* South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has secured about 40 percent of votes with over 99 percent of ballot counting completed in the country's general elections, the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC) results showed on Saturday. However, for the first time, the ruling party fell below the 50 percent needed to maintain its 30-year-old unchallenged majority in the National Assembly.
* The African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to South Africa's 2024 national and provincial elections has disclosed that the elections were conducted in a peaceful manner despite a tense political environment.
* As World Environment Day approaches, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has delivered a message to the nation, emphasizing the need for heightened awareness and collaboration to safeguard natural resources and protect the environment.
* Russia fired 53 missiles and 47 Shahed drones at Ukraine's critical infrastructure overnight Saturday, said the Ukrainian Air Force. It added that 46 drones and 35 missiles were intercepted.
* Russia and Ukraine have each exchanged 75 prisoners who were captured during their ongoing conflict, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
* Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy arrived in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue conference on Saturday, where he planned to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and discuss support for his embattled country in an address to delegates.
* Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland issued a joint statement in Stockholm on Friday, pledging continued support for Ukraine.
* The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Prague on Friday that he has proposed a multi-year financial commitment for Ukraine and urged NATO allies to share the burden equitably.
* Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Friday condemned new sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) on a number of Iranian officials and entities.
* A meeting between U.S., Egyptian and Israeli officials is scheduled to take place on Sunday in Cairo to discuss the reopening of the Gaza's Rafah crossing, a high-level source told Egypt's state-linked Al Qahera TV.
* Indonesia's president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, said on Saturday that his country was willing to send peacekeeping troops to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza if required.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday there would be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas' military and governing capabilities were destroyed.
* More than 36,379 Palestinians have been confirmed killed and 82,407 have been injured in the Israeli military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
* An Israeli pilotless plane was shot down over Lebanese territory by a surface-to-air missile on Saturday, Israel's military said, and Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the interception.
* UN aid chiefs warned on Friday that millions of Sudanese face famine amid intense fighting and access denials.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday highlighted the achievements of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) after the Security Council decided to renew its mandate for the last time.
* India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth during the previous financial year from April 2023 to March 2024 recorded a jump of nearly 1.2 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the federal Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation on Friday.
* South Korea's export grew for the eighth consecutive month in May due to strong global demand for locally-made tech products and automobiles, government data showed Saturday.
* Standard & Poor's (S&P) on Friday cut its long-term sovereign credit ratings on France to "AA-" from "AA" over the increasing budget deficit, making it the second of the three major world rating agencies to do so.
* Italian gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3 percent in the first three months of this year compared with the previous quarter, the country's National Statistics Institute (ISTAT) said Friday.
* Canada's real gross domestic product (GDP) was essentially unchanged in March, following a 0.2 percent increase in February, Statistics Canada said Friday.
* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board has approved a new four-year arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility for Ecuador, with access equivalent to $4 billion, the IMF said on Friday.
* Myanmar earned 967 million USD from the manufactured goods export between April 1 and May 24 of the current fiscal year 2024-25, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Friday.
* Astronomers using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have found what appears to be the most distant known galaxy, according to NASA. This galaxy first formed less than 300 million years after the big bang.
* Russia's Progress MS-27 cargo spacecraft has docked with the International Space Station (ISS) after a two-day flight, said the country's state space corporation Roscosmos on Saturday.
* Bangladesh on Saturday launched a countrywide campaign to distribute Vitamin A-plus capsules to around 22 million children between six months and five years old.
* A record temperature registered this week for the capital New Delhi of 52.9 degree Celsius (127.22 Fahrenheit) was too high by 3 C, the Indian government said on Saturday, blaming a weather sensor error.
* A volcano in Indonesia's eastern island of Halmahera erupted on Saturday spewing a five-km (3-mile) high ash cloud, the country's volcanology agency (PVMBG) said, while its disaster agency warned of potential flash floods and cold lava flow.
