Situation Reports

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is expected to travel to the United States around Aug. 25 to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump over three to four days, the Korean Broadcasting System reported on Aug. 7.

Tigray's parties of Arena Tigray, Semeret and National Congress of Great Tigray -- known as Baytona -- confirmed comments by Lt. Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae, the former vice president of Tigray's interim regional administration, that they had formed an alliance aimed at advancing political change in the region, Addis Standard reported on Aug. 7.

French multinational energy company TotalEnergies resumed "major works" on its $20 billion Mozambique LNG project, with a "senior source" close to the project acknowledging that the company was now "beyond preparatory works," Zitamar News reported on Aug. 6.

Cambodia and Thailand agreed to deploy observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to inspect their shared border and monitor the terms of their July 29 ceasefire, Reuters reported on Aug. 7.

The contents of the joint South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield military drills, their largest annual joint drills scheduled for Aug. 18-28, will be curtailed, with around 40 field training exercises delayed until September, according to a spokesperson for the South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff on Aug. 7.

The U.S. federal register released on Aug. 6 noted that the new 15% tariff on Japanese goods would come on top of existing tariffs for all Japanese imports, contrasting with Tokyo's understanding that Japanese exports to the United States with a preexisting tariff of 15% or higher would be exempted.

A German auction for offshore wind sites ended without any awards on Aug. 1, Germany's Federal Network Agency announced Aug. 6.

Argentina's Chamber of Deputies voted down several decrees President Javier Milei had issued to reform or eliminate bureaucratic bodies, and reactivated a commission to investigate a crypto scandal involving Milei, Clarin reported Aug. 7. 

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would place a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors but would exempt tech companies that have committed to building manufacturing facilities in the United States, specifically mentioning Apple, Politico reported on Aug. 6.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met for three hours with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow to discuss a potential Ukraine peace deal, just days ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to end the war or face sanctions, Reuters reported on Aug. 6.