Philippines-China Allegations: A Duterte-linked camp denied ties to China after claims that Chinese funds flowed to a banana chip firm tied to Sara Duterte’s husband and a Duterte foundation, with prosecutors warning it could amount to foreign-funded destabilization. US-China Espionage Case: The FBI arrested California resident Wanying Zhang, accused of acting as an unregistered Chinese agent and surveilling Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s family in the US, prompting Taiwan to call it “transnational repression.” Japan-US Okinawa Fallout: Japan’s government sent “strong protests” to the US after Okinawa police arrested a 20-year-old US Marine over an alleged robbery-murder, with calls for strict discipline and full US cooperation. Japan Governance & Lawmaking: An extraordinary Diet session spotlights a “60-day rule” that could let the lower house override the upper chamber on major bills, including a food consumption tax cut. Japan Data Privacy: Japan’s internal affairs ministry reported 68 information-leak cases over five years involving DV victims due to mistaken issuance of restricted resident records. India Digital Rights: Rights groups condemned India’s reported blocking of BitChat under Section 69A, saying the order wasn’t made public or properly challenged. ASEAN Women’s Leadership: Indonesia urged meaningful women’s participation and leadership across ASEAN, linking it to climate action and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Pacific Climate Diplomacy: Australia’s Pre-COP31 push in Fiji faces pressure to deliver tangible climate finance outcomes for the region. Japan-Turkey Education Link: A Turkish-Japanese science and tech university opened in Ankara, starting engineering and PhD programs in AI and earthquake/disaster science. UK-China EV Tariffs: Reports say the UK is considering tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles amid “dumping” concerns and EU pressure.