Axios reported Syrian and Israeli officials met on Sunday to seek de‑escalation of bilateral tensions.

Anhui provincial local financial management bureau and provincial culture and tourism department jointly issued Several Measures to Support Financial Development of the Culture and Tourism Industry, a 15-point package to build a tailored financial services system and promote culture and tourism as a pillar sector. Measures explicitly back cultural and tourism firms' listings, refinancing and M&A; encourage equipment renewal via finance leases and offer interest subsidies for qualifying culture and tourism equipment lease financing; and support using ABS, REITs and institutional REITs to unlock existing assets. The package also aims to optimize the financial ecosystem by enhancing tourism consumer finance services and improving payment infrastructure at cultural and tourism venues.

Kazakhstan held the inaugural election for its unicameral Kurultai on the 23rd, the Central Election Commission said. Voting ran from 07:00 to 20:00 local time across 10,423 polling stations; more than 12.6 mln voters were registered. A total of 545 candidates from seven parties contested. Results are expected within 10 days of the vote.