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Europeans Inspired to Get Active During 2024 Summer of Sports, Reveals AliExpress Consumer Insights Report

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Europeans are discovering new sports and pastimes thanks to online shopping 161 million[i] purchases of sports-related products made on AliExpress since 2019AliExpress to launch #FindYourSport pop-up in Paris during the Olympic Games Paris 2024

LONDON, July 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AliExpress, an international online retail marketplace and Worldwide Olympic TOP Partner of the Olympic Games for e-commerce platform services, today launched its Summer Consumer Insights Report focused on exploring the online shopping landscape and consumer behaviours across Europe.

The Report, which surveyed consumers from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK[ii] during this European summer of sports, reveals the far-reaching positive impact of sports, from improved mental wellbeing to feelings of inclusion and greater connectivity. It also illustrates the role of online shopping in enabling consumers to discover and take part in new sports.

Summer of sports inspires consumers

The Report reveals that 60% of consumers were able to try a sports and fitness-related activity thanks to online shopping, while 46% agreed that online shopping has made sports more accessible.

The summer of sports has inspired people to get involved in new sports including: football, running, hiking, swimming, basketball, tennis, athletics, cycling, boxing and gymnastics. 55% of those surveyed acknowledged that they feel more connected to their country during a global sporting tournament such as the Olympic Games.

Since 2019, AliExpress has seen more than 161 million purchases of sports-related goods, enabling consumers from around the world to actively engage in sports[iii].  The respondents of the survey stated that, thanks to online shopping, they have been able to try new sports such as badminton, BMXing, breakdancing, horse riding and skateboarding.

Positive impact of sports

The research also highlights the positive impact of sports, beyond physical benefits. 69% said that taking part in sports gave them a sense of community and 68% recognised that sports has allowed them to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds. A staggering 84% agreed that taking part in sports has improved their mental wellbeing[iv].

Looking ahead to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, AliExpress will welcome people from around the world to its showcase event on 8 August on the Av. des Champs-Élysées, Paris. Open to the general public from 11.30 until 14:30 CEST, the showcase, themed #FindYourSport, will allow visitors to experience a series of Olympic sports-related activities and stand a chance to win prizes.

Gary Topp, AliExpress European Commercial Director, said, “We are delighted to see the AliExpress Consumer Insights Report highlighting the far-reaching impact of sports and its power to inspire and bring people together. I am encouraged to see the role that e-commerce platforms can play in making sports more accessible, enabling people to discover and take part in new sports, by giving access to a vast selection of products to get them moving.”

Sports and entertainment among top shopping categories

The research shows that sports and entertainment-related products were among the top five categories across the five European markets in terms of consumer spending online:

Grocery and beveragesClothing, underwear, sleepwear and shoesPhones and telecommunicationsFast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)Sports and entertainment

On average, consumers across the five European markets spent €78 on sports and entertainment-related products during the three-month period covered by the research. In France, for the same period, the average spending was significantly higher, totalling €94. This is followed by the Italians, who each spent €82, and the Spanish, who each spent €73, followed closely by German consumers, who each spent €71, and British consumers, who each spent £60 (approximately €70).

Online spending remains robust

According to the Report, overall online spending was holding up, with an average spend of £623 (approximately €739) in the UK and €622 across the other four European markets during the three-month period covered by the research. In terms of purchase frequency, over the three-month period, consumers across the five markets each bought nine items on average.

On average, respondents across all markets spent nearly five hours per week browsing and researching products online. The age group that spent the most time online are those aged 35-44.

Spanish consumers spent the most time browsing and researching online, followed by the British consumers, then Italian. French consumers spent the least amount of time each week.

Online marketplaces take top spot

The research shows that the top five online shopping channels across all markets were:

Online marketplacesRetailers’ websitesRetailers’ mobile appsSecond-hand products platformsSocial media shops

Online marketplaces were the most popular online shopping channel, with 63% of consumers having shopped via this channel, surpassing the numbers of those who had shopped via retailers’ websites and retailers’ mobile apps.

Although livestreaming did not make the top five, it ranked sixth and the research shows it is the most popular online shopping channel among those aged 18-24. 13% of whom stated they liked to shop this way—compared to just 3% of those aged 55 or above. 18-24-year-olds were also most likely to shop via social media shops when compared to other age groups.

# # #

Notes to editors:

*All £ currency relates to British consumers consumption online and all € currency relates to French, German, Italian and Spanish consumers consumption online.

About AliExpress

Launched in 2010, AliExpress is a business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce platform enabling global consumers to buy directly from manufacturers in China and around the world. In addition to the global English-language version, the AliExpress platform is also available in 15 other languages. AliExpress is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.

About the AliExpress Consumer Insights Report

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 9,524 respondents aged over 18 across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The data was collected between 28 June 2024 and 3 July 2024. The respondents were asked about their spending for the previous three months (March, April and May).

Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.

[i] The data was collected from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023.

[ii] The data was collected between 28 June 2024 and 3 July 2024. The respondents were asked about their spending for the previous three months (March, April and May).

[iii] The data was collected from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023.

[iv] Respondents who currently participate in more than one sport.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/europeans-inspired-to-get-active-during-2024-summer-of-sports-reveals-aliexpress-consumer-insights-report-302204315.html

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Siemon Validates Interoperability of AI-Ready Fiber Cabling with NVIDIA™ InfiniBand™ Hardware at IBTA Plugfest

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Siemon is pleased to announce that its AI Ready fiber optic cabling solutions passed all system interoperability tests with NVIDIA InfiniBand hardware.

WATERTOWN, Conn., Sept. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Siemon Company, a global leader in network infrastructure solutions, successfully participated in the 41st InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA) Plugfest for InfiniBand and RoCE, held at The University of New Hampshire – Interoperability Lab from April 15th to May 3rd. This year’s Plugfest marked a significant milestone with the IBTA introducing new system interoperability testing that included optical transceivers and fiber cabling from various manufacturers for the first time. This rigorous testing program establishes compliance to industry specifications and real-world interoperability, ensuring a robust ecosystem of InfiniBand and RoCE products.

“These test results provide assurance to our customers that Siemon’s AI Ready fiber cabling performs flawlessly within NVIDIA AI network designs, supporting both switch-to-switch and switch-to-server applications”

Siemon is pleased to announce that its AI Ready fiber optic cabling solutions passed all system interoperability tests with NVIDIA InfiniBand hardware.

“These test results provide assurance to our customers that Siemon’s AI Ready fiber cabling performs flawlessly within NVIDIA AI network designs, supporting both switch-to-switch and switch-to-server applications,” stated Gary Bernstein, Siemon’s Sr. Director of Global Data Center Sales.

The System testing was done with NDR 400G and NDR 200G traffic using NVIDIA switches, ConnectX-7 adapter cards, multimode and singlemode transceivers, and Siemon’s multimode and singlemode MTP fiber cabling solutions, including trunks, jumpers, and patch panels.

The IBTA will publish their InfiniBand Integrator’s list soon, listing specific hardware and Siemon components used in various configurations.

For inquiries regarding this testing or Siemon’s AI-Ready solutions, please contact your local Siemon representative.

For more information on Siemon Generative AI Solutions, please visit www.siemon.com/ai.

Media Contact

Brian Baum, Siemon, 1 8609454200, brian_baum@siemon.com 

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/siemon-validates-interoperability-of-ai-ready-fiber-cabling-with-nvidia-infiniband-hardware-at-ibta-plugfest-302260679.html

SOURCE Siemon

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Liftoff! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launches to International Space Station

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The two crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched at 1:17 p.m. EDT Saturday, for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station. This is the first human spaceflight mission launched from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and the agency’s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the space station.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, where Hague and Gorbunov will join Expedition 72 for a five-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.

“This mission required a lot of operational and planning flexibility. I congratulate the entire team on a successful launch today, and godspeed to Nick and Aleksandr as they make their way to the space station,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Our NASA wizards and our commercial and international partners have shown once again the success that comes from working together and adapting to changing circumstances without sacrificing the safe and professional operations of the International Space Station.”

During Dragon’s flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California. NASA will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA will provide live coverage of rendezvous, docking, and hatch opening, beginning at 3:30 p.m., Sept. 29, on NASA+ and the agency’s website. NASA also will broadcast the crew welcome ceremony once Hague and Gorbunov are aboard the orbital outpost. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The duo will join the space station’s Expedition 72 crew of NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Don Pettit, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner. The number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 for a short time until Crew-8 members Barratt, Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin depart the space station in early October.

The crewmates will conduct more than 200 scientific investigations, including blood clotting studies, moisture effects on plants grown in space, and vision changes in astronauts during their mission. Following their stay aboard the space station, Hague and Gorbunov will be joined by Williams and Wilmore to return to Earth in February 2025.

With this mission, NASA continues to maximize the use of the orbiting laboratory, where people have lived and worked continuously for more than 23 years, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit and explore farther from Earth. Research conducted at the space station benefits people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration missions to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis campaign, and beyond.

More about Crew-9

Hague is the commander of Crew-9 and is making his second trip to the orbital outpost since his selection as an astronaut in 2013. He will serve as a mission specialist during Expedition 72/73 aboard the space station. Follow @AstroHague on X and Instagram.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov is flying on his first mission. He will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72/73.

Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission and the agency’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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SOURCE NASA

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Global Times: 75 years on, China committed to global common development

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BEIJING, Sept. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — October 1 this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 75 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the country has undergone tremendous changes, realizing unprecedented development. China has achieved in a few decades what took developed countries several centuries, with its economy now ranking as the second largest in the world. With strenuous efforts, China has realized its first centenary goal – building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

China’s influence on the world has never been as profound and long-lasting as it is today. Likewise, the world’s attention to China has never been as deep, and focused as it is now.

As globalization deepens, nations are becoming more interdependent, while various global challenges continue to emerge. Humanity faces natural challenges such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity, as well as common global threats like extreme poverty, nuclear proliferation, political extremism, hegemony, and escalating geopolitical conflicts. The need for cooperation has never been more urgent or important than it is today, experts said.

“Where is humanity headed?” has become a significant question concerning the future and destiny for all.

To answer this question, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity in 2013. This is seen as China’s solution to addressing global challenges and creating a better future through concerted efforts of the international community. “The common interest of all humankind is in a world united and peaceful rather than divided and volatile,” Xi said, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Building a community with a shared future for humanity is not about replacing one system with another or one civilization with another. Instead, it is about countries with different social systems, ideologies, historical contexts, and levels of development achieving mutual benefits, sharing rights, and jointly bearing responsibilities in international affairs, experts said.

“Unlike the confrontational or competitive approaches that often dominate international relations, this concept advocates for inclusivity and multilateralism,” Hamad Al Hosani, senior researcher at TRENDS Research and Advisory, a think tank of the United Arab Emirates, told the Global Times. “It also reflects a shift from traditional approach to one that embraces a holistic and interconnected global outlook.”

Hosani added that this concept helps address global challenges by focusing on shared responsibilities, such as equitable resource distribution, environmental stewardship, and collective security measures. It encourages countries to promote a sense of global solidarity and cooperation in managing transnational threats.

China’s vision, embodied in initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, focuses on infrastructure investment, trade connectivity, and mutual development without imposing political conditions, Hosani told the Global Times, adding that “this reflects a more pragmatic and cooperative approach that respects the individual paths of nations.”

Therefore, the Chinese path offers developing countries an alternative model of engagement, one that values equal partnership and mutual benefit rather than hierarchical or conditional relationships. “This has attracted many countries, particularly in the Global South, to China’s approach, which they see as less intrusive and more respectful of their developmental needs and choices,” Hosani said.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that China has provided substantial aid to the Global South over the past decade and established various organizations such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which reflect China’s principles of equality, inclusiveness, cooperation, and sustainability.

For a better world

Over the 11 years since the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity was proposed, China has been both an advocate and a practitioner. Through joint efforts, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has transformed from a Chinese proposal to an international practice, from an idea to concrete actions. It has not only brought tangible benefits to the participating countries but also contributed positively to promoting healthy globalization, addressing global development challenges, and improving global governance.

Projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China-Europe Railway Express, China-Laos Railway, Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, Piraeus Port, Kopa wind power project have greatly benefited local people. By the end of June 2023, China had signed over 200 cooperation documents with more than 150 countries across five continents and over 30 international organizations under the BRI framework, creating countless iconic projects as well as smaller, people-centered projects.

Bojan Lalic, director of the Belt and Road Institute in Belgrade, told the Global Times that different from the West’s selective alliances, China has opted for a path of inclusive multilateralism, advocating for broader cooperation and promoting inclusive frameworks such as the BRI to facilitate development across numerous nations.

“As developing countries increasingly engage with China, a shift in global power dynamics may occur, enabling a multipolar world where various development models coexist,” Lalic said.

Under the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, President Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative successively from 2021 to 2023. These three initiatives focus on addressing global development challenges, eliminating global security dilemmas, and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

So far, more than 100 countries and international organizations have voiced support for the Global Development Initiative, with over 70 countries joining this “Group of Friends.” More than 200 development cooperation projects have yielded results, according to the People’s Daily Overseas Edition.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres praised the Global Development Initiative as a “valued contribution to addressing common challenges and accelerating the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive future.”

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-times-75-years-on-china-committed-to-global-common-development-302261718.html

SOURCE Global Times

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