* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about a potential escalation of hostilities between the United States and Iran, said his spokesperson on Thursday.
* The foreign ministers of New Zealand and Indonesia held talks in Auckland on Friday, focusing on practical areas including food security and renewable energy.
* U.S. President Donald Trump is proposing a fee of over 100,000 USD per employee for American companies that employ foreign workers, in a bid to ramp up support from his political base months before the midterm elections.
* The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) vowed to make a "powerful response" to the latest hostile U.S. moves, which are "adversely affecting the security environment of the DPRK and the regional situation," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the name "Lake Ontario" carries a long history and that Canadians will always use this name regardless of external changes.
* Latvia's military threat level has not changed and the risk of a "direct Russian military invasion" remains low, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said on Thursday, seeking to reassure the public after a proposed emergency measure for the country's eastern border region raised concern.
* The recent visit of Pakistan's army chief Syed Asim Munir to Tehran was part of Islamabad's ongoing efforts to mediate in the tensions between the United States and Iran, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday.
* Qatari and Iranian foreign ministers discussed on Thursday the establishment of a temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and the implementation of a joint project to clear the strait of mines, according to a statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
* Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that the country does not seek war, but will not submit to bullying.
* A senior Iranian security official said on Thursday that if the United States commits any "malicious" act, Iran will respond harshly by targeting its military and economic interests in the West Asia region, a response that "will be etched in history."
* No official request has been submitted by U.S. authorities to establish a deconfliction mechanism involving Syria and Israel, Türkiye's Ministry of National Defense said Thursday during a weekly press briefing, according to local media Türkiye Today.
* Israeli warplanes launched multiple airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday evening, the Lebanese National News Agency(NNA) reported.
* Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bisat and visiting Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday to enhance trade and investment cooperation.
* The Pentagon is preparing to withdraw about 200 U.S. troops from Nigeria by late September, The New York Times (NYT) reported Thursday.
* China's new economic growth drivers index rose 12.5 percent in 2025, with the transformation and upgrading index and the innovation driven index together accounting for nearly two-thirds of the increase, official data showed Thursday.
* Malaysia is working to realize 50 billion ringgit (about 12.4 billion USD) in medical device exports by 2030 by developing technology, owning intellectual property, and building world-class medical technology companies, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Friday.
* Thailand's exports grew for the 25th straight month in July, driven by strong global demand for technology-related and digital infrastructure products and a rebound in agricultural shipments, official data showed on Thursday.
* Malaysia is working to realize 50 billion ringgit (about 12.4 billion USD) in medical device exports by 2030 by developing technology, owning intellectual property, and building world-class medical technology companies, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Friday.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday lamented the lack of international attention to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and made an urgent appeal to step up action.
* Nepal authorities issued a fresh warning on Friday of another possible flood after an increased flow of water mixed with debris and mud was reported in the same stretch of the Bhote Koshi River where a catastrophic flash flood struck on Wednesday.
* Search and rescue teams in Nepal have recovered 469 dead bodies as of Friday morning following Wednesday's flash flood, the Nepal Police said in a statement. As many as 1,545 people have been rescued so far as search and relief operations continue across the affected regions.
* Typhoon Saudel, the 18th typhoon of this year, made landfall along the coast of east China's Zhejiang Province twice on Friday, bringing rainstorms and prompting evacuations of residents.
* El Nino-related temperature swings in the Pacific have become stronger than at any point measured in the preindustrial portion of a roughly 1,000-year record, a new study published Thursday in the journal Science has found.
* A strong El Nino event is expected to be a key driver of contrasting rainfall patterns across Southern Africa during the 2026/27 rainy season, with drier conditions likely in central and southern areas and wetter conditions forecast for northern parts of the region, according to the latest regional climate outlook released Thursday.
* Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said Wednesday that 18 wildfires remain active across four departments as El Nino conditions continue to fuel dry weather.
* Authorities in South Australia (SA) on Friday reported 46 new confirmed H5N1 avian influenza events, including Australia's first case in a dolphin.
