AIANA Hotels & Resorts launches luxury hotel in Mecca

To cater pilgrims, Aiana Hotels & Resorts, a global hotel management company today announced the launch of a 611-room hotel in the Holy City of Mecca.
"Saudi Arabia is a key market for us. We are conscious of the deep religious sentiment that drives millions of devout pilgrims to the Holy City of Makkah (Mecca) every year and our key focus will be to offer a comfortable and seamless experience while being mindful of the austere nature of their travel," Aiana Hotels & Resorts Joint MD and CEO Amruda Nair said in a statement.
The global hotel management firm also unveiled the design and architectural elements of 'Aiana Suites and Residences', a 180 key luxury property in West Bay in Doha to be launched in Q4 of 2016.

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Mullen Lintas bags creative mandate for VOOT * Advertising agency Mullen Lintas has bagged the creative mandate of Viacom 18's video on demand platform VOOT.
The agency's mandate would be to provide strategic recommendations pertaining to marketing and promotion of the brand and also provide ideas that go beyond conventional advertising, it said in a statement today.

"As we set out to launch a new brand in this space, we needed a creative partner who could not only help in building a distinct positioning for VOOT, but also bring-to-life key facets of our product and content proposition in the campaigns," Viacom18 Digital Ventures Chief Operating Officer Gaurav Gandhi said.

Motorola India launches Moto G4 for Rs 12,499
* Motorola today launched the fourth generation of its best selling Moto G series handset 'Moto G4' for Rs 12,499.
Equipped with a 5.5-inch display, 13MP rear and 5MP front camera, the Moto G4 will compete with devices of firms like Xiaomi, Meizu, Micromax and Lenovo.
The company had previously launched Moto G4 Plus for Rs 13,499 equipped with a fingerprint sensor. The Moto G4, however, doesn't have a fingerprint sensor.
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Lenovo appoints Sumir Bhatia as VP Data Center Group APAC * Chinese tech giant Lenovo has appointed Sumir Bhatia as Vice President of Data Center Group (DCG) for Asia Pacific, effective immediately.

Based in Singapore, Bhatia will report directly to Ken Wong, Senior VP and President at Lenovo Asia Pacific, it said in a statement today.
With the appointment, Bhatia will take over Asia Pacific DCG leadership responsibilities from Amar Babu, who is also Lenovo APAC Chief Operating Officer and ASEAN General Manager, it added.
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NEC India appoints Takayuki Inaba as Managing Director * NEC India today said it has appointed Takayuki Inaba as its Managing Director.
He will be responsible for leading and expanding NEC India's business offerings in the country and will report directly to Tetsuro Akagi, CEO of NEC Asia Pacific and Senior Vice President of NEC Corporation, NEC said in a statement.

Tamohara Investment appoints Sudhanshu Asthana as CEO
* Tamohara Investment Managers today said it has appointed Sudhanshu Asthana as its CEO and CIO.
The company is a boutique investment management firm that provides, among others, advice for domestic as well as offshore equity investments.
Sudhanshu's appointment would strengthen the firm's global position and future prospects with respect to the India business, Tamohara said in a release.
Earlier, he has served at Axis Mutual Fund, Barclays Wealth India and SBI Fund management, among others. He would also be a partner at Tamohara.
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Over 3cr per day cashless transactions a day: Stain Creditcare * Microfinance lender Satin Creditcare today said it is facilitating over 3 crore cashless transactions a day to minimise financial risks and boost operational efficiency.

The key objective of the project is to handle problems such as the time consuming process of cash counting and reconciliation, lack of operational efficiency and various financial risks, it said in a statement.
"The Cashless Project is in partnership with ItzCash, as to address the problem of cash carrying. The cash collection from centers through closed loop prepaid cards was piloted in Loni (Maharashtra) and Khair (Loni) branches," Vivek Tiwari, COO, Satin Creditcare Network said.
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Lindstrom Ind launches workwear services for retail industry * Lindstrom India, a subsidiary of a Finnish workwear service company Lindstrom Group, today said it is expanding into the retail sector.

The company will now offer workwear solutions to the retail sector, including the rental of customised workwear as per the company's requirements along with its ongoing servicing and maintenance, a company statement said.
"We see huge growth potential across industries in India and believe that workwear plays a very important role in the maintenance of health, hygiene and safety at the workplace," Lindstrom India Managing Director Anupam Chakrabarty said.
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BEML bags twin awards for skill development, CSR initiatives * Bengaluru-based defence PSU Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) has bagged two awards for excellence in training, learning and development programmes and outstanding contribution in Corporate Social Responsibility.

The awards instituted by Employer Branding Institute, Mumbai are presented in recognition of Talent Management, Talent Development and Talent Innovation, a BEML statement said.
PayPal extends refund claim time to 180 days
* PayPal, a payments platform, today said it has extended the time for customers and merchants to file a refund claim to 180 days from 60 days at present.
The extended period will be applicable for all PayPal users and will cover both goods and services, it said in a release.
With the extension, merchants will get more time to alleviate customer concerns and process refunds in a smooth and efficient manner, it added.

Anupam Pahuja, Managing Director, PayPal India said: "The extended refund period is another step towards improving the user experience and enabling them to manage refunds effectively thereby increasing customer delight.