* The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Wednesday officially launched its national campaign for the 2026 local government elections, with voter registration set to begin next month ahead of the polls scheduled for Nov. 4.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to negotiations with Europe, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. Peskov said it was positive that European countries were discussing the need to identify representatives for possible talks with Russia, though no concrete steps have been taken so far.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Oman not to interfere as fragile talks with Iran continue, claiming the United States will "watch over" the Strait of Hormuz.
* Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Wednesday that Norway will join French President Emmanuel Macron's nuclear deterrence initiative, while stressing that the decision will not change Norway's basic policy on nuclear weapons.
* Singapore will introduce new measures from July 1, 2027, to further curb greenhouse gas emissions from refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, expanding existing regulations to cover large commercial systems and vehicle air-conditioning, the National Environment Agency said on Thursday.
* U.S. tariffs of 50 percent on Mexican steel and aluminum are a major concern for Mexico as formal talks begin on the review of the North American free trade agreement, Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday.
* Hungary's National Assembly on Wednesday voted under a special procedure on a bill to revoke the country's decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
* The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian authority overseeing shipping control in the Strait of Hormuz, has been added to the Specially Designated Nationals List in a fresh sanction move under the U.S. Economic Fury campaign, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran would not receive sanctions relief in exchange for giving up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will not rush into a deal with Iran because of midterm political concerns, warning that Washington remained prepared to resume military action if ongoing negotiations fail to produce an agreement favored by the United States.
* Iran will not be pushed back from its red lines by U.S. President Donald Trump's rhetoric, a senior Iranian lawmaker said in a post on social platform X early Thursday.
* Iran has a draft of an initial, unofficial framework for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States, which demands U.S. military withdrawal and naval blockade lift, several media outlets reported Wednesday, citing Iran's state-run IRIB TV.
* Israel's military said on Thursday it has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure around Tyre after issuing an evacuation order for residents of the southern Lebanese city.
* Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday urged all armed groups in the country to operate under the umbrella of the state, according to al-Zaidi's media office.
* The Kuwaiti army announced on Thursday that its air defenses had intercepted "hostile" missile and drone attacks a short while earlier.
* Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday urgent support for Yemen in the form of oil derivatives worth 150 million USD.
* The Republic of Korea's central bank on Thursday froze its policy rate for an eighth straight time, while indicating a rate hike on the back of fast economic growth, rising household debt, higher exchange rate volatility and inflationary pressure.
* The Iran war has triggered a major geoeconomic shock, which will shape the outlook of the euro area financial stability, the European Central Bank said on Wednesday.
* Germany's council of economic advisers cut its 2026 growth forecast on Wednesday, warning that the Middle East war, surging energy prices and persistent U.S. trade protectionism were placing fresh strain on Europe's largest economy after years of stagnation.
* The New Zealand government on Thursday delivered a restrained 2026 budget focused on fiscal discipline, increased health spending and gradual deficit reduction, while avoiding pre-election giveaways.
* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the combined fifth and sixth reviews of Sri Lanka's economic reform program under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement, giving the country immediate access to a fund of 695 million USD.
* Bulgaria is stepping up efforts to welcome more international visitors ahead of the busy summer season, as the ministries of tourism and foreign affairs launched joint measures to speed up visa processing for travelers and seasonal workers from outside the European Union.
* Russian cosmonauts have conducted their first spacewalk in 2026 from the International Space Station (ISS), performing complex extravehicular tasks within about 6 hours, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Wednesday.
* The U.S. military struck an alleged narco-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday, killing two people aboard, the U.S. Southern Command said.
* Australia's federal government has launched a landmark lawsuit against 3M and its local subsidiary, seeking 2 billion Australian dollars (about 1.4 billion USD) in damages over contamination caused by 3M firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals.
* The total capacity of data centers, including cryptocurrency mining facilities, connected to Russia's power grid reached 4.2 GW in April, the Russian Power System Operator said Wednesday.
* The number of suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 1,000 as the latest outbreak continues to spread across eastern provinces, according to a situation report released Wednesday by the country's Ministry of Health.
* Africa's average gross domestic product growth is projected at 4.2 percent in 2026, down from 4.4 percent in 2025, according to the African Economic Outlook 2026 report released by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
* The number of hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship at the center of an outbreak has increased to 13, the World Health Organization(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
* Uganda ordered Wednesday the immediate closure of its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid a rise in cases of a rare Ebola strain.
* Six cruise ship passengers in Western Australia have had their quarantine extended to late June after new hantavirus cases were reported among people linked to the same voyage, authorities said on Thursday.
* The death toll from a chemical tank implosion at a paper mill in Longview in the U.S. state of Washington rose to two on Wednesday, and nine others remain missing and are presumed dead, local officials said.
* The death toll from an early-morning fire in northwestern Kenya rose to 16 after six more students succumbed to their injuries, police confirmed on Thursday. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
* The death toll from the collapse of a building under construction in Pampanga province, northern Philippines, rose to five, authorities said on Wednesday. At least 16 people remain missing after the structure collapsed before 3 a.m. on May 24.
* Thirteen people have been confirmed dead and three others injured after an overloaded passenger van rear-ended a semi-trailer truck on an expressway section in central China's Henan Province early Thursday morning, according to local authorities.
* Italy on Wednesday placed four major cities under red heatwave alert as an intense early-season heatwave sweeping across Europe pushed temperatures higher nationwide.
