* At the invitation of Zhao Leji, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian parliament's lower house, the State Duma, will lead a delegation to visit China from Aug. 25 to 26.
* Russia has requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, following the arrest of a Ukrainian suspect in Italy, a senior Russian diplomat said Friday on social media.
* Russia and Ukraine on Sunday exchanged 146 prisoners of conflict from each side, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Ukraine returned eight residents of Russia's Kursk region. The area was briefly seized by Ukraine in a surprise attack in August 2024, before Russian forces recaptured it earlier this year.
* Russia said Saturday that over the past 24 hours, it shot down four Ukrainian guided aerial bombs and 160 drones. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense systems intercepted 33 Ukrainian drones over the country's western border regions.
* Ukrainian drone attacks sparked fires at a Russian nuclear plant and other energy facilities, local authorities said Sunday. Debris from a Ukrainian drone struck a transformer at the Kursk nuclear power plant early Sunday, causing a fire and damage, the regional operational headquarters said.
* The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday test-fired two improved types of new air defence missiles in a bid to examine their combat capabilities, with Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, overseeing the event, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday.
* The Republic of Korean military on Tuesday conducted "a serious provocation," firing more than 10 warning shots at soldiers of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday.
* President of the Council of States of Switzerland Andrea Caroni will lead a delegation to visit China from Aug. 25 to Aug. 28 at the invitation of Zhao Leji, chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee.
* India's postal department Saturday announced a temporary suspension of all postal services to the United States from Aug. 25, citing changes in U.S. customs rules that will come into effect later this month.
* Cambodia has revised down its economic growth forecast to 5 percent in 2025 from an earlier prediction of 6.3 percent, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a mid-year report on Saturday.
* Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Sunday the United States confronts Iran because it wants the country to be "obedient," a demand he called "offensive" and vowed the nation would resist.
* Jordan on Sunday carried out another airdrop of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and received additional relief shipments from Slovenia, as part of ongoing efforts to support Palestinians amid the deepening crisis.
* Israeli warplanes launched a wave of airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa on Sunday, targeting government and military sites, Houthi-run al-Masirah television reported.
* Hamas said on Sunday that it had agreed to a partial prisoner exchange deal with Israel and was ready for a comprehensive truce deal, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected all solutions.
* Egypt on Sunday sent a new humanitarian convoy to Gaza, resuming aid deliveries after Israel's weekend closure of the crossings, state news agency MENA said.
* Israeli officials vowed on Sunday to press ahead with the offensive on Gaza City, as residents reported heavy air and ground attacks and local authorities said the famine death toll continues to rise.
* Syria's supreme committee for parliamentary elections announced Saturday the postponement of parliamentary elections, scheduled for September, in three provinces due to security challenges.
* South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone conversation with European leaders on Saturday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine peace efforts, according to the Presidency.
* The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday urged Cape Verde to step up disease prevention following deadly floods triggered by an Aug. 11 storm on the island of Sao Vicente that killed nine people.
* China has seen 823 million railway passenger trips between July 1, the start of the summer travel rush, and Aug. 23, data from the country's railway operator revealed on Sunday.
* Uzbekistan's fruit and vegetable exports exceeded 1 billion USD in the first seven months of 2025, local media reported Saturday citing the National Statistics Committee. From January to July 2025, Uzbekistan exported 1.3 million tonnes of fruit and vegetable products worth over 1 billion dollars.
* More than 1.9 million Afghans have returned from Iran to Afghanistan since the beginning of 2025, the local media Tolonews reported on Saturday. According to the report, about 85 percent of the returnees, or over 1.6 million people, came back between March 20 and Aug. 20.
