* U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed recent reports that Israel had provided information about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate him. However, the president said he has "left instructions" should Iran succeed in an assassination plot against him.
* China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should ensure that the development of bilateral relations always helps consolidate their respective socialist causes and promote their modernization drives, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a meeting on Friday with Pak Thae Song, premier of the DPRK Cabinet, in Beijing.
* Russian forces launched seven rounds of strikes against Ukraine over the past week using precision-guided weapons and strike drones, capturing seven settlements in the Kharkiv and Donbas regions, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukraine has started developing a domestically produced anti-ballistic system, designed to be an analogue of the U.S. Patriot in terms of intercepting ballistic targets.
* Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, discussing regional peace, bilateral ties and the implementation of peace agreements, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
* An indigenously built advanced stealth frigate, "INS Mahendragiri," was inducted into the eastern fleet of the Indian Navy on Saturday. The induction ceremony was held in Visakhapatnam, the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, in the presence of India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
* The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) called on the country's officials to uphold integrity at a meeting focused on anti-corruption work, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Saturday.
* Malaysia and Thailand have pledged to deepen cooperation in a number of areas, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said following a series of meetings between the two as part of the latter's two-day working visit to Malaysia.
* Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has welcomed the European Commission's approval on Friday for Hungary's request to join the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). Hungary becomes the 25th EU member state to join the bloc's anti-fraud prosecution body, which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes affecting the Union's financial interests.
* International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said on Friday that attacks on any nuclear power plant are unacceptable, regardless of where they are located.
* The Council of the European Union (EU) on Friday approved a new recovery and resilience plan (RRP) for Hungary, paving the way for up to 10 billion euros (11.4 billion USD) in EU funding.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday urged the U.S. government and its security agencies not to act unilaterally on Mexican territory, saying such actions are seen as "interference" and can fuel violence.
* Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed on the need to support African peace initiatives based on the principle of African solutions to African problems, Burundian authorities have said.
* Pakistani security forces have killed 75 terrorists in a series of operations in southwestern Balochistan province since July 5, Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti said on Friday.
* Hossein Kermanpour, head of the Iranian Health Ministry's public relations, said in a post on X that at least 17 people were killed and 115 others injured in U.S. attacks against six Iranian cities on Wednesday and Thursday.
* A top Iranian security official warned Friday that Iran will retaliate against any attack on its infrastructure, and that Israel will not be spared from its response.
* Israel is prepared to join possible future U.S. military strikes on Iran if requested by Washington, but is awaiting a green light from U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel's Kan public broadcaster reported Friday.
* Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday defended his decision to pursue negotiations with Israel, as Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon wounded two people.
* Israeli military activity in the West Bank has led to more displacement and greater restrictions, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
* Israel's political leadership has ordered the military to refrain from carrying out "unusual" operations in southern Lebanon following a demand from the United States, Israel's state-run Kan TV News reported on Friday.
* Yemen's internationally recognized government has indefinitely postponed a planned prisoner exchange with the Houthi group, a government official told Xinhua on Friday.
* Afghanistan's national population has climbed to 37.2 million, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 2.2 percent, according to official figures released by the country's National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) on Saturday.
* Cambodia's garment, textile, footwear, and travel goods industry saw a 6.2 percent increase in exports during the first half of 2026, according to a report from the General Department of Customs and Excise on Saturday.
* The death toll from the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 4,118 as crews continue to clear rubble in the hardest-hit areas, authorities said Friday. The number of injured remained at 16,740, according to figures released in an update by Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez. A total of 6,462 people have been rescued.
* At least 11 people were confirmed dead and 19 others remained missing after a major wildfire broke out on Thursday afternoon in Spain's southern Andalusia region, regional authorities said Friday.
* Chinese authorities on Saturday intensified emergency response measures with Typhoon Bavi set to slam into the country's eastern coast, resulting in meteorological, water resources, transport and emergency management authorities issuing alerts and reinforcing flood-control efforts ahead of the expected landfall.
