It was brought under control by early morning 3 am when police intervened. As a security measure, management locked down the factory for 24 hrs after infrastructure at the premises was damaged by rioting people.

Situated in Northern Taiyuan city, the factory employs 79,000 workers, and is owned by Foxconn, trade name for Hon Hai Precision Industry Company. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics products. The riot at the plant started as a personal conflict, and eventually transformed into a group clash.

The reopening on Tuesday morning saw workers walking back through the gates, with some of them still lying flat on the ground. The gates were manned by police and security officials, and still carried signs of damage inflicted on Sunday evening, which saw 40 employees injured. Control measures were still in force and loudspeakers were blazing instructions to retain and maintain law and discipline.

The factory, which assembles Apple’s iPhones and manufactures components for other electronic firms, has been repeatedly accused by employees for poor working conditions and maltreatment of staff. However, officials claim that they have been recently spending more on improving working conditions and increasing the wages of the employees.

The company officials have confirmed that the disruption would not affect its supplies to the global market, and that it has sufficient stock in hand to meet the demand. The riot is believed to have started at the worker’s dormitory, which is managed by a private firm on contract basis. Even the role of security guards is under scrutiny for escalating the riot.

The FOCO brand has been launched with aggressive advertising and marketing. A campaign was launched with the theme, “Go Loco For Foco”. Foco has also been promoted as a new brand of coconut water with natural minerals, ingredients and fresh coconut products.

According to Nina Vatthana, President of Vasinee, “We believe that FOCO Coconut Water will become popular among consumers quickly because it tastes so much better than competing brands.” “There is a good reason for this - the best tasting coconut water comes from young, green coconuts and natural ingredients that Agri uses in making FOCO coconut water,” she added.

Agri’s FOCO coconut water brand is one of the few brands in the market that uses single source coconuts in their manufacturing process. FOCO was first introduced in a 500 ml tetra pack which is in distribution now and becoming popular not only for its superior taste but also because of its low calorie ingredients.

The HTC 8S features include 512 MB memory and 1Ghz Core Qualcomm S4 chip, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and 4GB onboard storage whereas the HTC 8X includes specifications of a Qualcomm S41.5 GHz dual core processor, 1 GB RAM, and 16 GB RAM. The 8X is more focused on providing a better audio quality phone rather than concentrating on style. The 8X will support 3.5 mm headphones with an increased voltage of 1.5V and an amplifier which delivers over 2.5V that gives better quality volume.

 

Both the 8S and 8X are fitted with HTC’s ‘Beats’ audio software that calculate capability of audio output and provide enhanced quality sound depending on the quality of the output device. The most impressive part of HTC is that the 8X will be the signature device that reflects the image of Windows Phone 8. The Company expects that they will be able to release these models in the next month and are hoping for Smartphone OS as third platform.

Microsoft is focusing to provide the best quality mobile phone to gain competitive advantage and stay ahead in the market with positive footprints that benefit the Windows phone.

These ultra low cost towers are part of the private telecom service provider’s plans as it gears up to storm into the telecom space through Infotel Broadband. Reliance said that currently some leading telecom service providers are using towers which cost as much as Rs 30-40 lakhs while low cost towers cost about 15-20 lakhs. However some Chinese companies are developing towers costing about Rs 5-10 lakhs. Cost of towers change as transmission capabilities and volume of orders change. 

A source from Infotel said that the company is planning to develop its network with a mix of its own base tower station (BTS) and rented mobile towers. The company is looking for BTS costing around Rs 1 lakh each.

An spokesperson from Reliance said that the rental for these ultra-low-cost towers varies between Rs 30,000 to 50,000 per month. Use of these low cost towers would prove to be highly cost effective. The company is looking to develop one lakh towers for its own use and to lease out through third parties. Infotel is focusing to gain competitive advantage with these low cost towers and to offer 4G telecom services at lower prices compared to its competitors. 

These services are expected to be launched by the end of 2012 or early 2013. In the initial days the cost of BTS development is expected to be around Rs 50 lakh to 60 lakh. With technology advancement it has come down to about 30 lakh to 40 lakh. Infotel had floated a tender for its plans to deploy towers in one lakh new locations after which the company is looking to rent out some base stations. A rental offered by Infotel varies between Rs 15,000 to 50,000 per month which excludes various on site costs.

The growing protests in China against Japan, which saw Japanese vehicles being torched, manufacturing plants pelted, and Japanese flags burnt, forced China to carry out the patrol exercise to boost the sentiments across the Chinese communities over the country’s jurisdiction over Diaoyu Island and the affiliate islets. CMA had sent six patrol boats to the disputed area on Friday, and has said that it will continue with such law enforcement activities in the near future too.

 

The increased surveillance by China has come after Japan closed the deal to buy the Diaoyu Island and 2 of its islets. The uninhabited islands in East China Sea are a rich source of valuable resources and are controlled by Japan. Taiwan too claims its rights over the islands. Diaoyu Island is called as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.

Meanwhile, China has fastened its work on final submission to be made to the State Oceanic Administration to define the outer limits of the continental shelf. China has decided to make partial submission in this regard to the UN, seen as a strategic move to defend its maritime jurisdiction and sovereignty, after the Japanese prime minister decided to take the island controversy to the UN General Assembly.

As part of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, any coastal state whose continental shelf extends beyond 200 nautical miles, has to make a submission defining the outer limits of its continental shelf to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. China has been consistently enforcing its claim saying it has historical and legal evidences to support its claim. The controversial islands were seized by Japan at the end of the China-Japan 1894 – 1895 war, but were returned to China after World War II under key declarations made at the end of the war.

Videocon’s LED TV sets works on the wireless principles. The TV is free from the set-top box. 

For this to materialize Videocon partnered with the broadcasting giant Digital Direct Broadcast providing a platform for the all new Television by Videocon technologies. The new LED TV is launched by the brand ambassador of Videocon, Mr. Shah Rukh Khan and the technology is available in the LED TV sets ranging between inches from 32-58.

The new TV technology will give wireless digital signals without a necessary set top box .The signals will be received directly by the TV set giving superb audio visual experience. Also the 2D channels can be converted into 3D channels via technology. The new TV sets comes with a cloud computing ability by which the users can surf on internet, work and save files on the TV, get connected to the social networking sites and many more customer centric features are available on the new age TV.

Such technology would transform the viewing experience of the consumers and true life audio visual experience. This feature separates Videocon from the other market leaders and it brings the all new revolution in the entertainment utilities. It benefits the country at an international level by providing advanced features and technology. Videocon is grateful to Digital Direct Broadcast to partner with them to unveil the all new age LED TV’s.

According to Craig Richardson, Chairman of Alliance of Ontario Food Processors (AOFP), “The food and beverage processing industry has not only survived, but thrived during the economic downturn of the last several years.” “Ontario has long looked to the automotive industry to fuel the provincial economy, but it is clear that food and beverage processing is the economic engine that drives it,” he added.

Among Ontario’s manufacturing industry, food manufacturing is the largest segment. The Local Food Act will help this industry to build up new innovations. 

According to Michael McCain, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods and member of Ontario’s Jobs and Prosperity Council, “Ontario’s food sector has been a lynchpin of the Ontario and Canadian economy.”

According to Steve Peters, Executive director of AOFP, “Our industry has a proven track record of success; we are the single largest manufacturing employer in Ontario and we know that there is huge potential for more growth in our sector.” He congratulated the McGuinty government on the Local Food Act.

According to Hitachi there are several methods to store data - on disk drives, memory chips and optical media. But these methods are not sufficient for mass storage and can be easily destroyed. 

Researchers said keeping large volume of data has become a problem as the amount of data is increasing every day and storing the data for the next generation is a difficult task to handle.

To prevent the confidential data from falling into the wrong hands, Hitachi unveiled technology in which data is stored in a binary form by creating dots in very thin sheet of quartz glass. This data can be read only with the help of an optical microscope. As long as devices to read binary data exist, the data will be readable.

This glass holds four layers of dotted data in which data is stored and it contains 40 MB per square inch. Hitachi is planning to increase more number of layers to store large amounts of data. Researchers said data will last for longer until and unless this hard glass is broken by a hammer or rock. 

The major platform and chipset vendors like Qualcomm and others have significant impact, affordability and availability, as they provide reference designs to their smartphone original equipment manufacturers and minimize risk at entry-level.  

As much of the smartphone development is occurring in China, local brands from other emerging countries also adopt this affordable model. Countries like India and Indonesia also represent stronger growth in smartphone markets followed by Russia and Brazil. With an increasing smartphone market in emerging countries, many internet players will look to extend their offerings and leverage the opportunity.

Technology proves a boon for many but many people are suffering the downside of this amazing boon that creates music, books, photographs and movies. It is the very same technology that helps content to be illegally copied over the internet and afterwards distributed.

CD and DVD’s are the resources on which one can copy data and post it over the internet. This happens with the help of digital scanners and printers. Books and photographs can also be copied in this manner. There are numerous cases of copying of data and posting it over the internet illegally. For instance, scientist Forrest Mims-III had suffered from plagiarism when his book ‘Optoelectronics’ was copied by retranslating it to Uighur, a Turkish dialect, from Chinese. He came to know about it when a student of Harvard University sent a pirated copy of the book to him.

Plagiarism comes at very low cost because the data posted over the internet is pirated and not original. Anyone can copy data with their Smartphone and post it online within no time. However, Plagiarists are not aware that they can be caught by search engines. Plagiarism is mostly resorted to by well educated and professionals.

Internet is a huge resource of online data, and students, politicians, and scientists are using the data for their personal use like home assignments, research work, and for other purposes. The authorities related to these sectors use anti-plagiarism software to check the copy paste work. Unauthorized version of the content will remain online, researchers said.

Australia’s agricultural sector which has been an investment focus of CIC (China Investment Corp.) is a high-tension sector and investments have been met with considerable opposition by local business communities. To diversify its focus, the Chinese wealth fund is now targeting the Australian dairy industry. With a USD 192 billion budget for foreign investments, CIC is exploring various opportunities to ensure it meets rising domestic demand and aspirations, which are driven by increased disposable income levels. Last year, with a rise in imports by 34%, China overtook the United States to become the world’s largest food importer.

The move is also believed to be influenced by a recent report by Rabobank, which forecasts food inflation to hit record highs next year. The record ‘agflation’ is driven by rising supply demand gap for quality and secure food sources amidst growing consumer aspirations and increased income levels.

As part of exploring new opportunities across the Australian dairy industry, representatives of CIC visited Tasmania recently and showed interest in Australia’s dairy giant Van Diemen's land company’s Tasmania operations. The company has its operations expanded across 19,000 hectares, through its 27 individual farming operations. Most of these are dairy farms. The company currently employs 160 people who look after a livestock of 6,500 cattle (beef) and 25,000 cows (dairy). The company is looking for an USD 180 million investment to double its operations and capacity.

CIC has officially submitted its request to Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board seeking preliminary consultations. CIC officials on their visit to Tasmania, inspected two large northern dairy operations with a combined worth of more than USD 200 million and considerable expansion capacity.

China and the United States, the two largest economies, are at the forefront again, with each slapping trade complaints against each other. Tension began when the U.S. challenged the Chinese subsidies provided on auto and auto parts, which threatened the already troubled American auto industry. President Obama, during his campaign in Ohio, a state with a prominent auto industry, alleged that Chinese auto subsidies are a threat to American jobs. His remarks have come at a time when presidential elections are approaching in November and Ohio can play a decisive role in the final outcome.

The United States has alleged in the complaint filed with the WTO that the Government of China provided millions of dollars as export subsidies to its auto parts maker.  The U.S. has enforced a trade bill in this regard that will enforce tariffs and duties on Chinese auto exports. The bill allows the United States Commerce Department to continue the enforcement of counteracting taxes on imports from economies like Vietnam and China. The bill was signed in March this year.

China counteracted with a complaint to the WTO against enforcement of duties by the U.S. on many of the Chinese imports. China has complained against the anti-dumping duties worth USD 7.2 billion levied by the U.S on goods imported from China. These include tires, steel and kitchen appliances. China’s exports of auto parts has grown to USD 70 billion annually making it the fourth largest exporter of auto parts to the U.S. market.

China has requested for consultation with the U.S. through the WTO against the duties imposed. The two have 60 days to resolve the issue through consultation, before the WTO panel looks into the case, as per the WTO rules.

The issue came into the limelight when the Chinese government imposed mandatory RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) tagging for all bird’s nests imported into China from Malaysia. The protocol entailing RFID use was signed on September 14, and saw protests from farmers who claimed that the new protocol made them less competitive and increased the cost burden on them.

The two countries were represented by Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Mr. Datuk Seri Noh Omar from Malaysia and the Chinese Minister for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Mr. Zhi Shuping. Also present were the 63 representatives from 43 Swiftlet farming associations, and Director General of Department of Veterinary Services, Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin.

The agreement was signed following a 5 hour long meeting with representatives of the Swiftlet bird nest association. Several other proposals recommended by the association will also be considered and included in due course of time. Of the many proposals submitted by representatives, the prominent one was to include broader definitions of tracking, and not limiting it only to use of RFID devices.

However, despite the assurance from the agriculture and industry minister, local farmers are waiting for the final confirmation in black and white. They insisted on seeing the hard copy of the protocol before it was signed.

The farmer’s argument to defend the removal on mandatory RFID tagging was that it affected their competitiveness in the market as every ingredient that goes into making of the delicacy would be revealed. Also, it would raise the cost incurred. Currently, Malaysia is the second leading producer of the delicacy after Indonesia.

The latest of the dispute was regarding European Commission’s anti-dumping investigation on solar panels imported from China. During the meet, Chinese Premier Wen Jibabao stated China’s willingness to work in coordination with EU to strengthen the bilateral ties strategically into an international cooperation model for 21st century. The 8th China-EU Business summit was attended by Jose Manuel Barroso, President European Commission and Herman Van Rompuy, President European Council. 

Wen also emphasized on importance of the trade ties between the two economies as most important in the world, and described it as point of strategic focus for China’s foreign policy. EU has been the leading trade alliance for China for the past consecutive eight years, while China has become the second largest trade partner for EU. China’s technology imports from EU aggregated to USD 150 billion, making EU bloc the largest source.

China also insisted on being a responsible investor in EU and pledged its commitment to help resolve the regional debt crisis through strategic and long term measures. Wen expressed the China’s willingness to resolve trade issues through negotiations and mutual agreements with future orientation. Wen is in Brussels for an official visit and to attend the 15th China-EU summit.