* The results of the 9th State Duma elections show that the ruling United Russia party won 349 seats, retaining its "constitutional majority" status, Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairperson Ella Pamfilova announced on Friday. Pamfilova said that representatives of six parties and four self-nominated candidates were elected to the new State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
* Some 4.6 million people -- out of the kingdom's population of over 17 million -- have benefited from a government cash relief program designed to support low-income families hit by soaring global fuel prices, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Friday.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that an escalation of tensions would not achieve the outcome sought by Kiev and could only worsen the situation in Ukraine.
* Five people drowned in the Kupa River in western Croatia, on the border with Slovenia, and five others were rescued, police said Friday. Police received a call at 3:30 p.m. (1330 GMT) reporting that a large group of people believed to be migrants had been spotted in the river near the border area of Damalj.
* Germany's two houses of parliament on Friday approved a law to temporarily cut fuel taxes, clearing the way for lower costs on petrol and diesel as record-high fuel prices weigh on households and businesses.
* Germany and Hungary will strengthen defence cooperation in areas including logistics, training and joint military exercises, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday that his country has conveyed to the United States a plan under which the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened within seven days if necessary conditions are met.
* Military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye met in Riyadh on Friday to discuss the security situation and ways to strengthen defense cooperation, according to the Saudi Ministry of Defense.
* Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi on Friday discussed the latest developments in Yemen and ongoing efforts to restore security and stability during a phone call.
* Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian late Thursday reaffirmed his country's commitment to dialogue and diplomacy while accusing the United States of repeatedly disrupting the negotiation process.
* Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have exchanged views on the latest developments in West Asia following what Tehran calls the U.S. "repeated breach of promises and violation" of the peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington, according to an Iranian Foreign Ministry statement released Friday.
* The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Friday "completely" rejected the Colombian government's "baseless" anti-Iran claims while strongly condemning the South American state's accusations against the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday stressed the need for a global approach to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, stressing that no country can protect itself from pandemics alone.
* Namibia on Friday launched its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), outlining climate mitigation and adaptation measures requiring an estimated 14.07 billion USD in investment through 2035.
* UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih said Friday that the most durable solution to forced displacement is peace.
* At least 8.8 million Singapore dollars (6.89 million USD) have been lost to scammers posing as Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers or offering fake services to help applicants obtain permanent residency, the authorities said on Friday.
* Thailand's exports expanded for the 26th consecutive month in August, mainly driven by overseas investments in infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI)-related industries, which in turn fueled demand for electronic products, official data showed on Friday.
* Fiji's inflation rate accelerated to 7.6 percent in August from 5.7 percent in July, driven largely by higher food, energy and kava prices, the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) said on Friday. The central bank's board has maintained the overnight policy rate at 0.25 percent, saying the decision balances growing inflationary pressures with the need to support economic activity.
* Sri Lanka has begun a program to recruit more than 120,000 people to the public service in 2026, Minister of Public Administration Chandana Abeyratne said Friday. The recruitment will fill existing vacancies across several areas of the public sector, including education, health and agriculture, Abeyratne told reporters.
* NASA has announced the four-member crew for its SpaceX Crew-14 mission to the International Space Station, with astronauts from the United States, Japan and Russia set to launch no earlier than spring 2027 for a long-duration science mission.
* Singapore's total population stood at 6.21 million as at the end of June, up 1.6 percent from a year earlier, while the resident population grew 0.6 percent to 4.23 million, official data showed on Friday.
* The Sri Lanka Navy has arrested nearly 300 people, seized 53 vessels and confiscated narcotics worth more than 55 billion Sri Lankan rupees (about 166.7 million USD) in anti-drug operations so far this year, a senior navy official said Friday.
* An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 jolted 68 km ENE of Tadine, New Caledonia at 2123 GMT on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter, with a depth of 17.1 km, was initially determined to be at 21.25 degrees south latitude and 168.45 degrees east longitude.
