* The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that a telephone conversation between Russian and U.S. officials had taken place and that both sides have agreed to continue their dialogue.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday he is willing to bring a peace plan to end the Ukraine crisis for a referendum if Russia agrees to a ceasefire of at least 60 days, according to U.S. media outlet Axios.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he plans to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Zelensky told reporters that the meeting is scheduled to take place in the U.S. state of Florida on Sunday, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "doesn't have anything until I approve it," U.S. President Donald Trump said in an exclusive interview with Politico on Friday, two days ahead of his meeting with Zelensky in Florida over a peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict lasting nearly four years.
* The potential crisis resolution plan that Kiev is reportedly proposing differs significantly from the one that Moscow and Washington are working on, said a Russian official on Friday.
* Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday it had prevented a planned attack targeting a serviceman of the Russian Defense Ministry in the city of Stavropol.
* Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday expressed willingness to hold dialogue with the United States on the basis of mutual respect, provided that the United States gives up interference in Venezuela.
* Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on Saturday sent New Year greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
* Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has announced the release of 50 Afghan migrants from prisons in Pakistan, according to an official statement.
* Israeli gunfire near United Nations peacekeeping patrols along the "Blue Line" border slightly injured one peacekeeper on Friday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.
* African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Friday congratulated the Somali people and government on the historic municipal elections held in the country's capital, Mogadishu.
* The Nigerian government confirmed on Friday that its armed forces, in collaboration with the United States, have conducted airstrikes on identified Islamic State-linked (IS) elements operating in the country's northwestern region.
* Moscow is concerned about the escalation of the military and political situation in Yemen and calls on all parties involved to exercise restraint, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Friday.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday unequivocally condemned the deadly terrorist attack on a mosque in Homs, Syria, his spokesperson said in a statement.
* Turkish authorities have detained 156 suspected migrant smugglers in operations carried out across 14 provinces over the past two weeks, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Saturday.
* The spokesperson of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Turki Al Maliki, announced Saturday that any military movements undermining de-escalation efforts would be dealt with to protect civilians, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
* Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi called on the Saudi-led coalition on Friday to take "necessary military measures" to protect civilians in the southeastern province of Hadramout, as tensions with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) escalate, state media reported.
* French police arrested a suspect after three women were injured in separate knife attacks at stations along Paris Metro Line 3 on Friday, according to local media.
* China has seen sustained momentum in emerging and future industries this year, with about 1.01 million companies established in these sectors from January to November, which was up 9 percent year on year, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation.
* The Argentine Senate on Friday passed the 2026 Budget, which projects 10.1 percent annual inflation and 5 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth for that year.
* Malaysia's agricultural sector recorded a positive growth of 3.1 percent in 2024, an improvement from 0.2 percent in the previous year, according to official data.
* Romania's National Meteorological Administration (ANM) on Friday issued yellow and orange weather alerts for strong winds and blizzard conditions across large parts of the country, in effect from early Sunday through Monday morning.
