Japan election landslide clears path for Takaichi to deliver tax cuts Feb 8, 2026 11:35PM

By Leika Kihara and John Geddie

TOKYO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime ⁠Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to ⁠be pressed on ‍her promised tax cuts and spending plans on Monday after a historic election win was seen heightening the chances of her delivering on stimulus measures that have rattled financial markets.

Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) romped to victory in Sunday's poll, helped by a pledge to ease household living... (continue reading...)


Venezuelan politician Juan Pablo Guanipa kidnapped after being freed in prisoner release Feb 8, 2026 11:29PM

Feb ⁠8 (Reuters) - ⁠Venezuela's ‍opposition leader ‍Maria Corina ​Machado said ​on Sunday that politician Juan Pablo ​Guanipa was ​kidnapped in the ‌Los Chorros neighborhood of ​Caracas, hours ⁠after it ‌was reported ‌he had been ‌freed in a prisoner release.

(Reporting ‍by Akanksha Khushi ⁠in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonali Paul)


Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong tycoon and democracy firebrand standing up to China Feb 8, 2026 11:26PM

By James Pomfret and Jessie Pang

HONG KONG, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Jimmy Lai, the ⁠Hong Kong media mogul and China critic, ⁠was sentenced on ‍Monday to 20 years in jail, the most severe punishment under the city's national security law which Beijing imposed after sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The sentence is the latest blow for a self-made millionaire who refused to stay quiet after Beijing's crackdown that followed Hong... (continue reading...)


Will Thailand's election deliver a stable government? Feb 8, 2026 11:03PM

(Corrects paragraph 1 to add dropped letter 'r' in ⁠leader's name)

By Martin Petty

BANGKOK, ⁠Feb 9 (Reuters) - Thailand's ‍ruling Bhumjaithai Party scored a decisive victory at last weekend's general elections, routing progressive and populist parties to put leader Anutin Charnvirakul in the running to become the first premier voted back to office in 20 years. 

HOW DID THE ELECTION ‍PLAY OUT?

Bhumjaithai grabbed... (continue reading...)


Contender for Bank of Korea governor backs higher property taxes to contain inflation Feb 8, 2026 10:52PM

SEOUL, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Lee Seung-heon, one of ⁠the leading candidates to ⁠become the ‍next Bank of Korea governor, backs raising taxes on property ownership to stop surging home prices from stoking inflation but a policy pivot to more monetary tightening would be premature.

Lee, who previously held the No.2 spot ‍in the central bank as senior deputy governor, is regarded as a potential successor to replace ​BOK Governor Rhee Chang-yong, whose four-year... (continue reading...)


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