* The U.S. embassy in Qatar issued a security alert on Tuesday urging U.S. citizens to exercise heightened vigilance amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, warning of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.
* Saudi Arabia's national shipping company Bahri said Wednesday that two Filipino sailors were killed in a security incident when its vessel SIDR was passing through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.
* Cambodia officially launched the National Mine Action Policy 2026-2035 on Wednesday, establishing a comprehensive 10-year roadmap aimed at eliminating all identified landmines, cluster bombs, and other explosive remnants of war (ERWs) across the country.
* China will impose a 20 percent individual income tax on dividends and bonuses that foreign individuals receive from foreign-invested enterprises starting September 1, according to a joint announcement from the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration.
* U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 2,197 immigrants across the state of New York from late July to late August in an operation.
* China will work to address the reasonable concerns of U.S. companies operating in China, and safeguard a level playing field in accordance with the law, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Tuesday. Li made the remarks when meeting with a delegation of the Board of Directors of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC), led by its board chair Ryan McInerney, in Beijing.
* The European Union (EU) will increase its support to Ukraine and invest in its own defense, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Wicklow, Ireland, on Tuesday.
* German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul arrived in Algiers late Monday for a visit focused on strengthening cooperation with Algeria in natural gas, green hydrogen, industrial projects and technology transfer, according to a statement from the Algerian presidency on Tuesday.
* The German government announced on Tuesday that it holds Russia responsible for last month's attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport, ordering a series of retaliatory measures including the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn.
* During her second State of the Union Address held at the National Palace on Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to defend the country's sovereignty, dignity and independence.
* High-level representatives from across the Global South gathered in Belgrade on Tuesday to mark the 65th anniversary of the first conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), reaffirming support for multilateralism, sovereign equality and respect for international law amid heightened global tensions.
* South and Southeast Asia are well positioned to capture opportunities arising from the expansion of digital trade, supported by the region's high trade openness and rapid digital adoption, Moody's Ratings said on Tuesday.
* The Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) adopted on Tuesday a declaration on enhancing multilateral partnership for nuclear safety and security.
* The Finnish government has decided to drop plans for new public financial support for data centers, Finance Minister Riikka Purra said on Tuesday following coalition talks on the 2027 state budget.
* Dutch police confirmed that 34 suspects have been arrested following a fatal shooting in Overasselt, in the eastern Netherlands, early Tuesday morning. The incident left one person dead and two police officers injured.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that two oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines when passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
* Peru's government announced Tuesday that it was breaking diplomatic relations with Iran, saying it "strongly rejects Iran's incitement to the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East."
* The response to last week's flash floods in Nepal is entering a new phase, with authorities intensifying relief efforts and recovery operations, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a concessional loan of 175 million USD to expand access to reliable and affordable electricity in Bangladesh's Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT), helping boost livelihoods and support inclusive development in one of the country's most remote regions.
* Afghanistan has issued 203,693 visas to foreign nationals over the past year, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.
* More than 1,750 Afghan refugees returned to their homeland Afghanistan in a single day on Monday, reported the official Radio and Television of Afghanistan (RTA) on Tuesday night.
* Israel struck southern Lebanon on Wednesday after Hezbollah launched two explosive drones at Israeli troops, in the latest test of the June ceasefire.
* The Palestinian Presidency on Tuesday condemned an attempt by Israeli settlers to set fire to a mosque in the West Bank. Earlier Tuesday, Palestinian local sources said settlers set fire to a room near the Nur al-Din Zanki Mosque after allegedly failing to break down its doors, and spray-painted racist slogans at the site.
* New Zealand's central bank on Wednesday raised its official cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent as annual inflation rose to 4.1 percent in the June quarter, driven by higher fuel prices arising from the Middle East conflict.
* Australia's rate of economic growth accelerated to 0.4 percent in the second quarter of 2026, according to official figures released on Tuesday, beating economists' expectations.
* Inflation rate in Croatia reached 4.1 percent in August, compared with the same period last year, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said on Tuesday.
* The Netherlands' inflation rate rose to 3.3 percent year-on-year in August, slightly up from 3.2 percent in July, according to a flash estimate released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on Tuesday, while the acceleration in energy and fuel prices points to renewed price pressures ahead.
* Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that Türkiye has signed the NASA-led Artemis Accords, an outer space exploration treaty, the day before.
* NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot concluded a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday for spacecraft navigation, scientific research and station maintenance.
* The Nepal Police said on Wednesday that the death toll from the deadly mudslide on Aug. 26 has risen to 1,118, with 4,858 people still missing.
* China is preparing a third batch of emergency relief supplies for Nepal based on the country's needs, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Wednesday.
* A total of 615 residents of Kuta Tengah village in Indonesia's North Sumatra province have been evacuated to shelters as volcanic activity at Mount Sinabung intensified, the country's disaster agency said Wednesday.
* A total of 31,874 people from 6,997 households were affected by flooding caused by heavy rains in Kyaikmaraw township in southern Myanmar's Mon state, as of Wednesday morning, according to the township's administrative body.
* Indonesia's Mount Rinjani National Park in West Nusa Tenggara province has allowed limited nature tourism activities starting Tuesday amid heightened forest and land fire risks during the dry season.
* The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 3,000, according to the latest official figures released Wednesday.
* Two Turkish-flagged commercial ships collided in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul early Wednesday, leaving 10 crew members missing, Turkish authorities said.
* At least 16 people were killed and 28 others injured when a bus overturned on Wednesday in Egypt's South Sinai province, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population.
