* US and Chinese military officials held "frank, in-depth" talks this week on a range of defense issues, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, as the countries grapple over their competing interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
* Italy wants the G20 summit in October to make a commitment about the need to limit human-caused global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and develop long-term strategies consistent with that goal, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday.
* The European Union will send observers to regional elections in Venezuela scheduled for Nov. 21, on the invitation of the country's National Electoral Council, the bloc's foreign policy chief said in a statement on Wednesday.
* Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Wednesday that US and Mexican officials will hold high-level security talks on October 8 in Mexico City.
* The United States has no plans to "normalize or upgrade" diplomatic relations with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and also does not encourage others to do so, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.
* China's factory activity fared better than expected in September, stabilising after a slump in August, with a smaller decline in production countering an uptick in demand.
* Japan's industrial output fell for the second straight month in August as COVID-19 outbreaks elsewhere in Asia disrupted supply chains for carmakers already facing headwinds from a prolonged chip shortage.
* Britain's economy grew more strongly than previously thought in the April-June period, official data showed on Thursday.
* The upcoming COP26 climate talks could be the beginning of the end of climate change as the shift on the scale needed is "perfectly possible", British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday.
* The European Union will extend a mechanism to monitor and potentially limit the export of vaccines from the bloc until the end of 2021 from the current deadline of September-end.
* Russia reported 857 new coronavirus-related deaths, the most in a single day since the pandemic began.
* The Pan American Health Organization is in advanced talks with vaccine makers to buy additional shots for its member states to complement bilateral deals, donations, and doses they are receiving via COVAX.
* US health regulators' decision on whether to approve Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 could spill over into November if needed.
* Infections in Australia's Melbourne surged to record levels on Thursday, with officials blaming illegal home gatherings to watch a key sporting event for the spike.
* Tickets for the Beijing 2022 winter Olympics will be sold to spectators from mainland China only, while unvaccinated athletes must spend 21 days in quarantine ahead of the Games.
* AstraZeneca's vaccine demonstrated 74% efficacy at preventing symptomatic disease, and 83.5% in people aged 65 and older, according to long-awaited results of the company's US clinical trial.
* Laboratory studies show that Merck's experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral drug is likely to be effective against known variants of the coronavirus.
* Bosnia's international peace envoy has urged European Union leaders to send a message of encouragement to the six Balkan countries seeking membership of the bloc when they meet for a summit next week.
* Ireland will likely sign up to an overhaul of global corporate tax rules if certainty is brought to bear on its concerns when an updated text of the OECD's proposals is published shortly, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said on Thursday.
* Inflation has picked up, but price pressures are likely to ease again, meaning there is no rush to exit pandemic response measures, the minutes of the most recent policy meeting of Sweden's central bank, published on Thursday, showed.
* A group of US citizens and lawful permanent residents evacuated to the United Arab Emirates from Afghanistan flew out of the Gulf state on Thursday, the country's foreign ministry said, after being temporarily held up for vetting.
* Electricity prices in France are expected to rise around 12% by February, French environment minister Barbara Pompili said on Thursday, highlighting inflationary pressures sweeping Europe.
* A tornado tore through Australia's rural southeast on Thursday, ripping roofs off houses, uprooting trees, toppling power lines and causing minor injuries, authorities said.
