The proposal follows international norms, avoiding meetings in territories of nations directly involved in a conflict.

The slower growth compared to previous months was largely due to disruptions caused by ongoing military conflict in the Middle East.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is considering the legality of “reciprocal” tariffs imposed on a broad range of US trading partners in April.

LONDON, July 31 — The dominant position of Amazon and Microsoft in cloud computing is harming competition, with their impact exacerbated by technical and commercial barriers to switching, according to an inquiry group from the United Kingdom's (UK) antitrust regulator.

PHNOM PENH, July 30 — When weeks of tensions escalated into a major border conflict with Thailand last week, former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appeared to take charge of his country's response.

BANGKOK, July 31 — First came a push from the Malaysian premier, then China reached out, but it was only after United States (US) President Donald Trump called Thailand's leader last week that Bangkok agreed to talks with Cambodia to end an escalating military conflict.

CANBERRA, July 31 — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that he discussed the situation in Gaza with his United Kingdom counterpart Keir Starmer and affirmed his government's strong support for the two-state solution, the Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.

SYDNEY, July 31 — Australia’s parliament today passed a law to cut student loans by 20 per cent, wiping more than A$16 billion (RM43.9 billion) in debt for three million people, and fulfilling a key election promise to help mitigate the rising cost of living.

COPENHAGEN, July 31 — Damage to European forests from increased logging, wildfires, drought and pests is reducing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, putting European Union emissions targets at risk, scientists warned yesterday.

OTTAWA, July 31 — Canada plans to recognise the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced yesterday, ratcheting up pressure on Israel as starvation spreads in Gaza.

BANGKOK, July 30 — Thailand's economy is projected to grow 2.2 per cent in 2025, slightly up from 2.1 per cent in an earlier forecast, amid global trade uncertainties, the Ministry of Finance said today, reported Xinhua.

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI, July 30 — United States (US) President Donald Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India starting August 1, along with an unspecified penalty for buying Russian weapons and oil, potentially straining relations with the world's most populous democracy.

SINGAPORE, July 30 — Singapore's central bank left its monetary policy settings unchanged on Wednesday, maintaining a modest and gradual appreciation path for the Singapore dollar, as it flagged slowing growth in the second half of the year and contained inflationary pressures, reported Xinhua.

EL ARENAL/AROUCA, July 30 — Thousands of firefighters struggled to put out a dozen wildfires raging in northern Portugal and central Spain through the night and into Wednesday, in the largest wave of blazes in the Iberian Peninsula so far this year after weeks of summer heat.

ANKARA, July 30 — YouTube has announced that it will begin rolling out a machine learning-based age estimation system in the United States (US) over the coming weeks, aiming to provide more tailored protections for teen users.

MOSCOW, July 30 — A state of emergency has been declared in the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy after a powerful earthquake, with all services now on high alert, Mayor Yevgeny Belyaev said on Wednesday, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

MOSCOW, July 30 — A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered four-metre tsunami waves and sparked evacuation orders in Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday.

PHNOM PENH, July 30 — Peace and tranquillity, which had eluded northern Cambodia for five days, returned at 12am on Monday (July 28), easing the tense atmosphere along the hostile borders with Thailand.

JAKARTA, July 30 — Indonesia will raise taxes on cryptocurrency transactions, with a higher rate on trades hosted by overseas bourses, starting from August 1, according to a new Finance Ministry regulation.

BANGKOK, July 30 — Thailand’s military have accused Cambodian forces of breaching a ceasefire agreement at three separate locations along the disputed border, warning that continued aggression could compel Thai forces to respond more decisively.