Takaichi's promises to cut taxes, boost the economy and spending on defence have spooked investors, as Japan has one of the world's biggest debt levels

Takaichi plans to dissolve parliament on Friday ahead of the snap vote on February 8 for all 465 seats in the lower house of parliament

Trump urges Iranians to keep protesting. Meanwhile, analysts unsure if Trump will impose a higher tariff on China, plus countries that are US allies. States are also waiting to see if the US will intervene in the crisis

The Nikkei shot up on Tuesday amid widespread speculation that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will call a snap election, possibly in just a month's time

MiniMax is the second of China's so-called 'AI tigers' to go public, the first being Zhipu AI which made its market debut on Thursday, and also saw solid gains on Friday

Trump says Venezuela posed a greater threat, than Taiwan does to China. Meanwhile, Beijing accuses the US of spreading the 'law of the jungle' as it exits global bodies

A three-month curb on Chinese exports of rare earths, like that seen during 2010, could cost Japanese businesses 660 billion yen ($4.21 billion)

Hyundai expects humanoid robots to become the largest segment of physical AI market and plans to build a factory capable of manufacturing 30,000 robot units annually by 2028

Korean tech giant set to announce a 160% profit increase for the 4th quarter this week as chip prices soar. It plans to launch 800m devices with AI features this year.

Analysts expect Beijing to leverage Trump's move to detain Maduro, to defend its territorial claims on Taiwan, Tibet and in the East and South China Seas

The MSCI index of emerging Asia equities rose about 2% to its highest since February 2021, while a gauge of ASEAN stocks hit its highest level since January 2020

Chinese President Xi Jinping says 'trend toward reunification is unstoppable' in New Year address; Taiwanese coast guard monitoring remaining warships.