* Republic of Korea's opposition parties on Friday submitted an impeachment motion against Choi Sang-mok, deputy prime minister for economic affairs who became acting president in December last year following the impeachment of both president and prime minister.
* Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for the stabilization of foreign trade with a pioneering and innovative spirit, and for the accelerated creation of new strengths in high-level opening-up.
* The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) test-fired the latest anti-aircraft missile system Thursday "to examine the comprehensive performance of the system which was put into full-scale production at the munitions industry enterprise concerned," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.
* As China welcomes U.S. senator Steve Daines' visit to China, it is extending a warm welcome to individuals from all sectors of the United States, including members of Congress, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday.
* Russia highly appreciates China's continued efforts to expand its high-level opening up, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.
* Cambodia and Togo have signed two deals on the establishment of bilateral consultations and visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and service passports, said a press release from the Cambodian foreign ministry on Friday.
* The next round of Russia-U.S. talks on Ukraine will be held on Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Thursday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will sign a rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine "very shortly." He said last month that he asked Ukraine to provide the United States rare earth worth 500 billion USD.
* Russia's foreign ministry said Thursday that Ukraine had breached a proposed 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure by striking a Russian oil depot, according to media reports.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday reaffirmed Ukraine's commitment to diplomatic talks with the United States while expressing skepticism about Russia's willingness to agree to a ceasefire.
* The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said Ukrainian forces have "deliberately blown up the Sudzha gas metering station" as they retreated from Russia's western Kursk region.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed U.S. involvement in restoring the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during a recent phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Interfax-Ukraine reported Thursday.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday that Ukrainian and U.S. technical teams will meet in Saudi Arabia on March 24, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.
* French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that Paris will host a summit of the "coalition of the willing" supporting Ukraine on March 27 to discuss further military aid for Kyiv.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged European Union leaders to promptly approve a package of at least 5 billion euros (5.45 billion USD) for artillery shells.
* Military chiefs from some 30 countries gathered in Britain on Thursday to discuss how the so-called "coalition of the willing" might function in practice to defend Ukraine in the future.
* The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday condemned the Freedom Shield military exercises conducted by the United States and the Republic of Korea as "a rehearsal of war," warning that the DPRK may consider using "the most destructive and deadly military means" against them, reported the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday.
* European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde on Thursday urged greater trade integration with the rest of the world to counter the economic fallout from escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and the European Union (EU).
* The Taliban in Afghanistan has released a U.S. citizen it detained more than two years ago following efforts by the Trump administration and Qatari negotiators, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Thursday.
* A group of 311 Venezuelan migrants repatriated from Mexico arrived Thursday at the Maiquetia International Airport, where they were received by a committee led by Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace Diosdado Cabello.
* Israel will annex territories in the Gaza Strip if Hamas refuses to release the remaining hostages, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Friday.
* Yemen's Houthi group early morning Friday claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack on southern Tel Aviv, a Houthi military spokesperson said in a televised statement.
* The Council of European Union (EU) on Thursday condemned the collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza, expressing concern over the renewed violence and its devastating humanitarian impact.
* France opposes any form of annexation of Gaza and the West Bank by Israel, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday.
* Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Thursday condemned Israel's resumption of hostilities in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of negotiations to restore peace.
* Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed on Thursday joint efforts to reinforce the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
* Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday reiterated the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza, calling for immediate international intervention to halt Israel's military operations and reopen border crossings for humanitarian aid.
* The Hamas-run Gaza media office said in a statement on Thursday that the death toll from the Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip over the past 72 hours has risen to 591, in addition to 1,042 wounded who have arrived at hospitals.
* The U.S. military launched fresh airstrikes on Yemen's northern province of Saada on Thursday evening, targeting the al-Asayed area in its As-Safra district, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported, without providing further details.
* The Sudanese Armed Forces on Friday regained control of the presidential palace in central Khartoum, which had been held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since mid-April 2023, according to official Sudan TV.
* The General Confederation of Labor of Argentina announced Thursday that it will hold a general strike on April 10 in rejection of the policies of the government headed by President Javier Milei.
* The Pakistani military announced late Thursday night that security forces had killed 10 terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the Dera Ismail Khan district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
* The Russian central bank announced Friday that it has decided to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 21 percent per annum. The bank added that it would consider raising the key rate if disinflation dynamics do not ensure the achievement of the inflation target.
* Japan's core consumer prices increased 3.0 percent in February from a year earlier, but the pace of gain slowed for the first time in four months, government data showed Friday.
* Thailand's exports continued to expand for the eighth straight month in February, driven by growth in the global manufacturing sector, particularly electronics production, official data showed on Friday.
* The Bank of England (BoE) has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.5 percent, Britain's central bank said in a statement on Thursday.
* More than 840 hectares of forest and about 1.388 million hectares of steppe have been destroyed by wildfire since the beginning of spring in Mongolia, the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Friday.
