* The Republic of Korea's ruling liberal Democratic Party won a sweeping victory in the local elections, election watchdog data showed Thursday. With almost all votes counted, the Democratic Party won 12 out of 16 races for metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, including Gyeonggi province, the western port city of Incheon, the southeastern port city of Busan, as well as South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province, home turf for the liberal bloc, according to the National Election Commission.
* Ethiopia's seventh general election, held on Monday, was marked by high voter turnout and orderly, peaceful participation, according to preliminary reports by election observation missions of the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
* Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected non-permanent members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday for a two-year term. The election marked the first time Kyrgyzstan will serve on the Security Council.
* Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said on Wednesday that the country will uphold multilateralism as a member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council. Austria was elected non-permanent member to the UN Security Council on Wednesday for a two-year term, and will assume its seat on Jan. 1, 2027 and serve until Dec. 31, 2028.
* Portuguese President Antonio Jose Seguro said on Wednesday that Portugal will firmly uphold international law and work to advance peace, security and sustainable development during its tenure on the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had struck Russia's St. Petersburg Oil Terminal overnight. He said Ukrainian forces also hit "pure military targets" at the Kronstadt naval base, as well as a facility in Russia's Tambov region involved in weapons production.
* Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Wednesday that Hungary and Ukraine have reached a "historic" agreement to expand the language, educational, and cultural rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine's Transcarpathia region.
* Brazil will stand firm and not bow to the pressure of the latest U.S. trade offensive, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday.
* The 15th edition of South Summit opened in Madrid on Wednesday, with speakers urging Europe to build a more competitive innovation ecosystem and embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as an opportunity rather than a threat.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that talks with Iran are going "very well" and "as of this moment," Tehran has agreed to allow U.S. personnel, in coordination with Iranian authorities, to enter Iran and recover buried nuclear material once the war ends.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has warned that Iran would respond if Israel attacks Beirut, saying Tehran has informed all parties that it will not tolerate an assault on the Lebanese capital and that such a move could trigger a return to war.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday its navy has targeted a U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Oman that sought to approach Iranian territorial waters.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is alarmed by the reported exchange of fire overnight between the United States and Iran and by reports that Iran has targeted Kuwait and Bahrain, his spokesperson said Wednesday.
* Russia on Wednesday voiced concern over the latest exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf, warning that the development could lead to a new, dangerous escalation of the military and political situation in the region.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned about the negative impacts of the ongoing crisis involving Iran and the United States, while emphasizing the importance of securing energy supplies.
* Israeli forces carried out a series of artillery strikes, drone attacks and air raids across southern Lebanon overnight and Thursday morning, local media reported.
* Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to implement a ceasefire, according to a joint statement released on Wednesday following trilateral negotiations in Washington.
* At least nine Palestinians were killed and several others injured early Thursday in a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted residential areas in Gaza City, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.
* Despite significant delays introduced at a new Israeli checkpoint, aid partners collected more than 1,000 pallets of essential supplies for Gaza in one day, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.
* Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement of expanding control to 70 percent of the Gaza Strip aims to displace its residents.
* Indonesia on Thursday condemned Israel's plan to expand its control to cover about 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, saying the move violates international law and undermines efforts to achieve peace.
* A peacekeeper died early Thursday from injuries sustained when mortar shells struck his position in southeastern Lebanon the previous night, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.
* Nearly 5 million people, or one in two people across 12 government-controlled areas in Yemen, experienced high levels of acute food insecurity between March and May this year, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday, citing the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis.
* China is steadily expanding the opening up of the telecom sector, with 166 foreign-funded enterprises having received approvals for pilot operations in value-added telecom services since the first batch of such approvals was issued in February 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Wednesday.
* The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled a European "technological sovereignty" package aimed at strengthening capacities in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cloud computing and open source, as part of efforts to boost Europe's digital autonomy and resilience.
* India has surpassed the United States in annual solar capacity additions to become the world's second-largest solar growth market in 2025, federal minister for new and renewable energy Pralhad Joshi said Wednesday.
* Cambodia on Wednesday launched the "Advancing Early Warning for All" project to strengthen early warning systems and help communities better prepare for climate- and weather-related disasters, according to a joint press release.
* The growth of artificial intelligence (AI) presents abundant opportunities to accelerate energy transition efforts and ensure Malaysia's sustainability aspirations are achieved, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday.
* Mongolia has launched its first-ever nationwide environmental inspection to address irresponsible mining practices, the country's State Emergency Commission (SEC) announced on Wednesday.
* International credit rating agency Fitch Ratings on Wednesday revised the outlook on Uzbekistan's Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) to "positive" from "stable," while affirming the country's speculative-grade "BB" rating.
* Rising energy prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East are weighing on Germany's economic recovery, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday, lowering its growth forecasts for Europe's largest economy.
* Pakistan's exports increased 9.59 percent month on month to 2.7 billion USD in May, up from 2.47 billion dollars in April, according to trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Wednesday.
* The World Health Organization (WHO) said at a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday that with concerted efforts and coordination, the response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is catching up.
* Zambia has successfully repatriated 40 citizens from South Africa amid anti-immigration tensions, according to a statement released Wednesday.
* Some 24 million people across the Sahel region need humanitarian assistance, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday.
* More than 60 people were missing after a boat sank Tuesday in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with six survivors reported, local media reported Wednesday.
* The Australian government on Thursday committed funding to support the global response to the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa and prevent the spread of the disease. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Minister for International Development Anne Aly said in a joint statement that Australia will provide 5 million Australian dollars (around 3.6 million USD) to the initiative.
* Pakistan vaccinated more than 18.6 million children during a sub-national anti-polio campaign conducted across 79 districts from May 18 to 24, authorities said on Thursday.
* The Ministry of Emergency Management of China on Wednesday activated a Level-IV national geological disaster emergency response for Jiangxi, Hunan and Guizhou provinces. China has a four-tier emergency response system, with level I being the most severe.
* Sri Lanka could face lower rainfall and possible drought conditions in July and August if El Nino develops, a senior official at the Department of Meteorology said on Wednesday.
* A fire swept through a densely populated neighborhood in central Jakarta early Thursday, destroying 30 homes and affecting around 240 residents, local authorities said.
