The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would decide what counter sanctions to impose on Washington, a day after US President Joe Biden hit Moscow with an array of punitive measures, but gave no indication of timing.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday replaced the prime minister and six other cabinet members in a bid to revive his party, after devastating local election defeats, news wires reported. Moon named Kim Boo-kyum, a former interior minister and four-term lawmaker, to succeed Chung Sye-kyun as prime minister, while nominated new ministers of land, industry, fisheries, labour, and science and technology.

President Joe Biden is welcoming Japan’s prime minister to the White House on Friday in his first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader, a choice that reflects Biden’s emphasis on strengthening alliances to deal with a more assertive China and other global challenges.

Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla  said on Thursday the pharmaceutical company's Covid-19  vaccine recipients would "likely" need a third dose between six to 12 months after full vaccination, followed by an annual shot, news wires reported. Bourla told US TV network CNBC that boosters were expected to become a regular part of life for years to come, as variants continue to spread.

Greece’s foreign minister travels to Ankara on Thursday for talks on the two NATO allies’ fraught relationship, following a slight easing of tensions between the neighbors.

Iran has finalized a deal with Russia over purchasing 60 million doses Sputnik V Coronavirus vaccine, state-run IRNA news agency reported Thursday.

The US imposed today new sanction on Russia for cyberattacks and election interference, news wires reported. According to a Treasury statement, sweeping action was taken against “16 entities and 16 individuals who attempted to influence the 2020 US presidential election at the direction of the leadership of the Russian Government." In addition to the broad sanctions issued by Treasury, the State Department announced it will expel 10 officials from Russia's diplomatic mission in the US.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday to sell Afghan leaders and a wary public on President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all American troops from the country and end America’s longest war.

The French embassy in Pakistan on Thursday advised all French nationals and companies to temporarily leave the country, after violent anti-France protests paralysed large parts of the country this week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will join a virtual climate summit with France and Germany, Beijing announced Thursday, as US envoy John Kerry visited Shanghai to drum up support from the world's biggest polluter for America's drive to address environmental challenges, AFP reported.