* The Thai army on Friday released two out of 20 Cambodian soldiers that it captured after a ceasefire took effect, a Cambodian defense ministry spokesperson said.
* China has urged relevant parties to actively seek a lasting solution to the Kosovo issue via dialogue, and refrain from unilateral actions that may lead to tensions after Serbian official Igor Popović's detention. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks in response to a relevant query at a regular news briefing on Friday.
* Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) on Thursday declared martial law in 63 townships shortly after declaring a state of emergency in those areas, the state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television reported.
* China will continue taking necessary measures to safeguard its cybersecurity, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. The Cyber Security Association of China has released details of two cases of the U.S. government using Germany, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and the Netherlands as springboards to launch cyberattacks against China.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order further modifying tariff rates with nearly 70 trading partners. The order hereby imposes "additional ad valorem duties on goods of certain trading partners."
* Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Friday that the United States has revised down for the second time tariffs on Cambodian exports to 19 percent. He said on social media that the new tariff rate marked reductions from the first 49 percent on April 2 to 36 percent in the first negotiation on July 7, and then 19 percent.
* The U.S. tariff rate imposed on Malaysia has been reduced to 19 percent from the initially scheduled 25 percent and will take effect on Friday. The tariff changes will apply to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption, on or after seven days following the date of the order, the White House said in a statement.
* New Zealand faces a sharp rise in tariffs on its exports to the United States, a move officials warn could impact Kiwi exporters and strain trade relations. Amid a "modest" trade surplus with the United States, New Zealand is facing a sharp increase in U.S. tariffs on its exports from 10 percent to 15 percent starting Aug. 7, according to a New Zealand government statement on Friday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order increasing the tariff on Canada from 25 percent to 35 percent, with the higher tariff set to go into effect on Aug. 1, the White House said in a fact sheet.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States will be talking to Mexico over the next 90 days with the goal of signing a trade deal. Trump said in a Truth Social post after a phone conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday sent 17 letters to pharmaceutical companies' CEOs in an attempt to pressure them to lower drug prices within 60 days, threatening to take action if they refuse to comply.
* The U.S. Department of State on Thursday announced sanctions that deny visas to officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
* Germany will deliver two Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine after reaching a deal with the United States, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
* The death toll from Thursday's Russian missile and drone strikes on Kiev has risen to 28, including three children, authorities said on Friday. Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that 159 people were injured in the attack.
* Senior officials, civil society leaders, and international organizations gathered in Helsinki on Thursday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, renewing calls for dialogue, cooperation, and shared security amid geopolitical tensions.
* Chinese vice premier Zhang Guoqing arrived in Xinglong County of north China's Hebei Province on Friday to visit disaster-hit residents and guide relief and recovery efforts.
* The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) has provided humanitarian aid to over 4 million vulnerable people across the country during the past year, the state-owned Bakhtar News Agency reported Friday.
* Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Thursday that the government intends to consult President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and all political parties represented in Parliament to consider recognizing the State of Palestine during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in September.
* There will be no deal between Iran and the United States as long as Washington demands that Iran agree to zero uranium enrichment, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said.
* France and Cyprus on Thursday jointly called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Cyprus News Agency reported.
* German Foreign Minister Wadephul on Thursday urged Israel to remedy the disastrous situation in the Gaza Strip, noting that the most recent United Nations (UN) conference in New York showed that "Israel is increasingly finding itself in a minority position."
* Afghanistan and Turkmenistan have signed an agreement to jointly develop and invest in the expansion of Torghundi Port in western Afghanistan's Herat province, aimed at boosting regional trade and improving rail connectivity, the Afghan Ministry of Public Works announced.
* The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iraq on Thursday welcomed recent announcements by several countries regarding the recognition of the State of Palestine, describing the move as "significant" and "historic steps" toward achieving justice for the Palestinian people.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday expressed strong support for international efforts recognizing the State of Palestine, calling recent developments in Europe "very valuable."
* Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun on Thursday called for exclusive control of arms by the Lebanese state, urging all political factions to rally behind the national army as the sole guarantor of stability and sovereignty.
* Qatar has announced the launch of the second phase of its electricity supply initiative to Syria, starting on Saturday, according to a statement by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).
* Four Royal Moroccan Air Force planes carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza weighing some 180 tonnes arrived at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday, according to Israeli media reports.
* Japan's unemployment rate in June stood at 2.5 percent, remaining unchanged for the fourth consecutive month, government data showed Friday. The number of employed individuals dropped 0.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted 68.32 million, while those without jobs remained unchanged at 1.72 million, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
* The World Bank has said it will provide 700 million USD for a project to strengthen the Philippines' resilience to natural disasters and climate change.
* Indonesia's inflation reached 2.37 percent year on year in July, driven mainly by rising prices of food, beverages, and tobacco, Statistics Indonesia reported on Friday.
* Thailand's manufacturing sector expanded for a third successive month in July, thanks to a robust increase in production as new orders growth picked up, a survey showed on Friday.
* The Indonesian government expects oil lifting, post-sale production, to increase next year, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia said in a statement on Friday.
* Kazakhstan plans to raise oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline to 1.7 million tonnes in 2025, the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency reported Thursday, citing Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov.
* Portugal's tourism sector contributed 34 billion euros (39.22 billion USD) to the national economy in 2024, accounting for 11.9 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the data released on Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
