* The Niue Assembly has re-elected incumbent Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi for a new term. Tagelagi secured his re-election on Wednesday local time in a vote by the newly-formed Niue Assembly following the May 2 general election.
* Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced on Thursday that she would resign after the country's three-party coalition government collapsed. The announcement came a day after the Progressive party called on President Edgars Rinkevics to begin consultations on forming a new government, saying the Silina-led cabinet had lost its ability to function.
* The Philippine Senate will convene as an impeachment court on May 18 to try Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said on Thursday.
* Chairman of the Israeli government coalition Ofir Katz submitted a bill on Wednesday to dissolve parliament, together with the heads of all coalition factions, a move that could pave the way for an early election.
* China is ready to work with the U.S. side to translate the new vision of bilateral ties into actions in the same direction, to jointly promote the steady, sound and sustainable development of bilateral relations, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in Beijing on Thursday.
* Cambodia and Laos on Thursday pledged to boost security cooperation, said a news release from the Cambodian prime minister's spokesperson unit. The pledge was made during a meeting at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and visiting Lao Minister of Public Security Vanthong Kongmany.
* Moscow hopes Washington will stop linking the development of cooperation with Russia to the Ukraine issue, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference on Wednesday.
* The Japanese government is weighing a supplementary budget for fiscal 2026 to cushion the blow of surging crude oil prices fueled by tensions in the Middle East, local media reported Thursday.
* The U.S. Senate on Wednesday narrowly rejected a Democratic-led effort to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities within or against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. The Senate voted 50-49 against the motion, introduced by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
* Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Wednesday that the country's fuel and crude oil supplies remained uninterrupted, with strategic reserves at nearly 80 percent capacity.
* The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) announced on Wednesday the addition of three new entries and the updating of ten existing entries across the United Arab Emirates to bolster the resilience of supply chains and facilitate the flow of key goods across the Gulf region.
* U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Wednesday that he thinks the United States is making progress in diplomatic efforts regarding the war with Iran, though the U.S. red line on Iran's nuclear issue remains.
* Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir said Wednesday that the country's multi-front military campaign across the Middle East, including Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and the occupied West Bank, "is not over."
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Nickolay Mladenov, "high representative for Gaza" of the U.S.-led "Board of Peace," in Jerusalem on Wednesday, the prime minister's office said, without providing further details.
* The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday denied reports of a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the country, noting that reports claiming that the UAE had received the Israeli prime minister or any Israeli military delegation were false.
* The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Wednesday that a series of drone incidents near and inside its positions in southern Lebanon had endangered peacekeepers and damaged UN facilities.
* Deputy head of Hezbollah's political council Mahmoud Qomati said on Wednesday that the group will not allow Israel to remain on Lebanese territory, stressing that Hezbollah considers itself responsible for defending Lebanon.
* A vessel seized by unauthorized personnel near Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, is now heading toward Iranian territorial waters, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported on Thursday.
* At least 59 children were reportedly killed or injured in Lebanon over the past week despite a ceasefire agreement, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday, warning of deepening physical and psychological harm among young survivors.
* Up to 975 Afghan refugee families, totaling 5,229 people, returned to Afghanistan on Wednesday, reported the official Bakhtar News Agency on Thursday. Out of them, 1,178 people have been transported to their home provinces.
* Hamas on Wednesday urged Nickolay Mladenov, "high representative for Gaza" of the U.S.-led "Board of Peace," to pressure Israel to implement the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
* Turkish authorities detained 324 suspects across 47 provinces over alleged links to the Islamic State (IS) terror group, the country's Interior Ministry announced Wednesday.
* Malaysia's total population was estimated at 34.4 million in the first quarter of 2026, up from 34.2 million a year earlier, a slower growth rate of 0.5 percent compared to 0.9 percent previously, official data showed on Thursday.
* Indonesia's national rice stocks have reached a record-breaking 5.3 million tons, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said Wednesday. By the end of the month, it is expected to increase to 5.5 million tons, Amran said, noting that it is the highest level since the country's independence.
* The Australian government said Thursday it had secured about 90,000 tonnes of agricultural-grade urea to support farmers and safeguard food production amid global supply disruptions tied to Middle East tensions.
* Kyrgyzstan exported 11,799 tonnes of dairy products in the first four months of 2026, approximately 16.7 percent up from the same period last year, the country's Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry said Wednesday.
* Malaysia's labor demand grew 1.8 percent year-on-year to 9.23 million jobs in the first quarter of 2026, supported by resilient economic activity despite global uncertainties, official data showed Thursday.
* The South African government announced Wednesday that it has secured a 150-million-U.S.-dollar development policy loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development to support infrastructure reforms.
* UN humanitarians said Wednesday that aid is being distributed in war-torn southwestern Sudan, while an amount of 12 million USD is targeted for famine relief in the neighboring country of South Sudan.
* An infectious outbreak reported aboard the cruise ship "Ambition," docked in Bordeaux, has been confirmed as viral gastroenteritis caused by norovirus, the prefecture of Gironde in southwestern France said in a statement on Wednesday.
* Sierra Leone on Wednesday declared a measles outbreak amid increasing confirmed infections, with health authorities warning of active community transmission in its capital, Freetown.
* More than 80 people died and over 100 others were injured in north India, mostly in Uttar Pradesh state, due to heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, lightning and hailstorms over the past 24 hours, government officials confirmed on Thursday.
