Info Tech
Lenovo said to turn to U.S. security insiders for deal approvals
WASHINGTON — Lenovo Group has turned to national security insiders to win U.S. approval to buy Google’s Motorola Mobility phone unit and IBM Corp.’s low-end server business, people familiar with the two deals said.
The world’s largest personal-computer maker has hired attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson who held positions at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Homeland Security Department to guide its Motorola review through a key interagency panel, one of the people said. Covington & Burling partners David Fagan and Mark Plotkin are representing Lenovo in the IBM server deal, according to another person familiar with the matter.
“It’s not uncommon for a company that is going to have more regulatory issues in Washington to beef up its lobby presence,” said Kenneth Gross, a lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. “It goes with the territory in terms of entering the Washington regulatory scene to beef up your presence here with lobbyists and others.”
Lenovo Chief Executive Officer Yang Yuanqing is spending a combined $5 billion to buy Motorola and the server business in a bid to move beyond the shrinking personal-computer industry and become a global technology player. Yang is betting that moving aggressively into North America will help give his company the scale to compete better against Apple and Samsung Electronics in smartphones and against Dell and Hewlett-Packard in servers.
Steptoe will guide the Motorola review through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, one of the people said. Partners Stewart Baker, a former senior official at Homeland Security, and Stephen Heifetz, who served in the Justice Department, Homeland Security and the CIA, are advising China’s Lenovo on its purchase of Motorola Mobility.
Covington’s Plotkin represented IBM in the $1.25 billion sale of its personal-computer division to Lenovo. He leads the firm’s national security and defense industry group, according to his biography on the law firm’s website.
Brion Tingler, a spokesman for Beijing-based Lenovo, declined to comment on the legal advisers for either deal. Steptoe’s Baker and Covington’s Plotkin declined to comment. Heifetz and Fagan didn’t return phone messages seeking comment.
Chinese investors were subjected to more than double the number of reviews by CFIUS in 2012 than they were the previous year, overtaking Britain as the most scrutinized foreign buyers of American assets, the panel said in its annual report to Congress. Twenty-three proposed Chinese acquisitions of U.S. assets were reviewed in 2012 by the panel, an interagency committee led by the Treasury Department.
Lenovo’s effort to win approval for the two deals will benefit from the fact that it previously went through a CFIUS review with its purchase of IBM’s personal-computer business, said Stephen Paul Mahinka, a lawyer at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. That review means CFIUS staff is familiar with the company’s operations and its track record after buying the IBM business, said Mahinka, who isn’t involved in the deals.
Mahinka said companies that may encounter opposition should consider meeting with agencies that will participate in the CFIUS review as well as representatives of states where the assets they’re acquiring are located.
“You are well advised to consider going to places to try to pave the way for you,” he said. “It’s a security review, but it’s a political review because security is a political issue, so you have to concern yourself with all these sorts of potential political pluses, minuses and pressure points.”
Ted Kassinger, a partner at O’Melveny & Myers and a former deputy secretary for the Commerce Department, is representing IBM, according to a person familiar with the matter. Deirdre Murphy Ramsey, an IBM spokeswoman, declined to comment on the company’s legal advisers.
“Our transaction with Lenovo is separate from the recently announced Lenovo/Google deal and will be considered by CFIUS on its own merits,” said Christopher Padilla, IBM’s vice president of governmental programs, in an emailed statement.
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton confirmed that its partner Paul Marquardt is representing Google’s Motorola Mobility.
Lenovo spent $140,000 on lobbying last year, all to hire the firm Grayling, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group.
Among its lobbyists are four former congressional aides, one of whom, Bill Simmons, raised $1.3 million for the presidential campaign of Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Google spent $15.8 million last year on lobbying, fifth-most among corporations, according to the center. IBM spent $6 million.
James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said he didn’t expect the same reaction to Lenovo that met efforts by two other Chinese companies, ZTE Corp. and Huawei Technologies Co., to expand their footprint in the U.S. telecommunications market.
Huawei in 2011 unwound the purchase of patents from a computer-services company, 3Leaf Systems Inc., after U.S. objections. A 2012 report prepared by the U.S. House intelligence committee said Huawei and competitor ZTE provide opportunities for Chinese intelligence services to tamper with U.S. telecommunications networks for spying.
Lenovo’s purchase of IBM’s PC business has already been vetted by U.S. officials, and the company was cooperative and open during that investigation, Lewis said. In addition, they’re buying low-end, consumer-oriented businesses.
“If you had to pick a Chinese company that wasn’t going to run into trouble, it would be them,” Lewis said. “This is a pretty vanilla deal, as opposed to the backbone telecom products, which have always been considered a strategic industry. No one considers servers or handsets strategic.”
– CHICAGO TRIBUNE
In efforts at spicing up the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, the management of ITREALMS Media has partnered with E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization of Nigeria (EPRON) membership organisations for a day-long collection scheme of small electronic waste on Friday, December 15, 2023.
The EPRON members aligning their partnership with 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue are EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited and WEEE Eco-Friendly.
ITREALMS’ day-long collection scheme is part of the commemoration of 2023 international E-Waste Day (IEWD) within the ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue with the theme “You Can Recycle Anything with a plug, battery or cable” at Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos.
Revealing this collaboration, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, the organisers of the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, Sir. Remmy Nweke, urged mobile device enthusiasts to come along with their devices that have reached their end-of-life to the venue for proper disposition by professionals who would also be on grounds to address some topical issues.
The collection of small electronic wastes especially mobile phones and like-devices, would be carried out by EPRON member organisation, EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited as facilitated by ITREALMS Media group as part of this year’s ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue on Friday, December 15, he added.
He disclosed that the exercise would commence at Welcome Centre Hotel by 9am till close of work hours the same day.
Nweke pointed out that the collection of small e-waste items would include mobile phones, pointers mouse, earpieces, rechargeable torches, phone chargers, to name a few.
Further, he said, that this initiative has become time-serving because some people may have missed any other opportunity before now for the year-long campaign, hence this awareness on e-Waste has to be continuous, “ITREALMS came up with this scheme.”
Nweke beckoned on Nigerians, especially mobile phone users, to leverage the opportunity in disposing of their mobile devices they no longer use, of course in exchange for a voucher or gift item.
In her reaction to this year’s day-long small waste collection, EPRON Executive Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, described the initiative as commendable, expressing confidence it would intensify the collection of end-of-life devices for proper disposition.
Mrs. Faluyi, also urged Nigerians to take advantage of this day-long collection of small wastes courtesy of ITREALMS Media.
Recalling for instance that in October 2022, EPRON had partnered SLOT alongside some UN agencies for collection of small e-waste items in Lagos, including the United Nations Information Centres (UNIC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
This is even as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida and Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, would both lead speakers at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue slated for this Friday, December 15, in Lagos.
Today, September 12, the tech corporation Apple will introduce the iPhone 15, their newest iPhone model.
According to a Forbes story, this model, which will be introduced at the company’s “Wanderlust” event in Cupertino, California, will be available in four variations: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Here are five things you should know about the new iPhone 15 model.
1. The new model is made of titaniu, not stainless steel as some other Apple smartphone models, Senior research analyst at DIGITIMES, Luke Lin reports.
2. The Pro Max model will feature double the optical zoom on the iPhone 14 as it comes with a newly-introduced ‘periscope lens upgrade, performing 5-6x optical zoom.’
3. The Pro models will carry an A17 bionic chip expected to make it perform faster.
4. The iPhone 15 model will feature a USB-C charging port, the same port featured on some Android phone models.
5. Due to its titanium shell, the new model is anticipated to be more expensive to purchase. The following is the speculated price list, as reported by Forbes:
The iPhone 15 starts at $799, the iPhone 15 Plus at $899, the iPhone 15 Pro at $1,099 ($100 increase), and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1,299 ($200 increase).
In an effort to reduce the exorbitant cost of Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, the Infrastructure Bank Plc announced its collaboration with FEMADEC Group on Monday to offer 500 buses powered by autogas (Compressed Natural Gas).
Partners in the agreement claimed that the project was created to provide citizens with dependable, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel options, taking into account the negative effects of the nationwide increase in PMS costs.
Under Decree No. 51 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1992 Constitution, the Infrastructure Bank, originally known as the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, was founded in 1992 to promote the quick development of infrastructure throughout the nation.
In a statement issued in Abuja on its partnership with FEMADEC, the bank said, “The preliminary offer extended by TIB lays a solid foundation for the expansion of FEMADEC Group’s CNG bus fleet.
“With plans to introduce 500 CNG buses within the next five years, commencing with an initial batch of 50 buses in the forthcoming year, this proposal stands poised to instigate significant change.
“The acceptance of this proposition by FEMADEC Group, notably championed by Fola Akinnola, the Group Chief Executive Officer, is a testament to their zeal and dedication to this alliance.”
The bank described the partnership as a “pivotal endeavour that is primed to redefine Nigeria’s public transportation landscape, offering dependable, cost-effective, and ecologically conscious travel alternatives for citizens, while harmonising with the nation’s broader sustainability ambitions.”
“This partnership represents a remarkable stride towards a more ecologically aware future for Nigeria’s transportation sector, highlighting the shared commitment of both TIB and FEMADEC Group to sustainable advancement and progress.”
It said FEMADEC Group’s strides in operating Compressed Natural Gas buses, including the existing fleet of 20 CNG buses under LAMATA, underscored their unwavering dedication to ecologically sound solutions, a commitment predating the fuel subsidy removal.
“Their leadership within the CNG value chain is undeniable, and the new alliance with TIB underscores their foresight.
“This partnership seamlessly aligns with TIB’s sustainability objectives, echoing their resolute endorsement of the government’s net-zero and climate change agenda.
“The bank’s aspiration to champion Nigeria’s infrastructure progress is evident in its endorsement of pivotal initiatives like this, yielding expansive positive impacts on both the environment and society,” the bank stated.
The bank added that it would continue to make a significant contribution to the country’s growth as a leading financial institution committed to advancing effective and long-lasting infrastructure projects.
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