Bloomberg Cyrus Mistry, the ousted chairman of Tata Group, accused its biggest shareholders of eroding governance at India’s largest business empire and portrayed himself as a defender of independent decision-making in a letter to investors in Tata companies. The conglomerate refuted his allegations. Mistry made his appeal on Monday before a series of extraordinary general meetings from Dec. 13 ...
Read More »China-championed Asia trade pact should wrap up fast: ADB
Bloomberg The death knell sounding for a US-led Pacific trade pact creates a vacuum that a separate Asia deal being championed by China should quickly fill, according to the Asian Development Bank. Negotiators at the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership meeting this week in Indonesia would normally hold talks without much public scrutiny. But the latest round comes after U.S. ...
Read More »Uber drivers face $780K fine as Taiwan oppn grows
Bloomberg Investors and companies are getting a preview of how the Taiwan government’s plan to become “Asia’s Silicon Valley†might fare. Uber Technologies Inc., one of Silicon Valley’s most disruptive companies and valued at more than $60 billion, launched services in Taiwan in 2013. The app has been downloaded by more than a million people in four cities and ...
Read More »Japan labour crunch worst in least productive sectors
Bloomberg Japan’s aging and shrinking population is causing labor shortages that should be helping workers win higher pay. But it’s not working out that way, in part because of low productivity in the areas of the greatest shortage, according to economists including Hideo Kumano at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute in Tokyo. Labor intensive sectors like hotels, restaurants and elderly ...
Read More »EU, US consumer watchdogs file complaints on ‘spy’ toys
Brussels / AFP EU and US consumer watchdogs announced they are filing complaints against a clutch of smart toys that can “spy†on children and their homes, for allegedly breaching privacy and data protection laws. The complaints target smart toys My Friend Cayla, i-QUE Intelligent Robot and Hello Barbie, according to the European Consumer Organisation BEUC and US groups ...
Read More »Contact lens tech could revolutionize e-vehicles
Bloomberg A plastic based on soft contact-lens technology may solve some of the biggest challenges facing electric vehicles by letting them recharge in seconds and travel from London to Edinburgh without stopping, scientists say. Researchers at the University of Surrey developed a polymer that may dramatically boost the performance of supercapacitors, lightweight electronic components that store and distribute high ...
Read More »Digital, TV ad trends in focus at UBS conference
Bloomberg The growth of digital advertising and how it affects TV ads were key themes on the first day of the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York. “Digital, particularly mobile, continues to take dollars away from print media as consumers use mobile apps and other outlets to consume content digitally,†Zenith said in its year-end forecast ...
Read More »Internet giants to help each other spot terror content
Bloomberg Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp., Twitter Inc. and YouTube are joining forces to improve their efforts to remove terrorist-related content from their online services, following pressure that tech companies might not be doing enough to deter extremists from using their platforms. The four companies said that they are creating a shared database of the most severe terrorist videos and ...
Read More »RTA teams up with Khalifa, Dubai varsities to go smart
Dubai / WAM The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Khalifa University and the University of Dubai, calling for stepping up cooperation in the field of robots and drones. The step is part of RTA endeavours to keep pace with the latest technological trends, share expertise with the academic institutions ...
Read More »UAE, China discuss strong ties
ABU DHABI / WAM Ways of strengthening relations between the UAE and China were discussed on Sunday by Pilot Staff-Brigadier Sheikh Ahmed bin Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the UAE National and Reserve Service Authority, and Ni Jian, Ambassador of China to the UAE. A number of topics of common concern were also discussed by the duo ...
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