INDIA’S full-service carrier Vistara is considering renting long-haul aircraft to make up for delays in the delivery of Boeing planes, according to a media report.
It has placed orders for four Boeing 787s to expand its international operations, but the deliveries are delayed due to quality control concerns.
The airline, which began its operations in 2015, is reportedly holding negotiations with lessors as the travel industry is recovering from the prolonged pandemic shock.
Aircraft are available for lease, but Vistara is yet to make up its mind, the company’s chief executive Vinod Kannan told Reuters.
The company, co-owned by India’s Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has a fleet of 50 aircraft and plans to have 20 more by the end of next year, but the soaring fuel prices have cast uncertainties on the aviation sector.
International flights account for 25 per cent of Vistara’s operations, connecting India with major European destinations like London and Paris.
Kannan said the airline intends to operate flights to the US, South Korea and Japan.
"A lot of the long haul depends on aircraft availability. This is the time to capitalise, especially with India opening up international travel," he said.
As fuel prices surged, he previously said financial viability was an important factor in deciding on international operations.
"Fuel burn in longer flights when the fuel price is high is something that we have to account for, which may not have been as high before”, he had said last month.
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Tesco Clubcard changes: Customers urged to update app before Monday deadline
Mar 29, 2025
Tesco has issued an urgent call for action to millions of its Clubcard users, advising them to update their Tesco Shopping & Clubcard app before Monday, 31 March 2025. The supermarket giant is rolling out an important update to improve data protection and online security, and failure to update the app by the deadline will leave customers unable to access their digital Clubcard benefits.
Update to ensure enhanced security
The upcoming changes are being implemented to enhance the security of customer data and improve overall protection. Tesco has highlighted the importance of this upgrade, as it seeks to safeguard customer information and keep their online shopping experiences secure.
In a message sent to customers, Tesco said: "To increase your data protection and online security, we're updating our Tesco app to a newer version." The retailer has also confirmed that older versions of the app will no longer be supported after the deadline.
This update applies to customers who use the digital version of their Clubcard via the Tesco app, which has become increasingly popular for its convenience and ease of use.
What happens if you don’t update?
From Monday, 1 April, any customers who have not updated the app will be unable to use their digital Clubcard in-store. The update is necessary for the app to continue functioning, meaning shoppers who fail to act may miss out on earning or redeeming points, as well as taking advantage of Clubcard prices and promotions.
Many Tesco customers have shifted from using physical Clubcards to the digital version, which allows them to scan their phone at checkout and access personalised discounts. The digital option has grown in popularity, as it eliminates the need to carry a physical card, reducing the risk of forgetting it and missing out on savings.
With the deadline fast approaching, Tesco is urging customers to update the app as soon as possible to avoid disruption. Those who miss the update could potentially lose access to their Clubcard benefits during their next shopping trip.
How to update the app
Updating the Tesco Shopping & Clubcard app is straightforward and can be done in just a few steps, depending on the type of device used. Tesco reassures customers that they will still be able to enjoy all their Clubcard benefits once the update is complete.
For Android users, including those with Samsung devices, the app can be updated through the Google Play Store. iPhone users can access the latest version of the app via the iOS App Store.
Tesco has made it clear that this update only affects the app itself and will not impact any functionality on the Tesco website, tesco.com. The company said: "This update won’t affect anything you do on tesco.com." However, customers who frequently shop in-store using their digital Clubcard are advised to act promptly to ensure continued access to their savings.
Increased convenience with digital Clubcard
For many shoppers, the digital Clubcard offers convenience and flexibility. It not only allows customers to collect and spend points but also provides personalised offers and discounts that can significantly reduce the cost of their shopping. In some cases, the savings can be substantial, especially for those who regularly make use of the Tesco Clubcard.
As Tesco continues to innovate and streamline its customer experience, the digital Clubcard has become an essential tool for millions of shoppers. By offering seamless integration with the Tesco Shopping & Clubcard app, the supermarket ensures that customers can manage their purchases and rewards in one place.
Protecting against fraud
The update comes amid broader efforts by Tesco to protect its customers from potential fraud. The company has recently faced issues with online fraud involving Clubcard accounts, and the updated app is designed to strengthen security measures and reduce vulnerabilities.
A Tesco spokesperson stated that the update is part of their ongoing commitment to keeping customer data secure and ensuring a smooth shopping experience for all users.
Call to action
With the 31 March deadline just days away, Tesco is reminding customers to take action now to avoid any inconvenience. The retailer has emphasised that updating the app is essential for continued access to all Clubcard benefits, including points collection and discounts.
"Update your Tesco app today to ensure you can continue managing your shop and Clubcard in one place," the company said in its message to customers.
By updating the app, customers can continue to enjoy the full range of Tesco’s services and avoid any disruption to their Clubcard usage, keeping their shopping experience as smooth and secure as possible.
For those who haven’t yet acted, Tesco's final message is clear: ensure your app is updated by Monday, 31 March 2025, to maintain uninterrupted access to your Clubcard benefits.
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Leicester leaders push for major expansion amid local government shake-up
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28 March
OpenAI limits ChatGPT’s image generation feature amid viral Ghibli image trend
Mar 28, 2025
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced temporary limitations on the company’s image generation feature in response to overwhelming demand driven by a viral trend. On Thursday, Altman addressed the impact of the popular Ghibli-style image trend on OpenAI’s resources, particularly its reliance on GPUs (graphics processing units). Altman revealed that the surge in demand for ChatGPT’s image generation tool has led to significant strain on the company’s infrastructure, prompting the introduction of temporary speed limits for users.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Altman shared the company’s response to the unexpected demand, stating, “It’s super fun seeing people love images in ChatGPT, but our GPUs are melting. We are going to temporarily introduce some rate limits while we work on making it more efficient. Hopefully won’t be long! ChatGPT free tier will get 3 generations per day soon.”
Altman’s post highlights that the free tier of ChatGPT users will now be limited to generating just three images per day. This limitation is being introduced to help manage the strain on the company’s GPUs, which power the computationally intensive image generation process. The rate limits are intended to be temporary while OpenAI works on improving efficiency and addressing the high demand.
The CEO also acknowledged that the company is currently encountering issues with its image generation tool, stating, “Also, we are refusing some generations that should be allowed; we are fixing these as fast as we can.” This suggests that some users have experienced difficulties in generating images that would typically be supported, a problem OpenAI is working to resolve.
What is the Ghibli image trend?
OpenAI’s image generation feature was recently introduced, allowing users to create images directly within the ChatGPT interface. This new functionality has sparked a viral trend on social media, where users have been converting their photos into the style of Studio Ghibli animation, known for its dreamlike visuals and soft colour palettes. The trend has resonated with many, as people have been transforming personal images, such as family portraits or travel photos, into the distinctive Ghibli aesthetic.
Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation film studio, has long been revered for its hand-drawn animation and rich, human-centred storytelling. The Ghibli style, made famous by films like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, is characterised by detailed landscapes, pastel tones, and a nostalgic yet fantastical feel. The current trend of generating images in the Ghibli style has quickly gained momentum, flooding social media with anime-inspired transformations of everyday moments.
Even Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, embraced the trend by changing his profile picture on X to a Ghibli-style portrait. This viral phenomenon has resulted in a significant increase in the use of OpenAI’s image generation tool, contributing to the technical strain experienced by the company.
Studio Ghibli: A legacy in animation
Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985 by Miyazaki Hayao, Takahata Isao, and Suzuki Toshio, is one of the most celebrated animation studios in the world. Known for producing high-quality, hand-drawn animated films, the studio’s works are beloved for their emotional depth, strong characters, and unique artistic style.
Some of Studio Ghibli’s most notable films include Spirited Away (2001), which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), and Princess Mononoke (1997). These films have made a lasting impact on the global animation industry, with Ghibli’s intricate animation techniques and storytelling approach setting the gold standard for traditional animation.
The enduring appeal of Studio Ghibli’s films is evident in the current viral trend, where users are seeking to replicate the studio’s distinct style in their personal images using OpenAI’s tools.
Limitations on OpenAI’s image generation tool
OpenAI’s native image generation feature, recently rolled out to users of ChatGPT, allows individuals to create highly customised images and edit their existing photos. The feature is available to Plus, Pro, Team, and Free users of the chatbot, but the rollout to free-tier users has been delayed due to the high demand. Sam Altman confirmed that the delay is a temporary measure while OpenAI addresses the technical challenges posed by the viral trend and the heavy use of GPU resources.
According to Altman’s post, the current rate limit of three image generations per day for free-tier users is designed to alleviate the pressure on the company’s infrastructure. OpenAI is actively working on optimising the image generation feature, with hopes of restoring normal functionality soon. The company has not provided a specific timeline for when the temporary rate limits will be lifted, but Altman expressed optimism that the issues would be resolved in the near future.
Update on GPT-4o
In addition to the updates on the image generation tool, Sam Altman also announced an update to GPT-4o, which is OpenAI’s latest pre-trained model. Altman described GPT-4o as “particularly good at coding, instruction following, and freedom.” This update signals continued advancements in OpenAI’s core models, further enhancing the capabilities of ChatGPT.
GPT-4o represents the latest iteration of OpenAI’s powerful language models, offering improved performance in key areas such as coding assistance and complex instruction-following tasks. The update to GPT-4o is expected to further strengthen ChatGPT’s utility for a wide range of users, from developers seeking help with code to individuals using the platform for everyday problem-solving and creative tasks.
Challenges
The viral Ghibli-style image trend has brought immense attention to OpenAI’s image generation capabilities, but the surge in demand has also created challenges for the company’s infrastructure. In response, OpenAI has introduced temporary rate limits to manage the load on its GPUs, limiting free-tier users to three image generations per day. The company is working quickly to improve the efficiency of its tools while addressing ongoing issues with image generation. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s latest update to GPT-4o brings new improvements in coding and task execution, further expanding the capabilities of the ChatGPT platform.
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The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London. (Photo: Getty Images)
Economic growth in 2024 slightly higher than estimated: ONS
Mar 28, 2025
THE UK economy grew slightly more than first estimated in 2024, according to official data released on Friday, providing a small boost for the government after it revised down its growth forecast for 2025.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product expanded by 1.1 per cent in 2024, up from an initial estimate of 0.9 per cent.
The Labour government this week halved its growth forecast for 2025 while announcing spending cuts, including reductions to disability welfare payments and departmental budgets, to address public finances.
"The economy grew slightly more strongly in the first half of last year than previously estimated but continues to show little growth since last summer," ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has prioritised economic growth, but the economy has struggled to gain momentum since Labour took office in July.
Analysts at research group Pantheon Macroeconomics said the revised figures indicate "the UK's mild recession last year was even milder and the subsequent recovery even stronger." They added, "That shows how much growth could improve if uncertainty eases back from its current elevated levels."
The ONS also reported that British retail sales rose by one per cent in February, following an increase in January.
"Wage growth and the imminent uplift to the minimum wage may have left the consumer in a more positive frame of mind than had been feared," said Richard Hunter, head of markets at investment platform Interactive Investor.
(With inputs from AFP)
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Sri Lanka posts five per cent GDP growth as it ends years of economic decline
Mar 28, 2025
CASH-STRAPPED Sri Lanka’s economy grew by five per cent in 2024, marking the first full year of expansion since its unprecedented meltdown in 2022, official data showed last Tuesday (18).
The last quarter of 2024 saw the economy expand by 5.4 per cent, bringing the full calendar year’s GDP growth to five per cent, compared to a contraction of 2.3 per cent in 2023.
The island’s worst economic performance was in 2022, when GDP shrank by 7.3 per cent after the country ran out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports such as food and fuel. “After the two consecutive declines in GDP in 2022 and 2023, Sri Lanka’s economy recorded positive growth in 2024, paving the way for further optimism,” the Department of Census and Statistics said.
Agriculture, industry, and services contributed to the growth, it added. Months of shortages in early 2022 led to street protests, which eventually toppled thenpresident Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
His successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, secured a $2.9 billion (£2.2bn) four-year bailout from the IMF in 2023 after doubling taxes, cutting subsidies, and raising prices. The leftist administration led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who came to power in September, has maintained austerity measures.
Last month the IMF board released the fourth instalment of the bailout loan, saying that Sri Lanka’s programme performance “has been strong”. “Reforms in Sri Lanka are bearing fruit, and the economic recovery has been remarkable,” the IMF’s deputy managing director, Kenji Okamura, said in a statement.
“The recovery is expected to continue in 2025,” he added.
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Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said, 'What we’re going to be doing is a 25 per cent tariff on all cars that are not made in the US.'
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Trump imposes 25 per cent tariffs on foreign-built cars
Mar 27, 2025
US president Donald Trump has announced a 25 per cent tariff on imported cars and auto parts, escalating trade tensions with key partners.
The new duties take effect on 3 April and apply to foreign-made cars and light trucks, with additional levies on key auto parts set to follow within the month.
The move has drawn criticism from trading partners, with Japan’s prime minister Shigeru Ishiba saying Tokyo was “considering all kinds of countermeasures.”
Canada’s Mark Carney called the tariffs a “direct attack” on Canadian workers, while Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said his country “cannot stand still” in response.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said, “What we’re going to be doing is a 25 per cent tariff on all cars that are not made in the United States.”
He warned that Canada and the European Union could face “large-scale tariffs, far larger than currently planned” if they worked together to harm the US economy.
Trump’s senior trade adviser Peter Navarro defended the move, saying foreign trade practices had turned the US manufacturing sector into a “lower wage assembly operation for foreign parts.” He criticised Germany and Japan for keeping higher-value manufacturing in their own countries.
The announcement has also drawn concerns domestically. Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted the tariffs would increase the cost of imported parts used in Tesla cars, saying, “The cost impact is not trivial.”
The Association of American Automakers urged the government to ensure the policy “avoids raising prices for consumers” while maintaining competitiveness.
Since starting his second term in January, Trump has imposed tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, as well as a 25 per cent duty on steel and aluminium.
The latest auto tariffs will be applied in addition to existing duties. However, vehicles and parts that meet US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) requirements may qualify for a lower rate or remain tariff-free.
Market impact and industry concerns
The new tariffs have caused uncertainty in financial markets, with shares of General Motors and Stellantis dropping more than three per cent ahead of Trump’s announcement.
Japanese carmakers also saw declines, with Nissan down 2.5 per cent, Honda losing 3.1 per cent, and Mitsubishi dropping 4.5 per cent. Mazda and Subaru both fell by around six per cent, while Hyundai slipped 2.7 per cent in South Korea.
Trump has defended the tariffs as a way to boost government revenue and strengthen the US auto industry. However, the move could affect trade relations with key partners, including Japan, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, and Germany.
“Imposing 25 per cent tariffs on imported cars will have a devastating impact on many of our close trading partners,” said Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former US trade negotiator.
She also questioned the implications for existing US free-trade agreements.
Around 50 per cent of cars sold in the US are manufactured domestically, but more than half of those contain foreign-made parts, according to a White House official.
Among imported vehicles, about half come from Mexico and Canada, with Japan, South Korea, and Germany also major suppliers.
The American Automotive Policy Council, representing Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, issued a statement saying it hoped the policy would boost US auto production but stressed that “it is critical that tariffs are implemented in a way that avoids raising prices for consumers.”
The Center for Automotive Research has previously estimated that US tariffs on metals and imported vehicles could raise car prices by thousands of dollars and impact jobs in the sector.
Further trade measures planned
Beyond the auto sector, Trump has indicated plans for additional tariffs on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber.
The announcement comes ahead of what Trump has called “Liberation Day” on 2 April, when he plans to introduce further trade measures.
He said these duties would apply to all countries and be tailored to address what the US views as unfair trade practices.
While some of Trump’s recent tariffs have been imposed under emergency economic powers, the new auto tariffs are based on a 2019 government investigation, which concluded that excessive imports were weakening the US economy and could pose a national security risk.
(With inputs from agencies)
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