* Laos' Ministry of Public Security is enhancing cybersecurity knowledge and skills to build a digitally capable workforce that supports security operations in the digital era.
* The Republic of Korea's government on Thursday saw positive signs of economic recovery on the back of consumption growth that offset lingering uncertainties.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at streamlining regulations and promoting a competitive commercial space industry.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned that Russia would face "very severe consequences" if President Vladimir Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine during their upcoming meeting.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that leaders from Europe and the United States agreed on five principles for the talks with Russia, the Ukrinform news agency reported.
* Ukraine is prepared to discuss a possible aerial ceasefire with Russia, the Ukrainian UNIAN news agency reported Wednesday, citing a senior official.
* German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday stressed that fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be safeguarded in the upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.
* A Ukrainian drone struck the government building in Russia's Belgorod Region on Thursday, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will submit a crime bill and ask Congress for approval to extend the federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department to address crime in the nation's capital.
* South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has denounced the "South Africa 2024 Human Rights Report" issued by the United States as inaccurate and deeply flawed, saying that it fails to reflect the reality of the country's constitutional democracy.
* Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday congratulated the people on the 78th anniversary of national independence, urging unity, economic stability, and commitment to defending national sovereignty.
* Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and visiting Syrian foreign affairs chief Asaad Hassan al-Shibani on Wednesday accused Israel of being one of the main actors behind the recent violence in Sweida, a predominantly Druze province in southern Syria.
* Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Wednesday he has approved the construction of 3,401 housing units for settlers in a particularly controversial area of the occupied West Bank.
* Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday exchanged views on the latest developments in the Caucasus with senior Russian and Armenian diplomats.
* Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir toured army outposts in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, saying the armed forces had adopted "a new strategic concept" aimed at preempting emerging threats.
* The UN Security Council on Wednesday rejected the announcement of the establishment of a parallel governing authority in areas controlled by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
* Seventeen areas of Sudan, including parts of Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, Khartoum and Gezira, have been classified as "at risk of famine," a UN spokesman said Wednesday.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Thursday it has approved a policy-based loan of 500 million USD to strengthen Indonesia's tax system modernization that will enhance tax collection efficiency, improve equity, and maintain fiscal resilience to fund critical public services and long-term development goals.
* Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan have agreed to open trading houses in both countries to strengthen trade and economic cooperation, the press service of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Economy and Commerce said Wednesday.
* Singapore has ordered a recall of a French soft cheese due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Wednesday.
* Russia's GDP grew 1.2 percent in the first half of 2025, according to media reports on Wednesday. The Russian Ministry of Economic Development estimates that the economy grew 1.2 percent year on year in the first half of 2025, TASS news agency reported.
* China has allocated 1.15 billion yuan (about 162 million USD) to support agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation in major grain-producing regions, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.
* Serbia's central bank has lowered its 2025 GDP growth forecast to 2.75 percent from previous projection of 3.5 percent in May, citing a poor agricultural season and reduced investor confidence.
* Moody's Ratings on Wednesday upgraded Pakistan's local and foreign currency issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to Caa1 from Caa2, citing improvements in the country's external and fiscal positions.
* Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) on Wednesday reported a 25 percent rise in total revenues for 2024 and said its assets under management grew 19 percent to 913 billion USD as the sovereign wealth fund continues its drive to diversify the kingdom's economy.
* Higher temperatures are expected on Thursday in western Japan, including areas hit by recent torrential rain, according to the country's weather agency.
* Europe's wildfire season has scorched 439,568 hectares so far this year, more than double the 19-year average for this point in the season, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) said on Wednesday.
* Hungarian health authorities have issued a Level 3 heat alert, the country's highest, for the entire territory from Thursday through Sunday, based on the latest forecast from the national meteorological service HungaroMet.
* The eruption of Klyuchevskoy Volcano, located in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, has ended, leaving behind a new scoria cone in its crater, said the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences on its Telegram channel.
* At least 26 migrants have died and dozens remain missing after two boats capsized near the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, Italian media and the United Nations refugee agency reported Wednesday.
