Mark Zuckerberg is not happy India doesn't want his free internet

By Katie Dowd

 

Published 10:57 am, Wednesday, December 30, 2015

 
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Photo: Ben Margot, Getty Images

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gestures while delivering the keynote address at the f8 Facebook Developer Conference in San Francisco. 

Mark Zuckerberg is trying to bring free internet to India, but he's been stunned to discover the country may not want it.

Facebook partner Reliance, a wireless carrier, is offering free internet access via Facebook's Free Basics service to millions of Indians. The service sounds great on its surface — an estimated 1 billion Indians don't have internet access — but a series of issues have many Indians pushing back.

For one, Free Basics isn't the whole internet: it's just the portion Facebook and its partners decide will be free. That has activists concerned Facebook will choose what poor users see, while only wealthier users can buy full access.

"If you dictate what the poor should get, you take away their right to choose what they think is best for them," Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote in a letter to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. 

Other critics say Zuckerberg's seemingly charitable quest is nothing more than a ploy to expand Facebook into the huge untapped market of India.

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"Mr. Zuckerberg's ambitions become clear when, in his article, he says Internet.org is open to 'all mobile operators' and 'as many internet providers' as possible," an Indian group called SavetheInternet.in argued in a Hindustan Times op-ed. "Who does he not mention? Internet sites and mobile apps. Because the power to decide which of them get on Internet.org will rest with Facebook."

Zuckerberg defended his plan in a Dec. 28 op-ed in the Times of India. 

"Who could possibly be against this?" he asks. "... Instead of wanting to give people access to some basic internet services for free, critics of the program continue to spread false claims – even if that means leaving behind a billion people.

"Instead of recognizing the fact that Free Basics is opening up the whole internet, they continue to claim – falsely – that this will make the internet more like a walled garden."

Mike Adenuga, Jnr: The Triumph of African enterprise

on January 01, 2016   /   in News 1:09 am  

By Prince Osuagwu

OUR African Business Man of the Year, Dr. Mike Adeniyi Ishola Adenuga Jr. (GCON), Chairman, Mike Adenuga Group, can be conveniently described as the triumph of African enterprise. He symbolizes the African enterprising spirit of passion, unalloyed commitment, resilience and hard work.

Adenuga

He is today one of the most recognisable names on the African continent; sitting atop what is arguably one of the continent’s largest business empires, comprising oil and gas, telecoms, aviation, banking and real estate.

In each of these sectors, Dr. Adenuga has moulded his companies into major players. In the oil and gas sector, for instance, Conoil Plc is known as one of the largest and most profitable oil marketing companies in Nigeria.   Conoil Producing, the downstream arm of the conglomerate, made history by becoming the first Nigerian company to strike oil and produce it in commercial quantity in 1991.

In banking, Equitorial Trust Bank (ETB) was one of the few banks that effortlessly met the N25b capital requirement during the 2005 banking consolidation exercise without going to the stock market. It only merged with Devcom Bank which was also owned by Adenuga. Two years ago, ETB merged with Sterling Bank.

Direct employment

Adenuga also has a multi-billion dollar investment in real estate. These companies provide direct employment to thousands of workers and millions of others indirectly.

In telecoms, Globacom is known as one of the most innovative networks in Africa and has operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Benin Republic, Senegal, Gambia and Cote d’Ivoire. Dr Adenuga made history in 2010 when his telecoms firm commissioned its international submarine cable, Glo 1.

The cable has provided a solution to the long-standing problem of insufficient internet bandwidth for Africa and has lead to a much faster and robust connectivity for voice, data and video.

He is credited with the telecom revolution in Nigeria as Globacom flagged off operations with Per Second Billing and crashing of SIM cost to as low as N100 when competitors had consistently told Nigerians it was impossible.

This feat led to the company being the second largest operator in the country today, in terms of number of subscribers connected.

The network also pioneered such revolutionary products as Blackberry, mobile internet and mobile banking services in Nigeria.

He was born in 1953, in the ancient city of Ibadan, into the family of Chief Mike Adenuga Snr. and Madam Oyindamola Adenuga, a successful trader and Yeyeoba of Ijebuland. He attended the famous Ibadan Grammar School, in Oyo State, Nigeria, for his secondary education and studied Business Administration at Northwestern State University, Alva Oklahoma, in the United States. He also earned a Masters degree at Pace University, New York, majoring in Business Administration with emphasis on Marketing.

In recognition of his business accomplishments and outstanding contributions to the growth of the country, he was last year awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). He also holds an honorary doctorate degree conferred on him by Ogun State University.

Biggest supporter of football

During Nigeria’ 50th anniversary celebration, Adenuga was one of the 50 pre-eminent Nigerians who were conferred with the Special Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary Awards by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

A self-effacing philanthropist, Dr. Adenuga Jr., through his company, Globacom, is the biggest supporter of football in Africa and has raised the profile of football in Nigeria and Ghana with the sponsorship of the Premier Leagues and national football teams of the two countries. The company has so far spent over N9 billion in cash and kind on Nigerian football.

It has also transformed the annual CAF Awards and made it the most glamorous sports event on the continent. CAF has awarded Adenuga the Pillar of Football in Africa for his strong support for African Football at both national and continental levels.

Business accomplishments

Dr Adenuga has won numerous other awards in recognition of his personal and business accomplishments among which is the African Telecoms Entrepreneur of the year for his courageous and rapid investment in the telecoms sector.

In early 2010, he was voted Nigeria’s Most Outstanding Business Personality in the last 50 years.

In 2009, Dr. Adenuga won the Silverbird Man of the Year Award, polling over 75% of the votes cast to edge out other eminent personalities nominated for the award.

Yet, in spite of his towering achievements, Dr Mike Adenuga Jr, remains an epitome of modesty.

ISIS Regulates Sex Slaves

Published December 29, 2015

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Reuters

BY JONATHAN LANDAY, WARREN STROBEL AND PHIL STEWART | REUTERS

Islamic State theologians have issued an extremely detailed ruling on when "owners" of women enslaved by the extremist group can have sex with them, in an apparent bid to curb what they called violations in the treatment of captured females.

The ruling or fatwa has the force of law and appears to go beyond the Islamic State's previous known utterances on slavery, a leading Islamic State scholar said. It sheds new light on how the group is trying to reinterpret centuries-old teachings to justify the rape of women in the swaths of Syria and Iraq it controls.

The Israel Defense Forces: The Only Army ISIS Truly Fears

Published December 30, 2015

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AP Photos

By Matt Vespa | Townhall

German reporter Jurgen Todenhofer went behind enemy lines to spend ten days with the Islamic State. He went with his son, Frederic, but not after spending nearly half a year ensuring that his safety would be guaranteed before venturing into this perilous region of the world. He plans on never going back (good idea), but noted that the only army these Islamic fanatics truly fear is the Israel Defense Forces.

They are confident that they can defeat soldiers from the West, namely British and American troops, but noted that the Israelis might be too tough for them. An aspect of their strategy is to lure Western troops into their territory in order to capture them. Oh, and they plan on killing every Shiite Muslim they can find, and view Muslims living in Western countries who vote as “top-priority enemies…as they give people rather than God the right to make laws.”

The claim from German reporter Jürgen Todenhöfer, a former member of the German Parliament, came after he spent 10 extraordinary days behind enemy lines in Iraq and Syria, accompanied by his son Frederic. He returned saying the group behind the Paris attacks was “preparing the largest religious cleansing in history” and with a “pessimistic” view on what can be done to combat it.

But the author of My 10 Days in the Islamic State told Jewish News: “The only country ISIS fears is Israel. They told me they know the Israeli army is too strong for them.”

Nigeria’s Central Bank Orders Commercial Banks to Stop Customers from Using Debit and Credit Cards Abroad

December 22, 2015 | Posted by Jasmine Nelson 

Nigeria’s central bank has ordered commercial banks to stop customers from using their debit and credit cards abroad, a source has told the BBC.

One bank has emailed customers to this effect, stressing it is a “temporary measure”.

Access to foreign online retailers will also be affected when the ban takes effect on 1 January 2016.

It is part of the government’s effort to try to stem the flow of foreign exchange out of the country.

The unofficial value of the Nigerian currency, the naira, has plunged because of the fall in the oil price – its main export.

Africa’s largest economy has spent billions of dollars propping up the currency since it fixed the exchange rate in February and tightened trading rules to curb speculation.

It is not clear how many people will be affected by the latest measure but the BBC’s Bashir Sa’ad Abdullahi in the capital,

Abuja, says wealthy Nigerians travel abroad regularly and use their local cards for shopping and other transactions.

Some top-end shops in London have signs in Hausa to cater for the large number of Nigerian customers.

One of the banks, Standard Chartered, has emailed its customers notifying them of the ban.

In June, the central bank banned businesses from accessing hard currency to import about 40 items.
The list included Indian incense, plastic and rubber products, soap and even private jets.
The amount that Nigerians could spend on credit cards abroad has already been reduced by the banks.

Muyika: 20 Year old millionaire who turned down Harvard to live the Tech dream in Kenya

29th December 2015

Mubarak Muyika - Bizna

Orphaned at 10, Mubarak Muyika has been doing business since his school days at Kamusinga High School in Bungoma County.

His passion for entrepreneurship saw him turn down a fully paid scholarship to the prestigious Harvard University in the US last year to follow the unbeaten path of setting up a computer business.

‘‘I cleared high school in 2011, two years earlier I had developed a passion for computers that saw me set up a website for my adoptive parents who were running a bookshop.

He registered Hype Century Technologies and Investments Ltd, a company which deals in web-designing and domain registration, in January 2012.

‘‘We started very small, with Sh50,000 which I had saved from a freelance job I had been doing as a student and after High School. My first client was so impressed that he offered me space in his office at Rehema House in Nairobi,’’ he recalled with nostalgia.

Mr Muyika incorporated two of his friends in the enterprise and within three months they were on a roll.

‘‘At that time we were handling six clients through monthly and annual charges,’’ he said. The firm earned a reputation for efficiency.

‘‘Mr Muyika is enterprising and focused, I recommended him to Havard University but noticed that entrepreneurship came first and he had no obligation to pursue the course.

‘‘Nowadays one can learn in many ways, even Bill Gates did not complete his studies. He walked out and aggressively did serious business,’’ said business magnate Chris Kirubi in a phone interview with the Business Daily.

‘‘We had three computers and in a good month I would pocket between Sh60,000 and Sh80,000, which I used to pay my two part-time employees. Our services varied from domain registration to web hosting and designing ’’ he said.

By August last 2012 the company had grown big enough to employ six more people on a full time basis and relocated to a bigger office in Westlands.

‘‘Most of the new staff were university graduates, I was dealing with the best talent in the market,’’ said Mr Muyika.

In the same month, the entrepreneur contested for the Anzisha Prize in South Africa and walked away with Sh1.1 million.

Anzisha Prize targets African entrepreneurs aged between 15 and 21 who have developed innovative businesses which have positively impacted on communities.

The platform is an initiative of the Africa Leadership Academy in partnership with MasterCard Foundation.

While in South Africa to receive the prize, Mr Muyika met American investor Jim Doursey who negotiated for a 10 per cent stake in Hype Century Technologies.

‘‘He flew to Kenya, we did the paperwork and he enabled us to expand to Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. We started selling domains online and hosting packages atHypeCentury.Com”

“Our local clients include Nakumatt Holdings, Fone Express, and Baraka FM among other big player’s in the market,’’ said Mr Muyika.

‘‘Much of what I learnt in South Africa was about what not to do in business, I have been applying the skills in any venture I pursue,’’ he said.

Soon the firm was handling over 700 companies.

In October 2012 investor Elvis Wakwoma, who owns Wemps Telecoms Kenya, bought five per cent of Hype Century Technologies. I asked Mr Muyika about how he manages his businesses given his educational background.

‘‘I respect education but it should be a tool to create opportunities. The problem with our system is that it prepares one on how to get a degree, get a good job and retire at 50 or 70 year’s or even get sacked in between.’’ he said.

In December 2012 Mr Muyika inked yet another deal, this time round with Indian investor Jignesh Patel who runs I-Code Ltd. Mr Patel acquired a 25 per cent stake in the company.

By the end of last year the company had more than 900 domains. Mr Muyika was the biggest shareholder with a 60 per cent stake.

‘‘Patel had 25 per cent shares, Wakwoma five per cent, Doursey 10 per cent and I had 60 per cent. I retained the chief executive’s position but I had the feeling that I was not maximising my potential. I opted to sell my shares and develop a new venture,’’ said Mr Muyika.

He could not divulge details on the deal, including how much money he made from the sale. By the time he left in May the company had 14 employees handling 1,400 domains.

Soon after his exit Mr Muyika registered another firm, Zagace Company, and rented a two-bedroomed house which acts as his office. He employed 12 computer programmers.

‘‘Zagace is an enterprise management platform that uses Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and web-hosting resources to create a basic forum for business systems and processes,’’ he said

The product is in its final stage, he said. Mr Muyika exuded confidence that the firm will operate globally by the end this month through subsidiaries.

‘‘An entrepreneur needs to take calculated risks, we will be selling business models depicted as Zag Apps Online,’’ he said.

Who are his role models?

‘‘I am inspired by people’s actions but not their entire lifestyles. Locally, Chris Kirubi takes it, I like his business management skills and sheer optimism when pursuing business ventures.’’

‘‘The biggest challenge is getting ready investors to work with since few entrepreneurs believe in taking risks. But all is not lost, I am optimistic that we will sail through,’’ he said.

Mr Muyika said he was yet to decide whether to join Harvard University for a computer science programme or not.

Besides the Anzisha price he won in 2012, Mr Muyika won Africa’s Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs: Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 For 2015.

Christians are disappearing from the Middle East

By Sara Sidner, CNN

Updated 2156 GMT (0556 HKT) December 25, 2015 | Video Source: CNN

Now PlayingChristians fleeing from...

• Christians fleeing ISIS celebrate Christmas away form home after fleeing death or persecution
• Hundreds of thousands are spread across the world, many in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey
• They grieve for their losses, but pray to one day to return to Iraq as proud Christians with no fear of reprisals

(CNN)Perfumed smoke fills the aisle as the priest swings incense back and forth in the thurible, a small metal canister suspended from chains that holds the pungent smoke. It is something priest Bishare al Shemani has done for years, but this year he is doing it in a makeshift church thousands of miles from his home church. It is not by choice but necessity.

Al Shemani is one of the hundreds of thousands of Christians forced to leave his country because of ISIS.

"They took our areas, our house, the places that we used to hold so dear," al Shemani said.

Parishioners surround him. They are crossing themselves, singing and praying. All fled for their lives fearing death, but nothing could kill their faith.

Nearly 2,000 miles from Mosul, Iraq, where ISIS has tormented their people alongside their Muslim neighbors, they have found temporary refuge in Turkey.

"My last Christmas was in my family's house. It was me, my mom, and my dad and my brother. We were all together. And we hope to be united as one family in one place just once more," said Meryem Salim.

She is from Bashika, about 30 kilometers from Mosul.

But for now, they are just outside Istanbul, in Yalova province, praying and singing, a family torn apart.

They sing Christmas carols, including "Jingle Bells" in Arabic, in an old wedding hall that has been converted into a church for Christmas.

They grieve for their losses but pray for their homeland, hoping one day to return to Iraq as proud Christians with no fear of reprisals simply because of their faith. They come from one of the oldest and longest-standing Christian communities in the world.

Christianity is under siege in the very region where it was born.

Iraq's Christian population was about 1.5 million 10 years ago. Now, it's estimated there are only 500,000 still living there. The rest have either fled or been killed.

In Syria, of the 1.1 million Christians, about 600,000 have fled or died.

In the Middle East they call themselves by many names, including Assyrians, Syriac and Chaldeans, but they are all Christians hoping to practice their faith in peace.

Hundreds of thousands are now spread across the world. Many are in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey alongside their Muslim brethren, who also have fled their countries because of the threat of death or persecution based on the Islamic sect they ascribe to.

On this day, the Christians huddled together in their makeshift church near Istanbul, humbly offering their thanks to their God that they have survived to celebrate one of the most joyous days on the Christian calendar.

"This Christmas, it is sad to be far away from our country, it is sad to be away from our neighbors, from our friends, from our families. It is not easy. But something is better than nothing. Thanks for God, we have a priest here, that we are gathering here. I hope that everything will be OK," Christian Iraqi refugee Johnson Razgin said.

CNN's Mary Rogers and Gul Tuysuz contributed to this article.