The eastern Chinese city of Zibo is recognised as the official birthplace of football. However, its local government is hoping it will soon be known for its excellence in the chemical, medical and manufacturing industries.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is to launch a digital currency for the benefit of its dispersed island economies – essential to a region that has been disproportionately affected by climate change-induced disasters, governor Timothy Antoine tells fDi.

Find early Black Friday deals on tablets from Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and more. Shop now for early savings of up to 50% off.

Netflix's new Biblical epic is on the way, with a trailer for "Mary" landing today. Watch.

Body-camera video released on Monday showed the chaotic, violent moments leading to the fatal Los Angeles police shooting of an assault suspect in a clothing store, and of a 14-year-old girl caught in

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Experts Weigh In on Pacific Islands Regional Rift at EWC Virtual Workshop Experts Weigh In on Pacific Islands Regional Rift at EWC Virtual Workshop

HONG KONG — Merchants and consumers alike found the Singles' Day shopping festival Monday less shiny than in years past as e-commerce firms look abroad for growth. The annual event named by the numeric form of its Nov. 11 date was started by e-commerce platform Alibaba, which offered attractive discounts to entice shoppers to spend big. The extravaganza has since expanded to other platforms like JD.com and Pinduoduo in China as well as abroad. While Singles’ Day was previously a one-day event, shopping platforms in China now kickstart the festival weeks ahead to drum up sales volume. The festival has also traditionally been regarded as a barometer of consumer sentiment. But amid China’s lagging domestic economy, dragged down by a real estate crisis and deflationary pressures, consumers no longer go all out on purchases during the shopping extravaganza. “I only spent a few hundred yuan on daily necessities,” said Wang Haihua, who owns a fitness center in Beijing. Wang said that the prices offered on e-commerce platforms during Singles’ Day are not necessarily cheaper than usual. “They’re all tricks and we’ve seen through it over the years,” she said. Zhang Jiewei, a 34-year-old who runs a barber shop in Xi’an city, echoed Wang’s sentiments, saying that he no longer trust Singles’ Day promotions as some merchants tend to raise the usual price of a product before offering a discount, giving consumers the illusion they are getting a deal. “I used to buy a lot two or three years ago and I even purchased a mobile phone (during Singles’ Day),” he said. “I stopped doing that following the pandemic because of less income. I am not going to buy anything this year,” Zhang added. Some experts say that Beijing’s recent stimulus measures have had little impact to boost consumer confidence. “People are not interested in spending and are cutting back on big-ticket items,” said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of China Market Research Group in Shanghai. “Since October 2022, the weak economy means that everything has been on discount year-round, 11.11 is not going to bring in more discounts that the month before.” Rein said he expects low growth for the Singles’ Day shopping festival as consumers tighten their spending in anticipation of difficult economic times ahead. Categories such as sportswear and fitness, however, have been doing well as customers “trade down a Gucci bag for Lululemon sportswear,” he said. Platforms like JD.com and Alibaba, which operates e-commerce platforms Taobao and Tmall, previously used to publish the value of transactions made during the festival, but have since stopped revealing the total figure. While yearly growth used to be in the double digits, estimates of recent figures have dwindled to low single-digit growth. Syntun, a data provider, estimated that last year’s gross merchandising volume sales across major e-commerce platforms grew just 2% to $156.40 billion, a far cry from double-digit growth before COVID-19. Merchants who typically take part in the Singles’ Day shopping festivals say the costs of participation no longer pay off, amid high advertising fees and unsatisfactory sales. Zhao Gao, who owns a garment factory in eastern Zhejiang province, said that after paying advertising costs to e-commerce platforms he would only break even after sales. “The platforms have so many rules for promotions and customers have become more skeptical,” he said. “As a merchant, I no longer participate in the Singles’ Day promotions.” Another merchant, Du Baonian who runs a food company processing mutton in Inner Mongolia, said that overall sales in the past year have fallen 15% as consumers downgraded and reduced consumption. Du said that while he still takes part in the Singles’ Day promotions, the higher expenses do not typically generate returns because of sluggish sales. “We are seeing shrinking revenue, but advertisement on the platform can help us to maintain our leading sales position,” he said, adding that he was considering advertising on more e-commerce platforms to target more consumers. Meanwhile, e-commerce platforms grappling with a slowing domestic market have also turned to overseas markets to seek new growth, offering promotions like global free shipping and allowing merchants to sell globally with ease. Alibaba, for example, said in a blog post on its Alizila site that some 70,000 merchants saw sales double with global free shipping. In markets like Singapore and Hong Kong, new customers also doubled, Alibaba said.

Somaliland, the self-declared state in the Horn of Africa, is set to hold its fourth presidential…

The post Somaliland Heads to Polls Amid Hope and Concerns appeared first on Horseed Media.

2024 Cross-Border Reporting on Climate Change Workshop

At the end of the first week at the 16th Conference of Parties on Biodiversity (COP16), finance emerges as the biggest issue but also shrouded in controversies. On Saturday, as the COP moved closer to its most crucial phase of negotiations, resource mobilization—listed under Target 19 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF)—took centerstage, with […]

The most solemn and terrifying words ever uttered are those inscribed over the gateway to Hell in Dante’s Inferno: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!” Hope is essential for human survival both as individuals and as nations. Surveying the history of the seemingly endless series of wars and counter-wars between Israel and its foes […]

How can Khamenei's "shadow empire" deteriorate?

Amid unprecedented global challenges and a growing list of countries in crisis, there is an existential threat to decades of development gains—with the global community marked by intensified armed conflict, forced displacements, and the debilitating effects of climate crises. One in five children worldwide lives in or flees from conflict. The number of crisis-affected children […]

Police on Wednesday are investigating the theft of a large number of gold items after a search at a Nicosia gold shop. The owner of the property, aged 78, has been arrested and taken into custody for questioning. According to the police, the search happened as part of an ongoing investigation into a spate of […]

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Title: After Fits and Starts, New Hope for Psoriasis Patients
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2008 2:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2008 12:00:00 AM

Title: Does Hope Have a Dark Side?
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Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2010 12:00:00 AM

Title: New Hope for Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2013 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2013 12:00:00 AM

Title: Health Tip: Shopping for Skin Care Products
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2013 7:35:00 AM
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Title: A Mother's Hopes and Worries for Adult Sons With Autism
Category: Health News
Created: 8/23/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2013 12:00:00 AM

Title: Want to Spend Less? Shop in High Heels, Study Says
Category: Health News
Created: 8/27/2013 2:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/28/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Title: 'Doctor-Shopping' for Painkillers Common After Broken-Bone Surgery, Study Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 8/29/2014 9:35:00 AM
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Title: New Hope From Old Drugs in Fight Against Parkinson's
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Created: 8/31/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2017 12:00:00 AM

Title: Monkey Trials Raise Hope for Non-Addictive Opioid Alternative
Category: Health News
Created: 8/30/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/31/2018 12:00:00 AM