* U.S. President Donald Trump said his government looks forward to "doing very well with China and getting along with China" in virtual remarks to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.
* China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial, and China does not intentionally pursue a trade surplus, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
* Russia has partially resumed its work in the Arctic Council, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying on Friday.
* Moscow's air defense systems were actively engaged in repelling a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks in the early hours of Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his Telegram channel.
* The Republic of Korea's prosecution sought the extension of detention of the arrested President Yoon Suk-yeol until Feb. 6 to carry out further investigation, multiple media outlets said Friday.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that there is no need to expedite a review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which was proposed by her U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.
* China is pleased to see all parties play a constructive role in building up conditions for de-escalating the situation and the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday.
* Former New York mayor and media mogul Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday that his philanthropy will offer funding to help cover the U.S. contribution to the UN climate agency after President Donald Trump declared withdrawal from the Paris climate accord again.
* The Cypriot government on Thursday dismissed claims that the Andreas Papandreou airbase in Paphos would be used as a U.S. military base, emphasizing that ongoing infrastructure upgrades are solely for humanitarian purposes.
* Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that his country recognized the transformative power of education in preparing youth to thrive in the evolving technological landscape, calling education a beacon of hope for generations to come.
* The Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Friday raised its policy interest rate to the highest level in 17 years, marking another step to unwind its long-standing ultra-loose monetary stimulus.
* The top legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) adopted a Cabinet work report and swore in the country's new premier in a key session in capital Pyongyang, state media said Friday.
* Indonesia, one of the world's largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), plans to delay LNG exports to meet rising domestic demand, said Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.
* Indonesia's free meal program has reached 650,000 school children in 31 provinces, according to President Prabowo Subianto.
* The Philippine government aims to reduce the country's poverty incidence to 13.2 percent or lower in 2025, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said Thursday.
* New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon delivered the State of the Nation Speech on Thursday, stressing turbocharging economic growth to be the key to improving Kiwis' life.
* Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has condemned the U.S. moves to re-add Cuba to its list of state sponsors of terrorism and re-designate Yemen's Houthi group as a foreign terrorist organization.
* Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman informed U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday of the kingdom's plans to expand investments and trade with the United States, aiming for up to 600 billion USD over the next four years, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
* Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday that Hungary welcomes the Middle East ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and has the keen interest in fully implementing a Gaza ceasefire agreement,
* A senior official from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said Thursday that the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip is holding despite Israeli violations.
* Egypt's foreign ministry on Thursday condemned an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, which has left dozens wounded and killed.
* Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani expressed on Thursday his country's aspiration for greater cooperation with the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) and affirmed his government's support for the activities of the AMF.
* The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm on Thursday over the resumption of hostilities by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as a key regional city is under threat.
* Assimi Goita, president of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), announced in a statement on Thursday the launch of the AES confederation passport, set to be issued in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger starting Jan. 29.
* Rwanda and China on Wednesday signed a financing agreement worth more than 40 million USD for the construction of the Giseke Dam and Irrigation Project, the Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning announced.
* UN Humanitarians said on Thursday they are concerned by insecurity in Syria's north and northeast, including attacks near a Euphrates River dam, and nationwide economic challenges which stifle cash assistance.
* The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced on Friday a slight easing of its monetary policy, marking the first such move since 2020 and the first adjustment in two years.
* The Philippines' total external trade in goods fell by 1.9 percent in December 2024 to 15.45 billion USD from 15.75 billion dollars in December 2023, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Friday.
* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to maintain an economic growth of around 4 percent in 2025.
* The Philippines has imposed a temporary import ban on birds and poultry products from South Dakota of the United States due to an outbreak of bird flu, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture said Thursday.
* Many people are feared dead in a massive blast that took place Friday at an ordnance factory in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, multiple local media reports said. Rescuers from the health and disaster management department also reached the spot to look for survivors.
