* The Lao cabinet has instructed state bodies to work with tour and service operators to revitalize the tourism industry and boost the economy.
* The defence ministers of Russia and Belarus on Thursday signed a document on the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported.
* Bangladesh said on Thursday it will take steps to prevent and address any unlawful practices or interference in the conduct of elections, a day after the United States said it will restrict Bangladeshis who undermine elections.
* China's newly appointed ambassador to the United States said on Tuesday upon arrival in Washington that he would safeguard the interests of China while enhancing China-U.S. exchanges and cooperation in his new role.
* South Korean and U.S. forces began their largest-ever live-fire exercises on Thursday, simulating a "full-scale attack" from Pyongyang, South Korea's defence ministry said.
* Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday he expected no new steps from the OPEC+ group of oil producers at its meeting in Vienna on June 4, Russian media reported, after the group announced a significant output cut earlier this year.
* China hopes the Group of Seven will not abuse trade and investment restrictions while saying that they will not seek decoupling from the country, Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting said on Thursday at a news briefing.
* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will meet Sri Lanka's president on Thursday as the South Asian nation looks to bolster efforts to restructure its debt and repair an economy deeply scarred by a severe financial crisis.
* Russia will respond quickly and extremely harshly to future incursions, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with senior defense officials on Wednesday.
* The government of the Czech Republic on Wednesday approved a plan to purchase 246 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles from Sweden.
* Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her Slovenian counterpart Tanja Fajon on Wednesday agreed to explore trade and investment cooperation between the two countries while accelerating the completion of negotiations on the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
* Hungary received European Commission approval to amend contracts for new reactors at its Paks nuclear power plant, awarded nine years ago to Russia's Rosatom, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday.
* Negotiators for Democratic President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy held what both sides called productive talks on Wednesday to try to reach a deal to raise the United States' $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default.
* Russia said on Thursday it would expel five Swedish diplomats in what it said was a retaliatory measure for Sweden's "confrontational course" in relations with Russia.
* Canada and Saudi Arabia have decided to restore diplomatic relations and appoint new ambassadors, Global Affairs Canada, which manages the country's diplomatic and consular relations, said in a statement on Wednesday.
* Sporadic clashes between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary force spilled over into Thursday, puncturing the relative calm in the capital of Khartoum and raising the risk that a week-long internationally-brokered truce would crumble.
* German Economy Minister Robert Habeck's constituency office said on Thursday it had received an envelope containing a white substance, prompting a large-scale police operation.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday highlighted the vital role of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in the sustainable development of the continent.
* The president of the European Central Bank (ECB) has vowed to bring down soaring inflation in the eurozone to its 2 percent target level "in a timely manner."
* Iran successfully test-launched a ballistic missile with a potential 2,000-km range on Thursday, state media said, two days after the chief of Israel's armed forces raised the prospect of "action" against Tehran over its nuclear programme.
* Italy will submit to the EU Commission an update of its spending plans related to European post-COVID recovery funds by July following the guidance agreed with Brussels, Italy's Treasury undersecretary was quoted as saying on Thursday.
* Available French nuclear capacity is seen rising ahead of next winter, with six offline reactors expected to return to operation sooner than scheduled, daily Les Echos cited an official from France's EDF EDF.PA as saying on Thursday.
* The credit rating agency Fitch Ratings announced Wednesday it has placed the U.S. AAA-rated long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating (IDR) on a "negative watch" as the debt ceiling deadlock continues.
* The German economy contracted in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the previous three months, thereby entering recession, data from the statistics office showed on Thursday.
* South Korea's central bank held interest rates steady for a third meeting on Thursday, as expected, after a 1-1/2-year-long tightening cycle and as both inflation and economic growth eased.
* Russia plans to export 50-55 million tons of grain from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev has said recently.
* Crisis-stricken Sri Lanka should be able to conclude newly launched debt restructuring talks by September, or November at the latest, its president said on Thursday, adding that the negotiations had made "remarkable" progress.
* The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday its board approved a $3.5 billion, 40-month lending arrangement for Ivory Coast, enabling an immediate disbursement of $495.4 million to the West African country.
* Brunei's latest population estimates for 2022 was 445,400 people compared to 440,715 people in 2021, a rise of 1.1 percent, a government report said on Wednesday.
* The United Nations on Wednesday allocated 8.5 million USD to aid 335,000 people in the worst-hit areas of storm-battered Madagascar, UN humanitarians said.
* Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Wednesday that her country's joint bid with Kenya and Uganda to host the 2027 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will play a major role in promoting tourism in the region.
