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Wipro Limited to announce results for the fourth quarter and year ended March 31, 2024, on April 19, 2024

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. & BANGALORE, India — (BUSINESS WIRE) — $WIPRO #DigitalTransformation — Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) a leading technology services and consulting company, will announce results for the fourth quarter and year ended March 31, 2024, on Friday, April 19, 2024, after stock market trading hours in India.

 

The results will be available in the Investors section of the company’s website at www.wipro.com/investors/

 

At 7 p.m. IST* (9:30 a.m. U.S. ET) following the results announcement, the senior management will discuss the company’s performance for the quarter and answer questions sent by 6:30 p.m. IST* (9 a.m. U.S. ET) to: dipak.bohra@wipro.com or abhishek.jain2@wipro.com

 

The audio from the conference call will be available online through a webcast and can be accessed at https://links.ccwebcast.com/?EventId=WIP190424

 

Dial-in details for the conference call are as below

 

Time

7 p.m. – IST* (9:30 a.m. – ET#)

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+91 22 6280 1120

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Singapore Toll-Free Number

1 866 746 2133

800 101 2045

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Hong Kong Toll-Free Number

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800 964 448

No passcode Required

 

Please dial any of the above numbers five to ten minutes ahead of schedule. The operator will provide instructions on asking questions before and during the call.

 

The replay of the call will be available two hours after the end of the call on the following numbers.

 

Call Playback Numbers:

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Passcode/Conference ID

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India

+91 22 71945757

Access Code: 947765

19-Apr-24 to 26-Apr-24

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+1 8332898317

Access Code: 947765

19-Apr-24 to 26-Apr-24

 

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading technology services and consulting company focused on building innovative solutions that address clients’ most complex digital transformation needs. Leveraging our holistic portfolio of capabilities in consulting, design, engineering, and operations, we help clients realize their boldest ambitions and build future-ready, sustainable businesses. With over 240,000 employees and business partners across 65 countries, we deliver on the promise of helping our customers, colleagues, and communities thrive in an ever-changing world. For additional information, visit us at www.wipro.com.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro’s beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro’s control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro’s growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry.

 

Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

Contacts

Dipak Bohra

+91 80 61427201

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Cinecittà chief Nicola Maccanico on turning a profit despite Hollywood strikes and prospects for Italy’s new tax rebates

Italy’s Cinecittà Studios, which have been undergoing a radical overhaul since 2021, recently released their fiscal 2023 results, which saw the Rome-based facilities turn a profit for the second year in a row after bleeding red ink for years.

 

The iconic studios are being managed by Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec who last year lured big shoots such as Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die” starring Anthony Hopkins and Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron” to the government-run “City of Cinema.”

 

Last year, the studios were able to maintain a 70% occupancy level despite the impact of the Hollywood strikes and are on track to keep that level this year with several big Hollywood shoots coming soon, though NDAs are keeping details under wraps.

 

Below, Maccanico speaks to Variety about how he’s navigating Cinecittà’s revamp and what the prospects are going forward.

 

The studios’ profit margin is on a par with last year. Where is the growth?

We managed to grow 20% in terms of turnover [that in 2023 was €46.8 ($50.5 million)], which then generated the €1.8 million profit in a year marked by the writers’ and actors’ strikes in the United States. That, in my opinion, is an unequivocal confirmation of Cinecittà’s new positioning. While in 2022 lots of great things happened that could have been considered a one-off, in 2023 we confirmed, under very different circumstances, that Cinecittà is now a well-established player in the global market. The studios are now able to land productions of different sizes with continuity. Cinecittà, thanks to its refurbished facilities and services, can systematically attract large national and international productions again. We’ve made sure that this now publicly-owned company is standing on its own two feet. The fiscal 2023 results are a full-fledged confirmation of this and now we can grow further thanks to investments linked to the PNR [EU Pandemic Recovery Fund] with even greater confidence because it’s clear at this point that we need more soundstage space and more services.

 

How are the new soundstages coming along?

The first news on the horizon, linked to the fiscal 2023 results, is that having reached our 2023 target, we are now building new theaters. So the PNR funding is turning into reality. The investment plan has become operational and the planned construction sites are now active. In other words, in June 2023, having hit our growth target – which in turn activated financing – we launched tenders to build new facilities, and since March 2023 we have opened nine construction sites. By 2026, we will have five new soundstages and an added 12,000 square meters (129,000 square feet) of production capacity. This will allow Cinecittà to take a leap forward and lock in more international partnerships.

 

Close to half of Cinecittà’s turnover is generated by the studios’ art and production design department. What’s your take on that?

During the first year of the studios’ re-launch, the art and set construction department generated about €2.5 million. Then last year, they reached revenues of almost €19 million, and this year they made more than €22 million. That’s an almost tenfold growth. So it’s clear that the occupancy of our soundstages is largely linked to the quality of the production services we offer, and the Cinecittà art department really stands out thanks to our in-house staff and our many partners. I also want to point out that our new LED wall in Theater 18 has become a fundamental asset for Cinecittà because it puts us at the technological forefront. Since we inaugurated it in June 2022, it’s been occupied for more than 300 days by directors including Roland Emmerich, Joe Wright, Angelina Jolie and young Italian auteur Pietro Castellitto. This stands as testimony to the fact that this is a tool that’s available to everyone and, just as importantly, can generate enormous value for a film studio.

 

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— Variety (EXCLUSIVE)

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Environmental documentary ‘Wild Coast Warriors,’ about a legal battle against Shell in South Africa, picked up by Limonero

Limonero Films has picked up world rights to distribute environmental documentary, “Wild Coast Warriors,” which launches at Mipdoc.

 

The film aims to raise awareness of the plight of small coastal communities on South Africa’s Wild Coast, who are standing up to the oil and gas industry.

 

It follows a David vs. Goliath court-case against Shell, which halted oil and gas exploration, winning protection for the community, the ocean and the local culture.

 

“Wild Coast Warriors” is directed by Nick Chevallier and Leigh Wood, who also edits the film. It is produced by Chevallier for Contemporary Film Productions. The cinematographer is Warren Smart, who was part of the camera crew on Oscar winner “My Octopus Teacher.”

 

Pippa Ehrlich, director of “My Octopus Teacher,” said “Wild Coast Warriors” was “a critical story about the power of community advocacy, and a warning to big corporations that there is strength in the voices of vulnerable people who are connected to and dependent on their land.”

 

She said the film was “an empowering case-study showing how South Africa’s constitution protects its people.” She added: “It is exquisitely shot and paints a beautiful portrait of the people working to defend their communities and the land they love.”

 

The film is supported by Greenpeace Africa, Natural Justice and Oxfam Intl.

 

Chevallier’s credits include “Blood Lions.” His clients have included BBC, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet and South African broadcasters.

 

Twenty years ago, Chevallier produced a documentary called “The Wild Coast….a Fragile Paradise” in which he explored the natural beauty and rich natural resource base of the Wild Coast.

 

Mipdoc runs April 6-7 in Cannes, ahead of the MipTV market and conference.

 

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— Variety (EXCLUSIVE) 

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How Ukraine recreates Soledar Salt Mine, let players compete for prizes, plus donate to restore school hit by Russian missile

—  The Soledar Salt Mine in eastern Ukraine shut down in early 2022 amidst the Russian invasion.  The Ukrainian government recreated it in Minecraft to raise funds to restore a school hit during the war.

 

Justin Ling / Wired:

 

— On Feb. 24, 2022, Stepan Bandrivskyi woke up before dawn and got ready for a special day: his birthday.

 

It wouldn’t be a particularly happy one. Hours earlier, a couple dozen miles away, Russian tanks had rolled across the borders of his native Ukraine. The full-scale invasion had begun.

 

Like so many other Ukrainians, Bandrivskyi didn’t know what to do. So he went to work, to the Soledar Salt Mine, a cavernous state-run operation in Eastern Ukraine. Kyiv says it is the biggest such mine in Europe. His manager told him to go home: The mine was closed. It hasn’t resumed operations since.

Bandrivskyi fled the region not long after, as Russian forces advanced. After nearly a year of fighting, during which the mines were turned into bunkers, Russia seized and occupied the town of Soledar—although fierce fighting continues nearby. Over time, Bandrivskyi came to the painful realization that he may never see the salt mine, and its eerie and isolated beauty, ever again.

 

Last year, Bandrivskyi received a phone call from a colleague. “He invited me to participate in a very interesting project,” he says.

 

The Ukrainian government wanted to completely map the mine “and translate it into a game environment,” he says. Bandrivskyi seized the opportunity. “I wanted to keep it in my memory, and I wanted other people to be able to kind of immerse themselves in this world as well,” he says.

With that, Minesalt was born.

THE IDEA FOR Minesalt comes from United24, the official crowdfunding arm of the Ukrainian government. For nearly two years, United24 has raised funds to rebuild apartment blocks and purchase de-mining equipment. Last year, United24 began shipping batches of salt to donors, through its “Soledarity” campaign—raising some $3 million to purchase reconnaissance drones.

 

But as the war drags into its third year, donor fatigue has set in. That has pushed United24 to come up with new and innovative ways of attracting the world’s attention—and support.

 

Minesalt, which launches last Thursday might be their most inspired effort yet.

 

A recreation of the mine in Minecraft.

 

“It is important for us to remember and talk about every Ukrainian city that is under temporary Russian occupation,” Yaroslava Gres, chief coordinator of United24, told WIRED in a statement. Last summer, when a team suggested bringing Soledar to life as a video game, it was a very easy idea to say yes to.

 

Built for the wildly popular sandbox game Minecraft, Minesaltchallenges players to race through the mine, collecting 140 hidden salt crystals as fast as possible. At the end of the run, a quiz tests players’ recollection of details from Soledar. But, like in the rest of Minecraft, Minesalt players can also opt to wander at their own pace.

 

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— Techmeme

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Leaders from 20 EU countries sign the Quantum Pact to recognize the importance of quantum tech for enhancement of  Europe’s scientific and industrial competitiveness

—  Thomas Skordas of the European Commission describes the Quantum Pact as the EU’s attempt to make Europe the ‘Quantum Valley’ of the world.

 

 

Vish Gain / Silicon Republic:

 

 

EU leaders have gathered today (22 March) to sign what they are calling a Quantum Pact that recognises the importance of advancing quantum computing technologies to enhance the bloc’s scientific and industrial competitiveness.

 

Quantum computing has been rapidly advancing with major breakthroughs taking place around the world. The emerging technology has potential to transform a range of sectors, including medicine, energy, communications, cybersecurity, space, defence, as well as climate and weather modelling.

 

“It will enable huge productivity gains, revitalise industry and open up new markets, applications and job opportunities,” said Thomas Skordas, deputy director-general responsible for communications networks, content and technology in the European Commission.

 

Skordas was filling in for EU commissioner Thierry Breton at the Shaping Europe’s Quantum Future conference held in Brussels, Belgium today. He describes the Quantum Pact as the EU’s attempt to make Europe the “Quantum Valley” of the world.

 

“Only by building on our strengths, by working together, by being ambitious, by targeting the whole spectrum of activities – research, industry, infrastructures, talent, external partnerships and more – can we transform Europe into the leading region globally for quantum excellence and innovation. Quantum will help us to challenge the boundaries of what is possible.”

 

The event featured keynotes, panel discussions and workshops on EU quantum strategy and was held at the Belgium Institute of Natural Sciences.

 

A declaration was first signed in December, setting the stage for cooperation, investment and innovation in quantum computing technologies in the EU and positioning it as a global leader in the space.

 

The pact today has been signed by 20 European countries: Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Ireland has not signed the pact.

 

Last month, the EU and Canada announced intentions to boost their strategic digital partnership to address “new challenges in digital transformation” such as in the areas of AI, quantum science, semiconductors, public policy related to online platforms, secure international connectivity, cybersecurity and digital identity.

 

For quantum science, the regions intend to expand “mutually beneficial collaboration” to improve and accelerate research, development and innovation in the area, while also promoting jobs and the use of quantum tech in the broader economy.

 

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— Techmeme

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PACAW aims to transform the mindset of future African leaders

CUMBERLAND, Md. — The monumental problems impacting the young, neglected populations in the world’s poorest countries will, sooner or later, reach everybody’s borders, posits Dr. Sylvanus Ayeni, a retired neurosurgeon who is also the president and founder of Pan Africa Children Advocacy Watch (PACAW), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Maryland.

 

“We live in a very complex, unsettling and troubled world, which is shrinking — distance wise — faster than we can imagine,” Ayeni said.

 

 

Ayeni founded PACAW in 2007 in response to the devastating deficits in education, infrastructure and healthcare facing African nations, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa. PACAW’s primary mission is to nurture and develop a new generation of African leaders who will use the continent’s abundant natural resources to provide a much needed better life for the citizens. PACAW does this by providing access to quality education at public primary and secondary schools, and community development activities.

 

“The main purpose is to get Nigerian youths to think differently about who they are, their innate capabilities and ultimate responsibility to their nation,” Ayeni said. “Furthermore, to get them to develop a ‘Can Do’ mindset instead of constantly waiting for foreign aid from Europe, the United States, Canada and Asia. Also, to embrace the spirit of selflessness, incorruptibility and nation building.”

 

PACAW is currently seeking funding to build science laboratories in public high schools run by the state and local governments, an issue that is very close to Ayeni’s heart.

 

“Many of these schools, sadly, have been totally neglected by the leaders,” he added.

 

In the 2024 school year, which beings in September, PACAW, in collaboration with Olise Omolu Foundation (https://oliseomolu.com), will launch an annual multi-state high school essay competition in Nigeria for senior high school students. The goal of this project is to re-orient and guide Nigeria’s youths — the nation’s future — toward a mindset of selflessness, service, incorruptibility and ethical thinking. Support for this endeavor will be greatly appreciated.

 

“The world would be different — hopefully better — if we realize that there is only one human race, a well-established scientific fact which unfortunately has been ignored for decades,” Ayeni said.

 

To learn more about PACAW or to make a contribution, please visit https://www.pacaw.org.

 

About Sylvanus Ayeni

Sylvanus Ayeni was born and raised in Nigeria and graduated from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria. As a neurosurgeon, he worked in the private sector, for the U.S. Navy and in academia. Now retired from medicine, he is the president and founder of PACAW. He is also the author of Rescue Thyself: Change In Sub-Saharan Africa Must Come From Within (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers), in which he offers a bold dialogue about the necessity of finding alternative pathways to solve the monumental problems facing the nations of Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Chinese officials have begun to follow the new PC, laptop, and server guidelines to phase out Intel/AMD processors and Windows from government PCs and servers 

Microsoft’s Windows and foreign database programs also sidelined as Beijing favors Chinese hardware and software

 

 

Financial Times:

 

 

—  China has introduced new guidelines that will mean U.S. microprocessors from Intel and AMD are phased out of government PCs and servers, as Beijing ramps up a campaign to replace foreign technology with homegrown solutions.

 

The stricter government procurement guidance also seeks to sideline Microsoft’s Windows operating system and foreign-made database software in favor of domestic options. It runs alongside a parallel localization drive under way in state-owned enterprises.

 

The latest purchasing rules represent China’s most significant step yet to build up domestic substitutes for foreign technology and echo moves in the U.S. as tensions increase between the two countries. Washington has imposed sanctions on a growing number of Chinese companies on national security grounds, legislated to encourage more tech to be produced in the U.S. and blocked exports of advanced chips and related tools to China.

 

Officials have begun following the new PC, laptop and server guidelines this year, after they were unveiled with little fanfare by the finance ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Dec. 26.

 

They order government agencies and party organs above the township level to include criteria requiring “safe and reliable” processors and operating systems when making purchases.

 

On the same day in December, the state testing agency, China Information Technology Security Evaluation Center, published its first list of “safe and reliable” processors and operating systems, all from Chinese companies.

 

Among the 18 approved processors were chips from Huawei and state-backed group Phytium. Both are on Washington’s export blacklist. Chinese processor makers are using a mixture of chip architectures including Intel’s x86, Arm and homegrown ones, while operating systems are derived from open-source Linux software.

 

Beijing’s procurement revamp is part of a national strategy for technological autarky in the military, government and state sectors that has become known as xinchuang or “IT application innovation.”   The standards “are the first nationwide, detailed and clear instructions for the promotion of xinchuang,” said a local government official managing IT system substitution.

 

State-owned enterprises were similarly told by their overseer, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, to complete a technology transition to domestic providers by 2027, according to two people briefed on the matter.

 

Since last year, state groups have begun quarterly reporting on their progress in revamping their IT systems, though some foreign technology would be allowed to remain, the people said.  The state-led march away from foreign hardware will dent US companies in China, starting with the world’s dominant PC processor makers, Intel and AMD.

 

China was Intel’s largest market last year, providing 27 per cent of its $54bn in sales and 15 per cent of AMD’s $23bn in sales. Microsoft does not break out China sales but president Brad Smith last year told the US Congress that the country provided 1.5 per cent of revenues. Microsoft and Intel declined to comment. AMD did not respond to a request for comment.

 

It may be difficult for Intel or AMD ever to make the list of approved processors. To be evaluated, companies must submit their products’ complete R&D documentation and code. The top criteria for evaluation is the level of design, development and production completed within China, according to a notice from the state testing agency.

 

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— Techmeme

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Some TikTok fans in India still question its gov’t 2020 decision to ban the app, not satisfied with others like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels due to lack of similar allure 

—  Young adults in India who came of age on the app are still angry at their government 

 

Wall Street Journal:

 

—  NEW DELHI — Gayatari Mohanty always wanted to be a dancer.

 

But her father, who washes cars for a living, and her mother, a domestic helper, didn’t have enough money for lessons. So the 19-year-old New Delhi native taught herself.

— PHOTO: T. Narayan/BLOOMBERG NEWS Artists at a pop-up studio for collaborating creators and artists inside Meta’s offices in Gurugram, India, in 2022.

One day in 2019, Mohanty discovered TikTok. She and a friend were drawn to the platform’s lighthearted videos. They often rushed home from school to upload clips of Mohanty’s spirited dancing to retro Bollywood songs from the 1960s and 70s.

Soon Mohanty had gained some 5,000 followers. That didn’t make her a star or earn her any money, but it was enough to boost her confidence.

“My skill gave me my biggest achievement in life,” she said. “TikTok became my stage where I could show my dancing skills and get appreciated for it.”

That all ended suddenly the next year, when India’s government banned the Chinese short video-sharing titan, citing cybersecurity concerns.

“It felt like a personal loss, like someone close to me was no more,” she said.

The South Asian nation provides a case study in what happens when the wildly popular service goes away, as it might in the U.S. A bipartisan bill that sailed through the House this month would force parent company ByteDance to sell the platform’s U.S. operations or face a ban. President Biden has said he supports such legislation, which will now go to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

— PHOTO: Dhiraj Singh/BLOOMBERG NEWS Some TikTok fans in India say rival domestic services aren’t as appealing.

ByteDance was founded in Beijing, and some worry that Chinese authorities could compel the company to turn over TikTok data on American users. TikTok has said it hasn’t received any such requests and wouldn’t comply if it did.

ByteDance didn’t respond to queries about its ban in India or a potential ban in the U.S.

Some TikTok fans in India question the decision to kick out the social-media app. New Delhi undertook the move because it feared the Chinese-owned app, along with others such as messaging app

WeChat, could be used to harm India’s defenses, a senior government official said at the time. The move came after a border clash between troops from the two countries left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

 

Mohanty was one of around 150 million people who used the app every month in India then, according to market-intelligence firm Sensor Tower. It was TikTok’s largest market by users at the time.

Today, some of the platform’s fans in the South Asian country still mourn its absence. They say rival Indian services that sprung up in TikTok’s wake aren’t as appealing. While new short-video offerings from YouTube and Instagram have offered alternatives, some feel they lack TikTok’s allure. And some fans are still angry at the government for booting out TikTok.

Mohanty didn’t use any other social-media platforms beyond TikTok at the time of its ban. After a year without the service, she tried a local TikTok clone, called Moj, which launched the month after TikTok was ousted. But she says it proved harder to use, and uploading videos was more difficult.

“We feel a little lost since the ban” four years ago, said her friend, 18-year-old Moni Sharma. “We have been struggling to adjust to alternate apps.” Sharma has accounts on YouTube and Instagram, but says that it is harder to lip sync to songs on those platforms and that they have gained fewer followers there.

“It’s likely that U.S. users will follow in India’s footsteps should TikTok be banned,” flocking to short-video equivalents from YouTube and Instagram, said Jasmine Enberg, a principal analyst at Insider Intelligence.

— PHOTO: Sunil Kataria/REUTERS Residents of an Indian village film a scene in 2022 for a social drama for their YouTube channel.
   

Americans are more likely to already use YouTube today than they are to use Instagram, so Instagram could see additional adoption because it has more room to grow, said Simon Kemp, founder of digital consulting firm Kepios.

Today, Moj and another local TikTok-like app, Josh, now have a combined 641 million downloads in India, according to Sensor Tower. Monthly active users for Instagram have risen 91% to 511 million since TikTok’s ban, while YouTube’s are up 55% to 653 million.

The ban has sparked questions over free speech similar to those being raised in the U.S. now.

“India is a free and democratic country and authorities can’t just force decisions and restrict freedom of speech and expression just because you have political disagreements with another country,” said 18-year-old Noushad Ali, who used to make TikTok videos about teenage romance.

“Why did the Indian government ban it?” asked Ritik Tannk, a former TikTok creator who made comedy videos, one of which garnered 16 million views. “Our data gets passed on through other apps also, like Facebook and YouTube. Why ban just TikTok for data privacy?”

India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Some former TikTok users have moved on. Twenty-year-old Shivam, who goes by one name, never had an account on TikTok, but he used to spend at least four hours a day watching comedy videos on the service.

He and his friends would hardly socialize with classmates who weren’t into the app, he said. “It felt cool to be talking about TikTok—what you had watched or who was the most popular,” he said. “In a way you can say it was also under peer influence that I wanted to be connected to TikTok.”

 
 — Ritik Tannk, a former TikTok creator who made popular comedy videos, says he doesn’t understand why TikTok was banned in India. Ramesh Gupta, seen pouring tea at his New Delhi snack shop, once did a brisk business selling food and drinks to TikTok fans making videos nearby, but sales have fallen since the ban. (L) Ritik Tannk, (R) Ramesh Gupta

 

Now Shivam watches YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and videos on Moj. In retrospect, he says, TikTok was mostly just a reason to hang out with friends.

One of Shivam’s friends, 19 year-old Satyam Sinha, had a TikTok account but only amassed a couple of hundred subscribers. He made silly videos, eating burgers in a funny way or mimicking dialogue from a Hindi-language movie.

“I felt like I was being given some sort of recognition by unknown people,” he said. “It made me feel good about myself.”

When TikTok was banned, he mourned the loss for a few months, but quickly moved to other services like Reels and Moj. “We can’t keep crying all our lives,” he said.

TikTok’s absence in India is felt by local vendors working in New Delhi’s Connaught Place, a shopping district where crowds of creators once gathered to shoot their videos.

Ramesh Gupta runs a snack shop in the area. His sales have fallen about 20% since the TikTok ban, he said. He enjoyed watching young men and women with colorful hair and shiny sunglasses dance and sing, and liked serving them meals when they rested between shots.

“They would break for lunch and have tea and snacks like noodles, samosas and cutlets at my shop,” he said.

“Those days are gone now.”

 

 

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— Techmeme

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Protestors disrupt Jill Biden Human Rights Campaign keynote address for Gaza to ceasefire

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Gala in Los Angeles hit a snafu on Saturday when protestors of the Israel-Hamas war interrupted Jill Biden’s keynote address at the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles.

 

Just as the first lady started speaking, about five people rose from their seats and began shouting, “Free Palestine.” One held a sign that said, “Queer Jews Say Ceasefire Now.”

 

The evening serves as a major fundraiser for HRC, one of the country’s leading LGBTQ advocacy organizations.

 

They protestors continued yelling as security ushered them out of the room.

 

Biden stopped speaking and resumed when the protestors were out of the ballroom.

 

It was announced earlier this week that Biden would be delivering the keynote remarks during the dinner and awards ceremony.

 

Earlier in the night, protestors blocked the driveway leading to the hotel’s front entrance on Avenue of the Stars. At one point, some could be heard shouting, “Genocide Joe!”

 

The evening’s program also includes awards being presented to Jean Smart “(Hacks)” and Sterling K. Brown “(American Fiction).”

 

A similar protest – with celebrities including Sara Ramirez (And Just Like That).” and Indya Moore “(Pose)” in attendance — was held at HRC’s New York City gala in February. Activists denounced HRC’s ties to weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman and called on the LGBTQ group to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

 

Just days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, HRC president Kelley Robinson issued a statement regarding the ongoing violence in the Middle East. “The toll on both Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives rises daily. And many in the United States who are Jewish and Muslim recognize that hate-motivated bias and violence will rise here. Antisemitism is wrong. Islamophobia is wrong. Full stop,” the statement said, in part.

 

“[M]any members of our community feel very broken right now. The world is heavy and frightening. And the future is uncertain. This violence is a reminder that the struggle for liberation against extremism, discrimination, and hate is a global struggle. It’s my struggle. It’s your struggle. It’s our struggle.”

 

Earlier this month, protestors calling for a ceasefire in Gaza also disrupted the Oscars by blocking streets leading to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. With the A-list crowd scrambling to get into their seats in time, producers delayed the start of the Academy Awards by about five minutes.

 

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— Variety

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