Zhou Kunfei is one of the most remarkable self-made success stories in the global technology industry. Born into poverty in rural China, she left school as a teenager and worked in factories grinding watch glass to support her family. Decades later, she became the founder of Lens Technology, a company now valued at approximately $26 billion. Zhou recently attracted global attention after sitting down with Elon Musk And Tim Cook attended a high-profile state banquet in Beijing attended by Chinese and US business leaders.

Zhou Kunfei’s journey from factory worker to $26 billion company

Zhou was born in 1970 to a poor family in Hunan province. Her mother died when she was five, while her father became partially blind and disabled after an accident at work. Financial difficulties caused Zhou to leave school at the age of 15 and move to Guangdong to work in factories making watch parts and glass products.She reportedly spent her days working on assembly lines grinding glass, while studying accounting, computer operations and other technical skills at night. Those years helped shape the discipline and technical expertise that later defined his business career.In 1993, Zhou used about 20,000 yuan of savings and the support of relatives to start a small workshop in Bao’an District of Shenzhen. The business initially focused on printing and processing watch-glass. Zhou personally handled machine repair, production management, and sales during the early years of the company.As China’s mobile-phone industry expanded in the early 2000s, the workshop received orders for phone screens from domestic manufacturers including TCL Technology. Zhou recognized the huge potential of mobile phone glass and founded Lens Technology to focus on the manufacturing and research of phone screens.A major success came when the company won contracts from international brands including Motorola. Lens reportedly invested heavily to meet Motorola’s strict quality standards and later supplied glass for the Motorola Razr V3, one of the world’s best-selling mobile phones at the time. This success helped Lens secure further partnerships with Nokia and Samsung.

Apple The partnership that changed the company

The biggest turning point for lens technology came in 2007 when Steve Jobs first unveiled it iPhone. Apple needed durable, high-quality touchscreen glass, and Lens Technology became one of its key suppliers after working closely with Apple engineers to mass-produce glass panels for the device.As iPhone sales grew globally, Apple became the lens technology’s largest customer, accounting for more than half of the company’s annual revenue in the early 2010s. Lens later expanded its role in Apple’s supply chain by producing components for the iPad, MacBook and other products.The partnership transformed Lens Technology into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of touchscreen glass and consumer-electronics components. The company was later listed on Shenzhen’s ChiNext index in 2015, helping Zhou become one of China’s richest self-made women. Lens also completed a Hong Kong listing in 2025.Zhou attracted global attention after appearing between Musk and Cook at a state banquet hosted by Xi Jinping during Donald Trump’s visit to China. The dinner was attended by several prominent Chinese officials along with American business leaders and officials. Over the past decade, the company has expanded beyond smartphones into smart vehicles, AI hardware, robotics, wearable devices, and aerospace-related manufacturing.Lens Technology now supplies smart cockpit systems, exterior structural parts and advanced glass products to automakers including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Li Auto. The company has also been linked by investors to projects involving Tesla’s Optimus robot program and SpaceX due to its work in robotics and aerospace manufacturing.

Emphasis of lens technology in AI and robotics

Lens Technology is now attempting to transform itself from a smartphone-component supplier to what it describes as a “one-stop precision manufacturing solutions provider” for the AI ​​hardware industry. Its business now spans AI glasses, smart vehicles, embodied intelligence, wearable devices and commercial aerospace.In December, the company said at an investor forum that it had worked for nearly a decade with “major North American customers” on smart cockpits, humanoid robots and aerospace-related products. Lens also said it has developed ultra-thin photovoltaic glass modules and flexible glass products designed for space applications.The market value of lens technology recently reached about 180.6 billion yuan, or about $26.6 billion. Last year, the company recorded annual revenue of 74.4 billion yuan, while net profit rose 10.9% to 4 billion yuan. Smartphones and computers remained its largest business segment, generating revenues of more than 61 billion yuan.Zhou’s rise from factory worker to billionaire entrepreneur has made him one of the most recognizable figures in China’s technology industry.

The Jamiat report said the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict shows that ‘majoritarian politics has penetrated deeply into legal recognition’ (Image credit: ANI)

New Delhi: Noting that the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order declaring the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district as a temple only validates the apprehensions and concerns that he has continuously raised since 2019. Ayodhya verdictJamiat Ulama-e-Hind (JUH) released a report on Friday arguing that the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Places of Worship Act shows “how deeply majoritarian politics has penetrated legal recognition”.JUH said that it was just a coincidence that the report was being released on the same day when the order for Bhojshala came. Speaking at the event attended by senior lawyers, legal experts, former judges, researchers and intellectuals, JUH president Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani said the controversies did not end with the Babri Masjid issue; Rather, new controversies related to Gyanvapi, Mathura Idgah, Kamal Maula Masjid and other religious places are now arising, reopening old wounds.The report titled “A Critical Analysis of the Babri Masjid Judgment and the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991 Case” provides a detailed analysis of key Supreme Court judgments, including the Ismail Faruqui case and the Ayodhya judgment, claiming that certain judicial interpretations have weakened constitutional principles relating to the protection of religious places.In particular, the report discusses the far-reaching implications of comments made in the Ismail Faruqui case, in which a mosque was not considered an essential part of Islamic practice in every circumstance. “As the judiciary increasingly accommodates Hindutva majoritarianism, Muslim holy sites have become legally unsafe, culturally contested, and politically targeted,” the report said.The report said the Places of Worship Act 1991 was designed to stabilize the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947. “Yet recent court decisions have interpreted the Act so narrowly that new claims against mosques in Varanasi, Mathura and elsewhere are now being advanced.”“The arguments made in those cases relating to essential practices, beliefs, archaeological evidence and civilizational memory are now being replicated in ongoing litigation involving the Gyanvapi Mosque in Sambhal, the Shahi Idgah in Mathura and others,” the report said.The report recommends that the judiciary should uphold the Places of Worship Act as intended and it should be strictly enforced and the protection of religious places should be treated as a constitutional obligation. It further recommended that “communal politics and historical claims should not be allowed to become instruments of legal disputes.

Patna: A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch has revealed that almost half of the ministers in the reorganized Bihar cabinet have declared criminal cases, while an overwhelming 90% are ‘crorepatis’. The findings were released on Friday after analyzing the self-affidavits of 31 of the 35 ministers, including CM Samrat Chaudhary, following the cabinet reshuffle on May 7.The affidavits were filed ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly and Legislative Council elections. According to the report, out of the 31 ministers analyzed, 15 or 48% have declared criminal cases against themselves. Nine of these ministers, or 29%, are facing serious criminal charges.The ADR clarified that the two ministers—JD(U)’s Ashok Chaudhary and BJP’s Pramod Kumar—are not required to submit affidavits as they are nominated members of the Legislative Council. The report also excludes RLM’s Deepak Prakash and JD(U)’s Nishant Kumar, as both do not currently belong to either house of the legislature.The wealth profile of the cabinet also came into sharp focus. Of the 31 ministers probed, 28 were found to be ‘crorepatis’, with average declared assets of Rs 6.32 crore. BJP minister Rama Nishad emerged as the richest among them, declaring assets worth Rs 31.86 crore. At the other end, Sanjay Kumar of LJP (RV) reported the lowest assets at Rs 22.30 lakh.On education, eight ministers or 26% stated qualifications between Class 10 and Class 12. Twenty-two ministers, or 71%, were graduates or held higher degrees, while one minister declared a diploma qualification.The age profile revealed that six ministers were in the age group of 30 to 50 years, while 25 were in the age group of 51 to 80 years. With only five ministers in the 35-member cabinet, women remained under-represented at only 14%.

Donald Trump departing from China (Image/AP)

US staffers and members of the traveling press accompanying President Donald Trump reportedly threw away all materials handed to them by Chinese officials before boarding Air Force One on Friday.The move came as Trump concluded his high-profile two-day visit to Beijing following meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.According to the White House press pool, U.S. officials collected and threw away several items issued during the trip, including press credentials, delegation pins, and burner phones used by White House staff. The material was reportedly thrown into a bin placed near the plane’s stairs shortly before departure from Beijing Capital Airport.The unusual move came despite friendly public optics surrounding Trump’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a two-day state visit aimed at strengthening ties between Washington and Beijing.Behind the scenes, however, tensions reportedly emerged between Chinese and US officials over security and media access during several summit-related events, according to The Hill. During Trump and Xi’s visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a US Secret Service agent accompanying the US press pool was reportedly denied entry by Chinese authorities because the agent was carrying a firearm as part of standard security protocol.According to pool reports, the disagreement led to an approximately 90-minute delay in allowing media into the venue, leading to what journalists described as ‘intense discussions’ between US and Chinese officials.More friction was reported during Trump’s departure, when Chinese authorities reportedly prevented members of the US press pool from immediately joining the presidential convoy before US allies intervened and escalated security sanctions.The tension was similar to similar confrontations during previous US presidents’ visits to China. During former President Barack Obama’s visit to Hangzhou for the G20 summit in 2016, US and Chinese officials were involved in public disputes over press access and security arrangements.Trump left China after holding several meetings with Xi and senior Chinese leaders at Zhongnanhai, the heavily guarded leadership compound of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.Speaking before leaving, Trump described the visit as ‘historic’ and praised Xi, saying the two sides would continue to strengthen engagement and maintain direct communications.The visit also included a state banquet, a formal reception and discussions on trade, global security and regional stability. Trump said Xi was expected to visit the United States later this year in what he described as a “reciprocal” visit.The China visit was Trump’s first visit to the country in nearly a decade and came amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, trade talks and discussions on global economic stability.

Guwahati: For decades, the railway tracks passing through Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (HGS) in Jorhat district of Assam did more than just carry trains. It bisected the forest canopy, turning tree-lined highways into dead ends and dividing families of India’s only ape species, the western hoolock gibbon, inside their only home in the country.Hoolock gibbons live almost entirely above ground, moving through the upper canopy with brachiation – swinging by their arms in long, fluid arcs. Where the trees stop, their world stops. The railway corridor created a gap that they could not safely cross, leaving groups on either side isolated and a small section of families trapped away from the larger population.But the story changed on Friday when a male gibbon was recorded crossing newly installed canopy bridges with safety nets on the railway line, bringing a ray of hope not only to the apes but also to many other canopy-dwelling animals.The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) said, “This is the first confirmed use of a gibbon in the sanctuary – and the first documented use of a canopy bridge structure on a railway line anywhere in the world!”WII said that while this is a moment of pride for all stakeholders and a ray of hope to reduce the impact of linear infrastructure on India’s only ape species, careful infrastructure planning, eco-conscious settings and creating repurposed corridors to connect disparate populations is especially important for the long-term survival of threatened species like arboretums and gibbons.The bridges were designed and deployed during February–March 2025 on the single-track Lumding-Dibrugarh railway line, which has been passing through Hollongapar since 1887. In a technical report released in May 2023, WII said that the approximately 1.65 route-km ​​long broad-gauge, electrified single track divided the sanctuary into two unequal parts.Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Western Hoolock Gibbon faces constant threats – shrinking forests, tea cultivation, human encroachment and illegal trade.The report said, “Over time, the sanctuary has become a ‘forest island’, disconnected from the surrounding forest areas. Since gibbons are exclusively arboreal animals living in the upper canopy of the forest, they are particularly sensitive to canopy gaps. Thus, the gibbon families on both sides of the railway track have effectively become isolated from each other, compromising their population genetic variability and their already intact population in the HGS. “The threatened existence has become more threatened.”The sanctuary is spread over an area of ​​20.98 km², consisting of tropical semi-evergreen type forests and is home to about 125 gibbons. Hoolock gibbons are primarily monogamous and live in small family groups of six closely related individuals.WII has highlighted how fragmented the gibbon population in the Hollongapar Sanctuary has become. About 26 family groups live within the sanctuary, but the railway line passing through it has divided the habitat into two unequal compartments. On the one hand, in very small, only four to five gibbon families remain. With no adequate canopy connectivity across the tracks, these families have been effectively isolated from the larger population on the other side for decades.The sanctuary also harbors wild mammals like the Bengal slow loris, the only nocturnal animal found in the northeast, stump-tailed macaques, northern pig-tailed macaques, eastern Assamese macaques, rhesus macaques and capped langurs, Malayan giant squirrels and parti-coloured flying squirrels, which depend on the dense canopy.Efforts to bridge the canopy gap had been made earlier also. In 2015, the railways built an artificial canopy bridge made of iron at a location across the railway track, but the structure was used by arboreal mammals, including gibbons, because many of its design aspects were not compatible with the gibbons’ specialized form of movement in the canopy, known as brachiation or swinging by the arms or forelimbs.Earlier in 2006, a natural canopy bridge was developed through long-term plantation activities on both sides of the railway track through the joint efforts of Aaranyak (a Guwahati-based conservation NGO) and the state forest department. WII reported that this natural canopy bridge was established and used only by gibbons until 2019, but this natural connectivity did not survive as the railway regularly cuts trees and branches as part of track maintenance activities.Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav lauded the effort, calling it “technology-based conservation” and proof that “even small-scale science-based efforts can help greatly in biodiversity conservation.”“A happy moment from Holongapar. A year after installing the arboreal canopy bridge, the Hoolock gibbon is now using it to cross the railway track safely,” Assam CM Himnata Biswa Sarma said in a post on Instagram.

Meningitis outbreak sparks panic at three schools in Berkshire

There have been reports that two Berkshire schools have been linked to a meningitis outbreak which led to the death of a student at Henley College. The UK Health Protection Agency revealed that the students being treated were attending Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre.The development comes as health authorities, schools and health experts responded to the meningitis outbreak and confirmed death of a Henley College student, The Guardian reports.On Thursday, the UK Health Protection Agency confirmed the news that a student at Henley College had died from the disease. It is important to note that the Berkshire strain is different from the meningitis B strain that caused the recent meningitis outbreak in Kent.Dr. Rachel Merkley addressed the growing concern among parents, students and staff. He said: “We understand that many people will be affected by this tragic news and we would like to offer our condolences to this student’s friends and family.“Students and staff will naturally be concerned about the possibility of further cases; however, meningococcal meningitis requires very close contact to spread, and large outbreaks, as we recently saw in Kent, are thankfully rare.“We are working closely with partners and have provided public health advice and precautionary antibiotic treatment to close contacts of cases. Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and the risk to the wider public remains low.”Officials said the disease spreads through close and sustained contact. Every year in England, about 300 to 400 patients are found suffering from this disease. The most vulnerable groups are infants, teenagers, young adults and young children. Symptoms usually include fever, headache, nausea, drowsiness, chills, shortness of breath, and cold hands and feet.An outbreak of meningitis occurred in Kent in March, causing two deaths and sending more than a dozen patients to hospitals. In light of this, public health officials took swift action to address the spread of the disease in Berkshire.Henley College released a statement following the student’s death. College representatives said: “Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to the student’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time. We are supporting those affected in our college community and following the advice and guidance provided by the UK Health Protection Agency. The statement said: “Out of respect for the family, we will not be providing further details at this time.“According to Professor Andrew Preston of the University of Bath, this epidemic was typically characterized by young adults and college students. “Like the Kent outbreak, this latest outbreak has again emerged in the college-age group,” he said.“All current cases appear to be contained in a well-defined social contact group, which enables rapid contact tracing and administration of antibiotics and vaccination if necessary precautions are taken.“At the moment, there is no sign of transmission into the wider community, although, obviously, this will have caused widespread concern in the area.”MenB vaccine was added to the routine vaccination schedule for children by the National Health Service in 2015. Health officials have urged parents to remain alert for any symptoms developing in their children and cooperate with the authorities in taking all necessary precautions.