* Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia on Friday began to assume responsibilities as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. Their two-year term officially started on Jan. 1, but Friday is the first working day of the council for 2026 after the Christmas and New Year break.
* Russian forces struck Ukrainian military-related targets in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian facilities over the past week, Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that First Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov will become the new defense minister, replacing Denys Shmyhal.
* Indonesia on Friday officially enacted its National Criminal Code and a new Criminal Procedure Code, marking a major step in reforming the country's criminal justice system. The new laws replace long-standing regulations, including provisions inherited from the colonial period.
* Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Friday warned that any risky action by the United States would make U.S. facilities and troops stationed in the region "legitimate targets" of Iran's response. He made this remark in a post on social media, adding that armed operatives linked to foreign intelligence services were attempting to turn legitimate protests by business owners and various professional groups into violent and armed urban clashes.
* An opposition party in Guinea, the Democratic Front of Guinea, announced on Friday that it has officially filed an appeal with the country's Supreme Court over the provisional results of the presidential election held on Dec. 28, 2025.
* The Sri Lanka Navy arrested 11 Indian fishermen for alleged illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters on Thursday night, the navy said. Navy Media Spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath told the media on Friday that the suspects were arrested off Jaffna in the country's Northern Province during a search operation.
* Afghan police have seized a cache of weapons and military equipment during special intelligence-based operations in Nawa district of southern Helmand province, the provincial police office said on Saturday. According to an official statement, police forces carried out targeted operations in the area, resulting in the arrest of two individuals in connection with the seized items.
* An estimated more than 1 million people, or every other person in Gaza, still urgently need shelter assistance, the Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said Friday. The shelter assistance needs remain, although humanitarians have distributed thousands of tents and hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins and other items across the strip since the ceasefire, according to the office.
* The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic countries expressed concern on Friday over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to ensure the sustained operation of the United Nations (UN) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Gaza and the West Bank.
* The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Friday said Israeli forces opened fire near its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon twice within 20 minutes, calling such incidents a "concerning trend."
* Two people died and 12 others were injured after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico on Friday, local authorities said. Mexico's National Seismological Service said the quake occurred at 7:58 a.m. local time (1358 GMT), with the epicenter located about 4 km southwest of San Marcos in the southern state of Guerrero, at a depth of approximately 5 km.
* Romania's Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) said on Friday that emergency crews are continuing to supply drinking water to communities in Brasov County after a fuel spill disrupted water services for around 11,000 residents.
* Britain's manufacturing sector continued recovery in December 2025, with the seasonally adjusted manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) rising to a 15-month high, data released by S&P Global showed on Friday.
* Malaysia's manufacturers have stayed confident on the outlook for 2026 after the manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) remained unchanged at 50.1 in December 2025. S&P Global Market Intelligence said in a statement that the latest figure marked a further fractional strengthening in operating conditions across Malaysia's manufacturing sector.
* Türkiye's flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) announced on Friday a major investment of around 100 billion Turkish liras (about 2.33 billion USD) to build what it says will be the world's largest cargo terminal at Istanbul Airport. In a social media post, THY said the project will also include a new in-flight catering facility and is expected to create 26,000 jobs.
* Japan's weather agency on Saturday warned that a strong cold mass over the nation will bring more snow to the country's eastern and northern regions. Snowfall has intensified in Chugoku and Hokuriku regions on Friday and Saturday due to the cold mass along with a winter-type pressure pattern.
* Dense fog enveloped the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Friday, disrupting flight services to and from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. In a notice on Friday afternoon, the airport authority said that nine flights were rerouted for safety due to heavy fog.
