Indonesia’s government last week ordered Apple and Google to remove Chinese e-commerce app Temu from their app stores.
A government announcement quotes minister of communication and information Budi Arie Setiadi explaining that Temu has not registered to operate in Indonesia. He’s also concerned about competition issues.
“Local MSME products need government protection from foreign marketplaces that sell foreign products directly from their factories so that the prices are very cheap. This is unhealthy competition and threatens the sustainability of local MSME businesses,” the minister is quoted as saying.
The government statement also observes that “Based on experience in several countries, the application from China is detrimental to local MSMEs as well as consumers. The quality of products sold by Temu also does not meet quality standards, thus harming consumers or buyers.”
The minister has also made remarks suggesting another Chinese e-commerce app – Shein – is in his sights.
China has made offshore growth of its e-commerce giants a national priority and Indonesia – the world’s fourth most populous nation – is a natural target for that ambition. However many governments are probing Temu and Shein on matters ranging from human rights to tax evasion. Indonesia is fiercely protective of its local market, as the nation aspires to grow its own digital giants.
– Simon Sharwood
Infosys stops sending job offer emails to address fraud
Indian IT services giant Infosys has reportedly stopped sending job offers in emails or letters.
New hires and internal movers now log on to the outsourcer’s intranet – a change made after the biz detected high volumes of fraudulent job offers and had to clean up the resulting mess.
Infosys’s hiring practices have come into question recently as it promised around 2,000 graduate recruits jobs and then made them wait for two years before making good on the offers.
India takes out space junk – after seven years
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) last week revealed that it had de-orbited the upper stage of a rocket it launched in 2017 and proclaimed that doing so shows it is a good citizen that takes care of space junk in a timely fashion.
The February 2017 launch saw India send a PSLV-37 rocket into orbit carrying 104 satellites, which it claimed was a record. The rocket’s upper stage remained in orbit, as is often the case’
“After injecting the satellites and passivation, the upper stage (PS4) was left at an orbit of approximately 494km. It was regularly tracked by USSPACECOM as an object with NORAD id 42052 and its orbital altitude slowly decayed, primarily due to atmospheric drag effects,” explained India’s space agency.
By the start of October 2024, the orbit had significantly decayed, sparking Space Command to predict its closely monitored but uncontrolled re-entry. Impact occurred in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The event aligns with international space debris mitigation guidelines, which limit post-mission orbital life of defunct objects in LEO to 25 years. ISRO bragged it achieved the goal by “properly designing [a] passivation sequence” that lowered PS4’s orbit.
ISRO is working to reduce this to five years through proactive measures, including de-orbiting and controlled re-entry initiatives.
Australia wants mandatory ransom payment reporting
Australia’s government last week tabled a Cyber Security Bill that, if passed, would compel some local orgs to report when they make payments as the result of a ransomware infection.
The bill also proposes security standards for Internet of Things devices, and a regime that would see government agencies allowed to share information about security incidents.
The bill has been sent to committee for further consideration.
– Simon Sharwood
Ratan Tata, former chairman of Tata Group, dies at age 86
Tributes poured in last week after the passing of Rata Tata, the former chairman of Tata Group, who died aged 86.
Bill Gates called Tata “a visionary leader whose dedication to improving lives left an indelible mark on India – and the world.” He added that the two had “partnered on numerous initiatives to help people lead healthier, more prosperous lives.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai described Tata as “instrumental in mentoring and developing the modern business leadership in India.” He wrote that the pair had “talked about the progress of Waymo and his vision was inspiring to hear.”
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi stated “he provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses.”
Samsung India strike continues
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) told The Register that Samsung workers on strike in India have rejected a settlement offer made by Samsung on wage hikes.
The settlement included a monthly allowance of 5,000 rupees ($60) until March, more air conditioned buses to transport staff to the plant, a diversified cafeteria menu and a gift card of $24 in case of a child birth, according to CITU.
Workers have been on strike since September 9, seeking better wages and the right to unionize. Production at the facility, which pulls in around 2.4 billion dollars for Samsung annually, has reportedly been significantly disrupted.
Baidu’s robotaxi service expanding to Hong Kong
China’s Baidu is expanding its Apollo Go self-driving taxi service beyond mainland China and into Hong Kong, according to Chinese media.
Other media sources have identified Singapore and the Middle East as future targets.
APAC Dealbook
Recent alliances and deals spotted by The Register across the region last week include:
- In China, Microsoft has teamed up with Doushen Education – a major provider of educational services and also infosec and general IT consulting – to bolster AI-driven content using its GraphRAG technology.
- Microsoft also agreed on a collaboration with Infosys to boost global adoption of generative AI and Microsoft Azure among their joint customers, leveraging Infosys Cobalt, Topaz, and Aster.
- Singapore-based telco Singtel announced the launch of an AI cloud infrastructure called RE:AI. Singtel said the platform “will combine state-of-the-art AI compute infrastructure, like graphics processing units (GPUs) and storage, AI workspaces and tools, with diverse networks such as 5G, fixed or quantum safe networks,” enabling “customers to deploy, manage and scale their AI applications without having to worry about the overheads of complex infrastructure.” The Reg hopes the AI service is more reliable than Singtel’s networks, which last week experienced an unprecedented island-wide outage that saw emergency services numbers unavailable at Singapore’s Civil Defense Force (SCDF) and police.
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