Quad Politics: A fresh Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in India again spotlights East and South China Sea maritime themes, but critics say the bloc’s “freedom of navigation” messaging is really bloc politics that deepens confrontation. Nuclear Risk: An IISS assessment warns that a Taiwan conflict between the US and China could trigger nuclear escalation and sweeping strikes on command-and-control hubs. West Asia Shock to Asia: Markets and insurers brace as renewed US strikes on Iran lift oil prices and keep Strait of Hormuz uncertainty alive; Thailand’s insurers say Middle East impacts are mostly indirect via shipping delays hitting marine and business-interruption claims. Regional Finance Flows: South Korea’s inclusion in FTSE Russell’s World Government Bond Index draws big foreign inflows, while Indonesia and Thailand lean more on short-term debt to manage stress from the US-Iran fallout. Energy & Infrastructure: Singapore eyes cross-regional grid links for its green transition, while PNG’s PPL and JICA back a new 132kV line to strengthen Lae’s power reliability. Pacific Business & Media: Fiji launches rebranded TISA Insurance under a unified Pacific identity; Australia’s ABC signs an MoU with Sri Lanka’s Maharaja Media Network to expand Indo-Pacific content cooperation. Tech & Industry: China creates a dedicated aviation safety unit for drones and flying cars; Vietnam pushes startups toward global capital networks. Sports & Culture: Pop Mart’s Labubu keeps momentum with a McDonald’s China tie-up, and Hong Kong moves to launch a gold-clearing system to boost its bullion hub bid.