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Rand takes a dive as Omicron worries linger
The rand retreated early on Tuesday as caution lingered in markets after the discovery of a Covid-19 variant that is spreading in the country and globally. At 0625 GMT, the rand traded at R16.21 against the dollar, 0.46% weaker than its previous close. The currency plunged to its weakest since October 2020 on Friday as
Today’s biggest business challenge: Bringing simplicity and efficiency to a complex environment
The world is changing swiftly, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is ushering in a new era of innovation and technology. From how we manufacture and consume products and services to how we experience life and work, 4IR is transforming and enhancing every facet of modern life. Digitalisation has become critical for businesses to remain
Trends 2022: Supply chain cyber-attacks on the rise, as ransomware attacks break records
In the last six months, an organisation in South Africa was attacked on average 1737 times per week. This is more than double the global average (819) of attacks per organisation per week, according to Check Point Threat Intelligence Report. So what can we expect from the year ahead? • In 2022, ransom demands by hackers
Expect blackouts all weekend as Eskom pushes for stage 4 load-shedding
Eskom says that stage 4 load-shedding will be implemented from 14:00 on Friday until 05:00 on Saturday. After that, stage 2 load-shedding will continue until 05:00 on Monday, 8 November. This follows the shutdown of three generating units at Kendal Power Station, a unit trip each at Tutuka and Matimba power stations, and the delayed return to service
Twitter putting ads in replies
Twitter is changing the way its users will see ads on the platform, with the new format displaying sponsored content in the middle of conversations. Announced by Bruce Falck, Twitter’s revenue product lead, the new format will display ads after the “first, third, or eighth reply under a Tweet”. The company is currently testing the
Billionaire miner, Andrew Forrest sees next fortune in rush for clean energy
It took Andrew Forrest a little over a decade to build an iron ore empire to challenge the global majors. Now he’s set himself an equally ambitious timeline to create a global powerhouse in clean energy. The Perth-based billionaire, widely known as “Twiggy” in Australia, has been scouring the planet’s far-flung regions including Kyrgyzstan and
Fujifilm launches wide-format version of its Instax Link mobile printer
Fujifilm has announced a new mobile printer that uses its larger Instax Wide format film. The Instax Link Wide Smartphone Printer is a similar idea to the existing Instax Mini Link: hook up your phone over Bluetooth and use an app to edit and print your own Polaroid-style snapshots from your camera roll. Instax Wide film
Russian hackers now targeting high-profile Gmail accounts
Google is sending 10,000 USB security keys to users such as politicians and human rights activists which the company views to be at high risk, according to a blog post. The tech company warned more than 14,000 users to guard them against APT28 — also known as Fancy Bear — a Russian cyber espionage group
South Africa takes R3 billion loan for green energy
Pacific Investment Management Co. has agreed to lend a South African state development bank 3-billion rand ($210 million), the first deal in a United Nations program to fund green energy in Africa. The debt securities from Pimco, which manages $2.2 trillion in assets, will be used to refinance debt that South Africa’s Development Bank of
A robotics engineering student creates first USB-C charger iPhone X
Apple hasn’t created a USB-C iPhone despite years of rumors, but that hasn’t stopped a robotics engineering student from creating one. Ken Pillonel has placed a working USB-C port inside an iPhone X, allowing the phone to charge and transfer data over USB-C instead of Lightning. Pillonel has spent months on the project in his
Instagram app will now alert users when the service goes down
Instagram is testing a new feature that will alert users when the service is having major technical difficulties. The alert will appear as a notification in users’ Activity Feed when “people are confused and looking for answers,” says Instagram. In other words: when the app’s systems take a serious and prolonged nose-dive, as they did last week. It’s
Boeing Starliner test flight delayed until 2022
NASA has officially pushed back the launch of its Orbital Flight-Test 2 until next year, as it continues to work on an oxidizer isolation valve issue on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, the agency announced. The agency said in a blog post that it’s continuing to assess potential launch windows for the mission: “The team currently is
Sources: Google launching a new Nest Hub in 2021 that uses Soli for sleep tracking
Google is planning to release a new Nest Hub in 2021, sources familiar with the matter tell 9to5Google. This upcoming Smart Display will feature sleep tracking powered by the company’s Soli radar technology. Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group first unveiled Soli in 2015, but it did not launch on a consumer device until 2019. The sensor
Google’s plans for Fuchsia OS teased in job listings
Google says “it’s time” to now bring its mysterious Fuchsia operating system to “additional smart devices and other form factors” beyond smart displays, according to a number of job listings first spotted by 9to5Google. Fuchsia is Google’s newest operating system which was released earlier this year for the company’s first-generation Nest Hub. There’s been a
New online car licence disc renewal portal launched
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has launched an online payment gateway allowing South African motorists to register, renew, and pay for their licence discs online. The new option is available on the NaTIS online platform and is facilitated by FNB. FNB Public Sector CEO, Sipho Silinda, said the digital payment option reduced cash-handling risks
Woolworths SA CEO Zyda Rylands to take early retirement from top post
Zyda Rylands, CEO of Woolworths South Africa, is set to take early retirement from the post at the end of September, JSE-listed upmarket retailer Woolworths Holdings announced in a Sens statement on Monday. However, the group’s board has managed to convince her to stay on until 2024, back as head of the top-performing Woolworths Food
Standard Bank plans to become a digital ‘platform’ company
Standard Bank will within years transform into a marketplace where clients can also access rivals’ products and a variety of services beyond just banking, it said on Friday, targeting substantial growth in profitability and revenues by 2025. Standard Bank said it is aiming for a return on equity — a key measure of bank profitability —
BTA Careers: Microsoft opens up vacancies in South Africa
Microsoft is advertising many new positions in South Africa, including customer support, engineering, and security jobs. Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen after they saw the potential to develop an implementation of BASIC for microcomputers. The company got a huge boost when it partnered with IBM in 1980 to bundle
Xiaomi launches new CyberDog robot
Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has unveiled a quadrupedal robot named CyberDog: an experimental, open-source machine that the firm says “holds unforetold possibilities.” CyberDog is the latest example of tech companies embracing the quadrupedal form factor in robotics. The most notable example of the trend is Spot, a machine built by US firm Boston Dynamics. Spot went
Standard Bank launches Business Banking Awards worth R4.5 million in granting funds
Intent on growing and investing in South African businesses and being a key partner with local enterprises, Standard Bank has launched its Business Banking Awards. The national awards are targeted at South African businesses 3 years or older, who require investment and mentoring to accelerate to their next phase of growth. Winners of awards will