Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

Japanese PM likely to call election soon

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve parliament next week and call a snap parliamentary election, the secretary general of her party said on Wednesday. Takaichi is considering holding the election on February 8, two ruling party lawmakers said, requesting anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity.

"We need to seek a fresh mandate," Shunichi Suzuki, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters after meeting Takaichi, adding that she would outline her plans next Monday.

Myanmar elections' second phase held, USDP claims victory

Voters in Myanmar have cast ballots in the second stage of an election scheduled to be held over three phases. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claimed on Tuesday that it won a majority of elected Lower House seats in the country's polls. A quarter of parliamentary seats will be reserved for the armed forces under the country's current constitution.

China's unmanned cargo aircraft completes first flight test

China's Tianma-1000 unmanned cargo aircraft completed its first successful flight on Sunday (January 11). It can fly up to 8,000 meters, take off and land within 200 meters, carry one tonne of cargo, and travel 1,800 kilometers. Designed for logistics, emergency rescue and airdrops, it's being called an "airborne cargo-hailing service.”

Malaysia blocks Grok AI chatbot 

The Grok artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot has been temporarily blocked in Malaysia since Sunday. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the block was due to repeated misuse of the AI chatbot to generate obscene, sexually explicit and non-consensual manipulated images, despite prior regulatory engagement and formal notices issued to social media platform X and xAI, the start-up behind Grok. 

The images included content involving women and minors. In a statement issued on Sunday, MCMC said: "The restriction is imposed as a preventive and proportionate measure while legal and regulatory processes are ongoing," and added that access to Grok would remain restricted until effective safeguards are implemented, particularly to prevent content involving women and children.

India stops '10-minute' deliveries

India's government has ordered food delivery apps like Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy to stop their "10-minute" grocery delivery service, a setback for a sector that has reshaped how Indians in cities shop and is sought after by investors.

Fears of reckless rider behavior and low pay for failing to complete orders within 10 minutes have dogged the so-called "quick commerce" sector, which is now worth some $11.5 billion, according to data from Datum Intelligence. The Labor Ministry raised the issue during a closed-door meeting on Saturday (January 10) with representatives from the three companies, asking them to stop promoting the business as a 10-minute service. The industry has attracted billions of dollars in investment. Swiggy raised $1.11 billion in December from institutional investors, including BlackRock, Temasek and Fidelity. Blinkit now describes its offering as "Groceries & more" instead of "Grocery in 10 minutes."

(Cover: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi walks out of her office and answers questions from reporters following a meeting with senior ruling party officials in Tokyo, Japan, January 14, 2026. /CFP)