(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly endorsed the evacuation of civilians from parts of Ukraine's southern Kherson region on Friday, the latest sign of Russia's retreat in one of the most bitterly contested areas in Ukraine.
FIGHTING, SECURITY
* The Russian-installed deputy governor of Ukraine's Kherson region said a 24 hour curfew had been imposed in Kherson city, amid what he said was a likely Ukrainian offensive against the city.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that civilians in the Kherson region should be evacuated from the conflict zone, the Kremlin chief's first acknowledgement of a deteriorating situation in a region he claims to have annexed.
* Putin said Russia had mobilised 318,000 people into its armed forces, Interfax news agency reported. He also signed a law allowing the mobilisation of people who have committed serious crimes, RIA news agency said.
* Germany will install better air defence protection over Defence Ministry office buildings in response to a series of suspect drone overflights, Der Spiegel reported.
* Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned threats to use atomic weapons in Ukraine, with Scholz warning that Russia risked "crossing a line" in the international community by resorting to nuclear force.
* The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven economic powers said any use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences, and renewed their call on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
* Poland and Lithuania are looking at how to maintain the training of Ukrainian troops through what they expect to be a tough winter, a general was quoted as saying, as the nations signed an agreement to deepen defence cooperation.
* Pentagon leaders plan to meet with defense industry executives next week to discuss ways to tackle supply-chain problems, a U.S. official told Reuters, amid an expected surge in demand for weapons from U.S. allies due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
GRAIN
* Russia wants the West to ease restrictions on state agriculture lender Rosselkhozbank to facilitate Russian grain exports, according to four sources familiar with the request, made during talks to extend a deal on food shipments from Ukraine.
ECONOMY
* G7 countries will be ready with all the operational details of a price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil by Dec 5th, when the measure is to kick into force, even though many details now remain to be settled, a senior U.S. official said.
* The Group of Seven countries agreed to coordinate their support for the reconstruction of Ukraine's energy and water supplies following recent Russian attacks on the power grid that have caused widespread blackouts.
* Ukrainian entrepreneurs brought a message of hope to this week's Web Summit in Lisbon, Europe's largest tech gathering: the war has made them more resilient than ever.