ASEAN Business Push: The US-ASEAN Business Council urged the Philippines to move from reforms to consistent implementation—issuing guidelines with industry input, harmonising rules across agencies and local governments, cutting compliance burdens, and speeding up digital government services. ASEAN Centrality: Singapore PM Lawrence Wong said the republic will back ASEAN unity and “stand on our own” as it assumes the ASEAN chairmanship next year, amid West Asia risks. India–China Border Diplomacy: Ahead of Xi Jinping’s likely India visit, NSA Ajit Doval is set to go to Beijing for boundary talks with Wang Yi, with border calm framed as the condition for stable ties. India–Japan Trade Drive: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal leads a 200-member business delegation to Japan, spotlighting semiconductors, AI, start-ups and investment links. Pacific Deep-Sea Mining Warning: A Lowy Institute report warns commercial mining could start as early as 2027 without international guardrails, leaving Pacific states negotiating under pressure from US–China mineral rivalry. India Space Ambitions: ISRO chief said India aims to establish its own space station by 2035, with the first BAS module already approved. Humanitarian Visa Fix for Pakistan Brides: After Operation Sindoor shut the Attari route, about 150 Pakistani-Sindhi brides and relatives reached India via third countries, with entry allowed by air. AI Compute as “New Grid”: Google India VP Preeti Lobana said compute capacity is foundational for India’s AI push, tying data-centre investment and upskilling to a $1 trillion digital economy goal.