* Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she and three of her cabinet members have been put under judicial investigation over the recent release and repatriation of a Libyan general who had been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
* New Zealand on Thursday announced its second international climate target under the Paris Agreement of reducing emissions by 51 to 55 percent by 2035, compared to 2005 levels.
* Kazakhstan is determining a third site for nuclear power plant construction, and a comprehensive plan for the construction of three nuclear power plants will be ready in the second quarter of 2025, Kazakh Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev said on Wednesday at a briefing.
* The 2026 World Cup kicks off in less than 500 days and there is mounting concern that the United States is not ready to welcome the more than 6 million visitors who will flood North America for the tournament, reported the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.
* The European Commission on Wednesday presented the Competitiveness Compass, a strategic blueprint aimed at restoring the European Union (EU)'s economic edge and driving technological leadership as it seeks to close the gap with the United States (U.S.) and China.
* Mexico doubts if Washington will enforce the 25 percent tariff but stands prepared if it does, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday.
* The memberships of the three West African countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have been formally withdrawn from the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), one year after the three junta-led nations jointly declared an intention to exit the regional bloc.
* A Colombian air force plane landed in Bogota Wednesday with 105 Colombian nationals deported from the United States, marking the third flight of its kind this week, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said.
* The Israeli military confirmed on Thursday that Hamas had handed over one of its hostages in the Gaza Strip to the Red Cross. Meanwhile, Palestinian sources in Hamas told Xinhua that the movement will release another two hostages shortly.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday talked over the phone with the presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda to discuss the escalating conflict in the DRC, a UN spokesman said.
* Situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city of Goma is calmer but still tense, with some violence hampering humanitarian operations, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
* Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said he is ready to mediate efforts to end the conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.
* Israel said on Wednesday it would sever all ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) starting on Thursday, accusing the agency of employing Hamas operatives and enabling "terror activity" in Gaza.
* Jordan sent another 16 aid helicopters to Gaza on Wednesday as part of its ongoing efforts to deliver assistance to the coastal enclave.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that no specific message has been sent or received between Iran and the United States regarding the holding of nuclear negotiations.
* Syria's Military Operations Administration announced on Wednesday the appointment of Ahmed al-Sharaa as president during the transitional period, granting him authority to establish an interim legislative council until a permanent constitution is ratified.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Wednesday with a Hamas delegation, which included Muhammad Darwish, head of the Shura Council, Erdogan's office said in a statement.
* Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that the displacement of Palestinians is an act of "injustice," in which Egypt will not participate.
* Ousmane Dione, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa region, announced that the bank is finalizing a rapid damage assessment to support Lebanon's reconstruction efforts.
* The Malian army said it has killed a local terrorist leader operating in central Mali and several other terrorists during operations across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.
* Unidentified armed men shot dead 10 civilians, all members of a same family in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province on Tuesday night, a spokesman for the provincial government Mustaghfar Garbaz said Wednesday.
* The German government on Wednesday lowered its economic growth forecast for 2025, expecting Europe's largest economy to expand by 0.3 percent, instead of the previously projected 1.1 percent. The revision underscores the persistent challenges facing Germany's sluggish economy amid ongoing external and structural pressures.
* The Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 5.6 percent in 2024, below the government's target range of 6 percent to 6.5 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Thursday.
* Russia has harvested 128 million tons of grain in 2024, according to preliminary estimates, local media reported, citing Russian Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut Wednesday.
* Italy's exports reached a record high of 305.2 billion euros (about 317.5 billion USD) last year, the highest total on record, Italy's National Statistics Institute (ISTAT) reported Wednesday.
* The latest export statistics released on Thursday showed the United States had become the second largest export destination for New Zealand goods last year, with a total value of 9 billion NZ dollars, overtaking Australia but remaining behind China.
* The Bank of Canada on Wednesday reduced its target for the policy rate to 3 percent. The central bank said in a news release that it decided to further reduce the policy rate with inflation around 2 percent and the economy in excess supply.
* British Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday that the government will support plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport, a decision that has drawn criticism over its potential impact on the environment.
* Cambodia on Thursday officially launched e-ticket vending machines, allowing tourists to the Angkor Archaeological Park to buy tickets directly from the machines.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday said it has approved a 500-million-USD policy-based loan to support job creation and workforce development in the Philippines.
* NASA said on Wednesday it is working with SpaceX to safely return the agency's stranded astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back home "as soon as practical."
* At least 30 people were killed and 60 others injured during a stampede that took place early Wednesday at the ongoing mega Hindu festival, Maha Kumbh Mela, in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
* Eighteen bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River following the collision of a passenger plane and an Army Blackhawk helicopter near the Reagan National Airport here on Wednesday, local media reported.
* Heavy snowfall is expected to continue through the early morning of Friday in eastern Japan as a strong winter pressure pattern and cold air bring intensified snowfall, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
* Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned that as many as three cyclones could form off the country's north coast within days. According to the BoM's tropical cyclone seven-day forecast, five tropical low storms could develop across northern Australia in the coming days.
