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Powys County Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Hewlett-Packard lost hundreds of millions in Autonomy acquisition, judge rules
Hewlett-Packard (HP) lost hundreds of millions of pounds through its acquisition of British software company Autonomy, which was founded by Mike Lynch, a High Court judge has ruled. The technology firm, now known as Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE), sued the British entrepreneur for around five billion US dollars following its purchase of Cambridge-based Autonomy for 11.1 billion dollars (£8.2 billion) in 2011. The company claimed at a nine-month trial in 2019 that Mr Lynch inflated Autonomy's revenues and 'committed a deliberate fraud over a sustained period of time', which it said forced it to announce an 8.8 billion dollar (£6.5 billion) write-down of the firm's worth just over a year after the acquisition. In a ruling in 2022, Mr Justice Hildyard said the American firm had 'substantially succeeded' in their claim, but that it was likely to receive 'substantially less' than the amount it claimed in damages. He said that Autonomy had not accurately portrayed its financial position during the purchase, but even if it had, HPE would still have bought the company, but at a reduced price. A hearing was then held last year to decide the amount that Mr Lynch must pay in damages, before the businessman died aged 59 along with his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, and five others when his yacht, the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily last August. On Tuesday, Mr Justice Hildyard ruled that HPE suffered losses amounting to £697,876,753 through the purchasing of Autonomy, some of which is set to be paid by Mr Lynch's estate. He also ruled that Mr Lynch's estate is liable to pay part of around 47.5 million dollars in damages, which is worth around £35 million. Some of the money is due to be paid by Sushovan Hussain, Autonomy's former chief financial officer, who was also sued by HPE. He was convicted in April 2018 in the US of wire fraud and other crimes related to Autonomy's sale, and was sentenced to five years in prison. While he has since settled HPE's claim, he could still be required to pay damages. A further hearing to deal with matters including interest, currency conversion and whether Mr Lynch's estate can appeal against the decision is set to be held in November. Handing down his ruling, Mr Justice Hildyard expressed his 'great sympathy' for Mr Lynch's family, calling his death a 'tragedy'. He said: 'It is a source of anxiety to me that I have to deliver a judgment that will inevitably cause further stress on those involved.' In the 197-page ruling, he said he considered that HPE's claim 'was always substantially exaggerated' and that the five billion dollars figure claimed 'was not based on detailed analysis'. Following the ruling in 2022, Mr Lynch, who was also the founding investor of cybersecurity giant Darktrace, was extradited to the US in May 2023 to face criminal charges after his removal was approved by the then-Home Secretary Priti Patel. He was cleared of accusations that he orchestrated a fraud and conspiracy over Autonomy's sale in the US in June 2024, and was celebrating the acquittal on his yacht at the time of his death. In a statement written before his death, issued posthumously by his representatives on Tuesday, Mr Lynch said: 'Today's High Court ruling reflects that HP's original five billion dollar damages claim was not just a wild overstatement – misleading shareholders – but it was off the mark by 80%. 'HP acquired Autonomy for 11.6 billion dollars and today's judgment is a view that Autonomy's actual value was not even 10% below the price HP paid. 'This result exposes HP's failure and makes clear that the immense damage to Autonomy was down to HP's own errors and actions. 'An appeal process will be considered later this year. 'The English civil case included hearsay evidence from the US and we were never able to question or cross-examine those witnesses. 'This is in direct contrast to the rights of defendants in the US legal system. 'When in the US criminal trial we were able to cross-examine the relevant witnesses, a very different story emerged. Why is the English legal system so trusting?' A spokesperson for HPE said: 'We are pleased that this decision brings us a step closer to the resolution of this dispute. 'We look forward to the further hearing at which the final amount of HPE's damages will be determined.' Jeremy Sandelson, who was appointed by the court as administrator of Mr Lynch's estate, said he would be 'examining the judgment carefully', including whether to appeal both the 2022 ruling and the judgment on Tuesday.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Film on Kittel: Techie's cinematic tribute to author of first Kannada-English dictionary
Bengaluru: Long before modern digital tools and standardised linguistic references, a remarkable milestone in the history of the Kannada language was quietly achieved in the late 19th century. Perhaps no other Dravidian languages found a lexicographer then, but in Kannada, a comprehensive Kannada-English dictionary was published way back in 1894 by German missionary Ferdinand Kittel, paving the way for future studies in Kannada linguistics. While Kittel and his works have taken a backseat over the last 130 years, a Mysuru-based techie-turned-filmmaker, Prashant Pandit, has brought back the memories of Kittel in his latest non-fiction and period film, The Word and the Teacher (Das Wort und Der Lehrer), recollecting the life and works of Kittel both in Germany and Karnataka. The film will be screened at Bangalore International Centre (BIC), Domlur, from 11am to 1pm on July 27. Indian languages always fascinated Pandit, who worked at Hewlett-Packard (HP). His interest in the evolution of languages and scripts made him dive deep into the linguistic world, and that was when he came across Kittel's work. "From being an outsider to the language to publishing the first comprehensive dictionary comprising prominent dialects, Kittel did remarkable work in Kannada. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Now it is a lot easier to pick up any language. But in the 1870s, barring some level of conversational Kannada, it was humanly impossible for an outsider to master the language and bring out a dictionary of 70,000 words! I was curious to know how Kittel learnt Kannada so clearly and took up the project," Pandit recollected his journey, which started in 2020. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Planning to make a 15–20-minute film on Kittel initially, Pandit began scouting for details from Mangaluru, Madikeri, Dharwad, Ooty, and Germany. But his extensive research during the Covid-19 pandemic opened several unexpected details about Kittel's life, works, and contributions to Kannada language and literature. "Then I was convinced that a short film format would not do justice to the man who devoted his entire life to Kannada, and decided to produce a full feature-length film, tracing his journey from Resterhafe on the northwestern coast of Germany to Canara (Karnataka), along with a few of my friends who helped me with the film. " The 80-minute, tri-lingual period film, shot in various locations where Kittel lived and worked both in south India and Germany, has adopted the first-person narration technique. "Documentaries usually have anecdotal references, interviews, or soundbites along with visuals. But our film does not feature any of these, and Kittel himself narrates his life and works based on his own letters to his kids and superiors throughout the film. I wanted it to be realistic, authentic, and there should not be any room for fictional fantasies. We have included archival photographs from the 19th century, folk songs, and poems penned and translated by Kittel," Pandit explained. Being a developer, Pandit, during his research visits to Mangaluru and other places, discovered that Kittel used unique fonts in all the typefaces of Kannada. "All of these were designed and cast in Europe and brought to India. Aesthetically, they were eye-catching and pleasing for readers. Then it struck me, what if we develop the same into modern-day digital fonts as part of Indic computing. Subsequently, I brought out these unique digital fonts based on Kittel's typefaces and named it 'Karnataka F Kittel font' after him. This Unicode font is free of charge and available on the open-source platform," Pandit explained. "Barring a few write-ups and a few doctoral theses, there are not many details available about his work and life here. Out of his 71 years, Kittel spent about 40-45 years in Karnataka. After his missionary work, when Kittel was sent back, the Britishers recalled him. In fact, his dictionary was the first-ever crowd-funded project as it was funded by the Mysore kings, British officers, and other philanthropists. From the day he landed in Karnataka till the publication, he literally noted down every word in multiple dialects of south, north, and coastal Karnataka. Some of the words even have descriptions spanning 2-3 pages!" Pandit said.
Los Angeles Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The Lone Star State takes on Hollywood, Texas-style: Bigger, better and with conservative values
The opening scene unfolds onto a bird's-eye view of a sedan making its way down a stretch of unmarked highway, as Woody Harrelson's unmistakable drawl is heard off-camera. 'You ever wonder if this industry of ours is just chasing its own tail?' he asks. Matthew McConaughey, in his equally distinctive cadence, shoots back, 'No, I don't wonder. Restrictions, regulations, nickel and diming productions, political lectures,' before the camera pans in for a close-up of the actors. The sequence pays homage to the gritty, atmospheric crime drama 'True Detective.' Indeed, it was directed by Nic Pizzolatto, the show's creator. In January, this four-minute video, 'True to Texas,' was released as part of an unusual campaign by a coalition of A-list actors — Dennis Quaid, Renée Zellweger and Billy Bob Thornton make appearances — independent creatives and Lone Star Republicans to appeal to the Texas State Legislature. The goal: to help bring increased film incentives to a state not known for its wholesale embrace of Hollywood or government subsidies — particularly for something like the arts. Despite considerable push back among conservative lawmakers, the effort paid off. Last month Gov. Greg Abbott allowed the passage of an unprecedented bill boosting tax incentives for film production in the state to $300 million every two years — guaranteeing that funding for 10 years. The law goes into effect Sept. 1. The aggressive bid to nab a slice of Hollywood furthers the ongoing rivalry between California and Texas. Several major Golden State-based companies including Tesla and Hewlett-Packard have relocated to the Lone Star State, lured by lower taxes and its business-friendly environment. It also comes as California is struggling to keep movie and TV production, having recently doubled its own tax incentive ceiling to compete with film subsidies in three dozen other states and abroad. The new bill puts Texas in a position to become a major player among the growing list of global and regional filming hubs in an industry that has become increasingly unmoored from its historic Hollywood hometown. 'Texas now has a program that is going to be competitive,' said Fred Poston, the executive director of the Texas Media Production Alliance. 'When you really take a close look at it, you realize this is a big deal. We have this new level of funding to start building more industry around it.' The Texas bill is not only bigger and better, but found itself an unlikely champion in Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. 'We are not trying to make Texas the next Hollywood — we don't like Hollywood. We want to export Texas values,' said Patrick in a campaign update. A staunch conservative who has relentlessly opposed legalized marijuana, gambling and abortion, Patrick has vowed 'to make Texas the Film Capital of the World.' The bill, which supports the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund (TMIIF) program, offers tiered grants up to 25% for projects spending $1.5 million in the state. Faith-based films and those that shoot in historic sites or employ a percentage of crew who are Texas-based military veterans can push grants up to 31%. The governor's office, through the film commission, has broad discretion over which projects receive funds and awards can be denied at any stage in the review process for material that portrays Texas negatively or contains 'inappropriate' content. Still, even with the bill's Texas-style protectionist wrangling, its passage was far from assured. Weeks before the Senate vote, there was hand-wringing among conservative lawmakers and others who opposed the bill on economic, moral and even biblical grounds. Critics took swipes at profanity-laced scripts and what they saw as inaccurate portrayals of the state's oilmen on TV. Some viewed the grants as akin to taxpayer theft. Many shuddered at the thought that the bill would usher in the unholy influence of a debauched Hollywood on Texas. 'The Bible warns us of the consequences of the government wrongfully taking money from some and handing it out to others,' said the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility in one of several papers it published decrying the bill. Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison called the bill 'an abomination. And shame on everybody who voted for it.' Harrison launched his own 'Don't Hollywood My Texas' crusade. One of his followers, the Freedom Bard, a self-proclaimed 'patriotic' lyricist, recorded an earworm of a protest anthem denouncing the bill with such lyrics as: 'Keep your failed policies and your liberal BS.' 'This is big government liberal redistributive socialism,' Harrison told The Times, 'The governor and lieutenant governor of the supposedly Republican-controlled state of Texas chose to keep property taxes billions of dollars higher so that you can subsidize a rich liberal Hollywood movie industry — how embarrassing.' He plans to introduce legislation at a special hearing later this month to repeal the law. Despite the hostility toward Hollywood, Texas was once known as the film industry's 'Third Coast.' Many of the westerns of the 1920s and '30s were filmed in the state. Texas' sweeping backdrops and larger-than-life characters have inspired some of the most celebrated movies and television shows, including the 1956 epic 'Giant,' the 1974 slasher classic 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' the 1990 sleeper hit 'Slacker' and the acclaimed small-town TV series 'Friday Night Lights.' The state's cultural soil has nurtured a fertile creative community with filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez ('El Mariachi'), Wes Anderson ('Bottle Rocket') and Richard Linklater ('Boyhood'). By the early 2000s, however, neighboring states began chipping away. 'Texas had been highly competitive, we had all of these ingredients,' said Rebecca Campbell, CEO of the Austin Film Society. 'Then all of a sudden, Texas stories were getting shot in New Mexico and Louisiana.' In 2007, the state established its first program for film incentives, earmarking $20 million. Although the program expanded in later years, it became chronically underfunded, prompting the producers of 'Fear the Walking Dead' in 2021 to relocate to Georgia after filming four seasons around Austin. Linklater had to rework his 2024 romantic crime thriller 'Hit Man' starring Glen Powell, originally set in Houston, when filming relocated to New Orleans because of a lack of available incentive funds. 'We're completely surrounded by states that have very active film incentive programs,' Linklater told the podcast 'Friends on Film.' 'They really support this industry, and you have to do that to compete.' But a perceptible cultural and economic shift in the Texas landscape began to slowly take shape during the pandemic, when a wave of actors and filmmakers relocated to the state. Filmmaker Nate Strayer, formerly of Los Angeles, moved to Austin in 2021 and later founded production company Stray Vista Studios. 'We started to realize that we could have an industry here where our stories aren't being pulled away to other states,' said Strayer, whose company produced the 'True to Texas' video. Until the pandemic shut down Hollywood, 'Fargo' series creator Noah Hawley flew every other week from his home in Texas to Los Angeles for meetings with his production company when he wasn't shooting. When the pandemic ended, Hawley found he no longer needed to be based in Hollywood. Last year he moved his company, 26 Keys, to Austin. 'My wife and I wanted to be a bigger part of our community in Texas,' he said. 'What Austin provides for me is more of a local, handmade place.' The other wave to hit Texas' film industry was Taylor Sheridan. The 'Yellowstone' creator, who grew up in Fort Worth, began filming many of his hit television shows — including '1883' and 'Landman' — across the state. The productions brought in hundreds of millions of dollars to local businesses and a stream of tourists in what many began calling 'the Sheridan Effect.' Production of '1883' alone led to 13,325 booked hotel nights in Fort Worth, according to the city's film commission. Beyond the economic boom, Sheridan showed that Texas could tell its own stories and help seed larger ambitions. In February 2023, Lt. Gov. Patrick had dinner with Sheridan. Shortly afterward, Patrick described Sheridan as the 'best screenwriter of our time and one of the best storytellers ever to make movies' and said, 'My goal is for Taylor to move all of his TV and movie production to Texas.' Soon, Sheridan had a multiplier effect. The Wonder Project, the faith-based, family-oriented production company behind Amazon's 'House of David,' was established by filmmaker Jon Erwin ('Jesus Revolution') and former YouTube executive Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten in 2023 with more than $75 million from such investors as Jason Blum, Lionsgate and Leonard Leo, the wealthy conservative lawyer and Federalist Society co-chairman. Two years ago, Hill Country Studios, a $267-million film and television studio, broke ground in San Marcos. The plans include 12 soundstages spanning 310,000 square feet, two back lots, a virtual production stage and 15 acres of outdoor production space. Zachary Levi, the star of 'Shazam!' and 'Chuck,' is raising $40 million to develop his Wyldwood Studios in Bastrop east of Austin. Plans call for two 20,000-square-foot soundstages, along with a hotel, restaurants and homes. 'I really felt this ... calling on my life to go and build what is essentially a new version in the lineage of United Artists,' he said. 'That allows the artist to really take the power back, take their destiny back.' But for all the activity, there was no getting around the math. If Texas did not pour resources into a substantial rebate program, it would continue to lose out. The challenge was to convince the conservative Legislature that an incentive program was not simply a Hollywood handout. Thus began a campaign in spring 2023 with Texas voices advocating for a strong film industry. That May, 'Good for Texas,' the video precursor to 'True to Texas,' showcased Lone Star-born actors such as McConaughey, Quaid, Owen Wilson, Powell and others in support of increased incentives. Filmmaker Chase Musslewhite, a sixth-generation Houstonian who was one of the video's producers, said she was motivated to get involved when she lost funding for her first feature after her financier opted to shoot in Louisiana. She joined forces with Grant Wood, a Midland native, who had studied film and ran a Dallas start-up, to launch the Media for Texas advocacy group. 'We wanted to help get the film community aligned and put forth one bill with one idea to make it as easy as possible for the Legislature to push for it,' Musslewhite said. The Texas Film Commission painted a rosy picture, saying that for every dollar invested in the incentives, Texas received $4 of new money into the economy. A pivotal moment arrived in late summer 2024. Media for Texas co-hosted a private screening of the film 'Reagan,' starring Dennis Quaid, with Patrick at Austin's Bullock Texas State History Museum. A number of state legislators attended. Patrick took to the podium and announced his aim to 'make Texas the media capital of the world,' Musslewhite recalled. That was the push people needed, Musslewhite said. Last October, Patrick convened a special hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, where a new bill for a robust film incentive was front and center. Patrick marshaled McConaughey, Harrelson, Quaid and Sheridan to support him. Joining the effort was billionaire Ross Perot Jr. During the hearing, a denim-clad Quaid voiced his support. 'I, for one, feel that the world is beginning to turn right side up again and common sense prevails, and I'd like to see that reflected in our films and entertainment.' When Sheridan spoke, he expressed regret that his 2016 film 'Hell or High Water,' a story of two bank-robbing brothers trying to save their Texas family ranch, had to shoot in New Mexico because of its subsidies. 'No one will be here without the incentives,' the filmmaker said. During the last stretch before the vote, McConaughey, in a cowboy hat, made a final overture to legislators in March. 'If we pass this bill, we are immediately at the bargaining table for shooting more films and TV and commercials in our state,' he said. 'That is money that's going to local Texas restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, dry cleaners, street rentals, home rentals ― even Woody's barber,' in a nod to Harrelson, who was also in attendance. The high-profile campaign worked. Two months later, the bill passed in the Senate with a 23-8 vote, and by June it had become law. Nonetheless, concerns remain about the program. For one, the bill, which emphasizes a positive portrayal of the state, does not specifically address whether a film or show that has themes such as abortion, gun control or LGBTQ+ characters will receive funding. In 2010, then-Gov. Rick Perry's administration yanked funding for the Robert Rodriguez film 'Machete' over concerns that the movie portrayed Texas negatively. George Huang, professor of screenwriting at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, cautioned this could be 'a very slippery slope.' 'I understand that with incentives you don't want to appear to fund controversial subjects,' he said. 'But where do you draw the line on censorship? Who in the governor's office is the arbiter of good taste?' Many inside the Texas film community stress that these are still early days and believe the film office will ultimately take a case-by-case approach. 'I think that those fears are misplaced, because the opportunity for what Texas can provide to the country and to the world outweighs the risk,' Musslewhite said. For now,the Texas film community is elated. 'Texans kind of warmed up to the idea that if an industry were to grow in Texas, it doesn't have to look exactly like it looks in some of these other places,' Strayer said. 'I think they came to realize that you can kind of write your own rules.' And what's more Texan than writing your own rules?
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Digital Nomads Are Getting Caught in the War on Tourism
This is part of Reason's 2025 summer travel issue. Click here to read the rest of the issue. "It was a grueling three-hour commute to my Colorado office this morning. I left Telluride with a yellow day pack strapped to my back, and climbed north into the mountains through the golden glow of early-October aspens," wrote Steven K. Roberts in his 1988 book, Computing Across America. Roberts made his way through the remnants of a mining camp before settling at the desk he'd cobbled out of industrial junk the day before. "My chair is an old dynamite crate; my computer a Hewlett-Packard Portable. I flipped open the display, fired up Microsoft WORD, and here I am at work—pattering into a mountainside text file," he wrote. "No, I'm not on vacation. I am a high-tech nomad—pedaling a recumbent bicycle around the United States with a portable computer while funding the journey with a sporadic outpouring of words." A year and a half earlier, Roberts had decided to leave behind his stationary life in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He built a bicycle that doubled as a mobile office—"an eight-foot-long machine bedecked with solar panels and enough state-of-the-art gizmology to start an engineering school"—and embarked on a yearslong 17,000-mile journey throughout the United States. Roberts worked as a computer consultant and freelance writer from the road, filing articles via pay phone. Roberts' lifestyle was completely foreign in the 1980s. People were fascinated by the pioneering digital nomad, whose story landed him on The Phil Donahue Show and the front page of The Wall Street Journal. And it raised big questions about the future of work. Before email, Zoom, and Slack became fixtures of everyday work life, the vast majority of the world's white-collar workers were bound to physical offices. Truly remote jobs were scarce. Slowly but surely, technological innovations allowed more people to work from an entirely different city or state than their coworkers. Then the COVID-19 pandemic showed that millions could work remotely and effectively, thanks to increasingly accessible and functional digital services. From 2019 to 2021, the number of Americans primarily working from home tripled from 9 million to 27.6 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Also during the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world buttoned up their borders and told their citizens to stay home. As the pandemic receded and international travel restrictions began to lift, many newly remote workers were keen to live and work beyond their countries' borders—and foreign governments began to notice. Looking to capitalize on an unprecedentedly mobile work force, countries rushed to create visas tailored to so-called digital nomads. Since summer 2020, dozens have unveiled programs designed to entice remote employees to work from their soil. These programs grant legal status for longer than the typical tourist visa, which may be as short as 90 days. That longer term gives digital nomads the chance to build deeper connections in their host countries and have a wider range of experiences than a tourist might. The benefits to remote workers are obvious, but countries benefit from digital nomad arrangements too. Some collect tax revenue from visa holders. Those that don't still reap the benefits of remote workers spending their foreign incomes and sharing their cultures and skills with neighbors. But not every kind of visitor is welcome in digital nomad–friendly countries these days. Even as governments set up visa programs specifically to attract the world's mobile employees, they're cracking down on tourists and the amenities they enjoy. Digital nomads may soon find themselves in cities and countries that have heavily restricted their Airbnb markets or imposed daily fees on tourists. Can these two approaches coexist? Even though countries don't treat digital nomads as tourists, they don't treat them as permanent residents either. Digital nomads are bound to be caught in the tourist battles. If legal digital nomad status comes with enough downsides, remote workers won't want it—and countries risk missing out on travelers who could help address tourism-related worries. Digital nomadism was already on the rise before COVID-era remote work freed more people to do their jobs from far-flung places. The term digital nomad predates the pandemic by more than two decades. Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners' 1997 book Digital Nomad "predicted a future workforce of globe-trotting travellers logging in from abroad" thanks to "technological advances and humanity's will to explore," reports the BBC. The idea gained more traction in "the 2010s, largely among young people looking for an early-career escape from the decades of 9–5 office work they saw looming before them." Estonia was the first country to unveil a formal digital nomad visa program after the pandemic began, doing so in summer 2020. Since then, dozens of countries have followed suit. More than 20 European nations offer digital nomad visas or other visas that are accessible to remote-working professionals. So do such expat favorites as Panama, Bali, Thailand, and Colombia. Tiny Caribbean island nations, bustling Asian economies, and some of the world's most populous countries have all joined in. Most of those visas allow remote workers to live in a country for at least a year. Most require an application fee and proof of regular income or available funds. Jobs must generally be based outside of the visa-issuing country. Beyond those basics, there's quite a bit of variation. For example, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Georgia allow applicants to bring their families. Digital nomads who live in Panama can apply for tax residency and may be able to avoid paying taxes at home. (Unfortunately for Americans working abroad, the IRS views "worldwide income" as "subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you live.") Belize lets visa holders' kids attend the country's schools. Dominica offers the nomads duty-free goods and various discounts. In 2023 the World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation projected that the global number of digital nomads would reach 40 million by the end of that year and 60 million by 2030. But it's hard to say how large this globe-trotting work force is—is someone a digital nomad, or is he just working on vacation?—and not every digital nomad has a digital nomad visa. It's also difficult to quantify digital nomads' economic power; some put their global economic value in the hundreds of billions. Digital nomad visas are a way for countries to regularize a quasi-illegal practice. Someone who wants to stay in a country on a medium- or long-term basis but isn't able or willing to get an immigrant visa or a work visa might decide to work under the radar. They might be there on a tourist visa and resort to border runs—i.e., quick trips abroad to restart the clock on a limited visa. Working in a local job on a tourist visa is illegal, and the law isn't settled about working in a home country–based job from abroad. Border runs are risky and encourage shorter-term thinking: There's always a chance that someone will be denied reentry. Digital nomad visas can provide more certainty to federal authorities—and to nomads, who can build more permanent lives and deeper connections in their host countries. While digital nomad visas allow foreigners to stay in a country for longer than a tourist visa would, that doesn't mean they have an easy path to permanent residency. Looking at digital nomad schemes in 65 jurisdictions, the migration consultancy firm Global Citizen Solutions found that "three grant direct access to citizenship for time spent as digital nomads"—Spain, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic—"while 15 offer pathways to permanent residency, paving the way to eventual citizenship." Not exactly immigrants and not just visitors, digital nomads occupy a strange legal and social space. That has left them vulnerable to nearby battles. "We think tourist demand is unstoppable," a Barcelona deputy mayor told CNN in March. "Everyone is welcome. But there's a limit. The only possibility is to control the supply." The number of tourists staying overnight in Barcelona just about tripled between 2000 and 2016, jumping from 3.1 million to 9 million. Over 15 million overnight tourists stayed in Barcelona in 2024. While tourism is an important part of Barcelona's economy, many locals are concerned about how the growing number of visitors is changing their home. The city made international headlines last summer when thousands of locals took to the streets chanting, "Tourists go home." Things escalated when some protesters squirted water guns at tourists sitting at outdoor cafés. CNN called it "the water pistol shot that echoed around the world." That episode was a hyperliteral version of the tourists vs. locals debate, but it captured feelings that have been bubbling up in the world's hottest vacation destinations. In many of those places, governments are taking measures to crack down on what they see as excessive or undesirable tourism. Amsterdam directed a "stay away" ad campaign toward British men ages 18–35 who searched terms like stag party, cheap hotel, or pub crawl Amsterdam. Dubrovnik, in Croatia, banned tourists from rolling their wheeled suitcases down cobblestone streets in some parts of the city. Travelers visiting Venice's historic center in spring and summer 2024 faced a daily entry fee of 5 euros. Bali, Indonesia, introduced a 150,000 rupiah ($9.18) entry fee for international visitors last year, and local officials are reportedly considering raising it. Destinations such as Santorini, Greece, and Palma de Mallorca, Spain, have tightened regulations on daily cruise ship arrivals. Critics of "overtourism" say it's about bad tourist behavior. It's also about sheer numbers—the idea that too many people are flocking to too small a space. Some borrow environmentalist language about "carrying capacity" and sustainability when talking about overwhelmed destinations. The world does have plenty of disrespectful tourists and packed city centers. But discussions of overtourism often minimize the economic symbiosis between tourists and locals (or even view it as a negative). The sheer-numbers approach paints all visitors with the same brush, and the government policies stemming from it are likewise broad. Perhaps the most common and disruptive antitourism measure is banning short-term vacation rentals such as Airbnbs. The practice of converting long-term apartments into short-term rentals, which can be a lucrative option for property owners, is often blamed for raising housing costs and shutting residents out of desirable central neighborhoods. That's the argument behind New York City's de facto Airbnb ban, which has driven up hotel prices for travelers. Barcelona has stopped issuing short-term rental licenses and won't renew existing ones, aiming to phase out short-term rentals by 2029. (In May, the Spanish government demanded that Airbnb remove 66,000 rental listings from its site.) Vienna allows homeowners to rent out short-term units for only 90 days per year. Athens is in the middle of a one-year ban on new short-term rental registrations in several city districts. Several digital nomad visas require applicants to secure a 12-month lease (Portugal's and Italy's, for example), but digital nomads nonetheless make heavy use of short-term rentals. A digital nomad might want to live in a country for a year but not in just one city—something that's easier through Airbnb than a traditional lease. Short-term rental services also allow visitors to vet units via reviews from abroad rather than risking signing a lease for a unit that may or may not match online descriptions. Daily entry fees, sightseeing restrictions, and tighter Airbnb markets might seem like minor inconveniences, especially for digital nomads who are ostensibly living beyond day-to-day tourist experiences. But they help create the impression that visitors aren't traveling somewhere to experience a place but to impose upon it. And they eliminate some of the amenities that make the digital nomad lifestyle attractive in the first place. It's been over 40 years since Roberts pioneered the high-tech nomadic lifestyle. The oldest postpandemic digital nomad visa programs turn 5 this year. They came at a unique time in both remote work technology and global mobility, offering an office abroad to anyone with wanderlust and a Wi-Fi connection. Or at least that was the promise. What's been the payoff? By some estimates, it's been minimal. Nomads Embassy, a company that assists digital nomads, aggregates visa approval numbers from some of the top destinations for mobile workers. As of February 2023, Croatia had approved 680 digital nomad visas; Estonia had granted 535 by February 2024; and Malaysia had approved 1,506 by July 2024. In the first year of its digital nomad visa scheme, Portugal granted 2,600 visas. Thailand "has approved approximately 1,200 of its Destination Thailand Visas," reports Centuro Global, a company that helps businesses expand globally. According to Euronews, Spain "granted almost 7,500 digital nomad visas in the first 10 months following its introduction." That's a tiny fraction of the world's digital nomads. There are a few reasons for this. Many digital nomads can get by without visas; not everyone who wants to work remotely abroad wants to do so for a year. Complicated tax situations, scarce or expensive lodging, and doubts over the portability of benefits all might keep someone from making a long-term leap. Then there are all the bureaucratic hoops. That raises the question: What are these visas for? Governments across the world are still trying to figure that out. They talk about "transforming how people in the world choose to work," enabling "a lifestyle that allows you to explore incredible places," and attracting "highly qualified" and "top" professionals in desired fields. But if hardly anybody is taking advantage of the visas, what are those talking points good for? Countries hoping to lure digital nomads "will need to consider both what type of remote worker they wish to attract and how proactive they wish to be," explained the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) in a 2022 report. They might "develop a remote work strategy that integrates immigration priorities with economic development and inclusive growth objectives," it noted. Governments could also "create temporary-to-permanent pathways so that some remote workers on visitor and nomad visas can transition to more permanent residence." "To truly reap the benefits of remote work, governments need to understand that this is about more than generating revenue from digital nomad visa programs," the report continued, "but also making a country an attractive environment for temporary visitors." Visas haven't been necessary to legitimize the digital nomad lifestyle. But they could be an antidote to overtourism. Digital nomadism "offers a steady income stream throughout the year, reducing dependence on peak tourism seasons," wrote Cabo Verde's secretary of state for digital economy last year. "Digital nomads often stay longer and spend more locally than traditional tourists, creating a more sustainable economic model." Making it easier for remote workers to settle abroad in the medium to long term means that more people will have access to a slower, more deliberate way of experiencing a foreign country. Not all will flock to metropolises like Lisbon and Barcelona. Some entrepreneurial digital nomads are setting up co-living spaces in European villages facing depopulation, coming to agreements "with the town hall, with local associations, with businesses, with the community itself," Juan Barbed, co-founder of the co-living company Rooral, told Euronews last year. Countries have much to gain by introducing desirable digital nomad visas or improving existing ones. Digital nomads will never outnumber tourists, but they will suffer if they become collateral damage in a war on tourism. The post Digital Nomads Are Getting Caught in the War on Tourism appeared first on
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Business Standard
07-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
HP launches OmniBook 5 and 3 series AI laptops in India: Price, specs, more
HP OmniBook 5, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1-26-100 processor is priced at Rs 75,999, and the OmniBook 3 powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300 processor is priced at Rs 69,999 New Delhi American PC maker Hewlett-Packard (HP) has expanded its artificial intelligence (AI) PCs in India with the launch of a 14-inch HP OmniBook 5 – powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1-26-100 processor – and HP OmniBook 3 in 15.6-inch and 14-inch screen size options powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors. According to the company, these AI PCs enhance video calls, boost collaboration, and optimise performance. HP Omnibook 5 and 3: Price and availability HP OmniBook 5 14-inch: Rs 75,999 HP OmniBook 3 15.6-inch: Rs 69,999 HP OmniBook 3 14-inch: Rs 69,999 Colour: Glacier Silver The HP OmniBook 5 and 3 models are now available for purchase from the HP Online store and select retail outlets–including Croma and Reliance Digital. HP OmniBook 5 (14-inch): Details The HP Omnibook 5 14-inch AI PC is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1-26-100 processor with an on-device NPU, which according to HP is capable of handling AI tasks at up to 45 TOPS. According to HP, the OmniBook 5 gives up to 34 hours of battery life in a slim design, offers AI-enhanced video calls with Windows Studio Effects, and comes with HP Audio Boost 2.0. The laptop also features a 2K OLED display. HP OmniBook 5 14-inch: Specifications Display: 14-inch, 2K (1920x1200) resolution, OLED panel, 300 nits of brightness Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X1-26-100 Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno GPU (integrated) RAM: 16GB LPDDR5x Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD Camera: 1080p FHD IR camera OS: Windows 11 Home Single Language Battery: 3-cell, 59 Wh Li-ion polymer Connectivity and ports: Qualcomm FastConnect Wi-Fi 6E (2x2), Bluetooth 5.3 wireless card, 2 USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate, 1 USB Type-A 10Gbps signaling rate Weight: 1.35 kg HP OmniBook 3 15.6-inch and 14-inch: Details The HP OmniBook 3 comes in two screen size options – 14-inch and 15.6-inch – both with AI-powered AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors with a dedicated NPU, which is claimed by HP to deliver up to 50 TOPS for efficient multitasking. Apart from the difference in screen size and weight, all other specifications for both variants remain the same. As per HP, it enhances video calls with Windows Studio Effects, an HP True Vision camera, dual mics, and AI noise reduction. The laptop includes an FHD display with 250 nits brightness and an 85 per cent screen-to-body ratio, along with a set of ports including USB Type-C, USB Type-A, and HDMI. HP OmniBook 3 15.6-inch and 14-inch: Specifications Display: 15.6-inch/14-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution, micro-edge, anti-glare, 250 nits brightness Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 Graphics: AMD Radeon 840M (integrated) RAM: 16GB DDR5 (2 x 8GB) Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD Camera: HP True Vision 1080p FHD camera OS: Windows 11 Home Single Language Battery: 3-cell, 41 Wh Li-ion polymer
