A worker at the photolithography section of a semiconductor plant of the Mikron Group in Zelenograd, Moscow. Anton Novoderezhkin | TASS | Getty Images The Trump administration is weighing trade restrictions on China that would limit the use of American chip-making equipment, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. People familiar with the matter told the […]
Archives for February 2020
Digital payments firms Paytm and PhonePe amp up marketing spends
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Homegrown digital payment companies PhonePe and Paytm plan to spend a combined Rs 2,000 crore on marketing this year, as they look to increase awareness, credibility and promote products to a wider consumer audience, top executives at these firms said. While PhonePe has earmarked Rs 800 crore for marketing, Paytm plans to […]
Environmental activists stage protests at commodities groups in Geneva – police
ZURICH (Reuters) – Environmental activists staged protests at offices of commodities groups Cargill [CARG.UL], Vitol [VITOLV.UL] and Mercuria in Geneva on Monday, Swiss police said on Monday. About 50 activists were present for about 15 minutes at Cargill’s offices, but then left, a spokesman for Geneva cantonal police said. Sit-ins lasted for most of the […]
Masayoshi Son’s real estate bet has some big problems
By Pavel Alpeyev and Takahiko Hyuga Last March, months before the meltdown at WeWork, Masayoshi Son worked through the prospects for another one of his favorite portfolio companies — a startup from India called Oyo. In a spacious conference hall at his Tokyo headquarters, the Japanese billionaire huddled with lieutenants from the startup and his […]
Google to wind down ‘Station’, working with partners to transition existing sites
Tech giant Google on Monday said it has decided to wind down its ‘Station’ programme globally through 2020, including in India, given that going online has become much easier and cheaper over the last five years. The US-based company said it is working with its partners to transition existing sites so they can remain useful […]
AAP candidates have crowdfunded their way to power
Twenty-one Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates in the Delhi state election raised campaign funds through online crowdfunding platform ourdemocracy.in, with as many as 18 of them winning. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP swept the February 8 poll, winning 62 out of 70 seats. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Atishi Marlena, Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Sanjeev […]
China’s mobile and digital dominance runs deep into Indian economy
Sometime in 2019, India overtook the US to become the second largest smartphone market in the world, after China. Of the 158 million units shipped (meaning made available in the Indian market), around 114 million, or 72%, were Chinese brands, said Counterpoint Research. Xiaomi led the pack, with Vivo, Realme and Oppo figuring among the […]
Pelosi says working with China’s Huawei is like ‘choosing autocracy over democracy’
The US’ House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi attends the 56th Munich Security Conference in Munich on February 16, 2020. Christof Stache | AFP | via Getty Images MUNICH — As the globe races to develop 5G networks, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned Sunday that accepting Chinese domination of the technology would be akin […]
Amazon, Flipkart seek rollback of new tax on online sellers
Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart are among online retailers demanding that India scale back a proposed tax on third-party sellers on their platforms, saying the burden of compliance will hurt the fledgling industry, according to documents seen by Reuters. The online retail industry is braced for a possible 1% tax on each sale made by sellers […]
‘Teenage girls will be the next wave online —this is a huge untapped opportunity for growth’
Jessica Posner Odede Jessica Posner Odede is CEO of Girl Effect, an international NGO working with adolescent girls, using digital technology. Speaking to Times Evoke, Odede discussed the challenges rural girls face globally, using social media to distribute life-altering information — and why corporates should back the efforts of girls going digital: How did Girl […]