1. North Korea announced Friday its leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a "fire assault drill" of an artillery unit on Thursday as he stressed the need to "overwhelmingly respond" to any war preparations by its "enemy." Kim reportedly also took his daughter Kim Ju-ae, to the artillery training.

2. Chinese President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term as his country’s head of state, completing a transition into the second decade of his rule as he seeks to reassert himself as a global statesman and navigate an increasingly fractious rivalry with the U.S.

3. According to South Korea's central bank data Friday, South Korea posted the largest ever current account deficit in January as exports sharply dwindled amid growing worries over a global economic recession.