* Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday that his Bhumjaithai Party has secured enough support for its bid to form a new coalition government following the February general election.
* U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran will end "soon" because there is "practically nothing left to target." The president said Iran "will not get off that easy" after targeting U.S. assets across multiple countries in the Middle East.
* The Republic of Korea's parliament on Thursday passed a special act on strategic investment in the United States as a follow-up measure of the tariff deal with Washington. The passage came after Seoul and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last November for the ROK's strategic investment in the United States worth 350 billion USD.
* Participants in the Ukraine talks are considering Istanbul as a possibility to continue negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
* Russia said Thursday it had repelled a Ukrainian drone attack targeting a gas compressor station linked to the TurkStream gas pipeline, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
* The number of people killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on Russia's border region of Bryansk rose to seven, with 42 others injured, the region's governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Wednesday.
* Romania may temporarily host U.S. military forces and equipment if the country's parliament approves a request discussed during a meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT), Romanian President Nicusor Dan said on Wednesday.
* Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 185 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
* A Russian delegation visiting the United States has discussed the current crisis in the global energy market and potential economic projects with the U.S. side, said a Russian presidential special envoy on Thursday.
* The European Commission said on Thursday it would respond "firmly and proportionately" to any breach of commitments under the European Union (EU)-U.S. trade deal, following Washington's launch of a Section 301 investigation into 16 economic entities, including the EU.
* Indonesia and Australia are planning to expand their security cooperation to include Japan and Papua New Guinea, Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said here on Thursday.
* Belarus is deepening cooperation with countries of the Global South, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said on Wednesday. Ryzhenkov highlighted the strategic shift that engagement with the Global South has moved from political dialogue to concrete economic cooperation.
* French President Emmanuel Macron called for avoiding any export restrictions on oil and gas at the Group of Seven (G7) leaders' videoconference on Wednesday.
* Hungary has dispatched a delegation to Ukraine to conduct a fact-finding mission on the Druzhba oil pipeline and explore conditions for restarting oil deliveries, Deputy Energy Minister Gabor Czepek said on Wednesday.
* German defence supplier Rheinmetall on Wednesday reported strong growth in 2025, with sales surging and the order backlog hitting a record high as European countries ramp up military spending to address security concerns.
* Around 18,000 residents were allowed to return to their homes in Dresden on Wednesday after a World War II bomb discovered near the city center was successfully defused, according to local police.
* The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) said on Wednesday that the country's terrorist alert level will remain at "blue-cautious," signaling no imminent threat of an attack on Romanian territory.
* Colombia has reached an agreement with its neighbor Venezuela on a roadmap to reactivate the binational Antonio Ricaurte Gas Pipeline as well as energy cooperation in a bid to address natural gas shortages in the country, its Ministry of Mines and Energy said Wednesday.
* Pakistan's Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said that the country is focused on improving the agricultural research system to deliver tangible solutions for farmers and enhance food security.
* The Swedish government on Wednesday lowered its forecast for annual economic growth this year to 2.8 percent from 3.0 percent.
* The International Energy Agency (IEA) has recommended a release of 400 million barrels of oil from stockpiles, the largest such move in IEA history, Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Wednesday. The 32 member countries unanimously agreed to make available to the market 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves, Birol said at a press conference.
* The United States announced on Wednesday that it will release 172 million barrels of oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
* Türkiye will release 11.6 million barrels of crude oil from its strategic reserves as part of the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s largest-ever coordinated stockpile release, the country's energy minister said on Thursday.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel linked to the United States had been struck in the Gulf after ignoring warnings from Iranian naval forces.
* Germany will release 19.51 million barrels of strategic oil reserve to deal with global energy price hikes amid the Middle East conflict, Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche said Wednesday.
* New Zealand will release the equivalent of about six days' fuel supply as part of a coordinated move by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the government said Thursday.
* Singapore expects electricity prices to rise in the coming months as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East pushes up oil and gas prices, Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology at the Ministry of Trade and Industry Tan See Leng said Thursday, outlining multiple measures the government has in place.
* Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are ready to release emergency oil stocks to the market, said a joint statement from the Baltic energy ministries published on Wednesday.
* Pentagon officials have told U.S. lawmakers that the first six days of the U.S. military campaign against Iran cost more than 11.3 billion USD, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
* The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launching drones at the West Coast, ABC News reported on Wednesday, citing an alert reviewed by the news outlet.
* Switzerland has decided to temporarily close its embassy in Tehran due to rising security risks in the Middle East, while maintaining an open line of communication between the United States and Iran, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said Wednesday.
* Spain has formally withdrawn its ambassador to Israel, leaving the Spanish Embassy in Tel Aviv to be headed by a charge d'affaires, the government said Wednesday in an official state bulletin.
* Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that "the only way" to end its war with the United States and Israel "is recognizing Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggression."
* Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has called for the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and pledged to open new fronts in his country's conflict with the United States and Israel.
* The Israeli military said it began a new "wide-scale wave of strikes" on Iran early on Thursday, minutes after alarms were activated across Israel warning of missile attacks from Iran.
* Sardar Esmail Dehghan, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, was killed along with his wife and two children in a targeted attack in the central city of Arak, Iranian media reported on Thursday.
* Israel said on Thursday it was preparing to expand its "operations" against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
* At least 35 members of an Iraqi paramilitary force were killed and dozens more wounded Thursday morning in airstrikes on its bases, security sources said.
* Iraq's security and port authorities confirmed Thursday that two oil tankers were attacked within Iraqi territorial waters, prompting a suspension of operations at the country's oil terminals.
* Bahrain's Interior Ministry said Thursday that four citizens have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
* Russian President Vladimir Putin and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke by phone on Wednesday to discuss escalating developments in the Middle East, calling for diplomatic measures to reduce regional tensions.
* Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Wednesday received a phone call from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss bilateral relations and the latest regional developments, the Omani Foreign Ministry said.
* Foreign ministers from eight countries on Wednesday condemned Israel for closing the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to Muslim worshippers, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
* Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud discussed regional developments during a phone call on Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of joint action to end the war.
* The death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon has risen to 634, including 91 children and 47 women, while 1,586 people have been wounded, Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine said Wednesday in a televised press briefing.
* Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Wednesday reaffirmed the group's allegiance to Iran's leadership, congratulating Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as Iran's new supreme leader, according to a letter released by the local al-Manar news website.
* Libya's internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) on Thursday announced a cabinet reshuffle affecting 13 ministries, aimed at filling vacancies and boosting executive performance.
* The erupting Shiveluch volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has blasted a column of ash up to about 8 km above sea level, a Kamchatka volcanic eruption response team reported on Thursday.
