PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE & SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: GPT Group (GPT AT) said GPT Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund will acquire 50% stakes in Sunshine Plaza and Macarthur Square from a Lendlease-managed fund for a combined AUD 1.19bln

AUSTRALIA

Accent Group (AX1 AT) - Co. received a non-binding proposal from Frasers Group regarding a potential takeover. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

ASX (ASX AT) - Co. agreed to settle legal proceedings relating to the previous CHESS replacement project, including payment of a AUD 20.5mln penalty and AUD 3mln in legal costs, after admitting contraventions of Australia's ASIC Act concerning statements made to investors. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Atlas Arteria (ALX AT) - Co. bidder IFM is reportedly set to increase its offer to AUD 5.10/shr and drop conditions. (AFR Street Talk)

Aussie Broadband (ABB AT) - Co. completed the acquisition of AGL Energy's telecommunications business, expects a AUD 21mln underlying EBITDA contribution in the first 12 months after migration, reiterated FY28 ambitions and sees FY26 earnings in the middle of guidance with capex at the upper end of guidance. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

GPT Group (GPT AT) - Co. said GPT Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund will acquire 50% stakes in Sunshine Plaza and Macarthur Square from a Lendlease-managed fund for a combined AUD 1.19bln, with settlement expected in July. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

IGO (IGO AT) - Co. said non-executive director Debra Bakker has resigned with effect from Monday as part of the board renewal and succession process. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

oOh!media (OML AT) - Co. said revised takeover proposals from Pacific Equity Partners, I Squared Capital and Oaktree Capital include offers of up to AUD 1.60/shr, with further due diligence access to be provided for up to six weeks. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Sigma Healthcare (SIG AT) - Co. withdrew from the Boots sale process. (The Australian)

Southern Cross Electrical Engineering (SXE AT) - Co. was halted for a capital raising. (The Australian)

Transurban Group (TCL AT) - Co. completed the M7-M12 integration project and agreed to sell its remaining 50% stake in Montreal's A25 concession to La Caisse for total consideration of CAD 280mln, with proceeds to support North American growth initiatives. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Vicinity Centres (VCX AT) - Co. said chairman Trevor Gerber will retire at the October 28 annual meeting and appointed Patrick Allaway as non-executive director and chairman-elect effective immediately. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Viva Energy (VEA AT) - Co. is exploring a sale of its petrol station portfolio, with its property, plant and equipment alone valued at nearly AUD 3bln. (The Australian)

Woodside Energy (WDS AT) - Co. said it is not aware of any proposal from Exxon Mobil and is not engaged in discussions regarding a potential transaction, responding to recent media speculation. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

JAPAN

Kubota (6326 JT) - Co. plans to build its fifth Indian factory as part of a push to double output in the country by 2030. (Nikkei)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011 JT) - Co. is set to take over operations of Japan’s next-generation rocket as the country enters the low-cost launch competition against SpaceX. (Nikkei)

Mitsui Chemicals (4183 JT) - Co. plans to acquire US dental materials maker Ultradent Products for roughly USD 900mln, marking its largest acquisition as it expands into healthcare. (Nikkei)

Healthcare - Japanese pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning to China for drug discovery and growth. (Nikkei)

Rare Earths - Japan is to explore rare-earth mining in Greenland as part of efforts to reduce reliance on China. (Nikkei)

Shipbuilders - Imabari Shipbuilding, Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012 JT) and Namura Shipbuilding (7014 JT) aim to revive domestic production of LNG carriers and build 3-5 ships a year. (Nikkei)

Other News

UK and Japan are expected to agree on a GBP 18bln clean energy investment deal that is predicted to create new jobs in the offshore wind, infrastructure and financial services sectors. (Newswires)

SOUTH KOREA

Hanwha Aerospace (012450 KS) - Co. launched an independent committee to oversee its safety system after a deadly factory fire. (Yonhap)

Hyundai Motor (005380 KS) - Co.'s group accounted for 11.8% of the US automobile market in the January-April period. (Yonhap)

Samsung C&T (028260 KS) - Samsung Group formed a task force focused on the energy business. (Newswires)

SK hynix (000660 KS) - Co. added more than 2,000 positions last year amid rising demand for memory chips driven by the AI boom. (Yonhap)

SK Inc. (034730 KS) - SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won stressed the need for employees to use personal AI agents as the group accelerates AI transformation. (Yonhap)

Energy - South Korea and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to seek cooperation in the energy resources industry, including crude oil and natural gas. (Yonhap)

Tech - South Korea’s ICT exports posted a record monthly high in May, driven by demand for semiconductors and other AI-related products. (Yonhap)

Other News

South Korea agreed with the US to cooperate on the weak won. (Yonhap)