• NASSCOM Foundation to discuss current CSR trends from across the IT-BPM Industry
• NASSCOM Foundation to bring together 300+ delegates – Industry leaders, NGO heads, Government Officials, CSR thought leaders, civil society members and social innovators for the CSR Leadership Conference

Bengaluru, Dec 3, 2018: NASSCOM Foundation today, announced that it would be hosting India’s largest Tech for Good driven conferences – The CSR Leadership Conference 2018 in Bangalore on the 10^th and 11^th December 2018 at The Leela Palace Hotel and Sterlings Mac Hotel.

The event will be supported by Accenture, discussing Skills to Succeed. Societe Generale and Wells Fargo have also come forward to support the knowledge platform, along with Sonata Software. It will have over 300 delegates consisting of CEOs, CXOs, CSR Heads, policy makers, influencers, NGO Leads, Tech4Good champions, and social innovators come together to discuss innovative approaches to CSR and help create a roadmap to a new, developed and inclusive India.

In the five years of the mandated CSR era, India Inc. has made significant progress – from adoption to the application of the law, and now to alignment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goals. This year, the CSR Leadership Conference (CLC) will go beyond discussing intervention areas, to talk about new developments, innovative tools and disruptive ways of making the ecosystem better, more impactful and efficient.

To this end, the first day of CLC will have interactive panel discussions and impact talks on Reskilling the workforce for future, Environment protection initiatives, Collaborative Models of CSR, STEM Education, Rural Development, Reimagining Healthcare,  among others

The second day of CLC will deep dive into engaging learning experiences in Employee Volunteerism (with a session by MyGov on Self4Society), Mapping CSR to SDGs, Design Thinking for Development and Best Practices for Monitoring and Evaluation

Shri Arvind Gupta, CEO, MyGov as the Guest of Honor for the event, will share his immense knowledge and experience on how the private sector through volunteering and CSR initiatives can work with the government to help create sustainable impact. He will also talk about how corporates can align their volunteering goals to the national causes through the Self4Society portal.

The CLC has grown over the years to become the largest IT-BPM specific CSR conference. This year the CLC will host the leadership from across all relevant stakeholder groups involved in the CSR ecosystem – The IT Industry, NGOs, Social Enterprises and Ecosystem support agencies. Some of the participating organizations include – IBM, Intel, Teamlease, Labournet, Atal Innovation Mission, NSDC, Tata Strive, Accenture, Akshaypatra, ACC Limited, Cognizant, Vodafone and Deutsche Bank, Dalberg, PwC, Sattva Consulting, and Storywallahs.

The CSR Leadership Conference will have a host of networking opportunities, and enable NGOs and Corporates to find relevant partners. CLC will also host some of the best social innovation project demos.

The NASSCOM Foundation CSR Leadership Conference, therefore, promises to provide a 360-degree opportunity for all stakeholders to connect, learn from peers and experts, and strive to solve the most significant challenges facing development and diversity in India. A detailed agenda to the conference and registration details can be further referred to at www.clc.nasscomfoundation.org

About NASSCOM Foundation:

NASSCOM Foundation is a leading non-profit organization driving technology for good. The Foundation’s work is just as expansive and evolutionary as the potential that technology and corporate India entail. Drawing strength from its parent body NASSCOM, the Foundation works closely with four major stakeholders: NASSCOM member companies, NGOs, emerging social enterprises and Government to foster a strategic relationship between technology and development. NASSCOM Foundation’s core initiatives include working for Persons with Disabilities, fostering innovative solutions for social good, creating unique skilling models for underserved communities, helping transform Indian Public Libraries into community engagement, information and knowledge centres and digital literacy where it is the industry partner to the Govt. of India’s National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM / PMGDISHA)

Know more at www.nasscomfoundation.org

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GRAZ, AUGUST 2, 2018.  International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from Barqi Tojik, Tajikistan, for rehabilitation and modernization of the entire electro-mechanical equipment, including the inspection and repair of nine penstocks, for the existing Nurek hydropower plant in the Republic of Tajikistan. With the current installed capacity of 3,000 MW, Nurek is the largest hydropower plant in Central Asia and covers more than 70% of the national electrical energy demand. The project is funded by the World Bank. The contract value for ANDRITZ amounts to slightly more than 120 million euros.

andritz

The objectives of the Nurek Hydropower Rehabilitation Project for Tajikistan are to rehabilitate and restore the generating capacity of nine power generating units at Nurek hydropower plant, improve their efficiency, and enhance the safety of the Nurek dam.

The ANDRITZ scope of supply comprises comprehensive modernization of the existing nine generating units by supplying and installing new 380 MW Francis turbines and generators, including new transformers, as well as the electrical and mechanical auxiliary equipment within the power house. After modernization, the installed capacity of the generating units will be increased by about 12%.

The design of the new units takes account of the plant’s annual storage operations and will, therefore, be suitable for operation with a wide range of heads. Together with the Rogun hydropower plant, which is under construction and located upstream of the Nurek reservoir, this project will optimize water storage management on the Vaksh river cascade, ensuring a significant increase in electrical energy production by the Nurek hydropower station as well as meeting the changing grid demands. The contract also stipulates that environmental conservation measures and water management requirements must be incorporated.

The rehabilitation of Nurek will safeguard the electrical energy supply in the Republic of Tajikistan and make an important contribution towards the strategic use of renewable energy from hydropower in Central Asia. It also offers interesting opportunities for exporting energy to neighboring countries, with the related economic benefits for the countries concerned.

The award of this contract further strengthens ANDRITZ’s market position in the important region of Central Asia.

ANDRITZ GROUP

ANDRITZ is a globally leading supplier of plants, equipment, and services for hydropower stations, the pulp and paper industry, the metal working and steel industries, and for solid/liquid separation in the municipal and industrial segments. Other important fields of business are animal feed and biomass pelleting, as well as automation, where ANDRITZ offers a wide range of innovative products and services in the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) sector under the brand name of Metris. In addition, the international technology Group is active in power generation (steam boiler plants, biomass power plants, recovery boilers, and gasification plants) and environmental technology (flue gas cleaning plants) and offers equipment for the production of nonwovens, dissolving pulp, and panelboard, as well as recycling plants.

A passion for innovative technology, absolute customer focus, reliability, and integrity are the central values to which ANDRITZ commits. The listed Group is headquartered in Graz, Austria. With over 160 years of experience, 26,000 employees, and more than 250 locations in over 40 countries worldwide, ANDRITZ is a reliable and competent partner and helps its customers to achieve their corporate and sustainability goals.

ANDRITZ HYDRO

ANDRITZ Hydro is one of the leading global suppliers of electromechanical equipment for hydropower plants. With over 175 years of accumulated experience and more than 31,000 turbines installed, totaling approximately 430,000 megawatts output, the business area provides the complete range of products, including turbines, generators, and additional equipment of all types and sizes – “from water to wire” for small hydro applications to large hydropower plants with outputs of more than 800 megawatts per turbine unit. ANDRITZ Hydro has a leading position in the growing modernization, refurbishment, and upgrade market for existing hydropower plants. Pumps (for water transport, irrigation of agricultural land, and applications in various industries) and turbogenerators for thermal power plants are also assigned to this business area.

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12 July 2018
Rio Tinto has unveiled the largest Vivid Pink diamond in the history of its Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, during a world exclusive preview in Sydney.
The 3.14 carat polished emerald cut diamond, known as The Argyle Alpha, is part of the dazzling line-up of 63 rare pink, red and violet diamonds in the 2018 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender. Following viewings in Sydney the collection will be showcased in Sydney, Hong Kong and New York with bids closing on 10 October 2018.
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Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said “I am delighted to unveil this stunning Argyle Alpha diamond, the largest Vivid Pink diamond presented since the Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender began in 1984.”

“Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine is the world’s only source of these highly coveted pink, red and violet diamonds and we expect considerable interest in this year’s collection. The combination of strong demand and extremely limited world supply continues to support significant value appreciation for Argyle pink diamonds.” The 2018 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender is named ‘Magnificent Argyle’ in honour of Argyle’s role in charting the history of the world’s most coveted diamonds. The 63 diamonds in the Tender weigh a total of 51.48 carats – including five Fancy Red diamonds, two Purplish Red diamonds and three Violet diamonds.

Lot 1, The Argyle Muse, a 2.28 carat polished oval diamond, the dazzling centre piece of the collection, is the largest purplish red diamond ever offered at Tender, and with an unrivalled potency of colour will be keenly sought after by collectors and connoisseurs from around the world. To add to its prestige The Argyle Muse originated from a 7.39 carat rough diamond that yielded a second purplish red diamond for inclusion in the 2018 Tender ( Lot number 9).

The 2018 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender collection comprises six ‘hero’ diamonds selected for their unique beauty and named to ensure there is a permanent record of their contribution to the history of the world’s most important diamonds:

 Lot 1: Argyle Muse, 2.28 carat oval shaped Fancy Purplish Red diamond
 Lot 2: Argyle Alpha, 3.14 carat emerald shaped Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink diamond
 Lot 3: Argyle Maestro, 1.29 carat square radiant shaped Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink diamond
 Lot 4: Argyle Alchemy, 1.57 carat princess shaped Fancy Dark Gray-Violet diamond
 Lot 5: Argyle Odyssey, 2.08 carat round brilliant shaped Fancy Intense Pink diamond
 Lot 6 : Argyle Mira, 1.12 carat radiant shaped Fancy Red diamond

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• DigitalLife Day India provides the platform for Daimler employees across all India entities to showcase new ideas which could become future mobility
• The two-day event is a culmination of innovation, ideas, prototypes, as a result of the collaboration with start-ups, students and vendor partners
• MBRDI announces a sustained engagement with the Indian Startup eco-system under its banner STARTUP AUTOBAHN
• In line with Daimler’s strategic growth agenda, the engineering and IT units in India are expanding and unveiled a new state-of-art facility of around 276,000 sq/ft to accommodate more than 2,300 employees

Bangalore, India – Following three successive and exciting editions in Germany, Daimler DigitalLife Day was held in Bangalore, hosted by Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India (MBRDI). Around 3,000 attended the two-day annual digital extravaganza, which was the largest DigitalLife Day ever organized.

DigitalLife Day revolves around three objectives: information, innovation, and inspiration. This two-day event gave MBRDI employees a unique opportunity to interact with a vibrant mix of renowned industry experts, entrepreneurs, global leaders and tech innovators. The employees attended hands-on workshops, market booths, panel discussions. Also on showcase were innovations from Daimler divisions, partner eco-systems, start-ups and student communities concerning trending technologies, which are shaping the future of mobility.

Daimler AG is a premium car manufacturer and plays a leading role in digitalization. This is enabling the company to evolve from being just an automobile manufacturer to becoming a provider of mobility services as well. DigitalLife@Daimler bundles the various digitalization activities and supports digital transformation across all divisions at Daimler.

The automobile manufacturer has been investing in digitalization across all operations for several years already. To shape this change into a leading position, the company aims to strengthen all its global units as a basis for the successful implementation of new business models centered on one of the company’s strategy – C.A.S.E. At Daimler, C.A.S.E stands for four major trends – connectivity (Connected), autonomous driving (Autonomous), flexible use (Shared & Services) and electric drive systems (Electric).

Speaking at Daimler DigitalLife Day India 2018, Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and responsible for Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said, “The skills of our teams here in India are impressive and perfectly fit our requirements for digital product development and IT. They play a very important and integral role in our global strategy that focusses on future customer demand.” For the last two decades, MBRDI has displayed great potential in digitalization. Therefore, MBRDI is host of the fourth edition of Daimler’s DigitalLife Day and the first outside of Germany.

Also attending, Jan Brecht, CIO, Daimler AG, mentioned, “IT powers digital transformation by understanding our customer needs. Therefore, the topics discussed at the DigitalLife Day will play a key role within the fundamental changes in the automotive industry.”

Manu Saale, Managing Director and CEO, MBRDI further emphasized, “At MBRDI, we have the opportunity to expand the digital envelope of Daimler. To add on to two decades of work in the digital space, we will now explore the vibrant startup eco-system in India and attempt to bring the best of the ideas to our products. At MBRDI, our focus would be on Imaging processing, Machine learning/AI, Cloud Solutions, Industry4.0, Simulation technologies, AR/VR, Automation, Digital solutions for Corporate functions like HR and Legal.

We are very proud to host the largest DigitalLife Day here in Bangalore with around 3,000 people attending, also, the first outside of Germany.”

MBRDI offers Daimler the opportunity to tap into a source of qualified specialists in Engineering and IT. Since its inception in 1996, from a workforce of 10 to 4,600+ employees, MBRDI is steadily growing itself as a valuable partner to all business units and brands of Daimler worldwide. Today, MBRDI is the largest R&D for Daimler outside of Germany. With focus on digitalization, simulation and data science, MBRDI is the Center of Excellence within Daimler for Engineering and IT.

DigitalLife@Daimler: Leading the way in Digital Transformation
For some time now, Daimler made the digital transformation a core component of its corporate strategy. With DigitalLife@Daimler, the company initiates numerous digital project for direct implementation in the business units as well as promoting active dialogue between employees, top management and Board of Management. The success factor of DigitalLife@Daimler depends on the cultural change being driven forward by our employees and on co-workers across divisions and hierarchies.

Four Daimler entities currently operating in India: Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. (MBIL) in Pune is responsible for production, sales, service and marketing of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) operates under the brand name Bharat Benz in Chennai, covering all activities for commercial vehicles. Daimler Financial Services (DFS) operates under the brand Mercedes-Benz Financial Services for passenger cars and Bharat Benz Financial Services for commercial vehicles. Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited (MBRDI) in Bangalore.

The Indian Startup eco-system under its banner STARTUP AUTOBAHN: After successfully launching STARTUP AUTOBAHN in Germany, Singapore and China, the innovation platform now expands further to the next market. MBRDI is proud to announce a sustained engagement with STARTUP AUTOBAHN that focuses on scouting local startups with creative solutions for the future of mobility and production.”

About STARTUP AUTOBAHN: STARTUP AUTOBAHN is a neutral innovation platform moderating an in-depth and curated collaboration between core partners from industry, Investment firms and mentors to help the growth of startup companies. STARTUP AUTOBAHN runs two three-month programs per year each followed by an EXPO Day. The program is stage-agnostic with a later-stage focus, designed to accelerate startups. STARTUP AUTOBAHN is providing all the support startups need to realize their vision faster: Space, tools, people, resources and access to a valuable network of corporations, investors, mentors, universities and government representatives. Startups are invited to submit their applications for the accelerator program on the future of mobility and Industry 4.0.

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– Largest contributor with 68 Mn UPI transactions in 28 days of Feb ‘18

– Leader in fuelling growth in UPI payments across India

– Enabling over 6 Mn merchants to accept payments using UPI

– Market leader in mobile payments, now leads overall money transfers in the country

Paytm, India’s largest financial services platform announced today that it is the largest contributor to the overall volume of UPI transactions in 28 days of February 2018. This is within two months after the full rollout in Jan’18; further reaffirming Paytm’s position as the most preferred mobile payment and money transfer platform in the country. The platform supports all payments instrument and has driven the overall growth in BHIM UPI transactions over the past month.

The company has registered 68 Mn UPI transactions in Feb 2018. It has consistently contributed a larger share of UPI transactions with every passing month. In Dec’17, Paytm contributed 33 million to the overall transaction volume for UPI, which rose to 51 million in Jan’18 and 68 million in Feb’ 18. This rapid growth is on the back of its vast user-base, wide acceptability and the network effect of multiple use-cases. Paytm UPI IDs are also accepted across all banks and BHIM UPI apps, making Paytm one of the most comprehensive payments system in the country.

Deepak Abbot, Sr. Vice President – Paytm said, “We are happy to contribute the largest share of UPI transactions within three months of launch. Paytm is the largest mobile payments ecosystem in the country, and we are seeing exponential growth. Paytm UPI is  a part of our efforts to make money transfers simpler,   and bring  convenient mobile payments to new and existing consumers across India.”

Paytm is at the forefront of mobile payments innovation in India. It is accepted at over 6 Mn small stores as well as large retail chains across the country, and the company is committed to build the best payments infrastructure for its customers and merchant partners alike. Paytm customers can pay at merchant outlets using their preferred payment methods such as Paytm, UPI, Cards and Net-Banking. This is a part of the company’s efforts to democratize mobile payments for both merchants and consumers by offering them more choices and convenience. The company has also been consistently investing in expanding its payments network and aims to bring every small and large merchant access to the power of convenient mobile payments.

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 300 young advocates from 121 countries join award-winning program to drive progress on gender equality and the health, rights and wellbeing of girls, women, and young people

New York, NY, 27 February 2018 – Today, Women Deliver — a leading global advocacy organization for gender equality and the health, rights and wellbeing of girls and women — announced its newest, largest and most diverse class of Young Leaders to date: 300 changemakers who have dedicated their lives to advancing gender equality.

This was the program’s most competitive application process yet, with nearly 3,000 applications for 300 spots. It is also the largest and most diverse cohort to join the award-winning program: the group hails from 121 countries and collectively speaks 98 languages. The Young Leaders also represent groups too often marginalized, including 66 people affected by humanitarian emergencies, 29 self-identified indigenous persons and — for the first time — 18 adolescents.

Women Deliver selected all the Young Leaders for their potential to have a lasting impact on the lives of girls and women. As a group, they have already driven tangible progress on a wide range of issues, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, LGBTQ+ rights, peace and security, water and sanitation, gender-based violence, education, maternal health, and political participation.

“Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow — they are leading today, not least when it comes to changing gender norms and breaking down barriers facing girls and women,” said Katja Iversen, President/CEO of Women Deliver. “The Women Deliver Young Leaders Program is here to amplify the voices of youth, maximize the impact and support the incredible work these young advocates are already doing.”

Similar to past years, the 2018 class of Young Leaders will receive training and resources to extend their influence and actively shape programs and policies that affect the health, rights and wellbeing of girls, women and young people. This support includes training through Women Deliver’s Digital University courses, opportunities to speak on national and global stages through the Women Deliver Speakers Bureau, opportunities to apply for advocacy project grants, and a scholarship to the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, the world’s largest conference on gender equality and the health, rights and wellbeing of girls and women, taking place in Vancouver, Canada in June 2019.

“This program is all about authentically engaging young people — and that means ensuring they are present in the halls of power and have seats at the decision-making table,” said Lori Adelman, Director of Youth Engagement at Women Deliver. “We are committed to continuing to push the boundaries of what prioritizing youth looks like in the health and development community and beyond.”

Since 2010, Women Deliver’s Young Leaders Program has trained, supported, and elevated 400 youth advocates who are tackling the greatest challenges facing girls, women, and young people in their communities. In just the past 2 years Women Deliver Young Leaders have been appointed to 10 influential commissions and boards, had 335 meetings with decision-makers and made more than 180 media appearances.

Young Leaders from the 2016 class attest to the difference the Young Leaders Program has made to their advocacy efforts.

“The Young Leaders Program is the reason for many firsts in my career as an advocate/activist. [It] provided me an avenue to improve how I advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Philippines,” said Anthony Lopez, a Young Leader from the Philippines. “I have grown more mature as a young leader and it has helped keep my passion for SRHR burning.”

“Prior to the programme, I was a vocal advocate in a half-filled room. The Young Leaders Program has positioned me to explore my youth voice across dynamic global platforms where it matters most,” said Olaoluwa Abagun, a Young Leader from Nigeria.

Testimonials from the new class Women Deliver Young Leaders:

• “Aboriginal women in Canada are far more likely to face numerous adversities, including domestic violence, sexual harassment/abuse, lack of health care access, food insecurity, and more. As a health care provider in Canada, I’m grateful to join a cohort of people who are taking challenges like this head-on in their own communities, and to share ideas, resources, and information with them to boost our efforts at the community level and globally.” — Emily Chartrand-Hudson, 25 years old, Canada
•  “The Young Leaders Program will help increase the scope of our collective impact, and I believe that that is exactly what social change is about.” — Mashiyat Rahman, 21 years old, Bangladesh
• “The Young Leaders Program will help in meeting potential partners and mentors that can help actualize my dreams.” — Osamede Peace Smith, 21 years old, Germany
• “I believe in girls and women and the power we hold, and strive to be one of the agents unleashing that power and working with girls and women to create a just world that we can all enjoy.” — Jama Jack, 27 years old, Gambia
• “By intensifying efforts to empower girls and women, we can ensure that they are equipped to be their [own] strongest advocate[s]. With support from others, as their allies, they can push for their rights and needs.” — Sanne Thijssen, 23 years old, Netherlands

The full list of the 2018 class of Young Leaders can be found here.

About Women Deliver: As a leading, global advocate for gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women, Women Deliver brings together diverse voices and interests to drive progress for all, with a particular focus on maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and rights. Women Deliver builds capacity, shares solutions, and forges partnerships, together creating coalitions, communication, and action that spark political commitment and investment in girls and women.

Women Deliver’s Young Leaders Program trains, elevates, and empowers youth advocates to catalyze action for gender equality, including the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls, women, and young people. The program provides youth advocates with the training and resources necessary to be meaningfully engaged, extend their influence, and actively shape the programs and policies that affect their lives. Started in 2010, the award-winning Women Deliver Young Leaders Program is comprised of 700 youth advocates from more than 120 countries. The Women Deliver Young Leaders Program in 2018 is supported by Global Affairs Canada, the Denmark Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Johnson & Johnson, and WCG.

Learn more at womendeliver.org/youth and follow us on Twitter at @YouthDeliver and @WomenDeliver.

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Integration of Unocoin’s exchange into the Blockchain wallet makes it easier for millions of Indians to participate in the digital currency ecosystem

7 September 2017: Blockchain, the world’s leading software platform for digital currency announced a strategic partnership with Unocoin, India’s most popular bitcoin exchange, that will allow individuals in India to seamlessly and quickly fund their Blockchain wallets.

The partnership between Blockchain and Unocoin gives users greater purchasing power directly within their Blockchain wallets without compromising user security or control. Historically, acquiring bitcoin has been a multi-step process with high fees, long settlement delays, untrustworthy service providers, and opaque identity verification procedures. This integration aims to eliminate that friction and make buying bitcoin more user friendly and more accessible for customers across India.

“Blockchain is one of the most trusted companies in digital currency. We are thrilled to work together to provide users a convenient way to participate in the digital currency ecosystem and experience all of the benefits it has to offer,” said Sathvik Vishwanath, Co-founder and CEO, Unocoin.

Millions of Indians have already turned to digital assets like bitcoin as a reliable means to save and transfer money. In fact, half of Blockchain customers in India have used bitcoin to either send or receive money internationally. Today’s partnership between Blockchain and Unocoin represents the ongoing investment by both companies to bring digital currency to the masses.

“Post demonetization, India became the fastest growing economy to witness a surge in use of digital wallets in daily transactions. The fondness for digital currency, especially bitcoin, has also seen a rise, attracting many users who want instant transactions. According to a recent report, 2500 Indians are investing in bitcoin daily, which makes India one of the top contenders for becoming the largest market for cryptocurrency. Keeping this in mind, we are partnering with Unocoin to bring in this digital currency to the masses,” said Nic Cary, Co-Founder and President, Blockchain.

Founded in 2011, Blockchain offers the largest digital asset platform in the world. The company’s wallet software has empowered millions of active users in 140 countries across the globe to transact quickly and without costly intermediaries, resulting in billions of monthly consumer transaction volume. Blockchain has over $70 million in funding from notable investors and is focused on expanding access to digital currency in emerging countries, like India. Initially available to web users, the company plans on expanding the Unocoin integration to mobile for Android and iOS users in the near future.

About Unocoin:

Started in 2013, Unocoin is a Bangalore based technology startup and is India’s first entrant into the bitcoin industry. The company operates India’s largest BTC-INR trading platform which enables Indians to buy, sell, store, use and accept bitcoin. Every month, Unocoin processes transactions worth more than INR 600M for its 400,000+ customers. In just 3 years since inception, the company has drawn more than 30 top investors from 5 countries. Unocoin is responsible for industry leading innovations such as the Bitcoin Systematic Buying Plan(SBP), Bitcoin Point of Sale (POS) App and Bitcoin Over-The- Counter trading (OTC). In September 2016, Unocoin has raised $2 million in a Pre Series-A round, the highest total raised for a digital currency venture in Indian history. Funding was sourced from well-known Indian entities such as Blume Ventures, Mumbai Angels and ah! Ventures along with prominent international investors such as Digital Currency Group, Boost VC, Bank to the Future, Bitcoin Capital, Huiyin Ventures and FundersClub to move faster towards its vision of Making Money Simple through its mission Bringing Bitcoin to Billions.

About Blockchain:

Blockchain is on a mission to build a more open, accessible, and fair financial future, one piece of software at a time. Thanks to its rapid expansion and position as the world’s most popular bitcoin wallet, the firm’s technology is revolutionizing the $13T financial services industry by empowering millions across the globe to authenticate and transact immediately and without costly intermediaries. (www.blockchain.com).

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40 restaurants and bars, 15 hotels, 100 chefs – one passport to flavour

AccorHotels, the largest and most prestigious hotel operator in Singapore, will present a nine-day celebration of taste across its 40 restaurants and bars from 4 – 12 November 2017. In a city where food is a national obsession, the AccorHotels Singapore Food & Wine Festival promises to deliver exciting culinary creations, masterclasses and delicious drinks that will highlight the diverse flavours of Asia’s #1 foodie destination.

The festival will showcase some of the group’s leading culinary talent including Michelin-star chef Kirk Westaway of Jaan, Raffles legend Amos Ting and Chef Louis Tay of Swissôtel Merchant Court who beat out 29 other countries to take Singapore to gold in the Culinary Olympics 2016, plus a host of rising stars from across the network.

“We are thrilled to announce our very first AccorHotels Singapore Food & Wine Festival, which will showcase the diversity of our bars and restaurants, the amazing talent of our staff and the multi-ethnic influences of this beautiful city,” said Michael Issenberg, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of AccorHotels, Asia Pacific. “We have never before hosted a festival on this grand scale and it speaks to the passion Singaporeans have for food and the pride we have in the fabulous restaurants and bars that we manage across the city.

“I don’t believe there is a better destination than Singapore when it comes to a festival of this kind because people can travel easily between our different hotels and enjoy an experience for every taste and budget.”

Festival highlights will include a pool party across several different hotels to launch the event, masterclasses from cocktail shaking to world-class baking, foodie influencer meet-ups and more to entice both locals and visitors to Singapore to experience the very best flavours of the city. It will culminate in a Super Sunday brunch at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa where each of the group’s restaurants and bars will come together to showcase their signature dishes and drinks along with entertainment and fun for all the family. More details of festival highlights will be released closer to the date but this is definitely an event to put in your diary now.

“The AccorHotels Singapore Food & Wine Festival will provide guests the chance to sample the best recipes from more than 100 chefs across our network, learn how to expertly prepare some Singaporean classics, see behind the scenes of our kitchens and experience a multi-sensory, multicultural culinary adventure across the city,” said chef Kirk Westaway. “I am delighted to have this chance to showcase the up-and-coming stars of our hotels who highlight the fact that Singapore’s culinary future is indeed bright.”

AccorHotels network includes some of Singapore’s most esteemed hotel dining rooms across the city’s most impressive collection of properties including Raffles, Fairmont Singapore, So Sofitel Singapore, Sofitel Singapore City Centre (opening Oct), Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, Swissôtel Stamford Singapore, Swissôtel Merchant Court, Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy, Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay, Novotel & Mercure Stevens Road (opening Oct), Mercure Singapore Bugis, ibis Styles Macpherson, ibis on Bencoolen and ibis Novena.

The AccorHotels Singapore Food & Wine Festival is proudly sponsored by Mastercard and British Airways. Attendees will be able to collect stamps in a Foodie Passport that will not only open up a world of flavours but give them the chance to win trips to other foodie destinations within the global AccorHotels network.

Check out the festival program, learn about the participating chefs and bar-tisans and book your festival tickets at www.accorhotelsfoodfestival.com

ABOUT ACCORHOTELS

AccorHotels is a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,200 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 10,000 of the finest private homes around the globe. Benefiting from dual expertise as an investor and operator,

AccorHotels operates in 95 countries. Its portfolio comprises internationally acclaimed luxury brands including Raffles, Sofitel Legend, SO Sofitel, Sofitel, Fairmont, onefinestay, MGallery by

Sofitel, Pullman, and Swissôtel; as well as the popular midscale and boutique brands of 25hours,

Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter and Adagio; the much-prized economy brands including JO&JOE, ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and the regional brands Grand Mercure, The Sebel and hotelF1.

AccorHotels provides innovative end-to-end services across the entire traveler experience, notably through the recent acquisition of John Paul, world leader in concierge services.

With an unmatched collection of brands and rich history spanning close to five decades,

AccorHotels, along with its global team of more than 250,000 dedicated women and men, has a purposeful and heartfelt mission: to make every guest Feel Welcome. Guests enjoy access to one of the world’s most rewarding hotel loyalty programs – Le Club AccorHotels.

AccorHotels is active in its local communities and committed to sustainable development and solidarity through PLANET 21, a comprehensive program that brings together employees, guests and partners to drive sustainable growth.

Accor SA is publicly listed with shares trading on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code:

FR0000120404) and the OTC marketplace (Code: ACRFY) in the United States.

For more information and reservations visit accorhotels.group or accorhotels.com.

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-Latest showroom to offer all specialized product ranges from the brand

Delhi, August 9, 2017: Kajaria Ceramics, India’s No.1 and world’s 9^th largest manufacturer of ceramic and vitrified tiles today opened its largest state-of-art galaxy store at Chhatarpur, Delhi. Through this luxurious store, Kajaria looks at building a first preference brand for people looking for tiles, bathware and home decor solutions. This big retail outlet is spread over 5000 square feet on the first floor and 7000 square feet on the second floor.

The store was inaugurated by Shri Ashok Kajaria, Chairman & Managing Director, Shri Chetan Kajaria Joint Managing Director and Shri Rishi Kajaria, Joint Managing Director. Commenting on the launch, Shri Ashok Kajaria said, “Our products bring to table the latest trends in home lifestyle segment and reflect all the contemporary home décor concepts meant to allure customers. The Kajaria Galaxy store launch in the capital is a synergy of Kajaria’s world class technology and legacy of providing remarkable products. Our strong network of Kajaria Galaxy showrooms already covers cities like Chandigarh, Rudrapur, Patna, Meerut, Kolkata and Srinagar, with recent inaugurations in North and East India”.

This month, Kajaria will also launch a number of stores in the financial capital, Mumbai, which will become the hub of Kajaria Eternity stores in India.

About Kajaria Ceramics

Kajaria Ceramics – India’s No.1 and world’s 9^th largest manufacturer of ceramic and vitrified tiles, was founded in 1988 with a vision to offer quality and innovation along with aesthetics to its consumers. In over 28 years, Kajaria is a name that stands synonymous to quality, service and innovation – not only in the domestic market but in the international market too. With its global manufacturing base in India, Kajaria’s manufacturing units are equipped with cutting edge technology. Intense automation, robotic car application and a zero chance for human error are few reasons for Kajaria to be the No.1 in the industry. Kajaria Ceramics has an annual aggregate capacity of 63.9 MN SQ Meters, distributed across 8 plants – Sikandrabad in Uttar Pradesh, Gailpur & Malootana in Rajasthan, five plants in Gujarat and one at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. For further details, please visit: www.kajariaceramics.com

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New Delhi, 24th July: Leading digital journalism company, The Quint, has crossed another significant milestone in Digital Video Publishing. According to Vidooly’s June report on Indian Facebook video publishers, The Quint is among the largest New Age News Platforms in India, with over 18 Million views. It was also rated as the 3rd most popular New Age News Platform, based on its total fan following of over 5.7 Mn. The Quint has also crossed the marquee figure of 50 Mn Unique Reach every month on Facebook.

The Quint’s Facebook Video performance pulls it ahead of many noteworthy publishers in the New Age News Space, such as Indiatimes, Logical Indian, Scroll, Firstpost and The Better India. It also surpassed prominent companies in other fields, including Colors TV, MTV India, Hindustan Times, Times Now and Red Chillies Entertainment.

Commenting on this fabulous achievement, Ritu Kapur, CEO & Founder, said, `The Quint has been  putting out never-before  formats and content for digital, bringing to Indian audiences an unusual perspective on news  and opinion. Videos along with innovative multimedia content for young viewers have been our primary offering. And we are delighted that the audience has given us a resounding pat on the back for that. Our video viewership on Facebook signals that we are on the right track.”

Along with improving performance in videos, The Quint is rapidly growing in the social media space overall, with over 350 Mn impressions per month.

About Quintillion Media

            Quintillion Media is India’s first truly diversified digital content company. Its flagship products are TheQuint.com in English and Hindi.thequint.com in Hindi. The Quint is media with intelligence – it is among India’s leading and the fastest-growing digital content platforms. The Quint is media for mobile consumption – quickly, visually and socially. A smooth blend of video, audio, graphics and text, The Quint offers a modern, sharp take on the world, and guides people through topics ranging from politics, policy, and entertainment to sports, business, food and everything else that matters. A compelling combo of content, tech, and distribution, it is high-value digital journalism, storytelling, and advertising at scale.

BloombergQuint, a partnership between Bloomberg Media and Quintillion Media, is India’s premier multi-platform business and financial media company. BloombergQuint harnesses the unrivalled global resources of Bloomberg with Quintillion Media’s deep market experience in its platform straddling broadcast, digital, and live events to serve high-quality business news, insights and trends to consumers.

Quintillion Media has also co-founded Quintype Inc, a state-of-the-art digital publishing and ad tech platform spread across Bengaluru and the Silicon Valley. It supports several Indian and international publishers, including BloombergQuint.com.

            Quintillion Media has significant minority stakes in The News Minute (a leading digital platform for south Indian regional content), Youth Ki Awaaz (a popular digital platform for the youth) and Sheroes (a growing digital platform targeted at women).

The post The Quint is Largest Mainstream English News Publisher On Facebook Video; Crosses Unique Reach of 50 Million on Facebook every Month appeared first on Core Sector Communique.