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China logged a record 180 billion express deliveries in the first 11 months of the year, according to state media reports, as the country’s online shopping platforms continue to rake in orders despite an economic slowdown.Xinhua said the bumper parcel deliveries – which reached as high as 777 million per day from January to November, according to the State Post Bureau – reflected the “vigorous vitality of China’s economy”, though analysts cautioned that vendors were often relying on generous discounts and return policies to attract buyers.China has been the world’s largest parcel delivery market for over a decade. Last year,…

The better-than-expected growth of India’s economy, driven by strong performance in the domestic consumer and manufacturing sectors, highlights its near-term resilience despite a slowdown in exports and US import tariffs.While India’s 8.2 per cent year-on-year growth figure in the July to September quarter was the fastest among major economies, analysts warn that the headline numbers may not provide a true picture of the challenges it faces.Private consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of India’s gross domestic product, rose 7 per cent, fuelled by low inflation, according to official data released on Friday. Manufacturing output increased by 9.1 per…

Hong Kong’s property deals slipped slightly in November after two months of gains, government data showed, with analysts warning of a deeper pullback this month as the Christmas holidays along with deferred launches of new homes following the deadly fire in Tai Po weigh on sentiment.Sales of new and lived-in homes, office units, shops, car parking spaces and industrial properties dipped 1 per cent to 7,121 from 7,190 in October, according to the Land Registry. The total value of deals edged up 0.9 per cent to HK$58.4 billion (US$7.5 billion).“The tragic fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has…

Silver has long played a secondary role to gold — but in 2025, it has begun challenging it for the spotlight. Often dubbed “the poor man’s gold,” silver offers both an inflation hedge and exposure to industrial growth, giving it a uniquely dual appeal.   This year, the white metal has staged an exceptional rally. Prices surged to their highest levels in years, breaking multiple records. Silver surpassed its historic peak of $48.70 per ounce from April 2011, reaching $54.08 per ounce on October 17, 2025, in global markets. In India, spot prices climbed to a record ₹1,76,304 on October…

As the floods recede in southern Thailand, close to 820,000 households are facing the daunting task of having to clear mud and debris brought in by raging waters that have reached as high as three metres (10 feet) in some places.One man, however, has been spared the necessity of cleaning up: Wicharit Leelakorn, owner of what has been dubbed “the only dry house in Songkhla”.Wicharit attracted the attention of social media users after he posted photos of his house on the outskirts of Hat Yai in Songkhla province, apparently unaffected by the floods that had reached up to the bumpers…

China’s People’s Liberation Army has shown off a “real steel” style military robot that mimicked a soldier’s combat moves in real time to defence representatives from 13 countries.Capturing every attack manoeuvre of a person wearing a lightweight motion-sensing device, the motion-controlled robot could precisely match moves with the help of artificial intelligence, according to the Chinese ministry newspaper Science and Technology Daily on November 28.It is a feat that could have come straight from the 2011 American movie Real Steel, where a former prizefighting boxer returns to his sport which has been taken over by human-directed robots using a “shadow…

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday vowed not to interfere in corruption investigations into his own political appointees, after a slew of allegations were levelled at close government aides.Last week, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, a senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, was implicated in a mining scandal in the state of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo.The investigation has heaped scrutiny on Anwar, who came to power three years ago pledging to tackle Malaysia’s entrenched culture of political corruption. Instead, he has been accused of launching targeted corruption investigations into his political rivals – while going soft on scandals closer…

The devastating fire in Tai Po is likely to hurt profitability at Hong Kong’s property insurers and could prompt them to review pricing strategies that have led to lower premiums amid fierce competition, according to S&P Global Ratings.“Claim losses from last week’s fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po will further erode the sector’s underwriting margins,” said Emily Yi Chang Yoon, credit analyst at S&P, in a report.The city’s property and casualty insurance companies already faced thinner earnings after several extreme weather events earlier this year, she added.The fire last week, which killed at least 151 people and affected…

A high-gloss travel video created by a Malaysian visual-effects specialist to promote Singapore has gone viral, prompting some in Malaysia to ask why their own tourism board has not tapped local talent as effectively.The one-minute film, produced in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), features Mohamad Sofian Abdullah, better known as Sofyank, weaving his signature special effects into a tightly edited journey across the city state.The video shows the 29-year-old creator – famed for VFX-driven videos featuring Hollywood celebrities including Paul Rudd, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Cruise – visiting iconic attractions such as Jewel Changi Airport and Marina Bay,…

Mainland China’s property market will remain under pressure in the first quarter of next year as weak monthly sales show few signs of a turnaround, according to Morgan Stanley.Sales at the country’s top 100 developers fell 36 per cent in November from a year earlier to 184 billion yuan (US$26 billion), according to Morgan Stanley, which used data compiled by China Real Estate Information Corp (CRIC). In the first 11 months, developers recorded 2.71 trillion yuan in sales, a decrease of 19 per cent from a year earlier.Adding to the uncertainty, the private data agency CRIC withheld its regular monthly…