* China and the United States reached basic consensuses on properly addressing several important economic and trade issues of respective concerns, and will then go through their respective domestic approval procedures, Li Chenggang, China international trade representative with the Ministry of Commerce and vice minister of commerce, said here on Sunday. Li made the remarks when briefing the press following the new round of China-U.S. economic and trade talks held over the past two days.
* Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Monday that the current China-EU relationship faces both development opportunities and challenges, and both sides should stay on the right course in developing their relations, solidify the foundation of political mutual trust and further implement their consensus. Li made the remarks while meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation.
* Russia has completed the decisive tests of its Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.
* New sanctions against Russia complicate efforts to restore relations with the U.S., Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview released Sunday.
* Slovakia will not participate in any European Union (EU) program aimed at financing military aid to Ukraine in the fight against Russia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday. Fico told a press conference that he refuses "to allow Slovakia to participate in any financial program" which aims to help Ukraine manage the conflict and its military costs.
* Malawian President Peter Mutharika has issued an executive order banning the export of raw, unprocessed minerals as the country gears itself up to develop its wide range of mineral resources.
* The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Sunday that one of its patrols came under Israeli fire, but no personnel were injured and no equipment was damaged.
* Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh discussed Gaza's reconstruction and the political situation in the Palestinian territories during a phone call on Sunday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said.
* Red Cross and Egyptian teams have been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip to search for the bodies of hostages, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said on Sunday.
* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued on Sunday a constitutional declaration mandating that Vice President of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Hussein al-Sheikh would assume presidential duties if the post becomes vacant, until elections are held.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not seek permission to launch strikes in Gaza or Lebanon, even after agreeing to ceasefire arrangements.
* Egypt has dispatched a specialized team and equipment to Gaza to assist in recovering the bodies of Israeli hostages held in the enclave, Egypt's Al-Qahera News reported Saturday.
* Republic of Korean banks will continue to tighten lending standard in the fourth quarter amid the government's efforts to curb massive household debts, a central bank survey showed Monday. The lending attitude index gained to minus 14 for the October-December quarter from minus 28 in the previous quarter, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK)'s poll of 203 banks and other financial institutions conducted in September.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on Monday that it has approved a 100-million-U.S.-dollar loan to support Sri Lanka's tourism sector through strategic policy reforms and targeted catalytic investments that align with the country's National Tourism Policy.
* Severe flooding affected more than 960,000 people in six states in South Sudan and displaced some 335,000 people, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday.
* Red and Orange alerts were issued and schools shut for two days in most districts of India's southern state Andhra Pradesh, India, as cyclone "Montha" was expected to make landfall in the next 36 hours, confirmed official sources on Monday.
