Asia

A cooperation pact with Cambodia has been signed on 19 July to curb cross-border scams and drug trafficking, protect citizens and enhance regional security; since late June, Cambodia’s fight on scam networks led to 2.100 arrests and 2.300 deportations

A consortium led by UAE Air Arabia won the bid for a new low-cost national airline based in Saudi Arabia, operating domestic and international routes from Dammam, as part of the Saudi aviation sector development plans

Several citizens are still missing after a fire at a hypermarket in Kut in eastern Iraq left at least 61 dead, while were rescued among the ones in the building at the time the fire started; the venue was brand new, inaugurated a few days before

Plans to ban fossil-fuel motorcycles and mopeds in central Hanoi have been announced to reduce pollution; The move supports the shift to electric vehicles, led by local firm VinFast, but raises concerns over its social impact on low-income workers

Indonesia will build a dedicated “Hajj village” about 400 meters from the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia; the project, part of deepened Jakarta–Riyadh cooperation, aims to ease pilgrimage logistics for Indonesian worshippers

The traditional long-distance horse race was held as part of the Naadam festival, showcasing the endurance of the Mongolian horse, a symbol of national pride; Riders, often children, covered vast steppe terrain, in a centuries-old nomadic heritage

Firefighting teams began returning home after completing a humanitarian mission in Syria, where they participated in efforts to extinguish wildfires that broke out across several areas of Latakia along the coast

36.000 myna birds have been so far hunted under the National Project to Combat Myna Birds in Qatar, which has proven an effective measure to curb the spread of this invasive species that threatens the ecological balance

Airstrikes were launched on a Defense Ministry compound and near the presidential palace in Damascus; the action followed clashes with over 500 casualties in the region of Sweida, the heartland of Syria's Druse minority, whom Israel pledged to protect

Rules regarding swimming pools serving multiple households have been relaxed: a special category clearly differentiates obligations of pools 'for private use serving up to five residential units', recreational/competition pools and hotel/resort pools

Approximately 18.000 carats of emeralds, worth 1,1 million USD, have been sold since the beginning of year 1404, or 20 March 2025, in five rounds of bidding for Panjshir area emeralds and new emerald mine sites were discovered in Pariyan district

To strengthen protection of citizens’ genetic and genomic data a new law has been proposed by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung: it will define hereditary information clearly and regulate its use in jobs, insurance, research to ensure privacy and prevent misuse