Economist, Sept 3, 2016 (I

choi

(1) Xiaomi | Show Me Again; A once high-flying startup needs to get back to basics.
http://www.economist.com/news/bu ... asics-show-me-again

Quote:

"On August 31, at a splashy event in Beijing, it unveiled a robotic vacuum cleaner—the latest in its 'ecosystem 小米生態圈' of devices, which also includes smartwatches, air purifiers, hoverboards, rice cookers and even an electric screwdriver (most are built by startups in which Xiaomi has a stake).

"Considered the world's most valuable startup only a couple of years ago, when it attracted more than $1 billion in funding at a valuation of $46 billion, some now reckon it to be worth only a tenth of that.  [Xiaomi disagrees.] According to IDC, a market-research firm, sales of Xiaomi handsets on the Chinese mainland fell by nearly 40% in the second quarter of this year, compared with a year ago. [Xiaomi again disagrees.]

"Xiaomi's slow product-release cycles may also have led the firm to appear 'stale and uninnovative,' adds Edward Tse [董事/CEO Dr 谢祖墀] of Gao Feng 高风咨询公司, another consultancy. Consumers now favour mid-priced phones from local rivals such as Huawei and BBK 广东步步高电子工业有限公司.

"Xiaomi has failed in its push into services * * *  The firm's noisy forays abroad, to South-East Asia and elsewhere, have proved a costly distraction. But the biggest headaches have been supply-chain snags, which hurt product quality

"Shou Zi Chew 周受资 [CFO since July 2015], its chief financial officer, says the bet on services is paying off. * * * Xiaomi recently won a licence for internet banking and will launch an online-payment service soon.

My comment: There is no need to read the rest.

choi

(2) Indian politics | Raise Him Up; Rehabilitating a great Indian leader. Economist, Sept 3, 2016
http://www.economist.com/news/bo ... leader-raise-him-up
(book review on Vinay Sitapati, Half-Lion; How PV Narasimha Rao transformed India. Penguin India, 2016)

Note:
(a) "PV Narasimha Rao, inherited a country on the point of collapse. * * * [Rao turns out to be] the most consequential Indian leader since Jawaharlal Nehru. * * * Socialist India was in an advanced state of decay when Rao entered office. Aided by his finance minister, Manmohan Singh [1932- ; prime minister 2004-2014; minister of finance under Rao 1991 – 1996], he [Rao] devised a radical plan"
(i) PV Narasimha Rao  (1921 – 2004; Prime Minister of India 1991–1996)
(ii) The Indian (southern and western states and Orissa) surname Rao: "Hindu name * * * from Sanskrit raja 'king' "
Dictionary of American Family Names, by Oxford Univ Press

(b) "Rao's failure to stop Hindu zealots from razing the medieval Babri mosque after a political rally in 1992 has long been a stain on his memory."

For Babri mosque, check images.google.com (because the Wiki page does not carry a photo) and Babri Masjid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babri_Masjid
(c) "When Rao died in 2004, Sonia Gandhi, the head of the Gandhi family, refused to allow his body to be cremated in Delhi or displayed in the party’s headquarters.

Sonia Gandhi (born Edvige Antonia Albina Màino; 1946)
(i) Sonia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_(name)
(Sonia and its variant spellings Sonja and Sonya are Russian variations on Sophia, a Greek name meaning "wisdom")
(ii) The Indian surname Gandhi is an "occupational name meaning 'perfume seller' in modern Indic language."