* Singapore, as chair of the ASEAN education sector from 2026 to 2027, will organize regional programs focused on artificial intelligence (AI) in education, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and the holistic development of students, under the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2026-2030 released on Tuesday.
* Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn has highlighted energy security as a strategic priority for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to a foreign ministry press release issued Wednesday. Sokhonn made the remarks on Tuesday during the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, the Philippines.
* China has officially rolled out its plan for renewable energy development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Thursday.
* Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture has set a target to develop 151,554 hectares of coconut downstream production areas in 2026 to boost industrial raw material supply and increase the commodity's added value, an official said Wednesday.
* Singapore will invest about 4 billion Singapore dollars (about 3.1 billion USD) over the next 15 years to upgrade its air navigation services as the city-state prepares for rising air travel demand and the opening of Changi Airport's Terminal 5, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on Wednesday.
* The difficulties on the Russian fuel market are temporary and cannot affect the overall economic dynamics, said Russian President Vladimir Putin during a government meeting on economic issues on Wednesday.
* Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that she will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Mexico City on Thursday, urging calm as Washington weighs new tariffs on Mexican exports.
* U.S. tariff policy continues to weigh on Germany's industrial sector, with many manufacturers postponing investment and passing higher costs on to U.S. customers, a survey by the Munich-based ifo Institute showed on Wednesday.
* Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday announced 18.5 billion reais (3.65 billion USD) in new credit lines for companies affected by the U.S. additional 25-percent tariff on Brazilian products.
* The Lithuanian government on Wednesday approved a resolution to begin preparing an engineering infrastructure development plan for the 330 kV Varduva-Broceni electricity transmission line, marking the start of the project's territorial planning process.
* Russian forces conducted group strikes on Ukrainian port facilities in Odesa, hitting infrastructure used for unloading and storing military cargo as well as fuel and lubricant storage tanks, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
* U.S. missile attack hits near passenger terminal at Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq, killing two people, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on Thursday.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that it had stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of which caught fire after an explosion. On Wednesday, U.S. forces launched strikes across Iran for the 12th consecutive night.
* Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, on Wednesday warned that if the United States attacks Iranian infrastructure, Iran will block all oil exports from West Asia and target oil, gas, electricity, and economic infrastructure across the region, according to media reports.
* A tanker caught fire off the coast of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after being struck by an unknown projectile, leaving the crew fighting the blaze, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
* Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday held a phone call to discuss bilateral ties and economic cooperation, according to a statement by al-Zaidi's media office.
* At least 1,099 Afghan nationals held in Pakistani custody facilities and 3,118 registered refugees have been repatriated to Afghanistan, authorities confirmed Thursday, as part of an ongoing wave of returns from the neighboring state.
* Yemen's Houthi group said on Thursday that it had carried out a military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, claiming the vessels had violated the group's recently announced maritime restrictions.
* Greece will ban people under the age of 17 from riding electric scooters under new road safety rules, Greek media reported on Wednesday.
* More than 500 Rwandan refugees were repatriated to Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Wednesday, authorities said.
* Singapore's core inflation rose to 1.6 percent year-on-year in June from 1.4 percent in May, official data showed on Thursday. The Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a joint statement that the increase was driven by higher inflation for food, services, retail and other goods.
* Australia's unemployment rate remained steady in June as the labor force participation rate rose to an 11-month high, according to official data released on Thursday. The monthly data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that the unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in June, matching the figure for May.
* Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday welcomed the decision by S&P Global Ratings to upgrade Pakistan's sovereign credit rating from "B-" to "B," describing it as a major milestone for the country's economy.
* Insecurity continues to impact humanitarian operations in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including UN efforts to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday.
* About 200 people have died in a worsening cholera outbreak in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno over the past two months, the global medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Wednesday.
* Croatia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said on Wednesday that two new outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) had been confirmed at pig farms.
* France recorded an estimated 5,764 excess all-cause deaths during the heatwave from June 17 to July 2, French daily Le Figaro reported on Wednesday, citing the country's public health agency Sante publique France.
* The death toll in ongoing floods in India's northeastern state of Assam has risen to 31, the official broadcaster -- All India Radio (AIR) said Wednesday. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, over half a million people remain affected in 16 flood-hit districts.
* Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) on Wednesday warned of potential flooding in parts of Sagaing region after water levels in the Chindwin River reached or exceeded danger levels in two towns.
