments and industry partners must step up financing for sustainable development to cushion vulnerable communities from poverty, climate crisis, hunger and resource-based conflicts, officials told a forum held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Thursday. Kenya is hosting the Annual Policy Dialogue 2025 on Financing for Sustainable Development themed "Driving Sustainable Futures for All."
* South Africa deported 46,898 illegal migrants during the 2024/25 financial year, the Department of Home Affairs said on Wednesday. The figure marks an 18 percent increase compared to the previous financial year, when 39,672 illegal migrants were deported.
* China sent a new satellite into space on Thursday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China's Shanxi Province. The satellite, Tianping-3A 02, was launched at 10:12 a.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-6 carrier rocket and entered its preset orbit successfully.
* Plastic waste littering Australia's coastlines has declined by 39 percent over the past decade, according to a new study by the country's national science agency on Thursday.
* The 49th UEFA Congress opened Thursday in Belgrade, marking the first time the event has been held in the Serbian capital.
* Nine civilians were killed, and several others wounded in an Israeli airstrike late Wednesday targeting Syria's southern Daraa province, the state-run SANA news agency reported.
