Philippines–Japan Security Upgrade: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japan PM Sanae Takaichi elevated ties to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” launching talks on a General Security of Military Information Agreement, maritime border delimitation, and defense equipment transfers, as both stress rules-based seas amid South China Sea tensions. Japan Economic Pulse: Japan reported April industrial output up 0.8% (first rise in three months) and a jobless rate easing to 2.5%, while new census data showed a record population drop to 123.05 million—raising pressure on regional communities. Karnataka Power Politics (India): CPI’s D Raja urged close watch after Karnataka’s leadership tussle ended, saying Congress “intervened” and that Siddaramaiah’s resignation clears the way for DK Shivakumar. EU Crackdown on Temu: The European Commission fined Temu €200m over illegal and unsafe products, warning of systemic risk failures under EU platform rules. India–China Supply Chain Shift: India is working with 30+ countries to build alternative critical-minerals supply chains to cut dependence on China, with pricing and localization a key hurdle. Shangri-La Dialogue Focus: Asia’s top defense summit opens with China’s military modernization and doubts about US priorities, alongside Middle East and Ukraine spillover risks.