May 2020 - Biz Journal

Greece clarifies Covid-19 policy, to welcome tourists from all nations

Greek officials said Saturday that the country will not limit arriving airline passengers next month to people coming from 29 countries but that travellers who departed from places that aren’t on the initial list will be subject to mandatory testing for the coronavirus upon arrival and a quarantine period of one or two weeks.

The two-tiered policy, which revised information the Greek government issued Friday, will be applied during June 15-30, although officials left open the possibility of maintaining entry restrictions after the end of June, news agency PTI reported.

High-ranking tourism ministry officials said the government needed to clarify the purpose of the 29-country list during the coronavirus pandemic, pointing to a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

According to the officials and the foreign ministry document, a limited number of international flights will continue only being allowed to land

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Invesment

Tips for Making the Most of a Tight Budget for Your Small Business

May 30, 2020May 31, 2020 by Martha

Small businesses don’t often have a ton of extra cash lying around. If you’re looking to get a new business off the ground or market an existing venture, you may need to find creative ways to do so on a budget. Here, find tips from members of the online small business community for starting and growing a business without spending a ton of money.

Try the New Small Business Trends Business Loan Calculator

Getting a business started often requires the need for a small business loan. You may need it for a company vehicle or a new computer or a building repair or upgrade. But how big of a loan will you need and how long will you need to pay it off? Small Business Trends just introduced a new Business Loan Calculator which helps you figure out how much a loan could cost your business over time. This

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Economic

UP asks developers to absorb migrant workers in expressway projects

May 30, 2020May 31, 2020 by Martha

The Uttar Pradesh government today directed the private developers of the flagship Purvanchal Expressway, estimated to cost Rs 23,000 crore, to provide employment to lockdown-hit migrant workers returning from other states.

The construction of the 340-km Expressway is on in full swing after the suspension of civil works for a few weeks due to the lockdown.

Eight different packages of the infra projects are being developed by five private companies, namely, Gayatri Projects, PNC Infratech, GR Infra Project, Apco Infratech and Oriental Structural Engineering.

Chairing a review meeting in Lucknow, nodal agency UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) chief executive officer (CEO) Awanish Kumar Awasthi, who is also UP additional chief secretary, asked the developers to expedite the project and to actively absorb the migrants in civil works. He instructed these companies to promptly submit bills to UPEIDA,

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Biz News

From script to marketing, ‘Ponmagal Vandhal’ is a mediocre melodrama

May 30, 2020May 30, 2020 by Martha

There are two things that define “Ponmagal Vandhal”. The first is Jyothika, as the film’s protagonist who blazes through an authorbacked role in a project produced by her husband, Tamil superstar Suriya. The second is the message in the story. The film tries making a strong comment against rape and the sexual abuse of the girl child, which renders a noble intent to the effort.

Strangely, these very factors, on which everything about this film — from script to marketing — seems to hinge, also become a burden as the minutes pass, says IANS in a review.

Jyothika’s image as a star seems to weigh down the narrative every time things just begin to look different. You realise debutant writer-director JJ Fredrick is hardly interested in crafting any sort of cutting-edge entertainment out of this film, which has been billed as a courtroom drama,

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Economic

Will set global example for economic revival: PM Modi in letter to nation

May 30, 2020May 30, 2020 by Martha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter addressed to the people of India has expressed “firm belief” that the country will set an “example in economic revival” for the world, which is currently reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the letter, which marks the completion of one year of the current tenure of his government, the prime minister said sections of the population, including workers and artisans, have “undergone tremendous suffering” because of the spread of coronavirus.

He rested his hopes on the idea of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the Rs 20-trillion package for India’s economic revival and progress. The PM said the “fragrance of Indian soil, along with sweat, hard work, and talent of its workers”, assisted by the Rs 20-trillion package announced by his government, would help them “create products that will reduce India’s dependence on

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Invesment

My Parents are as Excited About Voice Technology as My Kids

May 30, 2020May 30, 2020 by Martha

In 2016 I did my first presentation on Amazon Alexa and Echo, and at the time there were about 700 skills available. Today there are over 100,000. And hundreds of millions of Alexa-enabled devices. So, since most of us are spending more time than ever in our houses, I wanted to catch up again with Dave Isbitski, Amazon’s Chief Evangelist for Alexa and Echo.

In a pretty extensive chat we had on LinkedIn Live recently, Dave shares some of the stories of how people are using Alexa/Echo and smart assistants in general during the Covid-19 pandemic, why he thinks voice technology is uniting generations, and how he sees voice playing a major role in the PC (Post Covid) era.

Below is an edited transcript of a portion of our conversation. To hear the full convo click on the embedded SoundCloud player.

Small Business Trends: How far have things

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