Friday, June 1, 2018

Ted Leonsis surprises 200 employees with a trip to Las Vegas to watch the Caps

Ted Leonsis surprises 200 employees with a trip to Las Vegas to watch the Caps

On Thursday, Lorin Hranicka received an email from her boss, Rick Moreland, the senior vice president of executive suites at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. The subject line? Let’s go to Vegas.
“With like a million exclamation points,” Hranicka, who serves as Monumental’s director of suite client services, said Monday.
In the email, Moreland explained that Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO and founder Ted Leonsis had arranged for 200 full-time employees to make the trip to Las Vegas, where they would be put up in the Excalibur for one night and receive a ticket to see the Capitals play the Golden Knights in Game 1 or Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals.
“I just stopped dead in my tracks, I was so excited,” said the 30-year-old Hranicka, an eight-year veteran of the company who was among the group of Monumental Sports & Entertainment employees rocking the red inside T-Mobile Arena during Washington’s 6-4 loss to the Golden Knights on Monday. “Just being in the Stanley Cup finals is absolutely amazing. I can’t even explain the feeling.”
Leonsis chartered two flights, one that left Monday morning and another scheduled to leave Wednesday morning, with each one carrying roughly 100 full-time employees from nearly every department. A company spokeswoman said ticket availability prohibited Leonsis from inviting more of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s roughly 500 full-time employees, so priority was given to employees who work most closely on Capitals-related business and was also based in part on seniority.
Hranicka and the rest of Monday’s traveling party were handed red “All Caps” rally towels as they boarded their 7 a.m. charter flight at Dulles Airport.
“It was an early start to the day, but everyone was very, very excited about it,” said Hranicka, a lifelong Capitals fan who was making her first trip to Las Vegas. “It was very generous of Mr. Leonsis to do this for us.”
Omar Castro, a guest relations manager who has been with the company for nearly two years, was at Capital One Arena on Monday helping prepare the venue for the Game 1 watch party, which drew more than 12,000 fans. He was already looking forward to Wednesday, when he and about 100 other Monumental Sports and Entertainment employees were scheduled to fly to Las Vegas to watch Game 2 in person.
Castro, 34, first learned of the trip on Thursday via a call from his boss, who gave him a heads up that he would soon be receiving an email with details, and that he shouldn’t ignore it, or assume that it was intended for someone else.
“I’ve never replied to an email so fast,” Castro said. “I said, yep, I’m good, I can go, here’s the information that you need.”
Before this season, Castro, a Puerto Rico native, had never watched a full hockey game. After he was named one of the primary guest relations managers for Capitals games, he became determined to learn the sport by peppering his more experienced colleagues with questions. By the start of this year’s playoffs, he said he had a handle on most of the rules. He was also hooked on the team.
“I started sitting at home and watching when they were away and screaming at the TV,” Castro said. “I knew the history of us against the Penguins. They owned us, basically, for years. That last game in Pittsburgh, I have never screamed so loud as when Kuznetsov scored that goal at the end. My dogs started running toward me like something was wrong with me. It was crazy.”
Castro, who worked at Disney for more than 10 years before joining Monumental Sports & Entertainment, said he can hardly believe he’ll be making his first trip to Las Vegas on Wednesday.
“It’s truly amazing and out of this world,” Castro said. “I never expected an owner of the company to do this. We get to share in this with them. … He’s thinking of us as part of a family, as part of the experience. There’s no reason for him to do it. All I can say is a big thanks to Ted and his family for the opportunity, and for truly making this into something memorable for all of us here in the company.”

French group Egis wins UAE railway network project

French group Egis wins UAE railway network project


UAE - Egis, an international group offering engineering, project structuring and operations services, has been awarded a project management consultancy (PMC) contract for the development of the UAE railway network (Stages 2 and 3).
As part of the deal, the French construction major will assist Etihad Rail, which has been tasked with developing and operating the network.
The existing and currently operated network of 264 km will be expanded between now and 2024 by over 600 km in Stage 2 and 250 km in Stage 3, said a statement from Egis.
The UAE network is part of the GCC rail project and will play a key role in the ongoing growth of conventional rail in the Middle East region.
Following its experience acquired in Stage 1, Etihad Rail aims to bolster its team with the skills of Egis, internationally renowned for its experience in project management and technical expertise in all types of railway project (passenger and freight, conventional and high speed), it added.
Under this agreement, Egis will work in close co-operation with Etihad Rail, its group joining the project ownership team to oversee and supervise the different project contributors: the engineering consultant responsible for preliminary design and construction supervision, the future design-and-build contractors, and third parties.
Egis is 75 per cent owned by the French "Caisse des Dépôts" and the rest by Partner executives (Iosis Partenaires), and employees (corporate mutual fund). Employing over 13,600 people, including 8,200 in engineering, the group had generated a turnover of €1.05 billion ($1.23 billion) last year.
For the UAE, delivering a project of this scale will demand extensive expertise and co-ordination. The network is a combination of freight and passenger lines which extends over 1,000 km and has nearly 40 railway facilities (logistics sites for freight, passenger stations, stabling and maintenance depots).
On completion in 2024, the network will link Saudi Arabia to the UAE and Oman. The growth and dynamics of the emirates generate major changes in infrastructure, said the company statement.
The Etihad Rail PMC contract is part of the strategy to further develop in the Middle East and more particularly in the UAE.
Egis said this is its third major guided transportation project in the Middle East region. The other two projects are the Doha metro (project management of Red Line extension) and an autonomous transportation system in Dubai (design engineering and construction of the scalable capacity autonomous shuttle system, Bluewaters Ground Rapid Transit System).
By Staff Writer, TradeArabia News Service
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Within 12 years, Nigeria & South Africa will no longer dominate the African continent, report

Within 12 years, Nigeria & South Africa will no longer dominate the African continent, report


Euromonitor International said on Friday: "Africa’s two largest economies‚ Nigeria and South Africa‚ accounted for nearly 50% of the continent’s GDP in 2017. However‚ by 2030 these two countries will represent just 37% of Africa’s total GDP‚ demonstrating the rising economic importance of Africa’s emerging markets."
Ethiopia and Rwanda are expected to be the two fastest growing economies in Africa by 2030‚ the report states.
The financial institution predicted the growth prospects for all 55 nations in Africa, looking ahead to 2030. Ethiopia is set to improve its GDP by a huge 7.5%, closely trailed by Rwanda at 7.2%.
Mozambique is the only other country expected to see its economy grow by 7% or more, sitting in third place. Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone make up the top five.
Furthermore‚ the report states, Africa will show the highest growth in disposable income globally over the forecast period to 2030‚ at 9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
Euromonitor International’s report‚ titled “Shifting Market Frontiers: Africa Rising”‚also identifies key trends‚ some of which are summarized here:
  • Africa is the world’s second most populous continent. Its growing young population is expected to command nearly 20% of the world’s population by 2025. Equally so‚ rapid urbanisation and fast-growing consumer expenditure provide long-term opportunities.
  • Diversity of consumers in Africa’s 55 independent states "requires a more granular and regional approach for a successful and sustained market entry".
  • A flexible long-term strategy is required to succeed in the continent. "Despite signs of growing GDP and consumer expenditure‚ the challenges of the continent‚ such as lack of infrastructure‚ paucity of skills and political instability‚ require a flexible and long-term approach."
  • Africans are increasingly connected. With high mobile penetration - reaching one billion in 2017 - 2030‚ Africa will also have 16% of the world’s internet users‚ which reflects growth of over 260% from 2017. "This offers opportunities in various consumer industries‚ which include finance‚ apparel‚ food and drink‚ and beauty and personal care."

Nestle to cut 500 jobs in biggest swiss restructuring plan

Nestle to cut 500 jobs in biggest swiss restructuring plan

Nestle said it plans to make the cuts over the coming 18 months. The company will offer employees training and help to switch to other positions and accept voluntary departures



Geneva: Nestle SA plans to cut as many as 500 computer-service jobs in its home market of Switzerland as chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Schneider aims to boost profitability at the world’s largest food company.
Nestle is shifting information-technology jobs to locations including a tech hub in Spain, the company said Tuesday. Its Nespresso coffee unit is also moving jobs to Spain and Portugal and will offer positions to 80 employees affected by that reorganization. The unit will open a site in Italy to work on developing boutiques.
Schneider is starting Nestle’s biggest restructuring program in Switzerland, reducing staff there by 5% after having faced pressure from investors such as Dan Loeb to cut costs. The strength of the Swiss franc in recent years has ramped up the company’s expenses. Chief Financial Officer Francois-Xavier Roger has accelerated Nestle’s five-year restructuring plan and has predicted 700 million francs ($706 million) of reorganization costs this year.
“Nestle remains fully committed to its home base,” Peter Vogt, head of human resources, said in a statement. The company said it’s investing 300 million euros ($346 million) in the country this year. “The relationship between Nestle and Switzerland is mutually beneficial.”
The stock traded 0.4% lower at 10:53am in Zurich, having dropped 7.3% in the past year.
In recent weeks, Nespresso workers in Lausanne, Switzerland, have protested against a plan to add more weekend shifts and lengthen workweeks to 43 hours from 41 at its capsule factories.
Nestle said it plans to make the cuts over the coming 18 months. The company will offer employees training and help to switch to other positions and accept voluntary departures.
The company had 323,000 employees worldwide in 2017, ranking sixth among European employers. Nestle’s Swiss staff has swelled to more than 10,000 last year from about 6,700 in 2003.

FMG green lights $1.7b Eliwana with 500 jobs to come

FMG green lights $1.7b Eliwana with 500 jobs to come



Fortescue Metals Group has given the go-ahead to develop a new mine and rail project in the Pilbara.
The $US1.275 billion ($1.7 billion) Eliwana mine will include development of 143km of rail, a new dry ore processing facility and other associated infrastructure.
Eliwana, which will replace Fortescue’s depleting Firetail mine, is expected to operate at 30 million tonnes per annum with capacity for up to 50mtpa over a mine life of at least 24 years.
Fortescue revealed in November it was eyeing Eliwana as a replacement for Firetail, over the Nyidinghu deposit, which lies south of its Chichester Hub.
In an announcement to the stock market Monday morning, chief executive Elizabeth Gains said the project, west of FMG’s existing Solomon Hub operation, would maintain the miner’s low-cost status and allow it to supply a premium product to the market from existing operations in the second half of the 2019 financial year.
Ms Gaines said it would also help FMG maintain a minimum 170mtpa production rate over 20 years.
“Fortescue has now shipped over one billion tonnes of iron ore in just 10 years, generating strong returns from our position at the lowest end of the global cost curve,” she said.
FMG said a definitive feasibility study had already been completed with detailed design about to commence.
The mine will be financed from operating cash flows at a capital intensity of $US42 a tonne and production will start from December 2020.
It is expected to create up to 1900 jobs during construction and 500 full-time jobs once operational.
Applications lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority earlier this year showed the Andrew Forrest-controlled miner wants to build an accommodation camp, access roads, an airstrip and water pipelines at the site.
FMG has also sought approval for two worker camps, access roads, water pipelines and two bridges crossing existing rail and road infrastructure as part of its plans to extend its existing railway line 120km west from Solomon to Eliwana.
It is understood the preliminary works will not disturb a 3km section of the proposed railway route that is the subject of 5a dispute with a local Aboriginal group.
The Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation has called on the Federal Government to intervene to force the realignment of the route to protect the Spear Hill site north-west of Karijini National Park.

VW invests $300M in Uber rival Gett in new ride-sharing partnership

VW invests $300M in Uber rival Gett in new ride-sharing partnership

The on-demand transportation service continues to heat up, and today the spotlight is shining on a New York startup whose business is based primarily in Europe. Gett, a cab-hailing startup with operations across some 60 cities, is getting a $300 million investment from German car giant Volkswagen. VW plans to use the investment to spearhead its own move into ride-sharing, on-demand transportation and autonomous cars.
We still don’t have a valuation for Gett  in the wake of the deal but we are trying to find out. In November, Haaretz, a publication out of Israel — Gett has operations and an R&D center in the country — reported that Gett was looking for debt funding at a $2 billion valuation, having previously been valued at $575 million. We have confirmed with Gett’s co-founder and CEO Shahar Waiser that VW is the sole investor in this round.
Gett has now raised $520 million in funding — other investors include Access Industries and Kreos Capital — and it says it is profitable in several cities, with annual revenues of $500 million.
VW is Europe’s largest car maker, with other brands under its ownership including Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini and many more. And while $300 million is no small sum of money and is a huge win for Gett, $300 million is a relatively small sum for VW, which reported revenues of $238 billion (€213 billion) in 2015.
But VW also posted a loss of $1.8 billion (€-1.582 billion) in that same period, in the wake of an emissions cheating scandal that affected 11 million vehicles, which came just on the heels of a previous scandal involving the company suppressing news about a security flaw in some of its vehicles. In that regard, VW investing in the next generation of transportation is one way for VW to point to the future and put some of that bad news behind it.
“Alongside our pioneering role in the automotive business, we aim to become one of the world’s leading mobility providers by 2025,” says Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen  Aktiengesellschaft, in a statement. “Within the framework of our future Strategy 2025, the partnership with Gett marks the first milestone for the Volkswagen Group on the road to providing integrated mobility solutions that spotlight our customers and their mobility needs.”
This is VW’s first investment into one of the fleet of startups that are building up the on-demand transportation market, but it’s not the first to work with them. Perhaps most notably, GM earlier this year put $500 million into another Uber competitor, Lyft, to build up its own business in this area, spearheaded by its launch of Mavenand subsequent purchase of Cruise, the self-driving car startup. Further back, some car makers have tried to acquire their way into the market, such as when Daimler acquired RideScout in 2014.
Gett CEO Waiser, who co-founded the company with Roi More, tells us there are many reasons why the partnership makes sense: “The first is that we share the same footprint. The world’s largest car producer are the strongest in Europe, with a 25% market share across their brands. And Gett is strong in Europe too, available in 60 cities and this footprint is a good match to start.”
He adds that the companies also have the same profile in terms of users across both corporate and consumer users. Gett has deals with some 4,000 business customers and says some 30 percent of its revenues come from that market. “Now VW has the opportunity to offer mobility on demand not just for consumers but for corporate users,” he added.
The third is in the technology Gett has been building around big data and predictive algorithms, heat maps for demand and more. “When you look at what we are doing today you can recognise that this tech will be necessary when you go with autonomous cars,” he added.
Earlier this year, Gett launched a £6 flat-rate courier service in London to expand beyond taxi services, and it also consolidated some of its position by acquiring Radio Taxis, a rival firm.i
mage Credits: simone mescolini / Shutterstock

'Spiderman' granted French citizenship after rescuing child from Paris balcony

'Spiderman' granted French citizenship after rescuing child from Paris balcony


Paris (CNN)A young Malian migrant who rescued a child dangling from a balcony will be made a French citizen and has been offered a job by the Paris fire brigade, the office of the French presidency said.
Video of the rescue showed 22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama climbing up four floors of the apartment building in just seconds to rescue the child, to cheers from onlookers.
By the time Parisian emergency services arrived at the building, he had already pulled the child to safety.
President Emmanuel Macron invited Gassama to the Élysée Palace on Monday, where he was given a certificate and a gold medal for performing an act of courage and dedication.
Gassama told Macron: "I didn't think about it, I climbed up and God helped me."
He said that when he reached the apartment, he became scared and started shaking.
Macron asked Gassama how the child was when he was rescued. He replied: "He was crying because he was hurt."
Speaking to CNN-affiliate BFM TV after the rescue, Gassama said he had been in the neighborhood to watch a football match in a local restaurant when he saw the commotion.
"I like children, I would have hated to see him getting hurt in front of me. I ran and I looked for solutions to save him and thank God I scaled the front of the building to the balcony," he said.
The video shows neighbors on an adjoining balcony struggling to pull the child to safety. According to judicial sources, the child's father was out shopping when the incident occurred.
The father is being investigated for abandoning his parental responsibilities, according to a spokesman for the Paris prosecutor.
He is no longer in custody, but will be sentenced in September, the spokesman said. The 4-year-old child has been placed in care.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on her official Twitter on Sunday she had called Gassama to thank him, congratulating the Malian migrant on his act of bravery.
"He explained to me that he arrived from Mali a few months ago with the dream of making a life for himself here. I replied that his heroic act is an example for all citizens and that the city of Paris will obviously be keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France," she posted to Twitter.
The Paris fire brigade tweeted: "Mamoudou shares the values of the Paris fire brigade. We are ready to welcome him."

ABC cancels 'Roseanne' after star's racist Twitter rant

ABC cancels 'Roseanne' after star's racist Twitter rant
"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.
Disney CEO Bob Iger added on Twitter that "there was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing."
The cancellation stunned Hollywood. Industry veterans said they've never seen anything quite like it. The revival of "Roseanne" premiered to huge ratings just three months ago. Pre-production was already underway on a second season, which was scheduled for Tuesdays at 8 p.m. this fall.
But now the show is over. ABC was planning to air a repeat of "Roseanne" Tuesday night, but a rerun of "The Middle" will air in its place.
Barr's talent agency, ICM Partners, also dropped her on Tuesday. "What she wrote is antithetical to our core values, both as individuals and as an agency," the agency said in a statement. "Consequently, we have notified her that we will not represent her. Effective immediately, Roseanne Barr is no longer a client."
On Tuesday evening, Barr tweeted an apology to the show's cast and crew.
"Don't feel sorry for me, guys!!-I just want to apologize to the hundreds of people, and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet," she said.
Barr also said that she would appear on comedian Joe Rogan's podcast on Friday.
Barr has a long history of controversial tweets, including posts about pro-Trump conspiracy theories. But even by her low standards, Tuesday's remarks were egregious.
"Beyond the pale" is how one Disney (DIS) source put it.
In a series of tweets, Barr attacked Valerie Jarrett, Chelsea Clinton and George Soros.
ABC went silent for several hours as it decided what to do. While it took some time to announce the decision, executives pretty quickly decided to boot the reboot.
When asked why ABC ultimately decided to cancel the show, a Disney source said, "It's a question of right and wrong. And it's a question of our company's values."
Reactions to the decision were overwhelming and largely positive.
Congressman John Lewis thanked ABC, saying that "There is not any room in our society for racism or bigotry."
"Some things apparently are more important than money," even for a network like ABC, "and that's heartening," CNN's Van Jones said on the air.
But there will be ripple effects from the cancellation. At least 200 jobs will be affected, according to industry sources.
Before ABC pulled the plug, some of Barr's colleagues had publicly rebuked her.
Actress Emma Kenney, who played Roseanne's granddaughter on the reboot, tweeted that she was in the process of quitting the show when she found out that it had been canceled.
About an hour and a half before the cancellation was announced one of the show's consulting producers, Wanda Sykes, said she was done with it. "I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC," Sykes tweeted.
And Sara Gilbert, who plays Barr's daughter on the ABC sitcom, tweeted that Barr's comments are "abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show."
Gilbert added: "This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we've created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love — one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member."

What Barr said on Twitter

In one of the tweets, she wrote, "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."
Barr was responding to a comment about Valerie Jarrett, a top former aide to President Obama.
She claimed she was joking, but then she deleted the tweet and issued an apology to Jarrett and "all Americans."
"I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks," Barr tweeted. "I should have known better. Forgive me -- my joke was in bad taste." Barr then said she's leaving Twitter.
Jarrett told MSNBC later on Tuesday that "we have to turn [this episode] into a teaching moment."
Social media lit up with criticism of both Barr and ABC, with some demanding a response from the broadcast network.
Barr also targeted Chelsea Clinton by calling her "Chelsea Soros Clinton." She later replied in the comments that Clinton is "married to Soros nephew." Soros is a billionaire liberal benefactor who has been the villain in many right-wing conspiracy theories over the years.

World's Biggest Brands Are Now Chinese

Two of the world's biggest brands are now Chinese



A new list of the world's most valuable brands is out, and China has claimed two of the top spots for the first time.

Alibaba has joined the top 10, alongside Chinese tech group Tencent, as well as stalwarts such as Google (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL).
Ranked at No. 9., Jack Ma's Alibaba has seen its brand value nearly double to $113 billion as the e-commerce company has expanded further into fields such as mobile payments and cloud computing.
Shenzhen-based Tencent (TCEHY) broke into the annual BrandZ top 10 ranking in 2017 and has gone from strength to strength over the past year. It now holds fifth place -- behind Google, Apple, Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) but above Facebook (FB) -- with a brand value of $179 billion, up 65% compared to last year.
Tencent specializes in online games, apps, instant messaging services and online payments. It boasts a market capitalization of $490 billion, making it worth more than America's most valuable bank, JPMorgan Chase (JPM).
Here's the list of the top 10:
  1. Google
  2. Apple
  3. Amazon
  4. Microsoft
  5. Tencent
  6. Facebook
  7. Visa
  8. McDonald's
  9. Alibaba
  10. AT&T
Doreen Wang, the head of BrandZ, said the new ranking demonstrates that Tencent and Alibaba have overcome numerous China-specific hurdles to become global powerhouses.
"The challenges facing Chinese brands are by no means small," she said. "Limited brand awareness in international markets, a lack of trust due to historic quality issues and a reluctance by Chinese brands to invest in impactful global advertising campaigns have put them at a disadvantage with their more established competitors."
But the rise of China and savvy young consumers has created opportunities for smart entrepreneurs, she said.
"Attitudes are changing, particularly among younger consumers who are falling in love with Chinese brands," she said. "While penetration into US markets may still be at a preliminary stage for both brands, other regions are embracing them."

Alibaba is gaining ground in Brazil, Chile and other Latin American countries, where its online marketplace AliExpress "is rapidly becoming the leading e-commerce platform," said Wang. It also has a strong presence in countries such as Israel, Spain and South Korea.
Tencent has been gaining greater recognition in South Asian markets such as Thailand and Singapore, she said.
The BrandZ ranking is published annually by WPP (WPPGF) and Kantar Millward Brown. Google has been at the top of the ranking for eight of the past 12 years. Its brand is currently valued at $302 billion, up 23% from last year.

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Funny People

People Can't Contain Themselves When This Dad Live-Tweeted About His Trip To The Museum With 60 School Kids


Do you remember how excited we were to be able to go on a tour when we were little? I mean no school or classes for one whole day! It was the best thing ever for us the kids, but little did we know how much the teachers suffered.



And boy did they suffer! We only realized this when a superhero of a dad, Simon Smith from the UK decided to do a good deed by volunteering to take his daughter and 59 other classmates to the Kensington museum.
He clearly didn't think it would be that hard, but he was drawn back to reality when all of them got on the bus. For everyone's amusement and for awareness purposes he decided to live tweet the whole ordeal.
Now, there were over a 100 tweets, but we decided to take the funniest and most brutal tweets to entertain you. Scroll down and see how this trip changed Simon's perspective on life.


This is Simon Smith the brave man who volunteered to take 60 children on a school trip





Everything started out so smoothly


Slowly but surely he realised that things are taking a turn for the worst




Nothing that makes you more nervous than sitting next to a kid with travel sickness