* Russia currently sees "no grounds for negotiations" with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. Peskov told Russian daily Izvestia that several countries have expressed readiness to host peace talks, including Qatar.
* Cambodia and Laos on Wednesday signed three deals to further promote bilateral ties and cooperation, said a news release after the event. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and visiting Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone witnessed the signing ceremony of the deals after their bilateral meeting at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh.
* Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani has decided to postpone a visit to South Korea, which was tentatively planned for later this month, Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.
* The Russian Navy and Aerospace Forces launched high-precision sea- and air-based missiles in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as part of ongoing military drills, the country's Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
* A top Ukrainian official has begun a visit to the United States to build contacts with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to end the Russia-Ukraine’s conflict upon taking office, Ukrainian media cited the country's foreign minister as saying on Wednesday.
* King Charles and Keir Starmer welcomed Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for a state visit to Britain on Tuesday that the prime minister hopes will help build on the Gulf state's investment in the country.
* The German government approved on Wednesday a defence industry strategy that aims to make it easier for companies to ramp up capacity and to accelerate weapons production, with an eye to the current security situation and the war raging in Ukraine.
* A two-day summit opened in Belgrade on Tuesday to explore the responsible development and application of artificial intelligence (AI), a major event in Serbia as the country seeks to integrate AI into its modernization and innovation agenda.
* South America's Mercosur trade bloc will meet in Uruguay on Thursday with the outside possibility the group could use the event to announce a long-delayed trade deal with the European Union after last-minute negotiations to get it over the line.
* The first sea shipment of bluefin tuna from Malta has arrived in China, a senior official of the island country said on Tuesday, hailing the export a testament to fruitful Malta-China cooperation.
* The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday adopted two resolutions requesting Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories and occupied Syrian Golan, reaffirming the two-state solution as the only path to lasting peace in the Middle East.
* A pivotal gathering of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) was held in Rome on Monday, uniting global leaders at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters to advance sustainable development and the UN 2030 Agenda.
* At least 2.6 trillion USD are required by 2030 to restore over 1 billion hectares of degraded land and enhance global resilience to drought, according to a report released Tuesday by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
* The UN relief chief on Tuesday released 5 million USD in emergency relief to support the humanitarian response for Sudanese refugees in neighboring Chad, UN humanitarians said.
* The ceasefire deal between Lebanese forces and Israel is holding, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a NATO meeting on Wednesday, adding that any purported violations of the agreement that may have occurred were being addressed through a dedicated mechanism.
* Delegations from the Fatah movement of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Hamas armed movement have agreed on a draft document to form a joint committee to run the post-war Gaza Strip, said an Egyptian source on Tuesday.
* Israel warned on Tuesday that it would expand its attacks and include targets linked to the Lebanese state if the fragile truce with Hezbollah collapses.
* A spokesperson from Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that the country's mediation efforts for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel remain suspended.
* Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian towns early on Wednesday, setting fire to property and hurling stones, after police looked to dismantle an illegal settler outpost in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said.
* At least 44,532 Palestinians have been killed and 105,538 injured since the start of Israel's military offensive on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza's health ministry said on Wednesday.
* Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 4,047 people and wounded 16,638 others since Oct. 7, 2023, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said in a televised press conference on Wednesday.
* Intense airstrikes overnight drove Syrian rebels back from the edge of Hama, a major city whose fall would pile pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, both sides said on Wednesday.
* Euro zone economic growth could be weaker in the months ahead and the medium term outlook is uncertain with downside risks dominating, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said in a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday.
* The OECD has trimmed its forecast for German economic growth next year due to political uncertainty and tight fiscal policy, while still anticipating stagnation this year, it said on Wednesday.
* Spain's crude oil imports from Venezuela so far this year are the highest in almost two decades, according to data released on Wednesday by Cores, an arm of Spain's energy and environment ministry.
* Indonesia has exported 500,000 USD worth of electric bicycles, from Sidoarjo, East Java, to the U.S. and European markets.
* Thailand's headline inflation picked up in November but remained below the central bank's target, driven by higher food and energy prices, official data showed on Wednesday.
* Libya's daily oil production exceeded 1.4 million barrels on Tuesday, according to the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC). This marks the highest oil production level since 2013, the NOC said in a statement.
