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On July 19th, according to Shanxi Release, the General Office of the Shanxi Provincial People's Government recently issued the "Shanxi Province Service Industry Capacity Expansion and Quality Improvement Action Plan (2026-2030)". The Action Plan proposes that by 2028, producer services will extend towards specialization and the high end of the value chain, forming a number of replicable and scalable typical models of the integration of advanced manufacturing and modern service industries; consumer services will develop in a high-quality, diversified, and convenient manner, cultivating a number of new digital and integrated service formats and scenarios. By 2030, the quality and efficiency of the service industry will significantly improve, service R&D investment and innovation achievements will grow rapidly, a number of leading enterprises in service industry sub-markets will be cultivated, a number of highly competitive service brands will be formed, high value-added service trade exports will continue to increase, and the added value of the province's service industry will strive to exceed 1.8 trillion yuan, with a high-quality and efficient new service industry system basically formed.

On July 19th, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko stated in an interview with Russian media on July 18th that Russia is closely monitoring the cooperation between Japanese drone manufacturers and Ukrainian drone developers. He asserted that Ukrainian drones are "killing Russian civilians," and that Japan is providing assistance in this endeavor. Russia views the cooperation between Japan and Ukraine in the drone field as an open act of hostility. Rudenko added that weapons posing a threat to Russia, as well as facilities producing these weapons in Ukraine, are targets for Russian military strikes. He concluded that Japan is "pushing Russian-Japanese relations further into the abyss."

Dubai officials say the UAE’s non-oil trade grew by 13.1% to AED 1.937 trillion in the first half of 2026.

July 19 - According to Iranian media reports on the 19th, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in Ahvaz, Iran.

The Ukrainian military says Ukrainian troops hit two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea.

The Kuwaiti military says it is intercepting Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Russia has launched the largest number of ballistic missiles at Ukraine since the start of the war.

According to Saudi media Hadas, Israeli security sources said the message issued by Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba was written by the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ahmed Vahidi, and the Revolutionary Guard.

The Ukrainian Air Force shot down 18 of the 41 missiles launched by Russia during the night.

Israeli officials: The United States has rejected Israel's request for direct involvement in the war with Iran.

According to Iran's Mehr News Agency, a magnitude 4 aftershock with a depth of 8 kilometers occurred in the Sarand district of Khuzestan province, Iran.

July 19th - According to documents and two sources familiar with the matter, Samsung Electronics America has laid off employees in its display, mobile phone, and other consumer electronics businesses, primarily affecting staff in New Jersey and Texas. 739 positions at the Englewood Cleveland, New Jersey headquarters are affected by the planned relocation of Samsung Electronics America's (SEA) headquarters to Texas. SEA primarily handles consumer electronics and does not include the chip division. The statement added that most affected employees have received reassignment offers, but others have been laid off, without further details. According to a source claiming to be a laid-off employee, approximately 100 people, including those in the mobile phone division, have been laid off at SEA's Plano, Texas office. While related to the headquarters relocation, this layoff highlights the uneven performance of the South Korean tech giant's business segments – the chip division's profits have soared to record levels, while the consumer electronics division is struggling due to soaring chip costs.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 4.4-magnitude earthquake 91 kilometers southwest of Brisas Bara de Suquíate, Mexico.

July 19th - According to Iranian sources, the US military launched another attack on Qeshm Island in southern Iran that day. It is understood that at 6:10 AM local time, US warplanes struck parts of Qeshm Island again, with at least two explosions reported. Iranian officials have arrived in the affected area and are assessing the scale of the attack. Earlier that day, Iranian sources reported that around 3:38 AM local time, explosions were heard in multiple areas of Qeshm Island. Local residents said that "three to five missiles struck Qeshm Island." The US Central Command issued a statement on social media on July 18th, stating that the US military completed another round of airstrikes against Iran at 11:30 PM Eastern Time on July 18th (7:00 AM Iranian Time on July 19th).

According to RIA Novosti: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the UAE Foreign Minister held talks on the tensions in the Persian Gulf.

July 19 – U.S. Central Command announced that it completed another round of strikes against Iran at 11:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) on July 18, under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief. In the eighth consecutive night of airstrikes, Central Command forces successfully targeted Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, naval combat capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites, in an effort to continue weakening Iran's military capabilities. The U.S. military also targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces, following their July 17 attack on U.S. service members in Jordan. Currently, more than 50,000 U.S. military personnel, both men and women, are deployed in the Middle East, maintaining a high level of vigilance, focus, lethality, and readiness.

According to the New York Post: US President Trump stated that the US strikes prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He added that if Iran is not stopped, the region could descend into a wider conflict.

July 19 – According to Iran's Mehr News Agency, the Iranian military's public relations department stated that, in response to repeated enemy aggression and attacks on bridges, infrastructure, and demilitarized zones, hours earlier, during the sixteenth phase of Operation Lightning, the Iranian military launched a large-scale drone strike against a US terrorist army ammunition depot at Camp Adir in Kuwait, as well as Patriot radar and air defense radar used by the invading forces at the Ali Salim base in Kuwait. Camp Adir is a key US military base, located 104 kilometers from the Iranian border, and serves as a crucial support and reorganization center for the US military. Disrupting the base's operations will significantly impact US support operations in the region.

According to the Iranian news agency IRNA: A magnitude 5 earthquake with a depth of 12 kilometers struck the city of Sarand in Khuzestan province, Iran, a few minutes ago, according to a report from the Earthquake Center of the University of Tehran.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reports a 5.6-magnitude earthquake in central Peru.