Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
Smeetha Ghosh-Jorgensen faced a problem that many parents encounter in today’s internet age: how to safely introduce her son to the digital world.
Hoping to solve the problem by joining an online community for parents to seek advice, she was surprised to find a lack of resources on how to address the issue.
While there was a range of apps for children of all ages, she realised that what was missing was a one-stop shop for concerned mothers who wanted their children to experience the best of what the internet had to offer in a safe manner.
Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen, 39, intends to fix that problem through Periscope Media.
The Dubai start-up, which she founded with a friend and runs as chief executive, plans to create an ecosystem that is built around mothers, with a suite of apps for modern-day families in the Mena region.
“I was unhappy with the solutions that are available right now,” Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen says.
“Our road map of products revolves around our foundation, that is, an online community for mothers [for whom] who we intend to co-create all our products for children [of different ages].”
Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen was born in Bengaluru, India, and moved to Dubai as a teenager. She has called the emirate home for more than 25 years. Married to a pilot, she has worked with global consumer brands for more than a decade in the UAE and Europe.
However, becoming an entrepreneur is what she really aspired to be throughout her marketing career.
“I have always had a strong desire to start my own business, and over many years and countless business ideas later, I finally found ‘the one’,” she says.
The idea of Periscope came during a chat between the founders as Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen discussed her concerns about children’s apps.
The two talked about how they would like to create products that their children could spend time on without worrying about safety, quality and value.
Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen and her silent co-founder – a professional who has worked with technology start-ups in Europe and the Middle East and has helped several companies raise funds – decided to join hands and Periscope was formed early this year.
The company intends to develop KidTech and edutainment apps. The first product it plans to unveil is Cashoo, an app that teaches children between the ages of six and 18 about money management.
Being “money smart” is a topic many children do not learn at school, a niche that Periscope intends to fill.
“By creating engaging and fun real-life experiences, kids will be exposed to how money works at an early age and be better prepared for adulthood,” she says.
The app, which is expected to be functional by February 2021, will help to address the issue of financial inclusion, an important concern for regional policymakers, she says.
Apart from Cashoo, Periscope’s other products include an edutainment app and another that focuses on children’s health and wellness.
However, developing an engaging digital platform and supportive community for mothers in the region remains a priority, Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen says.
The range of products that Periscope is developing is mainly around internet safety.
I've always had a strong desire to start my own business and over many years and countless business ideas later, I finally found 'the one'.
“It is very hard for parents to judge whether the content is age-appropriate or if an application is safe for [children] ... or find the time to keep up with [ever-changing] ways apps gather data and [information] about children,” she says.
Currently, internet safety regulations to protect children are being developed at a different pace across the region.
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in the US and specific sections of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation seek to make apps safe for children and give parents peace of mind.
Periscope’s ultimate goal is to work with authorities in the Middle East to create awareness and develop or adapt guidelines that make the digital world a safer place for children of all ages.
Periscope, which expects to be profitable within two years of starting operations, is based on a subscription model.
The founders have so far invested $250,000 to put the company through its initial stages and plan to approach venture capital companies and high-net-worth investors before the end of this year for additional funding. Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen declined to give the amount Periscope intends to raise.
“Based on the interest we have received so far, we are confident of raising the necessary funds to get the momentum we need to launch our products,” she says.
After launching products in the UAE, the company plans to expand to Saudi Arabia. India is also a market that is “definitely very attractive”, she says.
Two more team members with finance and businesses development expertise are joining the team, says Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen, who quit her job in July.
The company has outsourced the app development process, but plans to hire 10 more people by the end of July next year.
Q&A with Smeetha Ghosh, co-founder and chief executive of Periscope Media
What are the biggest lessons you have learnt so far since launching the venture?
One of the bigger lessons I am still learning is that when your skin is in the game, it is completely different to what you are used to in your corporate life. The sense of ownership is just tremendous in many ways. This is my baby and the decisions I make are responsible for driving the business forward. That realisation alone is exhilarating as well as daunting at the same time. The second lesson that I have learnt is that you simply cannot know everything before you start a business. You just have to dive in at the deep end and learn how to swim along the way and be ready to adapt to changes.
What are some of the things that you wish you could have done differently?
Until now, nothing with regards to Periscope. I wish I had started my own business a bit earlier in my life, though.
What new skills have you learnt since starting the business?
I am learning new things every day and I will continue to do so. For now, a lot of it is focused around product development, customer acquisition and retention strategies, as well as building a new team from the ground up.
Which other start-up do you wish you could have started?
So many. There are some great examples of global as well Middle Eastern companies that have been founded by women. A couple that come to mind are ClassPass and Mumzworld.
Your advice for entrepreneurs struggling to launch their own venture?
I am an optimist by nature, so I would say whatever challenges one is facing, there is always a way out. As entrepreneurs, we just have to be resilient. The biggest thing for me is really listen to and understand the customer and audience. With so many marketing technology tools at our disposal these days, it has become much easier. The more personalised experience your brand can provide, the more likely the customer is going to stick by your side.
Has Covid-19 affected your business in any way?
Covid-19 has definitely hastened the digital evolution in the Mena region. Screen times have more than doubled in most households and online learning and internet safety for children is at the forefront of parents’ minds. Covid-19 has accelerated the growth of a lot of companies operating in this space. If anything, we have to launch our app sooner than later as we have so much to offer.
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Dunki
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RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Disturbing%20facts%20and%20figures
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
More on Quran memorisation:
Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders