* Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas on Thursday informed the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party's board of his decision to resign. According to the Baltic News Service (BNS), the announcement comes ahead of a planned vote by the party's executive board on Thursday.
* A Republic of Korean court issued a warrant to arrest former President Yoon Suk-yeol to forcibly bring him in for questioning over allegations of election meddling, a special counsel team said Thursday.
* Cambodia on Thursday called on Thailand to release 20 Cambodian soldiers that it captured after a ceasefire took effect, said a Cambodian defense spokesperson. Speaking in a press briefing, Cambodian Defense Ministry's Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson, Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, said the Thai soldiers took 21 Cambodian soldiers under control on July 29 at 7:30 a.m. local time.
* Laos has officially launched its Digital Citizen Management and Identity Card System, believed to be a major milestone in the country's digital transformation journey.
* The high-level international conference for the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution concluded its general debate on Wednesday.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday that Canada plans to recognize the State of Palestine in September. According to a statement issued by the prime minister's office, Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly because prospects for a two-state solution have been steadily and gravely eroded.
* China and the United States should respect each other's core and major interests, and avoid falling into confrontation and conflict, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday with a delegation of the Board of Directors of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC).
* The UN nuclear watchdog reported on Wednesday that nuclear conditions remained stable at facilities along Japan's Pacific coast and at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), following a powerful earthquake off Russia's east coast.
* Russian troops have taken control of the militarily strategic town of Chasov Yar in the eastern Donetsk region, the Russian defense ministry announced Thursday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that Washington has reached a "full and complete" trade deal with the Republic of Korea, setting 15 percent tariffs on its exports.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that India's exports to the United States will face a 25 percent tariff starting August 1, according to a post on Truth Social.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order implementing an additional 40 percent tariff on Brazilian goods, bringing the total tariff amount to 50 percent, the White House said in a fact sheet.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that the United States and Pakistan have reached a deal featuring bilateral cooperation in developing Pakistan's oil reserves.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a proclamation to address the effects of copper imports, imposing universal 50 percent tariffs on imports of semi-finished copper products and copper-intensive derivative products, effective on Aug. 1.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order suspending duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value shipments. Effective on Aug. 29, imported goods sent through means other than the international postal network that are valued at or under 800 USD and that would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption will be subject to all applicable duties.
* The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged at 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent, though it faces stark pressure and harsh criticism from the Trump administration.
* Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev held talks on Wednesday with his Uzbek counterpart, Bakhtiyor Saidov, who arrived in Kyrgyzstan on an official visit.
* Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday welcomed Britain's intention to recognize a Palestinian state in September if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, calling it a step toward advancing the two-state solution.
* President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the continued, unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the enclave, state-run news agency WAM reported.
* The casualty toll continues to mount among aid-seeking Palestinians and even some relief providers in Gaza despite the Israeli military tactical pause, UN humanitarians said Wednesday.
* Yemen's Houthi group said in a televised statement late Wednesday that it launched five drones toward three Israeli military targets earlier in the evening.
* Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met Wednesday with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto in Cairo and discussed military cooperation and efforts toward a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
* Israel has rejected three of Hamas's proposed changes to the Gaza ceasefire deal, according to Egyptian sources on Wednesday.
* Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Wednesday rejected calls for the group to disarm, insisting its weapons are solely for confronting Israel, not for internal use.
* Türkiye will begin providing natural gas to Syria on Saturday via a pipeline through the southern Kilis province, as part of a project involving partnerships with Azerbaijan and Qatar, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Wednesday.
* The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized rate of 3 percent in the second quarter, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday, surpassing economists' expectations.
* The Russian economy has developed a degree of resilience to Western sanctions after years of operating under such restrictions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
* China's gaming market saw its actual sales revenue reach a record high of 168 billion yuan (about 23.5 billion USD) in the first half of 2025, up 14.08 percent year on year, according to the ongoing China International Digital Entertainment Industry Conference (CDEC) Summit Forum in Shanghai.
* The Eurozone's gross domestic product (GDP) rose slightly by 0.1 percent in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by Eurostat, the European Union's (EU) official statistics office. Across the broader EU, economic output increased by 0.2 percent quarter-on-quarter.
* Malaysia's micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.8 percent in 2024, contributing 652.4 billion ringgit (153.42 billion USD) in value added, or 39.5 percent of Malaysia's GDP, official data showed Thursday.
* Italy's economy shrank by 0.1 percent in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, Italy's national statistics agency ISTAT said on Wednesday, citing preliminary estimates.
* Lithuania's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 20.5 billion euros (23.5 billion USD) in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, marking a 3 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to official statistics released on Wednesday.
* Tajikistan's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to slow to 7 percent in 2025, 4.9 percent in 2026, and 4.7 percent in 2027, down from 8.4 percent in 2024, according to the World Bank's annual Tajikistan Economic Update released Wednesday.
* The Bank of Canada on Wednesday maintained its target for the policy rate at 2.75 percent. According to the central bank, the country's GDP rose in the first quarter of 2025 due to a pull-forward in exports to get ahead of tariffs, but it likely declined by about 1.5 percent in the second quarter, mostly due to a sharp reversal in exports following the pull-forward, as well as lower U.S. demand.
* Germany's cabinet on Wednesday approved the federal budget draft for 2026, marking the second consecutive year of record-high investment as the government aims to modernize infrastructure and bolster national security.
* New Zealand was reopening petroleum exploration after passing the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill, Resources Minister Shane Jones announced Thursday.
* Malaysia's total population in 2025 was estimated at 34.2 million, compared to 34.1 million in 2024, official data showed Thursday. The citizen population increased from 30.7 million in 2024 to 30.9 million in 2025, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement.
* The population of England and Wales rose by 1.2 percent, or 706,900 people, in the year to June 2024, the second-largest increase in over 75 years, mainly fueled by international migration, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Wednesday. The population during the period reached an estimated 61.8 million, according to ONS data.
* Germany's cabinet on Wednesday approved the federal budget draft for 2026, marking the second consecutive year of record-high investment as the government aims to modernize infrastructure and bolster national security.
* The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will provide 1.2 million USD in financial support to promote the digitalization of Cote d'Ivoire's rice sector, a FAO official said Tuesday.
* An estimated 80,000 children are at high risk of cholera as the rainy season begins across West and Central Africa, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday.
* A total of 39 wildfires are currently active across Portugal, including nine major blazes stretching from the north to the south of the country, the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) reported on Wednesday.
* The recent intense rainstorms have left a total of 44 people dead and nine others missing in Beijing, China, according to a press conference on Thursday.
* 43 people have lost their lives and 116 others sustained injuries across Nepal since the monsoon season started in late May, a government agency said.
* A total of 10,395 people from 2,298 households were evacuated to 24 temporary rescue shelters due to flooding in Hpa-an township of Kayin state, the state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television reported on Wednesday night.
