Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li>Retail giant <keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword> has to pay a $282 million for a bribery investigation which involves its business in India, Brazil, China and Mexico. </li><li>Walmart had acquired Indian e-retail unicorn Flipkart in 2018. </li><li>Meanwhile, Uber, too, in its IPO had mentioned that it was being investigated for bribery in several countries including India.</li><li><keyword id="28721" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cognizant">Cognizant</keyword> too had paid a $28 million fine for bribing Indian officials </li></ul>Walmart has gotten into trouble in the US for its business in India. The retail giant has to pay a $282 million fine in the US for a bribery investigation case for Walmart’s business in India, Brazil, China and Mexico. <br /><br />The case relates to Walmart’s businesses in these countries before 2011. <br /><br />“We’re pleased to resolve this matter,” said Walmart President and CEO, Doug McMillon. “Walmart is committed to doing business the right way, and that means acting ethically everywhere we operate. We’ve enhanced our policies, procedures and systems and invested tremendous resources globally into ethics and compliance, and now have a strong Global Anti-Corruption Compliance Program. We want to be the most trusted retailer, and a key to this is maintaining our culture of integrity.”<br /><br />The company’s statement also says that as part of its deal with the <keyword id="118911" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-Department-of-Justice">US Department of Justice</keyword> (DOJ), Walmart has also signed a Non-Prosecution Agreement with them which means the DOJ will not prosecute the company in the next 3 years if it complies with the rules.<br /><br />The US-based retail giant had first announced its India entry with its offline signature retail outlets in 2007. While it may not have made a mark back then, it came into the spotlight in 2018 when it acquired Indian e-retail unicorn Flipkart for $16 billion – one of the biggest e-commerce deals in the world.<br /><br /><strong>Not the only one</strong><br /><br />However, Walmart is not the first company in the recent times to run into trouble in the US for corruption charges in India. <br /><br />When Uber announced its IPO, its filing in the US mentioned that it is being investigated for “small payments to police in Indonesia and other potential improper payments in other countries” in which it operates or has operated including Malaysia, China, and India.<br /><br />In the past, Cognizant too had paid $28 million in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US, for bribes paid to Indian officials for building permissions. <br /><br /><strong>See Also:</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/uber-ipo-filing-reveals-it-is-under-investigation-for-improper-payments-in-india/articleshow/68905292.cms">Uber IPO filing reveals it is under investigation for ‘improper payments’ in India</a><br />

Walmart has to pay $282 million as fine in the US for bribing government officials in India and other countries

Taking suo motu cognizance of a media report, the <keyword id="55819" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Vigilance-Commission">Central Vigilance Commission</keyword> has summoned country head of <keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword> amid allegations that it gave bribes to government officials to get customs clearances and obtain permits to set up stores in India. <br />
<br />

	The probe, which is the first of its kind where the CVC has taken a suo-moto cognizance of a media report, will include screening of the documents of the company. 
<br /><br />

	"Some observations have been made that Walmart gave some amount to government officials here. It is our duty to look into it," vigilance commissioner TM Bhasin said. 
<br /><br />

	"We have asked them to submit details to us by November 15," Bhasin said. 
<br /><br />

	It is for the first time that the probity watchdog has started investigation involving a private company. 
<br /><br />

	The CVC's move is based on a recent report by Wall Street Journal which said to have found evidence of Walmart Stores Inc allegedly paying "thousands of small bribes to local officials" in India to get customs clearances and obtain real-estate permits. 
<br /><br />

	Vast majority of payments were below USD 200 (about Rs 13,100 at current exchange rate) and some were as low as USD 5 (Rs 330) but together totaled millions of dollars, the report has alleged. 
<br /><br />

	The world's largest retailer entered India in 2007 through a supermarket joint venture with Bharti Enterprises but split up in 2013. Since then, it is mostly focused on wholesale business. 
<br /><br />

	Walmart is likely to face charges of violating the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act due to these payments, the paper had said, adding the charges in India are unlikely to amount to a large fine as FCPA penalties are connected to profits the alleged misconduct generated. 
<br /><br />

	Wal-Mart did not respond to queries sent to them. <br />
	<br />
	(Image credit: Reuters)

CVC summons Walmart India head over bribery charges

<br /> If you think <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s prolonged search for the next <keyword id="5645" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="CEO">CEO</keyword> is getting a bit nutty, especially with a disgruntled <keyword id="62333" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Steve-Ballmer">Steve Ballmer</keyword> waiting on the sidelines to hand over the mantle, you are not far from the truth. But then, that is the actual state of the coveted C-Suite nowadays – volatile is the right word if you want to sum it up. There is no job security at the top and even the best performer for years can get redundant within the span of a few weeks. The issues could be many – right from <keyword id="646347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="poor-performance">poor performance</keyword> to <keyword id="610960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="business-restructuring">business restructuring</keyword> to alleged <keyword id="6375736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="corruption-charges">corruption charges</keyword>. But the biggest factor is relevance, a perfect future-fit that can take companies ahead, according to <keyword id="67736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Industry-experts">industry experts</keyword>. In a difficult <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword>, companies are compelled to twist and turn to keep track of profitability and their requirements change accordingly. Hence, their leaders have to adapt, shape up or ship out, as the case might be.<br />
<br /> India is no exception and business leaders across the country have been frequently ‘released’ by industry giants. Many of them leave with ‘immediate effect’ while others are on garden leave or worse still, waiting for their predecessors to turn up (just like Ballmer). Yet, most of the C-Suite executives are tight-lipped about their departures, at least here in India. We are yet to come across an announcement like the one made by <keyword id="384914" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Groupon">Groupon</keyword>’s founder and former CEO <keyword id="488139" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andrew-Mason">Andrew Mason</keyword>. But exit happens all the same – be it discreet or blatant. Here’s a quick look at some of the top-notch C-Suite executives from India who parted ways with their respective companies in 2013, their official exit lines and what happened behind the scene.

Strife At The Top: These
11 C-Suite Execs From India
Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

<br /> After breaking-up with key client <keyword id="117289" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharti-Retail">Bharti Retail</keyword>, the Indian unit of <keyword id="183238" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wal-Mart-Stores-Inc">Wal-Mart Stores Inc</keyword> registered the first ever sales decline, wherein its revenue slumped 32% to Rs 2,992.7 crore in the year ended December 2014, according to filings with the Registrar of Companies.<br />
<br />
And as there was a halt in the expansion of stores owing to an ongoing internal investigation to check if its local unit had violated the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the wholesale company narrowed its loss to Rs 232 crore, revealed the filings with the Registrar of Companies.<br />
<br /> Rajneesh Kumar, vice president &amp; head, corporate affairs, at <keyword id="219140" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wal-Mart-India">Wal-Mart India</keyword>, "This sales figure comparisons are not for like-for-like operations due to transition during the period under review."<br />
<br /> Requesting anonymity, an official said told The Economic Times, "The company supplied nearly a third of its merchandise to EasyDay stores owned by Bharti Retail. With the joint venture getting dissolved in 2013, <keyword id="46675" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wal-Mart">Wal-Mart</keyword> sold goods only to traders, institutions and kiranas last year, impacting overall sales."<br />
<br />
In 2013, Wal-Mart agreed to buy Bharti's 50% stake in their wholesale business that operated Best Price Modern Wholesale stores and terminated franchise and supply agreements related to almost 200 EasyDay retail stores.<br />
<br />
The other factors that have resulted in drop in sales are the location of these Wal-Mart stores that lies on the outskirts of the citities and huge discounts being offered by local e-tailers.<br />
<br />
According to the balance sheet that Wal-Mart filed with the Registrar of Companies on Friday, the Indian unit of this global retail giant allotted shares worth Rs 1,193 crore to its Bentonville-based parent company.<br />
<br />
With net sales exceeding $482 billion in fiscal 2015, Wal-Mart started a pilot project in Lucknow and Hyderabad last year that enabled members of its Best Price Modern Wholesale stores to buy products even online.<br />
<br />
Moving on to its expansion strategy, Wal-Mart is planning to add 50 stores to its existing chain in the next 4-5 years in India.<br />
(Image: Reuters)<br />

Wal-Mart is in huge trouble in India. Could this be its undoing in the world’s largest democracy!

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Poole / AP Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://businessinsider.com/category/walmart">Walmart</a> has agreed to pay more than $282 million to settle bribery allegations brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Department of Justice.</li><li>The SEC charged Walmart with "violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by failing to operate a sufficient anti-corruption compliance program for more than a decade as the retailer experienced rapid international growth," the SEC said in a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2019-102">news release</a>.</li><li><p>Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p></li></ul><p>Walmart has agreed to pay more than $282 million to settle bribery investigations brought by two US government agencies, the US Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday. </p><p>The SEC charged Walmart with "violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by failing to operate a sufficient anti-corruption compliance program for more than a decade as the retailer experienced rapid international growth," the SEC said in a news release. </p><p>Walmart allegedly "allowed subsidiaries in Brazil, China, India, and Mexico to employ third-party intermediaries who made payments to foreign government officials without reasonable assurances that they complied with the FCPA," the release said.</p><p>The retailer will pay more than $144 million to settle the SEC charges and about $138 million to resolve criminal charges by the Justice Department, according to the release. </p><p>Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><p>"Walmart valued international growth and cost-cutting over compliance," Charles Cain, chief of the SEC Enforcement Division's FCPA Unit, said in a statement. "The company could have avoided many of these problems, but instead Walmart repeatedly failed to take red flags seriously and delayed the implementation of appropriate internal accounting controls."</p><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/future-of-retail?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=walmart&amp;itm_campaign=future-of-retail"></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-krispy-kreme-doughnuts-are-made-2018-2">A single Krispy Kreme in Southern California makes 50,000 doughnuts a day - here's how</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Walmart to pay more than $282 million to settle bribery investigations

<br /> America's multinational retail corporation <keyword id="46675" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wal-Mart">Wal-Mart</keyword> is suspected to be embroiled in bribery scam worth millions of dollars in India, according to a media report.<br />
<br /> In a major report, the <keyword id="42111" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wall-Street">Wall Street</keyword> Journal said Wal-Mart's "suspected bribery" unearthed in India involves thousands of small payments to low-level local officials to help move goods through customs or obtain real-estate permits.<br />
<br />
"The vast majority of the suspicious payments were less than USD 200, and some were as low as USD 5, the people said, but when added together they totalled millions of dollars," the daily said.<br />
<br />
According to the report, Wal-Mart is unlikely to face any penalty for it.<br />
<br />
"Because penalties under the FCPA are often connected to the amount of profit the alleged misconduct generated, the payments in India wouldn't be likely to result in any sizable penalty, since Wal-Mart's operations there haven't been particularly profitable, said people familiar with the matter," the daily reported.<br />
<br />
There was no immediate response from Wal-Mart's corporate headquarters here on the Wall Street Journal's report on its bribery in India.<br />
<br />
According to The Wall Street Journal, federal investigators "found evidence of bribery in India, centering on widespread but relatively small payments made to local officials there," during the course of its "high-profile federal probe" into allegations of widespread corruption at Wal-Mart Stores Inc's operations in Mexico.<br />
<br /> In 2013, Wal-Mart shelved plans to open retail stores in India by severing a joint venture with <keyword id="117954" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharti-Enterprises">Bharti Enterprises</keyword> Ltd and instead decided to become solely a wholesaler there, the report said.<br />
<br />
Walmart, who was pushing the previous UPA regime for opening of the multi-brand retail sector was also involved in lobbying before the US Congress in this regard, Congressional disclosure reports have said in the past few years.<br />
<br />
(Image credits: wikipedia)

Wal-Mart paid bribes worth millions of dollars in India but unlikely to face penalty

<br /> It might have been an indication of how things were to progress when <keyword id="46675" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Wal-Mart">Wal-Mart</keyword>’s CTO <keyword id="1015034" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Jeremy-King">Jeremy King</keyword> visited the country in September 2012. In a run-up to setting up the business and harnessing the FDI-favourable <keyword id="6366415" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="atmosphere">atmosphere</keyword> in India, the biggest global retailer had sent its top executive to hold meetings with the top brass of India, including a meeting with <keyword id="2540" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="President">President</keyword> <keyword id="6359124" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Pranab-Mukherjee">Pranab Mukherjee</keyword>.<br />
 <br />
But that was a visit which was simply ‘not to be.’ Right from the beginning, the jinx continued. Upon his arrival in Bangalore (along with his team of executives) in a chartered flight from the US, King was told his visa had expired even before his arrival. He was then given a 3-day temporary landing permit, with a Bangalore-only caveat. Hurried meetings over, King left India. Obviously, this cost someone in King’s office his job.<br />
 <br /> From then on, the talks didn’t seem to progress smoothly for Wal-Mart or its US team or even the team it had set up in India. After being at the helm of affairs and paving the way for Wal-Mart’s Indian <keyword id="45535" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Saga">saga</keyword>, Raj Jain, <keyword id="5645" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="CEO">CEO</keyword> of <keyword id="303382" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bharti-Walmart-Pvt-Ltd">Bharti Walmart Pvt Ltd</keyword>, quit the post, even as the global retailer was working out the details of its India operations. Quite a blow it was.<br />
 <br /> But try not to be myopic here. First of all, the company was battling its own issues. But the <keyword id="44734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Government">Indian government</keyword>’s hesitant steps towards opening <keyword id="254856" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="The-Doors">the doors</keyword> for Wal-Mart and creating a feasible <keyword id="6356826" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="environment">environment</keyword> by allowing 51% <keyword id="44528" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="FDI">FDI</keyword> in multi-brand retail only compounded those issues. There are versions that speak of Wal-Mart’s desperate attempts to enter the <keyword id="47445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Indian-market">Indian market</keyword>, even while battling the charges in the US. Mysteriously enough, the same kind of charges involving corruption and bribery followed the retail giant in India as well.<br />
 <br />
If the reason for this was obvious, it’s because there was no way this could be dressed in any other garb to camouflage it. While the government was in the process of drafting a Press note that would effectively allow foreign companies to breach the investment levels as per their convenience, it was leaked to the media. That was probably another major blow. The Opposition bayed for government’s blood over that and the government’s just shrugged them aside.<br />
 <br />
Wal-Mart’s internal structure was not conducive either, to make things happen or focus on a midway to create inroads on its own. The highly volatile atmosphere within Wal-Mart’s India team only contributed to the lost ground. Losing some big players had cost the retail giant dearly.<br />
 <br />
Typically, foreign companies will have to ally with local partner/s to run businesses in the country. But in order to favour the entry of more companies under FDI, the government had relaxed the rules and created a leeway of sorts – by stating that the companies could set up business by buying 30% of locally manufactured products from small and medium-sized local sellers with nearly $2 million invested in industry and machinery.<br />
 <br />
But none of this was ‘favourable’ enough for Wal-Mart. In a recently concluded interview, a top brass from Wal-Mart said this “just wasn’t enough” to set up a retail chain in India. “The entry barriers are simply difficult to cross. They aren’t workable,” the executive added.<br />
 <br />
Wal-Mart had expected a levelled playing field with local traders and businessmen, as against global retail operations. Wal-Mart had clearly not got its logic together, which eventually proved that the company didn’t get its act together either.<br />
 <br />
Although a tie-up with Wal-Mart would have given Bharti an edge and a phenomenal learning advantage in operating international-standard retail chains, experts feel that the loss of Wal-Mart in this deal is bigger than that of Bharti. The estranged Indian partner of the global retailer will open its own chain of supermarkets very soon, all over India.<br />
 <br /> It means these former partners will become competitors in the near future. Now, <keyword id="130164" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="The-Game">the game</keyword> has begun.<br />
 <br /> The entire episode has spooked foreign investors regarding red tapism and other difficulties in getting their operations on the ground in India. A sagging <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> and rising <keyword id="22195" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Inflation">inflation</keyword> are threats as well. The only solace, however, is the falling <keyword id="6355302" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rupee">rupee</keyword> which is giving them the breather.<br />
 <br />
With the deal falling through, Wal-Mart may well have nailed its own coffin in India. But this may not be entirely good for the country’s investment weather either.<br />

Retail Wars: Why Wal-Mart’s India Plans
Hit A Wall<b></b>

<ul><li>The development comes after a whistleblower complained that <keyword id="18635" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword>’s legal representatives had used money paid to them to bribe Indian officials.</li><li>Rahul Sundaram, senior corporate counsel at Amazon, and an independent lawyer based out of New Delhi have reportedly been named in the complaint.</li><li>Even the CCI and the ED are currently investigating Amazon on the allegations raised by lobby groups and media reports.</li></ul>Global ecommerce giant Amazon has initiated an investigation against its legal representatives for allegedly bribing <keyword id="10338927" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-government-officials" source="Orion">Indian government officials</keyword>. Rahul Sundaram, senior corporate counsel at Amazon, has reportedly been sent on leave in this matter.<br /><br />The development was first reported by The Morning Context quoting anonymous sources within the company and Amazon’s in-house legal team. The publication had also reached out to Sundaram for comments, who said “Sorry I cannot speak with the press.”<br /><br />Meanwhile, an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider, “We have zero tolerance for corruption. We take allegations of improper actions seriously, investigate them fully, and take appropriate action. We are not commenting on specific allegations or the status of any investigation at this time.” <br /><br />The development comes after a whistleblower complained that Amazon’s legal representatives had used money paid to them by Amazon to bribe Indian officials.<br /><br />A person aware of the development, on the condition of anonymity, told The Morning Context that American companies like Amazon take such whistleblower complaints seriously as it is against the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA. <br /><br />The FCPA law in the US prohibits companies and individuals from paying bribes to foreign government officials in order to retain or obtain business. This is also a part of corporate governance rules for all public companies in the US.<br /><br />The whistleblower’s complaint also names an independent advocate in New Delhi, who works with Amazon as an outside counsel for hire. The complaint alleges that the said lawyer was the one funneling money paid by Amazon to bribe Indian government officials. As per The Morning Context’s sources, Amazon was one of the biggest clients for the lawyer, with an annual billing of ₹20 crore. <br /><br />As a general practice, companies of this scale and size employ legal firms on a retainer basis to look into legal matters. In India, Amazon works with few legal firms, including AZB &amp; Partners. AZB &amp; Partners too laid off a junior counsel in this regard, as per The Morning Context’s sources. Business Insider could not independently verify this claim. <br /><br />Business Insider has reached out to AZB &amp; Partners, seeking clarification in this regard.<br /><br />Amazon is anyway not in the good books of the Indian government over the last couple of years, now we just have to see how the central government reacts to such complaints as it tightens the noose around the ecommerce giant. <br /><br />There have been several complaints and media reports against Amazon, alleging business malpractices, un-competitive behaviour and tiptoeing around policies. The government of India has taken cognisance of these allegations and launched the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-and-amazon-may-not-be-able-to-do-flash-sales/articleshow/83737670.cms">latest ecommerce policies</a> to lay a framework for companies like Amazon, Walmart-owned Flipkart etc.<br /><br />Even the<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/supreme-court-asks-amazon-flipkart-to-volunteer-for-cci-probe/articleshow/85173669.cms"> Competition Commission of India (CCI) </a>and the<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/indias-enforcement-directorate-begins-probe-against-amazon-for-alleged-violation-of-fema-rules-in-the-future-retail-deal/articleshow/80549769.cms"> Enforcement Directorate (ED)</a> are currently investigating Amazon on the allegations raised by lobby groups and media reports.<br /><br /><strong>SEE MORE</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/wipro-interglobe-aviation-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-september-20/articleshow/86357169.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Wipro, InterGlobe Aviation and other top stocks to watch out for on September 20</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-ideas-5g-trials-achieve-speeds-in-excess-of-3-7-gbps-in-pune/articleshow/86360103.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Vodafone Idea's 5G trials achieve speeds in excess of 3.7 Gbps in Pune</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/from-microsoft-to-marico-to-mindtree-the-new-priorities-of-hr-heads/articleshow/86358995.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">From Microsoft to Marico to Mindtree, the new priorities of HR heads</a><br />

Amazon is investigating its lawyers for allegedly bribing Indian government officials

<p>Hello and welcome back to <keyword id="12009106" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-advertising" source="Orion">Insider Advertising</keyword>, your weekly look at the biggest stories and trends affecting Madison Avenue and beyond. I'm Lara O'Reilly, Insider's media and <keyword id="11894120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising" source="Orion">advertising</keyword> editor. <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-advertising"><em>If this was forwarded to you, sign up here</em></a>.</p><p>Facebook is set for another busy week of headlines as it returns to the hot seat Thursday, with its security chief, Antigone Davis, due to testify before a Senate subcommittee about whether its products are harmful to children. Adding further fuel to the fire: The whistleblower who leaked The Wall Street Journal those <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-documents-instagram-teens-11632953840?mod=hp_lead_pos5">juicy internal documents</a> that helped form its explosive "<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039">Facebook Files</a>" investigative series is set to be interviewed on <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/1443398981690793989">CBS News' "60 Minutes" airing Sunday</a>. The Senate is then expected to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/facebook-whistleblower-testify-us-senate-hearing-next-week-lawmakers-say-2021-09-29/">hear from a Facebook "whistleblower"</a> - presumably the same one - on Tuesday.</p><p>Now on to this week's big ads news:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investor-and-advertiser-sources-are-scrutinizing-ozy-media-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Ad agencies and investors scrutinize Ozy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/publishers-advertisers-keyword-blocking-climate-crisis-news-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Advertisers fear appearing in climate-crisis stories</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-sports-betting-startups-to-watch-according-to-venture-capitalists-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Sports-betting firms are ramping up their NFL advertising as they seek to gain market share</a></li></ul><h3><strong><keyword id="12183439" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ozy" source="Orion">Ozy</keyword> rules</strong></h3>It's open season on an apparent <a href="https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/1632798598360638a4a853beb/raw?utm_term=1632798598360638a4a853beb&amp;utm_source=cnn_Reliable+Sources+-+September+27%2C+2021&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;bt_ee=bCRhjbFqqK2D3NmHwAIT94wQFap%2BthBqTg%2B3ztNInfiFmG1ZDaYRi55%2FYM3NUh%2Fr&amp;bt_ts=1632798598362ts=1632798598362">open secret</a> in media circles: At Ozy, all may not be as it seems.<p>A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/26/business/media/ozy-media-goldman-sachs.html">damning New York Times article</a> this week called into question the media company's audience numbers and reported that the Ozy cofounder Samir Rao impersonated a YouTube executive on a call with Goldman Sachs.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investor-and-advertiser-sources-are-scrutinizing-ozy-media-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">The fallout has begun</a>.</p><p>Ozy faces an FBI investigation about that bizarre call. Its board has hired an outside law firm to investigate its business practices. One of its star journalists has resigned. An early investor has <a href="https://www.axios.com/ozy-loses-early-investors-sv-angel-b9ff2700-13f0-4f89-aff9-17205c18d0c6.html">surrendered its shares in the company</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investor-and-advertiser-sources-are-scrutinizing-ozy-media-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Ad agencies, too, are beginning to scrutinize its numbers</a>, Insider's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/claire-atkinson">Claire Atkinson</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/patrick-coffee">Patrick Coffee</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/lindsay-rittenhouse">Lindsay Rittenhouse</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/tanya-dua">Tanya Dua</a> reported. Ozy CEO Carlos Watson, pictured above, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/now/ozy-media-carlos-watson-claps-163608537.html">disputed to The Wrap</a> that he inflated Ozy's figures; he hasn't responded to requests for comment from Insider.</p><p>For advertisers, this tale serves as another high-profile reminder to always check and double-check the dream being sold to them.</p><p>The tale gets more curious still. Aram Zucker-Scharff, an adtech engineer who says he once interviewed for a senior position at Ozy but walked away after realizing "nothing about the site made sense," <a href="https://twitter.com/Chronotope/status/1443006132067438592">took us on a journey this week of Ozy.com's adtech infrastructure</a> using publicly available sources.</p><p>In short: There aren't a whole lot of ads there, beyond some newsletter sponsorships and its podcast and video partnerships, where presumably Ozy has to share a portion of any ad revenue with a third party. Yes, Ozy also makes money through TV deals (speaking of which, A&amp;E on Monday also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/business/media/katty-kay-ozy-media.html">canceled the broadcast of a documentary hosted by Watson</a>) and its events - but where's its ad money coming from?</p><h3><strong>New kids on the block</strong></h3><div type="image" title="California wind turbine" height="1333" width="2000" msid="86644064" hostid="261"></div>Advertisers' "<a href="https://digiday.com/media/180-degrees-from-the-intent-why-marketers-are-living-in-constant-fear-of-the-screenshot/">fear of the screenshot</a>" strikes again. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/publishers-advertisers-keyword-blocking-climate-crisis-news-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">As I reported for Insider</a>, a not-insignificant number of keyword blocklists - which advertisers' brand-safety vendors use to prevent their ads from appearing next to website pages containing certain words or content categories - stretch so long as to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/publishers-advertisers-keyword-blocking-climate-crisis-news-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">include terms like "carbon footprint" and "greenhouse gas."</a><p>Such broad terms mean seemingly innocuous articles can get caught in the brand-safety net, too. It's an issue for media companies at a time when readers are consuming climate-crisis-related content more than ever and as newsrooms invest more in staffing up their science and environment desks.</p><p>The debate also continues about how "unsafe" it really is for a brand to appear adjacent to news. The Guardian, Havas, and the telco brand O2 recently ran a test to deliver ads to Guardian content deemed "safe" by brand-safety vendors and the other half against "risky" content. The "risky" content delivered almost nine times the level of brand lift, The Guardian's UK director of advertising, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-foley-56101215_ive-banged-on-loads-about-how-brand-safety-activity-6847134080706912256-EPwm">Adam Foley, wrote on LinkedIn last week</a>.</p><p>Dilip Shukla, the managing director of the diversity-media network Brand Advance, told me that advertisers seeking to minimize their perceived risk could also reduce their opportunity to reach people effectively. "Brand-safety approaches don't seem to do very well at steering you away from misinformation sites, for example," Shukla said. "Therefore, what are you really being protected from?"</p><p><strong>On that subject:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ipg-report-criticizes-facebook-youtube-for-false-information-spread-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">A new report from the ad giant IPG criticizes the major social networks like YouTube and Facebook for misinformation - including climate conspiracy theories </a></li></ul><h3><strong>Bet the farm</strong></h3><p>The football season is well underway, and sports-betting advertisers are lapping up the <keyword id="11897660" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nfl" source="Orion">NFL</keyword>'s recent change of heart on gambling. The league, which used to spend furiously lobbying against the practice, recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-sports-betting-nfl-season-may-separate-winners-losers-2021-8?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">changed the rules</a> to allow TV networks to sell a handful of ad spots a game to sportsbooks.</p><p>Sports-betting firms have wasted no time, data from the analytics platform AdImpact shows. The data, which covers broadcast ad occurrences in NFL broadcasts in the first two weeks of regular-season games, show that ad volume from sports-betting advertisers has increased almost threefold since last year.</p><div type="image" title="Stacked chart of top sports-betting advertisers in 2020 and 2021 of NFL game weeks 1 and 2 with advertiser FanDuel in the lead for both years, rising from 2.4K ad volume in 2020 to 5.8K ad volume in 2021" height="1242" width="1240" msid="86644065" hostid="261"></div><p>What's more, the volume of sports-betting ads during NFL games has narrowly overtaken the alcohol category - usually one of the top-spending sectors in sports, behind fast food, which is almost always No. 1, according to AdImpact.</p><p><strong>Get up to speed:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-sports-betting-startups-to-watch-according-to-venture-capitalists-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">10 sports-betting startups that top investors say are poised to take off as sportsbooks fight for market share</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sports-betting-startup-trends-to-watch-according-top-investors-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">4 startup trends to watch in US sports gambling as the sector heats up, according to top investors</a></li></ul><h3><strong>All the small things</strong></h3><div type="image" title="TikTok ads for MELAA Rose Lip Gloss" height="2384" width="4064" msid="86644066" hostid="261"></div>Anyone who's been following the rise of Google, Facebook, and Amazon will know that while it makes sense to woo the blue-chip advertisers early, the big bucks really come rolling in when the platforms can effectively cater to the small to midsize businesses.<p><keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> this week made a <a href="https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/tiktok-reveals-partnerships-new-ad-solutions-at-tiktok-world/">host of advertising announcements</a> at its inaugural TikTok World event. While most of those, like its new brand-safety partnerships, were geared largely toward major marketers, other announcements like its shopping solutions - where it's working with partners like Shopify and PrestaShop that have drawn big customer bases of direct-to-consumer brands - hint at its SMB ambitions.</p><p>Other platforms have also made recent changes to court smaller advertisers, Insider reported.</p><p>EBay might already have a $1 billion ad business, but it's just <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ebays-advertising-revamp-compete-amazon-walmart-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">rolled out cost-per-click ads</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/lauren-johnson?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Insider's senior reporter Lauren Johnson</a> reported. It's the type of inventory that's standard on e-commerce sites like Amazon and Walmart and particularly popular with businesses that have modest ad budgets.</p><p>Elsewhere, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/tanya-dua?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Insider's senior reporter Tanya Dua</a> reported that the entertainment company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fandom-self-serve-ad-platform-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Fandom released a self-serve platform</a> for small and midsize advertisers to tap into its audience of ardent entertainment and gaming fans.</p><h3><strong>Recommended reading</strong></h3><p>WPP will pay $19 million to resolve a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation that alleged it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act after it rapidly expanded into India, China, Brazil, and Peru but didn't put in place adequate controls to prevent corruption in those regions - <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ad-giant-wpp-to-pay-19-million-to-resolve-sec-investigation-11632491583?page=1">Wall Street Journal</a></p><p>Insurance giant Liberty Mutual is seeking a new agency to handle its $435 million US ad business - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/liberty-mutual-seeking-agency-for-435-million-dollar-ad-business-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Insider</a></p><p>A look at how Uber eschewed linear-TV ads in favor of digital and pivoted its marketing to focus on its delivery business during the pandemic - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-grew-pivoting-ad-budget-toward-delivery-business-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Insider</a></p><p>Macy's filed a lawsuit last week in a bid to prevent Amazon from advertising on the billboard that wraps around its flagship Herald Square store in New York City - <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/business/macys-billboard-amazon.html">New York Times</a></p><p>US ad spend is projected to grow 23% this year and hit $278 billion, according to Magna's latest quarterly forecast - <a href="https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/us-advertising-sales-projected-to-hit-278-billion-in-2021-as-recovery-accelerates/">Adweek</a></p><p><a href="http://events.insider.com/innovative-marketers-core-values?utm_source=Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=2021-10-7_Valuegraphics_PayPals_PayPal">Sponsored event invite</a>: Sophisticated marketers know their customers are more than a list of demographic data and past purchase decisions. Join the best-selling author David Allison and PayPal's Carol Hargrave on Thursday, October 7, at noon ET to learn how marketers reach customers based on core values. <a href="http://events.insider.com/innovative-marketers-core-values?utm_source=Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=2021-10-7_Valuegraphics_PayPals_PayPal">Register here</a>.</p><p>That's all for now, see you next week - Lara</p>

Ozy draws advertiser scrutiny

<br /> In the second major case involving a foreign company under its probe, the Central Vigilance Commission (<keyword id="47883" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="CVC">CVC</keyword>) is investigating alleged <keyword id="741257" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Excise-duty-evasion">excise duty evasion</keyword> to the tune of about Rs 580 crore by confectionery giant Mondelez, maker of <keyword id="6399124" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cadbury">Cadbury</keyword> chocolates. <br />
<br />
CVC sources said today the anti-corruption watchdog is also looking into the role of central and state government officials who might have facilitated the alleged evasion. <br />
<br />
An investigation has been started by the Commission in the case, they said, adding some documents have also been sought from the company. <br />
<br /> There are allegations that certain government officials might have helped the company in allegedly evading the <keyword id="6356916" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="excise-duty">excise duty</keyword>, the sources said. <br />
<br />
It is the second big case being probed by the CVC involving a foreign private company. US-retail giant Wal-Mart has come under the scanner of the CVC amid allegations that it gave bribes to government officials to get customs clearances and and obtain permits to set up stores in India. <br />
<br />
A Mondelez India spokesperson said today they will cooperate with all the authorities concerned. <br />
<br />
"A compliant and ethical corporate culture, which includes adhering to laws and industry regulations in all jurisdictions in which we do business, is integral to our success. We firmly believe that the decision to claim excise tax benefit is valid and that our executives acted in good faith and within the law in the decision to claim decision to claim excise tax benefit is valid and that our executives acted in good faith and within the law in the decision to claim excise benefit in respect of our plant in Baddi. <br />
<br />
"We will cooperate with all authorities to address this matter through the administrative and judicial process. It would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time since the matter is in the legal domain," it said in response to a query sent by PTI. <br />
<br />
A demand of about Rs 580 crore was raised last year against Mondelez India Foods Pvt Ltd, erstwhile Cadbury India Ltd, for allegedly evading excise duty by fraudulently taking exemption for one of its 'ghost' production units in Himachal Pradesh's Baddi area.<br />
<br />
Image credit: Indiainsider<br />

Uh-oh! Now, CVC probes Cadbury for Rs 580 crore alleged tax evasion

<p><em>Hello, everyone! Welcome to the new edition of <keyword id="9095853" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-today">Insider Today</keyword>. Please </em><a href="https://www.insider.com/insider-today"><em>sign up here</em></a><em>.</em></p><h2><strong>QUOTE OF THE DAY</strong></h2><p>"<strong>What happened in <keyword id="92788" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Portland">Portland</keyword> over the weekend, it was not only unlawful and unconstitutional, it's just plain wrong … Sending armed, untrained police into the streets wearing fatigues without the knowledge or consent of the local police actually caused more violence.</strong>" — Judge Andrew Napolitano on Fox News, talking about the presence of masked, unidentified federal agents in Portland. President Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/defending-portland-crackdown-trump-pledges-to-deploys-feds-to-chicago-and-other-us-cities-led-by-democrats/2020/07/20/fda42b8a-caaa-11ea-89ce-ac7d5e4a5a38_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-low_portland-525pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans&amp;itid=hp_hp-top-table-low_portland-525pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans-ans">vows to expand</a> the use of federal agents in American cities. </p><h2><strong>WHAT'S HAPPENING</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-resuming-regular-coronavirus-briefings-amid-sinking-approval-rating-2020-7"><strong>President Trump will resume daily coronavirus briefings this afternoon.</strong></a> He stopped doing them in April after making gaffes and giving dangerous health advice, but he believes renewing the briefings could revive his popularity.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-vp-four-black-women-being-considered-2020-7"><strong>Four Black women are among Biden's VP candidates. </strong></a>The Democratic nominee didn't name names, and didn't commit to naming a Black woman, but said four are being seriously considered. </p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-china-covid-19-vaccine-research/2020/07/21/8b6ca0c0-cb58-11ea-91f1-28aca4d833a0_story.html?tidr=a_breakingnews&amp;hpid=hp_no-name_hp-breaking-news%3Apage%2Fbreaking-news-bar-bar"><strong>US accuses Chinese hackers of targeting vaccine research. </strong></a>According to a DOJ indictment, two hackers were spying on biotech firms both for their own profit and for the Chinese government. Last week, the US accused Russia of hacking vaccine researchers. </p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/john-yoo-bush-torture-memos-confirms-working-trump-bypass-congress-2020-7"><strong>Torture memo author is working with Trump to help him expand presidential power.</strong></a> John Yoo confirmed that he's advising the White House on ways the president can bypass Congress and not enforce laws he doesn't like. </p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-ppe-exports-uighur-labor-nyt-2020-7"><strong>China used forced Uighur labor to make PPE exported to the US</strong></a><strong>. </strong>According to a NYT report, 17 factories in Xinjiang use a Uighur labor program to make PPE. China denies that the labor is compelled.</p><h2><strong>VIEWS OF THE DAY</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="Trump Portland" height="1000" width="2000" msid="77095089" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p><strong>As Trump sends unmarked troops to US cities, remember — this is how democracy and the rule of law die.</strong></p><p>When we talk about the rise of dictatorships and fall of democracies, we often imagine that the change happens overnight.</p><p>We go to bed in charge of our government, and we wake up under the control of an authoritarian regime.</p><p>In fact, these transitions usually happen gradually, over many years. In the guise of doing what needs to be done to fix their countries, proto-dictators increase their power in incremental steps. And then, one day, the transition is complete.</p><p>Hitler took <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hitler-trump-comparisons-2016-10">over Germany's democracy this way</a>. Putin <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin">did the same in Russia</a>. So did <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benito-Mussolini/Rise-to-power">Mussolini in Italy</a>.   </p><p><keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> has displayed his authoritarian tendencies since long before he was elected. Over the past three years, invoking the usual story about acting for the good of the country, he has continually pushed against the restraints placed on leaders in a democracy — and, in so doing, continued to expand the boundaries. </p><p>Each new step has triggered complaints. Sometimes, temporarily, the complaints have forced Trump to take a half-step back. But then time passes and he takes another full step. And slowly but surely...</p><p>Trump long ago figured out that a clever way to get around the constitutional check-and-balance of Senate approval was to appoint loyalists and call them "acting." Here's what Trump's acting Secretary of Homeland Security <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/department-of-homeland-security/508176-acting-dhs-secretary-i-dont-need">just said</a> about sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon over the protests of local and state authorities — an action that would once have appalled members of a political party that used to champion states' rights:</p><p>"I don't need invitations by the state, state mayors or state governors to do our job. We're going to do that, whether they like us there or not."</p><p>So, now, in Trump's America, this <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/americas-interior-ministry/614389/">latest step in the transition to authoritarianism</a> is complete. <em>— HB</em></p><p><strong>What Trump's campaign should learn from the Wall of Moms</strong> </p><p><div type="image" title="wall of moms portland protests" height="1250" width="2500" msid="77095091" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Operation Legend, the Trump administration's plan to invade American cities with federal agents — ostensibly to reduce a spike in violence — is provoking a huge response in Portland. Since unidentified federal agents in unmarked vans began yanking Portlanders off the street, the <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/07/portland-protests-continue-for-54th-night-amid-controversy-surrounding-federal-officers-presence.html">nightly demonstrations in Portland have only gotten bigger</a>. Notably, a Wall of Moms has shown up to stand between BLM protesters and the feds, while a group of Portland dads brought leaf blowers to the demonstrations to redirect tear gas.</p><p>President Trump, who thrives on chaos, seems overjoyed at the conflict on the streets between American citizens exercising their right to peaceably assemble and the masked, anonymous jackbooted federal thugs he sent to harry them. <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-police-dhs-deployment-20200720-dftu5ychwbcxtg4ltarh5qnwma-story.html">He's planning to assault more cities with DHS forces</a>.</p><p>But the Wall of Moms counterpunch reveals something important about the presidential campaign. With Trump, you always begin with the premise that everything he does is to feed his own ego, not serve the nation, and the chief way he wants to feed it is by winning reelection. (For example, the White House decided this week to bring back presidential COVID briefings not for any policy reason, but because they think the briefings improved his poll numbers in the spring.)</p><p>Given his fixation on reelection, it's weird that Trump has not realized that the more he agitates the left, the worse his reelection chances are. He is trapped in a 2016 paradigm. In that campaign, agitation benefited him, because he was able to gin up immense fear and hatred about Hillary Clinton, while he himself remained an unknown quantity. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/president-trump-high-risk-2016-campaign-strategy-failing-reelection-2020-7">positions are reversed now</a>. Negative partisanship benefits Biden more than Trump. In 2020, the left despises, detest, abhors Trump as much or more than the right did Hillary Clinton in 2016. That's how you get a Wall of Moms. But <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/7/20/21326267/biden-trump-2020-winning-polls-polarization-election">as Ezra Klein explains in Vox,</a> the right does not loathe Biden nearly as much. Biden is an old white guy who doesn't trigger most of Trump's supporters.  "80% of Biden supporters have a very unfavorable view of Trump, while only 53% of Trump supporters have a very unfavorable view of Biden." </p><p>Trump would almost certainly rise in the polls if he said less. If he acted more typically presidential, some of the rage on the left would dissipate, and the fever Democrats feel about voting in November might subside. Bring the troops home from Portland, nod politely along as Dr. Fauci talks, express sorrow at the suffering caused by Covid and the recession. </p><p>But sharks gotta swim. The chances of Trump doing anything other than trying to lather up his base and savage Democrats is nil. And who knows, maybe he'll be able to foment enough chaos that he convinces voters he's the solution, that only he can stop Biden from gathering a lefty mob to sack Washington and burn the suburbs. <em>— DP</em></p><p><strong><em>If you're enjoying this article, <a href="https://www.insider.com/insider-today">sign up here</a> for more daily insights from Henry Blodget and David Plotz delivered right into your inbox.</em></strong></p><p><strong>After weeks of nothing but bad news about coronavirus, hope is finally knocking at the door.</strong></p><p><div type="image" title="Oxford University coronavirus vaccine test" height="600" width="1200" msid="77095096" hostid="261"></div></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/world/covid-coronavirus-vaccine.html">Three vaccine trials</a> are showing enormous promise, and<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/serum-institute-of-india-to-soon-apple-for-local-trials-of-astrazeneca-oxford-covid-vaccine/articleshow/77077382.cms"> mass vaccine testing</a> will begin shortly in India. A trial suggests treatment with interferon beta may <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/world/covid-19-treatment-synairgen-interferon-beta.html">reduce the severity of COVID</a>. Those alarming stories warning that coronavirus antibodies disappear in a few months <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/could-covid-19-immunity-really-disappear-months/614377/">may be overstated</a>. </p><p>And researchers are getting clever about figuring out how we can return to normal(ish) life: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/german-scientists-host-concert-to-study-how-the-coronavirus-spreads-2020-7">Check out this plan in Germany to stage an indoor pop concert for 4,000 fans</a>, and use it to study potential transmission: fluorescent hand sanitizer to track surface touching and fog machines to track air flow. It's encouraging!  <em>— DP</em></p><p><strong>More incumbents should face primary challenges</strong></p><p><strong><div type="image" title="Rep. Eliot Engel" height="1296" width="2592" msid="77095098" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Rep. Eliot Engel of New York conceded he lost to his Democratic primary challenger and middle-school principal Jamaal Bowman. </p><p>When Engel was first elected to represent a district comprising parts of the Bronx and Westchester in the 1988 election, Ronald Reagan was president. Ed Koch was the mayor of New York. Mario Cuomo was the governor. </p><p>That's a long time in one job.  </p><p>And in an industry where the consolidation of <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/why-is-gop-money-going-to-democratic-congressman-eliot-engel/">power and influence</a> is considered the metric of a successful career, maybe it's too long in one job. It leads to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/politics/eliot-engel-hot-mic-primary-comment/index.html">complacency</a>, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/05/26/eliot-engel-primary-defense-industry-pro-israel/">cronyism</a>, and sometimes corruption.  </p><p>That's not how Engel sees it. That "safe" Democratic seat was his by right until he was ready to relinquish it. But when Bowman proved to be a competitive progressive competitor to the hawkish centrist Engel, some Democrats backed the insurgent.</p><p>Engel <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/20/politics/eliot-engel-reaction-democratic-primary-fight/index.html">told CNN yesterday</a> that party members supporting primary challengers to influential incumbents like himself is "not something that should be done." </p><p>"I think that it's a very dangerous thing for party unity if members are going to start putting up primary challenges to other members in the same caucus."</p><p>Au contraire. </p><p>Primary challenges are important and all too infrequent. They can keep an incumbent from losing touch with their constituency or getting too entrenched in the lobbyist swamp, and they can ensure that new ideas are regularly introduced into the national political conversation.</p><p>It's a better solution than term limits, and it allows each of the two major parties to represent a wider berth of philosophies under each big tent.</p><p>Americans should more regularly throw the bums out, and because of most House districts are deep blue or deep red, change has to happen at the party primary level.  <em>— AF</em></p><h2><strong>Today's Must Read</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="ruth bader ginsburg" height="790" width="1581" msid="77095100" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p><a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/07/the-women-of-harvard-law-rbg-1959.html"><strong>The Story of RBG's Harvard Law School Classmates:</strong></a> Slate's Dahlia Lithwick and Molly Olmstead track down the nine other women in Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Harvard Law School class, recount their lives as pioneering women lawyers, and — most remarkably — interview Justice Ginsburg herself about her classmates. <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/07/ruth-bader-ginsburg-interview-transcript.html#marilyn">"It's amazing to me how distinctly I remember each of these women"</a>  </p><p>The project shows us a moment American life began to change, and how these women--all extraordinary, one legendary — helped make the change real for millions to follow. <em>— DP</em> </p><h2><strong>BUSINESS &amp; ECONOMY</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="Jeff Bezos" height="1000" width="2000" msid="77095103" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-added-13-billion-net-worth-monday-bloomberg-2020-7"><strong>Jeff Bezos added $13 billion to his net worth on Monday</strong></a>, which is probably the most anyone has ever added in a single day. His net worth is $189 billion, up $74 billion this year. </p><p><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/coronavirus-stimulus-eu-recovery-fund-agree-historic-860-billion-plan-2020-7-1029413313?_ga=2.225179866.1977374182.1595244294-163033034.1594207157"><strong>EU establishes an $860 billion pandemic recovery fund.</strong></a> Angela Merkel led the bailout plan, which will give grants to the struggling countries, and will for the first time have the EU, rather than individual nations, issue debt.</p><h2><strong>LIFE</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="NBA coronavirus" height="700" width="1400" msid="77095105" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/nba-bubble-coronavirus-free-after-latest-tests-zero-positive-results-2020-7"><strong>The NBA bubble is virus-free. </strong></a><strong> </strong>All 346 players tested for coronavirus, zero positives. The season is set to restart July 30. </p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/apollo-11-deepfake-nixon-speech-anniversary-mit-scientific-american-2020-7"><strong>Disturbing deep-fake video shows Nixon announcing the lost of the Apollo 11 mission.</strong></a> A lab at MIT created the video, which shows "Nixon" delivering the speech he would have given had the moon landing failed.</p><h2><strong>THE BIG 3*</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="Walmart Black Friday" height="1500" width="3000" msid="77095107" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/average-401k-balance"><strong>The average 401(k) balance by age, income level, gender, and industry</strong></a><strong>: </strong>The median is only $22,200. If you're 45-54, the median balance is still only $40,200.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-will-close-stores-on-thanksgiving-ending-black-friday-tradition-2020-7"><strong>Walmart will close stores on Thanksgiving Day.</strong></a> It ends a tradition of beginning Black Friday sales on Thursday evening.</p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/redwood-city-blm-mural-trump-supporter-maga-2020-7"><strong>California city removes its Black Lives Matter mural</strong></a>...after a local lawyer petitioned to be allowed to paint MAGA 2020 on the same street. The city said it removed the mural because it was a traffic hazard.  </p><p><em>*The most popular stories on Insider today.</em></p>

This is how democracy dies

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/ Jonathan Alcorn</span></p></div><p></p></div>America may be far from perfect, but life here is pretty sweet.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/" target="_blank">/r/AskReddit</a> thread posed the question: <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/" target="_blank">What does America do best?</a></p>
<p>The outpouring of responses covered everything from food to patriotism, and were submitted by Reddit users based all around the globe. Here are some of their best responses.</p>
<h3>1. Jazz And The Blues</h3>
<p>"The Blues really changed the world and is pure American. Although I guess it was influenced by slave gospels. I'm a huge blues fan. BB King, Chuck Berry, and Robert Johnson all paved the way for rock and pop music of today." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuox29" target="_blank">WastedPotato</a></p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/">Flickr/avlxyz</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>2. Food</h3>
<p>"'France is the country of good food.' No, not really. France is the country of an expensive grilled cheese given a name you probably can't pronounce with a slice of tomato on it. ALL THE DIFFERENT FOOD, EVERYWHERE. And I'm not just talking fast food. I'm talking about everything." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuodhx" target="_blank">Jhaturtle</a></p>
<h3>3. Friendliness</h3>
<p>"Default smiling. Buy a coffee, get a smile. Make random eye contact, get a smile. In most parts of the world, smiles are not as readily given out or are causes for suspicion." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfupzg0" target="_blank">cream-of-cow</a></p>
<p>"I find Americans are the most extroverted group of people. I've never met more forceful personalities, it's almost impossible to miss an American abroad. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, it's not rowdy or disruptive, it's just something about the mannerisms, like a complete abandonment of discretion replaced with the overwhelming compulsion to engage in conversation and introduce themselves, their reason for being here, their family history, their career and to compare seemingly random attributes around them to back home, while blissfully ignoring the palpable European disdain for being talked to while on public transport." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfulcgh" target="_blank">Didalectic</a></p>
<h3>4. Guitars</h3>
<p>"Virtually every single significant guitar ever made is American. Regardless of a band's nationality, the bands that don't use an American Fender, Gibson, Martin, Epiphone, Rickenbacker, PRS, etc... are few and far in between. With the exception of several British amplification companies, America has virtually every aspect of the guitar market covered." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfup52n" target="_blank">StolenNachoRanger</a></p>
<h3>5. Corn</h3>
<p>Especially: "Turn[ing] corn into things that are not corn."  - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfura0p" target="_blank">lift_heavy64</a></p>
<h3>6. Pride In Our Culture</h3>
<p>"I was at a local brewery/grill a few months ago when the table next to me said to the waitress, 'Our friend here is from Germany, and he's never had hush puppies or sweet tea!' (we're in the South)…Our section of the restaurant went dead quiet. The waitress says, 'In that case, one order of hush puppies and tea, on the house.'<br />It's that pride and willingness (if not insistence) to share parts of our culture that we love." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuqkad" target="_blank">pirateofspace</a></p>
<h3>7. Porn</h3>
<p>"I'm pretty sure America makes the highest quality porn in the world." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuj3oc" target="_blank">Bk7</a></p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=564896546897737&amp;set=pb.109164059137657.-2207520000.1382472679.&amp;type=3&amp;theater">Airheads/Facebook</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>8. Junk Food</h3>
<p>"Here in The Netherlands, our junk food is decades behind the godly snacks and beverages that the USA offers. Besides how good it is, the variety that you have is so vast that I think anyone in the world would have something they like…Bless Americans for Reese's Pieces, Warheads, Airheads, Hot Cheetos, Fruit Rollups, Nerds and Hot Cheetos again." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfurozt" target="_blank">TotolLies</a></p>
<h3>9. Free Speech</h3>
<p>"I know that free-speech battles are being continually fought in the US and that sometimes it seems like a never-ending battle. I also accept that there are all sorts of problems like free-speech on campuses, free-speech 'zones' and so on. Even so, recognize that you are still ahead of most of the world when it comes to the right to say what you want." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfunaep">backtowriting</a></p>
<h3>10. Cereal</h3>
<p>"Variety of breakfast cereals and other processed foods. I was in Walmart with a bunch of foreigners and they were taking pictures of the cereal aisle to show everyone back home." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuipfi" target="_blank">lo_dolly_lolita</a></p>
<h3>11. Entertainment</h3>
<p>"The U.S. is by far best in movies and TV series, something of which the influence on the world should not be underestimated." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfujmw5" target="_blank">Didalectic</a></p>
<p>"Cartoon adult-ish comedies. Futurama, South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, (apparently King of the Hill, I've never watched it) and of course the Simpsons. The Simpsons, taking all things into account, could very well claim to be the best TV show of all time." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfujz28" target="_blank">nayimhittingalongone</a></p>
<h3>12. Beef</h3>
<p>"Nowhere else does as good steak as commonplace and as cheaply as America does." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfur4ce" target="_blank">sciazs</a></p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p></div><p></p></div>13. Higher Education</h3>
<p>"Top students from across the world flock to America's universities for education in engineering, finance, math, medicine, law, and everything else. The smartest (and often richest) high school students in other countries frequently will move to a different country to go to Harvard, Princeton, and even highly regarded public universities like University of Wisconsin or Michigan. But it's extremely rare for top students in the US to leave the country for education elsewhere." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfulbsn" target="_blank">MichaelScarn5</a></p>
<h3>14. The Military</h3>
<p>"You guys have the most advanced military on the planet, and are willing to use it to protect other people as well as your own; be it against the NSDAP or modern terrorists. While many Europeans like to complain, the world is better for having America." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfutrh8" target="_blank">madwill101</a></p>
<p>"Military. I'm just sayin', if aliens invaded, America would put the world on it's back." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuoxc1" target="_blank">hammy831</a></p>
<h3>15. Muscle Cars</h3>
<p>"Cars with 650 horsepower under $60,000." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfum81f" target="_blank">THE_GR8_MIKE</a></p>
<h3>16. Being "Cool"</h3>
<p>"If you are an American abroad, you would probably have a 90% chance of being regarded as cool just by opening your mouth and saying something. Especially if you are in Scandinavia as we LOVE to speak English (downside to this: you will never learn Swedish except maybe words like:, köttbullar, Systembolaget, kukhuvud, tunnbrödsrulle, kräftskiva and fan)." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfup0wj" target="_blank">wyldcat</a></p>
<h3>17. Diversity</h3>
<p>"I'm an international student studying in the US at one of its best engineering colleges, and the sheer level of diversity is insane! In one day I see guys and girls from India, China, Korea, Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America as well as most of the racially diverse groups here in the US, including whites, blacks, Mexicans and (sometimes) Native Americans. The fact that all of them live together in peace and harmony, and in a society where everyone is treated equally and is judged on their merit is truly phenomenal." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfurlc5" target="_blank">jkthe</a></p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-94851763/stock-photo-toroweap-sunset-grand-canyon-national-park-arizona.html?src=EEyBj5PimPqSDK7YIcTelQ-1-16">Shutterstock</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>18. The States</h3>
<p>"The United States of America is one country, but to me, as an outsider, it's like 50 different countries. I've only been in a handful of different states but it's AMAZING. The scenery changes, the people, the culture."  - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuodhx" target="_blank">Jhaturtle</a></p>
<p>"I've only been to a handful of states, but each one is like a different country. The cities are something to behold and feel truly different (something you don't get in Europe so much), not to mention the stunning landscape." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfutrh8" target="_blank">madwill101</a></p>
<h3>19. Hope</h3>
<p>"When other people ask me what I miss most about living in the USA I answer with all of the lesser ones above, the food, the TV, or the nature; but, I've never said: 'I miss being in a country which knows it is capable of greater things: that we will cure cancer and advance the sciences, that we will pursue corruption and combat poverty, that we will be the world's police to those who wish it harm and the world's shelter to those who have been harmed because that is our duty, that we will go back to the moon and then on to Mars, because our forefathers forged our greatness and our children compel us to utilize it."  - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfunydx" target="_blank">TheWanderingSuperman</a></p>

You Searched For "walmart corruption india" and got 12 results

Walmart has to pay $282 million as fine in the US for bribing government officials in India and other countries

Sanchita Dash

CVC summons Walmart India head over bribery charges

BI India Bureau

Strife At The Top: These 11 C-Suite Execs From India Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

Sanghamitra Mandal

Wal-Mart is in huge trouble in India. Could this be its undoing in the world’s largest democracy!

BI India Bureau

Walmart to pay more than $282 million to settle bribery investigations

Hayley Peterson

Wal-Mart paid bribes worth millions of dollars in India but unlikely to face penalty

BI India Bureau

Retail Wars: Why Wal-Mart’s India Plans Hit A Wall

Preetam Kaushik

Amazon is investigating its lawyers for allegedly bribing Indian government officials

Kritti Bhalla

Ozy draws advertiser scrutiny

Lara O'Reilly

Uh-oh! Now, CVC probes Cadbury for Rs 580 crore alleged tax evasion

BI India Bureau

This is how democracy dies

David Plotz,Anthony L. Fisher…

19 Things America Does Better Than The Rest Of The World

Megan Willett

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides

You Searched For "walmart corruption india" and got 12 results

Walmart has to pay $282 million as fine in the US for bribing government officials in India and other countries

Sanchita Dash

CVC summons Walmart India head over bribery charges

BI India Bureau

Strife At The Top: These 11 C-Suite Execs From India Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

Sanghamitra Mandal

Wal-Mart is in huge trouble in India. Could this be its undoing in the world’s largest democracy!

BI India Bureau

Walmart to pay more than $282 million to settle bribery investigations

Hayley Peterson

Wal-Mart paid bribes worth millions of dollars in India but unlikely to face penalty

BI India Bureau

Retail Wars: Why Wal-Mart’s India Plans Hit A Wall

Preetam Kaushik

Amazon is investigating its lawyers for allegedly bribing Indian government officials

Kritti Bhalla

Ozy draws advertiser scrutiny

Lara O&apos;Reilly

Uh-oh! Now, CVC probes Cadbury for Rs 580 crore alleged tax evasion

BI India Bureau

This is how democracy dies

David Plotz,Anthony L. Fisher…

19 Things America Does Better Than The Rest Of The World

Megan Willett

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides

Lara O'Reilly