* Cambodia said on Wednesday that Thailand has requested to postpone a special meeting on border demarcation for the second time. Cambodia on Jan. 5 re-proposed to Thailand to convene a special meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) of the two countries in the second or third week of this month in Siem Reap province.
* Presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off in Uganda as people queued to cast ballots on Thursday. More than 21 million Ugandans are expected to vote to elect the president, 353 directly elected members of parliament and 146 district women representatives on the day.
* Bulgaria moved closer to another round of early parliamentary elections on Wednesday after the second-largest parliamentary group refused to attempt to form a government. The decision was announced during a ceremony at which Bulgarian President Rumen Radev handed an exploratory mandate to Nadejda Iordanova, co-chairperson of the parliamentary group "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (PP-DB).
* United Nations (UN) experts on Wednesday warned that any unilateral attempt to alter Greenland's status as an autonomous territory of Denmark would not only violate international law, but could also undermine stability in the Arctic region and beyond.
* China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Canada in areas such as clean energy, digital technology, modern agriculture, aerospace, advanced manufacturing and finance, to foster more new drivers of economic growth, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said when holding talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Beijing on Thursday.
* Laos' Ministry of Industry and Commerce marked the 22nd International Anti-Corruption Day, emphasizing that combating corruption is essential for sustainable economic growth and highlighting ongoing efforts to foster transparency, integrity and professionalism for the benefit of the nation and its people.
* Republic of Korea is reviewing whether to restore the suspended Sept. 19 military agreement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said national security chief Wi Sung-lac on Wednesday. Restoring the agreement is the ROK’s government's "basic direction" and a guideline set by the president, said Wi, quoted by Yonhap News Agency.
* Russia has expressed serious concern over the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) accelerated militarization of the Arctic amid the alliance's calls for increased military support for Greenland, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Wednesday that a state of emergency will be declared in the country's energy sector due to the impact of Russian strikes and deteriorating weather conditions.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered an additional tariff of 25 percent on the imports of certain advanced computing chips, which will become effective Thursday. In a proclamation posted on the website of the White House, Trump said the tariff shall continue in effect, unless such action is "expressly reduced, modified, or terminated."
* Venezuelan workers marched on Wednesday through the streets of Caracas to demand the release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who were detained by U.S. military forces on Jan. 3. Speaking by telephone during the rally, Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez called on supporters to remain united in what she described as a struggle to secure the couple's return.
* The UN Security Council will meet Thursday on the situation in Iran, said a spokeswoman for the Somali Permanent Mission to the United Nations, whose country holds the rotating council presidency for the month of January.
* Britain has begun withdrawing personnel from a United States military base in Qatar, Sky News reported on Wednesday. The move comes amid rising tensions in the region after U.S. President Donald Trump told protesters in Iran that "help is on its way" and warned of "very strong action" against Iran.
* The Indian government on Wednesday urged its nationals to leave Iran and advised against travel to the country, citing the evolving security situation.
* Spain's Foreign Ministry updated an important travel advisory on its official website Wednesday, urging its citizens in Iran to leave the country "by available means."
* The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted 51-50 to effectively block a bipartisan resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's authority to use military force in Venezuela, after two GOP senators flipped under intense pressure from the White House.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said he "had a long call" with Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Wednesday and the two countries are "getting along very well."
* Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday exchanged views in a phone call on current international issues, with a focus on the situation in Venezuela, according to the Kremlin.
* The Danish Ministry of Defence confirmed on Wednesday that Denmark is increasing its military presence in Greenland. According to a press release from the ministry, an enhanced military presence in and around Greenland will begin on Wednesday, with Denmark working closely with its NATO allies. The announcement came ahead of a meeting between Denmark, Greenland and the United States held in Washington.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday morning that anything less than Greenland becoming a part of the United States "is unacceptable."
* France will send extra "land, air and maritime assets" to Greenland in the coming days, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday during his New Year address to the armed forces at the Istres air base.
* Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday that Sweden has sent military personnel to Greenland at Denmark's request.
* The German Ministry of Defense on Wednesday announced that it will participate in a multinational reconnaissance mission in Greenland to assess potential military contributions to regional security.
* U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday announced the launch of the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, shifting the focus from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has exchanged views with his Egyptian and Indian counterparts on the recent unrest in Iran.
* Russia has decided to expel a British embassy employee for alleged affiliation with the British special services, the Russian foreign ministry said Thursday. The ministry said it summoned the British charge d'affaires in Russia on Thursday and lodged a strong protest regarding the issue.
* Britain is prepared to work with European allies to intercept oil tankers linked to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Wednesday to British media.
* No third party can change the fundamental nature of Russia-Iran relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference on Wednesday.
* The British government on Wednesday warned against "all but essential travel" to Israel, citing heightened regional tensions that could lead to travel disruption and other unanticipated impacts.
* Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed on Wednesday that his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled for Feb. 3 at the White House.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday stressed the importance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for North American economic integration, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed the trade pact as irrelevant.
* Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday it had foiled a planned terror attack in St. Petersburg targeting an employee of a defense industry enterprise.
* Greece on Wednesday condemned recent drone attacks on civilian ships of Greek interests in the Black Sea, warning that such incidents endanger the safety of crews and pose risks to the marine environment.
* A total of 221 Afghan prisoners have been released from Pakistani jails over the past week and have safely returned to Afghanistan, the country's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced on Thursday.
* The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that it demolished a Palestinian house in the southern West Bank city of Hebron overnight.
* Hamas on Thursday reaffirmed its readiness to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a newly formed Palestinian technocratic committee and facilitate its mission.
* The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said on Wednesday that the global oil demand for 2027 is estimated to be 107.86 million barrels per day (bpd), higher than the level of 2026. Compared with 2026, the demand growth in 2027 will be a "healthy" level of about 1.3 million bpd, according to the OPEC monthly oil market report.
* Search and rescue operations are continuing in the central Philippine city of Cebu, a week after a landfill collapsed on Jan. 8, killing at least 25 people and leaving 11 others still missing, authorities said Thursday.
* NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts returned to Earth early Thursday after one of the crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) experienced a medical issue last week. The four-member SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of California at about 3:41 a.m. Thursday (1141 GMT) after an approximately 10-hour journey.
* Kazakhstan saved 874 million cubic meters of water in 2025 by introducing water-saving technologies in irrigated agriculture, the Kazinform news agency reported on Thursday.
