* Cambodia and Indonesia have pledged to strengthen cooperation in combating online scams, describing tech-based fraud as a complex global issue requiring international collaboration, said a press release issued Wednesday by Cambodia's Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS).
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday he and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the production of U.S.-designed Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict during their meeting at the White House.
* U.S. President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday in their first in-person talks since the United States and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran on Feb. 28, with the White House describing the meeting as "positive and productive."
* Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday that he called Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi by phone. In a post on X, Sybiha wrote that during the "frank conversation" he stressed that Ukraine's goal is "to avoid unnecessary escalation."
* Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, has assured him that Ukraine's Saturday attack on an Iranian commercial ship was "unintentional" and that Ukraine "does not seek escalation."
* Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Tuesday that vessels belonging to any country or company accepting compensation from Iran's frozen assets would not be allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's state-run broadcaster IRIB.
* A senior Iranian diplomat said on Tuesday that Tehran will not allow the Strait of Hormuz to return to its pre-war status, warning that any European warship seeking to approach the strategic waterway would be considered a "legitimate target."
* Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that he had instructed the military to expand offensive activity in the West Bank and prepare to capture another Palestinian refugee camp and evacuate its residents.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that its forces targeted a U.S. air base in Jordan with ballistic missiles and stopped three "violating" oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
* U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces carried out precision airstrikes against Iran-aligned militants in Iraq following a wave of drone attacks targeting U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.
* At least 15 members of Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were killed early Wednesday in U.S.-Saudi strikes targeting their positions across several Iraqi provinces, according to official statements and a security source.
* Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states on Tuesday discussed ongoing negotiations to de-escalate regional tensions and joint efforts to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The talks, held via videoconference, included Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani alongside his GCC counterparts, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
* Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia have called for intensifying joint diplomatic efforts to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian foreign ministry said Tuesday.
* Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Tuesday held a phone call with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi to discuss the latest regional developments and efforts to de-escalate tensions.
* Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Tuesday to bolster strategic cooperation across multiple sectors and accelerate the implementation of the strategic Development Road Project, following a joint press conference during al-Zaidi's official visit to Ankara.
* Movement restrictions and increasing insecurity, including settler attacks, across the West Bank are constraining relief efforts, UN humanitarians said Tuesday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the situation is so bad that some partners have had to resort to providing remote services, including mental health and psychosocial support, for people in hard-to-reach areas.
* Yemen's Houthi group said on Wednesday that it had shot down a Saudi-operated drone over the northern province of Saada, the group's main stronghold.
* Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met lawmakers from India's northeastern state of Assam to review the ongoing flood situation that has affected over 1.14 million people and killed 68 so far.
* Argentina will resume exports of fresh poultry meat and poultry products to the European Union (EU) in August after the bloc restored sanitary authorization for the shipments, goverment officials said Tuesday.
* Economic plans for the coming year focus on reducing recurrent expenditure while increasing capital expenditure, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Tuesday at a special coordination committee meeting in southern Sri Lanka's Galle district. The government plans to allocate 2 trillion Sri Lankan rupees (about 6 billion USD) for capital expenditure in 2027, representing an increase of about 40 percent, Dissanayake said.
* The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan announced on Tuesday its decision to maintain the key interest rate at 12 percent. The inflation rate in Kyrgyzstan has cumulatively reached 6.5 percent since the beginning of 2026, and 11.3 percent in annual terms, the central bank said in a statement.
* Afghanistan has exported its first shipment of natural stone to the United States from the western province of Herat, the provincial administration said on Wednesday. The shipment consists of black stone extracted from a mine in Zindajan district of Herat province, according to a statement issued by the provincial administration.
* Iraq exported over 32 million barrels of crude oil, including condensates, during May and June, generating revenues exceeding 2.33 billion USD, the Iraqi Oil Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
* Twelve people have been confirmed dead following a powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, while six others remain in cardiac arrest, local media reported Wednesday, citing the latest official figures.
* At least 351 people have lost their lives and 436 others were injured in rain-related disasters across Afghanistan over the past four months, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday.
* Indonesia is preparing weather modification operations to mitigate the risks of drought and forest and land fires as El Nino coincides with the dry season, authorities said Tuesday.
* The World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday that its European Region has made significant progress in preventing viral hepatitis and controlling hepatitis C, but remains off track to meet all elimination targets by 2030 as millions of people still lack diagnosis and treatment.
* Chile on Tuesday declared its first nationwide health alert for hantavirus to strengthen surveillance after the disease's fatality rate rose this year, the Chilean Ministry of Health said in a release. Official data showed 46 cases of infection and 18 deaths so far this year as of last week, representing a fatality rate of 39 percent, up from 18 percent in 2025.
* Authorities in South Australia (SA) said on Wednesday that it is very likely that the H5N1 avian influenza is spreading locally after reporting 11 new suspected cases of the deadly strain.
