* Indonesia's investment landscape is entering a new chapter after the government and members of the House of Representatives passed the Third Amendment to Law Number 19 of 2003 concerning State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) on Tuesday.
* Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte held her first press briefing on Friday since the House of Representatives impeached her, saying her legal team was preparing to defend in the upcoming trial.
* Russia currently sees no opportunity of resuming peace treaty negotiations with Japan due to Tokyo's confrontational stance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko was quoted as saying by TASS news agency on Friday.
* Ukrainian President's Office chief Andriy Yermak said Friday that he held a phone conversation with Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
* The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump plans to slash the staff members of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from more than 10,000 to fewer than 300, U.S. media reported Thursday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), claiming that the court "has engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel."
* The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose sanctions on the international body.
* The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) stated on Thursday that as of Jan.1, 2025, the United States' term as a member had ended, making it ineligible to withdraw from an intergovernmental body it was no longer part of.
* Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday rejected the U.S. State Department's claim that U.S. government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal free of charge.
* The European Union (EU) and the East African Community (EAC) launched three key projects on Thursday to strengthen regional integration, enhance trade, and foster inclusive economic growth.
* Security is being ramped up in Brussels following a series of shootings this week which left one person dead. Federal reserve officers will be deployed in the district of Anderlecht, with increased patrols in metro stations and high-risk areas, after the incidents involving armed men.
* Kazakhstan and Georgia are focusing on boosting cargo volumes along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or the Middle Corridor, while upgrading its transit infrastructure, according to a statement by the Kazakh presidential press service on Thursday.
* Slovakia's largest gas supplier, SPP, announced on Thursday that it has begun importing Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline through Hungary as of Feb. 1.
* A total of 69 suspects have been arrested in a recent crackdown on telecom fraud in eastern Myanmar's Shan state, Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson of Myanmar's State Administration Council, said on Friday.
* Australia's Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese has announced new funding to address the disadvantages faced by remote Indigenous communities.
* Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu said on Thursday that extensive work is underway to achieve the target of bringing 2.3 million tourists to the Maldives in 2025.
* Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said that his country has been striving to combat climate change impacts to boost economic growth and development.
* Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Friday that negotiating with the United States will not solve Iran's problems, describing such negotiations as "neither wise nor honorable," according to the official news agency IRNA.
* U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus reaffirmed on Friday the United States' commitment to the Feb. 18 deadline for Israeli forces to complete their withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
* Hamas on Thursday called on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to convene emergency sessions to address U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, urging for a strong, unified stance against these plans.
* Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants warned on Friday that the forced displacement of Palestinians is an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause and undermine the Palestinians' right of return, particularly for refugees in Lebanon.
* Israel has successfully completed an operational test launch of the Gabriel 5 sea-to-sea missile, the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a joint statement on Thursday.
* India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Friday announced a reduction in repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 percent. The repo rate is the rate at which the central bank lends money to commercial banks in the event of a shortfall of funds.
* Malaysia's industrial production index (IPI) recorded an annual growth of 3.8 percent in 2024, compared to 0.7 percent in 2023, underpinned by positive growth in all sectors, official data showed Friday.
* Global food prices drifted lower in January, mainly due to lower sugar, vegetable oil and meat prices, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Friday.
* Romania has registered a "record" number of respiratory infections and flu cases, exceeding 170,000 nationwide between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila announced Thursday.
* Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, experienced its coldest night of the season as temperatures plummeted to a frigid minus 37 degrees Celsius from Thursday to Friday, according to the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring.
* An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 jolted south of the Fiji Islands at 22:27 local time on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. There were no immediate reports of casualty or damage.
