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Tag: alibaba

Alibaba’s Shares Surge as Jack Ma reappears after allegedly missing
Shares in internet giant Alibaba soared more than eight percent Wednesday after billionaire founder Jack Ma made his first public appearance since November, ending weeks of speculation about his whereabouts after the company took a kicking from Chinese regulators.
Ma — one of Asia’s richest people with a fortune estimated at around $58 billion — disappeared from the public eye after he was hauled in front of regulators for an October speech critical of China’s financial system.
Shortly afterwards, the record-breaking $37 billion IPO of his financial group Ant was spiked at the last minute by mainland officials in a shock move that some saw as retaliation for Ma’s outspokenness.
China’s finance authorities have since ordered Ant to change its business model and hack back its lending, insurance and wealth management services, while Alibaba is also the subject of an anti-monopoly probe.
The disappearance of Ma from the public eye set tongues wagging on his whereabouts.
But a video clip released by Chinese financial news outlets Wednesday showed him in a recording giving a speech to rural teachers as part of an awards ceremony organised by his charity.
Shares in Alibaba soared 8.5 percent to HK$265.00 in Hong Kong.
In the speech, Ma praised China’s poverty alleviation efforts, a central target of the Communist leadership, and vowed to dedicate more efforts towards helping rural teachers.
“My colleagues and I… are even more determined to devote ourselves to education and public welfare,” he said, according to a transcript of his speech published by news site Tianmu News.
“China has… entered a new stage of development, and is moving towards common prosperity.”
A spokesperson for the Jack Ma Foundation, his charitable arm, confirmed he “participated in the online ceremony of the annual Rural Teacher Initiative event”.
Both Alibaba and Ant said they will cooperate with regulatory requests.
Ma, a charismatic former teacher turned internet entrepreneur, retired as chairman of Alibaba in 2019 but has long attracted attention for his outspokenness and flamboyant antics, performing as a rockstar at company conferences.
The continued squeeze on one of China’s most influential companies is the latest sign that the leadership is ready to deflate the ambitions of big tech firms in a runaway internet sector.
Beijing has a history of disappearing, investigating and imprisoning financial tycoons who do not toe the party line.
Last year, outspoken real estate tycoon Ren Zhiqiang was jailed for 18 years on alleged corruption charges, months after penning an essay critical of the Communist Party.
January 20, 2021
NIN: FG Attitude is Fuelling Stories That COVID-19 Isn’t Real – Alibaba
A COVID-19 survivor and comedian, Atunyota Akpobome, who is fondly called Ali Baba has taken a swipe at the Federal Government over the registration of the National Identity Number (NIN).
Ali Baba, who is also an actor, stated that the registration exercise came at the wrong time, considering the second wave of COVID-19 in the country.
He believes demanding NIN registration at this time is like supporting the notion that COVID-19 is not real and should not be taken seriously.
“The attitude of the government is also helping to fuel the stories that COVID-19 is not real because if COVID-19 is real, you won’t be talking about people going to do registration for NIN,” said the comedian who featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday.
He added, “It is important that people are considered first; when you ask people to go register for NIN, it means that you are endangering the people, it is like inviting them to a beach to come and party.”
Ali Baba noted that Nigeria should have gone past the stage where people would stay in long queues for registration.
He said by asking people to go to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) offices, they stand the risk of getting infected with COVID-19.
According to the comedian, it is important for the government to wake up to its responsibility of protecting the people.
He stated, ”It is not now that you have a pandemic that you should insist on that kind of thing, let pandemic be over; whatever you are waiting for can be done later
“The number of people that are going to become victims of this COVID-19 from going to register will nearly be like people that went to the beach.”
“Government has not really been in the good books of believability for people; then to crown it all, in the face of this second wave you are tell people to do national identification registration and people are going and packing themselves in places,” Ali Baba added.
He also asked the government to ensure that the doctors risking their lives to curb the spread of the disease and treat infected patients were well taken care of.
January 8, 2021
COVID is real. I just came out of isolation – Alibaba
Ace comedian, Alibaba, has revealed that he contracted COVID-19 and just came out of isolation.
Alibaba disclosed this via his Instagram page on Monday January 4. In a video posted on his Instagram page, Alibaba said he spent his Christmas and New Year celebration in Isolation.
He stressed that COVID19 is real and called on everyone to take all the protocols seriously.
”COVID is real.
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s a scam. I just came out of isolation. Several people died while I was there. Some of my close friends knew and they were very supportive.

I thank the Lagos State governor @jidesanwoolu and the commissioner for health, the MD of the COVID CENTRE in YABA, the Doctors, especially Dr Nifemi, who are risking their lives to keep us alive. Thanks to all the nurses.

I want to thank @gbengaadeyinka1stgcon… you are a good friend. @margaretorakwusi @maryamuwai @itsifeanyi and friends to go checked up on me.

COVID is real. Observe all the protocols.

People are dying. And it’s not a joke

In fact, anyone who says COVID is a scam is a compound idiot and a fool.”
January 4, 2021
Comedian Alibaba reveals the fastest way to kill a big dream
Popular Nigerian stand-up comedian, Alibaba has taken to social media to disclose the fastest way to kill a big dream. According to him, the fastest way is to tell a small mind.
He also went further to urge his fans to very wary of who they open up and tell their story to.
Read More: Nigerian singer Omah Lay arrested in Uganda
He wrote;
”You can’t make anything out of comedy. 1987
You cannot charge 1million per event. 1998
You cannot do a 6-hour comedy show. 2012
you cannot do a show on January 1st, nobody will come. 2014
There are ideas I have shared and most of the people who said it was not possible, have owned up for bringing short-sighted.
Caveat.. not all ideas make sense.. but if you pitch an idea that has been well thought through to someone who’s thought processes are infantile, they will use their shallow minds to frown your flight of ideas.”
December 15, 2020