‘Santa Claus rally’: Asian markets edge higher amid thinned holiday trade; silver hits record high

Asian markets inched higher on Friday amid holiday-thinned trading, with several exchanges remaining closed for the Boxing Day holiday. Regional stocks extended gains after Wall Street ended the week at record highs, while most global markets were shut on Thursday for Christmas.Markets in Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei all posted gains. Japan’s Topix climbed to…

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Japan govt approves record 122 trillion yen budget

The Japanese government on Friday approved a record budget for the upcoming fiscal year, to pay for everything from bigger defence spending to ballooning social security costs as inflation persists.The 122.3-trillion-yen ($782 billion) budget for the fiscal year from April 2026 will include some nine trillion yen for defence spending, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi…

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Are you sipping right ‘tea’? FSSAI clarifies rules on beverage labeling; warns on misleading packaging

Representative image (AI-generated) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a clarification on the use of the word “tea” on food packaging and labelling, stating that only beverages made from the plant Camellia sinensis can legally be sold as tea.According to the press release issued on Wednesday, the food regulator said that…

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Rs 15,000 crore lifeline: Government finalising SWAMIH-2 fund — hope for 100k middle-class homebuyers

NEW DELHI: The government is set to launch SWAMIH-2 Fund, a Rs 15,000-crore initiative aimed at helping nearly 100,000 middle-class homebuyers complete their stalled housing projects. This follows the success of SWAMIH-1, which has already completed 55,000 dwelling units. The government has allocated Rs 1,500 crore as seed capital in Budget 2025-26 for this purpose.The…

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