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This report is from this week’s CNBC’s “Inside India” newsletter which brings you timely, insightful news and market commentary on the emerging powerhouse. Subscribe here.The big storyIndia lives in contradictions — think landing a spacecraft on moon but not getting basic infrastructure right, or being the world’s fastest growing economy that has millions struggling to make ends meet. The country’s labor market is yet another area emblematic of that paradox. While big businesses have bemoaned rigid labor market laws in the country, several startups have fast become unicorns, making use of the flexibility that came with employing vast armies of gig…

In north-central China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region – where desert mountains frame ancient mausoleums and Islamic culture shapes daily life for the Hui Muslim community – a new Indonesian feature film has transformed the landscape into a stage for cultural diplomacy.The production, Assalamualaikum Beijing 2: Lost in Ningxia, blends Chinese settings with Indonesian storytelling in a way that analysts said signals a more deliberate effort by Jakarta and Beijing to use filmmaking as a tool for deepening people-to-people ties across Asia.Directed by Guntur Soeharjanto and released in Indonesian cinemas in June, the sequel builds on the success of the first…

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for strengthening the regulatory and competitive landscape of Pakistan’s pharmaceutical and therapeutic goods sector. The MoU was signed between Salman Amin, Member of the Competition Commission, and Dr Ubaidullah, Chief Executive Officer of DRAP, read a statement. This MoU provides a framework for bilateral cooperation between the two institutions. “The agreement will enhance the exchange of information and data, joint enforcement, and the monitoring of misleading advertisements, unfair competition in the pharmaceutical sector, and transparent marketing claims for healthcare…

Pakistan’s inflation is set to edge higher in November 2025, with expectations of 6.5–7.0% YoY, reflecting pressures from food supply disruptions and energy price adjustments, said Topline Securities, a brokerage house, in a report on Thursday. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, inflation for November 2025 is projected at 0.8%. “The MoM increase was driven by a rise of 1.52% food prices due to the aftereffects of floods and the closure of the Afghan border in the country, affecting food supplies,” read the report. Topline shared that the key contributors to food inflation came from onions (59%), chicken (16%), meat (15%)…

A broker is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 6, 2025. Daniel Roland | Afp | Getty ImagesLONDON — European markets are expected to see a lackluster mixed open on Thursday as investors take stock of the regional and global economic outlook.The U.K.’s FTSE index is seen opening a touch below the flatline, Germany’s DAX up 0.2%, France’s CAC 40 up 0.1% and Italy’s FTSE MIB a shade higher, according to data from IG.The somewhat unenthusiastic open for regional markets on Thursday comes after a positive trading session yesterday, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 closing almost 1.1% higher and…

The race to launch China’s first reusable rocket is heating up, with three contenders now lined up at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the country’s northwest for flights that could make history.Both the Long March 12A and Zhuque-3 are aiming for December lift-offs that will try to reach orbit and bring their first stages back to Earth about 400km downrange. Tianlong-3 is also designed for reuse, but is not expected to attempt a landing on its debut flight.The Long March 12A is aiming for a December launch. Photo: HandoutA Beijing-based rocket engineer familiar with the matter said the Long…

Chinese sports apparel company Anta Sports Products is among firms exploring a potential takeover of Puma, according to people familiar with the matter.Hong Kong-listed Anta has been working with an adviser to evaluate a bid for Puma, said the people who asked not to be identified because the information was private. The company might team up with a private equity firm if it decided to move forward with an offer, some of the people said.Other potential bidders could include rival Chinese apparel firm Li Ning, the people said. Li Ning, named after the legendary gymnast who founded the company, has…

A ceasefire between Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and Pakistan, agreed after intense clashes last month, is hanging by a diplomatic thread, following a wave of suicide bombings in Pakistan and disputed claims that it retaliated with cross-border drone strikes on Tuesday.With both countries vowing vengeance, analysts say regional states acting as mediators – Qatar and Turkey, and Iran and Russia – have only a narrow window of opportunity to prevent another round of hostilities.Otherwise, tensions between the South Asian neighbours could degenerate into prolonged proxy warfare, creating space for transnational terrorist groups based there, particularly the Islamic State-Khorasan (Isis-K), to regenerate…

Sino Group and New World Development announced on Thursday that the sale of 150 units at One Park Place in Yau Tong and 63 units at the Austin Bohemian project in Yau Ma Tei, respectively, would be deferred.Both Sino Group and NWD did not disclose the reason for the postponement or when the sales would be rescheduled.Meanwhile, DBS Bank (Hong Kong) said it would donate HK$10 million (US$1.29 million) to Hong Kong Red Cross to help affected families and postponed its annual company dinner on Friday, according to an internal memo seen by the Post. The company was collaborating with…

The Pakistani rupee strengthened further against the US dollar, appreciating 0.05% during the opening hours of trading in the inter-bank market on Thursday. At 10am, the local currency was hovering at 280.42, a gain of Re0.14 against the greenback. On Wednesday, the local unit closed at 280.56. Internationally, the US dollar was on the back foot on Thursday, with trade thinned ahead of the US Thanksgiving holiday and investors turning to the coming year, where a series of US interest rate cuts are priced in. The yen drifted 0.4% higher to 155.87 per dollar, and the euro clambered above $1.16…