* The Cambodian Ministry of National Defense said on Sunday that Thai soldiers opened fire on Cambodian armed forces, but the Cambodian forces did not fire back. On the same day, the Thai military accused Cambodia of firing first, claiming that Thailand was forced to retaliate.
* The Chinese and Russian militaries conducted their third joint anti-missile exercise in Russia in early December, said the Ministry of National Defense on Saturday. The joint exercise does not target any third party and has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation, the ministry said in a statement on its website.
* Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, also Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, held a video call on Friday with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
* The United States and Ukrainian delegations on Saturday concluded three-day talks in Miami, Florida, where the two sides focused on territorial issues and U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, U.S. online media outlet Axios reported.
* Russian forces carried out a "massive strike" on Ukraine's military-industrial complex, energy facilities and port infrastructure, the Russian defense ministry said Saturday.
* Britain is considering unlocking 8 billion pounds (about 11 billion USD) of frozen Russian assets as aid to Ukraine, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported Friday.
* Russia stands with Venezuela's leadership and calls on the U.S. government to refrain from "sliding" into a full-scale conflict with Caracas, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Sunday.
* Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spoke by phone on Saturday about global geopolitics and the military deployment in the Caribbean.
* A group of soldiers in Benin announced early Sunday on state broadcaster Benin TV that President Patrice Talon had been "removed from office," months ahead of the presidential election scheduled for April 2026.
* Eighteen migrants were found dead on a boat drifting off the southern coast of Greece, while two survivors were rescued, Greece's public broadcaster ERT updated its report on Saturday.
* The Arab League (AL) and Egypt welcomed on Saturday the recent UN decision to extend the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for three years.
* Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warned on Saturday that the Gaza ceasefire has reached a "critical moment" and risks collapse without immediate progress toward a permanent peace deal.
* Iran supports the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) counter-terrorism plans and cooperation efforts, a senior Iranian diplomat has said.
* Head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, said on Saturday that the group will give up its weapons "if the (Israeli) occupation ends."
* Iran and Egypt have agreed to hold a fresh round of bilateral political consultations soon, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Sunday.
* Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Sunday pledged to step up efforts to combat drugs and criminal networks as he opened the 3rd Baghdad International Conference on Drug Control.
* An explosion shook the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday, according to local witnesses. Local media said the blast was caused by a sound bomb near the Freedom Bridge -- formerly the President Bridge -- in the heart of the city. No damage or injuries were reported.
* The Philippines is confronting the fastest-rising human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region, with an average of 61 Filipinos diagnosed every day this year, up 22 percent from last year, prompting urgent calls for more decisive national action.
* Somalia's Ministry of Health and Human Services on Sunday confirmed that a new diphtheria outbreak has killed 50 children and infected about 1,000 others nationwide.
* At least 23 people were killed and many others injured after a devastating fire broke out around midnight Saturday at a nightclub in India's western state of Goa, police said early Sunday.
* An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 jolted the U.S. state of Alaska at 2041 GMT on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. Tremors were felt in the state's capital, Juneau, and in Whitehorse, the capital of Canada's Yukon territory, local media reported.
