* The Singapore Economic Development Board said on Friday that the country's manufacturing output increased 13.8 percent year on year in May, compared to the revised 6.4 percent increase in April.
* The Chairman of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has called on the Korean People's Army to "improve the absolute power and the military and technical edge," the official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.
* Ukrainian forces were ordered to withdraw from Severodonetsk, the administrative center of the Ukraine-controlled part of the eastern Lugansk region, a regional governor said on Friday.
* European Union (EU) leaders have accepted Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership of the bloc, European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday welcomed the decision of the European Council to grant Ukraine candidate status for accession to the EU.
* Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday announced an imposition of 10 percent "poverty alleviation tax" on about 13 large-scale industries in the country.
* Latin America's leaders have pulled no punches in the battle against inflation. The region has some of the highest interest rates in the world, with Mexico's central bank making a record rate hike this week. But so far they are losing.
* Gas shipments from Russia to the Czech Republic are stable but need monitoring, and it cannot be ruled out they could fall or completely stop in the coming period, the Czech industry minister said on Friday.
* Almost a month since Shanghai lifted its strict COVID-19 lockdowns, fashion retailers are stuck with piles of unsold stock as cautious consumers stay away from the commercial hub's glitzy shopping districts.
* COVID-19 vaccines this fall are likely to be based on the Omicron variant of the coronavirus rather than the original strain, although some experts suggest they may only offer significant benefits for older and immunocompromised people.
* The European Union said on Friday it would issue another 50 billion euros ($52.7 billion) of long-term debt in the second half of 2022 to back its coronavirus recovery fund.
* Greece is offering a second COVID-19 booster shot for people aged 30 and above beginning next week.
* Latin America has one of the worst records of school closures globally, according to a World Bank report, which shows children there faced almost 60 weeks of fully or partially closed schools between March 2020 and March this year.
* Late-stage data on an experimental COVID-19 vaccine from Sanofi and GSK has showed the shot confers protection against the Omicron variant of the virus, the companies said.
* French drugmaker Valneva's COVID-19 vaccine has received marketing authorisation from the European Commission for use as a primary vaccination in people from 18 to 50 years of age, the company said.
* The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had recommended Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for children and adolescents aged 6 to 17, allowing a rollout of the shots to begin for that age group.
