DINNER PARTY INTEL: Alibaba’s Singles’ Day generates whopping US$25.3bn
Topics to impress this week. 1. Shopping bonanza E-commerce giant Alibaba’s Singles’ Day generated a whopping US$25.3bn in sales. The November 11 shopping festival set a record of 325,000 orders a second and involved the delivery of 777m packages. About 90% of the transactions were done via mobile. Single’s Day started in 2009 as a day for Chinese people who didn’t have partners to buy presents for each other or themselves. The Chinese believe the date (11-11) is significant because it looks like "bare branches", a local expression for the unattached. To create a buzz, the company hosted a star-studded gala with actress Nicole Kidman and American rapper Pharrell Williams. 2. New Delhi choked by smog Indian capital New Delhi, whose air quality is ranked among the world’s worst, has been enveloped in a dense cloud of toxic smog 10 times the recommended limit. Over the past two weeks, government officials have struggled to tackle the public health crisis that has ensued. The smog has c...
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