* Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ratified the security guarantees agreement with Russia, the press service of the Belarusian leader said on Tuesday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has received a letter from his Ukrainian counterpart saying that Kiev is ready to enter peace negotiations without delay.
* Hungary's government voiced support on Tuesday for U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to suspend American military assistance to Ukraine, aligning with its own calls for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks.
* French finance minister Eric Lombard told France Info radio Tuesday morning that France is against using frozen Russian assets to finance Europe's defense capacity-building.
* British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said Tuesday that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would not "choose between the U.S. and Europe" and is working to bring Washington to the table for further discussions on Ukraine.
* German parties seeking to form the next government agreed on Tuesday to set up a 500-billion-euro (about 531 billion USD) infrastructure fund and to exempt defense spending from constitutionally enshrined debt brake.
* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled an 800-billion-euro (844.6-billion-USD) plan to significantly increase defence spending across the bloc.
* The Cyprus government will participate in the UN's expanded Geneva talks on the island's peace settlement, following an official invitation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed on Tuesday.
* China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Tuesday announced the suspension of soybean imports from three U.S. enterprises after ergot and seed coating agent were detected in soybeans imported from the United States.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday urged Mexicans, including those in the United States, to unite against the Trump administration's 25-percent tariffs on the country's exports.
* The Canadian federal government on Tuesday announced a detailed tariff package after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed that Canada will not back down from a fight against the trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
* Oil supplies from Russia's Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic have been halted again, the Czech oil pipeline operator Mero said on Tuesday.
* Finland and Denmark have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance defense cooperation, the Finnish Ministry of Defense announced in a press release on Tuesday.
* Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan intend to raise bilateral trade to 500 million USD by 2030, the Kyrgyz government's press service said on Tuesday.
* Bank Indonesia (BI) announced on Tuesday that Indonesian and Australian financial institutions have extended their bilateral currency swap arrangement (BCSA).
* A Bruneian minister has said that 135 websites have been legally blocked over the past five years for containing immoral elements and violating the Internet Code of Practice.
* The Balinese administration is preparing a regulation to prohibit investors from privatizing beaches on the holiday island, the governor of Bali announced on Wednesday.
* A UN special envoy on Tuesday strongly condemned Israel's military escalations in Syria, including airstrikes, calling for an end to violations and refraining from exacerbating conflict.
* A total of 29 Gaza children along with their families were evacuated to Jordan on Tuesday, the first batch of the 2,000 children who will receive medical treatment in the Kingdom.
* The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Ankara in response to Tehran's criticism of Turkish foreign policy, Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on Tuesday.
* Israel is restricting Palestinian movement in the West Bank by deploying nearly 900 checkpoints and iron gates, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said Tuesday.
* The Israeli army on Tuesday killed a senior Qassam Brigades commander and another Palestinian during a large-scale military operation in the eastern neighborhood of the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
* Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit stressed Tuesday at the ongoing emergency Arab summit on Gaza held in Egypt's New Administrative Capital that violence will not stop if the Israeli occupation is not ended, and any illegal perspective for the region is not accepted.
* Lebanon and Saudi Arabia have reaffirmed in a joint statement the importance of enhancing Arab cooperation and coordinating positions on key regional and international issues, the Lebanese official National News Agency (NNA) reported Tuesday.
* Hamas on Tuesday urged the ongoing emergency Arab summit held in Egypt to "thwart" the Gaza displacement plan.
* Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said on Tuesday that the mediation mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) "will no longer be welcome in Guinea-Bissau" unless the organization's envoys comply with the country's laws.
* More than 2,500 schools have been affected by an ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one senior official said Tuesday.
* Increased violence in the three easternmost provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is raising deep concern for civilians, including aid workers, a UN humanitarian official said on Tuesday.
* The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said Tuesday it faces a critical funding shortfall of 412 million USD to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of millions in crisis-hit South Sudan in 2025.
* Republic of Korea's revised real gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for inflation, was up 2.0 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, central bank data showed Wednesday.
* The gross inflow of remittances to Kyrgyzstan from individuals in 2024 amounted to 3 billion USD, an increase of 10.5 percent compared to 2023, the National Bank of the country reported on Tuesday.
* Indonesia plans to launch up to 21 energy projects valued at approximately 45 billion USD in the first phase this year, according to the country's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia.
* The stock of Singapore's direct investment abroad by the corporate sector reached 1.523 trillion Singapore dollars (approximately 1.142 trillion USD) as of the end of 2023, marking a 3.6 percent increase from 1.47 trillion Singapore dollars at the end of 2022, according to a report released by the Singapore Department of Statistics on Tuesday.
* The Czech economic growth is set to pick up in 2025 to reach 2.1 percent, compared to last year's 1 percent, according to a report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) here on Tuesday.
* Greece's unemployment rate fell to 8.7 percent in January, marking its lowest level since December 2008, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) reported on Tuesday.
* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is on the ground in the U.S. state of Texas to respond to the growing measles outbreak, the agency said on Tuesday.
* Severe flooding hit most areas in Jakarta and its satellite cities on Tuesday after heavy rain poured over the regions since Monday evening, leaving thousands of houses submerged and hundreds of residents affected.
* From Texas to Tennessee, a number of severe storms on Tuesday battered large parts of the U.S. South with winds, hail, plumes of dust and tornadoes, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.
