* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said on Wednesday the country had no plans to become a NATO member but acknowledged the security alliance's plan to open a liaison office in Japan.
* China is opposed to NATO's plan to open a planning liaison office in Japan, China's foreign ministry said at a news conference on Wedensday, after Japan's prime minister earlier in the day said Japan acknowledged NATO's plan.
* Iran and Indonesia on Tuesday reached a preferential trade agreement (PTA) in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta where Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was paying a visit, the Iranian president's office said in a statement published on its website.
* Greece's president will appoint a caretaker prime minister on Wednesday to form a government that will lead the country to a repeat election on June 25, after last weekend's inconclusive vote.
* The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) will stage the voters' roll inspection on May 27-31 ahead of this year's general elections, ZEC's chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana said in a notice on Tuesday.
* Clashes between rival military factions could be heard overnight in parts of Sudan's capital, residents said on Wednesday, the second full day of a week-long ceasefire designed to allow for the delivery of aid and lay the ground for a more lasting truce.
* Ukraine will not be able to join NATO as long as the conflict is going on, the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday that his country will create the Marine Corps. The Ukrainian Naval Forces, a branch of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, currently consists of surface forces, naval aviation, marines, artillery, support units and educational institutions.
* The Czech government approved a plan on Wednesday to buy 246 Swedish-made infantry fighting vehicles for the Czech army, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday.
* Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Wednesday that Poland plans to launch a submarine purchase procedure in 2023.
* A brief fire exchange between Israel and Syria broke out on Wednesday after shots were fired at an Israeli reconnaissance drone near the disputed border.
* South Korea cancelled the third flight of its homegrown space rocket on Wednesday because of technical problems hours before a launch that was meant to mark a significant step in its burgeoning space programme.
* India's central bank governor Shaktikanta Das said Wednesday the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the financial year 2022-23 could be more than the estimated 7 percent.
* The European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) expects to invest 1.5 billion euros ($1.65 billion) in Ukraine in 2024, a senior source at the bank said on Wednesday.
* Thailand's auto exports surged in April due to last year's low comparative base and improved semiconductor supplies, data showed on Wednesday. The country's finished car exports jumped 43.53 percent year on year in April to 79,940 units, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
* The United Kingdom's (UK) economy is expected to avoid a recession this year, as it is buoyed by resilient demand in the context of declining energy prices, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday.
* South Africa's central bank will likely extend its tightening cycle and push rates cuts further into the future amid countrywide power outages and currency weakness, analysts said, adding to inflationary pressures straining businesses and households.
* The Czech government approved a plan on Wednesday to buy 246 infantry fighting vehicles for the country's army, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
* Syrians' Hajj pilgrimage to the Islamic holy cities of Madinah and Mecca in Saudi Arabia will be resumed in 2024 after 12 years of suspension, Syria's head of Hajj affairs said Wednesday.
* Alphabet GOOGL.O and the European Commission aim to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) pact involving European and non-European companies ahead of rules to govern the technology, EU industry chief Thierry Breton said on Wednesday.
* The macroeconomic situation in Sri Lanka is showing tentative signs of improvement, with inflation moderating, the exchange rate stabilizing, and the central bank rebuilding reserves buffers, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission said on Tuesday.
* The Danish Parliament (Folketing) agreed on Tuesday on the terms of ownership and operation of pipelines used for transporting hydrogen from PtX (Power-to-X) plants to consumers both domestically and internationally, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities said in a press release.
* The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Wednesday called on South Sudanese parties to step up efforts to advance transitional security arrangements, so as to hold elections as scheduled.
* The World Food Program (WFP) on Wednesday appealed for 810 million USD over the next six months to scale up humanitarian assistance for millions of people in the Horn of Africa who are trapped in a hunger emergency.
* With a continuing emergency response to the heavy rains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the official toll has reached 443 dead, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
* Dry weather will be experienced in the greater Horn of Africa region from June to September, amid the risk of worsening an already precarious food security situation, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, said in its latest prediction released on Wednesday.
* Severe drought, recurrent conflict and devastating floods have forced more than 1 million people in Somalia to flee their homes in just 130 days, two aid agencies said Wednesday.
