AI in Government Services: McKinsey urges governments to embed AI into public services with a four-step approach—set real-world goals, redesign workflows, build systems around AI, and keep humans in key decisions to cut wait times and fraud. Regional Diplomacy: Philippines capped ASEAN foreign ministers talks, adopting a joint communiqué and stressing Asean’s role as a dialogue hub amid geopolitical uncertainty. Latin America Politics: Argentina’s President Javier Milei flies to Brazil to back Senator Flavio Bolsonaro’s presidential bid, aiming to energize Brazil’s right-wing base. Ukraine War: Russia says it has taken Ivashkino and Zakharovka in Kharkov, while Ukraine reports drone strikes damaging infrastructure in Russia’s Leningrad region. Security in NATO Space: Romania says an F-16 shot down a drone breaching its airspace for the first time since the invasion began. Wildfires in Europe: Spain declares national emergency measures in Madrid and Avila as evacuations top 10,000. South Asia Protests: India’s youth-led “Cockroach” movement meets government on exam-leak demands, but protests continue. Public Works in Africa: Ghana deposits $1.7bn for the Accra–Kumasi Expressway and reallocates GH¢576m for flood response and mitigation. Climate & Rights: Indigenous leaders deliver a UN roadmap to protect land, rights, and lives as pressures from climate change and violence mount. Wildlife Crime: Indonesia prosecutes a pangolin smuggling suspect after seizures of live pangolins and large scale scales.