HONG KONG -- Alibaba's consumer-facing AI app Qwen will open its ecosystem to external agents and "skills" as the e-commerce conglomerate's AI agent war with Tencent intensifies, the company announced on Wednesday.

HANOI -- Vietnam's Consumer Price Index (CPI) in May climbed to its highest level since January 2020, as fuel costs surged amid spillover effects from the Middle East conflict and hot weather drove up electricity demand.

BANGKOK -- Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was granted a royal pardon Wednesday, allowing him to live as a free man.

JAKARTA -- Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency, responsible for President Prabowo Subianto's flagship multibillion-dollar free meal program, is in turmoil as law enforcement investigators raided its headquarters on Wednesday, following the sacking of its chief the evening before.

GEORGETOWN, Malaysia -- The dissolution of Johor's state legislature has triggered what is being seen as the first major political contest in Malaysia's next electoral cycle. Analysts view the southern state's poll as an early test of support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's national unity government and the country's evolving coalition landscape ahead of a general election due by early 2028.

TOKYO -- South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang says its Rocket Now food delivery service is performing well against incumbents in Japan, with low prices and free delivery helping its app achieve more than 6 million downloads since launch in January last year.

KUALA LUMPUR -- U.S. semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials is aiming to expand its total workforce in Southeast Asia by 25% this year as the region, particularly Singapore, becomes increasingly vital to its manufacturing and research and development operations, a senior executive told Nikkei Asia.

TOKYO -- Japan's total fertility rate hit a record low in 2025, falling for the tenth consecutive year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Wednesday.

BENGALURU -- India's ambitious push to build battery storage capacity at scale is running into a fundamental problem: Developers are winning contracts at prices that cannot support viable projects, leaving a large portion of allocated capacity at risk of never being built.

TOKYO -- The U.S. Trade Representative has recommended new tariffs of up to 12.5% against dozens of economies, including many across Asia, over alleged failures to address forced labor in supply chains.