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Low code business apps are helping drive business recovery
A great deal of media attention has been placed on the negative impact of Covid-19, but many businesses are now focusing on recovery and how they will operate successfully in the post Covid-19 world. They want to ensure their business has a sound basis for economic recovery and in a significant number of cases this has included the creation and timely introduction of innovative business apps.
Increasingly, companies are now seeing apps as a way of responding to the challenges of the virus and to subsequent changing consumer and business behaviour. According to mobile analytics firm App Annie the pandemic “has changed consumer behaviour on mobile forever” with its latest statistics highlighting that Covid-19 has driven consumer spending on apps to $50 billion in the first half of 2020, up 10 per cent from the second half of 2019. Other research from McKinsey shows that digital interaction with B2B customers is now twice as important as traditional channels—that’s a jump of over 30 percent since before the COVID-19 crisis hit.
We are seeing businesses creating apps to streamline internal processes, to automate different functions and to improve how they trade and interact with their customers. Many businesses are embracing low code app development tools to drive the transition.
Why develop an app?
Apps allow businesses to deliver all or part of their services to customers on mobile devices and laptops, as well as traditional desktops. Today, apps are being used for everything from ordering grocery shopping to fitness tracking, from day-to-day banking to ordering a beer in a pub, and from coronavirus track and trace solutions to monitoring mental health. Businesses cannot afford to get left behind in this increasingly savvy technological world.
The security and flexibility of an app, in a world where people are working from home, social distancing and changing their routine on a continual basis, can help companies adapt and aid their business recovery. What is more, if a company’s main competitors now have a fully functioning app, then they will also need to develop one or risk losing customers.
One of the best ways that companies can develop apps, without the expense of employing a team of developers, is by using a low-code app development platform. It will allow sophisticated business apps to be created and deployed without the need for external software developers or product training.
Benefits of using low-code platforms
Low-code platforms empower businesses to create apps in a fraction of the time and cost of more traditional methods. They enable companies to design, develop and deploy adaptive business apps across multiple mobile and desktop devices using their existing staff.
These platforms do not require people to have any coding skills as they make extensive use of ‘drag and drop’ and ‘point and click’ development techniques. The platforms should also allow companies to develop an app once and deploy it across multiple mobile and desktop devices, and multiple operating systems. They must also be able to integrate seamlessly with any database.
The selection of the right development platform should also provide the flexibility to customise the apps to the client’s exact requirements either directly through the platform or by the addition of custom code. The right platform will also enable businesses to choose to generate their apps as web, hybrid or native apps from the same design base. It should also provide the client with no limitations for future customisation and development possibilities.
One company that has used low code app development in lockdown is Classic Groundcovers, a wholesale nursery based in Georgia, USA that sells plants to nurseries, re-wholesalers and landscape contractors. It used low-code app development system, Evoke, to create an app to digitise its manual ordering system and to enable the company to handle a record volume of sales.
Spring is always Classic Groundcovers’ busiest time. This year orders were exceptional as the pandemic forced people to stay at home and many turned to gardening, which in turn led to an increase in the demand for plants.
The company had previously operated a manual order system. When order volumes were high, the associated administration could take up to 12 hours a day. Clearly, the situation was unsustainable. Classic Groundcovers decided to create an app to automate its order processing, reduce administration, and ensure it could manage high volumes of orders.
After careful analysis, the company chose the Evoke low-code development platform because of its speed and ease-of-use, and to avoid having to recruit a team of outside developers. The result was that existing employees were able to design, create and fully deploy the app in under 30 days.
The company said that having the app has had a ‘ground-breaking’ effect in terms of both automating order processing and the business in general. It enables Groundcovers to manage surges in order volumes and reduce administration time and costs. Consequently, the team has more time and energy to focus on growing the business. That’s a win-win situation, and that’s the power that low-code business apps can unlock for companies across all sectors.
As companies start to recover from this pandemic, they will be looking for new ways to reduce costs and improve efficiencies. Many will turn to low-code app development tools to create apps easily and cost-effectively.
Companies should not delay decisions to go digital until ‘things get back to normal’ as they could miss a significant opportunity to get their business ready for the post Covid-19 world. The market has experienced unprecedented disruption, and fast-paced change is here to stay.
Now is the time to not only be responding to those changes but also to be preparing and planning for the future. In the world of business and e-commerce, the introduction of the right apps can provide the point of difference that is so often needed to stay ahead of the competition, and to remain agile in the context of continuous market flux and change.
Malcolm Carroll is director at BlueFinity International
Improving Skill Initiatives in Technology Businesses in 2021
According to Tech Nation’s most recent , UK technology companies now employ more than 2.93 million people, with the sector seeing a 40% growth in the last two years. The new world of work and the uptick in digitalisation caused by the pandemic with the mass uptake of digital services and online communications has meant that the technology sector has seen a huge demand for specific skills across the job market.
Whilst many businesses have done well to adapt to the digital transformation witnessed over the last few years, this rapid advancement of technology has also resulted in widespread difficulties recruiting experienced tech employees. McKinsey reported that over of organisations have reported huge digital skills gaps, which suggest that whilst most tech businesses are aware of and actively trying to tackle these issues, many are struggling to do so effectively.
To remain competitive and overcome this shortage of skilled workers, technology businesses must look at how they can upskill current employees, move employees to new areas of the business, and ensure their technology talent is as up to date as possible.
So how can tech businesses stay ahead of the skills curve this year?
Make an inventory of desired skills – and offer training for them
To introduce effective skilling programmes within technology businesses, management teams should identify and agree on skills that the business is in greatest need of – both in the immediate and longer terms.
Over the past three years, demand for tech skills such as AI, cyber and cloud automation has with AI and cyber in particular growing by 44% and 22% year on year, respectively, from 2019. For many tech businesses, these skills will continue to be desirable for the business to progress, and senior leadership teams must agree on what skills the business wants to prioritise in its workforce.
Next, management teams should then look to create an inventory of these desired skills and also identify what job roles need to be introduced to further this expertise within the business. This can be done through hiring external candidates or even introducing a programme that current employees can take to develop these particular skills.
This technique requires technology businesses to be malleable in their approach, and they can therefore look to introduce training that builds on these skills gaps or even move employees around the business to utilise their existing skills in areas that are most needed.
Incentivise the workforce
Finally, a good way to develop the skills available amongst the workforce in a technology business is to ensure employees are excited about the prospect. If new candidates and existing members of the team feel included in the approach, can see a benefit in taking additional training and feel motivated to further their own career progression, this could be the tech companies’ strongest asset.
For example, companies such as Amazon have set the bar for investing in reskilling and upskilling to keep their entire workforce motivated and, most importantly, up-to-speed. As many people join Amazon, some without any previous educational qualifications to some possessing PHDs, the business’s skilling programme is provided to give all employees the skills they need to either move up at Amazon or move on to a qualified position outside of the company. By offering this training, employees are motivated to think of their own career and future, and Amazon has the benefit of seeing the operational and financial benefits of a skilled, engaged workforce.
According to recent research completed by , software development, cloud migration and project management experience are top of the list for hiring managers in 2021, with tech-specific skills being some of the most in-demand across all sectors. The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated this increased demand for technology skills and talent, and industry leaders are at a pivotal stage to ensure their workers’ skills sets are up-to-date and being utilised effectively within the business.
For tech businesses that wish to attract this new talent as well as keeping current employees engaged and competitive within the industry, bosses must not only incentivise their workers with skilling programmes, but they must work to identify what skills they are in most need of and then put the necessary training programmes in place.


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MindMeld aims to make those frustrating commerce chatbots smarter
For all the buzz over conversational bots these days, they’re still pretty crude, as some users of Facebook Messenger’s new chatbots recently discovered. It’s not necessarily that they’re dumb, but they do need to be trained to respond intelligently in the specific situations in which they’re employed.
Today MindMeld Inc., one of the pioneers behind conversational artificial intelligence technology, will roll out a version of its bot platform specifically for retailers and e-commerce companies. MindMeld for Commerce is intended to help customers find products, do messaging-based transactions, check on order status and get support without requiring another human to get involved.
Tuttle contends that MindMeld’s bots can converse, either in text or by voice, better not only than other bots but also virtual assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana. Tuttle, a former artificial intelligence researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bell Labs, thinks speech recognition systems will surpass humans in the next 18 months, but the ability of bots to converse is often still primitive.
“Most of these bot interfaces don’t measure up to expectations,” said Tim Tuttle, founder and chief executive officer of MindMeld, which counts the likes of Samsung, Telefonica, USAA and Spotify among its customers. “Most of our customers are companies that have tried and failed to build conversational interfaces.”
MindMeld, which changed its name four months ago from Expect Labs Inc., claims the commerce solution is the first one to help retailers build models that can understand their specific needs, such as their product catalogs, brand requirements and customer support databases.
The company says its system offers a key set of capabilities using its own technologies, including natural language understanding, intent classification, dialogue management and question answering. Because of the unique data and requirements of each industry and even each business, MindMeld has to train its machine learning models for each customer. “Our goal is to provide the technology stack,” said Tuttle.
The new commerce system will be offered as an enterprise-grade on-premise service and as a cloud service. They’re for use on Facebook Messenger, Microsoft’s Skype, Kik, Slack and other messaging services.
This isn’t the first time MindMeld has offered a more specialized conversational bot solution. It also has applied its technology to video discovery (pictured above), quick service restaurants and food delivery services and homebuying. It’s clear there will be more to come.
Photo from MindMeld
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text:
9:30 a.m., May 19)
weekend signals the start of gardening season in Orléans
By Fred Sherwin
nurseries and garden centres were reporting brisk business
on Sunday, day two of what has become the unofficial start
of the local gardening season.
happy customer leaves J.A. Laporte Flowers
and Nursery with a cart load of plants on
Sunday. Local nurseries and garden centres
are reporting brisk business on the opening
weekend of gardening season. Fred Sherwin
for some people Mother's Day signals the start of the
growing season, most experienced gardens chose to wait
for the May long weekend when a late frost is less likely
year a perfect confluence of a long winter, beautiful
weather and the long weekend has lead to a shopping frenzy
at growing centres across the east end.
it's been crazy," said J.A. Laporte Flowers and Nursery
owner Estelle Laporte. "At one point this morning
the cars were lined up down the driveway waiting to get
a parking spot."
Old Montreal Road nursery has been around for over 50
years and has more then 13 greenhouses. Their stock is
plentiful and the product is grown on site.
seen a lot of new customers this morning. A lot,"
said Laporte. "And they're buying everything. You
name it; annuals, shrubs, fruit trees, hanging baskets,
tomato plants... it's been across the board."
selling plants and shrubs, Laporte also spent the day
explaining the impact the long winter and flash snow melt
has had on rose bushes and evergreens.
lot of people lost their rose bushes especially the tea
hybrids and the biggest culprit are those rose cones.
People use them and they forget to cut a couple of holes
in the bottom to allow for the air to circulate. If you
don't cut a couple of holes in the bottom, when the air
starts warming up, it gets too humid inside the cone and
the plants rot."
for the evergreens, the speed with which the snow melted
caused them to burn, especially near the centre of the
tree or the shrub.
gardeners can find hundreds of varieties of plants at
JA Laporte the one plant you won't find there are impatiens.
The popular bedding plant has been ravaged in recent years
by an airborne fungus called downy mildew.
garden centres still sell the popular plant, but they
usually don't last very long. Laporte stopped selling
impatiens last year.
really bad. I heard from some people whose plants were
dead in less than a month."
the most popular variety of the plant called Impatiens
walleriana is susceptible to the disease, New Guinea
Impatiens are not. Laporte still sells New Guinea Impatiens.
story was made possible thanks to their generous support
of our local business partners.)
www.orleansonline.ca's main page


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Berlin’s Tresor unveiled a Startnext campaign, Tresor Never Sleeps, to support the club through the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. The club has been empty since March and to help make up for the lost income, they’ve decided to dig through the archive of classic records, iconic images, and produce new merchandise items for those who want to help the club at this time. 5% of all money raised will go to the Detroit Justice Center, which fights racial injustice and economic inequality.
The campaign hopes to raise €100,000 over the next 21 days.
The lead item in the campaign is the third volume of Terrence Dixon’s celebrated From The Far Future series that will first be available as a digital download exclusively to supporters of the campaign. They will also receive the vinyl pressing of the album prior to its general release in November.
Also made available for the first time are two high quality prints featuring iconic images from the old Tresor, strictly limited to 100 units each. Record and CD bundles from the deep Tresor Records archive are also featured, alongside the custom handmade Tresor banner seen at parties around the world since 1991 and the chance to play your own behind-closed-doors set on the famed Tresor PA.
Support your music venues when they ask for it, donate, buy merch and help out when possible. Government grants have been spotty and often go to the well-connected.


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Black Friday is arguably the biggest shopping day of the year and may be the most significant concern regarding potential scams. As people flock to stores and online retailers for the most lucrative deals, criminal scammers are looking for people to prey upon with their false merchandise and misleading offers.
One of the most prevalent scams on Black Friday is fake websites posing as the official sites of major retailers. The scammers often use the same logos and website addresses to trick unsuspecting victims into making purchases that will never arrive while their stolen personal information is left vulnerable.
Additionally, scammers have begun using emails and text messages to garner credit card information from victims. Watch for emails or texts from sources that appear too good to be true.
No matter how attractive the deal is, it is always important to take the time to research any website or offer before making any purchases. Carefully look for any minor discrepancies in the web address or email address, and remember to never give out any personal information without absolutely verifying the source.
Another way to keep your bank account safe is to report any suspicious activity or websites to the store or company that is being spoofed. Companies are aware of the threats associated with Black Friday and usually work around the clock to protect users and remove any fraudulent sources from the web.
Enjoying the deals this Black Friday season without getting scammed is still possible with a few extra precautions. It’s essential to remain vigilant against scammers, and if any suspicious activity arises, it’s best to err on the side of caution and report it immediately.


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York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce is calling for the rate of VAT to be reduced for businesses in the hospitality sector.
With the sector entering its quietest period of trading and after nearly four years of enormous disruption and cost pressures, hospitality businesses have never faced so many challenges.
Accordingly, the Chamber’s Hospitality Forum is calling for the rate of VAT firms in the sector pay to be cut to five per cent, as it was during the aftermath of the pandemic.
VAT has been temporarily reduced from 20 per cent to five per cent for those enterprises in the hospitality, hotel and leisure industries but was restored to its current rate of 20 per cent in March of last year.
Andrew Pericleous, chair of the Hospitality Forum, said: “The Forum believes that conditions are sufficiently serious to warrant a reintroduction of the reduced rate.
“Data in British Chamber of Commerce’s most recent Quarterly Economic Survey showed the hospitality sector to be effectively in recession. The vast majority of firms in our sector are struggling with labour shortages and the twin pressures of inflation and interest rates continue to make life incredibly challenging.
“Reducing the rate of VAT that firms in the sector pay would help provide some much-needed breathing room as we enter our quietest period of the year.”
The Chamber’s latest QES showed that more than four in five hospitality firms were struggling to recruit staff while three quarters of businesses in the sectors were struggling with the cost of wages and utilities.


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Victoria Beckham, the fashion designer formerly known as Posh Spice, appeared to have had a rough run of things the night before her fashion show.
According to her Instagram, thieves made off with the majority of Beckham's bike, leaving behind only the front wheel.
Later that night, Beckham tweeted a photo of a parked NYPD patrol cart with the note "Searching for the missing bike! X vb."
Searching for the missing bike! X vb pic.twitter.com/ujQHowpijY
— Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) Sept. 6
An NYPD spokesman said there is no record of Victoria Beckham filing a lost or stolen property report.
No need to feel too bad for the pop star turned fashion icon, however: Just this morning she tweeted a photo of a box of a dozen cronuts with the caption: "Breakfast! Cronuts x vb"
Breakfast! Cronuts x vb pic.twitter.com/1ubgULL1C7
— Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) Sept. 9
Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat


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Religion calendar: Conference, fairs and more
Donate clothing, food for Sharefest
Sharefest, an event which will provide free, gently-used clothing and much more to thousands of El Paso families, will be from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 24 at the El Paso County Coliseum, 4100 E. Paisano.
Last year, more than 4,000 people attended. No documentation will be required.
People wanting to donate clothing, baby items, toys, books, electronics and nonperishable food should take the items to their nearest library or 7-Eleven store before Oct. 20.
Churches plan kermess, fiesta, fair
•Guardian Angel Parish, 3021 Frutas, will have its annual fundraising Mini-Kermess from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 4 to celebrate the feast day of its patron saint, the Guardian Angel.
The event will include food booths, games for children and adults, a disco and live bands.
•Our Lady of Refuge Mission will have its fiesta from noon to 11 p.m. Oct. 3 at the church, 1320 Mercantile, in La Union, N.M.
The event will include food booths, games, music and a raffle for several prizes, including an Apple iPad.
•St. Luke's Episcopal Church will have its 32nd annual Country Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 3 at 7050 McNutt Road in La Union, N.M.
The event will feature the popular Great Dachshund Stampede races at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. There will be an animal blessing at noon. Pets are welcome on a leash.
Information: stlukeslaunion.com; 575-874-3972.
Women's conference to feature four speakers
The 2nd Congreso de Mujeres will be at 9 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Abraham Chavez Theatre, Downtown.
The event will feature four speakers: Karime Lozano, a movie and soap opera actress; Adriana Urdiain, a psychologist; the Rev. Carlos Spahn, an Argentinian exorcist priest; and the Rev. Tomas Guerrero, who works with a youth and couples ministry
Tickets are $10.
Prayer seminar set for JHOP
The Justice House of Prayer (JHOP), 2212 East Yandell, will host the Prayer & Intercession Seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The seminar is open to the community and for all churches, pastors, intercessors, leaders, worship leaders and youth. Those participating will receive a Certificate of Attendance.
Bethany Christian Church has Bible study
Bethany Christian Church, 10453 Springwood, will have a pastor-led Bible study on the Book of Colossians at 1 and 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday through Oct. 27.
The focus, led by Pastor Bill Pollock, will be “portrait of Christ.”
Vendors needed for craft fairs
• All Saints Episcopal Church, 3500 McRae, is looking for vendors for its Fall Festival on Nov. 7. The deadline to reserve your space is Oct. 4. Information: 261-7761.
• New Hope Lutheran Church, 4801 Sun Valley, is seeking vendors to participate in its annual Christmas Bazaar on Oct. 24. Cost for a table is $20. Information: 755-8009.
• St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 7000 Edgemere, will have its Annual Fall Bazaar on Nov. 13-14 and vendors are welcome. Information and registration: 772-2734.
• Tobin Park United Methodist Church, 9410 Roanoke, is looking for vendors for its Craft Fair on Nov. 14. Table fees will be $20 and $25. Information: 755-7146, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.
• Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, 10500 Kenworthy, is seeking vendors for its Oct. 3 Fall Festival. Information: 821-1362, from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays.
• Western Hills United Methodist Church, 524 Thunderbird, is looking for vendors for its Autumn Bazaar on Oct. 10. Cost is $50 per space. Information: 584-2326.
Email religion news to María Cortés González at email@example.com.


text:
* Herd clawing back from 63-year low
* Early spring fires up home barbecue grills
* Full feedlot recovery may take years
By Theopolis Waters
CHICAGO, March 22 (Reuters) - Cheaper feed and more cattle should help stem losses for U.S. feedlots this year, livestock analysts say, keeping beef supplies flowing just as demand starts to pick up.
That should translate into lower prices for hamburgers and steaks for consumers, as it could help keep feedlots in operation and avoid costly bottlenecks in beef production.
Feedlots, which fatten up cattle ahead of slaughter, have suffered through 15 straight months of red ink. Soaring prices for the 600-900 pound calves they take in and sliding bids from packers, whose beef faced tough price competition from other meats, squeezed margins.
But now there are faint signs of a turnaround.
In February, feedlots on average reduced losses to $218 per head - a sharp improvement from the $500 losses in December, as estimated by Colorado-based Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC).
How much longer feedyards can withstand prolonged losses depends on an operation’s size and focus, along with the ability to be flexible about using different sources of feed, experts said. Other strategies for coping include using futures and options for hedging, or dipping into profit from earlier times to survive the rough patches.
Some feedlots have been forced to close, as reflected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s revised figures that showed 2015 feedlot totals at 27,189, down from 28,127 in 2014 and 29,090 the year before.
At present, the cost of calves for feedlots is falling as farmers build up the U.S. herd, which hit a 63-year low in 2014 because of a drought that shriveled crops. By Jan. 1, the U.S. cattle population was at a five-year high of 92 million.
During the month of February, the number of animals put into feedyards was the highest for that month in eight years, according to U.S. government figures released last Friday.
Earlier this month, meat processor Cargill Foods said it was betting on bigger supplies to reduce retail costs when it bought a ground beef processing plant.
With herd rebuilding well under way, “the increased supply should benefit our customers and consumers over the next few years,” Cargill said in early March.
At the same time, prices for cattle ready for slaughter have rebounded to around $139 per hundredweight (cwt) from around $117 late last year, when supplies were facing burdensome amounts of meat and dwindling demand as the traditional barbecue season ended.
With slaughter cattle prices up from lows and the potential for more increases as Americans dust off grills for spring barbecuing, there could be a turnaround in feedlot returns, Texas A&M University economist David Anderson said.
Craig Uden, who co-owns a feedlot in Nebraska, has been fattening cattle for nearly 35 years and considers this one of the roughest periods for feedlots he has seen. It will require years, not months, to recover, he said.
“It will be a long process because this is pretty severe. I’m in it for the long haul.” (Editing by Matthew Lewis)


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A recent survey by American Consumer Credit Counseling revealed that 90 percent of Americans have found inaccuracies on their credit reports.
The findings were revealed just after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that it would begin supervising thirty of America’s top credit reporting agencies, according to DailyMarkets.
“With the frequency of reporting errors being so high, the CFPB program comes at a critical time for consumers,” Steve Trumble, the president and CEO of ACCC, said, according to DailyMarkets. “It’s important for consumers to understand that a credit report can impact their ability to borrow, afford a home and even get an education. This survey indicates that consumers should not only be reviewing their credit report twice each year but also should expect to find at least one reporting error.”
The survey also found that 22 percent of U.S. consumers found errors in reporting of charge-offs, late payments older than seven years and collections, while 15 percent found errors in personal information like name and address. Nineteen percent of respondents in the survey reported incorrect account details, while 15 percent identified delinquent accounts that were not even theirs. Only 13 percent of respondents found no errors at all.
Consumer reporting agencies provide information to a number of credit issuers for products like auto loans, personal loans, home loans and credit cards.
“Clearly, consumer reporting agencies have a drastic effect on nearly every American,” Trumble said, DailyMarkets reports. “In today’s economy, where creditors have even stricter requirements, it’s especially important for consumers to ensure that their report is accurate.”


text:
- You are here:
- sls amg convertible
sls amg convertible
Our greedy automotive journalist hands are shaking because we've yet to get seat time in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. A few lucky folks outside of the company have gotten seat time, and it seems video of their excursions serve to make our jealousy meter ping harder into its stop. This time ...
Mercedes-Benz has pulled the wraps off its latest supercar, the 2012 SLS AMG Roadster. Gone are the gullwing doors and fixed roof; in their place are traditional entry-ports and a folding cloth softtop. The car is still undergoing testing, but these shots reveal far more of the car than we've ...


text:
(Reuters) - Morgan Stanley and Citigroup are looking at setting aside between $2 billion (1.3 billion pounds) and $3 billion for bonuses to keep top staff at the joint brokerage venture they are likely to announce, the New York Post reported.
The bonuses would be paid out over nine years, it said.
Citigroup and Morgan Stanley are likely to announce a joint venture for their retail brokerage businesses next week, a person familiar with the deal told Reuters Monday.
Citigroup is essentially selling its Smith Barney business to Morgan Stanley over time. The joint venture will be 51 percent owned by Morgan Stanley, the person said.
The Post, citing a person familiar with the situation, said the bulk of payouts would go to brokers at Smith Barney, whose roughly 19,000-person army is expected to account for the lion’s share of the combined entity.
The two banks have identified nearly 2,100 Smith Barney and more than 900 Morgan Stanley top-tier brokers, with the top producers within that category contributing $1 million and $2 million each to the combined firm’s bottom line, it said.
Details on specific packages for specific brokers also are still being discussed, it added.
Citigroup and Morgan Stanley could not be reached immediately by Reuters.
Reporting by Ratul Ray Chaudhuri in Bangalore; Editing by David Cowell
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


text:
IPOs & Markets
Guardant remains one of Vision Fund’s more profitable holdings. The fund still holds 20 million shares in the firm.
WeWork’s Adam Neumann picks Nasdaq over NYSE for listing
SoftBank said to double stake in Brazilian fintech Banco Inter
Indonesian used car market large enough for over 2 leaders: BeliMobilGue new CEO
Malaysian health tech startup Naluri Hidup eyes up to $5m in Series A funding next year
SoftBank Vision Fund sells 4.9m shares of high-flying portfolio firm Guardant Health
Innoven Capital clocks maiden deals in Vietnam, backs Tiki and UP Co-working
Indonesian startup Base bags seed funding co-led by East Ventures, Skystar Capital
Top SoftBank deals slammed from Wall Street to California
Grab Financial to launch Singapore-Philippines remittance corridor by year-end
SG’s Vertex adds $290m venture fund to ramp up tech investments
The buyout offer is the latest sign of the Chinese tech giant's determination to plough ahead with further expansion.
SoftBank has put more than $10 billion into WeWork and is a key financier of businesses in the gig economy.
It is currently raising its second fund, which has a $150 million hard cap.
Facebook has roped in Peter Lydian Sutiono as the new country director for the Indonesia office while Gojek has appointed Ainul Yaqin as its CMO.
Investors such as SoftBank are not too worried about cash burn and are willing to fund losses if growth continues.
Existing investors Matrix Partners, Stellaris Venture Partners and Kalaari Capital are also expected to join the round.
Pluang plans to use the capital to go beyond the ambit of gold, launch US dollar savings and fixed return products.
Insilico will use the funding to commercialise its technology, hire a senior management team and further develop its pipeline in cancer and immunology
Thailand-listed MK Restaurant Group will acquire 65% stake in restaurant chain Laem Charoen Seafood for $67.13 million.
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Business confidence the highest in six years
Increasing the number of high-value jobs to at least 100,000, ensuring 20% of all goods and services are produced for export, progressively raising household income levels to above the State average and almost tripling the regional economy to $33 billion by 2033.
Sounds like a big ask, but Council is on track to deliver those goals thanks to the Regional Economic Development Strategy – a 20-year blue-print which provides a clear agenda for our economy, but with outcomes for our community.
It’s all about shaping our future.
I was elected on a platform of getting the balance right between protecting our wonderful lifestyle and important environmental assets while encouraging new investment and employment options.
We need to transform the economy and remove the region from a cycle of boom and bust because of our reliance on the retail, tourism and construction industries.
Those industries are extremely important and we need a diverse economy to complement them.
To do that, we must convert our economy from one that’s been driven by consumption to one that’s been driven by demand. I want people to come here because they can get a job, rather than it’s just a great place to live – and now I need a job to stay here.
Last month, I was pleased to unveil plans which will help support my vision to triple the Sunshine Coast economy to $33 billion by 2033.
I was also pleased and encouraged by the results of a recent survey, which show business confidence on the Sunshine Coast has risen to its highest level since 2009.
More than half the businesses surveyed expect an increase in profitability over the first half of 2015 and 53% reported their business had performed stronger over the past six months compared to the previous survey period.
Now in its sixth year, the Sunshine Coast business confidence survey, supported by Sunshine Coast Council, regularly attracts hundreds of business respondents to its biannual survey and is regarded as an important barometer for business conditions across the region.
The survey results continue a trend of optimism returning to the local business community and show Council is on track to attaining a sustainable economy, creating jobs – especially for our young people – and encouraging them to stay here.
To put it into perspective, the latest survey figures showed:
- 56 per cent of businesses expected an increase in profitability over the first half of 2015
- 33 per cent of businesses expected an increase in staffing levels during the first half of 2015; and
- 30 per cent of businesses expected an increase in capital investment in the first half of 2015
These results are especially promising for small to medium businesses which will be able to take advantage of sustained growth.
Building a stronger, more resilient community forms the basis of every decision this council makes.
We are well on our way to becoming Australia’s most sustainable region.
You can check out the results for yourself at www.boardroombusiness.com.au


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There's a fine line between our “Five Eyes” friends and an increasingly assertive China.
I recently went to a special exhibition in the national museum next to Tiananmen Square, where the government is celebrating that economic transformation. And the transformation is indeed astonishing.
In 1978, the annual income per head in China was $334. Today, it’s $12,909. The country is the largest market in the world for luxury goods and is becoming globally competitive in high-tech industries such as robotics, space and artificial intelligence (AI). It was striking to see at the exhibition how much of it was devoted to the future, rather than the past. It screamed of ambition.
No company exemplifies China’s rise and its ambitions better than Huawei Technologies. Former Chinese People’s Liberation Army engineer Ren Zhengfei founded Huawei in 1987 with three workers and about $7000 and now it’s a global brand, operating in 170 countries and employing more than 180,000 people. It makes everything from smartphones (it’s the world’s second-biggest manufacturer, behind Samsung and ahead of Apple) to networking equipment.
Yet Huawei has also come to symbolise the potentially nefarious side of China’s rise. Four members of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing network – the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand – have moved to block Huawei hardware from their 5G networks, concerned that it might be connected to China’s security apparatus. The remaining member, Canada, is thought to be reconsidering its decision not to block it.
The suspicions stem from Zhengfei’s 20 years’ service in the Red Army, and also from the fact that the company is closely intertwined with the state. As one analyst in Beijing told me, you don’t get to be that big without being in cahoots with the state.
More cause for concern has come following the arrest in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei founder’s daughter and the company’s chief financial officer. She’s wanted in the US on fraud charges.
China has had a diplomatic temper tantrum, warning of severe consequences if she’s not completely freed. Some Chinese companies have warned employees they’ll be fined, or even fired, if they have an iPhone rather than a Huawei.
After the detention of this corporate princess, Beijing has detained two Canadian men who’d been doing NGO work in China for years. Both now face serious charges of endangering national security. It’s hard to believe these weren’t acts of reprisal. Canadians are rethinking their travel and their business plans as a result.
Canada is caught between the US and China and their trade war, but it is standing its ground, saying it will stick to its laws. But for the men and their families, this must hurt.
These incidents encapsulate the dilemmas for plenty of other countries, including New Zealand, of dealing with China. The good parts are great – shipping huge amounts of dairy products to customers who can’t get enough of them – but the bad parts are alarming.
And if the exhibition, with its plans for space and AI and military technology, is anything to go by, they’re only going to get more so. China may soon be testing the principles of many other countries, too, starting by pressuring them to use Huawei technology.
Jacinda Ardern, when she eventually comes to Beijing, will find herself having to walk a diplomatic tight-rope.
This article was first published in the January 5, 2019 issue of the New Zealand Listener.


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Here’s some good news if you’re looking to kill some Nazis on PC later this week.
Believe it or not, there’s a new Wolfenstein game slated to launch at the end of this week. Even though there’s been little talk about the title, Wolfenstein Youngblood is set to come to all current-generation platforms on Friday. However, for those on PC, the game will seemingly be arriving a bit sooner.
In a new tweet from the official Bethesda Twitter account, it was stated that those who are going to be playing Wolfenstein Youngblood on PC will be able to get access to the game earlier than those on consoles. When replying to a question on Twitter, Bethesda stated that the PC iteration of Youngblood will arrive on July 25, rather than the 26th.
PC launches globally a day earlier on July 25!
— Bethesda (@bethesda) July 22, 2019
Bethesda didn’t offer much more information on when the game will unlock on the 25th, however. It could be as early as midnight tomorrow or perhaps at another time throughout Thursday. It also wasn’t stated as to why PC users are getting the game early, either, but some fans just chalked it up to being apart of the “master race.” Regardless of the reasoning, it will surely please those looking to get their hands on the game sooner rather than later.
Wolfenstein Youngblood is set to launch on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch later in the week on July 26. Stay tuned over the coming week as our review of the game should be coming a bit after launch.


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Tube Investments of India Limited (TII) has been focussing to diversify its business by identifying new growth opportunities and has recently entered into clean mobility, electronics and alternate fuels. In line with our strategy, the Company has identified contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) as its new line of businesses with the potential to grow and expand.
CDMO is one of the fastest growing segments in the pharmaceutical industry as big pharma players are increasingly outsourcing R&D and manufacturing to focus on core business activity.
Considering the growth potential in this sector and subject to the approval of the shareholders for amendment to the Objects Clause enabling the Company to foray into CDMO, the company has signed an agreement on 13th March 2023 with Mr. N. Govindarajan, a well-recognised professional having rich experience in the Indian pharmaceutical industry, for establishment of CDMO business through a new subsidiary to be incorporated. The proposed subsidiary will focus on API and other products.
Mr. N. Govindarajan will be the Chief Executive Officer of the subsidiary and will be establishing the business and driving its growth and profitability. The company proposes to invest up to Rs. 285 cr. into this subsidiary in the form of equity and compulsorily convertible preference shares in tranches. Mr. Govindarajan will be investing up to Rs. 15 cr. in equity and compulsorily convertible preference shares in tranches. Subject to the performance and other terms and conditions specified in the agreement, Mr. Govindarajan will be entitled to get up to 25% of the equity for his investment.
Commenting on this new venture, Mr. M.A.M. Arunachalam (also known as Arun Murugappan), Executive Chairman of the Company, said: “TII’s foray in to CDMO, a business with high growth potential, augurs well with its plan to diversify its business portfolio and reduce dependency on traditional revenue streams. TII is delighted to join hands with Mr. N. Govindarajan, a well accomplished professional in the pharmaceutical industry in India.”
Commenting on the partnership with TII, Mr. Govindarajan said: “I am privileged to partner with Murugappa Group for its entry into CDMO business and looking forward to work with TII to make the new venture a great success.”


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- May 18, 2009 -
ORLANDO, Fla. (EMC World) May 18, 2009 EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC), the world leader in information infrastructure solutions, today announced the number 3,892,179,868,480,350,000,000.⊃1; John Gantz, Chief Research Officer for IDC, explained, “That’s the number of new digital information bits created in 2008. Contrary to popular belief, as the economy deteriorated in late 2008, the pace of digital information created and transmitted over the Internet, phone networks, and airwaves actually increased.”
According to the new EMC-sponsored IDC study titled “As the Economy Contracts, the Digital Universe Expands,” the amount of digital information created in 2008 grew 3% faster than IDC’s prior projection. Looking forward, the Digital Universe is expected to double in size every 18 months. In 2012, five times as much digital information will be created versus 2008.
The new findings highlight the third update to the groundbreaking Digital Universe study, which measures and forecasts the vast amounts and diverse types of digital information created and copied annually. Calculated to be 487 billion gigabytes⊃2; in size, the amount of information created in 2008 is the equivalent of more than:
- 237 billion fully-loaded Amazon Kindle wireless reading devices
- 4.8 quadrillion online bank transactions
- 3 quadrillion Twitter feeds
- 162 trillion digital photos
- 30 billion fully-loaded Apple iPod Touches
- 19 billion fully-loaded Blu-ray DVDs
Information Management Implications
While the pace of digital information increased in 2008, IT budgets declined, thus creating an even larger divide between the amount of information generated and the amount of IT resources purchased and deployed to manage it. This dynamic further validates the demand for tools and techniques (e.g. virtualization, deduplication and other data reduction technologies, etc) geared specifically to managing more with less.
Joe Tucci, Chairman, President and CEO of EMC Corporation, said, “Whether you’re a student, senior executive, stay-at-home parent or surgeon, the growth of digital information collides with every-day business and every-day life. Those who use information growth to their advantage are seeking out new and creative ways to manage, secure and protect the rapidly-growing volumes.”
Key findings from the 2009 IDC Digital Universe study signal fundamental shifts in the areas of information growth, security, compliance and management.
- Over the next four years, the number of information-generation technologies and interactions will increase dramatically:
- Mobile users will grow by a factor of 3.0. Over the next four years, 600 million more people will become Internet users. Nearly two-thirds of all Internet users will use mobile devices at least some of the time.
- Non-traditional IT devices such as wireless meters, automobile navigation systems, industrial machines, RFID readers, and intelligent sensor controllers – will grow by a factor of 3.6.
- Interactions between people via email, messaging, social networks, etc. – will grow by a factor of 8.0.
- Most of the world’s economic stimulus efforts will also increase the amount of digital information created, the result of increased access to broadband communications, electronic patient records, smart electric grids, smart buildings and autos, etc.
- By 2012, 850 million people will buy and sell products and services on the Internet and twice as much Internet commerce will take place versus 2008. By 2012, Internet commerce will be a $13 trillion industry, mostly involving sensitive business-to-business commerce.⊃3;
- More than 30% of information created today is "security-intensive," thus requiring high standards of protection. That number will grow to roughly 45% by the end of 2012.
- Most of the information IT organizations will need to keep secure is created outside the data center, often outside the company. More and more of that information originates from mobile users – workers, customers, suppliers, partners – which adds an additional layer of management and security complexity to the equation.
- Examples of security-intensive includes patient medical records and images, credit card and social security numbers, Internet commerce and other transaction data, video surveillance, sensitive legal documents and corporate intellectual property.
- The amount of information considered "compliance-intensive," or subject to rules that govern what information must be stored and accessible to regulating authorities and auditors, will grow from 25% of the Digital Universe in 2008 to 35% of the Digital Universe in 2012.
- The financial collapse will clearly lead to more regulation and government oversight, which will drive more mandated record-keeping compliance, and hence, more digital information.
- Examples of compliance-intensive information include personally identifiable information, employee email archives, financial and human resources records and litigation documents.
PhotosNumber of Kindles in the Digital UniverseThe Digital Universe, IT Budgets, and IT Staff: Growth Over Four YearsDigital Information Created, Captured, Replicated WorldwideSecurity- and Compliance-Intensive Information
EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world's leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information. Information about EMC's products and services can be found at www.EMC.com
, a part of , enables organizations to modernize, automate and transform their using industry-leading , servers, and data protection technologies. This provides a trusted foundation for businesses to transform IT, through the creation of a , and transform their business through the creation of cloud-native applications and solutions. Dell EMC services customers across 180 countries – including 98 percent of the Fortune 500 – with the industry’s most comprehensive and innovative portfolio from edge to core to cloud.


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Following a recent incident where a woman was raped when climbing into the wrong car after ordering an Uber ride, the organisation has issued these safety guidelines.
Uber is committed to the safety of everyone that uses the app, riders and driver-partners alike. This is why Uber strives to constantly better our safety features and offer these safety features in-app, the world over. These features have been developed to ensure safety before, during, and after every ride and Uber urges riders to make use of these for their own security.
Know your driver
The Uber app provides riders with the details of their driver-partner as soon as a rider accepts a trip. Riders need to use this information to verify their driver-partner is indeed the same driver-partner that accepted their request via the app. Riders should check the driver’s name and photo, vehicle type and license plate number. This feature ensures riders get in the correct vehicle with the correct driver-partner.
Track the trip
Riders should make use of Uber’s GPS features that allows them to track a trip by viewing the route on the map in the app. From the minute a ride is requested, the rider is able to track the vehicle on the way to pick them up. In addition to ensuring one gets into the correct vehicle, the GPS features allow riders to know exactly where they are headed and that they’re on the right track. Uber also uses GPS to keep a record of where a driver-partner goes during the ride, meaning Uber can verify that the most efficient routes are being used. Uber also recently introduced a new feature called Family Profiles, which allows up to 10 riders to safely and easily share one card as a payment method.
Share your ETA
As an additional security feature, riders are encouraged to share their ETA (estimated time of arrival) and location with a friend or loved one. This is easily done via the app and can be shared with anyone – without the friend or family member ever needing to download the Uber app themselves. Using this feature means a rider can share their destination and route for peace of mind. Friends or family will receive a link where they can see in real time, the name and photo of the driver-partner, their vehicle, and where are on the map the rider is, until they’ve arrived at their destination.
Uber offers 24/7 support. Uber’s customer support staff are ready to assist with queries, whether it be an inefficient route or a traffic accident. Riders can contact the support team at any time of the day, on any day of the week.
Riders and driver-partners rate each other after each and every trip. This allows riders to see their driver-partners current rating prior to getting into the vehicle, and allows Uber to query any negative feedback. This feedback helps driver-partners keep standards high and helps Uber address any concerns.
Uber provides the below top safety tips for riders to make sure their trips are as secure as possible:
- Verify your driver-partner and vehicle before getting into the car, using the in app information
- Share your ETA and location with a friend or family member
- Charge your phone – having a charged phone ensures you can see your driver’s details and track your trip while on the ride. If you know you cell phone is likely to die on the trip, Uber recommends you use a friend or family member’s phone to login to your Uber account to get your driver’s information and then share your ETA with a friend of loved one
- Don’t unnecessarily share your details, Uber has implemented an anonymous contact system to ensure riders and driver-partners don’t need to share their personal information. Riders and drivers can contact each other at any time through the app.
- Always provide detailed feedback after your trip to keep Uber updated
Revealing the real cost of ‘free’ online services
A free service by Finnish cybersecurity provider F-Secure reveals the real cost of using “free” services by Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon, among others.
What do Google, Facebook, and Amazon have in common? Privacy and identity scandals. From Cambridge Analytica to Google’s vulnerability in Google+, the amount of personal data sitting on these platforms is enormous.
Cybersecurity provider F-Secure has released a free online tool that helps expose the true cost of using some of the web’s most popular free services. And that cost is the abundance of data that has been collected about users by Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon Alexa, Twitter, and Snapchat. The good news is that you can take back your data “gold”.
F-Secure Data Discovery Portal sends users directly to the often hard-to-locate resources provided by each of these tech giants that allow users to review their data, securely and privately.
“What you do with the data collection is entirely between you and the service,” says Erka Koivunen, F-Secure Chief Information Security Officer. “We don’t see – and don’t want to see – your settings or your data. Our only goal is to help you find out how much of your information is out there.”
More than half of adult Facebook users, 54%, adjusted how they use the site in the wake of the scandal that revealed Cambridge Analytica had collected data without users’ permission.* But the biggest social network in the world continues to grow, reporting 2.3 billion monthly users at the end of 2018.**
“You often hear, ‘if you’re not paying, you’re the product.’ But your data is an asset to any company, whether you’re paying for a product or not,” says Koivunen. “Data enables tech companies to sell billions in ads and products, building some of the biggest businesses in the history of money.”
F-Secure is offering the tool as part of the company’s growing focus on identity protection that secures consumers before, during, and after data breaches. By spreading awareness of the potential costs of these “free” services, the Data Discovery Portal aims to make users aware that securing their data and identity is more important than ever.
A recent F-Secure survey found that 54% of internet users over 25 worry about someone hacking into their social media accounts.*** Data is only as secure as the networks of the companies that collect it, and the passwords and tactics used to protect our accounts. While the settings these sites offer are useful, they cannot eliminate the collection of data.
Koivunen says: “While consumers effectively volunteer this information, they should know the privacy and security implications of building accounts that hold more potential insight about our identities than we could possibly share with our family. All of that information could be available to a hacker through a breach or an account takeover.”
However, there is no silver bullet for users when it comes to permanently locking down security or hiding it from the services they choose to use.
“Default privacy settings are typically quite loose, whether you’re using a social network, apps, browsers or any service,” says Koivunen. “Review your settings now, if you haven’t already, and periodically afterwards. And no matter what you can do, nothing stops these companies from knowing what you’re doing when you’re logged into their services.”
***Source: F-Secure Identity Protection Consumer (B2C) Survey, May 2019, conducted in cooperation with survey partner Toluna, 9 countries (USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Brazil, Finland, Sweden, and Japan), 400 respondents per country = 3600 respondents (+25years)
WhatsApp comes to KaiOS
By the end of September, WhatsApp will be pre-installed on all phones running the KaiOS operating system, which turns feature phones into smart phones. The announcement was made yesterday by KaiOS Technologies, maker of the KaiOS mobile operating system for smart feature phones, and Facebook. WhatsApp is also available for download in the KaiStore, on both 512MB and 256MB RAM devices.
“KaiOS has been a critical partner in helping us bring private messaging to smart feature phones around the world,” said Matt Idema, COO of WhatsApp. “Providing WhatsApp on KaiOS helps bridge the digital gap to connect friends and family in a simple, reliable and secure way.”
WhatsApp is a messaging tool used by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide who need a simple, reliable and secure way to communicate with friends and family. Users can use calling and messaging capabilities with end-to-end encryption that keeps correspondence private and secure.
WhatsApp was first launched on the KaiOS-powered JioPhone in India in September of 2018. Now, with the broad release, the app is expected to reach millions of new users across Africa, Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
“We’re thrilled to bring WhatsApp to the KaiOS platform and extend such an important means of communication to a brand new demographic,” said Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies. “We strive to make the internet and digital services accessible for everyone and offering WhatsApp on affordable smart feature phones is a giant leap towards this goal. We can’t wait to see the next billion users connect in meaningful ways with their loved ones, communities, and others across the globe.”
KaiOS-powered smart feature phones are a new category of mobile devices that combine the affordability of a feature phone with the essential features of a smartphone. They meet a growing demand for affordable devices from people living across Africa – and other emerging markets – who are not currently online.
WhatsApp is now available for download from KaiStore, an app store specifically designed for KaiOS-powered devices and home to the world’s most popular apps, including the Google Assistant, YouTube, Facebook, Google Maps and Twitter. Apps in the KaiStore are customised to minimise data usage and maximise user experience for smart feature phone users.
KaiOS currently powers more than 100 million devices shipped worldwide, in over 100 countries. The platform enables a new category of devices that require limited memory, while still offering a rich user experience.
* For more details, visit: Meet The Devices That Are Powered by KaiOS
* Also read Arthur Goldstuck’s story, Smart feature phones spell KaiOS


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We all know the stories that hit the news about chicken jerky treats being recalled because they made a pet sick. But exactly WHAT is the deal with them? Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, founder of the blog Pawcurious, recently posted an infographic breaking down all the deets on chicken jerky treats.
Her recommendation? Make chicken jerky yourself! Check out the video above.


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To consider what exactly BYOD is – beyond a catchy acronym for Bring Your Own Device – perhaps it’s just as important to look at what BYOD is not.
It is not an ideology, it is not a holistic business plan, and it is not a fad. Personal devices have become a part of the fabric of everyday life – and just like anything that touches and influences millions of people on a personal level, it has intimately worked its way into the business world.
Reporter Dean Evans wrote for Techradar.com last year the following: “The driving force behind BYOD is a new IT self-sufficiency among company employees who already own and use personal laptops, tablets and smartphones. These mobile devices are often newer and more advanced than the equipment deployed by many IT departments. It’s hardly surprising that the rapid adoption of lightweight Ultrabooks, iPads and large-screened phones are changing the way that people want to work.”
Most experts agree that no one really wants to carry two smartphones, or two laptops, or two of anything – the days of Noah’s Ark are long gone. The model of what’s-most-convenient in life seems to be winning out over separating work and personal activities on devices.
The basic reality that many professionals already use their own personal devices to complete some of their work “at the office” is a driving force behind BYOD – which encompasses all personal devices. Some in the marketplace also refer to BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone), BYOPC (Bring Your Own PC) and BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology).
In a recent story at ITProPortal.com, writer Sead Fadilpašić posted: “Today, mobile devices are everywhere – and more and more applications are flooding the market. Mobility is constantly growing, and at a rapid rate. In a report by Gartner, it’s predicted that by 2018, more than 50 percent of users will go to a tablet or smartphone for all online activities.”
A personal device that is utilized for any employee’s job does save money for the company they work for — both on hardware and some software applications. But other experts have observed that employees have higher morale when their bosses approve the use of the devices they are most comfortable using. On the flip side, employees can be severely turned off and frustrated if forced to abide by IT department-issued or preferred options only.
By all accounts, BYOD is much more than just a popular abbreviation: it’s a concept that seems destined to become ever more pervasive in both society and the workplace.


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Expect an Unseasonably Hot Winter for Home Sales
This winter is expected to be unseasonably hot for the housing market.
“Compared to other past winter seasons, this winter season’s sales activity will be stronger,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS®. “This winter, there will be more sales compared to pre-pandemic winters going back all the way to 2006.”
The momentum from the last few months is expected to continue. From March through October, homes have been selling faster than they traditionally do. Read more from NAR's Realtor Magazine.


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Drutex, the largest manufacturer of vertical windows in Europe, was present at the leading international trade fair Fensterbau Frontale last week.
Held in Nuremberg, around 110,000 industry professionals attended the fair. In the centre of discussion was the introduction of new products and the newly launched advertising campaign featuring well-known football stars.
Since 2013, ITMS and Drutex have been successfully collaborating to increase the organisation’s brand awareness among professionals such as architects, planners and trading partners, as well as home builders and property owners across Germany. Along with Fensterbau Frontale in 2014 and BAU 2015 in Munich, the world’s largest trade fair, this year’s appearance marks the third international trade fair for Drutex – always accompanied by the communications experts ITMS.
At ITMS, a trade fare appearance is always viewed from a holistic point of view. The Bad Nauheim agency ensures maximum media visibility for the brand and its products by initiating a variety of communication activities prior, during and after the fair. This year, Europe’s largest window manufacturer enjoyed special media attention thanks to these efforts. Mainly through engagement in numerous discussions with leading media representatives, it became apparent how the company has now grown to occupy a place of great importance in the industry. The agency has succeeded in changing Drutex’ appearance from a hidden champion to becoming one of the most recognized window manufacturers in the country within a short amount of time.
Study results have shown that Drutex now ranks at number 3 among the highest selling window manufacturers in Germany. The brand has achieved a new sales record in 2015 and reported export growth of 26 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, regular product launches kept the brand in the headlines, with events such as the Nuremberg celebration of the world premiere of the Drutex IGLO Light System, a product featuring particularly narrow dimensions and modern design. The star of the communications mix however clearly is the campaign that combines three football stars: Andrea Pirlo from New York City FC, Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm and the Polish national team and Fiorentina winger Jakub Blaszczykowski. The three football players have been brand ambassadors for Drutex since 2014. Recently, their new campaign “Strength, Elegance and Precision in a Window” was launched on a large scale across a range of industry and consumer media.
ITMS Marketing is responsible for the complete range of media relations and events management for Drutex, as well as sponsorship and strategic media planning and buying.


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It’s the end of an era, with the launch of Amazon Prime this week furthering the sense that the world has moved on somewhat from these huge retail chains.
All the Toys R Us stores in Australia are closing in the next few weeks
If you see a huge giraffe wandering the streets glassy-eyed and trying to sell you a copy of The Big Issue, it’s because 44 Toys R Us stores (read: all of them) across Australia will be closing down over the next few weeks.
700 people will be put out of work; administrators McGrathNicol said that “all potential buyers had pulled out and the business will be wound down.”
The online ordering system will be shut down this Friday, and lay-bys and existing gift cards will be honoured until July 5.
The article was originally published on Brag Magazine
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Intel is petitioning the German government to top up the previously agreed upon 6.8 billion euros in subsidies with another 5 billion euros, Bloomberg reports. The US semiconductor manufacturer says that costs have ballooned from an originally estimated 17 billion euros to 30 billion euros. Disruptions...
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French retail group Auchan has started testing scanless technology from Israeli provider Trigo at its headquarters in Villeneuve d’Ascq this week. The store, called ‘Auchan Go Le Lab’, is only open to employees and guests of the company. It is the first Trigo installation in France. Auchan had already opened a scanless store on the campus of the EDHEC university in Croix in 2021, using technology from the Chinese provider Cloudpick.
In the new Trigo test store in Villeneuve d’Ascq, in-house customers do not necessarily have to register in the corresponding app. Auchan is also testing access through a conventional payment card here. This is also new for Trigo. As in all Trigo stores, cameras and the shelves equipped with scales automatically fill the virtual basket. When leaving the store, payment is made immediately and without any further steps, a digital receipt is provided.
Auchan France wants to turn this Auchan Go into an integrated laboratory for technological innovation to test shopping channels, contactless solutions, but also its new products in a controlled way before examining possible applications in its existing store.
Testing typical hypermarket requirements
‘Auchan Go Le Lab’ is only 86 square metres and features only 1,000 products, of which 46 percent are Auchan private labels. “We have brought together the best of technology in a lab that replicates our hypermarket processes. This lab will allow us to invent the store of the future faster,” says Emilie Soleri, deputy managing director in charge of e-commerce, marketing and digital at Auchan Retail France.
However, Auchan also reports that the Cloudpick-based store on the campus of the EDHEC college in Croix has been successful. Students have quickly embraced the concept, Auchan reports, as it is quick and easy to understand for this generation that lives with a smartphone in their hand. During normal lecture hours, according to the retailer, an average of 400 customers come to buy food. During exam periods, this number doubles and can reach up to 800 visits per day.
Digital payment in Auchan Go stores has been implemented by Auchan using UpStream Pay, a Saas platform for a unified payment experience. Auchan has integrated this solution into the Auchan Go app. UpStream Pay also enables automation and smooth follow-up of booking flows thanks to an integrated file containing all transactions through the app.


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Stimulus checks are going to provide a monetary lifeline to millions of Americans, as they reel from the economic devastation brought on by the Covid 19 pandemic.
But some recipients have kept their income and jobs, and are able to cover critical month expenses such as rent, utility bills as well as debt payments. For these people, the $600 checks stand for an opportunity to enhance their savings, spend on non essential goods or even buy stocks. On TikTok, in which young investors have left turned for investment advice, videos regarding how to turn the “stimmy” of yours into thousands of dollars are actually making the rounds.
“The $600 isn’t required at that moment,” Lewis said. “I am investing it hopefully to transform it into something much more than that by the time I’ll need it. $600 in a season isn’t going to turn into $10,000, but if I spend it right now, in forty yrs it is likely to be worth manner more.”
He states much of the essential expenditures of his are actually covered. Most of Lewis’s college tuition is actually paid for by scholarships. He lives at home with the parents of his, meaning he does not have to be concerned about rent at the moment. Little side tasks allow him to cover everyday costs, like those for food as well as the phone of his. He hasn’t decided where he is investing his $600 yet, but is talking about “some business that is not going anywhere,” like Apple Inc. or perhaps Facebook Inc.
Lewis’s plans illustrate the way the fallout from the coronavirus crisis is actually dividing the U.S. economy. Claims for unemployment benefits averaged 1.45 million a week previous year, as opposed to aproximatelly 220,000 in 2019, with tens of thousands of men and women struggling for food, shelter and income. At the same time, the fraction of disposable income that households manage to stash away has jumped, home owners are actually seeing property price tags increase and the stock market is actually soaring. The yearly compensation speed for workers in November neared pre-pandemic amounts.
To mitigate the hardship due to the pandemic, U.S. lawmakers have agreed on a relief system which would send $600 to those with an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000, or $150,000 for couples that are married filing jointly, plus $600 for each dependent kid. That will be cut by five dolars for every $100 received above the income threshold, which means those earning over $87,000 as an individual or $174,000 as a couple don’t get anything. The legislation additionally provides unemployed women a $300-a-week federal boost for no less than 10 weeks.
“There are going to be a number of people that won’t require it and are still going to get the checks as the issuing of the check is purely based on earnings, not employment,” stated R.A. Farrokhnia, Columbia Business School professor and executive director of the Fintech Initiative. With societal distancing and lockdowns still in place, Farrokhnia added, folks have limitations on the place they are able to spend the money. “Those that really have been blessed to still have jobs end up saving a lot more, as they’re not putting funds into the economy, they are not going out to restaurants, and tend to be on Zoom so they will not be needing a whole lot of new clothes or perhaps shoes.”
Spend or even Save?
Poll shows how Americans would consume a second stimulus payment based on their earnings level
U.S. Census data shows that the vast majority of U.S. households used the preceding round of stimulus checks – $1,200 per person – in 2020 to cover basic expenses. Approximately eighty % of respondents in a home Pulse survey reported making use of the money on food and 77.9 % on rent, payments or mortgages. Far more than half of respondents said they spent the money on home products and personal care products , and also about 20 % on clothing. Even though 87.6 % of adults in households with incomes of $25,000 or even less planned to work with the payments of theirs to simply meet expenses, over a third of adults in households with incomes above $75,000 said that they would utilize the funds to pay off debt or even add to it to the savings of theirs.
“We know people earmark money for certain functions, for this reason that windfall is actually regarded as not part of what they have to have from paycheck to paycheck but as something extra to be put towards something special,” said Neil Fligstein, professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. “That’s why a whole lot of people may strive to save or perhaps invest it. It is seen as’ found money.'”
Once Hailey Wiggins, a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Houston, receives the $600 check, she is probably going to keep 10 % for cash, invest sixty % in stocks as well as thirty % in cryptocurrencies.
“We’re intending to become flooded with many of this additional money that is just going to stimulate the market,” says Wiggins, who entered the stock market in March of last year. “I’ve been committing as well as had this ridiculous return because of the pandemic and what it’s done to the stock market. I do not see $600, I notice way more money.”
“Although we can’t hypothesize right on the data, the increased spending on brokerages in June aligns with discount online brokerages as Robinhood reporting a spike in brand new accounts,” said Bill Parsons, Envestnet Yodlee’s group president of facts and analytics. “Our data shows a significant uptick in users that are new during both the weeks of March, the month the CARES Act was passed, and June after every person had received their checks.”
For a lot of people, the most up stimulus money is just too small to cover major bills or present an incentive to save it. Instead, it’s prompting them to contemplate purchasing something nice as a way of making themselves feel much better after a hard year.
“$600 cannot really cover my rent,” said George Takam Jr., a 22-year-old from Maryland, who is thinking about buying a PlayStation five gaming console. “I may also use it on something wonderful and stimulate the economy.”
Takam is a nursing assistant and states his minimum-wage spending job barely covers his rent as he functions a standard 40 hour week. He gets some help with the bills of his from the parents of his, exactly who have additionally taken a financial hit by the pandemic. The stimulus check is going to mean he is able to invest cash on something he enjoys.


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Startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in driving economic growth in the UAE. With SMEs representing nearly 94 per cent of the total number of companies operating in the country and accounting for over 86 per cent of the private sector workforce, actively driving the growth of SMEs is a strategic imperative that complements the economic diversification goals of the UAE’s leadership. The UAE offers the perfect platform for startups to thrive. In addition to the importance of innovative tech enterprises being enshrined in the strategic vision statements of the nation, there are tangible initiatives that support innovators to convert their ideas to reality.
For example, the Smart Dubai strategy and Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 are among the drivers of the startup culture, promoting innovation and creating robust platforms for young innovators to accomplish their projects.
The Dubai Smart City Accelerator, launched by Dubai Silicon Oasis, brings together diverse stakeholders to promote, incubate, and drive innovative tech enterprises in diverse growth sectors. Smart-techs also play a central role in creating jobs of the future – aligned with the aspirations of the tech-savvy youth.
Further, initiatives, such as Expo 2020 Dubai’s Youth Connect scheme that encourages young people to become the innovators and thought leaders of tomorrow and the UAE Youth programme targeting 21-to-30-year-olds and designed to help innovative young people gain a rounded education in business, promoting localised innovation. The government’s committed efforts, illustrated in Dubai granting top 100 Arab startups – picked by the World Economic Forum – five-year visas and the support of the private sector, will further fuel the rise of startups.
So how does creating a start-up culture benefit the nation in the long-term? It creates unprecedented opportunities for young innovators to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. A report by Dubai’s Department of Economic Development underlines the role that Dubai SME plays in promoting entrepreneurial talent, complementing National Agenda 2021 to position the UAE among the world’s best in entrepreneurship.
Nearly 35,000 aspiring entrepreneurs benefited from the start-up, advisory, and development services of Dubai SME as of March 2019, with over 6,053 Emirati enterprises launched and the Hamdan Innovation Incubator enabling 571 projects to take off.
Additionally, the emergence of new enterprises contributes significantly to the economy by creating new jobs and building a local supply chain. This, in turn, powers the growth of the local economy – a win-win for the nation. With the UAE’s robust economic environment, encouraging new enterprises and more innovators leveraging the opportunity, the nation is building strong fundamentals for the future.
As the UAE focuses on digital transformation, this will contribute to new business models and new job profiles. Investing in startups, thus, serves in future-proofing the economy and ensuring that the digital-savvy youth of today are prepared and ready for the jobs of the future. Ranked as the most important stand-out nation alongside Singapore and New Zealand by Digital Planet, the UAE’s credentials in providing the best environment for innovation in the Arab world, as per the Global Innovation Index, underpins the fertile environment for startups here.
With the emergence of co-working spaces, a focus on entrepreneurial training, remarkable incubation support, and the opportunities arising from Expo 2020, the UAE is well poised to becoming the premier destination for startups of all ages and across all sectors globally. The substantial-tech entrepreneurship in the UAE’s supportive environment has already contributed to high start-up density, supported by a rich network of support services and foundational programs to drive long-term innovation. This is an investment in the nation’s future – ensuring sustainable economic growth and creating incremental value.
This article has been published by Khaleej Times.


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Dairy farmers ‘left scratching their heads’ with milk price disparity
Earlier today, Glanbia announced its milk price for the month of May; the processor held its base price, but reduced its support payment compared to the previous month.
Glanbia will pay its member milk suppliers 30c/L including VAT for May manufacturing milk supplies at 3.6% butterfat and 3.3% protein.
In addition, Lakeland Dairies announced that it would maintain its milk price – holding the base milk price at 31.78c/L including VAT for May milk supplies.
Speaking following both announcements, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association’s (ICMSA’s) Gerard Quain said that extreme anger is being expressed by suppliers to Glanbia after the largest processor in the country announced a price that will leave it lagging behind Lakeland Dairies by almost 3c/L on base price.
The chairman of the ICMSA’s Dairy Committee was also critical of the Lakeland Dairies decision to cease paying the 1.5c/L bonus it had paid on April supplies.
He said: “It beggars belief that we are expected to accept that there can be such a disparity between two co-ops processing the same raw product for base price.
Questions are being asked by ICMSA members who supply Glanbia Ireland about this kind of astonishing price gap.
“There was a large difference between the top and bottom processors last month for April supplies; but we now see a widening gap between even the middle-paying processors and Glanbia Ireland.
“If you consider that up to one quarter of the annual milk supply on a dairy farm is produced in April and May – and assuming that we’re talking about something like 100,000L for these two months – then we’re looking at a difference of €2,780 between a farmer supplying Lakeland Dairies and one supplying Glanbia; we think that is a genuinely shocking figure.
“And remember that this difference becomes even more magnified when the comparison is made with the top-paying co-ops.”
He added: “Dairy farmers are scratching their heads wondering how such differences can occur and they feel – very justifiably – that they are owed an explanation because this loss of income represented by this price gap would repay some of the bills still owing after this spring.
“Farmer-suppliers are under pressure after what has to be acknowledged as a difficult and very challenging year on inputs costs and the whole situation is made even more remarkable when you consider that dairy markets are moving upwards strongly.”


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Fall has arrived, bringing colorful leaves and treats including cider.
If you are looking for hayrides, pumpkin patches or apples, local farms in Lorain County have you covered.
Fitch’s Farm Market, Avon
Fitch’s Farm Market, 4413 Center Road, has a wide variety of produce to incorporate into any of your favorite fall dishes.
Produce items, such as cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkins, cabbage and peppers, are grown and harvested on the farm, farmer Adam Fitch said.
“You know where it comes from,” he said. “You can see the field that it’s grown in.”
You can pick your own peppers and tomatoes during the fall season. The farm also offers autumn staples like straw bales, pumpkins and fall decorations.
What makes the seven-generation farm stand out, Fitch said, is that everything is grown there; nothing is outsourced.
Fitch said his favorite part about working on the farm is being able to experience all of the different seasons and harvest different produce for his patrons.
“The whole maturation process.... It’s kind of like full circle,” he said.
Pickering Hill Farms, Avon
An Avon staple since the 1850s, Pickering Hill Farms, 35669 Detroit Road, has offered fresh produce for over 100 years. Open from June to November, it has seasonal produce like strawberries, corn, peppers and tomatoes.
Every weekend in October starting Saturday the farm will offer hayrides and pumpkin picking, a 25-year tradition. Patrons get a complimentary hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick their own pumpkins, which owner Jay Pickering said is his favorite tradition.
“It makes for a nice opportunity for families,” Pickering said. “Kids can have a good time. It’s pretty festive here.”
Along with the hayrides, patrons can pay $1 to maneuver through a corn maze, created by Pickering himself.
“I get a kick out of people who have trouble finding their way through it,” Pickering said.
The farm offers fall staples like gourds, Indian corn, corn stalks, hay bales and apples. If the farm does not grow it, it sources its products from local farmers.
Hillcrest Orchards, Amherst
Owner Bill Dodd said patrons can come to Hillcrest Orchards, a four-generation farm at 50336 Telegraph Road in Amherst, to spend time with family and make memories.
“I think there’s a little bit of an educational component where families can actually see where their food comes from and how it’s produced,” Dodd said.
Patrons can pick their own apples and pumpkins, as well as go on hayrides and explore a corn maze. Children can play in an outdoor play area called “the corn box.”
There is a $12 admission fee, but if you buy tickets at hillcrestfunfarm.com, tickets are $8 for all activities. Apple and pumpkin picking is an additional charge depending on how much you pick.
Dodd said his favorite thing about farming is watching the fruits of his labor come to fruition.
“We’ve been working on growing this apple crop since early spring, and now they’re ready to harvest,” he said.
Contact this reporter at firstname.lastname@example.org or 440-871-5797.


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|LONDON -- 23 November 2004 - To complement its Rate Check product,
Electrobug is pleased to announce two new products which should prove to
be a major improvement on the status quo of revenue and distribution managers.
Both these products will be on display at Electrobug's booth at the HEDNA
conference in Los Angeles on December 7-9.
The first product, Rate Change, enables hotels to change rates and allocations on multiple extranets through one interface. By integrating with its Rate Check product, Electrobug is offering the hotels "One Click Rate Parity", enabling them to rebalance their third party channel rates against their brand web site or GDS with the click of one button.
The second product, Rate Parity Control, enables hotel groups to streamline with workflow of interacting with properties to get them to bring rates into line with a corporate policy.
"We have had a good look at how managers are currently spending their time, and what products are currently on offer to update rates through one screen." says Mark Heynen, Managing Director of Electrobug. "The general view is that uploading and managing rates needs to be more automated, but the current solutions do not have the required flexibility or functionality. There is still a major need for a product that does a proper job of this. We feel we have it."
"The major pitfalls faced in this area are not having enough sites integrated, not updating rates reliably, not having healthy relationships with the third party websites, and not providing the flexibility to cater to different user groups. We have been focused on solving these problems." says Mark. "We are particularly excited about our market leading, new to the world One Click Rate Parity option--this will save an immense amount of time in rebalancing rates.
Electrobug is already trialling the product with several major hotel groups in Europe, and is currently offering a free trial to any of its existing clients. New clients can sign up following the HEDNA conference.
"Our goal is to innovate continuously to ensure customers always get the best from us. We have a development team of 50 full time staff, with a view ensuring our customers get the most innovative and easy to use rate management tools in the marketplace." concluded Mark.
Electrobug Technologies (www.electrobug.com), based in London, England, was initially conceived on the notion that the "Internet is the database." The company has been active for four years, and has developed a suite of online data retrieval tools for price tracking, currently in use at a number of retailers, airlines, hotels, and travel agents throughout Europe. These tools automatically retrieve prices from various web sites, normalise the data sets, and report the results to a set of customised Excel and HTML reports to be used in channel management and competitor price checks. The company is active in air, hotels, car rentals, and the retail area, counting companies such as Expedia, Lastminute.com, Priceline.com, Sainsburys, and Tesco as clients.


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At a time when people are only procuring what they really need, we need to ask ourselves – what impact would it have on our lives if the agriculture sector was deeply affected? We aren’t ready for the answer to this gruesome question. 70% of India’s rural households still depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and the COVID crisis has further distressed an already troubled set of people.
At a time when the winter crop is harvested and summer crop is sowed, the lockdown and operational restrictions that came with it have stomped over both these seasons. The transportation restrictions never let the produce reach mandis, the movement of migrant labor also created a dearth of man-force responsible for loading, distribution and even procurement operations were greatly affected. More so, India also lacks a robust network of cold storage when there are unexpected delays.
Most farmers choose to cultivate the cash crops that yield them more profitability but the need of the hour is to localise the supply chain as well as cultivation patterns to benefit the farmer by reducing transport costs, and bring them direct prices. There should be also be incentives for farmers to move towards food crops. The true impact on the industry will only be clear once the measures taken by the government come into play and decide at least the near future of a chunk of our population.
Another industry that will be affected with the domino effect of supply chain and production disruptions is the food and beverage industry. As the core of the industry depends on fresh produce, restaurateurs are likely to face the brunt of this. First, the inability to keep their restaurants functional. Next, the idea of social distancing becoming a norm and thereby making people’s dining out experiences an occasion rather than a habitual occurrence. This industry needs to start preparing for a post-crisis future, where food delivery is something the customers will find themselves drawn towards.
What does this mean for a restaurant that is strictly dine-in or one that is rigid and hasn’t yet explored delivery as a model? It’s time to re-think strategies and become a game changer in a post-COVID world. A concept that was coming into play even before COVID was what we call a ghost kitchen or dark kitchen, which was a comfortable way of making a business run and one where the focus could be on food quality, new recipes, and tantalising customer taste buds as they enjoy meals in the solitude of their home. If you take this concept a notch higher, you have yourself a cloud kitchen, a concept still nascent in the country but one that is here to make a mark.
What one can expect to reduce are up front and operational costs because a restaurant owner would need much less infrastructure by tweaking the business model to make it a cloud kitchen. Another cost that is removed is rent, which then becomes a revenue share model with cloud kitchen startups like Smart Kitchen Company. The idea of expansion doesn’t then require years of planning or capital generation; all it needs is coming up with ingenious ways to reach out to your customer and build a loyal base. Food is a space that has always been tricky, as we have witnessed multiple places that opened up with unique concepts only to shut down soon after because the overhead costs were too much to bare.
With just the right amount of confidence in a product, one can do wonders in the food space. Now, during a post-crisis era, this will be all the more important as the expectations of consumers will not just be restricted to delivery time, food quality or packaging but more importantly, the conditions in which it was prepared and the sanitation measures taken. A cloud kitchen will take care of all this, and also the probable inflation in raw material pricing due to the affected agriculture industry.
There are many challenges that are going to come around if the agriculture industry doesn’t bounce back to normalcy. There are bound to be ripple effects, but there are always ways to innovate and re-imagine existing structures and most importantly, adapt to the ever changing times we live in.


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Management buy-out of North Somerset recruitment firm
- Credit: Abatec
Bosses at a recruitment company in Weston have carried out a management buy-out of the firm.
Managing director Richard Buchanan has been joined by fellow director, Rob Dyer who both led the deal and acquired 100 per cent shareholding of the business.
Abatec Recruitment, in Oldmixon Crescent, was established more than 30 years ago and has grown to a £10milliom business which supports its customers with temporary, permanent and contract staff, supplying the construction and engineering markets.
Weston MP, John Penrose, met with the owners outside Abatec House to congratulate them.
Richard Buchanan said: “I’m thrilled that after such an uncertain year we were in a position to proceed and buy the business. We have an excellent management team in place who will ensure we deliver for our customers.”
Rob added: “We are proud to take ownership of such a well-known local business, we have both worked for Abatec in excess of 15 years and this is an excellent opportunity for us.”
- 1 Poignant artwork installed on Weston beach
- 2 PICTURES: New Aldi store opens in shopping district
- 3 New restaurant named Hospitality Hero by Mercury readers
- 4 Day of Ibiza club classics to be performed in Weston this weekend
- 5 Weston chosen as a ‘priority place’ in bid to transform the country through culture
- 6 Luxurious three-bedroom house overlooking Weston seafront
- 7 Blue plaque installed for famous actress
- 8 Customers urged to support local pubs, restaurants and cafes to boost hospitality sector
- 9 Second school site gets approval despite opposition
- 10 End of busy summer with more events to look forward to


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In this video by ‘South Africa Awakening’ we see a report on the state of the white minority nation in South Africa and the crisis that is enveloping them. The video gives some startling facts pertaining to the dire situation in the country and how it is rapidly deteriorating. The white minority is being excluded from any assistance and the black masses are looting and destroying. Details in the video and information alerts citizens to the fact that there is no future for whites under the corrupt communist ANC government.
The ANC is stealing food aid and either selling the products or distributing it to there close friends and are also not assisting white businesses in the country.
The video shares how the ANC government plans to take everything they can from the white minorities and this racism was even held up in the High court where it was deemed that assisting only BEE businesses was allowed. Government is taking full control of the food supply and is reminiscent of a famous quote ” Control a nations food supply and you control the nation.”
You can support South Africa Awakening here
You can contact South Africa Awakening by email: [email protected]
South Africa Today – South Africa Media


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A more in-depth statement was sent to IGN, with Konami saying:
As we have already announced, we are shifting our production structure to a headquarters-controlled system, in order to establish a steadfast operating base capable of responding to the rapid market changes that surround our digital entertainment business. Konami Digital Entertainment (including Mr. Kojima), will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products. Please look forward to future announcements.
Earlier today, some rumors popped up on Reddit and NeoGAF that suggested Metal Gear Solid Creator Hideo Kojima had left Konami, following the removal of “A Hideo Kojima game” on certain box arts and the removal of Kojima Productions’ logos from the Metal Gear website.
In a statement sent to Videogamer, Konami said both them and Kojima will continue to work on Metal Gear products:
Konami Digital Entertainment, including Mr. Kojima, will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products. Please look forward to future announcements.
However, there have been some changes within the company, as the Kojima Pro Live Twitter account is no longer the official Metal Gear Solid Twitter account. That distinction now belongs to @MetalGear_EN.
Meanwhile, Kojima Productions Los Angeles, who is working on Metal Gear Online, has been renamed to Konami Los Angeles Studio. Not only that, but the Kojima Productions website now re-directs to a Metal Gear Solid portal.
If Konami provides any further statement on this matter, we’ll let you know.
The next Metal Gear Solid title, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, launches on September 1.