South Asia Wildlife Crackdown: Nepal hosted the SAWEN general assembly where ministers adopted the “Kathmandu Declaration” to curb illegal wildlife trade, linking it to corruption, illicit finance and digital misuse, and pledging intelligence-led probes, asset recovery and tighter cross-border information sharing. West Asia Diplomacy: On BRICS sidelines in Delhi, UN chief António Guterres met PM Modi, backing freedom of navigation and warning on lethal autonomous weapons, while Modi also held talks with Iran’s Pezeshkian on lasting peace, maritime safety and seafarers’ welfare. Women’s Cricket Spotlight: Sri Lanka stunned Pakistan in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-final, setting up a final against India after Pakistan’s Fatima Sana’s four-wicket effort couldn’t change the outcome. Markets & Oil: Asian stocks slid as KOSPI broke below 7,000 amid Fed-hike expectations and oil volatility, while consumer multinationals from L’Oréal to Nestlé bet big on India as China slows. Regional Institutions: Sri Lanka trained officials with the IMF on sovereign risk and debt sustainability, and South Asian University signed an MOU with Colombo’s RCSS to deepen research networks. Sports & Politics: North Korea’s athletes arrived in Japan for the Asian Games, while Gilas Pilipinas opened with a loss to Bahrain in men’s basketball.