Conrad Hotel offers weekend lunches at its Zeera restaurant with its appetizing Thali spread

Starting 08^th September 2018, Zeera- the Indian specialty restaurant at the hotel will now be open for lunches on weekends offering exquisite thalis for patrons to enjoy a lavish meal with family and friends.

Malvani Veg Thali

With a display kitchen and an extensive menu featuring the best of North Indian and Malwani vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines, Zeera at Conrad-Pune is an ideal place for an indulgent meal. To top it, the culinary team of experts at Zeera have curated an assortment of Indian thalis for patrons to enjoy over the weekend.

Each thali will be an exquisitely crafted lavish meal consisting of appetizers, main course, sides and desserts as per the cuisine. Each thali will have a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option with crowd favourites from each cuisine such as Rajma Chawal, Butter Chicken, Bajra Roti, Gatte ka Saaag, Dal Batti, Thepla, Patra, Dal Dhokli, Rice Bhakri, Vangyache Bharit, Matkiche Usal amongst others.

Malvani Non-Veg Thali

And that’s not all; Zeera has also created carefully selected Indian dessert options to satisfy your sweet cravings to complete the perfect meal. Choose from a wide variety of Indian desserts such as Shriikhand, Gulab Jamun, Ras Malai, Halwa to Ice-cream, Chocolate Mousse and others. 

 
Date:  Saturdays and Sunday’s in September 2018

Price: INR 1399 plus taxes for veg & non-veg options
Venue: Conrad Pune,
7 Mangaldas Rd,
Off Bund Garden
 Pune 411001, India

Malwani Food Festival at Casablanca, The Pride Hotel

The Pride Hotel’s Casablanca is hosting a Malwani Food Festival  from 23^rd October to 31^st October 2017 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The menu will include authentic Malwani delicacies like Bangda Masala, Kobi Foogath, Bhoplyache Bharith, Konkani Mandeli, Bedaanyachi Bhaaji, Narali Kaarla, Basa Goda Masala, Shevga Batatya Cha Rassa, Vangya Cha Thecha, Vegetable Xacutti, Khekda Masala, Tisrya Anda Masala, Tondli Peanut Chi Bhaji, Coconut Curry, Malwani Mixed Seafood Curry, Narali Bhendi, Bombil Hirwa Masala, Shevga Mutton Che Kaalwan, Malwani Vegetables, Kokum Chi Amti, Chicken Sukka and Amboli and more.

The desserts will include Til Peanut Ladoo, Naral ani Bhoplyachi Basundi, Gulachi Jalebi, Khoya ani Ravya Che Ladoo, Naralache Ladoo, Sabusana Ani Naralachi Kheer and Coconut Karanji. The festival will also see a live counter for Amboli and other Malwani delicacies.

 The guests will be treated with all time favourite kokam as welcome drink. 

IHG APPOINTS MICHAEL KOTH AS GENERAL MANAGER OF INTERCONTINENTAL BALI RESORT

He will also be the  DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FOR AMEA RESORTS MALAYSIA, INDONESIA & THAILAND

InterContinental Bali Resort is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Michael Koth as the new ‘General Manager of InterContinental Bali Resort & Director of Operations for AMEA Resorts Malaysia, Indonesia & Thailand’, responsible for Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Resorts and Holiday Inn Express throughout the region.  

A German-Swiss national, Michael Koth has had morethan three decades of experience within the InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG). He began his career by training to be a chef in his home town of Hamburg, serving two apprenticeships – one as a hotel management trainee and the other one as a chef – and winning ‘Young Chef of the Year, Germany’ in 1982. He then requested a move to London because he wanted to brush up on his English, working at the InterContinental at Hyde Park before continuing to work his way up through the ranks to establish a solid background in hotel operations in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. In 1995, he moved to the Middle East to fulfil the position of Resident Manager at Regency InterContinental in Bahrain. Known for developingstrategies that go beyond the evident service quality and commercial agenda, Michael has since handled top roles as Director of Operations and General Manager at IHG hotels in places such as post-war Serbia, where he succeeded in rebuilding the excellence and turning around the profits of a 1007-room hotel. This was followed by appointments in Hamburg, Berlin, Athens during the Summer Olympic Games, Budapest, Doha, and Cairo where he had tomanage crisis and owner advocacy at the heart of the Egyptian Revolution, before moving to the IHG Dubai Corporate Office as General Manager Support. In 2012, he was appointed Regional General Manager Northern Gulf, and in 2015 he became Director of Operations Levant, based in Amman, Jordan, where he was managing 13 hotels of three IHG Brands in two countries, including the expansion of the IHG portfolio in the Levant. In 2016, he was named ‘General Manager of the Year, Middle East’ by the World Luxury Hotel Awards.

Michael now brings his experience and adaptability, as well as his strength in leading teams and mastering change, to Bali. He is a family man who believes in making a difference through inspiration, vision, collaboration, creativity and passion. His preferred style of working is therefore collaborative; building consensus through involvement and open communication.

Michael Koth replaces Michel Chertouh who has productively fulfilled the role of Regional General Manager for Bali Resorts, IHG, for the last four years. The executive team and staff at the Bali InterContinental Hotel Group wish Michel Chertouhmuch success in his new appointment as ‘General Manager ANA InterContinental Tokyo & Regional General Manager Greater Tokyo & Okinawa’.

India’s UJALA scheme inspires Melaka govt, to be replicated in Malaysian state MoU between EESL and GGA to be signed in September

The state of Melaka in Malaysia is the latest among foreign governments who want to replicate the hugely successful energy efficiency initiatives being carried out in India under the Ministry of Power – Unnat Jeevan by Affordable LEDs and Appliances for All (UJALA) programme. The state government has expressed their desire to partner with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a JV of PSUs under the Ministry of Power, Government of India which is currently executing the implementation of energy efficiency projects like UJALA.

In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for partnership between Green Growth Asia (GGA) and EESL for the implementation of a local model of the scheme shall be signed in the first week of September 2017 on the sidelines of the Urban Environmental Accords (UEA) at the Melaka Summit. The government of Melaka is looking at a local model with initial distribution of 10 lakh LED bulbs in the state.

Giving an overview of the collaboration, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Melaka, Malaysia, Datuk Seri Utama Ir. Haji Idris bin Haron, said, “We were deeply encouraged by India’s UJALA story, which is being implemented by EESL. As the world’s largest zero-subsidy government LED distribution programme, this is an extraordinary example of successful energy efficiency programmes that we believe should be replicated in Melaka. The UJALA scheme is an example of self-sustaining government initiative that has not only surpassed traditional benefits like energy savings and reduced carbon emissions, but has also triggered large scale investments in the manufacturing of LED bulbs, generated employment and other macro benefits. This epitomizes green growth at its best and we identify strongly with this. We are looking forward to work closely with EESL to successfully introduce the UJALA Scheme in Melaka and subsequently in Malaysia as well as in other ASEAN nations.”

The Chief Minister has also expressed his desire to visit India to learn more about the UJALA scheme in India and its benefits to the citizens. Being the Chairman of the Green Growth Asia Advisory Committee, he also is keen on collaborating with EESL in other programmes in addition to the UJALA scheme.

Speaking on the opportunity, Shri Raj Kumar Rakhra, National Programme Manager (UJALA), EESL, said, “The UJALA scheme implemented by EESL has now become a global case study, whereby we have been approached by the governments of many countries to seek assistance for implementation of similar interventions in the energy efficiency space, with the Government of Melaka being the latest addition. We are deeply honoured and welcome this opportunity to share our best practices with the Green Growth Asia Advisory Committee to launch a model project on the lines of the UJALA programme in the country. In line with this, we have already commenced talks with the Green Growth Asia Advisory Committee soon to assess their requirements.”

About GGA:

Green Growth Asia (GGA), is a not for profit organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. The Centre is registered in Malaysia but works in partnership with other like-minded organisations regionally and internationally both directly and through partners. Green Growth Asia's mission is to ensure that Asian countries drive economic opportunity while sustaining natural resources and improving the quality of life for its people.

About EESL:

A joint venture of NTPC Limited, Power Finance Corporation, Rural Electrification Corporation and POWERGRID, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) was set up under Ministry of Power to facilitate implementation of energy efficiency projects. EESL is a Super Energy Service Company (ESCO) that seeks to unlock energy efficiency market in India, estimated to at US$ 12 billion that can potentially result in energy savings of up to 20 per cent of current consumption, by way of innovative business and implementation models. It also acts as the resource center for capacity building of State DISCOMs, ERCs, SDAs, upcoming ESCOs, financial institutions, etc

ICICI Lombard launches ‘InstaSpect’ for faster claim approvals

India’s first live video inspection feature for motor insurance claims

Key features:

• On- the spot vehicle inspection
• Reduced waiting time
• Clarity on coverage and deductions
• Greater transparency
• Assistance with vehicle pick-up services
• Faster claim settlement

ICICI Lombard General Insurance has launched 'InstaSpect ' – India’s first live video inspection feature for motor insurance claims. 

This novel feature allows customers to raise an instant claim via the ICICI Lombard ‘insure’ mobile app. The customer has to simply stream a live video of the damaged vehicle to an ICICI Lombard claims manager. The claims manager assesses the damage through the video and informs the customer about the extent of liability, documentation and further process involved. The customer can accept the claims manager’s assessment of the damage enabling the claims manager to immediately approve the claim and initiate the vehicle damage repair process.

To understand the level of acceptance of its ‘InstaSpect’ feature, the company had undertaken a survey of over 810 vehicle users in the 25-55 age group. The findings revealed that 94% respondents liked the concept and were keen to use the application; 37% appreciated the on-spot claim assistance process while 26% mentioned that it will bring down the survey time. In an encouraging sign, half of the respondents found the feature, new and interesting.

For a hassle-free claim settlement, a customer needs to open InstaSpect on the ‘insure’ app and click on the ‘InstaSpect’ option which connects to the claims manager. The claims manager guides the customer to do the live video streaming and advises him/ her on how to take the video of specific damaged areas and upload the same along with the policy documents. The manager then provides the policyholder with a rough estimate of the damage and the liability. The details and approvals are sent to the workshop even as the car is being transported there. The entire claim approval process takes a few hours, much lesser than a normal claim process.  To view a demo of this new feature, click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHIgwYdH_30&feature=youtu.be)

Speaking at the launch of the new solution, Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard General Insurance said, “At ICICI Lombard, we have always strived to challenge the status quo and provide the best in class experience to our customers by using the latest technology solutions. Through this new age motor insurance claims feature ‘InstaSpect’ on our 'insure' app, we have made the claims approval process far more efficient and hassle free for the benefit of our customers."

Using InstaSpect, a customer can intimate a claim through 4 simple steps:

ICICI Lombard had a claim settlement ratio of 92.2% within 30 days in FY2017 vis-a-vis industry average of 81.9%. A team of 550 in-house surveyors and over 6,500 garages ensure smooth claim reimbursements. 91.4% claims surveyed by the company are done so through tablets.

New version of Faketoken Android Trojan hunts for Taxi and Ride-Sharing App Users

Kaspersky Lab researchers have discovered a new modification of the well-known mobile banking Trojan Faketoken, which has been developed and is now able to steal credentials from popular taxi applications.

The mobile app market is growing, and offering more and more services that store confidential financial data, including taxi services and ride-sharing apps that require the user’s bank card information. Being installed on millions of Android devices worldwide has made these apps attractive targets for cybercriminals, who have significantly extended the functionality of mobile banking malware.

The new version of Faketoken performs live tracking of apps and, when the user runs a specified app, overlays this with its phishing window to steal the bank card details of the victim. The Trojan has an identical interface, with the same color schemes and logos, which creates an instant and completely invisible overlay. Based on the results of Kaspersky Lab’s research, the criminals are targeting the most popular international taxi and ride-sharing services with this malware.

Moreover, the Trojan steals all incoming SMS messages by redirecting them to its command and control servers, allowing criminals to get access to one-time verification passwords sent by a bank, or other messages sent by taxi and ride-sharing services. Among other things, this Faketoken modification can also monitor users’ calls, record them, and transmit the data to the command and control servers.

Overlaying is a common function enabled in many mobile applications. Last year, Kaspersky Lab reported a modification of Faketoken that was attacking more than 2,000 financial apps around the world by disguising itself as various programs and games, often imitating Adobe Flash Player. Since then, Faketoken has been developed further, and has expanded the geography of its activities.

“The fact that cybercriminals have expanded their activities from financial applications to other areas, including taxi and ride-sharing services, means that the developers of these services may want to start paying more attention to the protection of their users. The banking industry is already familiar with fraud schemes and tricks, and its previous response involved the implementation of security technologies in apps that significantly reduced the risk of theft of critical financial data. Perhaps now it is time for other services that are working with financial data to follow suit. The new version of Faketoken targets mostly Russian users. However, the geography of attacks could easily be extended in the future. We have seen that with previous versions of Faketoken and other banking malware in the past,” said Viktor Chebyshev, security expert at Kaspersky Lab.

Researchers have also detected Faketoken attacks on other popular mobile applications, such as travel and hotel booking apps, apps for traffic fine payments, Android Pay and the Google Play Market.

“Android’s security problems emerge on a regular basis, despite Google’s many attempts to bring its security to the appropriate level. Developers push new and more secure versions forward, but actual adoption of those secure versions lags behind heavily,” added Altaf Halde, Managing Director- South Asia, Kaspersky Lab

To protect yourself against the Faketoken Trojan and other Android malware threats, Kaspersky Lab strongly recommends that users do not install apps from unknown sources and use a reliable security solution, such as Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus: Web Security & Applock, on their device.

Titan launches Design Awards with Tata Trusts to celebrate innovations that create social change

Titan Company Limited, India’s largest lifestyle company driven by innovation and design, today launched the ‘Design:Impact Awards for Social Change’ in collaboration with Tata Trusts. With key focus on building innovative product designs that resolve social issues, the award platform is a movement that advocates efficient and sustainable product design for social change. Titan’s Design:Impact Awards is a project-based grant award that aims to positively impact the underprivileged communities and needs of the society, by encouraging and inspiring bright minds to design for the benefit of the Indian society.

Open to innovators across India, Titan aims to identify and mentor product design innovators who would like to upscale their products’ reach to a larger community. The program will also recognize Grassroot Innovators, particularly who have been able to design creative product solutions for contextual problems at hand using whatever means available.

The grand jury panel for Titan’s Design:Impact Awards includes Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, one of India’s most eminent scientists and former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research; Prof. Anil Gupta, globally renowned grassroots innovations scholar and founder of the Honey Bee Network, Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and pioneer in Industry Academia interaction towards R&D, Innovation and Product Development; Padma Shri V.R. Mehta, Trustee, Sir Dorabji Tata Trusts; Mr. Harish Bhat, Brand Custodian, Tata Sons and Mr. Ramji Raghavan, well-renowned India-based social innovator and entrepreneur and Founder and Chairman of Agastya International Foundation; and others.

Mr. Bhaskar Bhat, Managing Director, Titan Company Limited, said at the launch, “In the last 30 years, our efforts at Titan has been towards creating exemplary design for generations of Indians. Our partners, Tata Trusts, have been a catalyst in transformational change in India with a focus on sustainable development through innovation, since the early 1900s. Now, with the Design:Impact Awards, together we aim to celebrate product design that brings about social change. We will jointly use our design experience and social sector connect to help innovators make an impact wherever they are needed the most.”

Product design innovators and teams with prototyped and tested products are eligible to apply for the award and grant. Eligible entries are those that aim at resolving a social problem through a well-designed product or a system related with tangible/hard products. Innovators who finally qualify will be financially supported upto Rs 65 lakhs along with advocacy, recognition, and mentorship. At later stages, grant recipients will also be given the opportunity to apply for seed capital for further funding. Post the awards, Titan could also consider a multi-year support for some of the chosen grantees as part of its CSR strategy.

Mr. V.R. Mehta, Trustee, Sir Dorabji Tata Trusts, said at the launch, “Our partnership with Titan’s Design Impact Awards is part of Tata Trusts’ larger vision to demonstrate how technology and innovation can massively leverage the efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of the communities. As part of this initiative the Foundation for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (FISE), Tata Trusts, and Titan, aim to tap entrepreneurs and innovators having a strong focus on addressing development sector challenges to create social change and remain engaged with them throughout their product lifecycle stages.”

Entries are eligible for, but not limited to, entrepreneurs focused on social product innovation, individuals, or small teams within large organisations working on a specific product innovation, students working as individuals or small teams, grassroots innovators and foreign nationals working on social product innovation in India.

Creating the application is the first step towards participating in the Design:Impact Awards for Social Change. Applications must be submitted via the Application Form available on www.designimpactawards.in, by 31st October 2017.