* Chinese Premier Li Qiang has emphasized boosting consumption and improving people's livelihoods through stronger and more targeted measures, in a bid to strengthen the fundamental role of consumption in driving economic development.
* The Lao government and its development partners will continue their efforts to improve nutrition, advance education, and reduce disaster risks in key provinces of Laos, with the goal of enhancing rural living conditions.
* With just over five years left before the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola on Thursday emphasized the critical role of the Group of 20 (G20) in fostering cooperation to achieve these targets.
* Former Bolivian President Evo Morales announced on Thursday that he will run in the country's Aug. 17 general election after forming an alliance with the Frente Para la Victoria (FPV) party.
* Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed China-Russia relations with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. The two sides also exchanged views and coordinated positions on international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the situation in the Middle East.
* Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on bilateral ties and the recent U.S.-Russia talks, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
* U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on Thursday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "tone down" its stance and return negotiations over a minerals deal with the United States.
* French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening urged Europeans to increase defense spending to ensure their own security and bolster collective European efforts for a solid and lasting peace.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum signed two constitutional amendments on Thursday to strengthen national sovereignty and impose harsher penalties on foreigners engaged in illegal activities in Mexico.
* Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras has warned that new U.S. tariffs on eurozone imports could significantly impact economic growth in the region, the Greek official news agency ANA-MPA reported on Thursday.
* Australia is less vulnerable than other countries to the impact of U.S. tariffs, the country's central bank has said.
* France officially transferred control of its only military base in Cote d'Ivoire, the camp of the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIMA), to the West African nation's authorities on Thursday.
* A Turkey-Qatar Joint Economic and Financial Committee meeting was held in Istanbul on Thursday, with the aim of strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
* Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah stressed on Thursday that his government supports the UN efforts to enhance stability in Libya.
* Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday ordered the military to escalate raids in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank following a series of bus explosions, which he said were "a terror attack."
* Hamas on Thursday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of stalling on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
* Israel said on Thursday that forensic analysis had confirmed that the body it received from Hamas was not that of hostage Shiri Bibas, whose remains were supposed to be handed over along with those of her two children and another Israeli man earlier in the day. The Israeli military accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire agreement by failing to return the remains of four hostages.
* The Arab League (AL) on Thursday warned against any steps that could harm the unity of Sudan or divide the country under any pretext, the AL said in a statement.
* Three empty buses exploded simultaneously Thursday night in Israel's Tel Aviv area, while explosive devices were found on at least two others before they could detonate, in what police said was a "suspected terror attack."
* Argentine President Javier Milei issued an executive order turning the state-owned Banco de la Nacion Argentina into a public limited company, an official confirmed Thursday. The Argentine government will continue to own 99.9 percent of the capital stock and will exercise all its rights through the Economy Ministry.
* Republic of Korea's fisheries output fell in single digit last year due to high water temperature, statistical office data showed Friday. Total fisheries output shrank 2.2 percent from a year earlier to 3.61 million tons in 2024 after growing in the previous year, according to Statistics Korea.
* Kazakhstan plans to seize limited number of rare and endangered fish species, as well as other aquatic animals from the Aral and Caspian Seas, for scientific research and reproduction efforts, the Ministry of Agriculture's press service announced in a statement on Thursday.
* Malta on Thursday launched a marine conservation project worth 2 million euros (2.1 million USD), aimed at improving the quality of its waters and boosting biodiversity.
* Japan's weather agency said a strong cold air mass and a winter pressure pattern brought freezing temperatures to cities across the country on Thursday, with heavy snow hitting the Sea of Japan coast and mountainous regions.
