* China will make greater efforts to ensure the supply of daily necessities, especially for the residents in areas hard hit by COVID-19 resurgence, an official with the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.
* Indonesian authorities struggled on Thursday to get aid to thousands of people displaced by a deadly earthquake in western Java, as rain-triggered landslides and difficult mountainous terrain hampered the efforts of rescue teams.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his country wants to enhance cooperation with Cuba, and the two countries signed six agreements in the fields of media and communication, culture, and diplomacy.
* Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday that millet has become increasingly important for food security against the backdrop of COVID-19, climate change and conflicts.
* The Japanese government has started preparations for Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to visit the United States for a summit with President Joe Biden, Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday, citing several unnamed government sources.
* Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the situation in Syria and the Black Sea grain deal in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, TASS reported on Thursday citing the Russian defence ministry.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow is ready to expand the supply of fertilizers and work with all partners in this area.
* Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told his Russian counterpart in a call on Thursday that Ankara would continue responding to attacks from northern Syria, after Russia asked Turkey to refrain from a full-scale Syria offensive.
* Kosovo and Serbia will reach a final deal to normalise relations before spring 2023, Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti told parliament on Thursday, a day after the European Union brokered a deal to end a car licence plate dispute.
* The European Commission is likely to approve next week Hungary's post-pandemic recovery plan to keep open the possibility of EU disbursements later, but hold back any payouts until Budapest fulfills all agreed conditions, sources at the EU executive said.
* British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is committed to bringing net migration to the United Kingdom down from record levels, his spokesman said on Thursday, adding that the government would look at all options to ensure the system was working.
* Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) will discuss how to further support Ukraine in ensuring its energy supply during a meeting in Bucharest next week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday on Twitter.
* Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom said the meeting held Wednesday between its director general and the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is "substantive and frank."
* Border police in western Romania on Wednesday found 26 migrants from Syria and Turkey trying to leave for the Schengen area in a truck containing hydrochloric acid canisters.
* The climate for doing business in Latin America has improved in the fourth quarter compared to the third, influenced by improved perceptions regarding the present situation, but it remained less than positive, said a report released Wednesday.
* The United Nations is grateful for Germany's troop commitment as it becomes the latest country to announce withdrawal of its peacekeepers from Mali, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
* Both US crude oil imports and exports increased during the week ending Nov. 18, the US Energy Information Administration said Wednesday.
* Republic of Korea's central bank on Thursday slashed its 2023 growth outlook for the economy amid rising worries about an economic downturn caused by rapid interest rate hikes.
* The Philippines' foreign investments yielded net inflows of 83 million USD, a reversal from the 367 million USD net outflows in September, the Philippine central bank said Thursday.
* Italy is spending around 5 billion euros ($5.2 billion) a month to shield firms and families from high energy prices, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday, complaining that the bill will become unsustainable without EU action.
* Pakistani National Assembly's Standing Committee on Commerce unanimously approved a couple of bills on Wednesday in order to promote the business and trade sectors of the country, Pakistan's Commerce Ministry said.
* The Slovenian parliament on Wednesday passed budget plans for 2023 and 2024 that will strongly increase the deficit next year, due to spending aimed at reducing the impact of energy crisis.
* The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) on Wednesday raised its benchmark lending rate to 8.75 percent from 8.25 percent amid rising inflation.
* The Bank of Zambia (BoZ), the country's central bank, on Wednesday retained its benchmark lending rate at 9.0 percent for the fourth time this year.
* Ghana is in high risk of debt distress and has agreed on a debt management strategy with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta said on Thursday.
