Tariff deal nearly finalized, Trump says, with $350bn worth of investment in US to be split into bundles, plus extensive help to reinvigorate US shipbuilding

Nvidia is set to become the first company with a market cap of $5 trillion after its shares jumped in pre-market trading on Wednesday following the announcement of two new deals

Trump also lavished praise on Japan’s newly-elected PM Sanae Takaichi, the country’s first female leader who, in return, promised to nominate the US President for the Nobel Peace Prize

Satellite data has revealed a swag of rare earth mines in Laos, near tributaries that flow into the Mekong, spurring fears of an environmental crisis for Asia's third biggest river

The US is racing to establish a rare earth supply chain separate from China following Beijing’s increasingly aggressive moves to restrict its exports of rare earths to the country

Two Asian markets hit record levels on Monday, while Chinese stocks roseto their highest in over a decade amid optimism of a US-China trade deal

The news spotlight will focus on Malaysia this weekend, for the latest tariff talks, another episode of 'Trump the Peacemaker' and key issues for Southeast Asian nations and global heavyweights

Major oil importers in India and China told industry and trade sources on Wednesday they will refrain from buying seaborne Russian oil after the US hit Lukoil and Rosneft with sanctions. Most refiners are now reportedly looking at alternate sources.

Most governments, and oil and gas companies, are not acknowledging alerts from the global satellite system warning them about methane leaks, the UN says

Japan is looking to buy US pickups, soybeans and gas, when Sanae Takaichi meets Trump for trade and security talks next week, sources have said

The proliferation of scam centres in Southeast Asia will be a topic of hot debate at a UN cybercrime convention in Hanoi on Saturday and the ASEAN summit on Sunday

Country's first female PM has vowed to boost defence spending and cooperation with the US and other security partners. She may also get a visit from Donald Trump next week