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Melissa Alcruz now works in marketing for a US real estate business based in New York City, but in the past she did the same job for TV channel MTV.

While at MTV she competed in an internal competition for a promotion that she says was referred to as a “bake-off”. Candidates had to come up with sponsorship and marketing campaigns, and then pitch to a room of seven people.

“This is intimidating, even for a seasoned professional. I ultimately got the job, but even though I won I disliked the process,” says Alcruz.

She points out that she already had a demanding full-time role at the company, and was then “expected to complete several substantial projects” for the competition in her spare time.

MTV’s current parent company, Paramount Skydance Corporation, has been asked for a comment.

Former recruitment consultant Katrina Collier, now an author, speaker and recruiter trainer, is concerned that competition-based recruitment processes that potentially require candidates to give up lots of their time for free can create “economic discrimination”.

“Not everyone can take time, possibly months, to participate in the challenges for the chance to secure one of a limited number of roles,” she says. “Does that mean only people from financially strong backgrounds proceed?

“Is that leaving talented applicants who don’t have the bank of mum or dad, for example, unable to take part?”

The Treasury Department slammed Iran Tuesday by sanctioning 36 targets linked to its aviation sector, which officials said the regime uses to “move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo.” 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration is taking action under Operation Economic Outcast, where the Treasury “promised severe consequences for those providing financial lifelines to the Iranian regime.” 

“Today, we followed through on that promise with sanctions on companies that continue to support Mahan Air,” Bessent said, naming one of the country’s largest airlines. “Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system.” 

The Treasury Department said Iran’s commercial airlines have “long supported the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps using ostensibly private airlines, such as Mahan Air, for the procurement and transport of weapons and the ferrying of personnel.” 

TREASURY’S ‘ECONOMIC D-DAY’ AGAINST IRAN COULD FORCE REGIME INTO SITUATION IT ‘FEARS THE MOST,’ EXPERTS SAY 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration is taking action under Operation Economic Outcast. (Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images; Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“Today’s action also targeted covert front companies, foreign intermediaries, and deceptive transshipment routes that Iran relies on to obtain U.S.-origin aircraft and sensitive technology,” it added. 

The 27 Iranian airlines sanctioned under Tuesday’s actions are: Air Shiraz, Asa Jet Airline, Ata Airlines Company, Atlas Aviation Group, Ava Airlines, Chabahar Airlines Company, Erwan Airline Company, Fly Kish Airlines, Fly Persia Airlines, Iran Air Tour, Iran Aseman Airlines, Jsky Airlines, Kish Airlines, Karun Airlines Company, Lad Airways, Mehr Airways, Nasim Air, Pars Oghyanous Kish Company, Qeshm Air, Raimon Airways, Saha Airlines, Sepehran Airlines, Soroush Air, Taban Airlines, Toos Airlines, Varesh Airlines and Zagros Airlines. 

BESSENT VOWS TO ‘ASPHYXIATE’ IRAN ECONOMICALLY, WARNS REGIME’S OFFSHORE ASSETS WILL BE FROZEN 

U.S. Central Command released new images showing Marines conducting live-fire training onboard the USS Boxer. (CENTCOM)

The other sanctions included targeting United Arab Emirates-based ECT Aviation Support LLC (ECT Aviation Support UAE) and Turkey-based Sky Phoenix Hava Yollari Tasimaciligi Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Sky Phoenix), which the Treasury said “served as intermediaries in the scheme to transfer U.S.‑origin aircraft to Mahan Air.”  

“Lastly, [the] Office of Foreign Assets Control is taking action against cargo service providers and general sales agents that have serviced Mahan Air’s international flights,” according to the Treasury.  

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is now the new leader of Iran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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“Turkey-based S Sistem Lojistik Hizmetler Anonim Sirketi (S Sistem) has coordinated shipments, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components and industrial equipment destined for Iran, on behalf of Mahan Air,” it said in naming one of the sanctioned entities. 

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Sensex lost 22 points to 74,742 while Nifty 50 gained 15 points to 24,447 on Thursday. Broader markets remained mixed, with Nifty Midcap 100 in the red and Nifty Smallcap 100 in the green.

M&M and Adani Ports shares dropped around 1% each, while Axis Bank, SBI and ITC shares gained nearly 1% each. Among the sectors, Nifty PSU Bank index gained around 1% while Nifty Auto fell over 0.5%.

The overall market breadth turned positive, with NSE seeing 1,607 advances against 1,056 declines, while 125 stocks remained unchanged.

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Even though India’s forex reserves are comfortable and the current account deficit is under control, if crude remains above $100 for an extended period of time, it will impact India’s GDP growth this year, with its fallout on corporate earnings too, said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments. According to him, the sectors that are likely to be impacted are energy-sensitive sectors like aviation, paints, adhesives, tyres and chemicals. In such an environment, defensives like FMCG and sectors with inelastic demand like pharmaceuticals and healthcare will remain resilient, he added.
“Growth sectors like digital platform companies continue to be on strong footing. Even though banking stocks, particularly the large private sector players, are technically weak, they are fundamentally strong. The risk-reward ratio in this segment favours reward, for long-term investors,” the analyst said.Technical view on Nifty

Nifty’s recovery attempts in the last few days have turned out to be brief and have only served to add momentum to downsides, said Anand James, Chief Market Strategist at Geojit Investments. With 23,260-23,000 next line, upside marker slips to 23,520.

Meanwhile, VIX is still below 12, but is rising fast enough to potentially beat the highest volatility seen in August, he added.

More to come…

Cream cheese and ready-to-eat deli-style salads are facing a recall over potential listeria contamination.

New York-based Made Fresh Salads, Inc. issued a recall this week for all of its cream cheese products and Ready-to-Eat Deli Style Salads in response to the listeria risk.

Made Fresh Salads’ recalled cream cheese items include 5-pound and 30-pound tubs of various flavors, such as 5-pound apple cinnamon cream cheese, 5-pound tofu vegetable spread, 30-pound whipped cream cheese and 30-pound scallion cream cheese.

The company also recalled dozens of ready-to-eat salad products, including 5-pound chickpea salad, 5-pound bowtie pesto, 30-pound macaroni salad and 30-pound potato salad.

MORE THAN 1,500 POUNDS OF PORK RECALLED OVER LISTERIA CONTAMINATION RISK

Cream cheese and ready-to-eat deli-style salads are facing a recall over potential listeria contamination. (iStock / iStock)

The company’s 7-pound chocolate pudding, 6-pound vanilla pudding, 12-piece crab cakes and 12-piece potato croquettes were also subject to the recall.

Affected items have expiration dates ranging from Sept. 3 to Sept. 18.

The salads and cream cheese items were distributed in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx in New York City in 5-pound and 30-pound white plastic tubs with a Made Fresh Salads label or Northside label and half-size aluminum pans.

DOG SUPPLEMENTS RECALLED OVER POTENTIAL SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION

Made Fresh Salads, Inc. issued a recall this week for all of its cream cheese products and Ready-to-Eat Deli Style Salads. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

The products may have been repacked by retail locations in deli-style or other retail packaging, according to the company, although retail packaging and coding can vary based on purchase location.

The recall was initiated following environmental sampling by the company and the Food and Drug Administration, revealing that some areas of the facility tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The company has ceased production and distribution of the products as it continues to investigate, along with the FDA, what caused the contamination.

A listeria infection can cause symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, as well as miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The recall was initiated following environmental sampling by the company and the Food and Drug Administration. (iStock / iStock)

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It can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

No illnesses have been reported thus far in connection with the recalled products.

Consumers who purchased the affected items are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Dental implants in Albania are typically around €600 ($700; £516) per tooth, similar in price to what is charged in Turkey, which has long been the main overseas destination for people in western Europe who are seeking much cheaper dental work than they can get at home.

The same treatment in the UK, France or German can easily cost four times as much.

For Hook the appeal was irresistible. He made his first visit to Tirana to watch England’s footballers play Albania last year – but then found himself intrigued by all the signs for dentists. That nudged him into doing something about his missing teeth.

He thought he’d go to Albania rather than Turkey, because he was concerned by media coverage of dental or hair transplant work in Turkey that had gone wrong.

In fact, even the UK Foreign Office warns that it is “aware of seven British nationals having died in Turkey in 2025 following medical procedures”., external It adds that “some British nationals have also experienced complications [after surgery in Turkey], and needed further treatment or surgery following their procedure.”

Hook says he wouldn’t go to Turkey “because I have heard so many bad things”, adding that he investigated thoroughly before taking the plunge in Tirana.

“I went onto the internet and looked into it properly. It took me two days to research it because I’m not one for jumping into anything.”

Several return trips later, Anthony now has a mouthful of impressive implants – and, unsurprisingly, he is all smiles. “I’d come here once a month for a holiday if I could,” he chuckles.

Elite Dental is one of the biggest clinics in Tirana. It is fully licensed by the Albanian health authorities – and so are all of its 15 resident dentists.

The man who runs the place, Ardtur Dema, says he is “not in favour of damaging proper teeth for aesthetics”. Instead he says the priority is “changing people’s lives” through restoring their ability to chew, and indeed – to smile.

Dema believes that as long as Albania remains outside the EU, prices for treatment are likely to remain low. At the same time, low-cost airlines have greatly expanded their flight network to and from Tirana, meaning that he is as likely to see a patient from Turin as he is from Tirana.

But Dema is concerned that the explosion of tourism could lead to less scrupulous operators ruining the business for everyone. He is a member of the newly-established Albanian Medical Tourism Association – but many others are not, at least not yet.

Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, tells the BBC that the government is playing catch-up after five years that have seen overall international arrivals to Albania more than double. Some sort of official seal of approval for medical tourism facilities is a possibility – but the government has yet to sort out the details.

“It’s a new industry that is within the tourism industry umbrella that is showing a big potential and where there are very good people,” says Rama.

He adds that the government wants to help all the reputable providers “survive”, and to guard against any informal “bad competition”.

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