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The Star
07-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Students shelter in libraries as heatwave hits eastern China
People put cooling gel sheets on their foreheads to cool themselves amid a yellow alert for heat, in Shanghai, China, on July 4, 2025. -- Photo: REUTERS/Go Nakamura BEIJING (Reuters): Universities in eastern China scrambled to upgrade their dorms with air conditioning, and one let students sleep in cooler libraries, after near record temperatures raised concerns about the health of students and staff. One student at Qingdao University in Shandong suffered from heat stroke, and the school would upgrade its student accommodation over the summer break, Jimu News, an arm of state-run Hubei Daily, reported. One member of staff there died on Sunday morning after showing signs of "physical distress", the university said, without saying whether that was linked to the heatwave. The staff member was a dormitory supervisor, Jimu News said. A total of 28 locations across central Henan and eastern Shandong provinces issued their most severe alerts for extreme heat on Monday. Parts of the coastal city of Qingdao saw temperatures soar to 40.5 degrees Celsius (104.9 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend, just 0.5C below the highest recorded there since records began in 1961, according to the official Qingdao Daily. Qingdao University, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters, was one of at least six colleges in Shandong to announce plans to upgrade student accommodation in recent days. Yantai Nanshan University, also in Shandong, said on Monday it would let students stay overnight in libraries as it prepared to work on the student halls. Video footage posted by Jimu News showed scores of students sitting on the floor in air-conditioned supermarkets to escape the heat. The heatwave has piled pressure onto China's power grid. The national electricity load surged to a record 1.47 billion kilowatts on Friday as demand for air conditioning spiked, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The announcements will fuel concerns over Chinese institutions' preparedness for extreme weather events, which scientists say are exacerbated by global warming. In 2022, China was hit by the worst heatwaves since 1961, with many parts enduring a 79-day hot spell from mid-June to late August. According a 2023 report published in the medical journal The Lancet, there were about 50,900 heatwave-related deaths in China that year. No official death toll was disclosed at the time. China does not provide regular tallies of heat-related deaths. (Reporting by Ethan Wang, Ryan Woo, Liz Lee and Qiaoyi Li; Editing by Andrew Heavens) - Reuters
Economic Times
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Lafufus toy with fans; fake it till they almost make it
Reuters People look at Labubu dolls at the flagship store of Pop Mart in Shanghai, China June 13, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura Labubus or Lafufus, what's in a name? as the Bard famously said. Well, for fans of the now iconic toy collectible – Labubu- there is a lot riding on the name as they battle a flood of counterfeits swamping the market. Pop Mart, the Beijing-headquartered retailer of the insanely viral Labubu dolls that were first created by the Hong Kong born, Belgium-based designer Kasing Lung for a story series The Monsters, has put in place a seemingly foolproof system to authenticate its products. But, to no avail according to Labubu fans who are discovering that the most alert among them are falling prey to duplicates that have now gained notoriety and recognition as – Lafufus. "I had picked up a Labubu for myself and had done an unboxing video which got a lot of views," one Chennai-based content creator who did not wish to be named told ET. The pint-sized dolls with pointy ears, large eyes, and a smile revealing nine teeth have grown into a global phenomenon since being launched in 'blind boxes' in 2019 after Pop Mart had licensed Lung's characters. These boxes sell for around $20–$30 but can go all the way up to even $300 and have turned into an addictive global phenomenon fuelled by celebrities flaunting their toys on tote bags. Last month, a life-sized Labubu doll sold for a record-breaking $150,000 (approximately Rs 1.28 crore) at a Beijing auction. " I thought it would be fun to do a video with my whole family unboxing their Labubus, so I picked up a pack of six. We did an unboxing video and even authenticated the product," said the creator cited above. As Pop Mart suggested, she scanned the QR code on the box which led her to the site where she had to key in the last four digits of the barcode to ensure that she had an original purchases passed the check and were proudly sported as her bag charms just like singer Rihanna and Bollywood persona Ananya Pandey. However, her joy was short lived because a keen-eyed collector spotted the fake as well as the dodgy credentials of the website providing fake authentication. She replaced the fake – a Lafufu – on her bag with a true-blue Labubu. But remains unfazed. 'Lafufus have their own fan base too!" she points out. Pop Mart itself has tried to crack down on these fakes. Last month Chinese customs authorities reportedly seized more than 46,000 counterfeit Labubu toys, showing the surge in knockoffs. The Chinese state media issued warnings about a growing 'black market chain' exploiting consumers and infringing on intellectual property sales have fuelled Pop Mart's galloping growth since the company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2020. Founder Wang Ning is among China's top ten billionaires with a net worth of $22 though are a real threat as they retail for as less as $7.50 apiece and are seen as a way to keep up with the trend without spending too much money on the original.'70-80% Lafufus'"The fakes have become so good," Abbas Zaveri, founder of sneakers, streetwear and collectibles marketplace HypeFly said. 'Things that customers could look out for is that the heads of the Lafufus tend to be very flimsy and the font on the box generally is embossed but the quality on the boxes of fakes tend to be sub-par."Another sure shot way of spotting a fake is the price. Anything that is being sold for under Rs 3,000 is likely not from Pop Mart. "Some Indian websites are selling a pack of six for Rs 9,000 whereas the original pack of six costs Rs 24,000 or more." Another reseller, Nikhil Jain who runs City Kicks India estimates that "about 70-80% of the dolls in the Indian market are Lafufus," he said.'The site URLs (that come up when the QR code is scanned) have subtle misspellings like "Pop Mari" or "Poap Mart" which are good tell-tale signs for this fraud. There are some marketplaces that have had to set up a team to authenticate their products because earlier they sold them as originals and customers figured out that they were being charged for an original but received a Lafufu instead." The fake trail is not limited to India alone, Scottish consumer watchdog Advice Direct Scotland said it was concerned by the surge in fake Labubu toys flooding the Scottish market.'These counterfeits are not only deceiving collectors and draining hard-earned money from families, but they are also leaving children heartbroken. We urge consumers to be vigilant, buy only from trusted retailers and report suspected fakes," Hazel Knowles, consumer project lead at the firm said. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. How Balrampur Chini, EID Parry are stirring up gains amid melting sugar stocks Are Sebi's MII evaluations driving real change or just more paperwork? Delhivery survived the Meesho curveball. Can it keep on delivering profits? Drones have become a winning strategy in war; can they be in investing? Stock Radar: Trent stock showing signs of bottoming out; stock still down over 25% from highs – what should investors do? Buy, Sell or Hold: Motilal Oswal initiates coverage on Inox Wind; Gabriel top pick for Elara Securities One simple reason to own & trade them: 5 large-caps from different sectors with upside potential of up to 46% Weekly Top Picks: These stocks scored 10 on 10 on Stock Reports Plus
The Standard
04-07-2025
- General
- The Standard
Eastern China swelters under early heatwave, threatening crops and industry
A person looks at boats on Yangtze River in Chongqing, China, on Jun 11, 2025. (File photo: REUTERS/Go Nakamura)
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Labubu-maker Pop Mart diversifies into jewellery with new concept store
People look at Labubu dolls at the flagship store of Pop Mart in Shanghai, China June 13, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura SHANGHAI - "Blind box" toymaker Pop Mart, which has seen frenzied sales worldwide for products related to its ugly-cute Labubu character, opened its first jewellery store in Shanghai on Friday. The jewellery concept store, called Popop, sells accessories adorned with Pop Mart's top-selling characters, including Labubu, Molly and Skullpanda. While Chinese consumption remains subdued in the face of a prolonged property downturn and sluggish economy, Pop Mart's affordable and adorable toys have remained in high demand both at home and abroad, driving its share price up more than 200% so far this year. Investor Zhang Ming, 34, who owns Pop Mart stocks worth 100 million yuan ($13.92 million), flew from his base in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing for the opening to check out the new store type and decide whether to increase his shareholding in the company. "I believe that the pricing and target audience for this brand are particularly well-suited, and I am confident that Pop Mart could potentially become China's version of Disney," Zhang said, predicting that the company's market cap could double from its current $45.65 billion valuation. Along with some Disney characters and others related to anime, comics and popular video games, Pop Mart's characters are seen as fulfilling what has been called "emotional consumption", which sees young consumers spend on affordable luxuries that bring joy into their lives. Fang Ke, 35, who has a birthday coming up this month decided to treat herself to a 699 yuan Labubu bracelet at the opening. "I've loved Pop Mart for a long time; it's good-looking, brightly coloured, and also has a visual impact," she said. "My daughter likes it too." At Popop, prices start at around 350 yuan for charms or a simple silver ring, and go as high as 2699 yuan for necklaces adorned with metallic models of the characters. Most pieces are priced at under 1,000 yuan. At a traditional Pop Mart store, the "blind box" toys that the chain is best known for generally sell for 69 yuan and up, but consumers have shown a willingness to shell out much more for limited editions. Earlier this week, a Beijing auction house sold a human-sized Labubu figure for 1.08 million yuan, setting a new record and marking the toy's switch from craze to collectible. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
12-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Athletics-Norway's Warholm shatters own world best time in 300m hurdles
FILE PHOTO: Athletics - Diamond League - Shanghai - Shaoxing China Textile City Sports Centre, Shaoxing, China - May 3, 2025 Norway's Karsten Warholm in action during the men's 400m hurdles final REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo OSLO, Norway (Reuters) -Norwegian hurdling great Karsten Warholm destroyed his own world best time in the rarely run 300 metres hurdles at the Oslo Diamond League meeting on Thursday. Roared on by the home crowd, the 2020 Olympic champion pulled away from the field over the final 50 metres, leaning across the finish line in 32.67 seconds to break his previous mark of 33.05 set in April. American Rai Benjamin, the Olympic champion last year in Paris, was second in 33.22, while Alison dos Santos of Brazil was third in 33.38. World record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden cruised to an easy victory in the pole vault. The twice Olympic and world champion called it a night rather than chase a world record attempt in chilly 14 C temperatures. The 25-year-old had soared 6.27m in February to break the world mark for the 11th time. Nico Young became the fastest American over 5,000 metres outdoors when he outsprinted the field to win in 12 minutes 45.27 seconds in a thrilling race full of national records and personal bests. Ethiopia's Biniam Mehary and Kuma Girma crossed second and third respectively, while Englishman George Mills was fourth in 12.46.59 to obliterate the British record of 12:53.11 held by distance great Mo Farah. Paris Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya raced to victory in the men's 800m, holding off a fast-closing field over the final 100m to finish in 1:42.78. "My body felt a little tired as I have come from Kenya so the travel has been long but I am happy with my performance against a strong field," Wanyonyi said. "I am happy with the start to my season in this world championship year." Julien Alfred, the first athlete from Saint Lucia to win an Olympic gold medal when she triumphed last year in Paris, opened her season with a win in the 100m in 10.89 seconds, setting the pace as the woman to beat at the worlds in Tokyo in September. "I was a little rusty but I got the win under my belt which is the main thing," Alfred said. "As for my season I am Olympic champion so I am the one to beat but I really want to add world champion to my name as well." Kenya's Faith Cherotich won the women's 3,000m steeplechase, outsprinting Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain in a neck-and-neck battle over the final 200m, clocking 9:02.60 to edge Yavi by 0.16 seconds. Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan, women's javelin gold medallist at the Paris Games, threw almost a metre more than the rest of the field to win in Oslo with a toss of 64.63m. (Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
