Pacific

• Pinecone launched a new cloud region in Singapore to serve the Asia-Pacific market, expanding its AI knowledge infrastructure capabilities across the region. • The Singapore region deployment positions Pinecone as a key provider for enterprise AI applications requiring low-latency data access and localized infrastructure in Southeast Asia. • This expansion reflects growing demand from regional organizations for specialized AI infrastructure and vector database services supporting advanced analytics and machine learning workloads.

• Asia-Pacific merger and acquisition deal values have collapsed to $127 billion, marking a significant decline triggered by major tariff announcements across the region. • The tariff shock has disrupted corporate transaction activity, with financial advisers reporting substantial pullback in deal pipelines as companies reassess expansion strategies amid trade uncertainty. • Investment banks including JPMorgan and Houlihan Lokey are recalibrating their M&A advisory strategies, with deal values falling sharply compared to earlier 2026 forecasts.

Without offering details or evidence, US Southern Command described the people killed as ‘narco-terrorists’The US military said on Tuesday it struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing three people, in the latest such attack that rights groups label as “extrajudicial killings” and Washington describes as targeting “narco-terrorists”.US Southern Command posted about the strike on social media Tuesday evening, alleging that the vessel struck on Tuesday was operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations” that it did not identify. Continue reading...

• Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced an updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategy during her visit to Vietnam last weekend, emphasizing Tokyo's increased reliance on Southeast Asia amid U.S.-China rivalry. • The decade-old FOIP policy now prioritizes energy security, critical minerals, and deeper ties with ASEAN nations to bolster economic and security roles in the region. • This pivot underscores Japan's strategic shift toward Southeast Asia as a counterbalance to great-power competition, enhancing regional stability and supply chain resilience.

• Asia-Pacific's cross-border payments market, valued at $13.5 trillion in 2025, is forecast to surge to $24 trillion by 2033, fueled by QR payments and digital adoption.• Thailand ranks second in regional economic optimism, supporting robust growth in transaction volumes across Southeast Asia.• Expansion driven by e-commerce boom and fintech innovations enhances trade efficiency in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.• Regulators eye next steps in harmonizing standards to sustain projected CAGR amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Small boat destroyed in video posted on social media as US campaign has killed at least 178 people since SeptemberThe US military announced on Friday that it killed two people in an attack on a boat in the eastern Pacific, part of a series of deadly strikes on vessels in recent months which it claims are targeting “narco-trafficking” operations.The US Southern Command declared in a social media post on X that Gen Francis L Donovan directed Joint Task Force Southern Spear, the counter-narcotics unit that operates in the region, to carry out a lethal strike. The US military posted a video, which it labeled unclassified, showing a small boat being destroyed in an explosion. Continue reading...

• The US and Japan signed an upgraded defense agreement Friday expanding joint military operations, technology sharing, and coordinated response protocols to counter Chinese military activities in the Indo-Pacific region. • The agreement authorizes increased US military presence in Japan, including enhanced surveillance capabilities and expedited weapons deployments, representing the most significant defense treaty expansion since 2015. • Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the alliance upgrade as destabilizing and counterproductive to regional peace, while Taiwan and South Korea welcomed the commitment to deterring further territorial aggression.