Japanese stocks surged to a record high on Monday following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) historic election victory, while the EU told Meta to allow rival AI chatbots on WhatsApp, and Palestinians condemned new Israeli measures in the West Bank. The LDP secured 316 out of 465 seats in Sunday's election, and the EU accused Meta of breaching its rules by blocking other rival AI firms' chatbots from WhatsApp. Meanwhile, Palestinians, Arab countries, and Israeli anti-occupation groups condemned new steps approved by Israel's security cabinet for the occupied West Bank, saying they amount to de facto annexation.
The Nikkei 225 briefly surpassed 57,000 for the first time after the election, according to BBC Business. The Japan Innovation Party, the LDP's coalition partner, won in 36 more constituencies, taking their combined total to 352 seats. This resounding mandate is a gamble.
In the technology sector, the EU has told Meta it has breached its rules by blocking other rival AI firms' chatbots from WhatsApp and must make "urgent" changes, according to BBC Technology. The tech giant changed the popular messaging app on January 15, and since then only its AI assistant Meta AI can access it. The European Commission said WhatsApp was an "important entry point" for AI chatbots like ChatGPT to reach people, and claimed Meta was abusing its dominant position by blocking them. A Meta spokesperson told the BBC the EU had "no reason" to intervene and claimed it had "incorrectly" assumed WhatsApp Business was a key way that people use chatbots. "We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field," the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced moves that would make it easier for Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian land. "We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state," he said, according to BBC World. All settlements are seen as illegal under international law. The measures are expected to be signed off by Israel's top military.
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