1. Vietnam is ready to engage with the US to discuss the new tariffs on steel and to avoid risks of additional duties.

2. India expects to sell short-range missiles to the Philippines this year in a deal worth more than $200 million.

3. Sri Lanka extended power cuts for a third day as it scrambled to restore its national grid to full capacity after a monkey-triggered blackout.

4. South Korea tightened aviation safety rules after an Air Busan fire, restricting power banks on flights.

5. Tens of thousands of US civil servants were cleared to take a buyout from Trump's administration. About 75,000 workers have accepted it.

6. Britain's economy unexpectedly grew by 0.1% in the final quarter of last year.

7. Elon Musk will withdraw his $97.4 billion bid for OpenAI's non-profit arm if the ChatGPT maker drops its plans to become a for-profit entity.