At midnight Sunday local time, the "Phoenix Flag," a symbol of South Korea's presidency, was raised at Cheong Wa Dae, which is widely known as the Blue House, after a hiatus of nearly three years and seven months.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted a long-range strategic cruise missile launching drill on Sunday, overseen by the country's top leader Kim Jong Un, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Monday.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will commute to Cheong Wa Dae, which is widely known as the Blue House, for the first time on Monday. It has been three years and seven months since former President Yoon Suk-yeol moved the presidential office to Yongsan in May 2022, the Korea Herald reported on Sunday.

The "nuclear possession" rhetoric by an official responsible for security policy under the Sanae Takaichi administration continues to draw backlash. Former Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday once again criticized the rhetoric, according to Japanese media.

Since all four pandas at a theme park in Shirahama town of the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama returned to China in June, Shirahama launched a “keeper experience tour” project where a staff member donned a panda costume, allowing visitors to simulate tasks like drawing blood from the animal, TV Asahi reported.

Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint statement on the ceasefire on Saturday, China's state broadcaster CCTV News reported.

Thailand, Cambodia sign agreement on ceasefire

The Cambodian Ministry of Defense said Saturday that it reached consensus with Thailand on the content of the draft Joint Statement of the third Special Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee meeting on Friday night, with the participation of ASEAN observers.

A severe traffic accident involving over 50 vehicles on Friday left one person dead and 26 others injured on an expressway in Gunma Prefecture northwest of Tokyo, local media reported Saturday.

Ceasefire talks between Thailand and Cambodia began at around 9:40 a.m. local time on Saturday at a border checkpoint in Thailand's Chanthaburi Province.

Four people were injured in a shooting on Friday in San Jose, U.S. state of California, local police said.

Several explosions were heard Saturday morning in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi claimed on Friday that China is trying to expand its military capabilities in distant seas and airspace, and that its aircraft carriers are gradually forming a rotational operational system. He also boasted that he wants to meet with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the beginning of the new year to discuss China's military activities.

Fifteen people were injured on Friday after a man entered a factory in Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan and attacked workers with a knife while spraying an unknown liquid, local media reported.

NASA's newly confirmed administrator Jared Isaacman on December 19 held an agency-wide town hall to answer questions from the workforce. During the event, he responded to a question referencing China's installation of an air fryer on its Tiangong space station, describing it as an "upgrade" and pointing to the need for NASA to reassess practices that may have been "rigid in the past" during less mature times, according to the town hall transcript generated on NASA's official YouTube channel.

Saudi warplanes on Friday carried out airstrikes against military sites affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen's southeastern oil-rich province of Hadramout, a local security official told Xinhua.

Kim Keon-hee, wife of former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol, was indicted on charge of receiving bribes for influence peddling related to personnel appointments, the special counsel team said Friday.

Thailand's Democrat Party announced on Friday that three candidates, led by party leader and former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, will run for the country's next prime minister in the upcoming general election.

Cambodian Defense Ministry's Undersecretary of State and spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said on Friday that Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped as many as 40 bombs in a border village in Banteay Meanchey province.

Scientists from the Russian National University of Science and Technology MISIS have developed a composite material combining high strength, thermal resistance, and durability. It may find application in aviation, energy and mechanical engineering. This was reported on the website of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Throughout 2025, the UAE introduced several high-impact projects in environmental protection and the clean energy transition, reinforcing its position as a global leader in climate solutions.

Roscosmos sealed a major deal with NPO Lavochkina to provide reliable, long-term energy for key elements of Russia's moon program, such as lunar rovers, scientific observatories, and infrastructure for the International Lunar Research Station — a collaborative effort open to international partners.

A South Korean special counsel indicted former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on charges of making false statements during the presidential campaign, the special counsel team said Friday.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. military launched a "powerful and deadly" strike against the Islamic State (IS) in northwestern Nigeria.

The Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia has donated dozens of motorcycles to the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission to support traffic control and security efforts.

A South Korean special counsel sought a 10-year prison sentence for former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on charges including obstructing attempts to arrest him, multiple local media said Friday.

Japan's draft defense budget was set at a record 9.04 trillion yen (about 58 billion U.S. dollars) for fiscal 2026, local media reported Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday urged the full implementation of the Peace Accords amid ongoing violence between Cambodia and Thailand.

Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved a draft budget worth about 122.3 trillion yen (about 785 billion U.S. dollars) for the next fiscal year starting April, local media reported.

Russia on Thursday condemned Japan's attempts to whitewash its history of militarist aggression and war crimes, urging Tokyo to face up to its past and make genuine atonement to the victims.

Niger has begun implementing retaliatory measures against the United States this week, imposing a comprehensive ban on issuing visas to U.S. citizens, the Niger News Agency (ANP) reported on Thursday.

The EU, French, German and British officials on Wednesday local time strongly condemned a US decision to impose travel restrictions on five European individuals, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, a move that analysts see as further deepening the rift in transatlantic relations.

At least 17 people were killed and many others injured early Thursday when a private sleeper bus caught fire after being hit by a large truck in India's southwestern state of Karnataka, local media reports said.

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.

Russia plans to build a lunar power station by 2036 as part of its long-term lunar exploration program, Russian space authorities said on Wednesday.

A group of 14 countries issued a joint statement on Wednesday, strongly condemning Israel's decision to establish 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that such moves violate the international law.

The European Union (EU), French, German, and British senior officials on Wednesday strongly condemned a U.S. decision to impose travel restrictions on five European individuals, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton.

Amid strong backlash caused by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous Taiwan-related remarks, including economic impact to Japan, Takaichi cabinet still dodges this issue, with one Minister even refusing to acknowledge the existence of economic losses, such as no panda in Japan and declining Chinese tourists in face of reporter's repeated question.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi unveiled the ministry's budget proposal for 2026 on Tuesday, which indicates that the Japanese government will accelerate the provision of weapons and equipment to allied countries in 2026, a move a Chinese expert warns of as an increasing presence of militarization that threatens region, seeking to construct a geographically oriented framework of strategic pressure against China.

South Korea's special counsel on Wednesday indicted former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on charge of political funds act violation.

The China-Ghana Friendship Hospital, also known as Lekma Hospital,on Tuesday marked the 15th anniversary of its establishment in Accra,the capital of Ghana.

An explosion at a nursing home killed at least two people and left residents trapped inside in the northeastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Venezuela's National Assembly on Tuesday passed a law aimed at guaranteeing and protecting freedom of navigation and trade against piracy, blockades and other illicit international acts, following U.S. seizures of vessels carrying Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean.

Libya's army chief of staff, Mohammed al-Haddad, and four other military officials were killed when their business jet crashed south of Ankara on Tuesday evening, Libyan and Turkish authorities said.

A private jet carrying Libya's army chief of staff, Mohammed Al-Haddad, lost radio contact with Ankara on Tuesday evening after departing Ankara's Esenboga Airport for Tripoli, Türkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

An explosion rocked a nursing home in the northeastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania Tuesday afternoon, leaving residents trapped, local media reported.

A fire broke out in an apartment building in Seoul, capital of South Korea, early Wednesday morning, leaving two people in cardiac arrest, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Against the backdrop of recent series of worrying military expansion moves, the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi administration is openly stating its maritime ambitions with the latest intent to advance the enhancement of the Japan Coast Guard's capabilities, including by increasing the number of large patrol vessels, according to TV Asahi on Tuesday. The report cited the so-called China's maritime advancement as excuse.

US President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated his call to take over Greenland, which triggered strong objections from Denmark and the European Union.

The US on Monday announced its plan to build a new class of battleships that is allegedly even larger than their World War II-era predecessors – but equipped with missiles. A Chinese expert noted that the US' new battleships are of a new genre of warship, but remained skeptical about their feasibility in modern naval warfare given their huge size.

S. Korean National Assembly passes bill to form special court handling insurrection-related cases

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has sent a letter to heads of state of countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region, denouncing the escalation of U.S. aggressions against Venezuela and their impact on the region, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Monday.

Flame was detected after the launch of South Korea's commercial space launch vehicle, failing the launch, Yonhap news agency said Tuesday.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Türkiye reached 2.8 million in November, highlighting the country's sustained tourism growth, as the total number of foreign visitors reached 50.06 million in the first 11 months of the year, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Monday.

U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators on Sunday hailed the talks in Miami, Florida, as "productive and constructive" amid Russian troops' advances on the eastern front of Ukraine.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Monday that he would summon U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Howery for talks following U.S. President Donald Trump's appointment of a special envoy to Greenland.

Russian and Venezuelan foreign ministers on Monday voiced grave concern over "increasing escalatory actions" by Washington in the Caribbean Sea, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

An explosion at a laboratory in eastern France on Monday injured at least four people, two of them seriously, according to local media.

Cambodia and Thailand are urged to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps towards the cessation of all forms of hostilities, according to a statement released on Monday following the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting convened to address the ongoing conflict.

Despite persistent concerns among local residents, Japan's Niigata Prefecture on Monday approved the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's largest, more than a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, according to Japanese media. The plant in Niigata is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator responsible for the nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011. ​

The Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting to address the Thai-Cambodia conflict was held on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, as the regional grouping seeks to promote de-escalation.

Japan's Niigata Prefecture approved on Monday to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant located in the prefecture, more than a decade after the Fukushima disaster.

Japan's H3 rocket engine shuts down after launch

French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly confirmed on Sunday that the country plans to replace its sole and ageing nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with a new one. A Chinese expert said that France's new aircraft carrier seems to be a modern one with larger displacement and electromagnetic catapults, and might see the propulsion issue previously seen on the Charles de Gaulle solved.

The US is "in active pursuit" of a third oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, US news outlets reported Sunday.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday the launch of development and construction work on the French Navy's future aircraft carrier, a move he described as a decisive step to reinforce the country's maritime power.

More than 4,000 people lined up even before the zoo opened on Sunday, the last day visitors could see the pandas without a reservation, according to Japan's Fuji News Network, as Ueno Zoological Gardens announced that online reservations in advance will be required to view the pandas starting December 23.

Researchers have identified a promising way to recycle used tires by incorporating their components directly into concrete — a method that not only improves material performance but also reduces environmental impact.

Test production of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) has begun in Moscow. The unique enterprise for Russia, created on the basis of the Moscow Photonics Centre, was visited by Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov and Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin. This was reported on the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia.

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE minister of economy and tourism, said that hotel occupancy rates in the UAE reached 79.3 percent during the first 10 months of 2025, up from 78 percent last year, ranking among the highest regionally and globally.

The Irish Military Intelligence Service claimed that it had given confidential briefings to Irish university leaders, warning them about the so-called “risks associated with Chinese engagement” in sensitive areas of research, particularly in fields that could be adapted for military use, according to The Sunday Times.

The Venezuelan government on Saturday denounced what it called a new "theft and kidnapping" of a private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, along with the forced disappearance of its crew, allegedly carried out by US military forces in international waters, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Venezuelan government on Saturday denounced what it called a new "theft and kidnapping" of a private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, along with the forced disappearance of its crew, allegedly carried out by US military forces in international waters.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said Saturday that the U.S. government's designation of the legitimate government of Venezuela as a "foreign terrorist organization" is a politically motivated act.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday he generally supports the idea of a trilateral meeting involving the national security advisors of Ukraine, the United States and Russia, expressing cautious optimism about the prospect of such a meeting.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday that the U.S. forces seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela earlier in the day.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks made on Friday on the recent escalation of tensions between Japan and China—claiming that the US can continue its strong and firm partnership and alliance with Japan while also finding productive ways to work with China—have drawn attention from Japanese media, with some noting that Rubio avoided making critical remarks about China and refrained from siding with either Japan or China.

The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for one year, until Dec. 20, 2026.

US forces launched missiles from their bases in the countryside of Deir al-Zour toward Islamic State (IS) positions in desert areas in eastern and northern Syria after midnight, Syrian state media reported Saturday.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday released a trove of records from the files related to late financier Jeffrey Epstein, roughly a month after the U.S. Congress approved a bill requiring their release by Dec. 19, with only narrow exceptions.

About 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton in Southern California are being deployed to Yuma, Arizona, to support security along the U.S.-Mexico border, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Friday.

Chairman of Japan-China Economic Association Kosei Shindo met with Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao in Tokyo on Thursday, during which Shindo asked the Chinese side to accept a previously planned economic delegation visit to Beijing in January next year, while emphasizing the importance of continuing to develop economic exchanges between the two countries, Kyodo News reported on Friday.

Russia willing to end conflict in Ukraine while eliminating root causes of crisis: Putin

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he does not rule out the possibility of a war with Venezuela on the table.

Russia has long been concerned about the risks posed by Japan's accelerated "re-militarization," including the sharp rise in its defense spending and efforts to break free from its post-war "peace constitution," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

One person went missing and four others were rescued after a fishing boat capsized off South Korea's western coast, local broadcaster YTN reported Friday.

The US military on Thursday destroyed two more suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killing five people aboard, the US Southern Command said.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Friday that his ministry will pursue President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to China in the early part of next year, according to South Korean media.

Remarks by an unnamed official from Japan's Prime Minister's Office, cited by Japanese media on Thursday, that "Japan should possess nuclear weapons" have continued to spark criticism within the country. Some figures in Japan's political and legal circles, including former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and House of Councillors member Taku Yamazoe, have stated that such opinions should not be expressed lightly. Political parties such as the Social Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party have also voiced their opposition to Japan possessing nuclear weapons on social media.

"Today, South Korea's new government emphasizes rational and pragmatic diplomacy in its China policy, aiming to promote cooperation that brings tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries." This was stated by Ro Jae-hun (Ro), South Korea's newly appointed ambassador to China, in a recent exclusive interview with Global Times (GT) reporters Bai Yunyi and Shan Jie in Beijing.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) deliberated and adopted the "Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development," which clarifies the guiding principles and main objectives for China's economic and social development over the next five years. In this issue, Global Times reporters Xie Wenting and Bai Yunyi (GT) conducted an exclusive interview with Mwangi Wachira, a former economist with the World Bank. In the interview, the renowned economist affirmed the resilience of the Chinese economy and its strong innovative capacity, and expressed his belief that China's experience in combining national planning with market mechanisms offers valuable lessons for other developing countries.

As New Delhi continues to choke under a blanket of toxic smog and takes measures to curb pollution, some Indian media outlets have turned their attention to remarks by the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India on China's pollution-control experience. "China has lessons for India," The Times of India (TOI) reported on Thursday.

Seven workers were trapped Thursday in South Korea's subway construction site accident, according to Yonhap news agency.

The US military on Wednesday hit an alleged drug boat in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killing four men, the U.S. Southern Command said.

South Korea's constitutional court on Thursday upheld the impeachment of the police chief for his involvement in former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol's botched martial law bid last December.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned the continued arbitrary detention of UN personnel by the Houthis in Yemen.

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to the deployment of an ASEAN observer team as efforts to de-escalate their conflict continue, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday.

U.S. and Russian negotiators are expected to hold talks in Miami, U.S. state of Florida, this weekend over a peace deal aimed at ending the Ukraine crisis that has lasted nearly four years, U.S. media outlet Politico reported on Wednesday.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a 901-billion-dollar defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, sending it to U.S. President Donald Trump's desk for his signature.

The US is taking another step to ratchet up pressure on Venezuela by ordering a blockade of all "sanctioned oil tankers" into the South American country, a move a Chinese expert says exposed a revival of the Monroe Doctrine.