India

India Launches Chandrayaan-4 Moon Sample Return Mission

ISRO launched Chandrayaan-4, India's first lunar sample return mission targeting the Moon's south pole, with instruments from NASA, ESA, and JAXA aboard the $245 million spacecraft.

APEC

APEC Summit in Busan Focuses on AI Governance and Supply Chain Resilience

APEC leaders adopted AI governance principles and a supply chain early warning system at the Busan summit, the bloc's first substantive agreement on artificial intelligence regulation.

Mongolia

Mongolia's Copper Boom Transforms Economy as Oyu Tolgoi Reaches Full Capacity

Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi copper mine reached full underground capacity, producing 500,000 metric tons annually and set to contribute 30% of GDP and 40% of government revenue.

Philippines

Philippines Discovers New Deep-Sea Gas Field in Disputed Waters

The Philippines discovered a major natural gas field in the disputed Reed Bank area with an estimated 2.6 trillion cubic feet of recoverable reserves, enough for 20 years of domestic supply.

China

China's Population Shrinks by 1.4 Million in 2025, Birth Rate Hits New Low

China's population declined by 1.39 million in 2025 with a record-low birth rate, as the total fertility rate fell below 1.0 and deaths outnumbered births by the widest margin yet.

Thailand

Floods Devastate Southern Thailand, 500,000 Displaced in Four Provinces

Record monsoon rainfall displaced 500,000 across southern Thailand, devastating rubber plantations and disrupting peak-season tourism in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Debt Restructuring Deal Clears Final Hurdle With China

Sri Lanka secured a debt restructuring deal with China including a 28% haircut on $7.4 billion in loans, completing the final hurdle in the country's debt crisis resolution.

North Korea

North Korea Tests Solid-Fuel ICBM With Extended Range Capability

North Korea launched the Hwasong-19, a new solid-fuel ICBM reaching 6,500 km altitude with estimated range exceeding 14,000 km, prompting UN Security Council emergency session.

Malaysia

Malaysia Launches Southeast Asia's First Carbon Capture Facility

Petronas inaugurated Southeast Asia's first commercial-scale carbon capture facility in Sarawak, designed to capture 3.3 million metric tons of CO2 per year.

ASEAN

ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement Upgraded After Five Years of Talks

ASEAN and India finalized an upgraded free trade agreement cutting tariffs on 90% of goods, with simplified rules of origin expected to triple FTA utilization rates.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong's Population Decline Accelerates as Emigration Continues

Hong Kong lost 68,100 residents in a year, bringing the cumulative emigration-driven outflow since 2020 to 230,000 and creating acute workforce shortages across key sectors.

Nepal

Nepal Completes Largest Hydropower Project With Chinese Financing

Nepal's 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi hydropower project began full operations, the country's largest dam, reducing Indian electricity imports by 60% during the dry season.