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Germany’s new Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is signaling a tougher stance on Russia, backing stronger EU sanctions including bans on gas and uranium imports and the use of frozen Russian state assets.

Thorsten Frei, Merz’s chief of staff, said Europe must move beyond its “comfort zone” to increase pressure on Moscow. The EU is preparing a new round of sanctions following recent measures targeting Russia’s oil “shadow fleet” and financial networks, accoding to Reuters.

Merz has also supported the potential confiscation of frozen Russian assets, if legally feasible.

A North Korean warship capsized during a launch on Wednesday in Chongjin, with leader Kim Jong Un calling the accident a “criminal act” caused by carelessness, BBC reported.

The 5,000-ton destroyer was damaged during a side launch, which analysts say was risky. Kim ordered the ship restored before a June party meeting, calling it a political issue. South Korea said the vessel is now on its side and noted North Korea fired cruise missiles nearby at the time.

Turkish police detained 272 suspected street-level drug dealers in a major operation, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Thursday.

The raids followed four months of surveillance and intelligence gathering in several Istanbul districts. Targets were individuals selling drugs in local neighborhoods, according to Xinhua.

Yerlikaya shared the update on X, stressing continued efforts against drug crimes.

Turkey, a key transit point between Asia and Europe, regularly conducts anti-drug operations to combat trafficking and abuse, Xinhua reported.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday suggested that Saudi Arabia could serve as a neutral venue for dialogue between Pakistan and India on key bilateral issues, according to the Firstpost.

Speaking to reporters, the Prime Minister expressed optimism about future conversations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While admitting China as a potential host, he stated that India will not accept it as a neutral party.

His statements came after US President Donald Trump offered to intervene between the two countries, saying that the US had helped engineer a cease-fire to decrease tensions, Firstpost reported.

In contrast, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a parliamentary panel that India and Pakistan decided to cease warfare bilaterally in response to opposition concerns over Trump's statements.

The United States and Vietnam concluded a second round of tariff negotiations in Washington from May 19–22, making progress but leaving key issues unresolved, Vietnam’s trade ministry said Thursday.

Vietnamese Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer led the talks, which identified areas of near consensus and others requiring further discussion, Reuters reported.

Both sides agreed to resume negotiations in early June.

Vietnam, a major exporter to the US, currently faces a 46 percent reciprocal tariff rate, though these duties are paused until July. The US Trade Representative’s office has not yet commented, according to Reuters.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced ongoing work on a draft memorandum for a potential Russia-Ukraine peace agreement, with many details kept confidential. The location for future negotiations has yet to be decided, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, Russia is moving to implement a prisoner exchange involving 1,000 captives, following an agreement reached with Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkey.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump agreed that Russia would create a peace agreement outlining principles for resolving the conflict, a schedule, and conditions for a temporary ceasefire, according to Xinhua.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after speaking with Trump, reiterated that Ukraine will not concede territory and stressed that no decisions should be made without Kyiv’s consent.

The National Folk and Dohori Song Foundation Nepal has announced that its ninth general convention will take place on 13–15 Feb 2026. The decision was made during a recent meeting of the foundation’s central committee. Rita Thapa, central chairperson of the foundation, said the meeting also decided to hold the district- and equivalent-level conventions on Aug 30 and the provincial- and equivalent-level conventions on Sept 13.

Shirish Devkota, deputy general secretary of the foundation, said the central committee also agreed that the selection of provincial representatives and general convention delegates would be finalized on the day of the district conventions.

The general convention will elect a new executive committee for a three-year term. The foundation has around 30,000 members, including 3,000 lifetime members. 

The Government of Ireland has announced over $545,000 in funding to support civil society initiatives in Nepal. The announcement was made by Irish Ambassador to Nepal, Kevin Kelly, during a visit to Kathmandu as part of a broader European Union (EU) diplomatic mission involving 21 ambassadors and representatives from EU member states.

The funding will be provided through Irish Aid’s Civil Society Fund, which supports Ireland’s international development efforts. The initiative falls under a wider $8.6m grant allocation announced by Ireland’s Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD. Ten Irish NGOs will benefit from this funding, with two organizations implementing programs in Nepal.

Ambassador Kelly emphasized that the funding reflects Ireland’s commitment to inclusive, community-led development and its support for strengthening Nepal’s civil society.