Pacific Food Security: A USP researcher is developing climate-smart taro farming trials in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, warning that heat, dry spells, flooding, saltwater intrusion and soil nutrient loss are raising pest and disease risks. Trade Friction: Nepal’s tea exporters say India’s repeated import delays and shipment-by-shipment quality SOPs keep their main harvest in limbo, with uncertainty returning each season. EU Trade Posture: EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s China “ultimatum” rhetoric is framed as a symptom of Europe’s wider trade and security challenge, not a workable solution. Healthcare Policy: In India’s Madhya Pradesh, government doctors and medical teachers oppose plans to hand 18 community health centres to private operators, citing past failures and staffing gaps. Maternal Health: India’s C-section rate is rising—now 27.2% nationally—driven largely by private-hospital practices, with experts warning against unnecessary surgery. Medical Supply Safety: A Maharashtra glove-factory raid spotlights concerns about whether “sterile” surgical gloves are truly sterilised and how low-grade imports may be repacked outside certified controls. Infection Watch: Pune doctors report a surge in typhoid and intestinal infections, warning official counts may understate the outbreak due to missed or unconfirmed cases. Regional Deals: Singapore’s Healthway Medical Group plans to acquire Bridgepoint Health, while China’s CATL invests in New Zealand’s CarbonScape to scale bio-based EV battery graphite. Public Health Tech: India’s ICMR-MINDS mental health platform wins a national e-governance gold award for AI-enabled screening and task-shifting to frontline providers. Pacific Security: Australia and Fiji sign a defence treaty, deepening Pacific alignment as Canberra seeks to counter China’s growing regional footprint.