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Mall Of Cyprus And Mall Of Engomi Join Ablebook Platform

The Ablebook application has announced its new partnership with the Mall of Cyprus and the Mall of Engomi, integrating their spaces into its platform.

This partnership aims to facilitate access and provide information for people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, a relevant press release notes.

Ablebook, an application on Android and iOS devices, aims to improve accessibility and support people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups by offering information and services that facilitate their daily lives.

As noted in the press release, the Mall of Cyprus and the Mall of Engomi offer a range of accessible infrastructure, such as dedicated parking spaces near the entrances, ramps, accessible toilets and comfortable wheelchair spaces.

“Through this partnership, Ablebook users visiting the specific malls can be informed about the accessible facilities and ask for assistance, if needed, from the relevant mall staff. This ensures that all visitors can enjoy their shopping experience and moments without obstacles,” the press release adds.

“Our collaboration with the Mall of Cyprus and Mall of Engomi is another step towards a more equal and open society for all. By offering facilities and services that cater to the needs of people with disabilities, shopping centers contribute positively to social progress and solidarity,” Ablebook’s announcement concludes.

Google Cloud Outage Disrupts Banking And Digital Services Across The UK

A power outage at a Google Cloud data centre near London disrupted services across the UK on Tuesday, affecting banks, businesses and other digital platforms. Google said the incident was caused by a power event at its cloud operations, with full recovery expected by around 1300 GMT.

The disruption began at 0608 GMT and affected Google Cloud services in the europe-west2 region, which is hosted in London. In an initial update, the company reported elevated error rates and intermittent network failures across multiple services as engineers worked to restore operations.

Banking Services Hit By The Disruption

Revolut was among the most visibly affected companies, with customers reporting problems with ATM withdrawals, bank transfers and card top-ups. A source close to the matter linked the issues to the Google Cloud outage.

Traditional banks also reported disruptions. Lloyds said some customers were experiencing problems with its app and online banking, while HSBC confirmed difficulties accessing its services. HSBC added that it was monitoring the situation and noted that other organisations were affected as well.

Disruption Spreads Beyond Finance

Downdetector, which tracks online service disruptions, recorded hundreds of reports involving other businesses, including property website Rightmove and the Royal Mail postal service. The reports suggested that the outage was affecting multiple parts of the UK’s digital economy.

The incident highlights the risks facing businesses that depend on shared cloud infrastructure. Even a temporary failure at a single provider can disrupt services across several sectors, from banking and payments to logistics and consumer platforms.

Companies Reassure Customers

Revolut said it had been working to resolve the issue since it was identified and apologised to affected customers. The company also confirmed that customers’ money and data remained safe.

As cloud platforms underpin an increasing share of digital commerce, the outage illustrates how disruptions to critical infrastructure can spread far beyond the provider itself, affecting businesses and customers across the economy.

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