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All posts tagged "US"

Posts tagged "US"

  • Donald Trump accidentally tweets Nazi soldiers in campaign poster

    By on 15 July, 2015

    If you imagine a campaign poster for any 21st century presidential candidate with some Nazi soldiers on it, alarm bells would probably go off. US billionaire Donald Trump -- together with his profound facial expressions, hairpiece and controversial statements -- tweeted a rather strange campaign poster to his 3.2 million followers recently. He then went on to lead the polls for the 2016 US presidential race. The low-budget looking poster, apparently slapped together by an intern, is a montage of Trump's face, the waving Stars and Stripes, with an acute reenactment of Nazi soldiers marching around. Because 'Murica... We've seen a lot...

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  • Emerging markets catching up slowly as digital adspend to hit $137.53bn

    By on 3 April, 2014

    If you're looking for a decent slice of the global digital advertising pie, you're still much better off being in North America than pretty much anywhere else on the planet. If you're in an emerging market country meanwhile, you can take solace in the fact that the market will grow in the next few years, but not all that quickly. According to online marketing research company eMarketer, adspend across desktops, laptops, mobile phones and tablets will reach US$137.53-billion this year. That amount, up 14% from last year, means that it will account for around a quarter of global adspend...

  • Brazil to roll out secure email system in bid to protect citizens from PRISM

    By on 14 October, 2013

    Want your emails safe from the prying eyes of the US security apparatus? Then maybe you should consider relocating to Brazil. The Latin American powerhouse has announced plans to develop a secure email system aimed at protecting its government level communications from US spying. As spotted by The Register, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff took to Twitter to explain that she'd ordered SERPRO -- the country's federal data processing service -- to build a secure email service for the entire government. In the series of tweets shown below, she says that Brazil needs “more security on our messages to...

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  • Spy games or no, China’s stuck with US technology

    By on 19 June, 2013

    We recently wrote about allegations in the Chinese press that Cisco has been working with the NSA to help the US spy on China. And needless to say, in the wake of this news -- even if it is questionably-sourced at this point -- there have been calls for China to divest itself from American technology. Whether or not that’s the right solution is debatable, but I want to address a larger problem: is it even possible? One of the first things that struck me as odd about the alleged Cisco-NSA connection is that while Cisco isn’t one of the...

  • Tit for tat: China claims Cisco is aiding US spies

    By on 30 November, 2012

    Hey, remember when Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE were deemed security threats by the US? Well that tit has been met with tat as China accuses Cisco of helping out US spies. According to Engadget, state-backed media outlets, including China Economy & Informatization and People's Daily are saying that the US-based networking giant's presence in large portions of its networking infrastructure could open it up to espionage. The former even cites...

  • The hows and the whats — 5 tough questions VCs ask

    By on 6 March, 2012

    Over the past six months I have spoken with a wide variety of people who have shown, in varying degrees, interest in investing in my company. Many of these VCs have specific ways that they conduct a call, interview or meeting. Many of them have lead me down long and wasteful due diligence processes, many have been kind, some have been blunt and harsh but all have been pedantic and specific about the types of questions they ask. I have found that, on the whole, the questions are standard and the steps straight-forward but there are always the tough questions...

  • BlackBerry sued over global service failure

    By on 28 October, 2011

    In the latest twist of the tale of BlackBerry’s woes, the smartphone's maker Research In Motion (RIM), is now being sued in Canada and the US as a result of the global BlackBerry Messenger failure. The plaintiff of the suit hope to escalate the case into class-action lawsuit thus representing every BlackBerry user in the respective countries. At the moment, the amount RIM will be asked to pay out has not yet been determined. The US lawsuit accuses RIM of “negligence, unjust enrichment and breach of contract”. Filed this week in California, it was brought forward by the BlackBerry owners who...

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  • US issues demands to China on ‘Great Firewall’

    By on 20 October, 2011

    Ratcheting up its increasingly stern line with Beijing on trade issues, Washington has added concerns about China's infamous Great Firewall saying that it may be hurting US companies' access to Chinese consumers. This concern, amongst others, was put forth in a letter by US Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Michael Punke to his Chinese compatriot. "Some companies based outside of China have faced challenges offering their services to Chinese customers when their...

  • Man ‘unwittingly’ gives the world a front row seat to Bin Laden’s death

    By on 3 May, 2011

    Twitter has proved itself to have far more power and reach than just the 140 characters bursts it allows. Many global events and issues have also become "Twitter events" thanks to the reach and power of the microblogging site. The death of Osama Bin Laden, after a "targeted bombing raid" as US officials put it, by US forces in Pakistan on Sunday night was the same, and more. Branded as the world’s most wanted criminal with a US$25-million bounty on his head, Bin Laden was an ongoing covert operation. Any plans of capture or assassination of the world's most wanted would...

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  • US sees internet as a way to reach China

    By on 7 April, 2011

    The US broadcasting agency said it saw the internet as the future for reaching China despite its firewall, as it came under fire from lawmakers for slashing short-wave radio service. Under a budget proposal for next year, Voice of America would close its longtime radio and television broadcasts in Mandarin and eliminate its Cantonese service entirely, cutting 45 jobs and saving US$8-million. The belt-tightening comes as China ramps up global distribution of its own...

  • 8 venture capital sources for your startup

    By on 22 March, 2011

    Raising funds in emerging markets may not be a walk in the park, but the process has become easier. Though some have complained the current economic environment is not favourable to startups, the current mindset is favourable to good ideas - no matter where they are. For startups with global vision based in emerging markets, here are eight sources of capital to consider. Venture Partners The US-based Venture Partners (USVP) has helped build great companies in the last three decades. Since its inception in 1981, USVP has invested more than US$2.7-billion in about 450 companies. After the investment the company’s...