* The co-leaders of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's ruling coalition, Omid Nouripour and Ricarda Lang, said on Wednesday they would resign as leaders of the Green Party following the party's defeat in the federal state elections and poor opinion polls.
* Foreign ministers of the Group of 20 (G20) members gathered at the United Nations headquarters for the first time on Wednesday, focusing on debates on the reform of global governance, on the sidelines of the General Debate of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly.
* China is willing to maintain the stable development of bilateral ties with Ukraine, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart in New York on Wednesday.
* Russia will continue cooperation with the United Nations (UN) to ensure access to Russian food products on global markets, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Wednesday.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, discussed humanitarian issues linked to the 2-1/2-year-old conflict in Ukraine, his ministry said late on Wednesday.
* U.S. Congress on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a short-term funding bill to avert a looming government shutdown. The Senate voted 78-18 on Wednesday evening to clear the measure, following the House's approval with a 341-82 vote. All opposition in both chambers came from Republicans.
* Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday he is ready to sign a trade agreement between the European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc, but that it is now up to the EU to conclude negotiations.
* New Zealand on Thursday reached a trade deal with the United Arab Emirates, which it said would unlock economic opportunities for exporters and boost supply chains with one of its most important trading partners in the Middle East.
* Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the International Monetary Fund's decision to approve a $7 billion funding agreement for the country, his office said on Wednesday.
* The United States, France and several allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border while also expressing support for a ceasefire in Gaza following intense discussions at the United Nations on Wednesday.
* Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has expressed hope that a ceasefire could be reached soon to end fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah that has shaken his country and raised fears of a ground invasion.
* Israeli airstrikes overnight hit around 75 Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and ready-to-fire launchers, the Israeli military said on Thursday.
* The Chinese embassy in Lebanon warned Chinese citizens not to travel to the country, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday.
* Cyprus has intensified its preparations for potentially handling a mass evacuation of foreign nationals from Lebanon, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said Wednesday.
* Iraqi Shiite militia Kata'ib Hezbollah on Wednesday threatened to attack the presence of U.S. forces if Israel assaults Iraq.
* The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a Shiite militia group, claimed responsibility Wednesday night for a drone attack on a vital site in Eilat, Israel's southern port city.
* United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged "drastic action" on addressing the existential threats posed by sea-level rise.
* The acting UN relief chief on Wednesday warned that without urgent international action, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan will erupt into epic proportions.
* Sudan's army launched artillery and air strikes in Sudan's capital on Thursday in its biggest operation to regain ground there since early in its 17-month war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), witnesses and military sources said.
* Slovenia managed to cut the general government deficit in 2023 to 1.6 billion euros (1.78 billion USD) or 2.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), down from a deficit of 3 percent of GDP in 2022, the country's Statistical Office said on Wednesday.
* Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced on Wednesday that the government plans to begin negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) immediately and proceed with activities related to the extended credit facility.
* The Swiss National Bank cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday, its third such reduction this year, as it echoed steps to lower borrowing costs taken by the European Central Bank and U.S. Federal Reserve.
* Russia's Gazprom said it will send 42.4 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday, a volume in line with recent days.
* Bolivia's government is considering declaring a national disaster due to wildfires that have razed nearly 4 million hectares of forest and grassland, mainly in eastern Bolivia, Deputy Minister of Civil Defense Juan Carlos Calvimontes said Wednesday.
* A state of emergency was declared on Wednesday in Ecuador's capital Quito as wildfires continue to devastate parts of the city, said Mayor Pabel Munoz.
* Torrential rain lashed India's financial capital Mumbai, triggering floods and killing at least four people as well as paralysing the city and forcing schools to close on Thursday.
* Hurricane Helene is forecast to rapidly strengthen and could hit Florida on Thursday as a Category 4 storm, producing "catastrophic" winds of up to 156 miles per hour (251 km per hour), forecasters said.
