* Cuba on Wednesday denounced the US for pressuring countries to reject a resolution on lifting the trade embargo against Cuba ahead of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote scheduled for the end of October.
* The Missile Administration of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday test-fired two kinds of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the country's eastern waters, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Thursday.
* A joint Russian-Indian exercise involving various military branches has kicked off in the Chelyabinsk Region and the Russian Far East, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
* China is ready to work with the European Union (EU) to continue to leverage the role of the export control dialogue mechanism and promote the development of bilateral trade in dual-use items, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
* Ukraine said US aerospace company SpaceX restricted Starlink services on Wednesday, hampering the country's attack and air-defense drone missions.
* Britain will provide 17 million pounds (about 22.45 million USD) to repair the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine damaged by a Russian drone strike last year, the British government said Thursday.
* NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that the alliance sees no imminent threat of a Russian attack on its territory, adding that it would respond if it detected a Russian military buildup indicating preparations for an attack. Rutte make the remarks at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal in Tallinn.
* Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its overnight strikes targeted Ukrainian energy and communications infrastructure in Kiev, the Kiev region and the Kharkov region.
* Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolai Nozdrev on Wednesday over Russia's detention of a Japanese correspondent on suspicion of espionage.
* A Swedish citizen allegedly heading to Russia to commit attacks on military sites was detained for illegally crossing the border in the country's western Pskov region, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday.
* Israel's Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that it had signed an agreement with the Pentagon to buy 12 advanced Apache attack helicopters made by US aerospace company Boeing. The statement did not disclose the deal amount, but Israeli media reports put the cost at around 1 billion USD.
* Thailand and Switzerland on Thursday pushed to bring a new free trade agreement into force as quickly as possible, as Swiss President Guy Parmelin made the first official visit to Thailand by a Swiss president in 22 years.
* Nepal and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the lending arm of the World Bank Group, signed a mandate agreement to explore the development of a catastrophe bond to help Nepal access funds quickly in case of a major earthquake, the global development financier said on Thursday.
* Colombia inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday as its new president Abelardo de la Espriella moved to restore full diplomatic relations with Israel, reversing his predecessor's decision to sever ties over Israel's military operations in Gaza.
* The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday condemned Colombia's opening of its embassy in Jerusalem, describing the move as an infringement on the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people.
* The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that it had intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile in the Medina region.
* Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met Wednesday in Riyadh with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to discuss regional security developments, according to a statement issued by al-Zaidi's media office.
* A total of 2,027 patients in the Gaza Strip have died while awaiting treatment and medical evacuation, amid the continued closure of crossings and restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical supplies, a medical official said Wednesday.
* The United Nations (UN) should take Lebanon's position into account in discussions on the future of its peacekeeping presence in the country, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said Wednesday.
* A Comoros-flagged commercial tanker was reportedly struck by a drone on Wednesday evening in Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, causing a fire on board that was later brought under control.
* The European Commission on Wednesday proposed postponing certain obligations for fossil fuel importers to ease pressure on them due to high energy prices and supply concerns.
* The Slovak parliament on Wednesday passed the state budget draft for 2027, which projects a general government budget deficit of 4.94 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from an expected 4.37 percent this year.
* Tightness in the global gasoil market is expected to extend into 2027 amid prolonged supply disruptions and escalating attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Wednesday.
*Australia's unemployment rate rose to 4.7 percent in September, as employment fell and more people became unemployed, official statistics showed on Thursday.
* Inflation in Kazakhstan is projected to range from 7.5 to 9.5 percent in 2027 and from 6 to 8 percent in 2028-2029, the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin said Wednesday.
* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered Bangladesh's economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year 2026-27 (July 2026-June 2027) to 3.2 percent, down from 4.3 percent projected in April, citing persistent economic challenges.
* Ecuador is set to shore up its electric system to ensure service during the critical months of the El Nino weather phenomenon, forecast to run from late November through February, President Daniel Noboa said Wednesday.
* The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Wednesday called for coordinated action to counter misinformation and bolster regional response efforts against Ebola virus disease across Africa.
* At least 28 people, including 27 students and a female teacher, were killed after the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Thursday, hospital officials said.
* A vessel sailing under the flag of San Marino caught fire in the Black Sea near Romania on Thursday morning, with eight of the 12 crew members missing, Romanian media reported.
* Indonesian police have named nine palm oil companies as suspects in forest and land fire cases affecting Sumatra and Kalimantan, with the cases covering 25,600 hectares of burned land.
