North Korea Tensions: Kim Jong Un commissioned a second naval destroyer as the U.S., South Korea and Japan kicked off a trilateral military drill, with Seoul warning it’s aimed at countering nuclear and missile threats. Philippines Watch: Manila’s defence chief said China could exploit gaps from reduced U.S.-South Korea exercises, while also noting Washington gave “definite assurances” on U.S. commitments to the Philippines. Disaster Response: A mudslide on the China–Nepal border port in Gyirong has killed 43 and left 519 missing, with China deploying thousands of rescuers and sharing daily monitoring updates with Nepal. China Rural Push: Beijing unveiled a plan to boost funding for rural revitalisation by 2030, linking fiscal support with credit, insurance, bonds and private capital to strengthen food security. India Safety Alarm: A Delhi building collapse at a student hostel in Satya Niketan left at least five dead, raising scrutiny over unsafe, high-density hostel conversions. Business & Tech: Li Auto will inject $402.3m into battery maker Sunwoda EVB; and CATL expects new-energy trucks to make up half of China’s truck sales by 2028. Pacific Islands Diplomacy: At the Pacific Islands Forum, attempts to build a unified stance over China’s missile tests failed to win unanimous agreement. Sports: India’s Satwik-Chirag won the China Masters title, a confidence boost ahead of the Asian Games.