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The champions crashed to a fifth straight defeat in all competitions – something not experienced by the club in more than 18 years – as they were thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The loss, which was also a third in succession in the Premier League and shattered a 52-game unbeaten home run, damaged the club’s hopes of winning an unprecedented fifth title in a row. It is the worst run of Guardiola’s glittering managerial career and the City boss, who extended his contract until 2027 last week, is determined to turn the situation around. The Catalan said: “When we start to lose I say to the people I have to find a way, I have to. It’s my duty, my responsibility, to find a way to be more consistent, that our game will be better and win games. “This is what we have to do.” City have been hampered by injuries to key players in recent weeks, particularly by the absence of Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the season. Problems have emerged at both ends of the field with a lack of clean sheets – just five in 19 outings this term – and a shortage of goals being scored on occasions, like Saturday, when the prolific Erling Haaland has an off-day. Guardiola said: “We don’t expect to lose important players but it’s happened and you have to find a way. We have to find other abilities. “I don’t think we didn’t create enough chances. We created a lot of chances, clear ones at 0-0, 0-1, 0-2. “Of course we want a lot of players to score but it’s happened now. “I know at the Etihad when we are there and we score goals our momentum is there, but now we are not solid enough. That is the truth. “In both sides normally we are solid but we concede the goals. Now in both sides we are not good enough. “In these situations, what do you have do to? Keep going my friends, keep going. “We have done it in the past – not in terms of results being as bad as now – but we have done it and we face the situation and move forward.”

‘This dude is a fraud. He’s been a fraud’ – Ryan Clark goes scortched-earth on ‘tone-deaf’ Aaron RodgersPep Guardiola admits the buck stops with him as Manchester City bid to arrest their dramatic slump in form. The champions crashed to a fifth straight defeat in all competitions – something not experienced by the club in more than 18 years – as they were thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The loss, which was also a third in succession in the Premier League and shattered a 52-game unbeaten home run, damaged the club’s hopes of winning an unprecedented fifth title in a row. It is the worst run of Guardiola’s glittering managerial career and the City boss, who extended his contract until 2027 last week, is determined to turn the situation around. The Catalan said: “When we start to lose I say to the people I have to find a way, I have to. It’s my duty, my responsibility, to find a way to be more consistent, that our game will be better and win games. “This is what we have to do.” City have been hampered by injuries to key players in recent weeks, particularly by the absence of Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the season. Problems have emerged at both ends of the field with a lack of clean sheets – just five in 19 outings this term – and a shortage of goals being scored on occasions, like Saturday, when the prolific Erling Haaland has an off-day. Guardiola said: “We don’t expect to lose important players but it’s happened and you have to find a way. We have to find other abilities. “I don’t think we didn’t create enough chances. We created a lot of chances, clear ones at 0-0, 0-1, 0-2. “Of course we want a lot of players to score but it’s happened now. “I know at the Etihad when we are there and we score goals our momentum is there, but now we are not solid enough. That is the truth. “In both sides normally we are solid but we concede the goals. Now in both sides we are not good enough. “In these situations, what do you have do to? Keep going my friends, keep going. “We have done it in the past – not in terms of results being as bad as now – but we have done it and we face the situation and move forward.”

Ministers have been urged to speed up plans to criminalise the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images. Conservative peer Baroness Owen has proposed a law to make it an offence to create or solicit intimate images of people without their consent. The government has not backed her bill, which would apply to England and Wales, as it is planning to bring forward its own legislation to tackle the issue next year. However, Baroness Owen criticised ministers for "delaying action", saying this was "a betrayal of those who need our protection the most". A deepfake is an image or video that has been digitally altered with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to replace the face of one person with the face of another. Baroness Owen said the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes was growing rapidly, with so-called "nudification" apps easily available online. Her bill would create new offences, with those found guilty facing a fine and up to six months in jail. But it is unlikely to become law without government support. The former adviser to Boris Johnson was the youngest member of the House of Lords , after being nominated by the ex-prime minister in his resignation honours list. Introducing her bill in the chamber, Baroness Owen said 99% of sexually explicit deepfakes were of women, describing this as a "disproportionately sexist form of abuse". She told peers AI meant "a woman can no longer choose who owns an intimate image of her". "Technology has made it possible for them to be created by anyone, anywhere, at anytime, regardless of whether she consents," she added. The peer cited research suggesting one app had processed 600,000 images in its first three weeks, while the biggest site "dedicated to deepfake abuse" had 13.4 million hits per month. Labour's general election manifesto promised to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes and justice minister Lord Ponsonby said the government agreed more needed to be done to protect women from this form of abuse. "But we must also act carefully so that any new measures work with existing law and, most importantly, will effectively protect victims and bring offenders to justice," he added. He said the government would deliver its manifesto commitment and bring forward its own legislation next year. Baroness Owen said she was "devastated" the government was not backing her bill, adding: "I know that survivors will feel let down". "This bill will save lives and delaying action is a betrayal of those who need our protection the most," she said. Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Grender said the bill was "essential", adding: "Women can't suffer delay on this issue." Sharing or threatening to share sexually explicit deepfake images are already illegal in England and Wales under the Online Safety Act, which passed last year. The last Conservative government also promised to make creating such images a criminal offence. However, its proposals ran out of time to become law when the general election was called in May. Campaigners had raised concerns the proposals would make creating such images a crime only if someone wanted to cause "alarm, humiliation or distress to the victim", rather than simply if the individual had not consented to their image being used in this way. Online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron urged the Labour government to ensure any new legislation would not require malicious intent to be proven. The crossbench peer said: "The one thing we know is that, if you have to prove intent, it is worse than useless." Baroness Owen said her bill would be consent-based so the burden was not on the victim to prove intent. Lord Ponsonby said the government was "actively considering" this issue. However, he added that in a criminal case "the onus is never on the victim to marshal evidence or to prove intent of the perpetrator", and this would be a matter for the police and prosecutors. Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said any legislation must be consent-based and cover solicitation as well as creation to be effective. "The public wants to see change and the government must now deliver on this manifesto commitment," she added.

Chinese retailers Temu and Shein are rapidly gaining share with “explosive” user growth. SINGAPORE – Increasing competition and an uncertain economic outlook have dampened growth prospects for Singapore’s e-commerce industry. Observers told The Straits Times that while the industry is expected to expand in the coming years, it remains vulnerable to headwinds. Professor Lawrence Loh at the National University of Singapore Business school noted that e-commerce companies saw a surge in hiring during the pandemic to meet sudden spikes in demand, but shoppers are returning to physical stores, creating a likely oversupply of workers. “E-commerce is an industry that is heavily dependent on economic growth fluctuations,” Prof Loh said. “Its imports may also be subject to tariffs in the US, which is expected to intensify such tariffs soon, this is why these companies will be even more vulnerable to revenue shocks in the near future.” Prof Loh said the demand for e-commerce is expected to keep expanding over the next decade, but its growth rate is projected to be far slower than the surge during the Covid-19 pandemic, when consumers flocked to online platforms for purchases. A report published in November by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company found that Singapore’s e-commerce sector grew from US$8 billion (S$10.7 billion) in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2023 to US$9 billion in 2024. GMV refers to the total value of goods sold between customers or from e-commerce platforms. E-commerce sales here stood at US$4.9 billion in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, and ballooned to around US$8 billion in 2021 and 2022. The expansion in 2024 comes after several layoffs and payment delays in the sector. In January, regional e-commerce company Lazada axed around 100 employees in Singapore, with sources indicating that the company planned to reduce its South-east Asia headcount by 25 per cent to 50 per cent. Local e-commerce company Qoo10 was declared insolvent by the Singapore High Court in November, following its failure to pay merchants using its platform since July. The company also reportedly laid off 80 per cent of its employees in August. Insead Associate Professor Ben Charoenwong said the sector’s volatility stems from several factors. Rising interest rates have heightened pressure on platforms to demonstrate clear pathways to profitability, and this will likely lead to operational restructurings. Another factor is the advancements in technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation that are boosting operational efficiencies, reducing the need for human labour. “Some of the layoffs may reflect this technological transformation rather than purely economic distress, similar to what we’ve observed with major US tech companies,” Prof Charoenwong said. He added that higher capital costs and changing market conditions will likely lead to cost adjustments in the sector. This does not necessarily signal a decline but rather a “natural cycle of maturation”, with businesses focusing on sustainable growth over expanding market share. “The intensity of future adjustments will likely depend on several factors: the trajectory of interest rates, the pace of technological adoption, and broader economic conditions,” he said. “Companies that can adapt their capital budgeting and operational strategies to this new environment while maintaining competitive advantages are likely to emerge stronger.” Growing competition Despite the challenges, e-commerce companies here have been vying for market share in the region in 2024. Bloomberg Intelligence notes that Sea-backed Shopee remained the region’s leading e-commerce platform in 2024, based on GMV and user numbers. The platform’s monthly active users in South-east Asia had grown to nearly 260 million in October, up from just under 250 million in the same period in 2023. Shopee’s GMV is expected to reach US$70 billion in 2024, accounting for about 50 per cent of the region’s total GMV. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Nathan Naidu said Shopee’s parent company Sea has continued to invest in live-streaming features to fend off its rivals in 2024, but TikTok Shop is still the region’s most popular live-streaming e-commerce platform. TikTok Shop is also positioned to overtake second-place Lazada in the near term. The number of people who used Lazada fell to 107 million in October from 120 million a year earlier, likely due to less aggressive promotional tactics than Shopee, TikTok Shop and new entrant Temu. Temu, which is backed by Chinese tech firm PDD, and Shein, a Chinese fast-fashion retailer, are also rapidly gaining share with “explosive” user growth, said Mr Naidu. “Singapore’s e-commerce market is relatively more mature compared with other markets in South-east Asia, hence e-commerce merchants might seek growth opportunities in other countries in the region such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines,” he added. Support for Singapore’s SMEs There is potential for Singapore’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to enter the e-commerce sector. E-commerce companies told ST they have introduced various initiatives to help smaller firms tap into opportunities on their platforms. For example, Shopee introduced its Seller Education Hub in 2021, where sellers, including SMEs, can attend workshops and webinars focused on key topics like using AI to improve product listings and search engine optimisation. ST understands that Shopee plans to allow sellers to list products internationally, targeting markets like Malaysia and Thailand, through its Shopee International Platform programme by 2025. Similarly, Amazon launched the Amazon Global Selling Singapore Cross-border Launchpad programme in partnership with Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Business Federation in 2023. The initiative aims to help over 100 local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises expand into the United States by 2025. The programme aims to equip at least 300 Singapore companies with cross-border e-commerce knowledge through seminars, business reviews and business-matching by 2025. Meanwhile, TikTok Shop allows merchants to live-stream products themselves or through influencers, giving retailers the opportunity to engage users throughout the purchasing process. It also launched its Seller Academy in 2022 to help merchants improve selling techniques and boost brand awareness. Bhavani Stores, which sells its Uncle Saba’s Poppadoms Lentil Chips on Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop in Singapore, is one SME leveraging these initiatives. Managing director Sreenivas Saba said the firm has attended Amazon’s Global Selling Programme, as it aims to enter the US e-commerce market soon. “The great thing about e-commerce platforms today is that they are very easy to get on and start selling,” added Mr Sreenivas. “We want to tackle some large overseas e-commerce platforms next... the good thing is that many of them have workshops which onboard sellers, and we will definitely continue making use of them.” Mr Sreenivas said he has engaged influencer agencies to help market Uncle Saba’s Poppadoms Lentil Chips via live streaming on TikTok shop. He also plans to explore Shopee’s International Platform programme, set to launch in 2025, to expand the business to Thailand and possibly other countries in the region. Ms Maya Kale, co-founder of woman’s wellness platform Moom Health, said platforms like Shopee and TikTok Shop have been helpful with their training workshops. The company’s products, which include natural supplements, are sold on Shopee, TikTok Shop and Lazada. “We definitely plan to continue selling on these platforms, as they provide valuable exposure and help grow our brand,” Ms Kale said. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now

Tottenham optimistic over Bentancur ban reduction

US ski star Mikaela Shiffrin said Wednesday that she's "starting to feel a little bit more human" after suffering a puncture wound in a giant slalom crash but confirmed she won't race at Beaver Creek, Colorado, this month. "This is another fairly ambiguous injury and really hard to put a timeline of when I'll be either back on snow or back to racing," Shiffrin said in a video posted on social media. "But I do know that I will not be starting in Beaver Creek." Shiffrin had already said after Saturday's crash she didn't expect to be ready for the Colorado races, a downhill on December 14 and a super-G on December 15. On Wednesday, she said that whatever object caused the puncture in her abdomen also left "tore a cavern" in her oblique muscles. She said she had also undergone further testing to check for possible damage to her colon. "There were some air bubbles where the puncture came pretty close to the colon," she said. "Last night's check confirmed that my colon is, indeed, intact." Shiffrin was closing in on a once unimaginable 100th World Cup victory when she crashed in the second leg of the giant slalom at Killington, Vermont, on Saturday. She hit one gate and tumbled through another before sliding into the catch fencing and was taken from the hill on a sled. She won't miss any races this weekend because the two women's giant slaloms scheduled for Tremblant, Canada, were cancelled because of lack of snow. However, Shiffrin said she would be sorry not to resume her bid for a 100th World Cup win on the circuit's next US stop. "This is a really big bummer, not to be able to race Birds of Prey," Shiffrin said. "But on the other hand I was really lucky and I'm really looking forward to cheering my teammates on racing Beaver Creek." In 2023, Shiffrin broke Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86 World Cup wins, a mark once considered unassailable. Compatriot Lindsey Vonn has the second-most alpine World Cup wins by a woman with 82. bb/js