* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday said it has approved up to 4.3 billion USD to help finance the construction of nearly 55 kilometers of a modern suburban railway line connecting the Philippine capital region with Calamba City in the neighboring Laguna province.
* The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Malaysia is expected to hit 5 million by the end of this year, according to the country's largest association for travel and tour.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that the Ukraine conflict may trigger social and economic chaos around the world.
* Parts of the Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai began imposing new lockdown restrictions, with residents of sprawling Minhang district ordered to stay home for two days in a bid to control COVID-19 transmission risks.
* India reported 7,240 new infections in the last 24 hours, its highest number of daily cases since March 2.
* All Nippon Airways will restore full domestic flight services to and from Tokyo's Haneda airport starting next month to meet rising demand as Japan emerges from the pandemic.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday expressed common readiness to consistently strengthen bilateral relations, including through the implementation of joint economic and trade projects.
* Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday that he does not pin high hopes on the upcoming summit of NATO, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported.
* The Kremlin said on Thursday that no agreement had been reached with Turkey on exporting Ukrainian grain shipments across the Black Sea. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that work was continuing.
* Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency by letter that it plans to disconnect 20 IAEA surveillance cameras and other monitoring equipment, the agency's chief Rafael Grossi told its board on Thursday, diplomats at the meeting said.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his visiting Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday pledged to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
* Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly announced Wednesday that Canada is imposing new sanctions on Russian oil, gas and chemical industries.
* Participants in the International Energy Agency's (IEA) 7th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency, taking place in Sonderborg in southern Denmark between June 7 and June 9, pledged on Wednesday to "turbocharge energy efficiency progress to combat the energy crisis and meet the climate goals."
* Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday Greece should stop arming islands with non-military status and should abide by international agreements, in comments likely to fuel a renewal in long-running tensions between the Aegean Sea neighbours.
* The Kremlin said on Thursday it does not expect Gazprom to cut gas supplies to any more European customers, adding that its scheme to make buyers pay for their gas in roubles was functioning as intended.
* Hungary's consumer price index (CPI) increased by 10.7 percent in May on a yearly basis, the highest in 23 years, the country's Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Wednesday.
* The Chilean economy will expand between 1.5% and 2.25% this year, after last year's solid recovery from the pandemic, the country's central bank said on Wednesday.
* The Spanish government will "firmly defend" its national interests in the wake of Algeria's decision to suspend a 20-year-old treaty of friendship and cooperation and ban all non-gas trade with Spain, the foreign minister said on Thursday.
* Iran expects an oil cargo confiscated by Greece to be returned in full, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Tehran's ambassador to Athens as saying on Thursday, following a Greek court ruling quashing the original decision to confiscate it.
* Workers at France's main Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris will strike on Thursday to demand better pay and working conditions, pointing to rising inflation, and working conditions during the pandemic, the CGT trade union said, as European airports struggle to deal with a sudden increase in travellers.
* Greece on Thursday urged state entities to reduce use of air conditioning, install window shields and shut computers after working hours, to help cut electricity consumption and set an example for the rest of the country.
* Swathes of Sri Lanka were hit by electricity cuts on Thursday after a power sector union went on strike opposing new government regulations, compounding hardships as the country tackles a crippling economic crisis.
* Mongolia exported 5.7 million tons of coal in the first five months of this year, data released by the Mongolian Customs General Administration showed Thursday.
* A new law declaring monkeypox as a legally notifiable disease came into force across Britain on Wednesday, meaning all doctors in England are required to notify their local council or local Health Protection Team about any suspected monkeypox cases.
