Humanoid Robots Step Into the AI Bubble Debate as Hype Meets Hardware Limits

The question of whether artificial intelligence is in a bubble has dominated boardrooms, investor calls and tech conferences over the past year. Valuations have surged, capital has poured into AI-linked firms and expectations have raced ahead of proven returns. Into this debate has stepped an unlikely commentator: a humanoid robot. When asked directly whether the…

Humanoid Ambitions Redraw the Tech Race as China Moves Faster Than Musk’s Vision

Elon Musk has rarely been subtle about where he believes the next technological frontier lies. In recent years, he has increasingly framed humanoid robots not as a side project but as a central pillar of future economic value, arguing they could eventually eclipse cars in importance. In Musk’s telling, robots that look and move like…

China’s Micro-Drama Format Ignites India’s Streaming Race with Smartphone-Focused Storytelling

A fast, episodic storytelling format known in China as micro-dramas—typically two minutes or less—has rapidly leapt across borders into India’s streaming and short-video ecosystem, triggering a fresh wave of content competition. These highly-scripted bite-sized narratives, once the exclusive province of Chinese platforms, are now being localized, scaled and monetized by Indian production houses, apps and…

Why It’s Still Too Soon to Bet Against the AI Boom, According to State Street

Amid volatility in technology stocks and whispers of rotation toward value sectors, State Street Global Advisors maintains that the artificial intelligence (AI) rally is far from over. The Boston-based asset manager argues that despite intermittent pullbacks, the underlying structure of the AI-driven market remains intact — a function of deep capital expenditure cycles, investor psychology,…

China’s Factory Sector Slips Further as October PMI Hits Six-Month Low Amid External and Domestic Headwinds

China’s manufacturing sector sank deeper in October, with the official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) falling to 49.0—its weakest reading in six months and below economists’ expectations. The downturn continues a contractionary streak that now stretches into its seventh consecutive month, highlighting how external shocks, weak domestic demand and structural challenges are converging to test the…

Reversal in the “Battery Belt”: Trump’s EV Crackdown Strikes Deep in U.S. Heartland

In rural Stanton, Tennessee, the promise of clean-energy transformation once seemed tangible. A massive Ford electric truck assembly and battery facility was pitched as a life-changing investment—6,000 jobs, local growth, new infrastructure. But under shifting federal policy, that dream is stalling. Trump’s aggressive rollback of EV incentives and regulatory support is reaching into the so-called…

European Property Market Grapples with High Rates, Debt Strains and Shifting Demand

Europe’s real estate sector is mired in challenges that have thwarted the hoped‑for rebound following the pandemic downturn. From skyrocketing borrowing costs to a wave of maturing loans and a profound change in occupier behaviour, property owners and investors are confronting a harsh new reality. Sales volumes remain near decade lows, distressed assets are mounting,…

China’s Manufacturing Squeeze Deepens as Deflation Bites

China’s factory sector recorded its third consecutive month of contraction in June, underscoring the mounting challenges posed by persistent deflation and sluggish domestic demand. The official Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged up to 49.7 from May’s 49.5 but remained below the 50‑point threshold that separates expansion from contraction. With producer prices plunging and consumer…

Greenpeace Condemns Bezos’ Venice Wedding for Environmental and Social Costs

Global environmental organization Greenpeace made headlines Monday by staging a protest in St. Mark’s Square against Jeff Bezos’ upcoming wedding to journalist Laura Sanchez. Unfurling a 20-by-10-meter banner depicting the Amazon founder laughing beside the slogan “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax,” activists from Greenpeace Italy and the…