* French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou survived a third no-confidence vote in the French National Assembly on Wednesday over the 2025 social security financing bill.
* Efforts to form a coalition government in Austria collapsed on Wednesday after negotiations between the far-right Freedom Party and the conservative People's Party broke down.
* Constantine Tassoulas, former speaker of the Greek Parliament, was elected as the country's new president on Wednesday.
* Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said Wednesday that a new Syrian government will be formed in March, according to the state news agency SANA.
* Republic of Korea's unification ministry said Thursday that it confirmed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) dismantling the reunion center of separated families in the DPRK's Mount Kumgang tourist zone.
* U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday to revamp the foreign service to ensure "faithful and effective implementation" of his foreign policy agenda.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he discussed ways to bring peace to Ukraine in a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump.
* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Wednesday to reaffirm strong trade and economic ties between Canada and the European Union (EU).
* Indonesian Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana on Wednesday reaffirmed the government's commitment to achieving its 2025 targets for the tourism sector, despite recent budget efficiency measures.
* Philippine troops killed a suspected "top" rebel in daylong clashes in Agusan del Norte province in the southern Philippines on Wednesday, the military said.
* The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled its 2025 work programme, prioritizing competitiveness, regulatory simplification, and security while reaffirming its commitment to environmental and social standards.
* Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin, who arrived in Astana for an official visit on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Kazakh presidential press service.
* United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the developments in the Middle East, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Wednesday.
* Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), said on Wednesday that a prisoner-for-hostage exchange deal is the only way to release the Israeli hostages and restore stability, holding Israel responsible for any possible escalation.
* Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that if Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Saturday, "the gates of hell will open upon them."
* Hamas said Wednesday that contacts are underway with mediators to finalize the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
* The media offices of the Lebanese presidency and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday dismissed media reports claiming that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, which falls at the end of March this year.
* Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday strongly criticized the United States for its contradictory policies towards Tehran.
* The Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) announced on Wednesday a new investment of 100 million shekels (27.88 million USD) to support cutting-edge research in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and intelligent integrated sensing and communication (IISAC).
* A Tunisian peacekeeper serving under the United Nations in the Central African Republic was killed near the border with Chad, the Tunisian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.
* The combined trade value of Laos' imports and exports amounted to 16.3 billion USD in 2024, an increase of five percent compared to the figures for 2023.
* India's factory activity growth determined by the index of industrial production (IIP) slowed to 3.2 percent in December 2024, government data showed Wednesday.
* Both U.S. crude oil imports and exports decreased during the week ending Feb. 7, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report released on Wednesday.
* Republic of Korea's tax revenue fell for the second straight year due to higher corporate tax benefits, government data showed Thursday. Tax revenue declined by 7.5 trillion won (5.2 billion USD) over the year to 336.5 trillion won (231.5 billion dollars) in 2024, after diving 51.9 trillion won (35.7 billion dollars) in the previous year, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
* Malaysia's services sector hit a new high of 2.4 trillion ringgit (540 billion USD) in revenue by registering 6.3 percent growth in 2024, official data showed Wednesday.
* South Sudan, in partnership with United Nations agencies, launched the fourth round of the polio vaccination campaign on Wednesday, with the goal of vaccinating 3.47 million children between the ages of 0 and 59 months.
* Authorities have warned that a tropical cyclone moving towards the coast of Western Australia (WA) is rapidly intensifying and expected to bring very destructive winds and heavy rain.
