Innholdsfortegnelse for February 18, 2022 i Newsweek International

“It’s a strange responsibility to have this many viewers.” » P.33 IT SOUNDS LIKE ONE OF THOSE TOO-GOOD-to-be true propositions: Buy an item online, shell out just a fraction of the price at checkout and pay the remainder in installments over time, typically at no extra cost. As online shopping has soared during the pandemic, the popularity of these new payment programs, known as buy now, pay later (BNPL) plans, has skyrocketed as well. Last year alone, Americans spent $20.8 billion through these services, with purchases overall up 230 percent since the start of 2020, according to a study by Accenture commissioned by Afterpay, one of the leading players in the field. Traditionally offered just for online spending by financial tech companies like Affirm, Klarna and PayPay Credit in addition…

“Now, we have a vision: be a ‘Good Ethical Company’. Our role is to support our clients in their development projects to make them sustainable and future-friendly.” Daisuke Yashima, President and CEO, Semba Corporation Established in 1947, Semba Corporation specializes in the interior design and construction of commercial spaces such as shopping centers, supermarkets, cafés and restaurants. “We’re a company that creates spaces where people want to come and spend time,” says president and CEO Daisuke Yashima. Changing infrastructure demands in Japan mean Semba is also branching out into non-commercial facilities, such as schools and universities, offices and healthcare centers. “Last year, 80% of our business was related to commercial spaces, and the remaining 20% was for other areas,” Mr. Yashima says. “However, we plan to enhance the percentage of…

Northern Light-Lit Crest ICELAND “I dreamed of a surf session under the Northern Lights for years. It took years of planning and many trips to make it happen. Even this trip had been thrown off course by a once-in-a-lifetime storm that ravaged the country, forcing us into a life-threatening situation. We thought about quitting while we were ahead (alive and safe), but the idea of something like this happening was too strong. To say the least, we made the right call.” (See #5 on following spread) 01 Picture-Perfect Wave ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA “This day is forever ingrained in my head. In a way, it’s a culmination of my whole career—a remote, untouched cold-surf location, perfect empty waves and a stunning backdrop. It took days of travel to get there.…

HEADING INTO ITS SECOND YEAR in office, the Biden administration has been hit hard by rising inflation, another pandemic variant and a stalled agenda in Congress. As it struggles to salvage things, the administration can little afford a major international conflict—especially after finally winding down the 20-year fiasco in Afghanistan. That’s precisely the risk in Eastern Europe, where the administration is straining to confront Russia over its troop buildup on Ukraine’s borders. If handled improperly, the conflict could potentially spiral into a proxy war between the United States and Russia. But if the administration stops dealing with Ukraine as a dangerous distraction, it could turn this crisis into a profound foreign policy opportunity. The truth is, the United States has few levers of influence with Russia, and European allies are…

The Southern European economy, one of the world’s ten largest, saw investment more than three times the European Union average in 2021, and will continue to outstrip the bloc of which it is a leading member in the coming two years. As PWC noted, the country was recently upgraded from “stable” to “positive” outlook by ratings agency S&P, acknowledging “the government’s commitment to pro-growth reforms would boost the economy”. Official estimates show that the economy grew by more than 6% in 2021 and will expand by a further 4.7% in 2022. Yet the administration led by highly-respected former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi will not rest on its laurels. The government is committed to further reform, and supporting Italy’s extremely dynamic private sector, which is taking the lead in…

This is a positive sign for the Italian economy overall, and is part of a global trend when it comes to the services industry, which is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, aided by changing market conditions and the growth of digital solutions. One of those riding this wave is Reply, a network of companies specialising in the rapid design and implementation of innovative solutions based on new communication channels and digital media. “For customers today, the difference in products and services is made through software, and going forward I believe it will be made through artificial intelligence, too. It’s not easy finding specialized people for this work,” says Tatiana Rizzante, Reply’s chief executive officer. Reply started as an engineering and software company back in 1996, but at…

Meanwhile, the global tissue paper market is forecasted to grow at more than 6% a year over the next five years, according to market intelligence company RISI, with average consumption per person per year reaching 55kg. Global production is expected to be around 44 million tons this year alone. This trend is likely to benefit existing market players with strong manufacturing and distribution networks. One such company is Cartiere Carrara, headquartered in the Tuscan region of Italy and one of the leading enterprises in Europe when it comes to the integrated production of tissue paper. “We have been the number one producer of pure pulp tissues in Italy since 1976. We have witnessed all of the major developments,” says Massimo Carrara, president of Cartiere Carrara. “My family started making paper…

Ignazio Messina & C. is a leading Italian shipping company with a long track record of success. Its history dates back to 1921, when Giuseppe Messina first launched a company serving routes to Africa, and in 1929 the company was officially established. Although World War II took its toll on the business, the Messina company began acquiring ships again in 1960, launching services to ports in the Maghreb, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Arabia, and expanding its services over the decades. Together with its management holding company, Gruppo Messina, the company provides regular line services connecting the Mediterranean to Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, as well as Europe. Business is booming because of the company’s unique specialization in ro-ro – roll-on, roll-off – shipping services,…

LITTLE ENDURES VERY LONG IN Super Bowl history. Dynastic teams come and go. Stadiums and commissioners, too. Even Tom Brady, it turns out, could not last forever. But on February 13, as he has on every single Super Bowl Sunday, 93-year-old Jerry Green expects to don a collared shirt and dungarees, loop his credentials lanyard around his neck and head to “the office.” This time, that will be SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, where he’ll watch the L.A. Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals and then tap out some observations for The Detroit News. In doing so, Green will extend an unbreakable streak: He’ll become the only newspaper reporter of the 338 credentialed journalists to document Super Bowl I in 1967 who will have attended and covered all 56 of…

The strength of the economic recovery should help the government deliver on one of its top priorities – accelerating the energy transition, in which Italy is a world leader. The transition will see the world shift away from fossil fuels towards a zero-carbon economy by the second half of the century, entailing a massive wave of investment in renewable resources, electrification, battery technology, and the power grids to support them. In April 2021, the government allocated $78bn for “Green Revolution and Ecological Transition” expenditure, including €28bn for the energy transition and sustainable mobility, the vast sums a clear statement of intent from one of the world’s top-ten economies. Prysmian Group is in a prime position to participate in the transformation, asone of the country’s biggest companies and a global market…

With its mission to provide innovative, sustainable packaging solutions that improvethelivesofmillionsofpeopleevery day, Italy’s Seda International Packaging Group could be a major beneficiary of both these trends. “Right from the very beginning of our company, we set ourselves the goal of excelling in innovation and sustainability across the ice cream, food and food service packaging sectors,” comments Seda CEO Antonio D’Amato, who leads the Group together with his brother Gianfranco, Seda COO. “We are now one of the very few groups in the world able to produce a complete range of packaging solutions. We do cups and containers, flexible packaging and folding cartons, and have successfully and repeatedly pioneered new materials and products that have set world standards over the years,” he adds. Seda Group was established by Antonio and Gianfranco’s…

TEN YEARS AFTER ITS “AUTOPSY” of Mitt Romney’s 2012 loss to Barack Obama concluded that the Republican Party’s biggest problem was its failure to appeal to voters of color, 2022 is shaping up as a breakthrough year for the GOP on at least one diversity front: Black candidates. From Georgia, where high-profile Black Republicans seek nominations for both governor and senator, to Michigan, where former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is the odds-on favorite to go up against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, to a lineup of well-funded House and Senate candidates poised to break the record for the number of Black Republicans elected to Congress, a decade-long effort to broaden the appeal of the GOP is finally bearing fruit—and could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the…

Long before the onslaught of coronavirus, Japan’s real estate market was characterized as steady, stable, and reliable, and industry insiders remain optimistic about the post-pandemic future, as the sector continues to show its resilience in the face of the pandemic. While Japan’s real estate market has traditionally been dominated by domestic buyers, the ratio of foreign entities making direct investments has nearly doubled in two years. Today, 38% of real estate in Japan comes from foreign investors, compared to just 21% in 2019, with overseas investors attracted by the country’s stable governance, low initial cost of purchase, attractive investment yield, and diversified real estate offerings. Naturally Tokyo and Osaka have been the most popular destinations for foreign funds. One of the most profitable, yet affordable major cities in the world,…

“Our main focus is on the smart home business and the promotion of the healthcare features of smart homes that allow people to manage their health at home.” Shizuo Kiyotaki, CEO & COO, Okura Co., Ltd. Real estate firm turned home technology solutions developer, Okura is the company behind the HESTA range of smart home and hotel solutions. With recent investment to develop household AI technologies – including the HESTA robot that can control household appliances, and a new product HESTA AirClean that is capable of removing 99% of viruses and harmful bacteria from the air – Okura is aiming to make a big splash in the growing smart home market. “We are expanding the HESTA range of smart solutions and will be distributing them to major developers across the…