The United States and Japan on Friday reiterated the importance of peace and stability in Taiwan Strait and warned against any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine.

Dramatic escalations in Japan’s own military investments combined with new security cooperation with the U.S. announced this week prompted new warnings from Beijing.

Polish President Andrzej Duda says that the European Union nation has decided to send a company of Leopard tanks to help neighboring Ukraine in the war with invading Russia

SYDNEY – Floods and natural disasters that hit all but one Australian state and territory in 2022 cost the economy A$5 billion ($3.48 billion) and stoked inflation according to Treasury estimates which forecast billions more spending in 2023.

CARACAS – Venezuela’s economy expanded around 15% last year, President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday during his annual state of the nation address, crediting the expansion to diversification of the largely oil-focused economy.

SHANGHAI – Nearly 50,000 large dams worldwide could lose more than a quarter of their storage capacity by 2050 as a result of sedimentation build-ups, eroding global water and energy security, according to United Nations research on Wednesday.

A South Korean solar panel maker says it will invest more than $2.5 billion in two Georgia factories

Chinese state TV says Beijing is preparing to allow airlines to fly more routes between China and the United States following the end of anti-virus travel restrictions

WASHINGTON  – U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to discuss joint security issues as well as the global economy in summit talks on Friday, a senior administration official told Reuters.

LONDON/ACCRA – Ghana requested on Tuesday to restructure its bilateral debt under the common framework platform supported by the Group of 20 major economies, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.