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Consumption in China is accelerating


data released by some of China's trading giants show an acceleration of consumption in China. it is positive data, but not yet full health. remember that the recovery of consumption is one of the targets officially communicated by the government, which has introduced a series of targeted actions to stimulate it. china is the second largest consumer market in the world one sector that has continued to suffer in 2024 is coffee and bubble tea chains Luckin saw revenues at -3.4% in 4Q24 Starbucks -6%

Starbucks
 

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The situation of chicken farms in Italy is disastrous: absent from the agreements on animal welfare and meat quality are large groups such as Conad, Coop, Esselunga but also all discount stores


This is according to the ChickenTrack 2024 report by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF)... The Italian companies that have made medium- to long-term (2-3 years) commitments to convert their farms and comply with the improved welfare requirements of the ECC are Eataly, Bofrost, Carrefour, the Fileni Group and Cortilia. The ECC criteria include the reduction of animal density in the sheds, the use of better stunning methods at the slaughter stage and, above all, the choice to rear chickens with a slower growth rate. The result is this: chicken full of fat

CarrefourConadCoopDiscountEatalyEsselungaMeat
 

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Climate change drives the surge in global energy demand


The global appetite for energy rose faster than usual last year as record global temperatures meant more energy was used for cooling, underlining the vicious cycle between climate change and energy use Intense heatwaves in China and India increased the use of coal to generate the electricity needed to power air conditioners, helping push global energy demand up 2.2 per cent from a rate of 1.3 per cent in the previous decade and a 1.8 per cent increase in the year before. Read also this article

Climate change
 

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Apple Music versus Spotify


Apple Music has reached 100 million subscribers (including free trial users), but lags behind Spotify, which had 263 million paying subscribers as of 31 December and is solidly profitable, with a gross margin of 32% last quarter. Apple Music, on the other hand, has a 'single-digit percentage' gross margin. The US accounted for 39% of Spotify's revenues last year, a figure close to Netflix's 41%, which remains a significant benchmark. In other words, Spotify even thrives in Apple's home territory. Source : Technicisms

Streaming
 

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The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at its highest point in 800,000 years


according to UN research that found that 2024 was likely the hottest year on record and the first to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels... The record temperatures led to an intensification of storms and weather disasters, with at least 151 'unprecedented' extreme weather events in 2024. "Millions of people are increasingly suffering the consequences" of climate change in the form of heat waves, floods, droughts, storms and rising seas, said Stefan Rahmstorf, head of the research department at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. "We can only stop the warming trend by getting off fossil fuels, and we have to do it fast," he said."Ignoring reality, denying the laws of physics and silencing scientists can only lead to damage, and ordinary people will pay the price."

Climate change