India-Japan Defence: Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met PM Modi in New Delhi, with both sides pushing deeper defence and security cooperation and “Make in India” defence co-development. Maritime Security: India and Japan also signed a maritime security cooperation arrangement covering naval coordination, information sharing, mine-countermeasures and joint exercises to protect sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific. Earthquake Watch: A magnitude 7.2 quake hit Peru’s Ayacucho region near Coracora; early reports say shaking was felt far away, with damage and casualties still being assessed. Healthcare & Gulf Growth: Lilly appointed Tayllit Aherdan to lead operations across the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar as Gulf states accelerate healthcare innovation and access. Climate-Smart Farming: Bangladesh’s PKSF and CAB International signed an MoU to scale climate-resilient, safer agroecological farming and cut farmers’ costs. US-Iran Tensions: Iran rejected Trump’s “economic D-Day” as the US tightens financial pressure and expands military posture; oil prices rose amid the standoff. Tech & Industry: Oracle and AWS expanded Oracle AI Database@AWS availability to 22 AWS regions, aiming to speed enterprise database migration across Asia Pacific and beyond. Pacific Sports: Solomon Islands broke ground on a SIFF Football Academy ahead of the 2023 Pacific Games, backed by PNG and Japan funding. Earth’s Extremes: Governments brace for major El Niño impacts, with warnings of wider weather extremes across the region.