* The United Nations on Thursday called for a durable cessation of hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia following the latest escalation in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
* China's Vice President Han Zheng said the country is committed to opening itself wider to the world and will always be a member of the big family of developing countries, Chinese state media reported.
* The China-Cambodia "Peace Angel-2023" joint humanitarian exercise came to a successful end on Thursday at the Royal Cambodian Army's Special Forces Command in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.
* Myanmar has extended its visa-free entry for visitors with diplomatic and special passports from four more countries (including Belarus, Morocco, Nepal, and Japan), the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Thursday.
* The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Thursday that the general elections of the country will be held in the last week of January 2024.
* Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arevalo has sent a proposal to current President Alejandro Giammattei seeking to restart meetings for the transition process as of this Sept. 25, he said in a statement on Thursday.
* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday that Middle East peace was not achievable until the Palestinians are granted full rights.
* Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he does not agree with the negative approach other leaders are showing towards his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Turkish broadcasters quoted him as saying on Thursday.
* Hungary's ruling parties are holding back their support to Sweden's NATO accession this year after a Swedish public service television produced a controversy film about Hungary.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday he had a frank and constructive dialogue with U.S. lawmakers and looked forward to discussing with President Joe Biden Ukraine's military needs and its air defense.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit Canada to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and address the Canadian parliament, Trudeau's office said in a statement late on Thursday.
* Iran and the European Union (EU) stressed the importance of continuing talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and lift sanctions on Iran in a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* Turkey and Israel will soon begin taking joint steps in energy drilling, President Tayyip Erdogan was cited by Turkish media as saying on Thursday, adding the two countries would also operate energy networks to Europe through Turkey.
* Democratic Republic of Congo will move its Israel embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday.
* The first cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain arrived off Turkey's Bosphorus Strait on Thursday using a temporary "humanitarian corridor."
* Unleashing Africa's potential starts by obtaining justice at every related multilateral organization, particularly the global financial system, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.
* World leaders on Thursday approved a new political declaration committing to redouble efforts toward universal health coverage by 2030.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit the Palestinian territories in October, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Thursday.
* Chief of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) Aroldo Lazaro Saenz said on Thursday that UNIFIL works in close cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces to help the government extend its authority all over Lebanon.
* The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Thursday that more than 43,000 individuals have been displaced due to the recent devastating floods in eastern Libya.
* Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday expressed Tehran's all-efforts readiness to help ensure lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus region.
* Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are fully prepared for a ceasefire and to engage in comprehensive political talks for an end to its civil conflict with the army, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said on Thursday.
* The Lebanese Army Command said in a statement on Thursday that the army has stopped 1,000 Syrians from illegally entering Lebanon since the beginning of this week.
* Australia on Friday recorded a final budget surplus of A$22.1 billion ($14.2 billion) for the year to June 2023, five times earlier estimates, as strong jobs growth and bumper mining profits helped the country post the first surplus in 15 years.
* The International Monetary Fund said its Executive Board approved a four-year, $302 million loan program for Burkina Faso, granting the West African country an immediate, $31.8 million disbursement.
* A consensus on the conservation and sustainable development of the terrace has been announced at a conference in central China's Hunan Province.
* Israel will soon start vaccinations against new Omicron substrains of COVID-19, the Health Ministry announced on Thursday in a statement.
