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Canada orders Chinese CCTV biz Hikvision to quit the country ASAP. PLUS: Broadband blimps to fly in Japan; Starbucks China put ads before privacy; and more!. Asia In Brief Canada’s government has ordered Chinese CCTV systems vendor Hikvision to cease its local operations. Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly announced the order on Friday, when she said a national security review concluded the company’s ongoing operations “would be injurious to Canada’s national security.” Canada’s government will stop using any Hikvision products it finds and has banned government agencies from buying any more Hikvision kit. Hikvision has responded by criticizing the Minister’s “unfounded allegations of national security concerns.” “Instead of evaluating our technology on its cybersecurity merits, the decision appears to be driven by the parent company’s country of origin, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions and an unjustified bias against Chinese companies,” the company stated. Starbucks China put ads before privacy China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) has named a Starbucks app as one of 64 it found to have illegally collected and used personal information. A recent notice from the CVERC states that version 3.40 of Starbucks’ WeChat Applet did not prompt users to consider its privacy policy, and does not employ encryption and de-identification. Starbucks China told The Register the applet did not illegally collect data but showed an advertisement before it displayed a pop-up that seeks users’ consent to its privacy policy. We’re told the coffee company fixed that ASAP once informed by CVERC. The Starbucks China spokesperson who contacted us did not comment on the lack of encryption. India approves second electronics hub India’s government last week approved the creation of a second electronics manufacturing cluster. The government has allocated around $50 million of funding to help create the 200-acre facility in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, and expects to attract five to six times as much private investment. Plans for the cluster call for it to host manufacturers of consumer electronics, automotive and industrial electronics, medical devices, computer hardware, and communication equipment. Previous government subsidies have helped India to become a significant electronics manufacturing player used by the likes of Apple and Foxconn. Japanese telco to fly broadband blimps Japanese carrier SoftBank last week announced its intention to beam broadband services from blimps starting in the year 2026. The company has invested in US company Sceye, Inc, which makes lighter-than-air High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) vehicles. SoftBank plans to use the craft during emergencies that disrupt terrestrial networks, and to expand coverage of its 5G networks into rural areas that are hard to reach with other equipment. Sceye's High Altitude Platform Station - Click to enlarge Xero acquires Melio New Zealand’s SaaS-y accounting software vendor Xero last week announced the acquisition of Israeli bill-paying service Melio for $2.5 billion. Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy said Melio “transforms accounts payable from a time-consuming, manual chore into a seamless process.” Alibaba consolidates businesses under e-commerce umbrella Chinese web giant Alibaba last week reportedly decided to bring its travel agency and food delivery platforms under the umbrella of its main e-commerce brand. The company apparently wants to streamline operations so it can focus on AI initiatives.