* The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a presidential statement, demanding the end of any further advances, and withdrawal from all occupied areas by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
* The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on Wednesday to seek opinion of the world body's principal judicial organ on countries' obligations to address climate change.
* The number of internet audio-and-video users in China reached 1.04 billion as of December 2022, surpassing that of instant messaging services, according to a new report.
* The government of the Indian capital on Thursday issued an advisory asking people experiencing flu-like symptoms and those visiting hospitals to wear masks as a precautionary measure.
* The Republic of Korea's rice production costs rose in single digits last year due to soaring prices of fertilizers, statistical office data showed on Thursday. Farmers spent 31,631 won (24 USD) to cultivate 20 kg of rice in 2022, up 9.3 percent from the previous year, according to Statistics Korea.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late Wednesday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin may travel to Türkiye on April 27 to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian agreed on Wednesday to continue joint efforts to further increase practical cooperation.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday asked the government to consolidate the growth trajectory of the Russian economy as Western sanctions in the medium term can indeed have a negative impact.
* US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday that banking regulation and supervisory rules need to be re-examined in the wake of the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank failures to ensure that they address current banking system risks.
* The French government has a dialogue ongoing with trade unions over plans to change the pension system and raise the retirement age, said President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, as he faces widespread protests against the planned reform.
* The British government said on Thursday it would not yet bring forward a rise in the state pension age to 68, delaying a decision until after the next election to carry out a further review of the impact.
* Ukraine aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its power generation to 50 percent to boost energy security, the country's Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko said on Wednesday.
* The Pakistani Navy testfired surface-to-air missiles for a newly acquired short-range air defense system, a military statement said on Thursday.
* A total of 4,327 Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland from neighboring Iran over the past two days, said a statement of the Ministry for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs on Thursday.
* Kenya's economy is expected to expand by 5.8% in 2023, a slower pace than the previously forecast 6.1% because of lower growth in the agricultural sector, Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge said on Thursday.
* Hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes as the fighting between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia continues to escalate in the country's oil-rich province of Marib, a military official said on Wednesday.
* Philippine rescuers searched the smouldering ruins of a burnt-out ferry on Thursday for any survivors or more victims of a fire that swept through the inter-island vessel killing 29 people, including a 6-month old baby, authorities said.
* There would be no impunity for those responsible for the death of dozens of migrants killed in a fire at a detention center in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico, said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday.
