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The Nikkei 225 index has just broken through the 67,400.00 mark, currently trading at 67,404.79, down 1.46% on the day.

The Israeli military announced that it had detected a "suspicious aerial target" in northern Israel.

[French Prime Minister: Israel Should Cease Military Operations in Lebanon] French Prime Minister Jean-Yves Le Corny stated in the French National Assembly on March 3 that Israel should cease its military operations in Lebanon and end its illegal occupation of the country, saying that Israel's continued fighting in Lebanon "has no legitimate reason" and that "undermining the already fragile ceasefire is unacceptable." He added that the Lebanese issue directly impacts the current US-Iran negotiations. (CCTV)

[Australian Prime Minister: US Tariffs on Australia "Unfounded," Ideological Differences Exist] (1) Australian Prime Minister Albanese stated on June 4 that the US plan to impose tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on 60 economies, including Australia, is "unfounded," and that there are "ideological differences" between the two sides on trade issues. (2) The Office of the United States Trade Representative previously issued a statement saying that the reason for the proposed tariffs was that the relevant countries "have not banned the import of products made with forced labor." Albanese pointed out that the US tariff policy deviates from the long-standing consensus that tariffs do not benefit the taxing country. (3) Australian Treasurer Chalmers also stated on the same day that the proposed tariff measures by the US lack legitimate basis and are inconsistent with the spirit of the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement.

[Indonesia Expands Central Bank's Responsibilities: Including "Real Sector" Expansion] (1) The Indonesian government has expanded the central bank's policy objectives to include "real sector," extending its responsibilities beyond monetary stability and economic growth. (2) Parliament on Thursday passed a comprehensive amendment to the financial law, involving adjustments to the roles of several institutions, including the central bank. It remains unclear whether the new version of the law will also include "job creation" in the central bank's responsibilities. (3) Finance Minister Purbayar stated that the amendments aim to strengthen the central bank's ability to achieve its objectives, namely, implementing a policy mix that creates an economic environment conducive to real sector growth and job creation.

[SoftBank Shares Plunge Over 10% Amid OpenAI Competitors' Accelerated IPOs] (1) SoftBank Group shares fell sharply on Thursday after a recent surge, closing down 10.4% at ¥7,449 (approximately US$46.53), after falling as much as 11% during the day, as OpenAI's competitors push forward with their initial public offering (IPO) plans. (2) SoftBank's shares have more than doubled in the past two months, driven by growing AI demand and expectations of a potential OpenAI IPO; earlier this week, SoftBank announced a $52 billion data center project in France, further boosting the stock price. (3) However, OpenAI's competitors are also accelerating their IPOs: SpaceX plans to sell approximately $75 billion worth of shares in its June 12 IPO; Anthropic has secretly filed for an IPO, with a listing expected as early as this fall. These moves could make it easier for competitors to access the financing channels needed to build large-scale AI infrastructure.