* Indonesia's incoming leader Prabowo Subianto briefed his would-be ministers on Wednesday on economic and geopolitical issues ahead of his Sunday inauguration, his spokesperson said, as his cabinet assessments continued.
* China will make every effort to focus on economic work in the fourth quarter and strive to achieve annual economic and social development goals, President Xi Jinping was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua. Xi made the remarks during an inspection tour in the coastal Fujian province on Wednesday.
* Lao Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Linkham Douangsavanh has called on all relevant parties to join the Lao government in reducing poverty, creating more sustainable food systems, and raising public awareness of hunger.
* Nearly 4.92 million employees of India's government on Wednesday got a 3-percent salary hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) to compensate them against the price rise.
* The Biden administration has approved more than $1.8 billion for recovery efforts following hurricanes Helene and Milton, the White House said on Wednesday.
* More than 1.4 million youngsters in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) applied to join or rejoin the military earlier this week, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday.
* China's Premier Li Qiang proposed closer three-way ties with Russia and Mongolia at a meeting on Wednesday with counterparts from his neighbours held on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, state media said.
* The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on Wednesday expressed their opposition to protectionist measures, unilateral sanctions and trade restrictions that undermine the multilateral trading system and hinder global sustainable development.
* Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Moscow would retaliate against Norway over Oslo's decision to cut Russian diplomatic staff.
* Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday he would protect his country's eastern border, dismissing criticism that a plan to temporarily stop accepting asylum applications violated human rights.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday presented to parliament his "victory plan," outlining Ukraine's strategy in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
* President Joe Biden will depart on Thursday for a trip to Germany, after rescheduling a visit last week because of Hurricane Milton striking the U.S., the White House said on Wednesday.
* The Venezuelan government on Tuesday expressed its "strong" rejection of recent statements by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the South American country's internal affairs.
* The United Nations is concerned over the continued strikes across the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the civilian loss of lives, his spokesman said on Tuesday.
* The United States is watching to ensure that Israel's actions on the ground show that it does not have a "policy of starvation" in the northern Gaza Strip, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council on Wednesday.
* French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his "indignation" over Israel's attack on United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, the French presidential office said on Wednesday.
* Israel's defence minister on Wednesday called French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to ban Israeli firms from exhibiting at a naval arms show "a disgrace" and accused Paris of implementing a hostile policy towards the Jewish people.
* Israel will not stop fighting a now weakened Hezbollah before it can safely return its citizens to their homes near the Lebanese border and any ceasefire negotiations will be held "under fire", Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday.
* Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit strongly condemned on Wednesday the Israeli airstrike targeting the buildings of the Nabatieh Municipality in southern Lebanon, the AL said in a statement.
* The 16 EU countries contributing to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon believe its rules of engagement need to be more effective, the Italian defence ministry said on Wednesday.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have exchanged views on the latest developments in the Middle East.
* Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet the King of Jordan in Aqaba, then the Lebanese Prime Minister in Beirut on Friday, her office said.
* King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday met with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, both stressing the need for regional de-escalation, according to a statement from the Royal Hashemite Court.
* An Iraqi Islamic militia on Wednesday announced the state of highest alert, stressing that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has a "target bank" for U.S. bases and military ships in the region.
* The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said on Wednesday that 442 people were killed between April and June in the African country.
* Thailand's central bank slashed its key interest rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday, marking the first cut in more than four years and a move long encouraged by the government to shore up a sluggish economy.
* The Philippine central bank decided Wednesday to cut the bank's target reverse repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 6 percent and adjusted the interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities to 5.50 percent and 6.50 percent, respectively.
* Lithuania's defense budget is set to reach 3.03 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) next year, according to the 2025 state budget proposal released on Wednesday.
* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached a 36-month deal with Serbia to help support its economic reforms, the IMF said on Wednesday, in a move that could make it easier for the Balkan country to secure lending from other sources.
* Brazil is expected this year to yield 295.1 million tons of cereals, legumes and oilseeds, 6.4 percent less than in 2023, the state-run Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) said Tuesday.
* Foreign visitors spent a record 5.8582 trillion yen (about 39.2 billion USD) in Japan during the first nine months of 2024, exceeding the figure for 2023 as a weak yen boosted inbound tourism, data from the Japan Tourism Agency showed Wednesday.
* A fuel tanker overturned late on Tuesday in Nigeria's northern state of Jigawa after the driver lost control of the vehicle, spilling petrol which exploded and killed at least 147 people, police and state emergency services said on Wednesday.
* Four people drowned after a boat carrying migrants and refugees sank off the coast of the Greek island of Kos in the Aegean Sea on Tuesday evening, according to Greek state broadcaster ERT.
* Japan's Ministry of the Environment has raised the nationwide bird flu alert to the highest level after detecting highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in two towns in Hokkaido Prefecture of northern Japan.
