* Several Malaysian state assemblies were dissolved on Wednesday ahead of key local elections that will determine six new state governments.
* Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined the priorities of the new government at the first cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
* South Korea and Japan on Thursday agreed to resume their bilateral currency swap deal for three years, according to the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance.
* Poland will demand the reform of the European Union's border agency Frontex and more funds for dealing with migrants, the prime minister said on Thursday, as he prepared to oppose a migration deal at an EU summit in Brussels.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his Polish and Lithuanian counterparts in Kiev on Wednesday on security issues, Zelensky's press service reported.
* The 7th International Eastern Oil and Gas Forum kicked off on Wednesday in the Russian city of Vladivostok, gathering more than 200 experts from Russia and other countries.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned the latest Israeli government approval for thousands of additional homes in West Bank settlements, a UN spokesman said Wednesday.
* Morocco has recalled its ambassador from Sweden for indefinite consultations after the burning of the Muslim holy book Quran in Stockholm, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday in a statement.
* African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said on Wednesday that its troops have handed over two more military bases, bringing to four the number of bases that have so far been taken over by the Somali security forces.
* The COVID-19 pandemic reversed most of the Philippines' gains in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Thursday. Based on the current status index (CSI), the PSA said that Goals 2, 8, 11, and 13 regressed since 2000.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday approved a loan of 1 billion USD to help establish a city-wide public transport project in the Philippines' Davao City.
* The World Bank Group said it has approved 700 million USD in financing for two operations to help Sri Lanka implement foundational reforms.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday said it has approved a 50 million USD loan to help Nepal improve its domestic and international trade.
* Geneva Airport said some of its employees were planning to stage a strike on Friday that was likely to cause flight delays and cancellations at the start of the summer travel season.
* Sri Lanka is asking international bond holders to take a 30% haircut and is seeking similar concessions from investors in its domestic dollar-denominated notes as it seeks to overhaul its massive debt, its central bank governor said on Thursday.
* New Zealand passed a law on Thursday guaranteeing bank deposits up to NZ$100,000 ($60,770), a move it said would strengthen and protect its financial system.
* At least 17 people have died from heat-related illnesses as a heat wave continues baking Texas while spreading into other parts of the southern United States.
