* Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has reaffirmed the government's commitment to combating narcotic drugs and strengthening nationwide efforts against drug-related challenges.
* Pakistan has facilitated the safe return of 22 Iranian crew members following their interdiction by U.S. authorities, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said on Friday.
* Indonesia's finance ministry will deploy officials to monitor the government's flagship free nutritious meal program as the National Nutrition Agency prepares further budget efficiencies, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Friday.
* Kazakhstan has reduced the gas production at the Karachaganak field following disruptions at the Orenburg gas processing plant in Russia, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on Friday.
* Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), oversaw on Thursday tests of multiple firepower systems in a bid to modernize the country's artillery and missile forces, the official Korean Central News Agency said Friday
* A total of 344 Afghan people were released from Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan this week, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said on Friday.
* Kyrgyzstan received 259.8 million USD in remittances in April 2026, according to data released by the country's National Bank on Thursday.
* The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) plans to channel 13.5 billion USD into projects in its member states under its new 2027-2031 strategy, the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency reported on Thursday.
* Indonesia is seeking to end salt imports by 2027 despite currently importing millions of tonnes each year, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said Thursday.
* U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday in Manama, Bahrain, that the United States will establish a communication system to keep Gulf countries informed of all steps in its negotiations with Iran.
* U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during the joint ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the United States held in Manama on Thursday that the United States intends to build constructive dialogue and seek new agreements with Iran.
* Moldovan Ambassador to Russia Lilian Darii was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday, where the ministry lodged a resolute protest over the "unlawful detention" of Russian diplomatic couriers at the airport of the Moldovan capital a day earlier.
* About 2,500 seafarers aboard 115 vessels have been evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz since the International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched an evacuation operation for stranded seafarers on Tuesday, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said on Friday.
* Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 160 prisoners of war on Friday in the latest swap between the two sides, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.
* Two-way investment between Russia and China continues to grow, with bilateral economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges gaining steady momentum, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.
* Serbia is facing an intense and prolonged heatwave starting Friday, with maximum temperatures forecasted to reach up to 39 degrees Celsius through early next week.
* Russian air defenses shot down 660 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia Today (RT) reported Friday, while Kiev authorities reported a Russian ballistic missile attack overnight.
* The Ukraine Recovery Conference opened in Poland's Baltic port city of Gdansk on Thursday, with participants pledging billions of euros in reconstruction support.
* Switzerland will send a rescue team consisting of 80 members to quake-hit Venezuela, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said on Thursday.
* Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday submitted the nomination of Mindaugas Sinkevicius as prime minister to Seimas, the country's parliament, after political parties agreed to form a new governing coalition.
* France and Italy have agreed to establish a multinational coalition to support Lebanon after the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ends its mission in December, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.
* Russia's decision to declare the Romanian consul general in St. Petersburg persona non grata and close the Consulate General was "predictable," Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
* Hungary is preparing for what the health authorities described as the country's most severe heatwave in two decades, with emergency measures.
* Russia has decided to close the Romanian Consulate General in St. Petersburg and declare the Romanian consul general persona non grata, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
* Passenger train services between Finland and Sweden will resume in August after a break of nearly four decades, opening a new cross-border rail connection between the two countries, Finnish national railway company VR announced Thursday.
* Lithuania has extended restrictions on airspace near its border with Belarus for another six months, citing ongoing security risks linked to balloon incursions and recent drone-related incidents, local media reported on Thursday.
* The British government on Thursday published detailed quota arrangements for a new steel trade measure that will take effect on July 1, confirming sharp reductions in tariff-free import volumes and higher duties on imports exceeding those quotas.
* The French Navy intercepted and boarded the oil tanker "Deliver" on Tuesday while it was transiting off the coast of Sicily in violation of maritime law, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.
* United Arab Emirates (UAE) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday discussed regional developments with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi over phone, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran.
* Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is gradually recovering after months of disruption, but a new attack on a cargo vessel off Oman and competing claims over authorized routes have underscored the risks still hanging over one of the world's most important energy corridors.
* International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said Friday that the nuclear watchdog has had "an initial exchange" with Iranian officials over nuclear inspections, Kyodo News reported.
* Saudi Arabia on Thursday suspended travel by its citizens to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan, and halted the issuance of all types of visas and the entry of travelers from the three countries as a precaution against Ebola, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
* A ministerial meeting between the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held on Thursday in Manama, welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran, according to a joint statement.
* Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Thursday rejected U.S. claims that Iran's unfrozen assets would be spent on U.S. agricultural products, the latest sign of discord between the two sides over how the released funds should be spent.
* The Government Media Office in Gaza warned Thursday that the Gaza Strip is facing a worsening humanitarian situation due to continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of basic necessities and the disruption of infrastructure.
* Jordan on Thursday dispatched its ninth humanitarian aid convoy to Lebanon as part of ongoing efforts to support vulnerable communities and address humanitarian needs in the country.
* Oman said Thursday that future arrangements related to the Strait of Hormuz would not involve the imposition of transit fees, reaffirming its commitment to ensuring free and secure navigation through the strategic waterway.
* The Iraqi Oil Ministry on Thursday refuted media reports that the country is considering leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
* The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday once again stressed that the only authorized routes for vessels' passage through the Strait of Hormuz are the ones announced by Iranian authorities.
I* A total of 53 hostages were rescued by Nigerian troops during a recent operation against terrorist groups in the country's northeastern state of Borno, the military said on Friday.
* The United Nations is mobilizing assistance and working closely with the government and aid partners in response to the Venezuela earthquake emergency, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.
* There are still 655 million people, or 8 percent of the global population, living without electricity, with the majority in Sub-Saharan Africa, a UN report released on Wednesday showed.
* The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said a 6.6-magnitude offshore earthquake struck Davao Oriental province in the southern Philippines on Friday evening.
* The death toll in the warehouse collapse in the eastern Indian state of Kolkata on Friday rose to 15, officials said. According to officials, rescuers at the spot retrieved two more bodies from the debris, while two injured workers succumbed during treatment, taking the overall death toll to 15.
