* Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, will travel to Russia for the 20th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation from Dec. 1 to 2, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.
* The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s official news agency on Friday condemned the U.S.-the Republic of Korea military drills and arms buildup, calling Washington "the chieftain threatening the peace and stability and destroying the strategic security balance."
* U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday his intention to permanently pause immigration from what he described as "Third World countries."
* The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said Thursday that it will reexamine green card holders from 19 "countries of concern," including Afghanistan.
* Ukrainian and U.S. delegations will continue discussions on the U.S.-proposed peace plan at the end of this week, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Thursday.
* The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has become an authoritative regional structure over the past decade, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
* French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced details of a new voluntary military service program set to be rolled out from mid-2026.
* The Romanian government approved on Thursday the National Strategy for the Promotion of Romanian Agri-Food Products 2025-2029, along with its accompanying Action Plan.
* U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that the United States could "very soon" take actions targeting drug trafficking networks in Venezuela by land.
* France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy on Thursday condemned what they called a "massive increase" in Israeli settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, warning that the escalation is destabilising the territory and undermining efforts to restore regional security.
* Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili said Thursday that the EU decision to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian citizens would amount to a "major strategic mistake."
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned about the unfolding events in Guinea-Bissau, and strongly condemns the coup perpetrated by elements of the military and any attempts to violate the constitutional order in the West African country, his spokesperson said on Thursday.
* Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Thursday he remains hopeful about the signing of a U.S.-brokered peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
* Europe is facing a "hidden" HIV crisis as more than half of people diagnosed with HIV in the region are identified too late for optimal treatment, jeopardizing the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe warned in a report released on Thursday.
* Israeli airstrikes early Friday killed at least 10 people, including women and children, in the town of Beit Jinn in the southwestern countryside of Damascus, following reported clashes between Israeli troops and local residents, Syrian state media said.
* Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed as "fabricated rumors" recent claims that Tehran had sent a message to the United States through third countries.
* At least 25 Palestinians were injured and 119 others detained in the northern West Bank city of Tubas as an Israeli military operation entered its second day, Palestinian officials said on Thursday.
* Turkish police detained 1,022 people for various crimes during a large-scale security operation across Istanbul, authorities announced on Friday.
* Japan's industrial output rose 1.4 percent in October from the previous month, driven by robust production of cars, government data showed Friday.
* The Canadian federal government and the oil-producing Canadian province of Alberta signed on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), paving the way for the construction of an oil pipeline aimed at increasing export access to Asian markets.
* Belarus has exported over 30 billion USD of food and agricultural raw materials during the first four years of its current five-year plan, a Belarusian official said Thursday.
* Ministers from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, adopted a declaration on Thursday to strengthen the protection and socio-economic inclusion of refugees.
* The volume of consumer loan restructuring in Russia surged 79 percent year over year in the second and third quarters of 2025, the Central Bank of Russia said Thursday in a financial stability report.
* Belarus has exported over 30 billion USD of food and agricultural raw materials during the first four years of its current five-year plan, a Belarusian official said Thursday.
* The death toll from severe flooding in southern Thailand has risen to 145, authorities said on Friday. During a press briefing, government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said a total of 145 fatalities have been reported across the southern region, with Songkhla, the hardest-hit province, recording the highest toll at 110.
* More than 20,500 Sri Lankan military personnel have been deployed for nationwide disaster-relief operations in response to severe flooding and landslides caused by cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall early Friday, the country's army said.
