TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has vowed to substantially increase his nation’s defence spending, said on Tuesday there are no numerical targets for the outlay.

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continued to preside over the second day of the nation’s major party meeting on its military and defence policies on Wednesday, the state media reported on Thursday, amid concerns over a potential imminent nuclear test.

HELSINKI – Finland has prepared for decades for a Russian attack and would put up stiff resistance should one occur, its armed forces chief said.

LONDON – Britain will remain under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Wednesday, days after the court blocked the government’s move to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

ISLAMABAD  – Key progress has been made in talks on the revival of Pakistan’s International Monetary Fund bailout programme, both sides said on Wednesday, with Islamabad expecting the lender to increase the size and duration of the 39-month, $6 billion facility.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to make his first visit to Turkey following the slaying of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

Some young girls are auctioned off into marriage for cows in South Sudan.

South Korean prosecutors have barred dozens of people connected to Terraform Labs from leaving the country as they expand an investigation into a $40 billion collapse of the company’s cryptocurrency that devastated traders around the world.

The German government says it remains committed to its goal of phasing out coal as a power source by 2030, despite deepening worries about a cut in Russia’s gas supplies.

SINGAPORE/JAKARTA – Indonesian authorities hope to reach an agreement with Singapore to start exporting chickens within weeks, officials said, as the city-state scrambles to find alternative supply sources after another neighbour Malaysia restricted sales.