* Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for the first time in person on Tuesday, a milestone as two countries have been slowly improving ties strained by disputes over policies toward the Palestinians.
* Saudi Arabia welcomed positive results from discussions to reach a road map supporting the peace process in Yemen, the kingdom's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, after Houthi negotiators' talks with the Saudis in Riyadh.
* Iran on Tuesday criticized the United States for imposing new sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities, including media outlets, calling the move a "trite bid" to suppress transparency and truth.
* The U.S. House of Representatives canceled a scheduled vote Tuesday on a temporary government funding bill, further hiking shutdown risk as the Sept. 30 deadline approaches, while the national debt breaks 33 trillion USD.
* Ukraine is considering imposing trade restrictions on three European Union (EU) member states if they do not agree to compromise in their grain export dispute, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Tuesday.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed on Tuesday resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries from Turkey into northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, a UN spokesman said.
* Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi voiced his country's readiness to help the United Nations (UN) promote peace and security across the globe and prevent oppression against nations.
* Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah on Tuesday issued instructions to launch free-of-charge flights for volunteers between the capital Tripoli and Eastern Libya which was hit by deadly floods last week.
* Poland could slap import bans on more Ukrainian food products, the prime minister said on Wednesday, as he warned Kyiv against escalating a row over grain imports.
* A Russian Su-34 fighter jet crashed in Voronezh region in Central Russia during a training flight on Wednesday morning, TASS news agency reported citing the defence ministry.
* U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday that she trusts the leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to adjust their Oct. 9-15 annual meetings in Morocco in an appropriate way given the country's devastating earthquake.
* Japan welcomed more than 2 million visitors for a third straight month in August, recovering to more than 80% of pre-pandemic levels for the first time, official data showed on Wednesday.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) lowered its 2023 economic growth forecast for Cambodia to 5.3 percent from an earlier prediction of 5.5 percent, mainly due to slower-than-expected industry growth, according to its updated economic report released on Wednesday.
* The ADB said Wednesday in a report that the Philippine economy is forecast to grow by 5.7 percent this year compared to the 6 percent projection in the April report.
* The Philippines' overall balance of payments (BOP) position posted a deficit of 57 million USD in August, lower than a deficit of 572 million dollars a year ago, the country's central bank said Tuesday.
* Switzerland's economy is expected to grow by 1.3% this year, the government said on Wednesday, significantly below the country's long-term average as industry struggles with weak demand abroad and a strong Swiss franc.
* British annual consumer price inflation (CPI) unexpectedly fell to 6.7% in August, official data showed on Wednesday, a day before the Bank of England is expected to raise rates again.
* New Zealand's annual current account deficit was 29.8 billion NZ dollars (17.72 billion USD), or 7.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), in the year ended June 30, 2023, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Wednesday.
* The Finnish government completed its 2024 budget talks on Tuesday, raising the budget deficit amid multiple economic challenges.
* Austria's annual inflation rate rebounded to 7.4 percent in August from 7 percent in July due to high energy prices, Statistics Austria said on Tuesday.
* South Africa is going to train and deploy over 2,300 tourism monitors to enhance safety of tourists in the country, said Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille on Tuesday.
* Chinese weather officials stepped up warnings against heavy rain and strong winds in several regions, state media said on Wednesday, a day after a violent tornado wreaked havoc in the eastern province of Jiangsu, killing one person.
* Australia is heading towards climate catastrophe if the country does not pursue more ambitious emissions reduction targets, experts have warned.
