Samsung appliance workers to stage a rally protesting chip workers' wage deal

Workers in Samsung Electronics' Smartphone, Television, and Home Appliance division will stage a rally on July 16 to protest the big bonuses the company's chip workers have negotiated.

The Non-chip division's workers are expected to receive a bonus of KRW 6M ($3,900) in Treasury shares for 2026, compared to up to KRW 600M for those at the semiconductor division. Roughly 2,000 or 3,000 workers are expected to participate in the rally near Samsung's headquarters in Suwon, according to the largest union for workers in the company's Mobiles and Consumer Electronics division.

The union has about 28,000 members.

Samsung is expected to flag its operating profit surge about 18-fold from a year earlier in the second quarter, when it releases its earnings estimate for the April-June quarter on Tuesday.

Reference Sources

1. thestarmy - Samsung appliance workers to stage a rally protesting chip workers' wage deal
2. aawsat - Samsung Appliance Workers to Stage Rally Protesting Chip Workers' Wage Deal

Apple veteran's Chinese smart-glasses firm becomes unicorn as Tencent, Meituan fund rival to Meta

Chinese Smart-Glasses maker even realities technology, founded by Will Wang, an Apple veteran, has raised $150M in a pre-Series B funding round, giving it a valuation of $1Bn.

Wang, who worked at Apple from 2016 to 2018 and was involved in the development and mass production of Apple Watch and iPhone, is eyeing the AI wearable market dominated by Meta platforms.

The Shenzhen-based startup will use the funds to develop its next-generation smart glasses platform, deepen ai integration, scale up global operations and accelerate product innovation.

Even Realities launched the even G2 smart glasses with a bigger display in a lighter frame late last year, alongside the even R1, a smart ring that controls the display of the G2.

Unlike Meta's camera-equipped Ray-Ban line, Even Realities' flagship G2 glasses have no camera or recording hardware, while sending messages, navigation and live translation through a heads-up display embedded in the lenses – as the startup stresses user privacy.

The global smart glasses category surged 167% from a year earlier in the first quarter, shipping 2.25 million units worldwide, according to consultancy firm IDC. growth was driven by mainstream adoption of display-less smart glasses, led by Meta's Ray-Ban partnership, according to IDC.

Reference Sources

1. cnbc - Apple veteran's Chinese smart-glasses firm becomes unicorn as Tencent, Meituan fund rival to Meta

Modi Seeks Stronger Indo-Pacific Ties as US Sends Mixed Signals

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand this week to strengthen ties with Indo-Pacific nations as questions grow over the US’s commitment to the region and China’s influence expands.

Modi is due to hold talks with President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday followed by a state banquet. defense is expected to feature prominently in Modi’s meeting with Subianto. The world’s largest archipelago is strategically located between the Indian and Pacific oceans and also has sensitivities over China’s Maritime assertiveness.

Modi’s focus in recent weeks has been on bolstering ties with nations in the Western Indian ocean region, where he visited Seychelles and also met with the leader of Mauritius.

He’s now shifting to the Eastern part of the Indian ocean, having hosted Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in New Delhi last week and heading to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand this week.

The key themes of the visits this week are trade, defense and security cooperation, as well as highlighting cultural connections.

Washington has sent mixed signals about its commitment to the Indo-Pacific.

Reference Sources

1. bloomberg - Modi Seeks Stronger Indo-Pacific Ties as US Sends Mixed Signals

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.  

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