* The United Nations marked the Nelson Mandela International Day on Friday, calling for dialogue over hatred, understanding over fear and vengeance, and "unity above all."
* At least 40 schools across India's southern city of Bengaluru on Friday received bomb threats via email, prompting the worried administration of these institutions to alert police. The threatening messages claimed that explosive devices had been planted inside classrooms in black plastic bags.
* China's top financial regulator on Friday pledged strengthened support for economic growth and the achievement of the country's full-year economic and social development goals in 2025.
* The Slovenian parliament on Friday voted to cancel a proposed referendum on increased defense spending, defusing a political standoff that had threatened to trigger a government collapse and early elections.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday a couple of big trade deals will be announced soon. Trump has recently signed an executive order to extend the 90-day suspension of sweeping U.S. reciprocal tariffs from July 9 to Aug. 1, with trade negotiations ongoing with several major trading partners.
* The European Union (EU) approved a new round of sanctions against Russia on Friday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said.
* Britain on Friday joined the European Union's (EU) new package of sanctions on Russia. Britain and the EU announced on Friday a lowering of the Crude Oil Price Cap, from 60 USD a barrel to 47.60 dollars, "directly hitting Russia's oil revenues," according to a statement by Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Friday, expressing concern that the clashes in Syria pose a threat to the stability of the entire region, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he had spoken with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, about the situation on the frontline in Ukraine and the country's urgent defense needs.
* Ministers from six EU nations convened at Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze, on Friday and issued a joint declaration aimed at curbing irregular migration.
* The European Union has eased Schengen visa procedures for Turkish citizens, the bloc's ambassador to Türkiye announced on Friday, while inviting Ankara to resume stalled negotiations on full visa liberalization. The new regulation, which came into effect on July 15, simplifies the path to multiple-entry Schengen visas for Turkish nationals.
* U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday defended the multi-billion-dollar renovation project at its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday voiced strong opposition to the construction of a new segment of the U.S. border wall in the state of New Mexico, calling it a unilateral move by the U.S. government.
* Brazil's premium fruit growers warned Friday that new U.S. tariffs could trigger a major crisis for mango exporters, as a 50 percent import duty announced by U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to derail peak-season shipments.
* The Group of Twenty (G20) members concluded the two-day Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting on Friday and agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation to address existing and emerging risks to the global economy in a joint communique signed in Durban, South Africa.
* New Zealand has launched a cross-agency anti-corruption taskforce pilot to strengthen public sector integrity and combat fraud, according to a government statement on Friday.
* Israel will raise its defense spending by 42 billion shekels (about 12.5 billion USD) in 2025 and 2026, the ministries of finance and defense said Thursday in a statement.
* Germany has deported 81 Afghan nationals, marking the second group deportation since the Afghan interim government assumed power in August 2021, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Friday.
* German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday described the current situation in the Gaza Strip as "unacceptable," calling for an immediate ceasefire and comprehensive humanitarian aid for the people there.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has held separate phone calls with his Egyptian and Belgian counterparts to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East amid ongoing Israeli military actions, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
* Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Friday that the group is fully prepared to confront Israel militarily if necessary, warning that Lebanon faces an "existential threat" from the ongoing "Israeli aggression" and U.S.-backed regional pressures.
* Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said on Friday that Hamas has proposed a comprehensive deal to release all Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a complete cessation of hostilities and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the coastal enclave.
* The daily onslaught of hostilities, preventable deaths, a worsening fuel shortage, displacement and desperation are normalizing mass deprivation for Gazans, UN humanitarians said Friday.
* The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen toward Israel on Friday night. Israel's national emergency service, Magen David Adom, said it did not receive reports of hits or casualties.
* The Syrian interim authorities on Friday issued a call for restraint amid escalating violence in the southern province of Sweida, pledging to deploy forces to contain the conflict.
* Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility late Friday night for launching a new "hypersonic ballistic missile" attack on Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel, which was reportedly intercepted by Israel's defense systems.
* The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a declaration of principles with the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group here on Saturday to end the conflict in the country's eastern region.
* Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to grow 4.5 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, fueled by robust domestic demand amidst global headwinds, an official survey showed Friday.
* The Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has approved 35 new investment projects, which are expected to create over 9,000 jobs, state-owned daily The Mirror reported on Friday.
* New Zealand's government has unveiled a new public research institution to grow the country's tech sector and boost high-value exports.
* The Indonesian government will begin imposing export duties on coal and gold next year, particularly when the commodities reach favorable economic values, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia announced on Friday.
* Cambodia on Friday exported its first batch of fresh durians directly to China, marking another fruitful cooperation in the agricultural sector between the two countries, a spokesperson said.
* Fiji's Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways has set an ambitious target to boost the country's agricultural exports to 1 billion Fijian dollars (about 443.48 million USD) within five years, as outlined in the 2025-2026 national budget.
* Cambodia exported 7.83 million tons of agricultural products in the first half of 2025, up more than 27 percent from 6.13 million tons over the same period last year, said a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries report on Saturday.
* China's national observatory on Saturday issued a yellow alert for Typhoon Wipha as the sixth typhoon of the year is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the southern coastal regions of the country.
* Wipha intensified into a severe tropical storm as it blew away from the Philippines on Saturday, bringing strong winds and heavy rains to many areas, including Metro Manila.
* The death toll due to lightning strikes amid monsoon storms over the past two days rose to 33 in India's eastern state of Bihar, an official in the state's disaster management department said on Friday.
* At least 193 people have been killed and 544 others injured across Pakistan as heavy monsoon rains triggered widespread flooding and rain-related accidents since late June, the country's disaster management authority said Friday.
* Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology issued a strong wind advisory on Friday for 15 districts due to active southwest monsoon conditions.
