Health Infrastructure Push (Philippines): President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the fast completion of NKTI’s new Hemodialysis Building, aiming for 200 simultaneous patients by end-2027, after noting kidney disease affects 11% of Filipinos. Marine Conservation Gap (South Asia): A new study flags that Asia’s key shark and ray habitats are barely protected, with only 5.4% overlapping marine protected areas and just 2.8% in no-take zones; Sri Lanka’s areas remain mostly open to fishing. Startup & Business (Korea): NextRise 2026 wrapped in Seoul with 540+ startups and 4,000+ 1-on-1 meetings linking founders to major corporates and investors. Social Attitudes (Philippines): Data from the World Values Survey finds the Philippines ranks third among nine Asian economies for acceptance of homosexuality, with 24.9% in the “high acceptance” group. Regional Energy Links (Malaysia/ASEAN): Sarawak Energy says it’s driving Borneo grid interconnections and is exploring cross-border links, including a proposed subsea cable to Singapore. Climate Risk (Singapore/SE Asia): Singapore’s SIIA warns of a high risk of severe haze in the second half of 2026, tied to El Niño and deforestation pressures. ASEAN Diplomacy Critique: A policy piece argues ASEAN should shift from long statement-writing toward practical outcomes and capability-building. Tech & Trade (Singapore): Yealink chose Singapore for its global operations HQ and customer experience center. Sports & Events (Philippines): Cebu’s SRP site has been selected for the PSC “House” ahead of the 2028 Asian Beach Games.