Seoul, Aug 1 - The South Korean presidential office said on Thursday it held a meeting to discuss the impact of rising tensions in the Middle East on the domestic economy and security.

Seoul, Aug 1 - South Korea and the United States staged their first-ever table-top exercise on integrating Seoul's advanced conventional forces with Washington's nuclear capabilities this week to better respond to North Korea's nuclear threats, officials said Thursday.

Phnom Penh, Aug 1 - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said here on Thursday that women have played a pivotal role in socio-economic development and poverty reduction in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

New York, Aug 1 - India "will never be a formal ally or partner of the United States" as it is "also a great power" with "its own beliefs, its own interests" but the two can act as allies on the global stage,

Canberra, Aug 1 - The Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy has described a new government report on the welfare of First Nations people as deeply troubling.

Washington, Aug 1 - The mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and two of his accomplices have agreed to plead guilty, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Caracas, Aug 1 - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro submitted an appeal to the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice to audit and certify the results of presidential elections amid calls for greater transparency.

Tehran, Aug 1 - Iran would seek revenge for the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh in a "well-managed" way without escalating the regional crisis, an Iranian expert said.

Seoul, Aug 1 - South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on Thursday vowed to beef up monitoring of the global financial market and devise contingency plans to better respond to uncertainties regarding interest rates in the US and other nations.

Caracas, Aug 1 - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has submitted an appeal to the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice to audit and certify the results of Sunday's presidential elections amid calls for greater transparency.

Tehran, Aug 1 - Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, a media report said, citing three unnamed Iranian officials.

Washington, Aug 1 - The US Federal Reserve has left interest rates unchanged at a 22-year high of 5.25 per cent to 5.5 per cent, as inflation continues to cool, hinting that a rate cut might come as soon as September.

United Nations, Aug 1 - Calling the twin strikes by Israel killing senior leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah during a 24-hour period a "dangerous escalation", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an international diplomatic push to prevent a broader regional conflict.