Latest news with #Sina
DW
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- DW
Berlin: Germany's first Labubu toy store opens doors to fans – DW – 07/25/2025
The Labubu craze has found a new home, as hundreds of people lined up to get the eerie ugly dolls at Chinese toymaker Pop Mart's first store in Berlin. The fluffy toy with the toothy grin and pointed ears, called Labubu, arrived in Germany on Friday with Chinese toymaker Pop Mart opening its first physical store in the country. The eerie plush doll that has swept the internet appeared to be at home, as China's Pop Mart opened its first store in Berlin, a city known for its edgy and energetic style. Hundreds of people waited in line, including with camping chairs, with one even working on her computer, according to DW's business reporter, Marie Sina. "I'll wait till I get one," said one person waiting in line who spoke with Sina. She had a fake version of the toy, Lafufu, at home, and she wanted an original doll. Lafufus gained popularity because of a shortage of original toys. China last month warned that the counterfeit Lafufu toys could pose a choking hazard for children. A big reason for the popularity of the eerie little monster toys is that they are packaged inside boxes and people buying them only learn about their character when they open the boxes. The surprise element adds to the mystery and creates more hype, and people are willing to put more money to get the doll they want. By now, there are more than 2.4 million #Labubu TikTok posts and counting. Even Brad Pitt and the cast of "F1 The Movie" filmed a TikTok unwrapping the boxes. DW's Sina says many people waiting in line in Berlin earlier today were influencers and journalists, the with Gen Z and millennial age groups present at the opening. Labubu, by artist and illustrator Kasing Lung, first appeared a decade ago in three picture books inspired by Nordic mythology in 2015. In 2019, Lung struck a deal with Pop Mart, a Beijing-based company that caters to toy connoisseurs, to sell Labubu figurines. In 2023, Pop Mart began selling the plush toys on key rings and the phenomenon blew up overseas. K-pop singer Lisa of Blackpink talked about her love for the toy on Instagram where she has more than 100 million followers, fueling the hype. Celebrities like Rihanna and Dua Lipa have been spotted with the toys attached to their handbags. Pop Mart's revenue more than doubled in 2024 to 13.04 billion yuan ($1.81 billion, €1.55 billion), thanks in part to the wild explosion in popularity of Labubus. Revenue from Pop Marts' plush toys soared more than 1,200% in 2024, nearly 22% of its overall revenue, according to the company's annual report. The Chinese toymaker said earlier this month it expects at least a 350% profit and about a 200% jump in revenue for the first six months of the year. Even though the vast majority of Pop Mart's revenue comes from Asia, global demand for Labubus has turned Pop Mart into a $40 billion company, according to Bloomberg.
Sunday World
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Country singer Sina Theil on battling with alopecia and why she's dumping her wig
Sina Theil shares her alopecia with fans and is blown away by positive reaction The 35-year-old entertainer, who started her music career busking on the streets of Dublin, says she has been suffering from baldness since her teenage years when she was diagnosed with alopecia areata. Sina says she would disguise it with various hairstyles until it got so noticeable that she began covering it up with wigs and a hat. Last week on her social media, Sina took the brave step of removing her wig and telling the fans about her hair loss. She posted: 'The time has come to be free — life is not to be lived in fear! This is how I really look like.' Sina Theil famously sported a hat whenever she performed in public Now, in an exclusive interview with the Sunday World, Sina says: 'It has taken a lot of years for me to go public, but I really feel if there is something that you keep as a secret, whether it's wearing a wig or you are gay or whatever, the things you keep a secret really weigh on you even if you don't realise it. That's what I realised when I started taking the wig off.' Sina, who grew up in Germany and moved here in 2015, recalled how the issue developed as she hit her teenage years. 'I started having it when I was 11 or 12 and into early teenage years and it always fluctuated. It never fully went away,' she tells me. 'In my teenage years if people asked me about it I would totally deny it. I would be just mortified if somebody asked me. 'I would go to a nightclub with my friends and I would be afraid that someone would tug at my hair and discover the truth. When it's a secret that you are guarding you are on guard the whole time, even though you don't realise it because you get so used to it. And that weighs on you. 'There was so much I missed out on that I told myself I couldn't do because you can't jump into the water without a wig. You can't ride a rollercoaster. You are afraid because nobody knows.' Sina decided to share her hair loss with fans on social media Sina says that as the years went on the loss of her hair increased and she found it more and more difficult to cover it up. 'In the last seven years they (bald patches) got bigger and united and that's when it became really noticeable,' she explains. 'Before that I could change hairstyles and cover it up so it looked more like a hairstyle. In recent years if people asked me about it privately I would tell them I had alopecia and, gradually, that made me feel better about it. 'Then recently with the help of some good friends who said, 'Come on you can do it, be brave, be yourself, there is nothing wrong with the way you look or who you are or what you are dealing with.' Sina proudly shows off her natural look Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 19th 'That kind of gave me that extra push to say, 'OK, I'm ready.' Sina, who has just finished an American tour supported by Culture Ireland, says that the reaction of her followers online and at her live shows has been totally positive since she went public with her condition. 'We tell ourselves we have to have this certain image, we have to look a certain way, but actually there's one thing I found out by making it public and putting it out there is that people are really wonderful. 'People, especially in Ireland, are very honest and they appreciate honesty. People will love you more if you are honest with them. 'I say now, 'If you feel in doubt about how people react look at the thousands of reactions that I got of the most beautiful, lovely kind and caring comments and messages from people just saying, 'look, we love you, just be you.' Sina was known for her trademark hats when she performed 'I would now say to people not to be alone in your little corner dealing with your issues when you could be sharing the load with other people that are going through the same thing, that have already come out on the other side 'In my case it's alopecia but it could be any sort of condition or difference that people have. Since I went public I'm now talking about it on stage and telling how I used to hide this and now I've learned to embrace me and to learn to love myself the way that I am. 'One person came up to me at a show and said, 'I had a motorbike accident and now I wear sunglasses because I have a scar.' 'I said. 'If I can stand here with a mohawk you can take off your sunglasses. Do you think I look horrible, do you think less of me?' No, well no one is going to think less of you. 'And then to see that person in audience later with no sunglasses… that to me is mission achieved, that's part of why I'm doing it.'
Mint
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
Xiaomi faces customer backlash as YU7 SUV delivery times stretch to over a year
Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is facing mounting criticism from customers after it revealed that delivery times for its newly launched YU7 electric SUV could stretch to more than a year. The news has sparked a wave of complaints from buyers, many of whom claim they were not informed of the lengthy wait before placing their orders. Xiaomi, which entered the electric vehicle (EV) market last year with its SU7 sedan, said it received approximately 240,000 orders for the YU7 within the first 18 hours of its release on Thursday night. However, only a limited number of units were reportedly available for immediate dispatch. By Tuesday, users of the official Xiaomi app were being shown estimated waiting periods ranging between 38 and 60 weeks, according to checks carried out byReuters. This delay has triggered discontent among early buyers, with over 400 complaints filed on Sina's Black Cat consumer platform since Friday. Many purchasers allege they were unaware of the delivery timeline until after paying a non-refundable deposit of 5,000 yuan (around $698). Customers have also voiced concerns over potential additional costs, as China's tax exemption for electric vehicles is set to expire by the end of this year. A delayed delivery could mean some buyers lose out on the financial benefit. The company has not yet responded publicly to the backlash. However, Xiaomi's founder and CEO, Lei Jun, announced via social media platform Weibo, where he commands an audience of 26.8 million followers, that he plans to address consumer concerns in a livestream on Wednesday. Notably, the YU7, Xiaomi's second EV model, enters a competitive market priced at 253,500 yuan ($35,360), undercutting Tesla's best-selling Model Y by nearly four per cent. The company has openly declared its ambition to challenge Tesla's dominance in China's SUV segment. Xiaomi's debut model, the SU7, made headlines upon launch in March last year and has since outsold Tesla's Model 3 on a monthly basis in China since December. Nevertheless, the company has recently been navigating reputational challenges, including criticism over delivery transparency and a fatal SU7 crash in March that drew intense scrutiny. To meet growing demand, Xiaomi has been scaling up operations at its production facility in Beijing. Output increased from 4,000 vehicles in March 2024 to 28,000 in May, with plans underway to build additional factories on two adjacent plots. (With inputs from Reuters)
TimesLIVE
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Year-long wait for Xiaomi YU7 sparks customer backlash
China's Xiaomi is telling customers of its new YU7 electric SUV they will have to wait more than a year to receive their cars, sparking a fresh wave of complaints against the company. The smartphone-turned electric vehicle (EV) maker said it received about 240,000 orders for the YU7 in the first 18 hours after the car went on sale on Thursday night, but only a small number of vehicles were available for immediate delivery. By Tuesday the Xiaomi app showed purchasers face a wait of between 38 and 60 weeks, according to Reuters checks. Since Friday more than 400 buyers have lodged complaints on Sina's Black Cat consumer complaint platform saying they were not made aware of the long wait and demanding a refund, according to a Reuters review of the records on the platform. Buyers had to make a non-refundable deposit of 5,000 yuan (R12,298) to place their order. They said the official app only showed the estimated waiting time for the car after the order had been confirmed. They also raised concern about whether the longer wait would mean they would have to pay more because a tax exemption for EVs is set to expire at the end of this year.
Mint
27-05-2025
- Mint
62-year-old Chinese woman dies after being forced to visit bank in a wheelchair, ignites outrage
The Agricultural Bank of China is under scrutiny after a gravely ill elderly woman, identified as Peng, 62, died outside a branch in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, on May 14. She had been instructed to withdraw money in person. Peng was brought to the bank by her daughter and son-in-law to withdraw 50,000 yuan (approximately US$7,000) for medical treatment. Peng had long battled diabetes and was recently hospitalised after fracturing her leg in a fall, according to Dahe News. Earlier that afternoon, Peng's daughter visited the bank with her mother's identification card and deposit book. However, after multiple failed attempts to enter the correct password, the transaction was blocked. Despite explaining her mother's medical condition, the bank clerk insisted that Peng had to be physically present to proceed. The daughter then contacted her sister, who, along with her husband, brought Peng to the bank in a wheelchair. Despite waiting for an hour, they were still unable to withdraw the funds. Peng, reportedly semi-conscious with her head tilted to one side, was unable to meet the face recognition requirements, which involved movements such as nodding and blinking. Later, her daughters took her outside for fresh air, but tragically, she died at the bank's entrance. Authorities are currently investigating the case, with officials stating that Peng's death was due to a 'sudden outbreak of illness.' An anonymous bank employee told the news portal Sina that Peng's family had not informed the staff about her medical condition. When Peng arrived at the bank and had difficulty complying with the procedures, employees suggested that her daughters take her home to rest, but the family declined. Local police authorities announced that they would release their investigation findings soon. On May 16, Peng's nephew announced that the family had reached an agreement with the bank to settle the issue. The bank agreed to cover Peng's funeral expenses and provide the family with 100,000 yuan (approximately US$14,000) as 'consolation money'. 'The agreement is signed between the bank and my cousin [Peng's daughter]. We will not pursue the matter any further. We are preparing to return to our rural hometown," the nephew stated. This incident has led to heated online discussions regarding the bank's actions. 'Why did not the bank release its surveillance footage to the public? I am sure it has high-quality cameras installed. Instead of sharing the footage, it chose to offer 100,000 yuan to settle the issue. Does this indicate a guilty conscience?' one online user mentioned.
