* British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a national election on Wednesday, naming July 4 as the date for a vote his governing Conservatives are widely expected to lose to the opposition Labour Party after 14 years in power.
* Vital Kamerhe, deputy prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was on Wednesday elected president of the National Assembly, the country's lower house of parliament.
* President Emmanuel Macron said police reinforcements in New Caledonia would remain as long as required, after viewing areas devastated by deadly riots in the French-ruled Pacific island triggered by a contested electoral reform.
* Norway will further restrict access for Russian tourist travellers due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, blocking almost all entry, the Nordic country's justice ministry said on Thursday.
* Over 20 explosions was heard in the center of Belgorod, a Russian city some 40 km north of the border with Ukraine, amid a reactivated missile warning alert, Russia's RIA Novosti reported on Thursday.
* Argentina on Wednesday described as "absurd" Spain's decision to withdraw its ambassador to the South American country over statements Argentine President Javier Milei made Sunday in the Spanish capital Madrid.
* Slovenia will prolong controls on its borders with Hungary and Croatia for another six months due to worsening security conditions in the Middle East, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
* European countries need to double their investments in power distribution grids by 2050 or risk missing emissions targets set out by the European Green Deal, according to a study released here on Wednesday.
* The funeral procession for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage, who lost their lives in a recent helicopter crash, was held Wednesday morning with the participation of a large number of mournful people in the capital Tehran.
* China always firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, and will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role in promoting a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Wednesday.
* Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa on Wednesday warned of an escalation of tension after an Israeli minister announced plans to impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority.
* Israeli tanks advanced to the edge of a crowded district in the heart of Rafah on Wednesday during one of the most intense nights of bombardment of the southern Gaza city since Israel launched its offensive there this month.
* U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday urged Egypt to do everything it can to make sure humanitarian aid is flowing into Gaza.
* Egypt threatened on Wednesday to withdraw as a mediator in Gaza ceasefire negotiations after CNN reported that Egyptian intelligence changed terms of recent truce proposal and scuttled a deal.
* The Qatari Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the country is "in full coordination" with Egypt and the United States in ongoing mediation endeavors aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
* Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the opening of an embassy in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo told journalists on Wednesday.
* Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians and wounded 25 others in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin since Tuesday morning, the Palestinian health ministry said on Wednesday.
* China's total installed power generation capacity reached around 3.01 billion kilowatts at the end of April, up 14.1 percent from a year earlier, data from the National Energy Administration showed on Thursday.
* South Korea's central bank on Thursday froze its policy rate for the 11th successive time amid lingering uncertainties over inflation, economic growth and household debts.
* The central bank of Indonesia has decided to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 6.25 percent, Governor of Bank Indonesia Perry Warjiyo announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
* Argentina's economic activity fell 8.4% in March from a year earlier, the country's official statistics agency said on Wednesday, its fifth monthly drop in a row and the steepest fall since 2020.
* New Zealand's total volume of retail sales rose 0.5 percent in the March 2024 quarter, following falls in the previous eight quarters, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Thursday.
* The UN relief chief has released 2.5 million USD to support the response to floods affecting nearly 300,000 people in Burundi, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.
* The Maldives Police Service on Wednesday urged the public not to travel to uninhabited islands and sandbanks for picnics, or go swimming in the sea, as severe monsoon rains persist across the country.
* A new human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5 bird flu) virus infection in the United States has been identified, U.S. health authorities said on Wednesday.
