* Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that contacts over a possible energy truce between Russia and Ukraine were continuing, but there had been no new progress. Speaking at a regular press briefing, Peskov reiterated that Russia seeks a lasting peace rather than a temporary truce.
* At least 600,000 people in Ukraine were left without power on Wednesday after a Russian missile and drone attack on energy and critical infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
* Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday urged all security and law-enforcement bodies to be ready for the worst-case scenario.
* A Japanese correspondent detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage had admitted to people close to him that he was in contact with Japanese intelligence, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday. The statement was based on a video provided to local media by the FSB's public relations center.
* Japan has made representations to Russia over the detention of a Japanese correspondent on suspicion of espionage and will summon the Russian ambassador to Japan on Wednesday afternoon, Kyodo News reported.
* Prime Minister Rumen Radev summoned Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova on Tuesday over a series of drone attacks on merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea over the past week.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that "massive" oil, gas and mineral exploration is "getting ready" to begin in Greenland.
* The Council of the European Union (EU) has approved the release of 4.2 billion euros (4.7 billion USD) in previously frozen EU funds for Hungary, the Hungarian government announced on Tuesday.
* NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that NATO would adjust its deterrence and defence posture in the Black Sea region if the situation requires it.
* Spanish King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia began a historic visit to Ceuta on Tuesday, the first time in nearly 19 years that a Spanish monarch has visited the North African enclave. This visit, following the 2007 trip by then-King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, will also carry the royal couple to Melilla, another Spanish enclave located in North Africa, on Wednesday.
* Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Pakistan fully supports Saudi Arabia's legitimate right to self-defense during a meeting in Islamabad with Nauman Mahmood, the first secretary-general of the Makkah Alliance for Defense, the Prime Minister's Office said.
* Greece received 22 antiquities from Israel on Tuesday, marking the first repatriation of antiquities from Israel to Greece, according to the Greek Culture Ministry.
* Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said Tuesday that the country would press ahead with its energy expansion projects despite damage to some facilities in regional conflict and disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday reaffirmed Ankara's support for Saudi Arabia in a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, condemning Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, Türkiye's Presidential Directorate of Communications said.
* The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned British ambassador to Tehran Hugo Shorter over his government's "baseless" claim that Iran had been involved in a suspected plot targeting a British air base.
* The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps announced on Wednesday that a "violating" container ship that sought to cross the Strait of Hormuz through the "unauthorized and high-risk" route sank earlier in the day after hitting a naval mine south of the waterway.
* The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Wednesday that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi group toward the Saudi capital Riyadh.
* Yemen's Houthi group said Wednesday it has launched a large-scale missile and drone attack targeting an airport and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, vowing to continue strikes against Saudi targets in the coming days.
* Pakistan on Tuesday successfully conducted a test launch of the extended-range version of its Fatah-2 ballistic missile system, according to the country's military.
* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Israel's economic growth to accelerate to 4.5 percent in 2026, up from 3.5 percent in 2025, according to its October 2026 World Economic Outlook issued on Tuesday.
* Cambodia secured 5.92 billion USD in fixed-asset investment approvals during the first nine months of 2026, marking a significant surge in economic activity, the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) said on Wednesday.
* Republic of Korea's new jobless claims fell for a third straight month due to a sharp contraction in the construction sector, government data showed Wednesday. The number of new applicants for job-seeking benefits dipped 2.5 percent from a year earlier to 87,000 in September, keeping a downward trajectory since July, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
* Kazakhstan's economy grew by 4.2 percent in the first nine months of 2026, driven largely by growth in the non-resource sector, authorities said Tuesday.
* Sri Lanka Customs has surpassed its annual revenue target for 2026 with more than two months remaining in the year, the Customs announced Wednesday. It said it had collected 2.208 trillion Sri Lankan rupees (about 6.69 billion USD) in revenue as of Tuesday, exceeding its full-year target of 2.207 trillion rupees.
* The death toll from Lassa fever in Nigeria has risen to 268, with 1,138 confirmed cases reported so far this year, public health authorities said on Monday.
