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Public anger over corruption has boiled over in the Philippines, sending President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s approval ratings tumbling and potentially tilting the balance of power with his political rivals.The latest survey by Pulse Asia Research shows that Filipinos are increasingly blaming the government’s recent corruption scandals – from flood control “ghost projects” to lavish spending by politically connected contractors – for their daily struggles, such as inflation and inadequate infrastructure.As a consequence, Marcos’ approval ratings plummeted to 33 per cent in September, nine points down from 42 per cent in June, according to the survey conducted from September 27 to…

US singer-songwriter Ryan Adams has labelled Australia as the “worst country ever” in an expletive-laden tirade after wrapping up a controversial anniversary tour, while also hinting he may have played his final international gig.Adams recently performed in Australia and New Zealand to mark the 25th anniversary of his debut solo album, Heartbreaker, but the shows were marred by his tirade against fans, who called the October 12 concert in Melbourne a “train wreck” after he abruptly stormed off the stage.Adams, a seven-time Grammy nominee, later launched a broadside at the host nation, according to news.com.au, which cited a now-deleted post…

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and European Union (EU) Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis on Tuesday discussed strengthening trade and investment ties under the GSP+ framework, reaffirming their commitment to deepen economic cooperation and uphold international standards on human rights, labour, and governance. During the meeting, the two discussed ongoing cooperation under the GSP+ framework and explored avenues to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations between Pakistan and the European Union, read a statement. Welcoming the EU envoy to Pakistan, the minister appreciated the EU’s continued support and constructive engagement with Pakistan under the GSP+ scheme, which…

HSBC Holdings has named David Lindberg CEO of its ring-fenced UK bank, ending a long search, as the lender undergoes its biggest overhaul in a decade.Lindberg, most recently head of retail banking at NatWest Group, would start on December 8 and also joined the group operating committee, according to a statement. He is replacing Ian Stuart, who will start his new role as group customer and culture director following a handover period.CEO Georges Elhedery has undertaken the biggest overhaul of the bank in at least a decade, reorganising HSBC into four new divisions and exiting some businesses his predecessors once…

HSBC Holdings has named David Lindberg CEO of its ring-fenced UK bank, ending a long search, as the lender undergoes its biggest overhaul in a decade.Lindberg, most recently head of retail banking at NatWest Group, would start on December 8 and also joined the group operating committee, according to a statement. He is replacing Ian Stuart, who will start his new role as group customer and culture director following a handover period.CEO Georges Elhedery has undertaken the biggest overhaul of the bank in at least a decade, reorganising HSBC into four new divisions and exiting some businesses his predecessors once…

Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) plans an initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai as soon as the first quarter of next year, eyeing a valuation of up to 300 billion yuan ($42.12 billion), according to two sources briefed on the matter.Founded in 2016 with government backing, CXMT leads China’s strategic push to build a foothold in a global DRAM market long dominated by companies from Japan, South Korea and the United States.China’s leading manufacturer of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) aimed to raise between 20 billion and 40 billion yuan from the offering, the two sources said.A third…

The Chinese people have been urged to stay “calm and objective” about the country’s advances in cutting-edge weapons by a veteran rocket scientist, who warned that “a lot of effort” was still needed.An array of advanced rockets, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, featured in last month’s Victory Day parade in Beijing along with other hi-tech weapons. The spectacle generated considerable public enthusiasm.In an interview for a popular video account, Zhao Ruian, 84, a former researcher with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said the country had gained an advantage in some areas of aerospace technology but warned people not to…

Alibaba Group Holding kicked off direct sales for its annual Singles’ Day shopping festival on Monday, with initial figures surpassing last year’s performance – a sign of strengthening domestic consumption during China’s biggest online retail event.Since direct sales began on Taobao and Tmall at 8pm on Monday, 80 brands had exceeded 100 million yuan (US$13.8 million) in sales within the first hour, while more than 30,000 brands doubled their takings from a year earlier, according to data released by the company.Alibaba, which owns the Post, said this year’s event had shown “faster growth”.As in previous years, beauty products remained one…

Economic activity in the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region and Pakistan has “been stronger than expected” this year, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday. The Washington-based multilateral presented its latest regional economic outlook on Tuesday, forecasting growth of 3.2% this year in the MENA region and 3.7% in 2026 – 0.7 and 0.3 percentage points higher, respectively, than its previous projections in May. “Economic activity in the MENA region and Pakistan has been stronger than expected,” Jihad Azour, IMF director for the Middle East and Central Asia. “We now project growth of 3.2% in 2025, up…

Gold prices in the United States and worldwide have risen sharply in recent months, driven by a combination of economic, financial, and political factors.   This trend — in which gold has outperformed the US GDP and the four major American stock indexes — began in 2000 and continues to this day.   Below are 13 reasons explaining why gold has outperformed most major investments and why it is likely to continue attracting both retail and institutional investors:   1. A Safe Haven in Times of Uncertainty   Throughout history, people — from merchants to monarchs — have held gold…