* UN humanitarians said on Tuesday they are alarmed by the escalating violence across the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, with hundreds of people having been killed.
* Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved the parliament through an extraordinary gazette notification Tuesday midnight. The gazette has fixed the parliamentary election for Nov. 14 and the new parliament will meet for the first time on Nov. 21.
* The European Union (EU) has allocated up to 1.2 million euros in humanitarian aid to assist people severely impacted by Typhoon Yagi in Myanmar, the state-run daily The Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Wednesday.
* Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil called for an overhaul of the international financial architecture in an address Monday to the UN Summit of the Future, local media reported.
* The Philippines aims to have commercially operational nuclear power plants by 2032, with at least 1,200 megawatts (MW) initially entering the country's power mix, the Philippines' Department of Energy said Wednesday.
* There are currently no ongoing negotiations on the resumption of the Black Sea grain deal, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. Peskov said Moscow proceeds from previous challenges concerning the unsuccessful implementation of the deal.
* U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Germany from Oct. 10 to Oct. 13, a German government spokesperson said on Wednesday.
* Canada and the United States announced Tuesday that they would create a task force to negotiate a boundary dispute in the Arctic.
* Romania hopes to borrow up to $2 billion from the United States through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism to boost its military acquisitions, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday.
* Greece and Turkey will explore whether they can start talks aimed at demarcating their maritime zones, Greece's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
* Tunisia is developing a new energy policy to reduce its energy deficit and transition to a sustainable model, Prime Minister Kamel Madouri announced on Tuesday.
* Uzbekistan will carry out a program to lift 1.5 million people out of poverty by the end of 2025, local media reported Wednesday, citing a presidential decree.
* The Kremlin on Wednesday urged Russian nationals to leave Lebanon as soon as possible for their own safety on commercial flights.
* Britain is moving troops to Cyprus to help its nationals leave Lebanon, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that the escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah was pushing the region towards the brink.
* Israel intensified its air campaign across Lebanon for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, resulting in at least 24 deaths and over 200 injuries, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
* Hezbollah launched on Wednesday for the first time a medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile from Lebanon to attack the headquarters of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, said the group in a statement.
* Lebanese ministers announced on Tuesday measures to shelter 27,000 displaced persons from southern Lebanon and suspension of educational activities until the end of the week due to ongoing Israeli raids.
* Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 41,495 Palestinians and wounded 96,006 since Oct. 7, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said on Wednesday.
* African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on Tuesday expressed concern over the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Sudan.
* Tunisia's coast guard has recovered the bodies of 13 sub-Saharan African migrants off the coasts of Salakta and Chebba towns, a judicial official said on Wednesday.
* Global gross domestic product (GDP) growth is projected to stabilize at 3.2 percent in both 2024 and 2025, while inflation should continue to ease, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday in its latest economic outlook.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has slightly lowered its gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for Southeast Asia this year to 4.5 percent from 4.6 percent projected in April, but maintained its 2025 forecast at 4.7 percent, according to its updated Asian Development Outlook released Wednesday.
* Thailand's government launched its cash stimulus scheme worth 145.5 billion baht (about 4.45 billion USD) on Wednesday, aiming to boost economic activity among underprivileged groups across the Southeast Asian country.
* Indonesia through its Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said on Wednesday that it is currently seeking investors to develop a clean coal downstream industry to meet its decarbonization target.
* France cannot realistically lower its budget deficit to an EU limit in three years but it could be possible within five years with the right course of action, Bank of France head Francois Villeroy de Galhau on Wednesday.
* The revenue of Russia's large and medium-sized oil and gas enterprises increased by 34.2 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2024, reaching 38.3 trillion rubles (about 413 billion USD), local media reported on Wednesday.
* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) remains a steadfast partner and is ready to assist Sri Lanka achieve its development and reform goals, said a letter from IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva to Sri Lankan newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
* Japan is likely to see unusually hot weather in early October as some areas will experience temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius, a rare occurrence for the season, according to the latest forecast from the country's weather agency.
* The outbreak of an unknown infectious disease has claimed at least two lives and infected more than 500 others in eastern Afghanistan's Parwan province, a local official reported late on Tuesday.
