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UK woman’s viral TikTok after On The Beach didn’t share flight cancellation

UK woman's viral TikTok after On The Beach didn't share flight cancellation

A woman has revealed her horror experience after she turned up to the airport only to find out her flight had been canceled five months earlier.

The British woman who goes by the handle ‘Paris Hilton’ on TikTok explained in a series of viral clips she booked a holiday package through UK-based online travel agent On The Beach in October last year.

It cost a total of $A4500 and included flights, accommodation and transfers.

She and her partner were scheduled to fly out from Bristol Airport at 6am on May 4 to Thessaloniki, Greece on budget airline Jet2.

“All was fine up until the day before the holiday,” she said in a viral clip.

“We booked a hotel for the night at Bristol as we were flying at 6am the following morning and [the airport] is about two hours from us.”

“We arrived at the hotel at 9pm the night before and decided to check in online,” she said.

After struggling to find the flight number online, the woman and her partner decided to go to the airport where she explained the situation to a Jet2 staffer.

However, she was told it “doesn’t exist”.

“[The woman] said they do not fly to Thessaloniki and there is no flight tomorrow at 6am. I am such a nervous flyer as it is, I absolutely hate it, so to hear this gave me the biggest anxiety of my life.”

Paris said the staffer told her the flight was canceled back in December, five months before they were due to fly out.

“We were not told about any of this. We even got an email to fill in a form for our flight two days before,” she claimed.

She also called the Thessaloniki hotel to triple check it was still booked and thankfully she was told they were expecting her and her partner.

The woman said, given the holiday was booked and planned months ago and she had taken the time off work, she and her boyfriend decided to book another flight and go ahead with the trip.

The only other available option was a flight for the same time but from London Gatwick Airport – three hours away from Bristol.

The new flight cost £517 ($A900) plus petrol and parking – “and the hotel went to waste because we didn’t even stay there”.

They arrived at Gatwick Airport at 2.30am, and by the time the pair eventually arrived in Greece they’d had “no sleep for 30 hours”.

“We couldn’t even comprehend we were on a holiday or get excited because we were just not even with it,” she said.

“We spent the whole holiday trying to catch up on sleep.”

The woman emailed On The Beach about the issue and claimed she didn’t receive a response until five weeks later.

“The only excuse they had to give us was that there was an error and apparently they tried to give us a refund but it didn’t go through.”

She shared a screenshot breaking down all the extra expenses involved because of the issue, which included $A260 for parking at Gatwick Airport and $A104 in petrol money for a total of 11 hours of driving.

Overall, the trip cost them almost double the original price.

“All they were willing to give back was £800 ($A1400) which was the difference in the flight and the parking and the transfers,” she said.

“It’s not so much about the money as they offered to give us something back. It’s more the fact we feel completely cheated of this holiday and it [was] nearly ruined.”

She said holidays are meant to be fun and exiting, but for her it was tarnished by her horrible experience, adding that she was expecting more of a sympathetic response from the company.

“I know people who have had great experiences [with the company] but it’s from my experience and what has happened to me.”

She said she understands mistakes happen, but the company had five months to let her know.

“I don’t have the spare cash, my partner did. I would have had to go home and there couldn’t be another week I could have taken this holiday,” she said.

“I want them to take accountability and responsibility. They said it was an error and that’s not good enough.”

In the comments section on her viral TikTok, the company wrote: “You’re right, this sounds like a terrible experience and I can only apologize!”

But the traveler hit back, saying: “An apology isn’t going to cut it.”

“We will be taking this a lot further ’til we feel we have been fully compensated and you won’t do this again to anyone ever.”

She also shared a screenshot of an email she had received from the company apologizing over the matter.

It read: “Thank you for contacting us about your recent holiday. Feedback, whether good or bad, is extremely important to us.

“We also understand that a lot of time and effort goes into the planning of your holiday, so naturally we want everything to run as smoothly as possible for you. Consequently I’m really sorry to note your concerns in relation to On the Beach’s service.

“I understand that due to system error on arrival at the airport the airline had no booking for you. We do apologize that this occurred and I have arranged a refund of the flight costs which is the cost of your original flight plus the difference for you new flight. We are sorry to disappoint you but we would not reimburse you for the hotel you chose at Bristol, nor the carparking at this location.”

Paris said she found the response to be lacking empathy, adding: “I don’t even know how this even happens. I get even more angry each time I look at it!”

She said she still has not received the reimbursement and warned viewers to triple check flights, accommodation and transfers, if they book with online agents.

“I did not want someone to go through the same thing. If this has reached as many people who have booked a holiday through these companies all I can ask you to do is take it in your own hands.

“Ring the airline, make sure that flight is there, ring the hotel make sure you still have a hotel.”

Read related topics:TikTok

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Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, NAB to close dozens of suburban branches, with fears for 100 jobs

Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, NAB to close dozens of suburban branches, with fears for 100 jobs

Dozens of major bank branches across Australia are set to close within months, with the finance union expecting more than 100 jobs to be cut.

A total of 37 branches are confirmed to close over the next few months.

Watch more on the RBA raising interest rates in the video above

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What does it mean for customers and jobs?

Westpac Group has made the most significant slash, with 24 branches set to shut nationwide.

The group says the “majority” of employees will be unaffected by the move and will go on to other jobs within the company.

Chief customer engagement officer Ross Miller said the closures are an investment in how customers are choosing to bank.

“Declining customer use of branches means that, in some instances, we may take a difficult decision to leave a branch location,” Miller told 7NEWS.com.au, adding Westpac Group services more than five million digitally active customers.

“In these instances, we continue to support our customers with access to banking services via Bank@Post, telephone, mobile and virtual banking.”

Miller said customers will be notified in advance about the changes and will be directly connected to the services they will need to continue to bank.

He said there was a “robust process” in place to help employees find new opportunities within Westpac Group, meaning “the majority of employees affected secure a new role and continue their career”.

“As we continue to adapt to our changing customer needs, this will result in new opportunities for our employees within the Westpac Group as we grow our phone, digital and virtual offerings,” he said.

Westpac Group is closing 24 branches across Australia as it shifts to digital. Credit: AAP

NAB has confirmed it is closing nine branches, and vowed no employees would be cut.

“As more and more customers are choosing to bank online, we’ve made the difficult decision to close some branches,” personal banking executive Krissie Jones told 7NEWS.com.au.

“The branch teams have begun talking to customers about alternatives available such as Bank@post, mobile bankers, home lending specialists or business bankers who they can meet in person or via phone or video link.”

Jones said employees at closing branches will be offered jobs at other branches or elsewhere throughout the organisation.

“There will be no job losses as a result of any branch closure and we will still be there for our customers, just in different ways,” she said.

Australian Banking Association chief executive Anna Bligh says banks are investing in new digital services to meet the needs of customers, who have shifted towards online banking.

“Banks remain committed to providing banking services to every Australian, especially those in regional and remote areas,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.

“Despite more than 80 per cent of Australians preferring to do their everyday banking online, banks still have thousands of branches across the country, in addition to the banking services that banks pay to make available in 3500 Australia Post outlets.

“There will be a place for physical bank branches in Australia well into the future, but Australians are embracing digital banking with their arms wide open.”

NAB has vowed no jobs will be lost in the branch closures. Credit: JOEL CARRETT/AAPIMAGE

While the banks say they are committed to supporting workers transition to new roles, the Finance Sector Union expects 182 Aussies to lose their jobs as the closures reach “crisis point”.

“This latest list of closures means the big four have closed more than 550 bank branches across Australia since January 2020,” national secretary Julia Angrisano told news.com.au.

“We must act to stop the banks walking away from communities in our suburbs and towns.

“It’s time to examine the impact of these closures which have hit hundreds of communities across the country.”

Customers at all the banks will continue to be able to access Bank@post at Australia Post Offices.

The full list of branch closures

WA

  • Westpac: Mandurah, South Perth

SA

  • Bank SA: Munno Parra, St Peters

VIC

  • Westpac: Braeside, Whittlesea, Werribee, Lilydale
  • Bank of Melbourne: Croydon, Coburg, Fitzroy, Sunbury, Footscray, 114 William St Melb, Mornington
  • NAB: Mornington
  • CBA: Drysdale, Woodend

NSW

  • Westpac: Lakemba, Engadine, Corrimal, Kingscliff
  • St George: Five Dock
  • NAB: Lavington, Narrandera, Corrimal, Figtree, Cronulla, Maroubra
  • CBA: Annandale, Toongabbie, Lindfield

QLD

  • Westpac: Ashmore, Nerang, Rockhampton
  • NAB: Wynnum

NT

Footage captures bear ringing doorbell.

Footage captures bear ringing doorbell.

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UK braces for long recession after biggest interest rate hike in 27 years, ASX to open flat

British flag on a flagpole.

Australian shares are likely to start the day relatively flat, after the Bank of England announced its biggest interest rate hike in 27 years and warned of a long recession for Britain.

ASX futures were up 0.1 per cent, to 6,891 points, by 8:40am AEST.

The Australian dollar was trading at 69.6 US cents, after rising 0.2 per cent overnight. This was largely due to a weaker US greenback.

It follows a lackluster session on Wall Street, which saw the Dow Jones index fall 0.3 per cent, to 32,727 points, the S&P 500 lose 0.1 per cent, to 4,152, and the Nasdaq Composite gain 0.4 per cent, to 12,721.

“The market is looking for direction after a strong bounce that highlighted the deep pessimism that had permeated the markets,” said Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment strategist at BMO Wealth Management.

“Many signs indicate that [US] inflation has peaked and the question now turns to how quickly it will come down or whether stickier components will keep it higher than the Fed [Federal Reserve] is comfortable with.”

Recession fears were also on the minds of oil traders, and the possibility this could sink energy demand, as crude prices dropped to their lowest level since before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

Brent crude plunged 3.6 per cent, to $US93.34 a barrel.

Spot gold jumped 1.5 per cent to a one-month high of $US1,792 an ounce.

Recession for the UK

Britain’s central bank raised interest rates by 0.5 percentage points on Thursday evening (AEST), its biggest increase since 1995.

This was despite the BoE warning that a long recession was on its way, as it rushed to smother a rise in inflation which is now expected to peak at 13.3 per cent in October — up from its previous forecast of 11 per cent.

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Why buying a cheap used electric car from Japan could prove costly

Why buying a cheap used electric car from Japan could prove costly

Nissan Australia has warned it may not have the correct parts or service back-up if things go wrong on a privately imported Leaf electric car.

Paul Gover
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An aging battery pack or service problems on a used Nissan Leaf imported privately to Australia could become a money pit instead of an affordable first step into electric motoring.

Nissan Australia has warned it may not be able to provide the normal back-up for Leaf owners who have purchased used cars outside the official Australian sales system – because of subtle but significant technical differences in key components on cars sold by Nissan versus those imported privately .

“Customers sometimes get frustrated because we cannot rectify a problem because we never sold the car,” a spokesperson for Nissan Australia told Drive.

“They probably think that because it has our logo on the bonnet that we can automatically help them, but you cannot supply spare parts for every single model the company has ever built, everywhere in the world. It’s just not feasible.

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“We love to support the growth of electric vehicles in Australia and we don’t want to do anything to derail that, so we encourage people to do their research,” the spokesperson said.

A growing number of early-model Nissan Leaf hatchbacks are landing in Australia from Japan – priced from about $23,000, which is less than half the new-car cost – as importers take advantage of the Federal government’s revised Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme.

In the case of the Leaf, the scheme provides an opportunity for small independent used-car dealers and private buyers to import vehicles that were never part of the official Nissan Australia showroom line-up.

There were problems in the past with what were called ‘grey imports’ — parallel privately imported cars sold in Australia, including the Toyota LandCruiser — before the loophole was closed.

Buying an imported used Leaf from Japan could cause problems, Nissan said, if it does not have the parts for servicing or repairs in stock, because they are different from the ones fitted to the cars sold through its dealerships.

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Nissan is also worried about what could happen if — and when — a car’s battery begins to fail or needs replacing.

It provides an eight-year warranty on the batteries for cars it sells via its dealer network, but cannot provide similar coverage for used imports.

“We don’t really have a lot of history on these cars,” said the Nissan spokesperson. “The first-generation Nissan Leaf was sold with different battery sizes in Japan, but we only sold one type in Australia.”

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There could also be problems, according to Nissan, with equipment in cars intended for Japan and not Australia.

“There are variations of the car that we have never seen or sold here,” the spokesperson said.

“The challenge is they are normally Japanese-specified cars. So they come with things like Japanese infotainment systems and satellite navigation.”

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Nissan also says it has no ability to track the history of the used imports, or their local owners, and that could cause problems if there is any sort of safety recall or production problem.

“The best recent example is the Takata airbag recall,” the spokesperson said.

“When there are significant safety recalls, the vehicles are not covered under our record keeping. So we are unable to contact those owners to advise them.”

Paul Gover

Paul Gover has been a motoring journalist for more than 40 years, working on newspapers, magazines, websites, radio and television. A qualified general news journalist and sports reporter, his passion for motoring led him to Wheels, Motor, Car Australia, Which Car and Auto Action magazines. He is a champion racing driver as well as a World Car of the Year judge.

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Back to the Future: Canberra filmmaker converting beloved DeLorean to EV to showcase growth of electric car industry

Ché's DeLorean sitting in the workshop

Where we’re going, we don’t need… combustion engines?

At least, that’s the thinking behind Canberra filmmaker Ché Baker’s latest project: a documentary following the conversion of his vintage DeLorean from a gas-guzzler to an electric vehicle.

“People ask me, ‘what’s the timeline for the project?’ And I say, ‘if we hit 88 miles an hour, it doesn’t matter’,” he said.

Mr Baker’s DeLorean featured prominently in his most recent film, Blue World Order, which saw a fleet of the cars race across the then dried-up Lake George, just outside Canberra.

And he said none of his pride and joy would go to waste as a result of the conversion — the engine will be donated to the Australian DeLorean community for parts.

A fleet of DeLoreans at Lake George, in the film Blue World Order
Mr Baker featured a fleet of DeLoreans in his 2017 sci-fi film Blue World Order.(Supplied)

Mr Baker said his latest documentary would highlight how a traditional petrol car could be converted to electric, as well as exploring the state of the EV industry in Australia today.

“It’s a lot more than just the technology of electric vehicles themselves, but also how is that going to affect people’s lifestyles?,” he asked.

“How’s that going to affect the way people drive? How is that going to impact on other forms of electric transport?”

Engine being removed from DeLorean
The DeLorean’s engine will be given to members of the Australian DeLorean community for parts. (Supplied: Che Baker)

Is converting my car to electric a good option?

Sure … if you have the money.

Che Baker inside his DeLorean
Che Baker inside his DeLorean in the moments leading up to its engine being removed.(ABC Canberra: Donald Sheil)

Mark Hemmingsen is the managing director of Electric Vehicles Canberra, and is providing the technical expertise and workshop space to convert Mr Baker’s DeLorean.

He said conversion was a costly and time-consuming process.

“I would budget at least $30,000 to $50,000, and I would expect that to possibly blow out,” he said.

Mark Hemmingsen replacing EV battery
Mark Hemmingsen said the conversion was an opportunity to give apprentices invaluable experience.(ABC Canberra: Donald Sheil)

“On a good year, we could probably do 12 conversions a year.

“The big problem is that we’re reliant on other local industries to do fabrication for things like battery boxes and motor mounts, and if those companies are busy as well then we’re going to be delayed a little bit by that.”

Electric conversion has gathered enormous momentum for classic car owners who want to preserve their pride and joy in a sustainable way.

For the everyday city driver, though, Mr Hemmingsen said second-hand EVs were the best option.

Mitsubishi i-Miev getting its battery replaced
Mr Hemmingsen said replacing the batteries of existing EVs was very important to keep them out of landfill.(ABC Canberra: Donald Sheil)

Mr Hemmingsen said not only was buying an EV going to be cheaper in the future, but there would also be a growing second-hand market and the ability to replace the batteries as technology evolves.

“If we’re going to prevent them going to landfill, we take the battery out, we swap it over, we’re actually replacing it with a battery that’s twice the capacity of the original battery that was in there,” he said.

EV battery being removed
The battery of this Mitsubishi i-Miev will be replaced by a new, better one. (ABC Canberra: Donald Sheil)

He said specialized conversion kits for petrol cars would likely drive down the cost in coming years, but that replacing batteries for existing electric cars for the second-hand market would likely remain the best entry-point for consumers.

Are mechanics prepared for the impending EV boom?

Probably not, according to Australian Electric Vehicles Association president Chris Jones.

“We do need to skill-up in that field… your average three-year mechanic apprentice, they won’t have that experience,” he said.

“And there are only a handful of units within TAFE programs that give those trades exposure to electric vehicle technology, it needs more work.”

Mr Hemmingsen's apprentices help replace the battery of an EV.
Mr Hemmingsen’s apprentices help replace the battery of an EV.(ABC Canberra: Donald Sheil)

Mr Hemmingsen said he was using the DeLorean conversion as an opportunity to give his apprentices invaluable practical experience, to make up for the lack of formal training in the industry.

Mr Jones said the “right to repair” debate surrounding smartphones and other appliances was also likely to gain a new battleground in the form of EVs, if battery replacements and other upgrades were made more difficult by manufacturers in the future.

Ché Baker filming Mark Hemmingsen work on his DeLorean
Ché Baker is using his DeLorean as a head-turning hook for his EV documentary.(ABC Canberra: Donald Sheil)

“They’d rather you went and bought a new car again, they’ve got all sorts of reasons for that, but mostly they’ll just make more money selling you a new car than they would by doing upgrade parts,” he said .

“In my experience, these old electric vehicles have nobody that’s interested in doing the work on them.

“We feel very confident in doing the work, and we can pick up these old vehicles that the current industry is not really interested in keeping going.”

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Global cenbanks lift rates by nearly 1,200 bps in July

Global cenbanks lift rates by nearly 1,200 bps in July

Plastic letters arranged to read “Inflation” are placed on Chinese Yuan banknote in this illustration taken, June 12, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

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LONDON, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Major developed and emerging market central banks around the globe delivered nearly 1,200 basis points in interest rate hikes in July alone, ramping up their fight against multi-decade high inflation with Canada surprising markets with an outsized move.

Central banks overseeing five of the 10 most heavily traded currencies delivered 325 basis points of rate hikes between them last month. This brings the total volume of rate hikes since the start of the year across G10 central banks to 1,100 basis points.

However, July’s tally was less than the 350 basis points seven central banks delivered in June.

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“We’ve reached peak hawkishness of the central banks,” Christian Kopf, head of fixed income portfolio management at Union Investment, told Reuters.

Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics

“Central banks have made it clear that they will not overdo it with the rate hikes,” Kopf said, adding that it was also the message conveyed by US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell.

July was dotted with some eye catching moves. Canada emerged as the chief hawk, stunning markets by delivering the first 100-basis-point rate increase among the world’s advanced economies in the current cycle, lifting its key policy rate to 1.5%.

New Zealand delivered its sixth straight interest rate rise and signaled it remained comfortable with its planned aggressive tightening path to restrain runaway inflation. read more

And then of course the big one: The Fed delivered its second straight 75-basis-point rate hike, reinforcing its commitment to contain red-hot inflation running at 40-year highs. read more

There was no let up for policymakers in emerging markets, where inflation had been on a tear for much longer than in developed economies.

Nine out of 18 central banks delivered 850 bps of rate hikes in July. In total, emerging market central banks have raised interest rates by 5,265 bps year-to-date – nearly double the 2,745 bps for the whole of 2021, calculations show.

“Emerging market central banks remain more worried about inflation than growth,” BofA’s David Hauner said in a recent note to clients.

ReutersGraphics

Hungary moved twice in July, jacking up its base rate by 300 basis points to 10.75% with borrowing costs into double-digit territory for the first time since late 2008 – and flagging more hikes ahead. read more

Colombia and Chile piled in with a 150 bps and 75 bps hike respectively, though emerging market uber-hawk Brazil, which has lifted rates to 13.25 bps already in June, took a breather.

However, emerging markets have also seen cuts with Russia reducing interest rates ratcheted up to 20% in the wake of its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, which sparked sweeping sanctions. read more

Inflation pressures would remain a headache for policy makers, said Tobias Adrian, director at the Monetary and Capital Markets Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“The magnitude of the inflation has been a surprise to central banks and markets, and there remains substantial uncertainty about the outlook for inflation,” Adrian wrote in a blog on Monday.

“Inflation risks appear strongly tilted to the upside,” Adrian said, adding there was a substantial risk that price pressures were becoming entrenched and expectations unanchored.

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Reporting by Karin Strohecker and Vincent Flasseur in London, Additional reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Jacqueline Wong

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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BKNG) gets boost as leisure travel soars

BKNG) gets boost as leisure travel soars

“The north is still very closed. In China, borders are still 100 per cent closed, Japan probably 90 per cent closed, Taiwan the same. So we’ve increasingly seen this disparity in the region and therefore the rest of the globe. The Asia Pacific is falling behind the US and Europe in terms of recovery.”

Booking.com’s recent Travel Confidence Index polled 11,000 travelers across 11 countries in the Asia Pacific about how enthusiastic they felt about traveling internationally and accepting inbound visitors.

India ranked first on the confidence index. Many of India’s keen travelers are coming to Australia, making it now the second most common country of origin for arrivals into Australia behind New Zealand. Before the pandemic, India ranked seventh.

Japan seemed content with staying locked down, ranking last on the Travel Confidence Index, and Australia ranked fifth.

Houldsworth said that alternative accommodation such as “homestays and tree houses” had become a key market for Booking.com, which has traditionally focused on hotels.

“People are looking for something unique, something different. Globally, we have about 29 million listings, of which over 6 million are now alternative accommodations versus our core traditional hotel properties.”

Cost and flexibility were the main concern for pandemic-fatigued travelers, said Houldsworth.

“Flexibility is the key. We’ve seen that globally as a trend. We had our biggest bookings for the upcoming European summer peak but a lot of those bookings were flexible bookings. People are wanting clarity and refund policies. They want to make sure that money is secure.”

Despite an enduring preference for domestic travel, about 40 per cent of Australians expected to travel overseas within the next six months. Five out of the top 10 international destinations for Australian travelers using Booking.com were in Bali.

“Beyond that, we see Singapore, London, Paris and Italy,” said Houldsworth.

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Booking Holdings, the site’s parent company, posted a US$857 million net income for the quarter ending June 30, up 99 per cent from the same time last year. Gross travel bookings for the second quarter hit US$34.5 billion, surpassing Wall Street analysts’ expectations of US$32.96 billion.

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Why Canva boss, Cliff Obrecht isn’t bothered by $20 billion loss

Why Canva boss, Cliff Obrecht isn't bothered by $20 billion loss

Despite a $20 billion fall in its evaluation, a tumultuous economic landscape and a sudden string of tech companies announcing staff cuts and sharp declines, Australia’s start up golden child is not worried.

speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Canva’s co-founder Cliff Obrecht believed the bearish market would provide the company with lots of opportunities.

“These times of market uncertainty provide a lot of opportunity and other than the external valuation noise, it’s a huge opportunity for us to grow our business,” he said.

This comes as Australia’s largest venture capital firm Blackbird announced they had reduced the holding value of Canva by 36 per cent. Listed as Canva’s largest investor, with around a 14 per cent stake in Canva, this indicated a drop of about US$14 billion or A$20 billion, in the tech company’s estimated value.

“This holding value of Canva is the result of an independent valuation process that was completed by a big four accounting firm and adopted by Blackbird’s valuation committee, in consultation with our auditors,” the company shared in a statement to news.com.au.

Before this, Canva managed to more than double its worth in 2021. After acquiring a valuation of $19 billion in April 2021, the company skyrocketed to $54.5 billion just five months later.

In internal emails reported by Nine newspapers, chief executive Melanie Perkins said the company was set to mark its sixth year of being profitable. She also assured staff and said the company was still hiring, unlike some other technology companies.

“We had planned to dip out of profitability this year to invest in further accelerating growth,” she wrote.

“However, we changed course as soon as we noticed the macroeconomic environment changing and are now back to being profitable again this year, for the sixth year in a row.”

Founded in 2013, by Perth couple Ms Perkins and Mr Obrecht, and Tasmanian developer Cameron Adams, Canva is a free-to-use design tool that allows users to create social media posts, graphics, videos and presentations.

Since then, it’s become Australia’s most successful start-up – a title it continues to hold. For scale, Australia’s second largest start-up, online payments company Airwallex was valued at $5.5 billion in November 2021.

It’s believed Ms Perkins and Mr Obrecht hold a 30 per cent stake in the company, which given the most recent evaluation is close to $6 billion.

According to its website, Canva has more than 2000 employees and operates in 100 languages ​​and across 190 countries.

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How a war between China and Taiwan could cause product shortages

TSMC ¿ the most valuable company in Asia and the 10th most valuable company in the world ¿ develops chips for a range of big companies, predominantly Apple, but also AMD, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Nvidia and more. The firm makes chips that go into iPhones, iPads and Apple's Silicon Macs, as well as automobiles and gaming consoles, including Nintendo's Switch and Sony's PlayStation 5

China and Taiwan are on the brink of war after a long-standing dispute over the island’s sovereignty came to a head – with potentially massive implications for consumer technology supplies.

Taiwan is home to the world’s biggest producer of computer chips, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

TSMC’s chips are used in a wide variety of phones, including the iPhone 13; cars including the Renault Arkana SUV; gaming consoles including the Nintendo Switch and Playstation 5; and smart home devices including the Revcook smart toaster.

Rising tensions between China and Taiwan could disrupt the production of these chips, with knock-on effects throughout the global consumer electronics industry.

TSMC’s chairman has warned that a Chinese military force or invasion would make the firm’s facilities ‘inoperable’ because it relies on ‘real-time connection’ with Europe, with Japan and the US.

Experts have told MailOnline that, if TSMC is unable to produce chips at its current rate, it could affect availability of some popular tech devices as soon as Christmas – although the biggest effects are likely to be felt next year.

TSMC ¿ the most valuable company in Asia and the 10th most valuable company in the world ¿ develops chips for a range of big companies, predominantly Apple, but also AMD, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Nvidia and more. The firm makes chips that go into iPhones, iPads and Apple's Silicon Macs, as well as automobiles and gaming consoles, including Nintendo's Switch and Sony's PlayStation 5

TSMC – the most valuable company in Asia and the 10th most valuable company in the world – develops chips for a range of big companies, predominantly Apple, but also AMD, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Nvidia and more. The firm makes chips that go into iPhones, iPads and Apple’s Silicon Macs, as well as automobiles and gaming consoles, including Nintendo’s Switch and Sony’s PlayStation 5

WHAT IS TSMC?

Founded in 1987, TSMC – the most valuable company in Asia and the 10th most valuable company in the world – develops chips for a range of huge players.

TSMC has semiconductor fabrication plants (‘fabs’) around the island, although its main operations are located in Hsinchu in the north.

According to the company’s website, TSMC produces more than 10,000 products for almost 500 clients worldwide.

Its biggest client is Apple, but other clients include AMD, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Nvidia and Marvell.

The firm makes A-series chips that go into iPhones and iPads, as well as M-series chips for Apple’s Silicon Macs.

TSMC chips are also in cars and gaming consoles, including Nintendo’s Switch and Sony’s PlayStation 5.

Ben Barringer, equity research analyst at Quilter Cheviot, told MailOnline that China would likely aim to preserve TSMC and ‘the brain power behind it’ if it took control of the island, in order to gain an advantage over US and Korean based semiconductor manufacturers.

‘Given its market position, the expertise it has and the complexity of the sector, TSMC is likely to remain of strategic importance to whoever governs Taiwan both now and in the future,’ Barringer said.

However, there could be ‘non-combat interventions’ from China such as potential blockades, I have suggested.

‘While this would not prevent TSMC from operating, it would limit what it could achieve and potentially delay any technological advancements,’ he said.

‘Clearly the threat of war in Taiwan would be very troubling for those involved and we can hope any tensions can be resolved diplomatically.’

Barringer also said that delays and shortages in consumer products would most likely occur next year, and that the new iPhone 14, expected to be released next month, will likely be safe because units will have already been built.

‘The third quarter of the year is extremely important for the semiconductor industry as this is when they produce the components that go into the products that will be bought and sold at Christmas,’ he told MailOnline.

‘If China were to invade imminently then we may see some knock-on effect, but even at this point of the year any delays and shortages would most likely occur in 2023.’

Home to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest chip foundry, Taiwan produces more than half of the world's semiconductors

Home to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest chip foundry, Taiwan produces more than half of the world’s semiconductors

Beijing's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is conducting 'important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in the following maritime areas and their air space bounded by lines joining,' according to the state Xinjua News Agency

Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is conducting ‘important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in the following maritime areas and their air space bounded by lines joining,’ according to the state Xinjua News Agency

TSMC has semiconductor fabrication plants ('fabs') around the island, although its main operations are located in Hsinchu in the north. Pictured are components sit on circuit boards on display at the Semicon Taiwan exhibition show in 2018

TSMC has semiconductor fabrication plants (‘fabs’) around the island, although its main operations are located in Hsinchu in the north. Pictured are components sit on circuit boards on display at the Semicon Taiwan exhibition show in 2018

Simon Thomas, CEO of British electronics company Paragraf, said consumers will experience ‘longer waiting times and less choice for new products’ if geopolitical conflict were to escalate.

‘As long as supply chain uncertainly continues, the impact on different product availability will become more widespread,’ he told MailOnline.

‘We are hoping that a military invasion of Taiwan is not inevitable, with the world already going through significant turmoil this would certainly be another globally impacting crisis.’

This week, TSMC’s chairman Mark Liu warned that a war between Taiwan and China would make ‘everybody losers’.

Liu told CNN: ‘If you take a military force or invasion, you will render TSMC factory not operable. Because this is such a sophisticated manufacturing facility, it depends on real-time connection with the outside world, with Europe, with Japan, with the US, from materials to chemicals to spare parts to engineering software and diagnosis.’

Mark Liu (pictured) is chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). This week, he warned that a war between Taiwan and China would make 'everybody losers' by making the firm's facilities 'inoperable'

Mark Liu (pictured) is chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). This week, he warned that a war between Taiwan and China would make ‘everybody losers’ by making the firm’s facilities ‘inoperable’

China’s escalating military aggression comes in the midst of a global chip shortage that goes back to 2020.

The shortage was triggered when chipmaking factories around the world were forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic as part of social distancing measures, which resulted in months of no production.

It was compounded due to the rise in demand for electronics, as most people were under stay-at-home orders.

Former President Donald Trump also created more demand for TMSC chips because of his sanctions on SMIC, a chip maker based in Shanghai, as well as other Chinese firms as part of his trade war on the country.

Another issue is severe droughts in Taiwan, as TSMC needs 156,000 tons of water every day to operate their microchip manufacturing plant – enough water to fill roughly 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The chip shortage is so severe that one major industrial conglomerate resorted to purchasing washing machines and tearing the semiconductors out for use in their own chip modules, Bloomberg previously reported.

Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa recently said that there’s ‘no end in sight’ to the semiconductor shortage, and so the company’s Switch console will be in short supply this year.

Images of semiconductor wafers at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) Museum of Innovation in Hsinchu

Images of semiconductor wafers at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) Museum of Innovation in Hsinchu

Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductors has been referred to as a ‘Silicon Shield’, in that the US and other allies would defend it from military invasion in order to prevent its high-tech industry from falling into Chinese hands.

However, new military actions have stoked fears that this shield could be broken.

On Tuesday, Chinese military began ‘live-fire’ exercises around the self-governing island in an attempt to intimidate its democratic neighbour.

China is also pressing the US into dropping its support for Taiwan, as demonstrated by the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the visit a ‘serious disregard of China’s strong opposition’ before effectively blockading the island with military drills.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi leaves the parliament in Taipei, Taiwan on August 3, 2022

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi leaves the parliament in Taipei, Taiwan on August 3, 2022

Why China set its sights on Taiwan

China and Taiwan have a long-standing dispute over the island’s sovereignty.

China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, more precisely a province, but many Taiwanese want the island to be independent.

From 1683 to 1895, Taiwan was ruled by China’s Qing dynasty. After Japan claimed its victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government was forced to cede Taiwan to Japan.

The island was under the Republic of China’s ruling after World War II, with the consent of its allies, the US and UK.

The leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in 1949 and established his government after losing the Civil War to the Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong.

Chiang’s son continued to rule Taiwan after his father and began democratizing Taiwan.

In 1980, China put forward a policy called ‘one country, two systems,’ under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Taiwan rejected the offer.

Taiwan today, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders, is widely accepted in the West as an independent state. But its political status remains unclear.

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Bondi, Melbourne, Brisbane: Australia destinations overseas visitors can’t pronounce properly

Bondi, Melbourne, Brisbane: Australia destinations overseas visitors can't pronounce properly

Tourists coming to Australia are often baffled by many of our place names and commonly mangle the pronunciation of some of the country’s most popular destinations, new research has found.

Sydney’s Bondi may be Australia’s most famous and busiest beach – with 1.7 million international visitors a year in 2018 according to Destination New South Wales – but a huge proportion of them are saying it wrong.

To Aussies it is of course pronounced “Bon-die” but many tourists, unfamiliar with the area, pronounce it phonetically as “Bon-dee”.

The pronunciation of Bondi is an example of a type of shibboleth, a word that can instantly distinguish whether someone is part of one group or another. In this case, saying “Bon-dee” would show the person wasn’t local or even resided in Australia.

The research was compiled by Preply, an online language learning platform that connects links up tutors with students.

The firm came to its conclusions by picking 68 major destinations where it’s known visitors can sometimes struggle over the correct pronunciation. It then analyzed Google search data to see how many instances there were of people inquiring about how to correctly say the places’ names and ranked them by the volume of searches.

In Australia, Brisbane and Melbourne were two other places where tourists found their tongues in a twist.

Melbourne sees three million international visitors a year. But you won’t make friends in Australia’s second biggest metropolis if you say “Mel-BOURNE” rather than “Mel-buhne”. Equally, it’s “BRIS-buhne” and definitely not “Bris-BAYNE” as some tourists will insist on saying.

“There’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving at a new holiday destination and mispronouncing its name in front of a local — especially if you butcher the regional accent,” said Preply learning success manager Amy Pritchett.

“When you learn to say these place names correctly, you’ll sound like a native — or at least a savvy tourist.”

Top five mangled global destinations

However, Australian place names were far down the global list of mispronounced metropolises, museums and other destinations.

It seems visitors find saying French place names are particularly mouthful with three of the five most butchered names in the land of the Gauls.

Topping the rankings was the beachside city of Cannes. And – just like most other visitors -Australians commonly get the pronunciation of this stylish French resort wrong.

It is definitely not pronounced “Carn” or “Cans” or “Cann-ess”. Rather, you drop the “es” at the end and simply say “Kan”. Short and sweet is a perfectly acceptable way to go. But if you want to sound really French you can do a distinctive semi linger at the end of the word by adding an “uh,” so “Kan-uh”.

One most Australians probably do better on, as so many have been to London, is the name of the river that runs through it.

Americans commonly think the Thames is pronounced as it looks and verbalizes a “Th” sound to produce the very oddly sounding River “Thaymez”. “Temz” is the way to go and will keep you in the good books of Londoners.

Third on the list is California’s Yosemite National Park. It’s not “Yoh-se-might” but “Yoh-seh-muh-tee” or “Yoh-she-muh-dee”.

The Louvre museum in Paris is definitely not the “Loop” or “Loo-ver” but “Loo-vruh” with a bit of a roll of the tongue on the second syllable.

Rounding out the top five of cringeworthy pronunciations is another French hotspot – the Place of Versailles where the French royals lived in pre-Revolution times.

Don’t say “Ver-sales,” do say “Vair-sigh”.

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