During a recent journey through China I visited metropolitan Hong Kong, isolated Xi'an in central China and the southern city of Guangzhou. Here a few impressions of that magnificent country.
(c) Michiel Willems 2010
Monday, 13 September 2010
spending cuts in the UK
My latest radio 1 report in Holland, about spending cuts and tax rises.
Click on the link and my item starts right away - in Dutch:
http://player.omroep.nl/?aflID=11404263&start=00:51:37
www.radio1.nl
Click on the link and my item starts right away - in Dutch:
http://player.omroep.nl/?aflID=11404263&start=00:51:37
www.radio1.nl
New card to make Bangkok cashless
Bangkok Smartcard System (BBS) has announced a partnership with Australian smart card developer Vix ERG to develop, design and deliver a smart card that can be used for micro-payments in Bangkok’s transportation, retail, service and tourism sectors.
The card can also be used as an access card at companies and universities. Nelson Leung, Executive Director of BSS, said on 28 July that “the system will initially provide support for an integrated payments solution for the Bangkok metro and transit systems”. It will then be extended to “provide support for micro-payments in Bangkok”.
With the launch of the card, BBS is attempting to take a major step towards the creation of a cashless society in Bangkok.
“[BBS’ mission is] to direct Bangkok towards a sophisticated cashless society”, said a Spokesman for BSS. “The card system makes payments easy for transit and retail networks. When consumers have the card, it means that they have less cash and fewer cards to carry as the card can also function as an employee or student card. Coin change problems are eliminated.”
Published in the August issue of E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy, copyrights apply.
The card can also be used as an access card at companies and universities. Nelson Leung, Executive Director of BSS, said on 28 July that “the system will initially provide support for an integrated payments solution for the Bangkok metro and transit systems”. It will then be extended to “provide support for micro-payments in Bangkok”.
With the launch of the card, BBS is attempting to take a major step towards the creation of a cashless society in Bangkok.
“[BBS’ mission is] to direct Bangkok towards a sophisticated cashless society”, said a Spokesman for BSS. “The card system makes payments easy for transit and retail networks. When consumers have the card, it means that they have less cash and fewer cards to carry as the card can also function as an employee or student card. Coin change problems are eliminated.”
Published in the August issue of E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy, copyrights apply.
Biggest US telecoms to give m-payments a major push
The two biggest US mobile phone operators, AT&T and Verizon Wirless, are planning a partnership with Discover Financial Services and Barclays, two sources at Bloomberg confirmed to E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy.
Under the plans, which experts claim will give m-payments a major push in the US, payments would be processed through Discover’s network – the fourth biggest US payment processor – while Barclays would be managing customer bank accounts. AT&T declined to comment on the partnership, but did not deny such plans are being made. “Mobile payments are a next logical step for consumers and we are looking at new ways”, said Mark Siegel, Executive Director of Media Relations at AT&T. Laura Gingiss, Senior PR Manager at Discover, also did not deny the partnership. “I cannot say anything else than that Discover is evaluating technology solutions”, she said.
The plans would establish mobile payments through near field communication (NFC). Under the plans, payments will be made by waving a smart phone in front of a terminal.
Mobile payments are not as widely used in the US as they are in Europe and Asia. Dave Birch, Consultant at Hyperion, expects the US market to change soon. “While AT&T and Verizon may have taken the market by surprise, plenty of others will be rolling out mobile payments. This will serve as a pathfinder, steering the US in a similar direction to Europe and Asia.”
“This is definitely a game-changer”, said Richard Crone, Consultant at Crone Consulting LLC. "The one who enrolls is the one who controls, and the wireless carriers are the only ones that have the mobile credentials. This has become a race for enrollment.”
The partnership poses a direct threat to Visa and Mastercard, America’s biggest payment processors. “Mobile carriers have an advantage over Visa and MasterCard in the race to control the market because the phone companies have access to their customers’ mobile numbers and bank account information”, said Crone. “All other businesses, be it a bank or retailer, must first get their customers to opt-in, and register their mobiles.”
Crone also expects m-payments terminals to be installed soon in the US. “All new payment types start with merchant acceptance and big retailers are the sleeping giant in the US mobile payments race”, he said. “Trust me, the top 50 retailers will have a phone application by the end of the year.”
Under the plans, which experts claim will give m-payments a major push in the US, payments would be processed through Discover’s network – the fourth biggest US payment processor – while Barclays would be managing customer bank accounts. AT&T declined to comment on the partnership, but did not deny such plans are being made. “Mobile payments are a next logical step for consumers and we are looking at new ways”, said Mark Siegel, Executive Director of Media Relations at AT&T. Laura Gingiss, Senior PR Manager at Discover, also did not deny the partnership. “I cannot say anything else than that Discover is evaluating technology solutions”, she said.
The plans would establish mobile payments through near field communication (NFC). Under the plans, payments will be made by waving a smart phone in front of a terminal.
Mobile payments are not as widely used in the US as they are in Europe and Asia. Dave Birch, Consultant at Hyperion, expects the US market to change soon. “While AT&T and Verizon may have taken the market by surprise, plenty of others will be rolling out mobile payments. This will serve as a pathfinder, steering the US in a similar direction to Europe and Asia.”
“This is definitely a game-changer”, said Richard Crone, Consultant at Crone Consulting LLC. "The one who enrolls is the one who controls, and the wireless carriers are the only ones that have the mobile credentials. This has become a race for enrollment.”
The partnership poses a direct threat to Visa and Mastercard, America’s biggest payment processors. “Mobile carriers have an advantage over Visa and MasterCard in the race to control the market because the phone companies have access to their customers’ mobile numbers and bank account information”, said Crone. “All other businesses, be it a bank or retailer, must first get their customers to opt-in, and register their mobiles.”
Crone also expects m-payments terminals to be installed soon in the US. “All new payment types start with merchant acceptance and big retailers are the sleeping giant in the US mobile payments race”, he said. “Trust me, the top 50 retailers will have a phone application by the end of the year.”
This article was published in the August issue of E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy, copyrights apply.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Maputo burning
Some familiar streets on GMTV this morning. The news that more than 7 people have died in Mozambique's capital Maputo in the last two days took me by surprise. When the first images came in, I had to think of a trip I made to the Southern African country - one of the world's poorest - several years ago; where have the days gone you could walk around Maputo freely, sit on the beach till dawn and play table football with some locals?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11168381
MOZAMBIQUE'S capital MAPUTO endured a second day of deadly rioting over rising food prices as the United Nations warned that the effects of a global spike in the cost of staples would hit the world's poor the hardest.
Shops were looted, cars set ablaze, roads barricaded and one of the Maputo protesters killed, bringing the death toll to seven after two days of violence prompted by soaring bread prices. One of the dead was a six-year-old girl on her way home from school. Youths have blocked roads with burning tyres. Troops have been deployed to restore order.
The US State Department and the UK Foreign Office have urged their citizens to avoid all unnecessary travel and remain at your residence/hotel, especially after dusk. The US and UK Embassies will only provide emergency ervices. All non-emergency embassy employees remain excused from duty.
downtown Maputo
central Maputo
Sunrise in Maputo, seen from the north
in front of the Maputo train station, built by the Portuguese
Sjoerd found it hard to say no
going back to South Africa
Mozambique yesterday and today
Mozambique yesterday (picture BBC)
Maputo 2 Sept 2010, Australian.com.au
yesterday
Monday, 23 August 2010
Too secure for its own good
The BlackBerry (BB) is under fire. Security issues have prompted countries around the world to consider taking measures that will limit the use of the smartphone. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced in early August that, as from 11 October, BB users in the UAE will no longer be able to check their email, browse the internet or use instant messaging services. Saudi-Arabia (SA) had announced to do the same, although it has, for now, withdrawn a ban. Indonesia said on 4 August it is considering following the UAE’s move and India has indicated it might do the same. On 11 August, the German Interior Minister revealed that the German IT security agency has advised German Government officials not to use the BB any longer.
The reasoning behind this is that BB data is encrypted and routed overseas, sent through servers in Canada, where the BB manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) is based. Since users need a national telecom provider in their country to access the RIM server, the UAE has banned its national operators to offer BB online services.
The BB is much more secure than other phones, since it makes messages far harder to monitor than those sent through domestic servers that authorities can tap into. So its excellent security features have actually become a security issue for a number of governments, for different reasons. The UAE wants a local BB server and data sharing deal so it can monitor its citizens’ messaging traffic, something RIM has – so far – refused. The German Government is uneasy about all its data passing through the RIM centre in Canada. India thinks terrorists use the BB because Indian security services cannot intercept the messages.
The matter has exposed the increasingly cross-border character of online technology. If the controller of a server or website does not wish to share its users’ data, governments hardly have any other possibilities than an outright ban.
RIM now faces the choice to switch to national servers, which governments can tap and which keep data in the home territory, or to hold on to its encrypted messaging server system through Canada, and potentially lose a lot of business.
If, for example, SA imposes a BB internet ban after all, it is expected millions of Saudis will switch to phones that do offer online services. As a result BB sales will drop and with more than 45 million BB users in SA alone, that is not something RIM is looking forward to.
Published in the August issue of E-Commerce Law & Policy Magazine. Copyrights apply.
Monday, 9 August 2010
Tag me if you dare
In July, the social networking website Facebook celebrated the milestone figure of 500 million users, meaning that one in 12 people in the world have a Facebook account. For many people, Facebook has become a part of their daily life and the website’s growing importance has raised legal issues. Although Facebook often escapes liability thanks to its Terms of Use (posts should not be ‘threatening, unlawful, defamatory, infringing or abusive’), the website has become a fertile ground for legal claims. Users against users. Apart from the ongoing discussion about its Terms of Use and privacy settings, one case in particular deserves attention.
The High Court of England and Wales awarded, on 27 July, £10,000 in libel damages to Raymond Bryce. Bryce took offence when a former friend posted an image of child sex abuse on Bryce’s Facebook page with the comment ‘Ray, you like kids’. Although the picture was removed within 24 hours, the image was ‘tagged’ (linked) to Bryce’s and 11 other profiles, allowing thousands of ‘friends’ to see the picture for hours after it had been posted.
Dr Ian Brown, from the Oxford Internet Institute, said: “This is worse in some ways than putting offensive posters on lamp posts because it’s going directly to your friends or colleagues. It is almost impossible not to see it”.
The case comes a year after the High Court awarded £22,000 to a businessman whose personal details were made public in a fake Facebook profile, created by a former friend. Although cases like these are still relatively rare - and it is not easy to build a libel case - the rulings emphasise that what is posted online has consequences. There is a very fine line between libeling someone and just poking fun at a friend or colleague, when innocent banter turns into libellous smear. Jeremy Clarke-Williams, Partner at Russell, Jones and Walker, said: “What a lot of people do not realise, users of Facebook and other social networking sites can be just as much subject to the laws of libel as other media outlets if the information, as in this case, is published online for third parties to view”.
However, even if someone has been subject to defamation, suing is not always the best option, according to Louise Fullwood, Legal Director at Pinsent Masons: “Going so far as to sue may be counterproductive in both drawing more attention to the comments made and often provoking ill-feeling and further actions”.
Published previously in the July issue of E-Commerce Law Reports, London 2010 - (c) 2010 CP Publishing
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
The 'other' side of London
1200 pictures of the 'other' side of London, the ugly side that is. And since the city is so big, we divided the vast amount of images in different categories. Explore the city of Britan's capital you never saw before, from Bermondsey to Waterloo, and from Harrow to Lewisham, the decline cannot be avoided. The pictures were taken by Paul Talling (c) 2010.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Oman to equip ID card with electronic payment features
The Sultanate of Oman is going to link e-payment options to national ID Cards, the Oman Information Technology Authority (ITA) has announced.
Under the 'e-Purse system', introduced last year to promote cashless and electronic payments in the Sultanate, ID cards will be equipped with payment features using an embedded application in the Smart chip on the ID card. According to Muhanna Moosa Baqer, ITA’s e-Payments Manager, “ID cards can soon be used for paying fees, driving licences, shopping, phone subscriptions, visa applications, parking and tollgate fees”.
“[Oman] puts a contactless e-purse on the national ID card as a way to kick-start the shift to cashless environments”, said David Birch, Director of Consult Hyperion. “As well as providing an alternative to debit and credit cards, it will help government departments to collect their payments.” The e-Purse system was introduced in May 2009. The first phase of this national e-wallet system began in July last year, allowing Omani citizens and residents to upload and store money on their national ID cards, in order to pay government and police bills. In the next few months, the system will be rolled out further. ITA stated that all major banks in Oman are participating so retailers will be able to collect payments via the ID card. “This is a prime example of how government agencies and private institutions can partner to improve services to the public”, said Bruce Palmer, Managing Partner of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost’s Muscat office. Abdullah Al Kalbani, Captain of the Royal Oman Police, said: “Since it is mandatory for every adult resident in Oman to have a national ID card this will help those citizens in Oman who have no bank accounts, who do not carry debit or credit cards”.
Mr Kevin Wong, General Manager of Astute Pte Ltd, the Singaporean company that is behind the development of the new Omani ID card, said: “The company is in discussions with the governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan for a similar service”.
“The future of payments is the future of identity”, adds David Birch. “One could envisage, whether you think it is a good idea or not, a simple universal payment scheme that is linked to a single universal identity, a kind of galactic PayPal in which everyone participates.”
Michiel Willems (c) 2010 - Published earlier in E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy, July 2010 issue. London, UK
Monday, 26 July 2010
Review: Blackberry Stains
Watched this short film recently, and I must say, what a nice piece of work! Genuinely enjoyed every minute of it. An intense story with an emotional feel, but brought lightly and realistic, that gives this short film its charm and makes it convincing and credible.
In short: two boys are abused by their teacher, the parents do not notice anything. In the end, of the boys kills the teacher by pushing him off a ladder.
The actor who plays the teacher/pedophile does a very impressive job, especially the scene in the car when one of the young boys (the friend of the main character) is so nervous ("sir, sir, sir") and knows what is coming. Truly heartbreaking and you feel a genuine need you wish you could punch that old pervert in the face, so he does an amazing job and manages to convince the viewer he is value for money.
The camera team managed to reach a professional level with some amazing shots. A few scenes in particular: where the boy is washing his face in the white bathroom - at the end of the film - or when the camera slowly approaches the car from the side, very nicely done for a (relatively) small budget film like this.
You can tell someone did spend time thinking about the right music. It suits the different scenes - different feelings and emotions - very well. It is present, but not mostly not dominating and that gives the movie a great feel. In particular, the transition from the last scene to the credits should be remembered, the music and the images seem to become one.
The casting was pretty good. I must admit I had to get used to Matthew's character the first few minutes, but the way he expresses himself and his body language suit the film very well. Although the young boys are clearly not experienced actors, Matthew's friend (the main character's friend) manages to move the viewer. The teacher is a truly impressive actor, it is difficult to deny he portrays a true creep and he is someone you want to keep away from your kids. The interaction between the preys and the hunter feels natural and not scripted. You can perfectly imagine how uncomfortable the boys must have felt. You forget they are on a script, and they manage to make the viewer feel genuinely angry and disgusted when you watch the unhealthy moments they go through. The mother does a decent job as well. It is a pity - but nicely played - she does not really pick up what Matthew says or what he is going through.
The tragic end is very understandable. It kind of seems to answer the desire of the viewer ('pull the ladder under the dirt bag's legs'), without being over the top. And it is a smart end to a short story. No happy ending, no police involvement or a teacher who gets away with it, but the anger built within which eventually finishes off this failed and morally lost teacher.
One of One Eyed Dog's finest productions.
http://www.one-eyed-dog-films.com/
In short: two boys are abused by their teacher, the parents do not notice anything. In the end, of the boys kills the teacher by pushing him off a ladder.
The actor who plays the teacher/pedophile does a very impressive job, especially the scene in the car when one of the young boys (the friend of the main character) is so nervous ("sir, sir, sir") and knows what is coming. Truly heartbreaking and you feel a genuine need you wish you could punch that old pervert in the face, so he does an amazing job and manages to convince the viewer he is value for money.
The camera team managed to reach a professional level with some amazing shots. A few scenes in particular: where the boy is washing his face in the white bathroom - at the end of the film - or when the camera slowly approaches the car from the side, very nicely done for a (relatively) small budget film like this.
You can tell someone did spend time thinking about the right music. It suits the different scenes - different feelings and emotions - very well. It is present, but not mostly not dominating and that gives the movie a great feel. In particular, the transition from the last scene to the credits should be remembered, the music and the images seem to become one.
The casting was pretty good. I must admit I had to get used to Matthew's character the first few minutes, but the way he expresses himself and his body language suit the film very well. Although the young boys are clearly not experienced actors, Matthew's friend (the main character's friend) manages to move the viewer. The teacher is a truly impressive actor, it is difficult to deny he portrays a true creep and he is someone you want to keep away from your kids. The interaction between the preys and the hunter feels natural and not scripted. You can perfectly imagine how uncomfortable the boys must have felt. You forget they are on a script, and they manage to make the viewer feel genuinely angry and disgusted when you watch the unhealthy moments they go through. The mother does a decent job as well. It is a pity - but nicely played - she does not really pick up what Matthew says or what he is going through.
The tragic end is very understandable. It kind of seems to answer the desire of the viewer ('pull the ladder under the dirt bag's legs'), without being over the top. And it is a smart end to a short story. No happy ending, no police involvement or a teacher who gets away with it, but the anger built within which eventually finishes off this failed and morally lost teacher.
One of One Eyed Dog's finest productions.
http://www.one-eyed-dog-fi
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