An app for Chinese quick fashion Five years after being outlawed by Delhi, Shein has returned to India through an agreement with the Indian company Reliance Retail.

Reliance Retail has signed a long-term licensing agreement with the parent company to offer products made and supplied in India on the platform, an unnamed Reliance Retail official told the BBC. As of yet, the organization has not released an official statement.

India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated in December that Shein’s return to the Indian market is subject to stringent conditions, including storing all data domestically.

Shein and dozens of other Chinese apps, including TikTok, were banned in India in 2020.

It said this was in response to data security concerns and it followed a spike in tensions with China after clashes between the two countries’ armies in a disputed Himalayan border area.

Since its Friday night release in India, the software has been downloaded by over 10,000 users. It is offering fashionwear for as little as 199 rupees ($2.30; £1.90).

Shein is currently delivering to consumers only in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, but will soon offer services across India, according to a notification on the app.

Shein has become one of the largest fast fashion merchants in the world during the past ten years, despite being a little-known brand among older consumers. It currently ships to clients in 150 different nations.

Prior to the prohibition, it was quite popular in India since it offered a wide range of reasonably priced, trendy styles. Many local players eventually filled the void left by the ban in the Indian market.

According to experts, Reliance Retail, which is owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is branching out from its current strategy of selling global goods through its flagship Ajio online retailer with Shein India.

Strict requirements accompanying the reactivation grant Reliance Retail complete authority over its data and activities. According to him, all application and customer data will be kept in India, and Shein won’t have any access privileges.

Goyal added that the “sale of Shein-branded products” was not prohibited in India; rather, it was the app.

In order to encourage the export of textiles and clothing from India, Shein plans to use India as a “supply source for its global operations” and will assist Reliance Retail in “building the network” and educating Indian clothing producers, according to a Reliance Retail executive.

AI sensors aim to boost road safety and cut deaths

According to officials, the West Midlands will employ artificial intelligence (AI) technology in an effort to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the area’s roadways.

AI sensors in 40 locations are being used by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) to document near-misses and determine where safety precautions should be implemented.

The recently appointed road safety commissioner for the West Midlands, Mat MacDonald, stated that they will permit the identification of hot zones and the implementation of measures before to “tragedy strikes.”

At Grange Road in Coventry, where sensors have previously detected multiple near-misses, safety precautions will be implemented.

Widening the pavements, expanding a road intersection’s corner, and placing a pedestrian stop in the middle of the road were among the modifications, according to Mayor Richard Parker.

He also mentioned that the technology has been installed at a number of high-risk intersections in the area and would be relocated over the course of the following 18 months.

According to officials, the near-misses would include instances where cars came within inches of bikers or pedestrians.

TfWM reports that 50 persons were killed on West Midlands roads in 2024.

According to recent statistics, although the number of road deaths in the area has decreased by 12% over the past two years, pedestrians accounted for 43% of all fatalities.

“By identifying danger hot spots, it will allow us to act before tragedy strikes,” added Mr MacDonald.

“Before yet another family in our region has to suffer the indescribable anguish of losing a loved one in a sudden, violent and ultimately avoidable way.”

TfWM’s Regional Road Safety Action Plan includes the program, which aims to eliminate collisions on West Midlands roads by 2040.

Over the following two years, the sensor technology will cost £100,000 in total.

Plans approved for three padel courts

A tennis club in Wolverhampton is planning to construct padel courts.

David Beckham and Serena Williams are among the enthusiasts of this emerging sport, which was created in Mexico in the late 1960s and combines elements of tennis and squash.

Three new padel courts will be installed at the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club’s location in Newbridge Crescent.

According to proposals authorized by the City of Wolverhampton Council, the three new roofed tennis courts will replace the two current grass courts.

Padel uses the same scoring system as tennis and is played in doubles on an enclosed court that is around one-third the size of a tennis court.

Similar to squash, players hit a ball over a net with sturdy, stringless rackets, and the ball may bounce off the walls.

Sport England and the Lawn Tennis Association had not raised any complaints, according to a report by the council’s planning officers, who gave their approval for the project.

However, it was stated that any “visual impact” would not be “unacceptably harmful” because the padel courts and related equipment would be visible from neighboring residential homes.

As of the end of 2023, there were over 500 padel courts in the UK. The number of courts grew from 50 in 2019 to 350 in summer 2023. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.