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Egypt

Clashes, Tensions As Egypt Marks Arab Spring Anniversary

AL ARABIYA (Saudi Arabia/Egypt), MASRAWY (Egypt)

Worldcrunch

CAIRO – At least 16 people have been injured in and around Tahrir Square as both protesters and Egyptian police geared up for major demonstrations Friday to mark two years since the Arab world's uprising coalesced in the region's largest country on Jan. 25, 2011.

Ahead of what are expected to be major protests called to follow Friday’s prayer, it was the Ultras Ahlawy (violent supporters of Egypt's biggest soccer club) who led the preliminary protests on Wednesday and Thursday as a warning to the government as to today’s mobilization.

Your precious souls that you sacrificed for us will not go to waste, rest in peace, revenge is on the way,” they tweeted Wednesday.

لن تذهب دمائكم الغالية هدرا،استريحوا Ù�Ù‰ قبوركم اصدقائكم بالمرصاد #ïº�ï»Ÿï»¤ïº ïºªï»Ÿï» ïº¸ï»¬ïºªïº�ﺀ #القصاص #UA07

— UltrasAhlawy (@UltrasAhlawy07) January 23, 2013

Clashes in the capital resulted in 16 injured, a Ministry of Health official told Al Arabiya.

The calls for protests were encouraged by opposition leaders such as Mohamed El Baradei, head of Al Dostour party, who said Friday that the removal of President Mohamed Morsi should not be the focus of the demonstration.

Let’s get out and demand the realization of the objectives of the revolution,” he said on Twitter.

لنخرج للميادين لإستكمال أهدا� الثورةaldostourparty.org

— Mohamed ElBaradei (@ElBaradei) January 24, 2013

As for the government, no official declarations were made in the lead-up to the anniversary, with Morsi focused on promoting his visit to the Suez Canal, reports Masrawy.

Here's how it looked two years ago:

[rebelmouse-image 27086192 alt="""" original_size="640x480" expand=1]

Photo Ramy Raoof

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Future

Livestream Shopping Is Huge In China — Will It Fly Elsewhere?

Streaming video channels of people shopping has been booming in China, and is beginning to win over customers abroad as a cheap and cheerful way of selling products to millions of consumers glued to the screen.

A A female volunteer promotes spring tea products via on-line live streaming on a pretty mountain surrounded by tea plants.

In Beijing, selling spring tea products via on-line live streaming.

Xinhua / ZUMA
Gwendolyn Ledger

SANTIAGOTikTok, owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, has spent more than $500 million to break into online retailing. The app, best known for its short, comical videos, launched TikTok Shop in August, aiming to sell Chinese products in the U.S. and compete with other Chinese firms like Shein and Temu.

Tik Tok Shop will have three sections, including a live or livestream shopping channel, allowing users to buy while watching influencers promote a product.

This choice was strategic: in the past year, live shopping has become a significant trend in online retailing both in the U.S. and Latin America. While still an evolving technology, in principle, it promises good returns and lower costs.

Chilean Carlos O'Rian Herrera, co-founder of Fira Onlive, an online sales consultancy, told América Economía that live shopping has a much higher catchment rate than standard website retailing. If traditional e-commerce has a rate of one or two purchases per 100 visits to your site, live shopping can hike the ratio to 19%.

Live shopping has thrived in China and the recent purchases of shopping platforms in some Latin American countries suggests firms are taking an interest. In the United States, live shopping generated some $20 billion in sales revenues in 2022, according to consultants McKinsey. This constituted 2% of all online sales, but the firm believes the ratio may become 20% by 2026.

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