Unleashing a Chess Storm: Berlin is ready for the Armageddon Championship Series: Europe & Africa on June 12th

World Chess, a leading chess organization, seeks to captivate chess enthusiasts with its upcoming Europe and Africa week of the Armageddon Championship Series. Kickstarting on June 12th, the high-stakes event will follow the same dramatic format and immense time pressure constraints as the previous Armageddon events.

This enthralling tournament will witness the participation of eight exceptional players from the Europe and Africa region, including Michael Adams (England), MaximeVachier-Lagrave (France), Richard Rapport (Romania), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands), Vincent Keymer (Germany), as well as Matthias Bluebaum and Alexander Donchenko, both of whom qualified successfully through online qualifiers on the FIDE Online Arena. This star-studded lineup will battle it out in a double-elimination format, with daily matches consisting of two blitz games with the potential for an additional Armageddon game if a victory does not emerge.

The winner and runner-up will join an exciting roster of finalists in the Grand Finale to be held at World Chess’ newly opened Chess Club in Berlin, where they will compete against Wesley So, Sam Shankland, Gukesh D, NodirbekAbdusattorov, BibisaraAssaubayeva, and Humpy Koneru for the total prize of €200,000.

The tournament will follow a dramatic format with daily matches consisting of two blitz games (three minutes plus a two-second move increment) and, if necessary, an Armageddon game (five minutes for White, four for Black). Novelties such as live displays of the players’ heart rates and calories burned data points make the Series a riveting spectacle for viewers.

The Armageddon series is being broadcast on 17 television channels worldwide, as well as World Chess’ official YouTube channel, with expert commentary and analysis provided by Grandmaster Simon Williams and International Master JovankaHouska every day at 19:00 CEST.

For the first few days, the players were divided into pairs as follows:

Day 1, June 12
Michael Adams (England) — Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland)
Vincent Keymer (Germany) — Alexander Donchenko

Day 2, June 13
Richard Rapport (Romania) — Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands)
Matthias Bluebaum (Germany) — MaximeVachier-Lagrave (France)
Ilya Merenzon, Chief Executive Officer of World Chess: “It has been fantastic to watch the global accumulation of chess players come together to compete in the Armageddon series. As we now head towards the Grand Finale it has been a real joy to watch the fast-paced matches between chess players of different experiences, playing styles and nationalities.

“The series has created an atmosphere of suspense and excitement and highlighted the benefits of embracing innovative formats such as Armageddon, enabling top-level chess to entice a broader audience and ignite greater passion amongst fans.
“We offer our best wishes to all the players and are excited to get Europe and Africa Week of the Armageddon Championship underway.”

Andrey Insarov, Chief Executive Officer at Intis Telecom (it.com Domains): “We are thrilled to witness the convergence of intelligence and skill in the Armageddon Series. At it.com we are excited to support this great sport within our meaningful partnership with World Chess. We eagerly await the exciting and intense battles and extend our best wishes to all the players participating in Europe & Africa Week. Good luck!”

Leading partners supporting the Armageddon Championship Series:

The it.com Domains as the Official Partner;
FIDE Online Arena as the Official Gaming Platform;
Kaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity Partner.

For further questions, please contact media@worldchess.com.
Official website: https://chessarena.com/armageddon

Conflux Co-Learning Hosts Fall Workshop

Licensed professional counselor Justine Froelker to speak at St. Louis nonprofit’s event.

(St. Louis, Mo., June 9, 2023) – Conflux Co-Learning, the nation’s first co-learning space that exclusively serves manufacturers and distributors, will hold its fall workshop on Wed., Sept. 6 from 8 to 10 a.m. at Conflux’s headquarters located at 8221 Minnesota Ave. Keynote speaker Justine Froelker will focus on teaching the tools and techniques needed to lead with courage while highlighting the impact it creates on one’s personal and professional life. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Justine Froelker is a licensed professional counselor with more than 20 years of experience in traditional mental health and personal and professional development. She provides training nationally on topics including leadership, mental health, preventing and coping with burnout, resilience, and courageous communication. Froelker, a St. Louisan who is the best-selling author of 11 books, has been certified in the work of Dr. Brené Brown for the past nine years.

“Justine brings a wide range of practical ways to inspire courage and leadership into your daily life,” said Conflux Co-Learning’s Chairman of the Board Brandon Dempsey. “We look forward to having Justine educate both our clients and the general public so they can create lasting changes at home and at work.”

Conflux Co-Learning is a membership-based nonprofit organization that creates content, connections, and space so manufacturing and distribution leaders can navigate and grow in a rapidly changing industry. For more information, call (314) 754-8712 or visit www.confluxcolearning.com.

Reservations for the workshop are required for the free workshop. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conflux-workshop-with-justine-froelker-tickets-651015283237.

Lenovo partners with Demica on distributor finance

Demica, one of the world’s largest providers of supply chain finance SaaS solutions, has partnered with Lenovo’s channel solution and service team to co-develop and enhance the distributor finance platform, allowing Lenovo to provide extended services to its distributors.

Lenovo’s channel solution and service team has a longstanding and successful track record of extending credit to its strategic channel partners with flexibility to extend terms as required to fund working capital and drive sales. Moving forward, the Demica platform will allow Lenovo to retire its existing technology platform and extend its range of services to its distributors.

Demica and Lenovo’s channel solution and service team have worked together since 2019 after Lenovo brought the activity in-house and launched a trade receivables securitisation, one of the largest launches that has ever signed. Lenovo appointed Demica to report on the transaction covering 31 markets globally and in 14 currencies.

Maurice Benisty, Demica’s COO comments: “We are delighted to extend our relationship with Lenovo’s channel solution and service team and add this important supply chain finance product to the Demica platform. The product has tremendous application across the banking and captive finance market and we are excited to drive its commercialisation with the Lenovo channel solution and service team.”

Christoph Heitjans, Executive Director and GM of Lenovo’s Channel Solution and Service Team comments: “The decision to appoint Demica as a platform provider to Lenovo’s channel solution and service team reaffirms the importance of distributor finance as a tool to drive growth and optimise terms for Lenovo and its channel partners. The Demica platform represents the future of supply chain finance for banks and fintech as the market transitions from legacy technology to flexible, modern cloud-based solutions.”

DXC Technology Surpasses Gender Diversity Target of 40% Women Employees in India Workforce in Less Than Three Years

Bengaluru, India, 09 June 2023 – DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), a leading Fortune 500 global technology services provider, today announced it has achieved the significant milestone of having 40% women in its India workforce, one year earlier than anticipated.

DXC Technology has about 43,000 employees in India. In June 2020, the company pledged to increase the percentage of women in their workforce in India from 28% to 40% by 2024. The company exceeded this objective in less than three years.

To achieve this feat, DXC not only increased its intake of women graduates from universities but also amplified outreach to women candidates for experienced hiring. Furthermore, DXC focused on building mid- and senior-level women leaders by instituting a series of leadership programs for women, in addition to fostering an inclusive culture by implementing several industry-leading programs, initiatives and engagement practices thoughtfully designed for taking care of women employees.

Speaking on this accomplishment, Nachiket Sukhtankar, Managing Director – DXC Technology, India, said, “The technology industry in India is grappling with the challenge of underrepresentation of women, both in terms of their entry into the sector and their advancement to leadership roles. I am immensely proud to be a part of an organization dedicated to bringing about a transformative shift through equality and representation. We still have miles to go as we aspire to set new benchmarks in gender diversity and inclusion. Nonetheless, I firmly believe this step holds immense significance in achieving an equal future. We will continue to work towards dismantling barriers and creating an empowering environment for women to thrive in the technology sector.”

Lokendra Sethi, Head of HR – DXC Technology, India, said, “We are proud of our unwavering commitment to fostering a corporate culture that is inclusive. We believe that diversity and inclusivity are not mere destinations but an ongoing journey towards cultivating an organizational environment built on trust, empathy, and purposeful collaboration. The milestone of 40% women in DXC India’s workforce fills us with great excitement as we realized this goal in a very short time and six months ahead of our expectations. Our purpose remains to keep paving the way for a future where women are encouraged, enabled, and empowered to become catalysts of change and the next generation of industry leaders.”

This achievement reflects DXC’s commitment to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment where every employee, regardless of gender, feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. Further to its mission of becoming a diverse and inclusive employer, DXC is also investing in training underprivileged women students to create a workforce of skilled women for the industry. It recently trained 10,000 women engineers to enhance their job opportunities with the same curriculum used for the company’s employees.

Isya Aesthetics launches V face in Delhi NCR

Isya exclusively launched V-Face in collaboration with Brera Medicals, Italy, in Delhi on 28th May 2023. Only available at Isya, V-FACE – the event was attended by influencers, press and KOLs who enjoyed Smoke Vodka, Blue Moon Gin mixed with Sepoy tonics and lemonades; skin friendly appetizers by Uncafe and experienced their first V Face session.

“ First ever in India, V face can give you a needle-free botox free uplift you always wanted that is natural, safe and fabulous and it is safe for any age or skin type. One session of V face is like a year of face yoga, it helps tone those muscles” – Dr. Kiran Sethi

About Dr Kiran

With over 14 years of practice, Dr. Kiran Sethi, MD, is a New Delhi-based award-winning celebrity skin, aesthetic, and wellness specialist and author of the bestselling book Skin Sense. An Ivy League graduate from Columbia University, Dr. Kiran is an industry pioneer in dermatology and aesthetics with certifications from the American Board of Aesthetic Medicine and the American Board of Laser Surgery. An esteemed member of several cosmetic and aesthetic dermatology associations in the US and India, Dr. Kiran Sethi is also one of the few expert physicians in the world with both cosmetic formulation and dermatology degrees. She is also a global trainer and speaker for BOTOX, fillers, threads, and lasers.

Jindal India Limited Launches NEUCOLOR+ Premium Colour Steel Sheets with 15-year Warranty

Chennai, June 2023: – Jindal India Limited, a leading manufacturer of steel products, has announced the launch of its new product, NEUCOLOR+ premium colour steel sheets. The launch event was held in Chennai and was attended by dealers and sub-dealers from across the region.

The NEUCOLOR+ premium colour steel sheets are a high-quality product that comes with a 15-year warranty. The product is designed to provide customers with a durable and long-lasting solution for their roofing and cladding needs.

The event was graced by the presence of several key personnel from Jindal India Limited, including Mr Sachin Mishra (HOD Sales and Marketing), Mr.Nandkishore Parmar (GM Sales & Marketing), Mr Bhaskar Cherekar (Zonal Head – South India), and Mr Bharath Venkatesan (Area Sales Manager – Tamil Nadu Region). Representatives from SMPC Steel Processors, Jeyam Group, Pushpa Traders, and Krishna Steels were also present at the event.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Sachin Mishra said, “We are thrilled to introduce our new product, NEUCOLOR+, to our customers in Chennai and the surrounding regions. This premium colour steel sheet is a testament to our commitment to providing high-quality, durable, and long-lasting products to our customers.”

Mr Nandkishore Parmar added, “We believe that the NEUCOLOR+ premium colour steel sheets will revolutionize the roofing and cladding industry. With its 15-year warranty, customers can trust that they are investing in a product that will stand the test of time.”

The launch of the NEUCOLOR+ premium colour steel sheets marks a significant milestone for Jindal India Limited and demonstrates the company’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction.

Basu Chatterjee: Remembering Bollywood’s God of Small Things

SUNDEEP BHUTORIA

By the end of the 1960s, Hindi cinema was poised for a change. The decade had largely been about escapist cinema, and though some of these had great songs, there was little that was creative and path-breaking by way of content. The odd exceptions – Bandini, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Anupama and Teesri Kasam – only proved the rule about a decade that replaced the artistic aspirations of the 1950s with what has in effect come to define ‘Bollywood song-and-dance’ cinema.

The advent of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in 1962 played an important part in this change, with its first batches beginning to enter the industry, bringing in a change in aesthetics. The year 1969 was to be a watershed in the history of Hindi cinema, with three films that proved instrumental in ushering in a new language, heralding the New Wave in Hindi cinema: Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome, Mani Kaul’s Uski Roti and Basu Chatterjee’s Sara Akash (all three were shot by K.K. Mahajan, who had graduated from the FTII in 1966, and who became synonymous with the New Wave and with the cinema of Basu Chatterjee).

Of these three film-makers, Mrinal Sen remained rooted largely to Bengali films and Mani Kaul carved a space for a personal cinema free of commercial considerations. It was Basu Chatterjee who, in conjunction with the films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar, provided an alternative to the big-budget extravaganza of mainstream films of the era (the Manmohan Desais and Prakash Mehras) and the spare aesthetics of arthouse cinema (driven by Shyam Benegal).

The importance of Basu Chatterjee lies in the kind of cinema he popularised when juxtaposed against the cinema that ruled the box office at the time. The 1970s was the decade of the big blockbuster – Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Deewaar, Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony. Yash Chopra and Ramesh Sippy, Nasir Hussain and Shakti Samanta were the dream merchants. Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, Rishi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna were the role models for the filmy hero, while Zeenat Aman and Hema Malini set a million young hearts aflutter. The aesthetic of Hindi cinema was larger-than-life.

They were not heroes and heroines, but the man and woman next door

Basu Chatterjee provided an alternative. His debut, Sara Akash, belonged firmly to the New Wave school of spare film-making. He however jettisoned this soon, opting for a middle road between this and the big-budget extravaganza. In doing so he made ‘small’ beautiful and commercially viable. With Rajnigandha (1974), he revolutionised Hindi cinema, casting rank newcomers in a literary classic by Mannu Bhandari. The film, unlike any other film of the time (a runtime of approximately two hours, no lip-synched songs, no fights, no flashy clothes and make-up for its actors who looked nothing like Greek gods) broke all records at the box office. He had already shown a penchant for a different approach to the cinema of the city in Piya Ka Ghar (1971), dealing with a couple finding their way to love and domesticity in the confined spaces of a one-room tenement in Mumbai shared by the extended family. While the latter starred Jaya Bhaduri (in one of her early roles) and Anil Dhawan (fresh from the FTII), Rajnigandha made stars of the unlikely duo of Amol Palekar and Vidya Sinha.

Over the next few films, Basu Chatterjee made his school of cinema an audience favourite. Chhoti Si Baat and Chitchor, both 1976, starred Amol Palekar, who soon came to be termed ‘the Amitabh Bachchan of middle-of-the-road cinema’. In Vidya Sinha, the director gave Hindi cinema the very antithesis of the ’70s heroine. His characters epitomised the Everyman. They were not heroes and heroines, but the man and woman next door. The men were not macho style icons. They were often gentle, hesitant and even lacking in ambition. The women were down to earth and real, not coy and simpering. And their world consisted of humble middle-class drawing rooms, local bus stops and trains, and office corners. Even when he cast superstars like Amitabh Bachchan (Manzil, inspired by Mrinal Sen’s Akash Kusum) and Dharmendra (Dillagi, with Hema Malini), the stars willingly shed their starry mannerisms to play everyday characters.

His spotlight was on literary classics, communities and women

No one brought alive particular communities as lovingly as he did in his films like Khatta Meetha (the Parsis) and Baaton Baaton Mein (the Christians in Mumbai). And few film-makers of the time were as adept at adapting literary classics as he was – Sara Akash (from a novel by Rajendra Yadav), Piya Ka Ghar (Vasant Kale, or Va Pu), Rajnigandha (based on a short story by Mannu Bhandari), Ratnadeep (Prabhat Mukhopadhyay), Swami and Apne Paraye (based on novels by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay) – giving his cinema a unique literary sensibility.

One of the most revolutionary aspects of his cinema lay in the woman his films portrayed. Right from Malti in Piya Ka Ghar, they were independent women with a mind of their own. They were determined, focused and unwilling to bow down to convention just because society demanded it. Vidya Sinha’s Deepa in Rajnigandha is revolutionary in the way she is shown as unable to make up her mind about the two men she is dating. Zarina Wahab’s Geeta in Chitchor decides to follow her heart in the face of family opposition. In Swami, the woman reads Thomas Hardy and is torn between the man she thinks is her intellectual equal and her ‘simple’ husband. These women challenged the existing tropes on the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema.

Wah, what songs! ‘Yeh jeevan hai’ to ‘Kai baar yunhi dekha hai’ to ‘Rimjhim gire sawan’

This ability to carve out a different cinema was visible in the songs in his films as well. From ‘Yeh jeevan hai’ in Piya Ka Ghar to ‘Rajnigandha phool tumhare’ in Rajnigandha (‘Kai baar yunhi dekha hai’ from the same film won a National Award) to the evergreen songs of Chitchor to ‘Rimjhim gire sawan’ (arguably the finest rain song in Hindi cinema) in Manzil, the cinema of Basu Chatterjee provided Hindi cinema with some of its most loved and enduring classics.

The dream of 1969 was to prove short-lived. By the end of the 1970s, the cinema of the Basu Chatterjee-Hrishikesh Mukherjee-Gulzar School was shutting shop. Driven by a changing demographic, the onslaught of video piracy, some indifferent films by the film-makers themselves, and the advent of TV as a popular medium, kitschy commercial films were making a comeback in a big way and the next decade would witness a new low for Hindi films.

Basu Chatterjee, of course, led the first wave of top-notch and popular content in television with serials like Rajani, Byomkesh Bakshi, Darpan and Kakaji Kahin proving to be trailblazers. His legacy lives on in the cinema of every filmmaker who explores the life and world of the Everyman.

Genpact Teams With Google Cloud to Accelerate Artificial Intelligence Adoption for the Enterprise

New Delhi, June 9, 2023 – Genpact (NYSE: G), a global professional services firm focused on delivering outcomes that transform businesses today announced it is working with Google Cloud to help businesses accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) strategies, including taking advantage of generative AI’s adoption to drive actionable business insights.

Genpact is continuing to invest in its AI capabilities by establishing a generative AI (GenAI)practice teaming with Google Cloud. This partnership will leverage Google Cloud’s advanced GenAI capabilities to cater to enterprises in key industries, including consumer goods, retail, life sciences, healthcare, hi-tech, and financial services. Through this partnership, Genpact and Google Cloud will accelerate their shared clients’ cloud, data, and analytics modernization journeys to address the evolving needs of today’s businesses.

This new investment builds on Genpact’s deep expertise and commitment to AI innovation – from a decades-long focus on advanced data analytics to strategic AI acquisitions, industry-specific responsible AI Frameworks, and extensive experience with large language models (LLMs) across numerous industries.

“We are seeing increased demand from our clients to leverage generative AI to improve productivity, minimize risk, and provide enhanced employee and customer experiences,” said Katie Stein, Chief Strategy Officer and Global Business Leader, Enterprise Services and Analytics, Genpact. “This expanded partnership highlights the strategic role that partner ecosystems will play in the massive enterprise AI market. Combining Google Cloud’s suite of
products with Genpact’s domain, process, and data expertise provide a differentiated strategic partnership to our clients, driving competitive advantage and meaningful growth in a fastevolving world.”

“We’re proud to share that Genpact will launch the application of Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities,” said Jim Anderson, Vice President, NA Partners Ecosystem & Channels at Google Cloud. “We know Genpact’s deep expertise will enable enterprises to accelerate their generative AI development swiftly and responsibly.”

The new practice will focus on helping enterprises accelerate their GenAI journeys, building regenerative AI for custom enterprise LLMs, business processes, and augmenting operations. The practice will house a dedicated team of data scientists, data engineers, and domain experts focused on the rapid development of generative AI capabilities on the Genpact Cora platform which is already integrated with more than 250 enterprise ecosystems handling more than 20 million transactions a month.
Visit these pages for more information on Genpact and Google Cloud’s partnership and Genpact’s GenAI solutions.

Shoppers Stop launches new SSBeauty store in Elante Mall Chandigarh exclusively for Estée Lauder brands!

New Delhi, 9th June 2023 – Shoppers Stop, India’s premier fashion and beauty destination, in collaboration with Estée Lauder Group, with the world’s leading skincare, makeup and fragrance products, proudly announces the grand opening of the exclusive SS Beauty store in Elante Mall, Chandigarh.

Chandigarh, known for its discerning consumers and high-spending population in the beauty industry, serves as the perfect location for this exquisite beauty destination. The city’s residents have a keen sense of style and a penchant for beauty, making it an ideal market for SSBeauty. With this exclusive launch, SSBeauty is revolutionizing the beauty retail market, combining its expansive retail network with Estée Lauder Group’s unrivaled extravagance.

Spread across 1200 sq.ft. the SSBeauty store is dedicated solely to Estée Lauder Group brands such MAC, Clinique, Tom Ford, Jo Malone & Kilian. The store launch was graced by actor, singer and model Himanshi Khurana.

Mr. Biju Kassim, Customer Care Associate & President Beauty, Shoppers Stop, expressed his excitement about the launch, stating, “Our enduring partnership with Estée Lauder Group has been defined by remarkable vision and dedication. By introducing the exclusive Estée Lauder Group SSBeauty store in Chandigarh, we are setting new standards in beauty retail, providing customers with unparalleled access to a wide range of world’s best beauty brands.”

“Our 17+ year partnership with Shoppers Stop has helped us grow our presence in India exponentially. We are extremely proud to partner with Shoppers Stop to bring quality beauty experiences for our consumers. We plan on opening more exclusive SSBeauty stores across India to intensify our reach in India,” said Rohan Vaziralli, General Manager, Estée Lauder Companies India.

SSBeauty at Elante Mall, Chandigarh, invites beauty enthusiasts to immerse themselves in a world of transformative products and unforgettable experiences. The store offers a diverse range of services, including beauty masterclasses, make-over services, skincare consultations, fragrance discovery stations, gifting options and personalized services. The stores house the finest assortment of makeup, skincare & fragrance brands to cater to every consumer’s unique beauty needs.