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India apos;s Chinese App Ban Seen Jolting ByteDance apos;s India Plans ...

2020-07-07T02:55:53Z

KarolynZwh: Created page with " By Aditya Kalra and Pei Li NEW DELHI/HONG KONG, June 30 (Reuters) - An Indian ban on dozens of Chinese apps following a border clash between the two nations has po..."

By Aditya Kalra and Pei Li NEW DELHI/HONG KONG, June 30 (Reuters) - An Indian ban on dozens of Chinese apps following a border clash between the two nations has possibly derailed a $1 billion India expansion plan of China's ByteDance, while also sparking an uproar from users of its popular TikTok video app. TikTok was blocked on Google and Apple app stores in India after New Delhi said on Monday night it was among the 59 apps which it believed posed a "threat to sovereignty and integrity". Late on Tuesday, TikTok's already downloaded versions on phones in India stopped showing any videos. With more than 600 million downloads, India has accounted for 30% of TikTok's 2 billion downloads worldwide so far. ByteDance last year hired several senior executives and laid out plans to invest $1 billion in India, its top growth market. TikTok said in a statement India had invited the company to respond to the ban and submit clarifications, adding that it complies with all data security and privacy requirements. It did not comment on the fate of its expansion plan. "Our managers say there is no need to panic and it's business as usual. But we all are concerned about losing jobs," one ByteDance content reviewer in the southern city of Hyderabad told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The government order didn't name China, or cite the border clashes. App analytics firm Sensor Tower said all the 59 apps named were of Chinese origin, including Tencent's WeChat and Alibaba's UC Browser. "If this is not rolled back, these companies would be constrained to cut back their operations in India, potentially resulting in a loss of employment," said a lawyer who advises a Chinese company whose app has been banned in India. China's foreign ministry said it was "strongly concerned" about India's decision. The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi said it suspected the move violated WTO rules. 'HOW WILL I LIVE NOW?' Many TikTok users posted videos expressing their displeasure before the app stopped showing content on Tuesday. Some told their followers to track their future posts on YouTube or Instagram. One user @omkarsharma988 posted a video in which he throws utensils to the ground, hits a chair and weeps, with a Hindi song playing "You've left me, how will I live now?" The video had been liked 218,000 times, as the app still functions on phones on which it is already downloaded. Another user posted a video showing TikTok's logo in a photoframe with a garland around it, with a headline "RIP TIKTOK!!" as a song played in the background. When TikTok was banned briefly last year after a state court said the app encouraged pornography, the company told the Supreme Court the ban cost it roughly $15 million a month. Several Indian lawyers said the chances of success of a legal challenge this time were slim given the government had invoked national security concerns, meaning the Chinese companies can only hope to lobby India to reverse the decision. "From a legal perspective, it (the ban) is sound because grounds like national security are difficult to challenge," said Santosh Pai of Link Legal, which advises Chinese companies. The ban has also disappointed Tencent, which has apps on the market and is also a major investor in Indian startups, two sources aware of the company's concerns told Reuters. New Delhi in April mandated screening of incoming investments from countries like China, [http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com] hitting the likes of Tencent. While its WeChat messaging app is not that popular in India, the company fears the government could impose a ban later on the mobile version of its blockbuster game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, said one of the sources. Tencent declined to comment. Two games of China-based firms, "Mobile Legends" and "Clash of Kings", were among those banned on Monday. Sensor Tower said the 59 banned apps had recorded roughly 4.9 billion downloads in India since January 2014. On June 15, Indian and Chinese troops brawled for several hours on their disputed Himalayan border, killing 20 Indian soldiers and wounding at least 76, India said. China has not disclosed how many casualties its troops suffered. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Pei Li; Additional reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru, Cate Cadell in Beijing and other China bureaus; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Nick Macfie)

India Sees Above Average Monsoon Rainfall In June Accelerating...

2020-07-04T04:48:00Z

KarolynZwh: Created page with " By Rajendra Jadhav MUMBAI, June 30 (Reuters) - India saw 18% more rainfall than average in June as the monsoon covered the entire country nearly two weeks earlier..."

By Rajendra Jadhav MUMBAI, June 30 (Reuters) - India saw 18% more rainfall than average in June as the monsoon covered the entire country nearly two weeks earlier than usual, the state-run weather office said on Tuesday. Monsoons deliver about 70% of India's annual rainfall and are the lifeblood of its $2.9 trillion economy, spurring farm output and boosting rural spending on items ranging from gold to cars, motorcycles and refrigerators. Soybean, pulses and cotton-growing regions in central and western India saw 31% more rainfall in June, while rice, coffee, rubber and tea growing southern India saw 8% higher rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. A good start to the June-September monsoon season has accelerated planting of summer-sown crops, with farmers sowing crops on 31.56 million hectares as of June 26, doubling from 2019, when the monsoon arrived late. Cotton sowing was up 165%, while rice planting rose by 35% during the period. India is the world's biggest exporter of rice and the biggest cotton producer. A rise in rice and [http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com] cotton production could lead to higher exports of both products. Oilseed plantings have risen 525% from a year ago, which could help the world´s biggest edible oil importer reduce imports. India is likely to see above average monsoon rainfall even in July, a crucial month for sowing of summer crops, said an official with IMD, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media. IMD said last month that India is likely to see above average monsoon rain for the second straight year in 2020, boosting hopes for higher farm output in an economy reeling under the impact of the coronavirus. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; editing by Jason Neely and Susan Fenton)

Firms In India Downplay Chinese Links Amid Wave Of Anti-China...

2020-07-03T17:47:44Z

KarolynZwh: Created page with " By Sankalp Phartiyal NEW DELHI, June 30 (Reuters) - Indian startups with Chinese funding and Chinese smartphone makers are actively touting their Indian-ness to us..."

By Sankalp Phartiyal NEW DELHI, June 30 (Reuters) - Indian startups with Chinese funding and Chinese smartphone makers are actively touting their Indian-ness to users as they seek to address a growing wave of nationalism following a deadly border clash between the two countries earlier this month. A skirmish between India and China at a disputed Himalayan border site left 20 Indian soldiers dead, [http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com] adding to anti-China sentiments brewing since the coronavirus pandemic began. Traders have since made calls to boycott Chinese goods, New Delhi has delayed Chinese imports at ports and on Monday, in its strongest move yet, India banned nearly five dozen Chinese apps including TikTok. The technology ministry said the apps were a threat to India's sovereignty and security. Companies such as digital payments firm Paytm, whose parent One97 Communications is roughly 40% owned by Alibaba, were quick to praise the move. Its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma on Twitter called the ban a "bold step in the national interest", adding that it was "time for the best Indian entrepreneurs to come forward and build the best by Indians, for Indians!" Sharma has often previously posted pictures of himself with Alibaba founder Jack Ma on social media. China on Tuesday said India's move to ban the apps could be a breach of World Trade Organisation rules, and urged New Delhi to create an open and fair business environment. Chinese electronics company Xiaomi, India's biggest smartphone player, has been running a campaign on its local e-commerce app for the past few days, with a headline: "Made In India". "We at Xiaomi India, have always put our nation & its people at the centre of everything we do," the banner says. It also highlights the thousands of jobs domestic assembly of its smartphones and TVs have created. Fearing anti-China backlash, Xiaomi has begun covering its brand logo on its mobile stores in some cities and is replacing it with a "Made in India" logo, according to Arvinder Khurana, the president of All India Mobile Retailers Association. Paytm and Xiaomi did not respond to requests for comment. A person familiar with Paytm's thinking said some foreign-funded firms have had to prove their Indian origin due to the pressure created by the anti-China wave. Others like MobiKwik, a smaller rival to Paytm, have also been quick to draw on their local identity and distance themselves from any Chinese association. Current and planned Chinese investment in India is more than $26 billion, according to a Brookings Institution report from March. A host of prominent Indian startups including online grocer BigBasket, e-tailer Snapdeal and food delivery firm Swiggy have raised money from Chinese investors. But companies feel positioning themselves as Indian could be crucial at a time when long-simmering anti-China sentiment has come to the fore. "They (companies) feel it is a temporary safe harbour," said Dilip Cherian, a brand consultant and co-founder of PR firm Perfect Relations. The app ban however, coupled with a rule imposed in April to screen new Chinese investments in India, is making some Indian startups in need of funding or with Chinese backers nervous at a time when funding sources have dried up amid the pandemic. "Today if you say 'all Chinese apps are banned', then tomorrow you could say 'if you have Chinese money through private equity or a financial investor, you need to wind up'," said a source. "What do companies do?" (Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Euan Rocha and Alexandra Hudson)

Violence Arson Abuse: The Real-world Consequences Of Those False 5G Conspiracies

2020-07-03T17:00:26Z

KarolynZwh: Created page with "id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> Masts have been attacked by arsonists all over the UK...."

id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> Masts have been attacked by arsonists all over the UK. EE Telephone engineer David Snowdon was just returning to his van after an assignment repairing a cell site when a car sped past him, spun around and stopped right in front of him. Two men got out of the vehicle and asked him if he had anything to do with [/5g/ 5G] masts. "You better not be or there will be fucking trouble," said one of the men, before kicking the door of Snowdon's van, smacking the mirror around and walking off. Initially, the 56-year-old from Birmingham in the UK's Midlands region thought that what he experienced was an isolated incident. Then he did some research. "The next day, I went onto Facebook and there it all was, this big 5G conspiracy," he said in a phone call with CNET. "I thought, I better report this, and when I reported it to our security team, they went, 'Yeah, there's been quite a few.'" CNET Mobile Discover the latest news and best reviews in smartphones and carriers from CNET's mobile experts. Over the past four months, telecom engineers across the UK have been subjected to verbal and physical abuse, or targeted online harassment and doxxing. The US Department of Homeland Security [ issued a warning] to carriers about potential threat to wireless equipment here. All because some people are buying into the conspiracy theory that 5G is to blame for the [ coronavirus] pandemic, something that popped up just as the disease spread beyond China in January. 5G has been a target of conspiracy theorists for as long as it's been around, just as with 4G and 3G before it. But what's different this time around is that people started linking it in various ways to COVID-19, saying either that the technology weakens immune systems, or even that it's responsible for directly transmitting the virus. Scientists around the world are in agreement that [/news/5g-has-no-link-to-covid-19-as-social-media-aims-to-squash-false-conspiracy-theory/ all such claims are categorically false]. The other novel aspect of the coronavirus link was that 5G conspiracy theories, previously a fringe interest, were gaining mainstream traction in a way that had never happened before. A number of well-known celebrities jumped on the bandwagon, including Woody Harrelson and John Cusack, British rapper M.I.A. and Wiz Khalifa, tweeting about 5G. The broader adoption of this particular theory was reflected in a wider embrace by the UK public of all sorts of coronavirus conspiracy theories. A [ study conducted by the University of Oxford] of more than 2,500 people suggested that 25% of the British public showed at least a degree of endorsement toward coronavirus conspiracies. According to Oxford professor of clinical psychology Daniel Freeman, who was in charge of the study, the pandemic has created "almost perfect conditions" for conspiracy theories to flourish. "Many individuals have greater time to themselves, in isolation, and with the internet to hand," he said. "Conspiracy beliefs will arise from the heady brew of inescapable threat, enforced change, uncertainty, isolation and social media." Just doing their job It's easy to assume that sharing conspiracy theory posts online doesn't have real-world consequences. But the stories that telecoms industry workers will tell you show that the fallout is real. CNET spoke to Snowdon and several other engineers who all work for Openreach, which is responsible for the UK's telephone lines and fiber, and who have all been harassed on the job in recent months. None has anything to do with either assembling or maintaining 5G network equipment. Rhys, who asked us not to use his second name, was working in an underground joint box when he was verbally abused in the street. He heard a man yelling about Openreach. "I popped my head out," said the 26-year-old from Wales. "I was expecting somebody just to ask me a question or something. And the next thing I'm at fault for the coronavirus and causing cancer, I hope I'm happy that I could give my kids cancer, things like that." People at the nearby bus stop joined in with the man, [http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india] he said, but eventually the bus came along and they left, leaving him to finish his job -- something others weren't able to do. Openreach engineers do not install or maintain 5G network equipment. Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images Openreach engineer Stephen Gibney, 38, was working on a job in Bristol when a woman from a nearby property confronted him. She removed one of the guardrails and threatened to damage the equipment. Gibney, along with his colleague who was working up the road at the time, felt that they had to leave the scene. Due to the woman's threats, the police were called. A small number of people engaging with conspiracy theories have taken it further still, committing acts of vandalism and even setting masts on fire. According to the latest figures collected by industry body Mobile UK, there have so far been 273 reported confrontations between members of the public and telecoms workers and 121 incidents of arson or sabotage this year. Clearing up the mess Often the first person on the scene after the fire brigade is an electrician like Liam (whose name has been changed to protect his identity). Liam works as a contractor for mobile network EE, and his job is to make sure a mast site is safe and no one coming in is going to be electrocuted. Generally when he's called out to a site it's because a car has driven into a piece of telecoms equipment. But recently he's been busy acting as a first responder for some of the conspiracy-related attacks. Now playing: Watch this: Why 5G may seem underwhelming at first 17:06 The first such job Liam was called out to was in Liverpool, where he was shocked to see that someone had attempted to burn down a mast. "You could sort of see where they'd ignited the cabinets and then run the fuel across the field and then set fire to it in the distance," he said in an interview. Since then he's been back to some sites that have been subject to repeated attacks several times. The worst incident was a mast in Derby that was on the verge of toppling over. "They evacuated the area and shut the roads off," he said. "It was a real mess." Under usual circumstances, Liam works alone, but that's not been the case recently. "We've got close personal protection people with us," he said. "They make you feel a lot safer. You don't know who's lurking around and watching after they've done the attack." Liam's not alone. Actions and consequences Phone carriers and other telecoms companies have had to take a number of precautions to protect their staff, who have continued to provide essential services while the rest of the UK has been on lockdown. Measures have included removing company signage from vans, establishing security at some sites and ensuring engineers aren't working alone and have colleagues with them. The police, meanwhile, have made a number of arrests, but so far they've only resulted in one conviction. A mast on fire in the UK. EE On June 8, 47-year-old Michael Whitty was sentenced to three years in jail after he pleaded guilty to setting fire to a [/tags/vodafone/ Vodafone] mast near Liverpool, causing between £10,000 and £15,000 worth of damage. Whitty attacked the mast after reading conspiracy theories about 5G on the internet. The mast he set on fire was one of 13 that have been attacked in the Liverpool area, which accounts for just a fraction of the total number of incidents across the UK. The attacks on masts have had a knock-on effect on communities they serve, said Emma Evans, head of network experience at O2. "Across the industry, mobile customers may have been experiencing issues with calls, texts and data following sporadic attacks on network infrastructure recently," she said in an email. One of the Vodafone masts attacked by arsonists was serving the NHS Nightingale Field Hospital in Birmingham, which was set up to care for [ COVID-19] patients. "It's heart-rending enough that families cannot be there at the bedside of loved ones who are critically ill," said Vodafone CEO Nick Jeffery [ in a post on LinkedIn] in which he begged the arsonists to stop. "It's even more upsetting that even the small solace of a phone or video call may now be denied them because of the selfish actions of a few deluded conspiracy theorists." More on 5G [/news/best-5g-phones-in-2020-galaxy-s20-oneplus-8-pro-lg-v60-motorola-edge-plus-and-more/ Best 5G phones in 2020: Galaxy S20, OnePlus 8 Pro, LG V60, Motorola Edge Plus and more] [/news/not-even-the-coronavirus-can-derail-5gs-global-momentum/ Not even the coronavirus can derail 5G's global momentum] [/news/5g-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-wireless-revolution/ 5G: Everything you need to know about the wireless revolution] [/how-to/verizon-vs-at-t-vs-t-mobile-vs-sprint-compared-how-to-pick-the-best-5g-carrier-for-you/ Verizon vs. AT&T vs. T-Mobile vs. Sprint compared: How to pick the best 5G carrier for you] The irony of it all is that, for the most part, the 5G networks have been largely unscathed. "Most of the time, the masts aren't 5G," said Evans. "Usually it's masts that enable local residents and businesses to use our 2G, 3G and 4G networks, which have been essential during the ongoing pandemic to keep the country connected, keep vulnerable people in touch with loved ones, and allow essential services and providers to respond to those in need." Cooling-off period Mobile companies tracking the incidents, as well as engineers and first responders, agree that the spate of attacks peaked in the UK around the same time that coronavirus did in April. Since then, it's gradually quieted down, although the first responder we spoke with for this piece was on his way to another mast attack at the time of our conversation. Arsonists have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to masts. EE The telecoms engineers are aware of the drop-off in incidents too, but it doesn't mean they're not still on their guard. "It makes you wonder whether you're going to be safe to do the work," said Gibney. "You have that in the back of your mind. Somebody just walking down the road could suddenly just turn and start shouting at you and you don't know what they're going to do." In his years working as an engineer, Rhys said he's become used to people approaching him to ask questions, which in the past he's always been happy to do as the interactions are usually positive experiences. But now when people approach him he's become wary. He tends to return to the same areas regularly, which makes him worried about encountering people who shouted abuse at him again. "That guy screaming at me now, when he sees me again doing the same thing, is he going to do something else, you know?" he said. For Snowdon, it's an additional stress for engineers at a time when their work is already being impacted. They haven't been able to go into people's houses so have had to try to solve problems from outside. Then there's the possibility of coming into contact with the coronavirus while out on essential jobs. "It's just another thing that we got to deal with on top of what we're able to do at the moment." Things have died down a bit now, he said, but he worries that anti-5G sentiment, which is still bubbling away in certain corners of the internet, might see another uptick. "All it needs is for someone to push that theory again and off it goes," he said. [#comments Comments] [/topics/internet-services/ Internet Services] [/topics/tech-industry/ Tech Industry] [/topics/culture/ Culture] [/5g/ 5G] [/tags/ee/ EE] [/tags/o2/ O2] [/tags/vodafone/ Vodafone] [/topics/mobile/ Notification on Notification off Mobile]

User:KarolynZwh

2020-07-03T17:00:22Z

KarolynZwh: Created page with "By Aditya Kalra and Pei Li NEW DELHI/HONG KONG, [http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly...."

By Aditya Kalra and Pei Li NEW DELHI/HONG KONG, [http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india] June 30 (Reuters) - An Indian ban on dozens of Chinese apps following a border clash between the two nations has possibly derailed a $1 billion India expansion plan of China's ByteDance,. Feel free to visit my web page; [http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india http://vacationtravel.mystrikingly.com/blog/which-is-the-best-city-to-live-in-india]