* Finland will begin to redefine its relationship with Russia once the conflict in Ukraine ends, President Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday, adding that their shared border need not become an "iron curtain."
* Russia rejects allegations of cyberattacks and interference in France's upcoming presidential election, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Tuesday.
* U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow for meetings, CBS News reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the situation. The visit appears to be Ratcliffe's first known trip to Russia as CIA director, though he has maintained contact with his Russian intelligence counterparts, according to the report.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that all mines in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz have been removed or detonated, warning that any vessel placing new mines would be destroyed.
* Latvia's government on Tuesday approved a ban on imports of a range of industrial goods from Russia and Belarus starting Sept. 1. The ban covers printed books, newspapers and other printed materials, clothing and other textile products, footwear, headgear, toys, games and sports equipment, according to the Foreign Ministry.
* Nine people were killed and five others injured in a Ukrainian strike on a passenger bus in the Luhansk region, said Leonid Pasechnik, the Moscow-appointed head of the region, on Wednesday.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday to discuss expanding political dialogue and collaboration in trade, economy and humanitarian affairs.
* Cambodia on Wednesday dispatched its 12th batch of 184 peacekeepers to join the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the war-torn Central African Republic.
* Russia considers the presence of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military contingents in Ukraine inadmissible, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
* The Vynohradivka-Vulcanesti international border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova halted operations on Tuesday after an overnight Russian drone attack, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said in a statement. The infrastructure of the crossing, located in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, was damaged in the strikes, said the statement.
* German investigators have discovered a third drone and military-grade explosives connected to an attempted sabotage at Leipzig Airport earlier this month, local media reported on Tuesday.
* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday the country will continue on its path toward unity, peace and stability despite recent incidents undermining regional peace.
* Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that the United States will not achieve anything through its economic pressure against Iran.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a diplomatic agreement with Iran was impossible under its current leadership. He praised U.S. President Donald Trump's move to intensify economic pressure on Tehran.
* The United States and Iran have reportedly reached a ceasefire agreement, including free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported this Tuesday, citing Pakistani military and Iranian security sources.
* Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Tuesday held separate phone calls with foreign ministers of Oman and Iran to discuss a proposed interim framework for the Strait of Hormuz, including a temporary joint navigational corridor and a joint mine-clearance project.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday condemned the Israeli takeover of a training center of the world body in East Jerusalem, said his spokesperson.
* Yemeni government forces said Tuesday that at least 14 Houthi members were killed and 19 others wounded in artillery and drone strikes in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, hours after the country's leadership approved further measures to counter the group's escalating military operations.
* Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a statement Tuesday that he has decided to immediately expel Dutch representatives from the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel.
* Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and U.S. president's special envoy Steve Witkoff discussed regional developments and efforts to contain tensions in the region in a phone call on Tuesday.
* Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) valued at 7.31 million USD over the past month to enhance nationwide disaster resilience, the authority announced on Wednesday.
* NASA astronaut Anil Menon and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot concluded a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, successfully installing and connecting a spare space-to-ground antenna.
* Singapore's manufacturing output rose 6.8 percent year-on-year in July, slowing from a 7.5-percent increase in June, the Singapore Economic Development Board said on Wednesday.
* The Board of the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan has decided to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 12 percent, the bank's press service said on Tuesday.
* Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to develop a network of link roads connecting three sections of the Central Expressway with existing roads in the Western, Central and North Western Provinces.
* At least 50 children have been killed and several others hospitalized in an outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria's northwestern state of Kano, the state legislature said Tuesday, calling for swift emergency measures to assist affected communities.
* Portugal on Tuesday started the 2026-27 autumn-winter vaccination campaign for seasonal flu and COVID-19 diseases with an official incentive of 3.15 euros (3.69 USD) for each vaccine administered.
* More than 260,000 young children in New Zealand will become eligible for funded influenza vaccines from the 2027 flu season under changes announced by the country's pharmaceutical funding agency Pharmac.
* Panama's government on Tuesday declared a nationwide state of emergency over the climate impacts of El Nino, citing risks of drought, floods and possible effects on Panama Canal shipping, agriculture and energy supply.
* Japan's weather agency expected higher-than-normal temperatures nationwide over the coming three-month period, according to its latest forecast.
* Air quality continued to deteriorate in Malaysia on Tuesday, with 32 areas recording unhealthy readings, according to data from the Malaysian Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).
* Two people were killed Wednesday morning when an aircraft crashed near a dam in northern Italy's Piedmont region, local media said.
