EUROPEAN UNION: EU member states were urged today to show the same respect for international law in Gaza as they aim to uphold in Ukraine, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians face dire food shortages and possible famine.

At an EU summit in Brussels, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres appealed to its political leaders to respect standards enshrined in the UN Charter and international law.

CENTRAL EUROPE: Four central European countries — the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia — remained deeply divided today over a Czech plan to acquire ammunition that Ukraine badly needs in its war against Russia.

At a meeting of foreign ministers of the four countries, Poland supported the plan but both Hungary and Slovakia said they are not ready to change their strict refusal to provide arms to Ukraine.

VIETNAM: Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Vietnam’s vice-president, will serve as the country’s acting president after the resignation of Vo Van Thuong earlier this week, it was reported in the Tuoi Tre newspaper today. She is the country’s second female acting head of state.

Mr Thuong resigned due to unspecified violations that hurt the reputation of the party and the state, the Communist Party said.  

PAKISTAN: A roadside bomb exploded near a security convoy in north-west Pakistan today, killing two soldiers and wounding 15 others, officials said.

The attack happened in Dera Ismail Khan, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, said Inayat Ullah, head of the police bomb disposal unit in the region.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, which has claimed previous attacks on security forces.