Heated Apparel on Amazon: FREEHILL rolled out three new winter heated products in China—heated merino wool socks, rechargeable ski gloves, and a multi-zone heated vest—pushing battery-powered warmth into footwear, handwear and upper layers. Smart Home Push: China released an action plan to boost smart home consumption with age-friendly products like home service robots, health monitoring and smart care, plus support for experience centers and whole-house systems. AI in Smartphones: ByteDance’s Doubao launched a consumer smartphone assistant version, leaning into deeper OS/app integration with interaction, task execution and agent-style actions. India Inflation Watch: India’s retail inflation hit 4.82% in August (food 5.95%), with wholesale inflation rising to 9.92%, keeping RBI rate decisions in focus. Amazon Festive Expansion: Amazon India added 20 fulfilment centres, six sort centres and 150 last-mile stations, expanding capacity and same-day reach ahead of the festive season. Halal Trade & Governance: Malaysia promoted a proposal for an ASEAN Halal Council at MIHAS 2026, while Shandong’s “Remarkable Shandong” expo returned to Malaysia with a stronger halal and ASEAN market-access focus. Payments for Everyday Use: Kazakhstan plans QR-code payments with China by end-2026, aiming to extend yuan use from trade into consumer transactions. Aviation Maintenance Tech: Japan Airlines began drone-based automated exterior inspections with Donecle, testing faster, safer image capture for aircraft checks. Retail & Consumer Tech: Seotal says Google AI Mode now supports multiple SEA languages, and product discovery increasingly starts on marketplaces rather than traditional search. Oil Price Pressure in Malaysia/Asean: West Asia disruptions lifted Brent above $108 as pipeline and maritime risks feed into subsidy and cost pressures across Malaysia and the region. Organic Food “Proof” in India: COWBERRY doubled down on “proof not promises” for organic claims, targeting trust gaps in India’s organic food market.