1 China's stocks rose to a three-week high, extending a weekly gain, as consumer companies rallied and investors bet the government will accelerate reform of state- owned enterprises.

2 Japan's government kept its economic assessment unchanged in December after revised data showed the economy dodged a technical recession in the last quarter.

3 Hotel Lotte, a duty-free sales unit of retail conglomerate Lotte Group, filed an application for what could be the largest South Korean public offering in recent years.

4 China's leaders intend to boost the deficit and make monetary policy more "flexible", in a sign the government is preparing more stimulus as it battles to support flagging economic growth.

5 Alibaba Group has appointed Mr Matthew Bassiur, who helped Apple root out fake iPhones, to lead international efforts to rid its e-commerce platforms of counterfeit goods.