* Members of Rwanda's new Senate, the upper chamber of the country's parliament, on Thursday were sworn in following recently concluded elections.
* As the world marks the 10th International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly about rising global tensions and the resurgence of nuclear arms proliferation.
* The Kremlin said on Thursday that changes to Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine outlined by President Vladimir Putin should be considered a signal to Western countries that there will be consequences if they participate in attacks on Russia.
* South Korea looks forward to working together with Japan's new cabinet to forge positive ties with its closest neighbour and partner, its foreign ministry said, in comments made after the election of Ishiba Shigeru as leader of Japan's ruling party.
* 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.
* Australia and Britain said they would strike a bilateral treaty to produce a new class of nuclear-powered submarine, under the AUKUS partnership which also includes the United States.
* Network Rail in the United Kingdom (UK) said Thursday it is investigating a "cybersecurity incident" that disrupted public Wi-Fi networks at some of the country's largest railway stations.
* Finland has seen increased threats to subsea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea area in recent years, the Nordic country's Environment and Climate Minister Kai Mykkanen said on Friday.
* Israeli teams had meetings to discuss the U.S. ceasefire proposals with Lebanon on Thursday and will continue discussions in the days ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, adding that he appreciated the U.S. efforts.
* U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel on Thursday that further escalation to the conflict involving Lebanon will only make it harder for civilians to return home on both sides of the border, the State Department said.
* Israel's military said its air force carried out 220 airstrikes in Lebanon on Thursday, claiming that all targets were linked to Hezbollah.
* This week's violence in Lebanon has forced more than 90,000 people from their homes, with 70,000 cramming into 400 schools and other sites, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.
* Around 42,000 people have entered Syria to flee the Israeli offensive in Lebanon between Tuesday and midday Thursday, according to a Syrian official. The arrivals, via the Jdeidat Yabous border crossing, include 31,000 Syrians and 11,000 Lebanese nationals.
* The Latin American regional bloc, Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), agreed on Thursday to strengthen cooperation and oppose foreign military bases in the region.
* Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday the country and the European signatories to a 2015 nuclear deal have discussed the agreement's revival and removal of sanctions on Tehran.
* Representatives of the Libyan High Council of State and the House of Representatives on Thursday signed an agreement, sponsored by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), to end a crisis related to the central bank governance.
* The African Union (AU) has emphasized the urgent need to transform education systems in Africa toward providing resilient and quality education for all.
* Greece has recovered the body of a woman and rescued 15 migrants from the sea after their boat capsized off the island of Kos in the eastern Aegean Sea on Friday, its coastguard said.
* Migrant crossings through the treacherous Darien Gap that connects Panama to Colombia are down by over a third in the year's first nine months, a Panamanian border official said on Thursday, crediting heightened security by the new government.
* Sudan's army launched artillery and airstrikes 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.
* China's central bank on Friday lowered interest rates and injected liquidity into the banking system as Beijing assembled a last-ditch stimulus assault to pull economic growth back towards this year's roughly 5% target.
* South Korean banks' lending rate fell for the third consecutive month amid expectations for a policy rate cut later this year, central bank data showed Friday.
* Russia will continue to develop cooperation with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies known as OPEC Plus, as well as members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), local media reported Thursday citing Russian President Vladimir Putin during his speech at the Russian Energy Week.
* Cambodia is expected to attract nearly 6 million international tourists in 2024, up from 5.45 million in 2023, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Thursday.
* Thailand's foreign film production incentives have generated over 2.87 billion baht (about 88.32 million USD) in revenue in the 2024 fiscal year, official data showed on Thursday.
* Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Thursday that a committee will be established to approve foreign-aid projects within three months.
* Uzbekistan imported natural gas totaling 1.15 billion USD from January to August this year, local media reported on Thursday, citing data from the state statistics agency.
* Uganda warned on Thursday that more than one million people could be affected by ongoing torrential rains, which are likely to trigger landslides and flooding.
* Deaths from massive floods in southwest Poland this month have risen to nine, police said, reporting two more bodies found in the clean-up. At least 26 people died across central Europe in the worst floods to hit the region in at least two decades this month.
* Helene roared ashore Florida's Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with officials fearing the hurricane would leave a trail of deaths and widespread destruction as it moved inland.
* Romania has reported nine deaths from West Nile virus infections this summer, according to the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) on Thursday.
