* India wants to see international cooperation on debt relief at the forefront of discussions at a meeting of G20 finance officials later this month, India's finance ministry said on Thursday.
* Japan and the Philippines signed an agreement on disaster relief on Thursday, a deal seen as a precursor to closer security ties between the two nations to face the regional situation.
* Moscow strongly rejects claims made by the United States on Russia's alleged non-compliance with the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
* Despite providing military assistance to Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must not become a party to the country's conflict with Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday.
* Russia's embassy to Britain on Wednesday warned London against sending fighter jets to Ukraine, saying such a move would have serious military and political ramifications for the entire world, the TASS news agency reported.
* After his visit to the United Kingdom, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stopped off in Paris Wednesday evening and met with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron will travel together to attend a European Union summit later on Thursday, Macron's office said in a statement.
* Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday there will be consequences for the United States after a blog by a US investigative journalist had alleged the US was behind the explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
* Talks between Britain and the European Union to improve post-Brexit trading relations in Northern Ireland will continue after leading figures discussed the process on Wednesday.
* The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday barred an additional 77 US citizens from entering the country in a retaliatory move.
* The Greek parliament paved the way for banning political parties whose leaders have been convicted of crimes from running in elections, ahead of national polls in spring.
* Britain's trade minister Kemi Badenoch begins a two-day visit to Mexico on Thursday, targeting a bilateral trade deal as well as Britain's accession to a Pacific trading association as the country builds its trade ties after leaving the European Union.
* Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Wednesday ordered the immediate recall of Algerian Ambassador to France Said Moussi for consultation, according to a statement from the president's office.
* President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he did not believe the US economy will fall into recession either this year or next year, his most confident prediction on the fate of an economy that is still rattled by fears of a downturn.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that it is necessary to revise the country's current strategy for scientific and technological development.
* Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday urged police and army officers to be well-prepared for forest and land fires as the El Nino dry season approaches.
* Singapore will drop a requirement for travellers who are not fully vaccinated to show COVID test results or purchase coronavirus travel insurance from Feb 13, the government's virus taskforce said on Thursday.
* The Moroccan navy rescued 167 Spain-bound migrants in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic from Jan. 28 to Feb. 7, official news agency MAP reported Wednesday.
* Malaysia's population in the fourth quarter of 2022 was estimated at 33 million, up 1.3 percent as compared to 32.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, official data showed Thursday.
* An international team of investigators has suspended their investigation into the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 citing lack of evidence.
* Thailand's monetary policy normalization will be gradual and measured, and can be adjusted if necessary, according to the central bank minutes released on Wednesday.
* Pakistani President Arif Alvi said Wednesday that there is a need to properly implement road safety strategies and policies to reduce traffic-related mortalities and injuries across the globe including Pakistan.
* The Republic of Korea's economy is expected to grow 1.8 percent in 2023, higher than forecasts by the country's finance ministry and central bank, a state-run think tank said Thursday.
* Italians paid higher prices for less goods in 2022, new government data shows, the latest indication that the cost of living in Italy is on the rise.
* Brazil expects its 2022-2023 harvest season to yield up to 310.6 million tons of grain, 38.2 million tons more than the last harvest, the state-run National Supply Company (CONAB) said Wednesday.
* Egypt's annual urban consumer price inflation jumped to a higher-than-expected 25.8% in January, its fastest in more than five years, from 21.3% in December, data from statistics agency CAPMAS showed on Thursday.
