China's gold demand is expected to grow 1 percent this year to a record of around 860 tonnes, the global head of metals at consultancy Thomson Reuters GFMS said on Thursday, with both jewellery and investment sales rising.

Apple said on Monday that it received more than two million orders for its new iPhone 5 in 24 hours, and that many deliveries would be pushed back into October because of strong demand.

The government has launched state grants aimed at encouraging motorists to buy environmentally-friendly electric cars made by leading manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz and Toyota.

In a new record for Apple, the technology giant has sold a whopping three million of its new iPads within just three days of launching the latest version of its blockbuster tablet computer.