* The United Nations (UN) on Thursday paid tribute to 168 of its personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2024.
* Chinese authorities have allocated disaster relief funds totaling 45 million yuan (about 6.26 million USD) to aid several regions recently hit by natural disasters. The emergency funds were allocated by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Ministry of Emergency Management.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that it might be better to let Russia and Ukraine keep on fighting for a while despite German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's call for more U.S. pressure on Russia.
* The Ukrainian forces on Thursday struck a unit of Russian missile forces in Russia's Bryansk region, hitting Iskander launchers, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement.
* German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Germany supports NATO's large-scale military expansion plan, which is expected to be approved during the alliance's defense ministers' meeting in Brussels.
* A field restoration promotion team of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had restored the balance of a newly-built destroyer, which was damaged during its launch accident, and "moored it at the pier by safely conducting its end launching Thursday afternoon," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.
* Visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday called on France to ratify the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the South American trade bloc Mercosur.
* UN humanitarians said Wednesday that less than half of their aid trucks submitted for Israeli clearance were allowed into Gaza, while the new, deadly U.S.-run aid process suspended operation.
* UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Thursday expressed concern over the United States' new travel ban.
* The Donald Trump administration imposed sanctions on four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges on Thursday, freezing U.S.-based assets and restricting entry to the United States in response to the court's investigations into alleged war crimes involving Israeli officials and U.S. personnel.
* The Mexican government said Thursday it strongly disagrees with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to dismiss its lawsuit against eight U.S. gun companies for their alleged role in trafficking illegal arms into Mexico.
* Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that his government will not loosen biosecurity laws as it considers lifting a restriction on imports of U.S. beef.
* The African Union (AU) has expressed concern over the potential negative impact of newly imposed travel restrictions by the United States, which affect nationals from several countries, including some in Africa.
* Romania's National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) has approved the development of one of the country's largest wind farms, the Ialomita Nord project, with a total capacity exceeding 246 megawatts.
* To mark World Environment Day, South Africa on Thursday unveiled its inaugural Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Response Plan, a strategic initiative to enhance resilience in coastal areas facing climate threats.
* The Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has signed four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with leading aid agencies to support returnees and internally displaced families, the ministry announced in a statement on Thursday.
* Hamas said on Thursday that it is ready to engage in a "new and serious" round of negotiations to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement.
* The Israeli military said Thursday night that its aerial defense systems intercepted a missile fired by Houthi forces in Yemen.
* Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility Thursday night for a "hypersonic ballistic missile" toward Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, which the Israeli military said was intercepted earlier on the night.
* The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, said Thursday that it will conduct a 1-trillion-yuan (about 139 billion USD) outright reverse repo operation on Friday to maintain ample liquidity in the banking system.
* U.S.-based employers announced 93,816 job cuts in May, up 47 percent from 63,816 announced in the same month last year, according to data released Thursday by executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
* The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday made another rate cut of 25 basis points and revised its inflation forecast down in its latest staff projection.
* The Philippines' unemployment rate in April rose to 4.1 percent, up from 3.9 percent in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday.
* Indonesia on Thursday exported corn to neighboring Malaysia for the first time. President Prabowo Subianto attended the ceremony marking the export of 1,200 tons of corn to Malaysia, held in Bengkayang Regency, West Kalimantan Province.
* Canada's merchandise trade dropped in April with the trade deficit hitting a record high, Statistics Canada said Thursday. Exports dropped 10.8 percent while imports fell 3.5 percent
* The number of Uzbek citizens traveling outside the country rose 23.6 percent during the first four months of this year, according to official statistics.
* Rwanda's economy has demonstrated impressive resilience, recording strong growth owing to robust activity in three major sectors of the economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.
* Saudi Arabia's low-cost airline, flynas, on Thursday launched direct flights between Riyadh and Damascus, marking the first direct air link between the capitals of Saudi Arabia and Syria in 12 years.
* More than 1.67 million pilgrims are performing Hajj this year, Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics said on Thursday, as worshippers gathered for the pivotal rite of standing at Arafat.
* In response to the surge of new COVID-19 variant cases in neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto summoned Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Tuesday to the State Palace in Jakarta.
* The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday issued a warning about the continued spread of measles in England, highlighting the potential for a surge in cases during the upcoming summer holiday season.
