* The UN Security Council on Wednesday held its fifth straw poll on the candidates for the next UN secretary-general. "The fifth round of straw polls has taken place," said Aglaia Balta, the UN ambassador of Greece, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of October.
*The lower house of Italy's parliament on Thursday gave final approval to a new election law proposed by parties in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition, with 227 lawmakers voting in favor and 164 against.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday signed a constitutional reform decree barring people with dual nationality from running for the presidency, state governorships, or head of government of Mexico City.
* Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday directed authorities to prioritize post-flood recovery efforts, focusing on repairing damaged infrastructure and helping farmers replant destroyed rice paddies.
* Republic of Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday that it decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine back to the home country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a brief statement that the government hoped for a smooth resolution to the various pending issues between the two countries, adding that Seoul will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to address the issues.
* The exact time of a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to be determined, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
* Malaysia and Myanmar have agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations by focusing on people-centric cooperation, including trade, investment, education, agri-food, energy, healthcare and capacity building, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday.
* Moody's Ratings has upgraded the Maldives' credit rating to Caa1 from Caa2 with a stable outlook, citing a material reduction in the government's near-term default risk, the country's Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises said on Thursday.
* The ministerial preparatory meeting held ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as the Pre-COP31, concluded Thursday in Nadi, Fiji, with various commitments on practical climate action.
* Republic of Korea successfully conducted its first test launch of a homegrown hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), observed by President Lee Jae Myung, according to the presidential Blue House on Thursday.
* At least 24 people were killed and dozens injured in a Russian drone and missile attack targeting energy and infrastructure facilities across Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday.
* The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday proposed a new rule that would impose new fees for F-1 non-immigrant students seeking to participate in Optional Practical Training (OPT), a temporary employment authorization connected to a student's field of study.
* The Pentagon instructed U.S. Central Command several days ago to complete preparations for resuming major combat operations in Iran, news website Axios reported Wednesday, citing U.S. officials.
* Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Thursday that the British consulate in East Jerusalem had ended its operations on Israel's orders and that the consul general and 19 diplomats would leave the country, citing "countermeasures" following British measures against Israel.
* Iraq's national carrier Iraqi Airways resumed direct flights to Iran on Thursday, with a flight from Najaf International Airport to Tehran, the airline announced.
* Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran and Muscat will soon present their agreement to the relevant international body on designating safe routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
* Yemen's Houthi group said Thursday it launched a fresh ballistic missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and carried out missile strikes against government forces near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
*The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Wednesday that it had launched a comprehensive operation, destroying 82 Houthi military targets across several provinces, in response to attacks on civilians and civilian sites in the kingdom.
* Nigerian troops killed more than 25 suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist group while repelling a coordinated multi-directional attack on special forces in the country's northeastern Borno State, the military said Wednesday.
* The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday backed plans to accelerate the release of oil stocks pledged in March 2026, which would put approximately 100 million barrels of oil on the market.
* Republic of Korea's rice output was expected to fall for a fifth straight year, driven by a record-low rice cultivation area, the statistical ministry's estimate showed Thursday. Rice output was projected to reach 3.518 million tons in 2026, down 0.6 percent from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
* Afghanistan's procurement commission has approved 16 major development projects valued at 7 billion afghanis (more than 107 million USD) to strengthen the country's infrastructure, the office of the deputy prime minister for economic affairs said late Wednesday.
* Canada's trade surplus widened sharply to 4.2 billion Canadian dollars (about 2.9 billion USD) in August, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. Marking Canada's sixth consecutive monthly positive trade balance, the surplus expanded significantly from a revised 787 million Canadian dollars (about 552 million USD) recorded in July.
* Mexico has taken steps to cope with a temporary reduction of about 20 percent in natural gas supplies imported from the United States, a senior energy official said Wednesday.
* Slovakia will continue to subsidize a 50-percent reduction in second-class fares on trains operating in the public interest in November, and the measure may also be extended through December, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Wednesday.
* The Portuguese economy is projected to grow by 2.3 percent in 2026, accelerating from previous estimates, the Bank of Portugal said Wednesday in its latest economic bulletin.
* A small volcano in a scenic lake south of Manila erupted on Thursday evening, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
* Croatia's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to surpass 100 billion euros (111.9 billion USD) in 2026 for the first time ever, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday.
* The World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Thursday that global merchandise trade is expected to grow by 3.9 percent in 2026, up from its March forecast of 1.9 percent, driven by supply chain adaptation and strong investment in artificial intelligence (AI).
*The European Commission backed Italy's request for greater flexibility under European Union (EU) fiscal rules to increase spending on defense and energy security, a Commission spokesperson said Thursday.
* Türkiye will not deploy troops to another country's territory to launch an attack, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, stressing the defensive nature of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
* The German government on Thursday sharply raised its economic growth forecast for 2026 to 1.3 percent from 0.5 percent, citing stronger-than-expected economic resilience despite rising energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty.
* All schools in the Malaysian state of Johor are closed on Thursday and Friday due to the worsening haze and deteriorating air quality. The decision was made as a precautionary measure to safeguard the health and safety of students, Johor Education and Information Committee chairman Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali said in a statement late on Wednesday.
* The El Nino-induced drought in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has developed into a humanitarian emergency with millions of people affected, according to the nation's disaster minister.
* An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 jolted 105 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu at 09:00:08 GMT on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 15.48 degrees south latitude and 168.18 degrees east longitude.
