Business Point Today

 Kataria will be responsible for steering the next phase of growth by driving the Raymond's digital agenda and strengthening the brand’s presence in domestic and international markets Kataria will be responsible for steering the next phase of growth by driving the Raymond's digital agenda and strengthening the brand’s presence in domestic and international markets. The lifestyle business is the agship vertical of Raymond Group which includes branded textiles, garmenting, shirting, retail and apparel business. The business includes brands such as Raymond, Raymond Ready-to-Wear, Raymond Made to Measure, Park Avenue, ColorPlus, Parx and Ethnix by Raymond. Gautam Hari Singhania, chairman and managing director, Raymond Ltd said that over the last few years the company has made strong strides and created brands and retail experiences for new-age consumers. Kataria could be instrumental in accelerating growth for the business in India and international markets, he added. In 2019, Raym

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 25 (ANI/Hunk Golden and Media): A team of a Industry experts from Technology, Consumer and Retail sector started with a combined vision to launch a Digital Transformation (/topic/digital-transformation) start-up named Nextqore Incorporation (/topic/nextqore-incorporation). Microsoft's IoT Signal (/topic/microsofts-iot-signal) report released in October 2020 indicated that Covid pandemic has forced 3 in 4 companies to consider increasing or sustaining their IoT related investments in their organisations, despite dramatic cost cuts in all other functions. Nextqore is a US based SaaS company (/topic/saas-company) and launched its Technology Development and Customer Support in India in July earlier this year. India is a natural choice for Technology development and to start building the market. The available talent and the major digital drive in the country is synergistic to Nextqore vision. SANJAY BHEL Nextqore SaaS integrates IoT technology Serv

 KHARKIV: Ukrainian forces fought to hold off Russian attempts to advance in the south and east, where the Kremlin is seeking to capture the country’s industrial Donbas region, and a senior US defense official said Moscow’s offensive is going much slower than planned. While artillery fire, sirens and explosions were heard Friday in some cities, the United Nations sought to broker an evacuation of civilians from the increasingly hellish ruins of Mariupol, where the mayor said the situation inside the steel plant that has become the southern port city’s last stronghold is dire. Citizens are “begging to get saved,” Mayor Vadym Boichenko said. “There, it’s not a matter of days. It’s a matter of hours.” In other developments: — A former US Marine was killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, his family said in what would be the war’s first known death of an American in combat. The US has not confirmed the report. — Ukrainian forces are cracking down on people accused of helping Russ

ANKARA: Following Thursday’s meeting in Jeddah between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Salman of Saudi Arabia, the strained relationship between the two countries is expected to dramatically improve. The ice-breaking meeting — the highest-level diplomatic rendezvous between Turkey and Saudi Arabia since 2017 — is part of broader efforts by Turkey to improve its relationships with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in recent months, during which economic ties have been revived and Turkey has abstained from regional conflicts. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia lifted its ban on Turkish goods, which had been in effect for four years.  As a result of Erdogan’s visit, the two countries are set to boost bilateral cooperation in health, energy, food security, defense, agriculture and finance. Turkey’s emerging drone technology may also be of interest to Riyadh.  Erdogan was received by Makkah Governor Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, who is also advisor to the Custodian of the Tw

DUBAI: Dutch model Imaan Hammam made a fashion statement at the weekend with her full Maison Alaia look. The catwalk star, who was born to an Egyptian father and Moroccan mother, attended the Prince’s Trust Global Gala in New York wearing a black outfit that featured tailored pants, a belt corset and a top with a hood attached from the brand’s ready-to-wear spring 2022 collection.  The UK-based charity’s star-studded event aims to help young people from around the world “transform their lives and build their futures,” according to the website. It assists youth in the UK and more than 20 other countries to find work placement and employment opportunities.  The event was hosted by Lionel Richie, chairman of the trust’s global ambassador board, and global ambassador Edward Enninful.  “We are so grateful to everyone who has supported our ambition to help more young people here in the US realize their dreams, and I am proud to be part of this vital work,” Richie told guests. He then treated

Former Attorney General William Barr said Thursday that the GOP needs to elect someone other that former President Trump to be party’s presidential nominee in 2024. Barr, who served as the nation’s top prosecutor under Trump, was asked on Newsmax if he would vote for the former president in 2024. “I don’t think he should be our nominee — the Republican Party nominee,” Barr responded. “And I think Republicans have a big opportunity — it would be a big mistake to put him forward,” he added.  Trump and Barr’s relationship crumbled after Barr refuted claims that the 2020 election was tainted by widespread voter fraud. In his memoir “One Damn Thing After Another,” Barr said that Trump had  “lost his grip” after the 2020 presidential election. “He stopped listening to his advisers, became manic and unreasonable, and was off the rails,” Barr wrote. “He surrounded himself with sycophants, including many whack jobs from outside the government, who fed him a steady diet of comforting but unsuppo

The flood of controversies surrounding Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) shows no sign of ceasing just weeks before his May 17 primary, raising questions as to whether he can avoid a runoff despite being one of the highest-profile freshmen in the House.   Cawthorn in the past week alone has been hit with a slew of bad headlines and is now facing calls for an ethics investigation into alleged insider trading by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.), who is also backing a primary challenge against Cawthorn.  The mounting scandals put Cawthorn’s reelection bid on increasingly uneven footing and have fueled uncertainty over how voters will break. While Cawthorn boasts broad name recognition and the advantage of incumbency, he’s consistently handed his critics ammunition – albeit with a limited runway for them to saturate voters’ minds with the controversies and make themselves known.   “I just think that there are so many moving parts to this drama that will play out on May 17. I’m not real sur

  Jenin, Occupied West Bank – Months ahead of the 20th anniversary of the April 9, 2002 Israeli assault on the Jenin refugee camp, Israeli operations and arrests in and around the occupied West Bank city of Jenin were on the rise. On the day of the anniversary, Israeli forces launched a large-scale raid on the camp, located in the heart of Jenin city. As Palestinian fighters responded, the raid culminated in two hours of heavy street fighting that left one Palestinian fighter dead and 13 others wounded. The escalation brought back memories of deadly confrontations that took place 20 years ago, when an Israeli ambush on the camp killed at least 52 Palestinians, including women and children, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigation. There were also 23 Israeli soldiers killed and several others injured. That day, 20 years ago, marked a turning point for Jenin – the city and the camp – making it a symbol of resistance for Palestinians. “There are two places in Palestine that

 The woman who accused venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale of sexual assault later dropped all of the legal claims against him. Stanford University, which had banned him for ten years, reversed the decision after the claims were dropped “as a result of new evidence that came to light during litigation.” The claims against big data intelligence start up Palantir cofounder and popular Silicon Valley venture capitalist will make your stomach turn. In late January, a recent Stanford grad, Elise Clougherty, filed a lawsuit accusing Lonsdale of “a sexually, emotionally, and physically abusive relationship.” Lonsdale, who is also a founder of the VC firm Formation 8, has since filed a countersuit claiming their relationship was consensual. The facts, in both the suit and countersuit, are the following: Lonsdale and Clougherty met through a mutual friend in New York when she was a Stanford student. About a year later, Lonsdale served as an official mentor for Clougherty in a Stanford tech entrepre

With the QUAD summit scheduled to take place in Tokyo on May 24, the Chinese strategy to create choke points in the Indo-Pacific is certainly going to come up for discussion as these steps will have long term effects on the free and open seas. The issue assumes alarming dimensions if the Communist Party of China decides to militarily subsume Republic of Taiwan with its sea-based forces particularly the nuclear submarines crossing the first Island chain encircling mainland China. On April 22, a high-power delegation led by US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell with Deputy INDOPACOM Commander read the riot act to Solomon Islands Prime Minister over its security pact with Communist China. The message was simple and blunt: if Solomon Islands allow China to establish a Chinese military post or base in far Pacific, then the US would respond in kind. With the QUAD summit scheduled to take place in Tokyo on May 24, the Chinese strategy to create choke points in th

Shyam Maheshwari was the former Chief Executive Officer, Founder and Partner of SSG Capital Management. Maheshwari who has 17 years of experience in the deal sourcing, analysis and investing industry was primarily responsible for SSG’s investment activities in India. Shyam Maheshwari holds 4 board and advisor roles including Director at Holiday break and Associate Member at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Shyam Maheshwari  had 4 past jobs including Assistant Manager at Reliance Life Insurance. He graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and completed his MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Shyam Maheshwari , co-founder of SSG Capital has been a long-term India fan on the credit and special situation side. He feels that India is perhaps the only emerging market in Asia that has opened the doors to foreigners to participate in the local currency debt and NPA markets. Under the current government, the reforms on IBC have been pathbreaking. Theref

 In May, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein was caught red-handed by Prime Minister of UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum when he suddenly visited their London home and found Princess Haya and her lover-cum-bodyguard. The Dubai ruler also found strips of used condoms beside Haya’s bed as well as two glasses, proving the romantic couple were having sex in the bedroom while their children were in the next room. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was already suspecting his wife Princess Haya had inappropriate relations and the suspicion was proved as the couple were found to having sex. The Dubai ruler unexpectedly returned to London from attending a joint wedding of three sons in Dubai in May. According to sources, he was shocked seeing the 45-year-old Princess Haya with the bodyguard at the lavish residence and demanded her immediate return to Dubai with him. But the Princess refused and abruptly left the house with her two children and flew to Germany. The Dubai ruler and members

 A FinTech app that enables parents in the Middle East and North Africa to settle school fees with pay-now and pay-later options has raised $9.4 million in a seed round that was oversubscribed. The app, called zenda, addresses “pain points” around the payment of school fees through its buy now, pay later business model, the company said on Monday. It allows families to track when school fees are due and make payments through pay-now and pay-later options, while unlocking rewards for paying on time, the start-up said. “In today’s digital world, we seek low friction and immediacy — why should that not be the case for fee payments?” said Raman Thiagarajan, chief executive and founder of zenda. “Part of the ecosystem still runs on cash or cheque with no convenient option to pay later. Zenda schools are witnessing a systematic increase in their collections.” The buy now, pay later (BNPL) business model, which allows consumers to make online purchases instantly and spread their payments over

 The US secretaries of state and defence on Sunday night met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the war-torn country's capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia’s invasion. The meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was confirmed by presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych on Ukrainian TV. Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia’s campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol. “Yes, they’re meeting with the president. Let’s hope something will be decided on further help,” Mr Arestovych said. Before the session, Mr Zelenskyy said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, in arms and security guarantees. “You can’t come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and spe

 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could be forced to resign after the Sue Gray review into claims of Covid-19 lockdown breaches is published, a report says. Ms Gray, a senior civil servant, was forced to delay the publication of her investigation into parties held in Downing Street and Whitehall during England’s lockdowns after the Metropolitan Police started its own inquiry. In an interim report published in January, the Cabinet Office official said there had been “failures of leadership and judgment” in No 10 over the partygate saga. The Times , quoting an official it claimed was familiar with the contents of the complete report, said Ms Gray’s full findings were even more personally critical of the prime minister and could end his premiership. “Sue’s report is excoriating," The Times quoted the official as saying. "It will make things incredibly difficult for the prime minister. “There’s an immense amount of pressure on her — her report could be enough to end him.” Do

 Starting Oman’s first online food delivery platform Akeed was not easy for its founders. Gaurav Nahar, Moosa Al Lawati and Darshan Puranik struggled with a number of issues from lack of funding to a shortage of workers at the time of its launch. “I remember I spoke to about 40 investors before I finally got one investor who believed in our vision and believed in the kind of value that we wanted to bring to the market,” Mr Nahar says, remembering the initial days of the company. The start-up also experienced staff shortages in the initial days as the founders worked to build it up. “Myself … Darshan all of our team members, used to even work as drivers because initially, we were short on drivers. We used to wait till evenings for some orders and do the deliveries.” “We also worked in all the other departments, like the call centre [to receive orders], marketing, developing everything … the setup initially.” Akeed — an Arabic word that means “sure” in English — overcame those challenges