* Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Tuesday an agreement has been reached to have closed microphones at the Sept. 10 U.S. presidential debate with Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
* China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs announced on Tuesday that assistance, both in the form of financial aid and material support, has been provided to veterans, their families and veteran volunteer rescue organizations in flooded areas.
* The Lao central bank, the Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL), is set to further increase interest rates to alleviate inflationary pressures currently affecting the economy.
* South Korea's parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that allows nurses to perform some medical procedures normally conducted by doctors as the healthcare workers called for greater legal protection amid a prolonged doctors' strike.
* Australian federal, state and territory governments have committed new funding for projects to improve the nation's natural disaster defenses.
* Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, started a new round of China-U.S. strategic communication with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Beijing on Tuesday.
* Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), oversaw on Tuesday a test-firing of the 240 mm multiple rocket launch system in production at defence industrial enterprises under the Second Economic Commission, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday.
* Russian air defence units destroyed 12 drones that Ukraine launched overnight targeting the Rostov and Voronezh regions, Russian state news agencies reported, citing a statement from the Russian defence ministry.
* The Mexican government has paused its relationship with the U.S. and Canadian embassies in the country, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday, after their ambassadors criticized a proposed judicial reform that he backs.
* New Zealand and Tonga renewed their statement of partnership on Wednesday, which set out the common priority areas for cooperation including climate change, security, education, labor mobility and trade.
* Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi on Tuesday warned of a risk of a nuclear incident at the Kursk nuclear power plant due to the conflict nearby.
* Denmark is set to open new embassies in Senegal, Tunisia, and Rwanda while shutting down those in Mali and Burkina Faso, as part of a plan to change its diplomatic presence in Africa.
* The Israeli army began on Wednesday a large-scale military operation in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas camps in the northern West Bank, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources.
* The United States remains committed to defending Israel in any Iranian attack, and was hopeful about a possible Gaza ceasefire agreement, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday.
* At least 40,534 Palestinians were killed and 93,778 wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, the enclave's health authorities said on Wednesday.
* Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Tuesday called on the international community to exert intensive pressure to complete a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
* Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi on Tuesday made his first visit to Taiz, the southwestern Yemeni city that has been under siege by the Houthis for nearly a decade.
* At least 25 people were killed and 30 others injured in an artillery attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Monday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan, a local official said on Tuesday.
* U.S. consumer confidence rose to a six-month high in August amid optimism over the economic outlook, but Americans are becoming more anxious about the labor market after the unemployment rate jumped to near a three-year high of 4.3% last month.
* Ukraine will temporarily suspend payments on GDP warrants starting from May 31, 2025, according to government decision published on the official website late on Tuesday.
* The Philippine government's budget deficit declined to 28.8 billion pesos (roughly 512.22 million USD) in July this year, down by 39.67 percent from a year ago, the Bureau of Treasury said on Wednesday.
* Malaysia's economic growth is projected to reach 4.9 percent in 2024 and 4.7 percent in 2025, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Tuesday. The OECD said in a report that the growth is mostly driven by expanding domestic demand in the Southeast Asian country.
* Thailand's exports surged to a 28-month high in July thanks to a marked increase in shipments to key markets, driven by higher demand for electronic products, which aligns with a growing digital economy, official data showed on Tuesday.
* Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that curbing inflation and reducing prices are among the priorities the country's new administration should address to.
* Argentina's economy chief announced late on Tuesday a cut to a tax on imports and freight cargo, saying the reduced levy will take effect next week.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday said it has launched a new country partnership strategy for Uzbekistan, spanning the period 2024 to 2028.
* Australia's annual rate of inflation slowed to 3.5 percent in the year to July, official figures have shown.
* The German economy saw a slight contraction in the second quarter (Q2) of the year, according to new data released on Tuesday. This was primarily due to decreased investments and a downturn in the construction industry, said the country's official statistics office.
* The economic loss caused by the wildfires in Brazil's southeastern Sao Paulo state reached up to 1 billion reals (182 million USD) within just three days, regional governor Tarcisio de Freitas said on Monday.
* The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has sought soft loans from the country's interim government to cope with the losses incurred due to the recent domestic situation and ongoing devastating floods.
* The International Monetary Fund's Executive Board on Tuesday approved a new two-year flexible credit line arrangement with Chile for an amount of about $13.8 billion, the fund said in a statement.
* Mongolia's coal exports are expected to reach 75 million tons by the end of this year, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the country's Ministry of Finance.
* The European Commission on Tuesday approved a 447-million-euro allocation from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to help Italy offset costs associated with severe storms and flooding in central Italy last year.
* The Dutch government announced on Tuesday a new COVID-19 vaccination campaign for people aged 60 or over and those at increased risk.
* The Philippines has detected two new monkeypox (mpox) cases, bringing the total number of active mpox cases in the country to five, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday.
* Democratic Republic of Congo's government has asked Japan to donate at least 2 million doses of mpox vaccine, a senior official at Africa's top public health body and a Congolese official said on Tuesday.
* Japan issued an emergency warning on Wednesday as powerful Typhoon Shanshan approached the southwestern region with heavy rain and strong winds, prompting Toyota Motor 7203.T to suspend operations at all of its domestic factories.
* The death toll from heavy rains hitting so far 10 states in Sudan has reached 138, the country's Health Ministry said Tuesday.
* At least 25 people were killed after flash floods hit Yemen's northwestern province of Al-Mahwit, a local health source reported on Wednesday.
