Syria air raids on rebels 'kill 30'

Beirut (AFP) - Syrian air raids on rebel positions in the northern Aleppo and southern Daraa provinces killed 30 people on Thursday, including civilians, a monitoring group said.

With the world's attention trained on Syria's chemical weapons, set to be destroyed by international experts under a UN resolution, the latest deaths highlighted the lethality of the regime's conventional arsenal.

Fighting has raged in Syria's onetime commercial hub of Aleppo, where President Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebels have battled street by street for neighbourhoods and supply routes.

The raids by planes and helicopters on Thursday killed 16 people, including a woman and two children in the village of Sfire to the east of the city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The village is controlled by Islamist groups, including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

"The regime has bombarded Sfire for two days in order to relieve pressure on the supply route to Aleppo," which the army reopened earlier this week, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based group, which relies on a network of activists across the war-torn country.

The route is used not only to ferry weapons and reinforcements to troops at the front, but also to deliver food and medical supplies to civilians in regime-controlled areas.

Another six people, including a woman and a child, were killed in air raids on Menbej, another village east of Aleppo controlled by ISIL and other Islamist groups.

In the southern province of Daraa, where the uprising began in March 2011, eight people, including two children, were killed in air raids on Nawa village, split between the army and rebels.

The General Commission of the Syrian Revolution said there were many people wounded and in serious condition, indicating the toll would rise.

At another front close to Damascus, fierce fighting broke out pitting government troops backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah and pro-regime militiamen against rebels in Bueida and Dyebiye near Sayyeda Zeinab, site of a revered Shiite shrine.

Fighting has been under way for months in the area, where Shiite Hezbollah fighters have long been deployed to assist regime forces and protect the shrine.

State news agency Sana said the army was able to seize control of Dyebiye and Husseiniyah, another nearby district.

The Observatory said troops had seized the nearby villages of Sheikh Amro and Bassatine.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-air-raids-rebels-kill-30-155317978.html
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UN: Report will show chemical weapons use in Syria

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he believes there will be "an overwhelming report" from U.N. inspectors that chemical weapons were used in an attack in Syria on Aug. 21, but he did not say who was responsible.

The Syrian government and rebels blame each other for the attack in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. The Obama administration, which says 1,429 people were killed, has said it has evidence that clearly indicates the Syrian government was behind the attack. But Russia, a key ally of Syria, has said it is not convinced by the U.S. evidence.

The U.N. inspectors have a mandate to determine whether chemical weapons were used ? and if so, which agent ? not to establish who was responsible. But two U.N. diplomats said the report could point to the perpetrators, saying that the inspectors collected many samples from the attack and also interviewed doctors and witnesses.

Ban spoke shortly before the chief chemical weapons inspector, Ake Sellstrom, told The Associated Press that he would deliver his report to the secretary-general in New York this weekend.

A senior U.S. intelligence official, meanwhile, said the U.S. reached its own figure for the dead in Ghouta by analyzing videos taken in the hours after the attack and counting the number of people who appeared to have died by chemical attack, including bodies under bloodless shrouds ? a sign that they probably did not die by rocket fire or some other conventional means.

U.S. lawmakers were also shown transcripts of the communications intercepts of Syrian officials discussing the attack both before and afterward ? including a conversation where one Syrian commander told the military's chemical weapons unit to cease firing, because they'd done enough damage, according to a congressional official.

The intelligence official said the U.S. is not going to release those transcripts, in part because foreign intelligence agencies provided some of the material.

The Obama administration also said it had established that rockets were fired from a regime-held area into rebel-held areas through satellite imagery, but such imagery has not been shown to lawmakers, though the congressional official said they will ask to see it.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss how they obtained the intelligence publicly.

At the United Nations, Ban said President Bashar Assad's regime "has committed many crimes against humanity," though he did not refer specifically to chemical weapons attacks.

"Therefore, I'm sure that there will be surely the process of accountability when everything is over," he said.

U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq said that while the report still hasn't been completed, Ban "has been in touch with different people including the experts."

The secretary-general spoke at the Women's International Forum. He thought his speech and his responses to questions that followed were not being broadcast, but they were shown on U.N. television.

Speaking by telephone from the Netherlands, Sellstrom said he didn't know exactly when the report would be released publicly. He said that "it's done, but when to present it is up to the secretary-general." But in a later conversation Friday, Sellstrom said he wasn't quite finished with the report, and that what he meant was that it would be done once he delivered it to Ban this weekend.

The two U.N. diplomats said the inspectors had soil, blood and urine samples and may also have collected remnants of the rockets or other weapons used in the attack, which could point to those responsible. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions on the issue have been confidential.

Haq said after receiving the report, Ban will present it U.N. member states and that the media should receive it shortly afterward.

In his speech, Ban said "the disaster" in Syria has created "a lost generation of children and young people" and led to "rising sectarian tensions, regional instability, the largest displacements of people in a generation, grave violations of human rights, including sexual violence."

"The latest fighting has also raised the specter of chemical warfare ? which, if confirmed by the U.N. investigation mission, would be an atrocious violation of international law," Ban said.

___

Associated Press writer Karl Ritter in Stockholm and AP Intelligence writer Kimberly Dozier in Washington contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-report-show-chemical-weapons-syria-172822553.html

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John Palmer Remembered By NBC News (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? John Palmer, the longtime correspondent for NBC News who died Saturday after a brief illness, was remembered by former colleagues as a hardworking, gracious reporter who moved easily from war zones to the White House and who brought a reassuring voice to news broadcasts.

Palmer, 77, died Saturday at George Washington University Hospital of pulmonary fibrosis, according to his wife, Nancy.

"God bless John Palmer, tireless reporter, always a gentleman, loving husband and doting father," former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw wrote on Twitter. He said the death of his friend of nearly 50 years was "heartbreaking."

Palmer worked for NBC from 1962 to 1990, and then returned to the network from 1994 until 2002. He became a familiar face to viewers of the "Today" show during much of the 1980s, delivering the news in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner at a time when the program often led in the ratings.

NBC News praised Palmer in a statement Saturday as a "brilliant, brave, and tireless journalist who guided viewers through many of the most significant events of the past half-century ? from the early days of the civil rights movement through the tragedy of 9/11."

"He covered five presidents and traveled to every corner of the world, always showing the empathy and compassion that helped set him apart," the statement said. "His kindness is remembered by all of us, and it built lasting bonds throughout our news division."

A native of Kingsport, Tenn., Palmer was a graduate of Northwestern University and held a master's degree from Columbia University.

He got his start as a reporter in Atlanta in 1960, according to a news segment on Palmer that aired on the NBC Nightly News on Saturday, and two years later moved up to the network.

In the 1970s, he was based in Beirut, covering the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the war in Cyprus and the civil war in Angola. He later served as a correspondent in Paris and at the White House.

In April 1980 he landed one of his biggest scoops, breaking the news of the Carter administration's failed attempt to rescue the American hostages being held in Iran. Eight U.S. servicemen died when a helicopter crashed into a C-130 transport plane at a staging area in Iran.

"The rescue mission had been aborted and eight Americans had died," Palmer told viewers.

His reporting on the story brought him the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for excellence in presidential news coverage, making him the first broadcast journalist to receive that honor.

"John Palmer brought to the White House beat his foreign policy experience and a steady reassuring voice, in good times and in bad," NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell said in the tribute to Palmer that aired Saturday night.

It was also at NBC's Washington news bureau that Palmer met his wife, Nancy, a Nightly News producer.

In 1982 he became news anchor on the "Today" show during the highly successful run of Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel as co-hosts. He remained there until 1989, when he was abruptly replaced by Deborah Norville, who was being groomed for a co-host role, and handed her old job on the show that preceded it, "NBC News at Sunrise." Norville succeeded Pauley shortly afterward but was herself replaced after the show's ratings plummeted.

In 1986, Palmer anchored the first hours of NBC's coverage of the Challenger space shuttle disaster, as well as other special reports.

Palmer left the network in 1990 to anchor a syndicated news program called "Instant Recall," interviewing figures such as Carter, Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, Anwar Sadat, Jonas Salk and Chuck Yeager.

He also hosted the weekly "Discovery Journal" on The Discovery Channel, and anchored a daily newscast on the TV channel of the Christian Science Monitor.

In 1994, he was invited back to NBC as a Washington-based national correspondent.

Speaking to anchor Brian Williams on NBC sister network MSNBC upon his retirement in 2002, Palmer looked back on his tenure with satisfaction, including the access it gave him to a succession of the nation's chief executives.

"I was enriched as a kid from the East Tennessee mountains," said the Kingsport, Tenn., native, "to be able to go fishing with Jimmy Carter, to go to the movies with Ronald Reagan, and to play golf with Bill Clinton."

After exiting NBC, he continued to work in journalism, including through hosting roles on Retirement Living TV, a network dedicated to seniors.

Several of Palmer's colleagues praised him on Twitter on Saturday evening.

Major Garrett, chief White House correspondent for CBS News, described Palmer as "a brilliant, competitive, ethical and gentle man."

Susan Page, Washington bureau chief of USA Today, said she first met Palmer at the Reagan White House and described him as "one of the kindest/most joyful reporters on the beat."

NBC News reporter Chuck Todd said Palmer "epitomized professionalism at NBC News. And he was always generous with advice and counsel. A great news man."

On Saturday's Nightly News segment, Andrea Mitchell observed that her longtime colleague "loved Sinatra, golf and fishing," but most treasured being a husband and father.

He and his wife Nancy have three grown daughters, one of whom is a producer for the Today show, one who works in the entertainment industry and one who is in Washington pursuing a journalism career.

____

AP writer Norman Gomlak in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/04/john-palmer-nbc-news-remembered_n_3703133.html

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The best way to achieve Inner Peace | MeaningfulWesternLife

Don?t miss this one ? it may surprise you.? Here?s a great way to approach achieving your Inner Peace. Read the whole text.

If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and?boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every?day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved?ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and?blame without resentment,
If you can conquer tension?without medical help,
If you can relax without alcohol,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

Then You Are Probably . . .

The Family Dog!

And you thought this was going to get all spiritual ?

Handle every stressful situation like a dog.
If you can?t eat it or play with it,
Pee on it and walk away!

When a dear friend shared this with me I laughed so hard. For all of you out there who ?do the work? (meaning people who are on a self-improvement or spiritual journey and walk-the-talk), my message to you is to lighten up and not always try so hard.? I sometimes see people take their journey so seriously and talk constantly about the self-work they are doing, and I see them striving so hard for perfection. This constant striving only results in constant self-imposed disappointment because they are not ?there? yet. If you think about this, you will see that this striving equates to ?not yet having? or ?lack? in your life.

Notice and experience your human life.? Live in the moment.? Find ways to accept yourself and others.? Yes, continuously learn and improve, but also find a balance just to ?be?.? Live, love and laugh.

Related post:? Don?t try so hard all the time

~Wendy

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About Wendy

Sharing ways to cultivate joy in a western society lifestyle, I am a cancer survivor who loves to learn and grow every day, and help others along the way. My passion is helping people build their personal resiliency for life's ups and downs, and cultivate more joy in life. I have a corporate management-type job and I find teaching meditation and mindfulness in the workplace one of the most fulfilling things I do in life.

Source: http://meaningfulwesternlife.com/2013/06/01/the-best-way-to-achieve-inner-peace/

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AP sources: Obama to name ex-Bush aide to head FBI

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2004 file photo, Deputy Attorney General James Comey gestures during a news conference in Washington. President Barack Obama is preparing to nominate former Bush administration official James Comey to head the FBI, people familiar with the decision said Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2004 file photo, Deputy Attorney General James Comey gestures during a news conference in Washington. President Barack Obama is preparing to nominate former Bush administration official James Comey to head the FBI, people familiar with the decision said Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is prepared to nominate James Comey, a former Bush administration official with bipartisan credentials, as the next FBI director. In a possible warning sign, the top Republican on the Senate committee that would review the nomination said Comey would face questions about his ties to Wall Street.

Three people with knowledge of the selection said Wednesday that Obama planned to nominate Comey, who was the No. 2 at the Justice Department under President George W. Bush. Comey was general counsel to Connecticut-based hedge fund Bridgewater Associates from 2010 until earlier this year and now lectures at Columbia Law School.

Comey would replace Robert Mueller, who has held the job since shortly before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which forced the FBI to transform itself into one of the nation's chief weapons in the war on terror. Mueller's last day on the job is Sept. 4.

The White House may hope that Comey's Republican background will help him through Senate confirmation at a time when some of Obama's nominations have been facing tough battles. But Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, indicated Comey's confirmation hearing would raise questions about the Obama administration's investigations of Wall Street.

Grassley said in a statement late Wednesday he had not heard from the White House about Comey's nomination but said Comey possessed a lot of important experience on national security issues.

"But, if he's nominated, he would have to answer questions about his recent work in the hedge fund industry," Grassley said. "The administration's efforts to criminally prosecute Wall Street for its part in the economic downturn have been abysmal, and his agency would have to help build the case against some of his colleagues."

The change in leadership comes as the FBI and Justice Department are under scrutiny for their handing of several investigations. Obama has ordered a review of FBI investigations into leaks to reporters, including the secret gathering of Associated Press phone records and emails of a Fox News reporter. And there have been questions raised about whether the FBI properly responded to warnings from Russian authorities about a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. The agency, meanwhile, is conducting a highly anticipated investigation into the Internal Revenue Service over its handling of conservative groups seeking tax exempt status.

Comey was deputy attorney general in 2005 when he unsuccessfully tried to limit tough interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists. He told then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that some of the practices were wrong and would damage the department's reputation.

Some Democrats denounced those methods as torture, particularly the use of waterboarding, which produces the sensation of drowning.

Comey's selection was first reported by NPR and was not expected to be announced for several days at least. It was confirmed to the AP by three people speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the selection ahead of Obama's announcement. Senate confirmation will be needed.

Comey became a hero to Democratic opponents of Bush's warrantless wiretapping program when Comey refused for a time to reauthorize it. Bush revised the surveillance program when confronted with the threat of resignation by Comey and Mueller.

Earlier in his career, Comey served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the nation's most prominent prosecutorial offices and one at the front lines of terrorism, corporate malfeasance, organized crime and the war on drugs.

As an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia, Comey handled the investigation of the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 U.S. military personnel.

He led the Justice Department's corporate fraud task force and spurred the creation of violent crime impact teams in 20 cities, focusing on crimes committed with guns.

Comey was at the center of one of the Bush administration's great controversies ? an episode that focused attention on the administration's controversial tactics in the war on terror.

In stunning testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2007, Comey said he thought Bush's no-warrant wiretapping program was so questionable that Comey refused for a time to reauthorize it, leading to a standoff with White House officials at the bedside of ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Comey said he refused to recertify the program because Ashcroft had reservations about its legality.

Senior government officials had expressed concerns about whether the National Security Agency, which administered the warrantless eavesdropping program, had the proper oversight in place. Other concerns included whether any president possessed the legal and constitutional authority to authorize the program as it was carried out at the time.

The White House, Comey said, recertified the program without the Justice Department's signoff, allowing it to operate for about three weeks without concurrence on whether it was legal. Comey, Ashcroft, Mueller and other Justice Department officials at one point considered resigning, Comey said.

"I couldn't stay if the administration was going to engage in conduct that the Department of Justice had said had no legal basis," Comey told the Senate panel.

A day after the March 10, 2004, incident at Ashcroft's hospital bedside, Bush ordered changes to the program to accommodate the department's concerns. Ashcroft signed the presidential order to recertify the program about three weeks later.

The dramatic hospital confrontation involved Comey, who was the acting attorney general during Ashcroft's absence, and a White House team that included Gonzales, Bush's counsel at the time, and White House chief of staff Andy Card, Comey said. Gonzales later succeeded Ashcroft as attorney general.

Comey testified that when he refused to certify the program, Gonzales and Card headed to Ashcroft's sick bed in the intensive care unit at George Washington University Hospital.

When Gonzales appealed to Ashcroft, the ailing attorney general lifted his head off the pillow and in straightforward terms described his views of the program, Comey said. Then he pointed out that Comey, not Ashcroft, held the powers of the attorney general at that moment.

Gonzales and Card then left the hospital room, Comey said.

"I was angry," Comey told the panel. "I thought I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man who did not have the powers of the attorney general."

___

Associated Press writer Pete Yost contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-30-Obama-FBI/id-e01ff3eb899b4cb08490eab3376d3918

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Committee opens door for parks and rec ideas - Ramona Sentinel ...

By Karen Brainard

With over $600,000 available for recreational uses in the community, the Parks and Recreation Subcommittee of the Ramona Community Planning Group is seeking projects to consider at its July 22 meeting and plans to create a priority list in August.

?I want to keep this thing moving,? Subcommittee Chair Jim Cooper said at the group?s May 20 meeting.

Steve Powell, right, talks to committee members about the benefits of improving the pool area at Ramona High School. Sentinel photo/Karen Brainard

The county?s Park Lands Dedication Ordinance (PLDO) funds for Ramona comes from park fees that are collected when building permits are issued. As of Jan. 31, the funds totaled $631,060 and can only be used for parkland acquisition and development in Ramona primarily for active recreational uses.

Examples of such uses are sports fields, court games, swimming pools, children?s play areas, recreation buildings and picnic areas. Among items considered ineligible for PLDO funds are preservation of open space and acquisition of nature study areas, golf courses, riding and hiking trails, and water courses.

The subcommittee approved a project request form for PLDO funds that Cooper presented. The five-page form for applicants to complete asks for a proposed project?s description; details, such as who it will serve, if it will generate revenue, and whether permits or environmental documents will be needed; and estimated costs. Cooper has suggested that each project have a person identified as its ?champion.?

Cooper said he is still working on an avenue for the form to be easily accessible to the community.

One item that has been on the priority list is a skatepark for which $90,000 is earmarked. The Arriba Skatepark Committee would like to build a site for skateboarders within the area designated for the Ramona Intergenerational Community Campus (RICC) on Main Street between 12th and 13th streets. Nancy Roy, who is? on the skatepark committee, said she met with RICC committee May 16.

?We found there were no obstacles in our path from moving forward,? she said, adding that the group hopes to meet with Tom Fincher with the county?s General Services Department about the proposed skatepark.

Resident Steve Powell told the subcommittee about an idea to improve the pool area at Ramona High School, noting that in addition to high school swim sports, the pool serves the community in the summer and is used for swim lessons.

?It really is more than just a pool for the high school,? he said.

Powell said Granite Hills High School in El Cajon is an older school like Ramona High but recently built an aquatic center that he said is ?off the charts.? Powell, whose son, Brandon, is on the RHS swim team, was at Granite Hills aquatic center when it hosted the CIF swim finals.

Ramona High?s pool is old, he said, and there are maintenance and logistical issues.

?We need a responsible pool that?s safe,? said Powell.

He added that it could generate revenue that could be poured into updating other buildings on campus.

Cooper said $250,000 of PLDO funds has been earmarked for an athletic complex at Ramona High School, which is priority No. 2 by the planning group; however, there have been obstacles. The 40 acres of school district property behind Ramona High include 17 acres dedicated to vernal pools, which has stymied the project, according to the subcommittee.

Cooper questioned if the community would instead support aquatic improvements. Powell said he plans to meet with the architect who works with the school district in early June. He told the Sentinel that his idea is ?very preliminary in nature.?

Resident Ken Brennecke gave an informational presentation on his plans to create a world-class botanical garden and supporting research facility. A trustee of San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas and a founder of the American Bamboo Society, Brennecke said he bought his property at Boundary Avenue and Ramona Street in 1981 because he considered it the best site for a botanical garden within 50 miles, due to such factors such as elevation and ? water availability.

Brennecke said he has already begun planting. Long range plans call for public access to established walkways, germplasm exchanges, a tissue culture lab and a herbarium.

Related posts:

1. Planners welcome parks and rec ideas
2. Skatepark Committee seeks show of public support at Jan. 10 planning group meeting
3. Ramona Parents Coalition?s ?Fact or Fiction? among upcoming meetings
4. Town improvement ideas highlight Jacob?s Revitalization meeting
5. Supervisors appoint Piva to new citizen?s review committee

Short URL: http://www.ramonasentinel.com/?p=24115

Source: http://www.ramonasentinel.com/2013/05/30/committee-opens-door-for-parks-and-rec-ideas/

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Zalora MD on building a billion dollar business in ... - The Next Web

Southeast Asia witnessed one of its most significant funding deals to date last week, as Zalora, a fashion-focused e-commerce service backed by notorious German incubator Rocket Internet, landed a $100 million round of investment.

Though huge, the deal got a muted response from many technology watchers in the region since it follows a slew of other multi-million dollar investments in Zalora and Lazada, its sister site and fellow Rocket Internet company focused on technology.

Yet, despite the scepticism, Zalora has raised upwards of $150 million so far (some rounds were undisclosed) which is quite a feat for a company that is barely one year old, let alone one in Southeast Asia?s nascent online retail industry. The scale of investment being pumped into Zalora (and Lazada) makes them ? in appearance, at least ? very different companies from the kind that Rocket Internet found notoriety with.

That is to say that, rather than cheaply-made clones of successful companies built with acquisition and exit in mind ? for example, Rocket Internet?sold CityDeal to Groupon for $126 million ? the firm and its partners are investing hundreds of millions to make a nascent industry mainstream in a market where most of the world?s biggest e-commerce firms are not present.

Aloha Zalora

Launched in March 2012, Zalora is a Rocket Internet-backed company that runs an online platform selling a range of fashion items such as dresses, shows, bags, shirts and more to shoppers across eight markets in Southeast Asia and beyond: Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The company is aimed at filling a gap in the market. While the region?s 500 million plus consumers are as focused on fashion and trends as the US, Europe or any other part of the world, there?s no ASOS, Zappos or other online fashion retailer that is catering for their needs across the region.

Internet usage varies from market to market by, with smartphone owners growing on a meteoric scale, increasingly fashion conscious consumers are going online ? often via mobile ? but with no recognized retail platform stepping up to serve them. That opportunity ? -which grows as affluence and Internet usage continues to increase ? is the spot that Zalora is targeting.

Billion dollar dreams

?The goal is to build a multi-billion dollar firm, the biggest e-commerce company in the region,? Zalora Managing Director Michele Ferrario?tells TNW in an interview. ?We?re investing heavily to create the best place for consumers to shop online in Southeast Asia.?

The latest $100 million round included investment from a range of regular Rocket Internet financial partners ? Summit Partners, Kinnevik and Tengelmann Group, along with Verlinvest ? each of which, Ferrarrio says, brings experience to the table. Zalora?s backers include both consumer-focused retailers and those that have found success online. Their feedback and interaction are critical to success, he adds.

Rejecting opinion that Zalora is ?just another Rocket clone?, Ferrario?argues that the business aims to be sustainable and long-term.

?We are not looking to sell fast or anything like that. This [type of business] is not new for Rocket Internet, Zalando?[an online retail service in Europe] is similar but around four years further ahead of Zalora. Rocket Internet is still very involved [in Zalando], as the strategy has not been to sell, rather to build a new large, profitable business.?

Likewise, for those that accuse the company of copying Amazon, Rakuten or other successful business, Ferrario?points out that 99 percent of business success is about execution, adding:

?Selling fashion online isn?t copying. If you open a coffee shop, you?re not copying someone else, like Starbucks. We?re just selling fashion online and I don?t see that as copycatting,? he argues.

Focusing on service

Zalora recently delivered its one millionth order and, while?Ferrario does not disclose any details about company revenue ? despite TNW?s keen interest in the topic ? he does say that the company has delivered to customers in more than 16,000 cities in Southeast Asia (yes, sixteen thousand), emphasising that service is very much the focus.

?Our three biggest priorities are value for money, selection [of product] and service,??Ferrario explains. While those three elements are staples of any business involved in retail and service, Zalora has come up against problems in Southeast Asia, notably the immaturity of delivery networks and lack of established infrastructure.

?We?re ?investing in our regional footprint, to provide a last mile fleet [for delivery] in most capital cities across Southeast Asia. We can do next day or one-day delivery in major cities, and delivery in one or two days in others,? he says, explaining that the goal is one-day delivery to any place in the region.

Those issues may have prevented big companies from launching in Southeast Asia (although Amazon recently began delivering electronics to the region) in the past, but Ferrario ?expects? that to change sooner or later.

?We already know that millions of people in Southeast Asia are online, the Internet population here is already very large now and it will continue to grow fast.?Nobody has really offered a professional retail service in this region, some infrastructure is here but nobody is offering the service to match.?

Some may feel that a lack of widespread Internet access in many countries means that Southeast Asia is still some way from being online, but Ferrario points to the travel industry for proof of potential in the region.

?Online travel is fairly well developed, for example,? he says. ?People book flights and buy tickets in large numbers already, airlines went online first and people began picking it up. We?re making sure people are finding fashion retail online.?

Given the lack of competitors, it?s fair to assume that Zalora is, in effect, building an industry and demand for its services, as well as its own business. Ferraro, however disagrees.

?I think we are building awareness of fashion retail online, since e-commerce is already here and successful,? he says.

Zoning in on the difficulties of doing business in Southeast Asia, a region where cultural, politics, language and many other market patterns vary significantly from country to country, he adds:

?Southeast Asia is a complicated market to be in, you really need to invest time and effort in several things. If you want to provide a good service, you need to be there. [Operations] requires investment and capacity to be there, and that?s a big roadblock. Likewise, offering content from brands isn?t easy since distribution rights are fragmented.?

Working with ?thought partner? Zalora

Zalora and its electronics-led sister site Lazada are very often thought of in tandem. In addition to sharing common investors, both companies are aiming to grow in Southeast Asia and create an environment for e-commerce, so how do they co-exist?

?We are separate companies. We talk regularly and often have offices that are together so you could say we are thought partners,? Ferrario explains. ?We are creating an e-commerce market together, towards the same goal, so we look at each other and find ways to think about a market in separate way.?

Given the supply chain challenge, the two companies do share warehouses in some locations, but the operations and areas are clearly separated for each company, according to Ferrario.

Staffing churn and the revolving door

Early in its time in Southeast Asia, both Lazada and Zalora got a reputation for a high amount of turnover from staff.

That worked in two ways. Firstly, it was said that in many in places ? such as Bangkok and Singapore ? new joiners from Asia struggled to adapt to the company?s mentality and the demands of working life. That was said to include late nights in the office, a gruelling schedule and other in-office demands that are common with a company that is starting out.

That led to many leaving the company within months, or weeks, of joining, and both companies become known for operating a ?revolving door? of employees in some Southeast Asia cities.

At the same time, many of the European managers brought in to oversee operators came and went. Past defectors told TNW that this was in part due to cultural and adaptation issues, and in other cases due to the constant turnover of junior staff and other business-related issues.

A year on and Ferrario doesn?t believe that the turnover has been notably high. Either way, he says, Zalora has found its core team and that it is a place for those that want the kind of challenge that an ambitious, growing business offers.

?We have a very stable team, but, obviously, with more than 1,000 people some kind of churn is natural. Someone else launching a similar biz would struggle to attract the quality staff we have,? he suggests.

?It?s a very, very hard job to build a company at this scale and speed; it isn?t for everyone. There were people who joined and left [in the early times] and that?s part of trying something that?s very hard. Now we have very stable team in place.?

Rocket Internet companies in Southeast Asia have helped birth a number of new firms across Southeast Asia, with execs and junior staff alike leaving to start new businesses, such as HotelQuickly, after a taste of startup life.?Ferrario takes this as a compliment and believes it is emblematic of the ethos of the company

?If you teach entrepreneurism some people will want to do things on your own, it?s natural, much like McKinsey sees many employees leaving for managerial jobs,? he says.

Profitability by 2015

Ferrario insists that ?there is no plan? to reveal revenue and other financial figures just yet, but he does tease that revenue is already in the double-digit million (US dollars) range across the region. Pushing further, he expects the company to be profitable before 2015.

?We are a young company investing heavily to be leader in the market, and the aim is to be profitable by 2015,? he says.

Reflecting on the company?s mission, Ferrario adds that ?this is a very hard job. When people ask me what keeps me awake at night, I say it?s that we need to be perfect everyday, there?s no Sunday. We need to pack all orders, deliver super fast and be super structured every single day.?

While service is obviously a key area, so too developing for mobile is an important focus for Zalora. The company launched mobile versions of its websites in the beginning of the year and its iOS app, launched one month ago, has performed ?above expectation?, according to Ferrario.

Right now mobile accounts for around one-quarter of all sales, but he foresees that changing in the coming period.??We expect that within 18 months or two years, we will see more sales via tablet than desktop and PC,? he predicts.

Explaining that tablets are the particular focus of mobile because the larger screens are better suited to shopping and Internet browsing than a smartphone, Ferrario?adds that the devices ?are more present in customers? lives?. They are particularly important, he argues, because many consumers in Southeast Asia leapfrog the desktop PC experience, going straight to mobile.

A new approach in emerging markets

Rocket Internet and its businesses, like Zalora, aren?t about to undo their reputation as copycats, but, in the case of Southeast Asia, there?s a strong case to be made that they are genuinely pushing the barriers and providing a service that is unique to the region. It?s barely fair to call the company a startup ? its revenue from investment is on another planet ? but, as we?ve said before, it is inspiring some would-be founders to believe that they can make a company in Southeast Asia, helping young people get a taste of entrepreneurism and educating the wider market about e-commerce; all of which is most definitely?a good thing, irrespective of whether you believe Rocket Internet is little more than a clone factory.

Whether or not Zalora or Lazada will stifle small e-commerce players, or be rivalled by another large company in Southeast Asia is unclear at this early stage. Going on feedback from friends and family, the service is still lacking the quality and consistency of major fashion firms like ASOS, while there still appears to be a steady stream of staff leaving despite comments to the contrary. With Ferrario?up all night worrying ?about service and Rocket Internet investors continuing to pour money into the company, both companies are the online commerce players to watch in Southeast Asia despite those concerns.

Headline image via Zalora, money image via Thinkstock

Source: http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/05/31/zalora-md-on-building-a-billion-dollar-business-in-southeast-asia-copycats-and-profitability-by-2015/

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