West Asia Shipping Shock: Iran-US ceasefire talks stall and oil jumps; Brent tops $91 and India’s Sensex/Nifty slide as investors price higher crude risk and IT weakness. Maritime Law Under Strain: Analysts warn de-facto tolling of the Strait of Hormuz could spread to other chokepoints, raising costs and reshaping “freedom of the seas.” Japan Floods: Record rain in Chiba brings deaths, major transport disruption and power outages, with Japan’s top emergency warnings issued. Philippines School Violence: A grade 10 student is killed in a southern school shooting; the alleged shooter also dies by suicide, as police probe motives. Malaysia Budget Build-Up: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urges Budget 2027 to reflect public aspirations amid West Asia-linked cost pressures; officials cite 1H 2026 growth of 5.7% and stable ringgit. Digital Payments Leap: Razorpay launches “Vulcan,” an AI payments foundation model aimed at boosting success rates and cutting fraud across India’s UPI ecosystem. Cloud Modernization in Japan: AWS’s Asia chief relocates to Tokyo to push cloud and AI adoption as Japan tackles legacy IT “digital cliff” risks. Central Asia Cooperation: Kyrgyzstan plans an arid-lands study center in Bishkek using big data and UNESCO-linked science networks. Connectivity & Trade: Nelco partners with Elveo for D2D/IoT satellite connectivity across India and South Asia; Kerala backs Vizhinjam EXIM expansion as full commercial operations begin.