Business

Willy Chavarria sorry after Adidas shoe cultural appropriation row

Published

24 hours ago

August 10, 2025

Jennifer Meierhans

Business reporter

Getty Images Willy Chavarria on a red carpet with photographers all around wearing a black hat, sunglasses and a pale pink tuxedo with exaggeratedly large lapels and holding three red roses — US fashion designer Willy Chavarria at The Mark Hotel before the 2025 Met Gala

US fashion designer Willy Chavarria has apologised after a shoe he created in collaboration with Adidas Originals was criticised for “cultural appropriation”.

The Oaxaca Slip-On was inspired by traditional leather sandals known as huaraches made by Indigenous artisans in Mexico.

The Mexican president was among those who spoke out against the footwear, which was reportedly made in China without consultation or credit to the communities who originated the design.

Chavarria said in a statement sent to the BBC: “I am deeply sorry that the shoe was appropriated in this design and not developed in direct and meaningful partnership with the Oaxacan community.” The BBC has contacted Adidas for comment.

Cultural appropriation is defined as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, of one people or society by members of a typically more dominant people or society”.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum told a press conference: “Big companies often take products, ideas and designs from Indigenous communities.”

She added: “We are looking at the legal part to be able to support them.”

Adidas had contacted Oaxacan officials to discuss “restitution to the people who were plagiarised”, Mexico’s deputy culture minister Marina Nunez added.

Jesús Méndez/EPA/Shutterstock Traditional huaraches are displayed at a market in Oaxaca, Mexico — Traditional huaraches displayed at a market in Oaxaca, Mexico

Promotional images of the black moulded open-toe footwear have been taken down from the brand’s social media accounts as well as Chavarria’s.

In his statement, the designer said he wanted “to speak from the heart about the Oaxaca slip-on I created with Adidas”.

“The intention was always to honor the powerful cultural and artistic spirit of Oaxaca and its creative communities – a place whose beauty and resistance have inspired me. The name Oaxaca is not just a word – its living culture, its people, and its history.”

He went on to say he was “deeply sorry” he did not work with the Oaxacan community on the design.

“This falls short of the respect and collaborative approach that Oaxaca, the Zapotec community of Villa Hidalgo Yalalag, and its people deserve,” he added.

“I know love is not just given – it is earned through action.”

Adidas has not responded to the BBC’s request for a comment.

The Associated Press reported that Adidas responded to Mexican authorities in a letter on Friday.

The company reportedly said it “deeply values the cultural wealth of Mexico’s Indigenous people and recognizes the relevance” of criticisms, and requesting a sit-down to talk about how to “repair the damage” to Indigenous communities.

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Business

Why the US is taking a cut from China sales

Published

39 minutes ago

August 11, 2025

Suranjana Tewari

Asia Business Correspondent in Singapore

Getty Images US President Donald Trump (L) listens as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks in the Cross Hall of the White House during an event on "Investing in America" — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been lobbying the White House over China chip sales

Unusual. Quid pro quo. Unprecedented.

That is some of the reaction to news that two of the world’s tech giants will pay the US government 15% of their revenue from selling certain advanced chips to China. Industry watchers, former government advisers, policy makers and trade experts have been giving their views on the deal.

The news comes mere months after the Trump administration banned the sale of these chips to China, citing national security concerns.

That ban was lifted in mid-July. And now it seems the US government will go a step further – becoming a part of these American firms’ business with China.

And critics argue that is both confusing and worrying.

What are these chips – and why do they matter?

These advanced chips are largely used for artificial intelligence (AI) applications at a time when investors are betting that AI will transform the global economy.

Last month, Nvidia – which is the world’s leading chip maker – became the first company ever to hit $4tn (£3tn) in market value.

Nvidia developed the H20 chip, and AMD developed the MI308 chip, especially for the Chinese market.

They are less powerful and therefore cheaper than both companies’ flagship chips.

But developing them was the only option for accessing the significant Chinese market after the previous administration of President Joe Biden banned US companies from exporting the most advanced chips to China because of national security concerns.

Under Trump, even the less powerful, made-for-China chips were banned.

The resumption of sales to China is a boon for both Nvidia and AMD because China is such a big market. China’s investment in AI is expanding so rapidly that analysts expect it to grow to roughly $100bn this year – a nearly 50% jump compared with last year.

How unusual is the deal with Nvidia and AMD?

“Unprecedented… I don’t know what the word is, but it’s bad,” says trade expert Deborah Elms.

Other experts say no US company has ever done anything like this before.

But Trump did do something similar in June when he approved the takeover of US Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel. That included a so-called “golden share”, a rare practice in which the government takes a stake in a business.

In this case, the White House has not said how the agreement will be implemented – such as where this money would go, or how it would be used.

More importantly, what message does it send to other US companies that see China as a key market or supplier – from Apple and Tesla to the small furniture and toymakers? Is this a tax that firms will now face for doing business with China?

Getty Images Young woman wearing augmented reality glasses in a dark environment — Artificial intelligence is expected to change the global economy

The 15% cut that Nvidia and AMD have agreed to is likely to hurt their bottom line, even if they earn substantial profits from sales to China.

Chip-makers plan their operations years in advance so this could dampen investor sentiment, which depends heavily on earnings and revenue projections.

But this deal may be a part of Trump’s ongoing tariff negotiations. Just last week, he threatened 100% tariffs on foreign-made chips unless those companies invested in the US.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick even said chips exports were being used in negotiations with China in return for access to rare-earth elements.

What about national security concerns?

That part is still unclear.

A US official told Reuters that the White House did not believe the sale of H20 and equivalent chips would compromise national security – despite the fact they were previously banned on these grounds.

National security experts and some lawmakers have long voiced concerns about the US selling AI chips to China, saying that Beijing could use them to gain an advantage in AI, as well as in military applications.

But others have argued that restricting chip sales to China does not help because it spurs Chinese innovation and greater competition. Rather, they want China to rely on US tech.

The latter argument seems to have won – for now.

And that may well be the result of intense lobbying from Nvidia’s Chief Executive, Jensen Huang. He met Trump at the White House last Wednesday, and it is thought that is when they agreed to this deal.

It was also Mr Huang’s efforts that led to the reversal of the April ban on H20 sales to China.

Who wins with this deal?

The agreement is something of a win for China because it does want these chips.

Analysts say leading tech companies including ByteDance, Tencent and DeepSeek bought H20s before the US cut off access in April.

And it is a win for the US government, with analysts Bernstein Research telling the BBC it could make up to $2bn from chip sales to China.

There could be a further victory for Washington, if this leads to a deal on rare-earth elements with Beijing, which currently has a monopoly over the critical minerals.

But critics of the deal say they are alarmed about how this reflects on the White House.

This “is a very different US environment from the one that we’ve had in the past,” says Ms Elms, the trade expert.

“I suppose, generously, you could call it the flexibility of the Trump White House in responding to requests.”

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Business

Chennai’s BCS Launches Agentic isAI, a No-Code, Self-Orchestrating AI Built for Business Automation

Published

1 hour ago

August 11, 2025

CXOtoday News Desk

Agentic isAI is a no-code, autonomous AI platform that learns from behavior and automates enterprise operations without human prompts
Business Core Solutions is a Chennai-based tech company delivering enterprise-grade automation platforms trusted by global industry leaders

The Chennai-based technology company Business Core Solutions (BCS) has launched Agentic isAI, a path-breaking, autonomous AI platform that reimagines enterprise automation. This first-of-its-kind solution empowers businesses to proactively manage operations, reduce downtime, and automate critical workflows, all without the need for prompts, coding, or training data.

Chennai’s BCS Launches Agentic isAI, a No-Code, Self-Orchestrating AI Built for Business Automation

True to its name, which is inspired by the Tamil word “Isai” – meaning music, Agentic isAI has the ability to bring harmony and intelligence to complex enterprise systems. Unlike traditional AI systems that require extensive training data or manual prompts, Agentic isAI operates with true autonomy – it can observe system behaviour, detect anomalies, and initiate responses without human intervention. The solution is designed as a no-code platform – it learns from real-time patterns instead of relying on pre-trained models, making it faster to deploy and easier to adapt across industries.

Built for enterprise environments, it seamlessly integrates with platforms like SAP, Azure, Salesforce, Oracle, and more. Already in production with leading global clients, it is helping reduce downtime, prevent job failures, optimise cloud usage, and automate critical business operations at scale.

BCS is a Chennai-based enterprise technology company specialising in intelligent automation platforms for global businesses. Its flagship solutions, including Symphony for process orchestration, Anugal for identity governance, and DQView for data quality management, are trusted by Fortune 100 companies and industry leaders across the US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. With the launch of Agentic isAI, BCS continues to push the boundaries of scalable, AI-driven enterprise automation.

In his comments, Mr. Prakash Palani, Founder, Business Core Solutions, said, “We’re proud and excited to launch Agentic isAI, a product that reflects years of deep enterprise insight and cutting-edge innovation. What makes Agentic isAI truly path-breaking is its ability to act autonomously, without prompts, training data, or code, and still deliver reliable, enterprise-grade automation. We believe this platform has the power to fundamentally transform how businesses operate, making them more responsive, efficient, and resilient in a fast-changing world.”

He added: “Innovations like this are often expected to emerge from Silicon Valley or other global tech hubs. But Agentic isAI was imagined, engineered, and brought to life right here in Tamil Nadu. It proves that world-class enterprise technology can be built anywhere, as long as there is intent, talent, and vision. This launch isn’t just a milestone for us. It’s a moment of pride for the entire region.”

Beyond Agentic isAI, BCS offers a suite of powerful enterprise platforms designed to address core operational challenges. Symphony is an AI-powered orchestration platform that streamlines IT and business processes, enabling seamless automation across complex systems. Anugal focuses on identity and access governance, helping organizations ensure compliance, manage risk, and enforce security with precision. Meanwhile, DQView is a modern data quality platform that brings visibility, validation, and trust to enterprise data landscapes. These solutions reflect BCS’s commitment to building deeply integrated, scalable technologies that drive measurable impact for global businesses.

At the heart of BCS is a belief that technology and social responsibility can grow together. The company has consistently invested in inclusive hiring, with over half its workforce comprising individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, including first-generation graduates, rural youth, women returning to work, and persons with hearing and speech impairments. Through initiatives like the BCS Academy, which trains and places students, and HERizon, which supports women re-entering the workforce, BCS has created not just jobs, but opportunities for transformation. Its social initiatives also extend to improving public education, installing clean water systems, and nurturing local talent, making it a company where business success and human impact go hand in hand.

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Business

EasyJet captain suspended after getting ‘drunk and naked’ in hotel

Published

2 hours ago

August 11, 2025

Aleks Phillips

EasyJet has suspended one of its captains after he was reportedly seen roaming a luxury hotel drunk and naked.

The unnamed pilot was witnessed walking through common areas of a five-star resort in Cape Verde without any clothes on in the early hours of the morning on 5 August, after an extended drinking session in a bar, according to the Sun.

He was due to operate a return flight to Gatwick more than 36 hours later, but was grounded after the budget airline received complaints about the incident and a replacement pilot found.

An EasyJet spokesman told the BBC the pilot now faces an investigation and that the safety of passengers and crew was its “highest priority”.

The captain arrived at the Melia Dunas Beach Resort and Spa in the West African island nation on 4 August and proceeded to begin drinking, the Sun reports.

At around 02:30 local time (04:30 BST) the following morning, hotel guests reportedly saw him strip off and wander into the reception, before moving on to the gym and spa, according to the newspaper.

“The pilot did not have a stitch on and reeked of alcohol,” an anonymous source inside the airline was quoted by the paper as saying.

“Anyone who saw the pilot cavorting naked in the early hours on the day before a flight would not dream of getting on a plane with him at the controls.”

He was scheduled to helm the 2,332-nautical-mile (4,318km) trip back to Gatwick on the afternoon of 6 August, but was removed from the flight.

An EasyJet spokesman said: “As soon as we were made aware, the pilot was immediately stood down from duty, in line with our procedures, pending an investigation.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is EasyJet’s highest priority.”

The airline’s code of business ethics states that staff must behave “with integrity when dealing with our people, our customers, our partners and the communities within which we operate”.

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