* President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia was always open to diplomacy but put its own national security interests first and would continue to strengthen its military in the face of what he called a difficult international situation.
* The United States and its allies sought to step up sanctions pressure on Russia on Wednesday over the deployment of troops in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, in one of the worst security crises in Europe in decades.
* Ukraine's parliament approved sanctions on Wednesday against 351 Russians, including lawmakers who supported recognising the independence of two separatist-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine and the deployment of Russian troops there.
* The Russian Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament, on Tuesday approved Russian President Vladimir Putin's request for the use of military abroad.
* Greece has made plans to receive additional natural gas to avert a disruption of supply amid heightened tensions in Ukraine, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.
* The White House said on Tuesday the development of Nord Stream 2 is "not moving forward at this point in time" after steps by Germany to halt the Baltic Sea gas pipeline project.
* The deputy head of Sudan's ruling council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, headed to Moscow on Wednesday saying he hoped to bolster ties with Russia in the latest in a series of foreign visits.
* Talks in Vienna on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers have reached a sensitive point and Western countries should take a realistic approach to settle remaining matters, Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday.
* Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani and Martin Bille Hermann, co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on the United Nations Security Council Reform of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, through video link Tuesday.
* Israel's president confirmed on Wednesday that he will visit Turkey, casting the trip to a former security partner as part of an attempt to create a regional alliance on climate change.
* Singapore's health ministry reported a record 26,032 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday and said it may take a few weeks before the current transmission wave peaks and subsides.
* Experts are warning of the spread of a new strain of Omicron variant in the United States and potential health effects after infection, as major states in the country rushed to shed off COVID-19 restrictions amid a continuous decline in cases and hospitalization.
* The global project to share COVID-19 vaccines is struggling to place more than 300 million doses in the latest sign the problem with vaccinating the world is now more about demand than supply.
* British employers are turning more confident about the economy as the country gets over the disruption caused by the Omicron wave of coronavirus infections, a survey showed.
* Poland will remove most COVID-19 restrictions from March 1, while keeping the obligation to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.
* Italy will no longer require people coming from outside the European Union to isolate after entering the country as of March 1, its health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
* Ireland said it will drop most of its remaining pandemic-linked restrictions from Feb. 28 as an Omicron-fuelled wave of infections ebbs.
* South Africa has changed its vaccination rules in an effort to encourage more people to get jabs, health authorities said.
* Uganda plans to impose fines on people who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who fail to pay could be sent to prison under a new public health law which lawmakers are scrutinising, parliament said.
