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IDC study predicts growth in security governance, risk and compliance software market for 2022-2027 due to high investment in IT security. Despite budget tightening, organizations see value in these solutions.

https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US50624623&pageType=PRINTFRIENDLY

Worldwide Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance Software Forecast, 2023–2027

Using third-party content can be a quick and effective way to create content and build trust in your brand's expertise. Tech buyers prefer content from trusted sources, and partnering with an established analyst can elevate your brand's position in the market. To make the most of third-party content, work closely with your partner to align with your marketing objectives and personalize your message when sharing. IDC's Thought Leadership Analyst Brief offers quality third-party content for tech vendors.

https://blogs.idc.com/2022/08/17/5-tips-to-make-the-most-of-your-third-party-content/

5 tips to make the most of your third-party content

"Covid vaccine passports" introduced in Northern Ireland during the pandemic were lawful, judges have ruled. The Court of Appeal said the Covid certification scheme was a proportionate and legitimate response to the pandemic's impact on the health system. The passports were required to enter restaurants, bars and cinemas. Judges rejected claims this was a violation of civil liberties for unvaccinated people. They also rejected the argument that data protection rules were breached. On Tuesday, Lord Justice Treacy said the regulations were "in accordance with the law and served a legitimate aim and were proportionate and justifiable". In November 2021, the Stormont Executive brought in the certification scheme in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19. The measures - since scrapped - required proof of full vaccination status, a negative test, or proof of recovery from the virus to enter hospitality venues. Belfast man Risteard O'Murchú and Darren Williams, from Carrickfergus, County Antrim, brought separate challenges over the lawfulness of the scheme. Mr O'Murchú claimed the regulations were an unjustified and intrusive step which stigmatised and discriminated against those who did not get vaccinated. Mr Williams claimed there was a breach of data protection in how confidential personal information was obtained through scanning customer's QR codes. In February 2022, the High Court dismissed both challenges and ruled that the scheme was justified. Even though the passports are no longer required, appeals were mounted against that decision. Judges were told that there is still a power to reintroduce the step at any stage. Ruling on the cases, Lord Justice Treacy said there had been, unarguably, a legitimate aim behind the scheme which was backed by the chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser. "There was scientific evidence to support the argument that restricting access to vaccinated or non-infected persons in high risk settings has the potential to reduce transmission of the virus," he said. Any interference with Mr O'Murchú's human rights was limited and did not prohibit attendance at high risk settings, the court held. It was open to him to take the option of providing proof of a negative lateral flow test within the previous 48 hours. The tests were free and easily available then, the judge said. "The appellant described this as an 'inconvenience' but that inconvenience has to be seen in light of and set against the legitimate and overwhelming aim of protecting public health," Lord Justice Treacy said. "We consider it unarguable that the necessity/proportionality tests are not met." Dismissing Mr Williams' appeal, the judge said it was "wholly academic, serves no utility and there is no public interest or good reason that this court can discern which would justify determining such a plainly academic matter."

A rare copy of The Beatles' 1968 White Album raised more than £2,000 at auction after being donated to a charity shop. The first edition of the album was handed in to The British Heart Foundation's Sutton Coldfield branch. Shop manager Natalie Langsford said a "generous donor" brought it in "and it was just mixed in with other items". After charity experts suspected its value, it was listed on eBay and sold for £2,350 on Monday night. "That's just an amazing amount," said the charity's area manager, Marcie Somel. "We're delighted." The White Album, released in 1968 with a blank sleeve, was the Liverpool quartet's ninth studio album and is formally titled The Beatles. It is often said to be the band's best ever album and comprises 30 songs. The edition donated to the British Heart Foundation is thought to be incredibly rare, featuring a misprint unique to the first version of the record of which there are only 10,000 copies. Despite its age, it was also in good condition, complete with original inserts and a foldout poster. "We were thrilled to have such a rare donation come into our shop," Ms Somel said. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

Health Minister Neil O'Brien spoke on 9 May about the state of the NHS on BBC Breakfast, which had earlier heard from a GP who said there was an urgent need for more doctors. Mr O'Brien said: "We've got 2,000 more doctors working in general practice than we did in 2019 before the pandemic." Is he right? Mr O'Brien was talking about the number of GPs in England. Health is a devolved issue, which means that the UK government is only responsible for England's NHS. The usual way to compare numbers of GPs is to look at the number of "full time equivalent" GPs, which is provided by NHS Digital. Full-time equivalent (FTE) means that instead of counting the number of GPs regardless of the number of hours they are employed for, you count the number of contracted GP hours. That means, for example, that if you had two GPs contracted to work half the week each that would count as one FTE GP. We asked the Department of Health and Social Care which figures the health minister was referring to. We were told he was comparing December 2022 with December 2019 figures, when there were 2,167 more doctors in general practice. In December 2019, there were 34,519 FTE GPs working in NHS England. In December 2022, that figure was 36,686 - which is indeed 2,167 higher. But the numbers of GPs has since fallen, and in March 2023 (the latest available data) that number was 36,428 - an increase of 1,909 on December 2019, which is just under 2,000. In December 2019 the government promised that it would increase the number of GPs in England by 6,000 by March 2025. There are other ways of counting the number of GPs. The figures above include GPs who are not fully qualified and are still in training. Having lots of trainee GPs is a good thing if you're trying to increase GP numbers in the longer term. But trainee GPs don't see as many patients as fully-qualified GPs. Some of their time is dedicated to education and some of the appointments they carry out are supervised by fully-qualified GPs, taking them away from seeing other patients. If you exclude trainee GPs, there are 823 fewer GPs now than there were in December 2019. Antibiotics prescribed at pharmacies to free up GP timeThe areas with the fewest GPs revealedAre GP numbers going up or down? What claims do you want BBC Reality Check to investigate? Get in touch Read more from Reality Check

Groups encouraging more black and Asian people to become blood and organ donors in the South East are to get a share of £685,000 government funding. The shortage of donors from black and Asian communities means those needing transplants can wait longer for organ transplants, the NHS says. People from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a donor match. Those from such groups make up a third of those waiting for a transplant due to the difficulties finding a match. The Community Grants Programme, managed by NHS Blood and Transplant, helps fund community, faith or belief organisations to deliver projects that encourage more black and Asian people to become donors. Carol Stewart, chair of the Medway African and Caribbean Association, said: "We know that nationally there is a shortage of donors, which ultimately decreases the likelihood of treatment for black people in need of blood and organs. "Increasing the diversity of donors will help to ensure that people of African and Caribbean origin have more access to compatible blood and organs when needed." NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) says it can only supply the best matched blood for those with sickle cell about half the time, and needs 250 donations per day to help treat those with the condition. Sickle cell, which is one of the fastest growing genetic conditions in the UK, is more prevalent in those from the black-African and black-Caribbean backgrounds, the NHS said. "White patients have about 80-90% chance of finding a stem cell match from a stranger. However black, Asian and mixed race people can only find a stem cell match from a stranger around 30-40% of the time," an NHS spokesman said. Health minister Neil O'Brien said: "It is important everyone has the best chance of receiving a potentially life-saving blood, organ or stem cell donation, regardless of their ethnic background and these organisations are helping to make a real difference. "We're investing to encourage and increase education about donation among black and Asian communities." Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.

Patients are not dying because nurses are striking, nurses are striking because patients are dying, the head of the Royal College of Nursing says. Speaking at the union's annual conference, Pat Cullen praised nurses' protests over pay and safe staffing. She told delegates she has been invited to have more discussions with Health Secretary Steve Barclay. The government confirmed the meeting but said a deal recently reached with other unions would "not be reopened". Instead the talks would focus on how the NHS can be made "a better place to work", sources said. They pointed out the pay deal in England - a 5% rise this year and a one-off lump sum worth at least £1,655 to boost last year's 4% pay rise - was in the process being implemented, with the first payments expected in the pay packets of NHS workers in June. What is the new NHS pay offer? The deal does not cover doctors and dentists who are on separate contracts. Ms Cullen's speech came after her members rejected the pay offer from government, despite her recommending that they accept the deal. Nurses rejected it by 54% to 46%. It has put the RCN leader in a difficult position, but she was quick to praise her members, calling them an "inspiration". She urged them to vote in the forthcoming ballot on future industrial action, which opens next week and will give results in June. The union's previous mandate for strike action, which has seen them take part in eight days of walkouts in England so far in this dispute, expired earlier this month. She said the pay disputes in Wales and Northern Ireland were not over either, since no deals have yet been agreed on pay. She told members at the conference in Brighton: "Patients are not dying because nurses are striking. Nurses are striking because patients are dying. It is as clear as that." She said the NHS was "sailing close to the wind", with staff shortages threatening patient safety. In the hall, her speech was well received by delegates - and there is certainly a lot of pro-strike sentiment among those attending. Nurses have taken to the stage during the week promising to fight until they win. But it must be remembered these sort of gathering tend to attract those with the strongest viewpoints. There are around 3,000 delegates in Brighton - around 1% of the RCN's membership. It is why those involved in the running of the strike ballot believe it is too close to call over whether a strike mandate will be achieved. For the vote to count, over half the membership has to vote - and a majority of those to back action. First time around this was only achieved in half of NHS trusts. As it was run as a series of local workplace ballots nurses in those trusts were able to strike. But this one is a national vote - essentially an all or nothing last throw of the dice to get ministers back to the negotiating table. It means if it fails to reach the required threshold the threat of industrial action disappears.

In a once-neglected corner of east London, a shiny new town has been born. Historically scarred by deprivation, this part of Stratford, in the borough of Newham, is now home to financiers, lawyers and creatives. East Village, as it's been branded, oozes with prosperity. It's Instagrammable. Its postcode, E20, is London's "hippest", according to its owner, Get Living. Just outside the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - the home of the 2012 Olympics - spartan accommodation blocks first built to house competing athletes are now hot property. Having been converted into flats in 2013, people began to make their homes here. Row after row of 60-odd almost identical mid-rise apartment blocks stretch from the aptly named Victory Parade to the north, and Anthems Way and Celebration Avenue to the east. A street lined with independent cafes and bars overlooks Victory Park, which dazzles with cherry blossom in the spring and is strewn with picnic rugs in the summer. "It has a nice villagey feel, it's very neighbourly. Yeah, we love it here," says Fawn Hudgens, who rents a two-bedroom flat with her baby daughter and her partner, who runs a digital marketing company. "Everything's on your doorstep, so it's very easy." London Olympics ten years on: Residents "betrayed" by broken housing promiseLondon Olympics ten years on: What have we learnt?London Olympics: What happened to the Carpenters Estate? In East Village, you can be at one with nature by taking a wetlands walk, tuck into some posh grub from the upmarket deli or gelateria, or indulge in the high fashion on offer at the nearby Westfield shopping centre. Perhaps more desirable still are the transport links offered by the newly opened Elizabeth line and Stratford International station, which have fast lines to the rest of the capital and beyond. A calendar of events including a weekly street food market, summer fete, book clubs, homework clubs, and fitness classes create opportunities for the 7,000 villagers to mix. "Over time you start getting to know people, especially if you have kids; there's lots of stuff going on," said Ms Hudgens. "And it's easy to make friends through that. "I've got mum friends in the neighbourhood now, which is fantastic." This new neighbourhood even has its own village hall where Ms Hudgens takes her daughter to mother and baby groups. East Village has sprouted from seeds sown in the early 2000s, when plans were made to revitalise parts of east London left behind by redevelopment of London's Docklands in the 1980s and 90s. When the Olympics came to town, this site became a key focus for regeneration as part of a lasting legacy of the 2012 Games. Central to that was the idea it would deliver thousands of new homes. That, it has done - there are 3,800 new homes here with more to follow. But East Village is more than bricks and mortar - it is a large community built from scratch, says Get Living's chief executive officer Rick de Blaby. "It was amazing vision and foresight to think you could do it on this scale," he said, "because no-one had really done it before." What is happening here, he says, is "placemaking". According to Mr de Blaby, "we don't have to ourselves build the community, we create the stage on which the people who live here build their own community". The "stage" includes free kids' football coaching sponsored by Get Living. The company has also forgone retail rent by creating a low-cost community workspace, the E20 Lab, in one of its units. It's all part of vision to "really create an environment in which people genuinely put down roots and thrive", he said. It may not be organic, but, Mr de Blaby says, "it's becoming organic". But while Get Living curates many aspects of life here, it says its tenants are increasingly forming independent social groups. Dog-walkers, nature lovers, and LGBTQ+ residents are said to be bonding over common ground. However, most people who call East Village home haven't made long-term commitments to stay here. This is, in the main, a rental scheme, and the average length of tenure is 22 months, according to Get Living. The company, a partnership between real estate investment and advisory firm Delancy and Qatari Diar - the investment arm of Qatar's ruling family - bought the site from the UK government in 2011, and later promised to "transform the way Londoners rent". "You would hear resident refrains around insecurity of tenure, and big fees and security deposits and poor repairs, and the distant landlord and lots of intermediaries, and the rest of it that wasn't working for renters," Mr de Blaby says. "So the vision was to really disrupt that and give people a much better experience. And we've largely done that." Get Living says it offers renters three-year tenancies, charges no fees, provides free broadband, allows residents to keep pets and to redecorate. What's more, tenants are no longer required to pay large security deposits. That really turned heads, he says. For Mr de Blaby, East Village is a "build-to-rent" success story. "It was an enterprising call to be able to do it. And, you know, it's come off brilliantly." The company, backed by pension funds, has just launched its latest builds, offering modern high-rise living across 524 flats. At 26 and 31 storeys high, the two new towers soar into the sky. As well as "stunning" apartments, the blocks have a cinema room, built-in wine dispensers, and an elevated "sky bridge", which is a "leafy oasis of wellness". These follow the arrival of the Victory Plaza in 2019 - 481 luxury flats spread across two imposing skyscrapers, which transformed the landscape of East Village, a previously mid-rise scheme. Here, tenants enjoy exclusive rooftop gardens, "high-spec" Danish-designed interiors, faster broadband than their mid-rise neighbours, and "spectacular views" from floor-to-ceiling windows. Creative types can take to the painting studio for a spot of art, while gardening tools are laid on for green-fingered residents in the communal potting shed. It does, of course, all come at a price. A studio flat in Portlands Place will set you back £1,885 a month, while you'll need £4,100 a month to rent a four-bedroom family home here. A two-bedroom flat in the former athletes' blocks can cost upwards of £2,300 a month, while three-bedroom flats here are available for £2,700 a month. Residents 'betrayed' over Olympics housing pledge For Ms Hudgens, cost could be a deciding factor in whether she and her family put down roots here. "We'd love to stay in the neighbourhood, but I don't think it is long term. And a lot of people feel the same way. I know a lot of people are saying, 'If we want to have a bigger family, we need to move out a little further.'" She believes the cost of living in East Village has created an exclusive neighbourhood that doesn't feel like the rest of Stratford, a historically deprived area. "There's a definite divide. You can see that, you know, some people have been left behind on the other side of the railway bridge. "Normal people have been priced out of this area. I know. It was very much promised to be, you know, a place for people who are from Stratford. And that hasn't happened. Which is a shame." An NHS worker living in East Village who gave his name as Steve told BBC London: "It's not inclusive at all. "It is full of young professionals, lots of tech. Lots of students that have some other funds coming from somewhere; I think they call it 'bank of mum and dad'. "I think a lot of people are priced out of rentals." However, there is more to the East Village story than the luxury of the top of Victory Plaza. The East Village has delivered 675 social homes that have gone to families on the council housing list - this is more social housing than any other residential scheme to spring up as part of the 2012 Olympics legacy. A further 48 social homes are under construction. These are among the 1,379 homes in the affordable housing stock, managed by leaseholder Triathlon Homes, a joint public and private sector venture. Some are rented out at about 20% lower than the market rate and many are offered as part of a shared ownership deal. This has enabled people such as Nigel Godfrey, who runs a theatre company, to take their first step on to the property ladder. "That was helpful for financial reasons, because theatre is not particularly well paid," said Mr Godfrey, who initially bought a 50% share in his flat, but has gradually increased that share to 100%. "It meant I could live in London, it meant I could afford to have two bedrooms, which I needed for my family circumstances. And it meant that I was secure for a while: as long as I could keep paying my mortgage, I wasn't going to get turfed out by my landlord, as had happened multiple times over the preceding 10, 15 years." Mr Godfrey, who was one of the first people to move into East Village, added that while "it's a good place to live", it isn't the tight-knit community it started out as. "At the beginning, when there was a tiny group of us, lots of people got to know each other. And that was good." But he said that "now it feels more like a normal part of London", because the village has grown. In the coming years, East Village is to expand further. Two more large towers will bring another 850 flats on to the rental market. Get Living hopes to develop a third tower of 520 student rooms and an exhibition space, to bring young creatives to live at East Village while they study at a campus planned by the London College of Fashion. And, Mr de Blaby hopes, that by creating the "right environment" for these people, they might stay for good. "We've really gone on a mission to make this a hub for creative enterprise," he said. Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk

IDC predicts significant growth for multicloud networking due to traditional network models being obstacles to achieving a successful multicloud strategy for large enterprises.

https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US50470923&pageType=PRINTFRIENDLY

Worldwide Multicloud Networking Forecast, 2023–2027

The hometown of Ukraine's Eurovision act was hit by Russian missiles moments before the band took to the stage in Liverpool, officials say. The head of Ternopil regional state administration, Volodymyr Trush, confirmed two people had been injured. Ternopil mayor Serhiy Nadal said warehouses were damaged. Ukraine's foreign ministry accused Russia of attacking Kyiv and Ternopil regions before and during Tvorchi's Eurovision performance. Ten minutes before taking to the stage at the Liverpool Arena, Tvorchi posted on Instagram citing reports of Ternopil in western Ukraine being attacked. After performing, they added: "Ternopil is the name of our hometown, which was bombed by Russia while we sang on the Eurovision stage about our steel hearts, indomitability and will. "This is a message for all cities of Ukraine that are shelled every day. Kharkiv, Dnipro, Khmelnytsky, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Uman, Sumy, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kherson and all others. "Europe, unite against evil for the sake of peace!" Tvorchi, made up of producer Andrii Hutsuliak and Nigeria-born vocalist Jeffery Kenny, hoped to defend the Eurovision title after Kalush Orchestra won last year in Turin. They performed "Heart of Steel" - a song about troops who led an ultimately unsuccessful resistance against Russian forces at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. The duo seeking Eurovision glory for Ukraine Liverpool is hosting the contest on behalf of Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict. At the end of their performance, Tvorchi held their fists in the air as acts from other nations were also seen waving the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine. The UK's ambassador to Ukraine Dame Melinda Simmons described Tvorchi's Eurovision performance as "poignant". Writing on Twitter, she added: "Reminder that the reason why Ukraine could not host this event is because Russia continues to invade and the people of Ukraine live in continuing danger." Though Swedish act Loreen took the Eurovision crown after a nail-biting finish, there was praise for Tvorchi from Ternopil's mayor who thanked the band for supporting the city during their performance. Posting on Facebook in Ukrainian, Mayor Nadal wrote: "It was at this time that our city was attacked by Russian missiles. "Thank you, because your speech has become a symbol of not only the unity of the country, but of the whole world." He told the BBC the fire at the warehouse in Ternopil had been brought under control. "Firefighters worked all night and continue to work," he said, adding that the two people who were wounded suffered minor injuries and were in hospital. Russia has not yet made any official comment. Earlier in the day, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Pope Francis at the Vatican and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. He has since flown to Germany, arriving in Berlin just before 01:00 local time.

Business leaders, including the C-suite, are taking ownership of initiatives that address decision velocity. Formula One offers an instructive example of how teams extract and analyze data to improve performance. Turnover in the C-Suite is a leading indicator of new projects and initiatives, particularly ones that involve data analytics and artificial intelligence. Decision velocity requires a delicate balance between speed and control. Digitally mature organizations assign importance to both speed and control with twice the frequency of less mature organizations. Data waste is a common problem due to data silos, data quality, data analysis, and ultimately getting data to the right decision makers. Organizations must factor in three decision types – situational, scenario, and portfolio – and maximize decision velocity across decision types. Organizations need to invest in new technologies such as decision intelligence, knowledge networks, and enterprise digital twin technology to improve overall enterprise intelligence.

https://blogs.idc.com/2023/05/08/enterprise-intelligence-digital-differentiation-with-decision-velocity/

Enterprise Intelligence: Digital Differentiation with Decision Velocity

Scotland's first minister has said there was nothing unusual in the timing of a warrant to search his predecessor's home. It emerged on Tuesday that police asked for permission to search Nicola Sturgeon's house and the SNP HQ during the party's leadership contest. The request was not granted by a sheriff until two weeks later - after the contest ended. Humza Yousaf said the government would "never dream" of interfering. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the first minister was asked whether a two-week gap between a warrant being requested and granted was normal. Police waited two weeks for SNP search warrantTimeline: The SNP finances controversy He replied: "I suppose that would be a question for the Crown, not questions for government or ministers or the first minister. "I don't believe there will be any particular reason out of the ordinary that it would take that time." Mr Yousaf added: "We would never dream of interfering, neither in a live police investigation, but certainly not in a search warrant. "I'm the first minister. I don't sign off on search warrants, I don't get involved in operational decisions for Police Scotland." The first minister also said he did not believe the Crown Office took decisions "based on election contests or politics". 15 February - Nicola Sturgeon announces she is to stand down as first minister and SNP leader 18 March - Ms Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell quits as SNP chief executive in a row over misleading party membership figures being given to the press 20 March - Police submit a draft warrant to the Crown Office seeking permission to search Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell's home and the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh 27 March - Mr Yousaf narrowly defeats Kate Forbes in the SNP leadership contest 3 April - The finalised search warrant is sent to a sheriff and is granted 5 April - Police raid the home of Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell and the party HQ and remove several boxes of evidence. Mr Murrell is arrested and later released without charge. See a full timeline of the two-year police investigation here. Sources close to the inquiry have denied that there was an undue delay in granting the warrant, which is reported to have included a long list of items the police wanted to seize as part of their ongoing investigation into the SNP's finances. BBC Scotland understands that prosecutors discussed the draft search warrant with police officers after it was submitted, with a sheriff signing it off on the same day it was finalised. Opposition parties have highlighted what they believe is a potential conflict of interest in the role of Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC, who heads the Crown Office but is also a Scottish government minister and sits in its cabinet meetings. Ms Bain did not respond when asked by Sky News on Tuesday whether the search warrant had been deliberately delayed until after Ms Sturgeon left office. A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said prosecutors always acted independently of political pressure or interference. He also said any case involving a politician was carried out without the involvement of the Lord Advocate or her deputy the Solicitor General. Details of the two-week gap between detectives submitting a request for a search warrant to the Crown Office and it being sent to a sheriff for approval were released by Police Scotland in response to a freedom of information request and first reported by the Scottish Sun. It showed that the Crown Office was told on 20 March that Police Scotland wanted a search warrant. It was not until 3 April - a week after Mr Yousaf, the SNP hierarchy's preferred candidate, narrowly won the SNP leadership contest - that the application for a warrant was approved by a sheriff. Officers searched the Glasgow home of Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell two days later. Mr Murrell, who had recently quit as the SNP's chief executive, was arrested before later being released without charge while further investigations were carried out. The SNP's headquarters in Edinburgh was also searched on 5 April and a luxury motorhome that sells for about £110,000 was seized from outside the home of Mr Murrell's mother in Dunfermline. Colin Beattie, who was the party's treasurer at the time, was arrested on 18 April before also being released without charge while further inquiries were carried out. He subsequently quit as treasurer. Alba MP Kenny MacAskill, who served as justice secretary in the SNP government led by Alex Salmond, called for a judge-led inquiry into the Crown Office's role in the granting of the warrant to search Ms Sturgeon's house and the SNP HQ. He said an inquiry would "reassure the public that the decisions taken by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have not been influenced by political considerations". Scottish Conservative MSP Russell Findlay told BBC Scotland that the case raised "fundamental questions" about the role of the Lord Advocate. He said it was "not appropriate" for the head of the prosecution service to also be a government minister, and that the roles needed to be separated. Police launched their Operation Branchform investigation almost two years ago after receiving complaints about how a total of £666,953 donated to the SNP by activists was used. The party pledged to spend the funds on a future independence referendum. Questions were raised after its accounts showed it had just under £97,000 in the bank at the end of 2019, and total net assets of about £272,000. Last year it emerged Mr Murrell gave a loan of more than £100,000 to the SNP to help it out with a "cash flow" issue after the last election. The party had repaid about half of the loan by October of that year. It still owes money to its former chief executive, but has not said how much.

Small and medium-sized businesses are experiencing recession fears, with 46% already in a recession and others anticipating it in the near future. To survive and thrive during an economic downturn, SMBs should invest in digital capabilities, hire strong technology leaders, automate tasks, reinstate cost-saving measures, diversify supply chains, and track the ROI of each technology in their stack. It's important to develop a clear game plan to weather today's economic challenges and operate more efficiently in the future.

https://blogs.idc.com/2023/02/21/3-concrete-steps-smbs-should-take-now/

3 concrete steps SMBs should take to survive an economic downturn, and thrive after

Evergreen IT is a new approach to managing IT that involves smaller, more frequent updates instead of large upgrade projects. This approach aligns with agile ways of working and supports DevOps. The challenges include managing end-user expectations and communicating changes with suppliers. Evergreen IT requires more automation, testing capabilities, and monitoring trends in technology. To start with Evergreen IT, companies need to focus more on standard solutions and align business processes accordingly. A business case should always be part of the assessment and decision making.

https://blogs.idc.com/2023/03/17/what-companies-get-wrong-when-they-evergreen-their-it/

What Companies Get Wrong When They Evergreen Their IT

Organizations struggle to effectively capture, share, and use knowledge gained by employees. Formal knowledge management systems are necessary to transform knowledge into insights for better decision-making. IDC defines knowledge management as technologies and processes to capture, create, share, use, and access knowledge. Benefits of knowledge management include greater efficiency, innovation, data-driven decision-making, and higher customer satisfaction. Only 45% of employees at large companies that have implemented knowledge management are using it. Knowledge management systems address a wide range of organizational information, but there are still process and technology challenges to address. Managing organizational knowledge is critically important for maintaining information and remaining competitive. The time to adopt knowledge management is now to stay ahead of the curve.

https://blogs.idc.com/2023/03/07/take-another-look-knowledge-management-today-drives-better-business-outcomes-2/

Take Another Look:  Knowledge Management Today Drives Better Business Outcomes

Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko has missed a major state celebration, further fuelling health speculation. The autocratic politician, 68, usually speaks publicly at the annual National Flag, Emblem and Anthem Day event but his prime minister read a message on his behalf on Sunday. Last week, Mr Lukashenko left Moscow soon after Victory Day parade, skipping lunch with President Vladimir Putin. Mr Lukashenko looked visibly tired, and his right hand was bandaged. He was last seen in public laying flowers in the capital Minsk during Belarus' own Victory Day celebrations on 9 May - a few hours after returning from the Russian capital. An opposition Telegram channel reported that Mr Lukashenko visited a presidential medical centre just outside Minsk on Saturday night - but this information has not been independently verified. Mr Lukashenko's office has so far made no comments on the issue. Often described in the West as Europe's last dictator, Mr Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, suppressing any dissent. In 2020, he was proclaimed as the winner of presidential elections, which were denounced by the opposition as a sham. Thousand of people were later arrested and brutally beaten by riot police and KGB security service agents during mass anti-government protests that rocked the country. However, Mr Lukashenko managed to stay in power, backed by Russia. Last year, he supported President Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, offering Belarus as a launchpad for Russian troops to cross into Ukraine and allowing Russian war planes to carry out strikes from Belarusian soil.

The closure of an elite swimming club amid allegations of bullying earlier this year caused turmoil in the sport that continues today. As swimmers say they feel lessons have not been learnt, governing body Swim England is facing questions about the protection of its young members. The medal haul that returned to Shropshire after last weekend's Short Course Regionals was impressive - 14 golds, 10 silvers and eight bronze. It was Ellesmere College Swimming Academy's first competition of the season, one which saw the young swimmers travel to Nottingham to compete. The vast majority of swimmers that train at the rural Shropshire school are now affiliated to City of Leicester Swimming Club, which is based more than 100 miles away in the East Midlands. The school-run academy has sprung up in place of Ellesmere College Titans, which, in April this year, was forced to disband by Swim England following a lengthy investigation into multiple claims of bullying and emotional abuse. Swimming's national governing body ruled it would not affiliate any club that was held at Ellesmere College in the future. Instead, weeks after Titans closed, the academy was set up by college bosses and more than 30 of its 45 young members affiliated to City of Leicester, along with three of Ellesmere's coaches. It seemed like the perfect solution - no "club", as such, would be based at the independent school, but swimmers could continue to compete, albeit for a club based in a different part of the country. But some of those who came forward to allege bullying at Titans have told the BBC it felt like the sanction of no affiliation had been "circumvented" and no lessons had been learnt. Danny Proffitt, one of two Titans coaches temporarily suspended as a result of the bullying investigation, is among the new City of Leicester coaches based at the school. "It feels like a slap in the face because, when you take a step back, nothing has really happened," the woman, now in her 20s, told the BBC. "Everyone that came forward had to dig up their trauma for something to actually be done, and it's like nothing ever happened. "There have been no shockwaves - it is beyond deflating." A parent of a former swimmer who also alleged bullying said it felt like their experiences had been "denied, buried and airbrushed" by Swim England and the college. "Years on we are still waiting for adults to stand up and do the right thing - the children have still never had an apology." The investigation at Titans, which included complaints by male and female swimmers stretching back several years, hit the headlines in 2021 when its director of swimming Alan Bircher, a 10-time British champion and world championship silver medallist, was suspended along with Mr Proffitt. The nature of the allegations was kept confidential by Swim England. But earlier this year, three ex-Titans swimmers told the BBC they had faced humiliating public weighing regimes that left more than one with an eating disorder, were made to swim despite injuries and illnesses and had a torrent of inappropriate comments made to them during training. Mr Proffitt and Mr Bircher, whose suspension prevented him from coaching Team GB's swimmers at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, have never commented publicly on the allegations. It sparked a debate on social media in which polar opposite views emerged - the requirement for young gifted swimmers to "toughen up" for what is often a brutal competitive environment on one side, with others pointing out that emotional abuse of children is not acceptable in any sport, school or workplace. Swim England, which has more than 100,000 members under 18, is now facing multiple questions over its attitude to safeguarding from parents, coaches and even some from inside the organisation itself. The BBC understands many coaches are leaving the sport, with claims of a growing "toxicity" in which they feel unsupported as they try to navigate the challenges of training children. Elite swimming club to close after damning reportSchool criticised over swimming club safeguardingSwimmers speak in support of suspended coach Sport England is also conducting an independent review into Swim England's own processes, including how it dealt with complainants in the wake of the Titans probe and a separate investigation into a row between coaches and the committee of City of Oxford Swimming Club. Furthermore, the organisation has come under fire from its recently-departed child safeguarding expert Keith Oddy, who left Swim England in summer shortly after filing a highly-critical report, seen by the BBC, which described a chaotic picture at the organisation. The former Metropolitan Police officer, who is a child safeguarding expert with British Equestrian and British Rowing, said it had failed to tackle a series of issues including the widespread taking of indecent pictures of children in changing rooms. Mr Oddy, who presided over hundreds of safeguarding cases during his tenure, said Swim England had been slow to conduct its own analysis of the Whyte Review into allegations of mistreatment in gymnastics, which would avoid a similar situation happening in swimming. He also stated workloads in the safeguarding team had become unmanageable after they were furloughed during England's coronavirus lockdowns, when swimming pools closed, and accused senior management of interfering in cases. The governing body had an "obvious failure to put child protection at the heart of decision making", he said. "Swim England is heading for a situation where the protection and safeguarding of children will be placed at risk," his report concluded. Mr Oddy told the BBC he had not heard from the board since issuing his report. Parents of current Ellesmere swimmers told the BBC they welcomed Sport England's investigation. This was echoed by the parent volunteer-led committee of the Oxford club, where all five coaches quit in 2021 in a furious row with management. The committee had started investigating safeguarding complaints made by swimmers, but coaches claimed they were in fact being bullied by those in charge. Club chairman Nicola Brown said Swim England had given the committee no support despite being asked. "At every point we asked for help and we never got it," she said. Swim England denied it did not take safeguarding seriously and said it had improved its team by appointing former Surrey Police detective Kevin Suckling as the new head of safeguarding. Investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas, also a former detective with Surrey Police and best known for helping to expose Jimmy Savile in an ITV documentary, is understood to be among a panel of investigators the organisation will utilise. In a statement, the organisation said: "We have made significant improvements to our staffing structure and expertise of the team - including the appointment of a full-time head of safeguarding and welfare as well as establishing two further positions within the department. "In addition, under our new structure we have a bank of experienced and highly qualified independent child safeguarding officers, whom we utilise, providing significantly more capacity in this area. "All changes have been made with the safeguarding and welfare of our members at the forefront." It added an in-depth piece of work was in progress "to assess the approach against the outcomes of the Whyte Review" and added it "strongly disagreed" with suggestions bosses interfered in safeguarding cases. In response to coaches leaving the profession, Swim England said it would "always endeavour to ensure that our coaches' voices are heard" but that "we hold our coaches accountable to the highest standards of safe and effective practice, thereby ensuring that our participants enjoy a positive and fulfilling sporting experience." "We understand that people will move in and out of the profession and therefore we continually look for ways to ensure that aquatics coaching is a rewarding role." Regarding Ellesmere swimmers competing for City of Leicester, the governing body said all swimming clubs were free to accept new members, regardless of where they were based. It is understood the Shropshire college denies any suggestions it evaded sanctions. Sport England confirmed a review into Swim England was under way. "[We have] been made aware of concerns raised in relation to how complaints were handled at a small number of swimming clubs. "Safeguarding and welfare in sport is of paramount importance and if complaints are raised, they should be taken very seriously. "Although we have no regulatory powers in sport, we can explore whether the right processes were followed, and are looking into this matter." Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

A London council has been "confiscating" plant pots and garden ornaments from a housing estate, saying they pose a fire safety risk, residents say.Greenwich Council says the front gardens of Vanbrugh Park estate, south-east London, are impeding fire escapes from the building.Residents say the area is the only access they have to personal outdoor green space, and have begun a petition to halt the council's "draconian" actions.A meeting between councillors and residents is planned to "ensure that their estate meets all fire safety requirements." In 2020, the council's fire safety report concluded the gardens posed no safety risk. But it says current measures are being reviewed in light of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, which led to 72 deaths.A number of residents say clearing the area will reduce privacy, safety, and wellbeing.They also have concerns about a lack of shade with south-facing windows.Their petition, which has 1,500 signatures, says, "the council has begun sending groups of men to the estate to confiscate pot plants, benches and other items kept in the gardens".Alex Wheeler, chair of the Vanbrugh Park Residents Association, said council officers were "waging an unnecessary war on garden gnomes and pot plants".Mr Wheeler says he was shocked at the "draconian treatment" of residents and the council's "refusal to work with our community to agree a sensible way forward." Building regulations state entrances should have a width of at least 90cm, but the residents say the council is demanding 360cm.Following the removal of plants, Richard Tacagni, an independent housing safety assessor, visited the site at the request of the residents.Mr Tacagni says "there was no serious category one, or high-level category two, fire hazard caused by the presence of pot plants"."There was nothing that would justify enforcement action." Pat Slattery, cabinet member for housing, neighbourhoods and homelessness, said the safety of residents was "our top priority" and that "we have an absolute duty of care".Ms Slattery also confirmed the council would be meeting with residents to "listen to concerns" and answer questions. Follow BBC London on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk, external

IDC presents a long-term NAND market outlook for 2023-2027. A demand-driven market correction started in 2H22, with inventory soaring and pricing falling below cash cost. The next upcycle will start in 2025, but consolidation may be necessary for a shorter correction.

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Worldwide NAND Flash Demand and Supply Forecast, 4Q22–4Q23 and 2023–2027: Downcycle Extends

At least 130 people have died after floods and landslides hit Rwanda's northern and western provinces, authorities say. The rains hit at night when many people were asleep - an official told the BBC this is one reason why so many died. The five-year-old daughter of Claudette Nyiraneza was among them. "We could not save my daughter under the rubble until morning," she told the BBC, adding that neighbours eventually helped retrieve her body. Local governor François Habitegeko said many houses had collapsed on people. He said that main roads in the area "are not usable because of landslides". Rwanda's public broadcaster RBA reports that the casualty numbers are expected to increase as floodwaters continue to rise. Rwanda's president offered his condolences to those who have been affected. His statement also added that residents were being evacuated from "affected and high-risk areas". The government's main priority now is to "reach every house that has been damaged to ensure we can rescue any person who may be trapped", the Reuters news agency quotes Mr Habitegeko as saying. Relief efforts have already started, "including helping to bury victims of the disaster and providing supplies to those whose homes were destroyed," a government minister for emergencies, Marie Solange Kayisire, told AFP Africa Live Page: For news updates from around the continent The heavy rains pounded Rwanda "all night" and more downpours are expected throughout the month, authorities say. Heavy rains and consequent damage and casualties between March and May are commonplace in Rwanda, but the deluge on Tuesday night was unusually strong and long-lasting. This is the worst flooding Rwanda has seen since May 2020 when around 80 people died. Deaths have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda, where six people have died after landslides, the Ugandan Red Cross says. Rwanda's weather authority is linking the unusual rains seen in recent years to climate change. Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

IDC study shows smaller vendors gaining in the US AR market in 2022, while larger ones suffer. Nreal's entry brought attention to AR gaming, challenging commercial usage. Commercial users have pulled back slightly due to economic challenges. This trend expected to continue in 2023.

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U.S. Augmented Reality Hardware Market Shares, 2022: Nreal Storms into First Place as Microsoft Tumbles

The Bank of England's top economist has said he is sorry for using "inflammatory" language to suggest people must accept they are poorer. Huw Pill recently said people needed to stop asking for pay rises to keep up with soaring prices because this risked keeping inflation higher for longer. However, his remarks prompted criticism, including from his own boss. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said Mr Pill's "choice of words was not right". Mr Pill said: "If I had the chance again to use different words I would use somewhat different words to describe the challenges we all face." He added: "Although we have some difficult messages to bring. I will try and bring those messages in a way that is perhaps less inflammatory than maybe I managed in the past." Inflation - which measures the rate at which prices rise - remains stubbornly high at 10.1%, mainly due to food prices. People 'need to accept' they're poorer, says Bank economist•Why are prices rising so much? Why does the Bank of England change interest rates? Part of the Bank of England's job is to keep inflation at a target rate of 2%. It can try and do this by raising interest rates, which makes the cost of borrowing money more expensive. This move, in theory, is supposed to make people reduce spending, so that demand for goods cools and price rises slow. However, if people keep asking for pay rises to keep up with inflation it could result in higher prices for a long time. Last week, Mr Pill said: "Somehow in the UK, someone needs to accept that they're worse off and stop trying to maintain their real spending power by bidding up prices, whether through higher wages or passing energy costs on to customers." He added: "What we're facing now is that reluctance to accept that." In response Mr Bailey said the Bank was very sensitive to all people facing higher inflation "but particularly people on lower incomes" because they spend more of their budgets on "the essentials in life" such as food and energy. At the time, he said: "I don't think Huw's choice of words was the right one in that sense, I have to be honest and I think he would agree with me." The Bank has raised interest rates 12 times since December 2021 to 4.5%. It is aiming to bring inflation back to its 2% target in three years' time. On Monday, Mr Pill said that both he and the Bank of England "recognise that we live in very difficult and challenging times and those challenges are particularly acute for some parts of society".

A nature charity is rewarding gardeners who make space for wildlife. Somerset Wildlife Trust is giving plaques to people who allow wildflowers to bloom and cut out the use of weedkillers. It hopes it will inspire others, and this year it is also offering plaques for whole communities making a collective effort to support nature. Fellow charity Plantlife says it has already seen some bird species increasing thanks to wilder gardening. Bryony Slaymaker, of Somerset Wildlife Trust, said: "The aim is to give people recognition and to say thank you because gardens are so important and if we all do a little bit it will make a huge difference. "Behavioural science tells us that if one in four people visibly take action, that encourages everyone else to do things - it tips the balance." No Mow May, where gardeners do not use their lawnmowers or shears for a month, was launched by Plantlife in 2018, and has been steadily gaining traction. People can apply for a plaque by filling out a self-assessment survey on the Somerset Wildlife Trust's website with details of their garden's size and the different features they have added. Those with just a courtyard or window box can join in, and there is also a category for allotments. This year, for the first time a street, village or an entire town can try to earn a community plaque if enough people start managing gardens and green spaces for wildlife. Ms Slaymaker said: "This is brand new, no one has got it yet - the plaques aren't even printed out but we would really love to see it." "It is a big ambition, and it will take local people and community champions getting behind it." Sarah Shuttleworth, senior ecological advisor with Plantlife, says efforts by individuals and local communities can add up to real policy change. "If people are changing the way they are managing their own gardens, they are going to start changing their values about how they feel about wildlife everywhere, and that definitely does make a difference," she said. "If we have this idea of 'I can't do anything because it is such a small amount,' that is not the way we are going to change things in the biodiversity crisis." Ms Shuttleworth, who is based North Curry, manages some plots of land in the Somerset village and says she has already started to notice the difference. "I have seen an increase in plant life and an increase in bird species, including predators such as sparrowhawks." Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk

IDC study shows that the video platforms software market grew 22% in 2021, driven by the need to publish video for both external and internal use cases.

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Worldwide Video Platforms Software Market Shares, 2021: 1H22 Update

It's having her children not crying every night and asking if they will be killed is why Kateryna Halenda knows it was the right call to flee Ukraine. Leaving a country torn apart by war may seem like an easy decision but husband Oleh had to persuade her to leave with their two young children because she didn't want to leave him behind. Kateryna now knows she and her kids are safe but still gets mobile phone alerts when air raids are happening back home. Her worries remain, hoping Oleh is ok. The 32-year-old teacher and her two sons Oleksander, nine, and four-year-old Artem are three of the more than five million refugees to have fled Ukraine while worried about the family they've left behind. But unlike many of the 60,000 Ukrainian refugees that have arrived in the UK since Russia invaded Ukraine, Kateryna and her boys have not been taken in by kind families wanting to help. They are one of 60 families who are in a unique Ukrainian community thousands of miles from their homeland in a specialist camp - offering a place to stay, food, education and advice - in the sanctuary of Wales. 'Children drank rainwater from puddles to survive''The war has destroyed three generations'Ukraine war could last for years, warns Nato chief "It's like a big family here. we're all looking out for each other," said Kateryna. "We were amazed when we came here. It's very new but they're now completely happy, they're playing with other children every day and going to school every day. And they feel safe here - and that's important." Kateryna is one of 222 Ukrainian refugees at the camp run the the Welsh youth organisation Urdd Gobaith Cymru and supported by the Welsh government where more than 100 children displaced from home can now play and learn safely. Yet while their parents and grandparents enjoy this haven from war, home and family is never far from their thoughts - and that explains why they didn't escape Ukraine sooner. "We waited for 100 days because we didn't want to leave at first but my husband made us go," said Kateryna. "It wasn't safe. We were just so often in our basement because of those air raid sirens all of the time, including at night when I had to wake up my kids. "But we decided to leave just to find a safe place for my kids." Kateryna didn't know Olena Andrshchuk before they arrived at the centre in Wales two weeks ago. But now the mums have become friends and support each other with their husbands still back in Ukraine. How can I offer a UK home to Ukrainian refugees?Fears over lack of homes for Ukrainian refugees Olena's husband Pavlo also made his wife leave their home in the capital Kyiv for the safety of her and their two children. "It's still not safe," said the 36-year-old website content writer. "The very day we were leaving, very close to where we live I woke up in the middle of the night because of really big bombing. "It still wasn't an easy decision to leave because I still had to leave my home town, my husband, everything I have - but I left for my kids." Ukraine war in maps: Battles raging in the east'Ukraine war means I'll miss my son's wedding''I keep telling them, time will come when we meet' Olena says she "loves" it in Wales and likens the centre to a "holiday resort" with lots of new friends with shared experiences - but the harsh reminders of what's happening at home aren't too far away. "I have an app on my phone and I still get the alert for the sirens in Ukraine and they are quite frequent," said Kateryna, whose husband Oleh is a volunteer back in their home city of Ternopil in western Ukraine. "So I know when to call my husband to ask how he is." The Urdd centre normally hosts Welsh schools but its Ukrainian children who have been living, learning, and laughing in this small corner of the Welsh countryside for the last two months - enjoying the fact they're free to simply play and have fun safely again. "My kids didn't attend school for up to three months because it wasn't safe," said Kateryna. "But now they're happy as they go to school every day and feel safe." Olena agreed as her youngest Leonard, aged four, struggled with a lack of social interaction with children of his own age because most were kept inside because people were "too afraid" to let them play outside with air raid sirens bellowing all around. "It was a big problem for my little one back in Ukraine," she said. "Now we've come here, the kids can socialise, communicate with each other and they're open to all kinds of activities, which they were missing for so long so they just they're happy. "Of course they are missing their father and grandparents but this is the better reality than what we had in Ukraine." While the children enjoy there are daily lessons - in English and Welsh - and a world of activities, their parents can concentrate on finding work, accessing benefits and figuring out where they go next. All of that expert help for refugee families is provided on-site in a one-stop shop that also offered health checks to everyone that arrived - much to the delight of grandmother Marta Burak. "I was so happy because my grandson was tested for an illness here that we were not able to do back at home," said the 64-year-old retired teacher. "Now he's on three months medication. That was very important for me." New UK Army chief issues Russia rallying cryHow many Ukrainian refugees now have UK visas?Where have Ukraine's millions of refugees gone? While her daughter Khrystyna gets intensive English lessons provided by the local college, Marta, who is in her fifth week in the centre, is getting help and advice from on-site authorities to remain in the UK. "While we are doing the necessary legal things to stay in the UK, we would love to stay here forever," she said. "But one day, we'll have to move on." Yet Marta says "while half of her heart is in Wales, half is left in Ukraine". "My son, my daughter-in-law and my son-in law remain in Ukraine and my grandchildren miss their father every day. "They cannot properly speak with him because they start crying but we are safe here, that is the most important thing. "Yesterday I got such sad news because the only son of my friend's family got killed and he was only 30. He was such a handsome, positive young man and it is sad young people are still dying in this war and this must be stopped." Home is never far people's thoughts but the support of locals draping Ukrainian flags in their windows gives the refugees hope. And in the camp car park there are a handful of cars with Ukrainian registration plates while one family had to drive through Russia in order to avoid fighting on the frontline before eventually finding their way to Wales. People in Wales have so far raised millions of pounds for the Ukraine humanitarian fund and Wales has housed more than 2,500 refugees, The Welsh government has directly sponsored nearly 3,000 people to come to Wales and most are yet to arrive but the scheme has been paused to allow people to move on from their 'welcome centres'. Mark Drakeford wants Wales to be a "nation of sanctuary" and to help Ukrainian refugees "re-establish their lives". But Wales' first minister acknowledged the "challenge for the coming weeks" is to help more people leave the centre and into more permanent placements so more refugees can be housed and helped. "Our focus has been on the arrival of people but now we have 4,000 people wanting to come to Wales when we originally expected 1,000," he said on a visit to the camp. "We've got to focus on people moving on from our centres so there are long-term prospects for people who are here temporarily."

A crisis in mental health care is forcing police officers to divert from frontline duties, the Surrey police and crime commissioner (PCC) said.Lisa Townsend said two Surrey officers recently spent a week supporting one vulnerable person.Over the past seven years the number of hours the county's officers have spent with people in crisis has trebled, according to the PCC.It is hoped a new national scheme could help address the problem. Ms Townsend, the national lead for mental health for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “Unlike doctor’s surgeries, community health outreach programmes or council services, the police are available 24 hours a day.“We have seen time and time again that 999 calls to help someone in distress spike as other agencies close their doors." Last year Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Police Commissioner, said for every mental health patient his officers dealt with, they would spend an average of 14 hours in A&E.In February Surrey Police officers spent 515 hours dealing with mental health incidents, the highest number for a single month the force has recorded so far.Ms Townsend said a new scheme, called Right Care, Right Person, and trialled in Humberside, external, could help save police time and get people the care they need quicker.It would see the NHS, local authorities, charities and other mental health providers work more closely together.She said: “When there are concerns for a person’s welfare that’s linked to their mental health, medical or social care issues, they’ll be seen by the right person with the best skills, training and experience."Other forces, including Cambridgeshire, Merseyside and Scotland, have trialled mental health workers going on patrol with officers. Follow BBC South East on Facebook, external, on Twitter, external, and on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk, external.

The Australian government has approved a new coal mine for the first time since it was elected - on a climate action platform - last year. The government was bound by national environment laws when considering Central Queensland's Isaac River coal mine, a spokeswoman said. Only one coal mine proposal has ever been blocked under those laws. Scientists have repeatedly warned that any new fossil fuel projects are not compatible with global climate goals. The Isaac River coal mine - which will be built near Moranbah, an 11-hour drive north of Brisbane - is expected to produce about 2.5 million tonnes of coal over five years. The mine will extract metallurgical coal, also known as coking coal, which is used in steelmaking. Although a small mine compared to others in the state, its production could amount to some 7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in its lifetime, think tank the Australia Institute says. A really simple guide to climate change Environment groups had called on the government to block the new development, on the grounds it would increase global emissions and damage the habitat of endangered or vulnerable species like the koala, the central greater glider and the ornamental snake. But when Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek's proposed decision was announced on Thursday afternoon, the government said no-one had made submissions during the formal consultation period. "The Albanese government has to make decisions in accordance with the facts and the ­national environment law - that's what happens on every project, and that's what's happened here," a spokeswoman for Ms Plibersek said . The proponents of the mine, Bowen Coking Coal, will have the opportunity to respond to any proposed conditions on the development before it is formally approved - usually in a matter of months. Since it came to power in May 2022 after campaigning on greater climate action, Anthony Albanese's Labor government has enshrined into law a stronger emissions reduction target - of 43% by 2030 - and has negotiated the introduction of a carbon cap for the country's biggest emitters. But it has refused to rule out new coal and gas projects. And while it in February blocked a coal mine on environmental grounds for the first time in history, it did not consider climate in doing so. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says any new fossil fuel projects are not compatible with the aim of the Paris Agreement - limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. In fact, existing fossil fuel infrastructure must be urgently phased out, it says. Greens environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said the decision demonstrated a need for reform. "Australia's environment laws are clearly broken. Polluting projects are failing to be ­assessed for the emissions they create," she said.

Sustainability is becoming a priority for businesses due to scrutiny from stakeholders. Business leaders see an opportunity to create competitive differentiation by increasing operational and financial performance through sustainable transformation. Technology is needed to automate ESG data capture, analysis, and reporting, but businesses must go beyond reporting and operationalize ESG. A holistic approach is needed for all material ESG topic areas, including social sustainability. IDC predicts enterprise-wide carbon footprint using quantifiable metrics will increase from 50% to 100%.

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IDC FutureScape: WW Sustainability/ESG 2023 Predictions

An ice cream parlour has changed the name of one its products after a "polite" request from Marks & Spencer. Fabio's Gelato, based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, only began making its Percy Pig ice cream last week. But the retailing giant sent the owner Fabio Vincenti a letter which said he could continue to use the sweets, but not the name of the product. "It is what it is, they've got to protect Percy Pig," he said. Marks & Spencer said the name of Percy Pig, which started life as a bag of sweets in 1992 but has since evolved to other ranges, could only be used on "official M&S products". The ice cream parlour uses several different branded items for flavours, including chocolate bars, energy drinks and Marmite. Mr Vincenti said: "We've done so many different brands of ice cream." He said the feedback was generally positive from the various companies but he "wondered why no-one ever moaned and always knew someone might say something". The "polite and fair" letter from M&S was received on Thursday, along with some packets of the swine-faced treat, he said. Mr Vincenti posted a copy of the letter on social media, saying he could continue to make the ice cream, but had to change the name to something such as "Pig Faces or Pig Sweets". The letter said: "Percy Pig is one of our 'hero' brands and we own trade marks to protect it. "We risk losing those trade marks (and more importantly to us, consumers will no longer be confident Percy Pig-branded products originate from M&S) if we do not take steps to stop others from using them without our permission." Mr Vincenti said the ice cream had already proved popular online and would, for now, be renamed "Fabio's Pig". An M&S spokesman said it was "careful to only put [Percy Pig's] name on official M&S products". "It's flattering that he's inspired Fabio's new gelato and we hope they enjoy the treat we sent," he said. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk

IDC forecasts growth in the document workflow automation and optimization market between 2023-2027 due to increased adoption of digitization and the need to improve business process efficiency.

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Worldwide Document Workflow Automation and Optimization Forecast, 2023–2027

A parish councillor has described the removal of a flagpole from a village green as "bizarre" and "depressing".Jon Gambold said the pole, in Biddenham, near Bedford, bearing a Ukrainian national flag, has been vandalised three times since 31 December. He said the actions were "very, very hurtful for the Ukrainian refugees we've got in the village and across Bedford".Biddenham Parish Council was aiming to purchase a "bigger vandal proof pole and a bigger Ukrainian flag", at a cost of more than £1,000, he added. Mr Gambold, who is also a Conservative councillor for Bedford Borough Council, said: "We want to show solidarity with these people."I'm upset on their behalf and for them."He said he did not know who cut the pole down, but that he was aware of one person who had expressed unhappiness that an Ukrainian flag was being flown in the village. Councillor Gambold said he "started to get worried" after the flag was removed for a second time in March."I got a new cleat for the flag pole and put it higher up so that they couldn't get to it to vandalise it", he said. He said the Ukrainian flag was replaced with the union flag for the King's Coronation, but "on the Wednesday night or Thursday morning it had gone".The incidents have left him "shocked", he said, adding: "I thought we'd done what we could to stop it being vandalised and someone has still found a way to do it."Putting up a bigger flag is the sort of statement we're trying to make," he added.Bedfordshire Police said it was aware of a previous incident and has been contacted for comment. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, external, Instagram, external and Twitter, external. If you have a story for us, email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk, external

Cloud infrastructure offers scalability and versatility, which are essential for sustained real-time connectivity and interoperability in capital markets. Collaboration around shared cloud native utilities is necessary to maximize the benefits of cloud. As firms adopt cloud infrastructure en masse, competition is expected to solidify with a few large firms competing on volume and smaller firms providing specialized services. Investment in non-differentiated business processes executed on the cloud will increasingly fail to provide a defensible competitive positioning. The adoption of distributed ledger technologies further enhances the openness and resiliency cloud architecture provides. Tomorrow's market structure is expected to exhibit markedly different competitive dynamics, and firms need to think critically about their current business models.

https://blogs.idc.com/2022/09/23/cloud-infrastructure-for-open-and-resilient-capital-markets/

Cloud Infrastructure for Open and Resilient Capital Markets

Images saved from a skip, showing the restoration of a city devastated by the blitz, have been identified and catalogued thanks to the work of volunteers. Thousands of photographs taken by Coventry photographer Arthur Cooper from the 1940s up to the 1960s have been digitized and released online by Coventry University. The archive, in the form of thousands of glass negatives, was found dumped on a Coventry street and returned to publishing company Mirrorpix. After sitting at the company's Watford archive for nearly a decade, the 8,049 rescued images have been made available to view as part of the Coventry Digital initiative. The archive had no information attached, explained the project's director Dr Ben Kyneswood, so he has called on community groups and organisations to help identify people and places to add metadata. "As soon as I opened the files I thought 'this is just marvellous'. There were just thousands of images with no information on," said Martin Williams. The chairman of the Friends of Coventry Cathedral group has so far helped identify and caption about 700 of the pictures. "It was when I saw early historic photos that I'd never seen before that I got very excited," he said. Images such as rubble from the blitz being cleared from the cathedral in 1948 were "very important", he explained. "That's just one moment in the history of the cathedral" that could have been lost. The pictures depict weddings, award ceremonies and festivals as well as visiting celebrities and royalty and were taken while the photographer worked for publications such as the Midlands Daily News, Birmingham Post and Mail and the Coventry Evening Telegraph. "I've been involved with Coventry Cathedral since 1962 and so was at many events which Arthur covered as a freelance, so I got to know him," said Mr Williams. "He was a lovely man, we just got on really well." Some time after Mr Cooper's death the thousands of glass plates were found in a skip. "My understanding is the family were disposing of the archive some years ago, when someone recognised its worth and organised for its retrieval, "explained John Mead, archive manager at Mirrorpix owner Reach PLC. "We recovered about 10,000 glass plates, with the collection predominantly documenting the rebuilding of the city after the war." The negatives initially went to the Coventry Telegraph archive. Then, as the office closed down in 2012, they were passed to the archivist in Watford. "But we couldn't identify who was in these pictures because there was no documentation whatsoever with the archive, all we knew was it was taken by Arthur," explained Mr Mead. The collection is a "complete time capsule of history of a very specific location", added Fergus McKenna, content sales director of Reach. The collaboration with Coventry Digital had enabled the company to "give that collection back to the city and ask the community to engage with it", he added. Dr Kyneswood said volunteers had "loved" getting involved in identifying people and places in the archive. More than 10,000 people a month had been accessing and sharing the images, he said, but the project was still working to identify thousands of other people in the collection. Some groups had been able to identify specific vehicles, sporting events and adding the stories behind the picture "which is when it gets really interesting", he added. "There's a lovely story where the Godiva Harriers' archivist identified a race that ended on Binley School track and it was to allow Coventry runner Brian Kilby to qualify for the Olympics in 1964. "He spotted somebody in there whose wife Pam connected him to his wife and he's still married to her 54 years later," he said. Users of the Historic Forum had also found some "very particular stories", he added. About a picture of a TVR car taken in 1963, the forum had "identified the garage, they've identified the man who is standing next to the car - Peter Simpson - and then with a bit more digging they then found the car had just been renovated and so they posted online a picture of the same car". Rob Orland, founder of the Historic Coventry Forum, said his group with thousands of members had "risen to the challenge" of being able to identify a photograph's location or year "using fragments of what's visible in the picture". "I think most of us enjoy a bit of ancient detective work," he added. The work of the community in helping identify the pictures was "very valuable", explained Mr McKenna. The collaboration was helping make the archive searchable, he said. "You're going from an asset that was in a dusty old loft to something now that's online and only going to get more discoverable and more shared and more used going forward." Arthur Cooper's collection was important as it had captured "a social record of a time and a place that isn't there any more", he added. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

More seasonal workers will be allowed into the UK if needed, the prime minister has said after the home secretary said migration must fall. Rishi Sunak told a gathering of farmers and other food producers an extra 10,000 visas will be made available for the agriculture sector. This would be on top of the current 45,000 allocated. But on Monday, Suella Braverman said there was no reason the UK could not train its own fruit pickers. At a speech, the home secretary said it was "not racist" to want to control borders and her aim was to reduce net migration. On Tuesday, Mr Sunak said the government was responding to the needs of farmers by offering the extra visas. Asked by Farming Today on BBC Radio 4 why the number of visas was not higher, Mr Sunak said: "I think the number is appropriate. "We haven't used the 45,000 allocation last year. Before we start saying we need more it's reasonable to extend the current numbers." The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the extra visa numbers were also offered to the agricultural sector last year. Around 70 leading members of the food industry, including farmers and supermarket bosses, met with the prime minister and his colleagues to talk about how the UK can improve the way it produces and sells food. It comes against a backdrop of continued high prices, and new research from the consumer group Which? that said the price of some goods had jumped by as much as 25% in April, compared with the same month last year. Dairy products such as cheese saw the biggest rise, the group said. Overall, in a survey of the UK's eight largest supermarkets looking at 26,000 products, it said food prices rose more than 17%. Supermarkets are starting to bring down the prices of bread and butter but Which? said prices remained at "shockingly high levels" compared with last year. It also found supermarket own-label budget items were up 25% in April compared with the same period 12 months ago. The consumer group said it was "concerned the voices of millions of people" struggling with soaring food inflation had not been heard at the summit. "Families up and down the country are facing a daily struggle to put food on the table and it's clear the big supermarkets could...make available a range of healthy budget foods available in all shops," it said. Earlier on Tuesday, Tesco announced that it was cutting prices of vegetable and sunflower oil, as well as pasta by 15p. But a 500g bag of penne pasta is still 80p - in 2021, it was 50p. However, Bill Grimsey, the former boss of frozen food chain Iceland, warned: "If anybody thinks prices are going to come down quickly anytime soon, well they're not." Farmers and businesses have been hit by rising operating costs, in part caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Other expenses such as shipping costs - which soared during the Covid pandemic - have since fallen but Mr Grimsey said shoppers are unlikely to see the impact of this on the prices they pay. The government also pledged to put greater emphasis on farmers' interests in future trade deals and said it would review horticulture and egg supply chains to "ensure farmers get a fair price for their produce". Many farmers have argued that supermarkets are not giving them a fair deal for certain goods, such as eggs. Ash Amirahmadi, managing director of the UK's largest dairy producer Arla Foods, attended the summit and told the BBC the meeting was a "good start", but added that the government needed to "follow through" on its commitment to prioritise the UK's food industry. Mr Amirahmadi said burgeoning costs in the sector were not unique to the UK and were about 40% up before inflation first started rising, though he cautioned against a return to the days of cheap milk. "I expect when we fully come out of this prices will be higher than they were before," he added. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents retailers, has said they are "doing all they can to keep food prices as low as possible" and called on the government to streamline regulation around recycling, packaging and Brexit to try to bring down prices for consumers.

How would you feel if your child, or one you knew, was taken into care and ended up living in a B&B, a hostel, or even slept rough? What I'm talking about here is "the care system", the safety net we'd rely on if we couldn't look after our kids. I've been working on a BBC documentary which has found teenagers are still being placed in B&Bs and hostels - six years after the Welsh government said it wanted to "eliminate" it. Some of the stories have shocked me. With record numbers of children being taken into care in Wales and England, I've spoken to some young people who have been through the care system in an hour-long documentary, filmed over nearly three years, I've helped make for the BBC. ‘Abuse, assault, profit’ - childcare staff speak outHuge profits made from children's care - report'It's hard to parent when you're the grandparent' My question is: does the care system always "care" for children who can't stay with mum or dad? "I know for a fact prison would have been better than where I was placed," Niall told my BBC Wales Investigates 'Lifting the lid on the care system' documentary. He says he grew up moving in and out of care between the age of 14 and 18 - and after a place in a children's home broke down just as he turned 17, he was placed in a B&B. "People moved there that had just come out of prison and stuff," Niall added. "So I got robbed a couple of times in there. You'd see people kicking down doors on a daily basis, there'd be people smashing windows, people carrying knives." Niall told me he was then moved into what he describes as a hostel, although his council insists it was supported housing as they tried to find him somewhere permanent to live. "I was woken up by a punch basically," he recalled about one incident. "So I had to start barricading my door which, obviously, they got through eventually. It was like they put all the troubled teenagers under one roof." The people in charge of Niall's care said they made every effort to find him somewhere else to stay and that his case was not straightforward, but Caerphilly council did not comment on the threats and violence. Hope was taken into care at 14 but ran away after her foster placement broke down when she was 16. "I was a child in a tent with an adult who was over the age of 18, sleeping rough, where nobody knew where I was," Hope, now in her early 20s, told me. "I was technically a child of the state. It wasn't OK... I was at risk." Those responsible for Hope's care said it could not comment on individual cases but Wrexham council said its services had been transformed and it would use Hope's comments to improve things further. In 2016, I presented a petition to the Welsh government to end the practice of children being placed in B&Bs and hostels. Ministers said they wanted to "eliminate" it - but six years on, it's still happening. Research by the BBC Wales Investigates team suggests dozens of teenagers like Niall and Hope are still being put in that position. Freedom of information requests to all councils in Wales showed at least 50 young people were placed in B&Bs, hostels and budget hotels in the past financial year, with at least 285 in other accommodation which is not regulated by the care watchdog. I don't want this to come across as an attack on social workers - because it's not. It is their job to look after these young people but they're working within a system that is, according to one report last year by those in charge of social services, facing a "crisis" to find suitable places for children to stay. While most children placed in such temporary accommodation are 16 or 17, our investigation found a small number are even younger. One example included an 11-year-old being housed in temporary accommodation with council staff, because there was nowhere else for them to go. SAM SMITH PRESENTS STORIES OF HIV: From Terrence Higgins to todayLIFTING THE LID ON THE CARE SYSTEM: A shocking insight into the lives of young people in care Gemma - not her real name - felt she was let down by the system that was supposed to keep her safe. She says she was exploited by older men when she was young before eventually being taken into care at 14, when she had become addicted to heroin. "I'd moved house 12 times by the time I was 15," she said. "I've never fully unpacked anywhere. Nobody ever keeps me very long anyway." Leaving care: 'I fell through the cracks'Almost 100,000 children could be in care by 2025Austerity blamed for children in care rise When she was 16 she was offered a hostel to stay in by social workers, which she said had a drug dealer staying there. "I'd just spent nine months getting clean," Gemma said. "They then placed me in this hostel where he was anyway. I was there less than a week before I was back on drugs." After meeting Gemma and hearing all she'd been through, I broke down because what she had experienced and what she told me was just devastating. No child should have to live that life. My personal view is that we shouldn't tolerate that some young people just disappear and the worst possible things imaginable happen to them. Children who, from the beginning and often through no choice of their own, find themselves in circumstances that already makes things harder for them than it does for anyone else. People in social care tell you those are the children who are most likely to end up homeless, most likely to end up with mental health issues, with alcohol and drug dependency issues and even being sexually abused. The group that represents Wales' 22 local authorities said councils in Wales were "committed to doing their best in responding to the growing demands and increasingly complex challenges in children's social care". The Welsh Local Government Association said it regretted the standard of care and support it wanted to achieve has not been met in everyone's case, and that it was keen to learn from young people's experiences. It also believes there is a need for additional funding to help children and families earlier, and that wider societal issues such as access to health services and ending child poverty are not things children's social care can solve alone. When I challenged Wales' deputy minister for social services on her government's record, she told me that while the majority of children in the care system grow up in loving families, she accepts that a minority of children do not have the experiences she would want them to have. "What we really want to do is put as much support as we possibly can to parents and children at an earlier age, and stop so many numbers coming into care," said Julie Morgan MS. "Crises do happen, placements break down, families break down... and the children have to be put somewhere... we don't accept that that should be the situation and we're trying to do things to stop that." She added there were plans for new specialist accommodation for children with complex needs across Wales and the government was investing more in foster care and providing support for those leaving care. "We have got it at the top of our agenda here in Wales... which doesn't mean that things don't go wrong," Ms Morgan added. "To hear these tales from young people - and that I've heard so many times - that break your heart, you think how could this have happened? "I absolutely accept that, but we're doing our utmost to make sure that every young person in Wales has, you know, a happy fulfilling life." In England and Scotland, there has just been an independent review of the children's care system which called for earlier help for families too. Those in charge of social services departments there have long called for a "system overhaul" to address all sorts of issues The UK government said it had already banned under-16s staying in places that aren't inspected by the watchdog and will respond with more detailed plans later this year. But for everything the politicians are putting forward, based on what you'll see if you watch my BBC documentary, I wonder if you would be happy for the current care system to look after your child if you weren't around. If not, then don't we all need to consider whether that safety net - and the people who work within it - is being treated with the priority it deserves? Because if we continue to let these people down and continue to get this wrong, surely the consequences don't bear thinking about. Don't we feel we owe it to them - and society as whole - to sort this out? Michael Sheen: Lifting the lid on the care system is on BBC iPlayer now and on BBC One Wales at 21:00 Tuesday 5 July If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, the BBC Action Line has links to organisations which can offer support and advice

Shell is selling its stake in the controversial Cambo oil field, it has been announced. The project - which is west of Shetland - is the second-largest undeveloped oil and gas discovery in the UK's North Sea. The oil major is looking for a buyer for its 30% holding. Cambo has been the focal point of many protests, and Shell has been rumoured for months to be looking for someone to take over its part. The remaining 70% of the field is owned by Ithaca Energy. Cambo in better position for go-ahead, say ownersWhy Cambo oilfield is a difficult gamble for ShellCambo oil field development to be paused Ithaca said the two companies had agreed on several possible outcomes. Shell might sell all of its stake, but if it only manages to find a buyer for a portion of the stake it could offload its remaining share to Ithaca. If a buyer wants to purchase more than Shell's 30% stake then Ithaca will sell up to 19.99% of its holding in the project, it said. Shell's senior vice president of UK Upstream, Simon Roddy, said: "Following an internal review, we have decided to sell our 30% working interest in Cambo and have agreed a process with Ithaca Energy for the sale of Shell's stake in the field this year. "We wish Ithaca Energy well in the future development of the field, which will be important to maintain the UK's energy security and to sustaining domestic production of the fuels that people and businesses need." Ithaca chief executive Alan Bruce said: "Our agreement with Shell represents a meaningful step towards the development of Cambo, the second-largest undeveloped field in the UK continental shelf and a key asset in helping maintain the UK's future energy security." He added: "Ithaca Energy remains committed to investing in the UK North Sea, however, the impact of the amended Energy Profit Levy and the fiscal instability it has created continues to constrain our ability to invest. "We are actively engaging, in a constructive manner, with the UK Government in pursuit of the fiscal stability required to make critical investment decisions that will support the UK's long-term energy security."

Leaders and representatives from across the Commonwealth are expected to come to London for the Coronation of King Charles III on 6 May. Some of these countries were previously in the British Empire, some are still British dominions, while others had no colonial links to Britain but have chosen to join the global club. Here are seven things you may not know about the Commonwealth. About 2.5 billion people - out of a global population of eight billion - live in the 56 Commonwealth countries. More than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth's population is aged 29 or under. Globally, a third of all young people aged between 15 and 29 live in Commonwealth countries. The biggest country by population is India, which accounts for about half of the total. Pakistan, Nigeria and Bangladesh are the next biggest countries by population, with the UK fifth. King Charles is the head of state in 14 Commonwealth countries - or realms - in addition to the UK. Most countries in the club are republics - with Barbados the last to remove the UK monarch as its head of state in 2021. Five countries - Lesotho, Eswatini (previously known as Swaziland), Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Tonga - have their own monarch. King Charles remains head of state in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, although for many years there has been an active movement in Australia in favour of becoming a republic. The country's central bank has announced that Charles will not feature on Australia's new $5 note. What does the King do? Rwanda and Mozambique became members in 2009 and 1995 respectively, although neither were colonised by the British. Rwanda was previously under the rule of Germany and Belgium. Former French colonies Gabon and Togo are the most recent joiners, becoming members in June 2022. Why ex-French colonies are joining the Commonwealth The club has also lost members. South Africa withdrew in 1961 after it was criticised by Commonwealth members for its apartheid policies. It became a member again in 1994. Pakistan was thrown out after a military coup in 1999, but was readmitted in 2004. Membership was suspended again between 2007 and 2008. Former president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe took his country out in 2003 after its membership was suspended amid reports of election rigging. It applied for re-admission in 2018, but no decision has been reached. The last country to leave was the Maldives in 2016, but it re-joined in 2020. The Commonwealth makes up a quarter of the world's land mass. The giant of the group is Canada, the world's second largest country by area. India and Australia are huge too. But many of the member countries are small - such as the Pacific island nations of Nauru, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, and Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica in the Caribbean. Thirty-three of the world's 42 small states are part of the Commonwealth. Prince Philip: The Vanuatu tribes mourning the death of their 'god' The UK is no longer the biggest economy in the Commonwealth, according to the latest GDP numbers from the International Monetary Fund, with India overtaking it for the first time in 2022. The combined GDP of the 56 members is more than $13tn (£10.8tn). That's more than twice the size of Japan ($5tn, £3.75tn), but some way behind the US at $23tn (£17.2tn). Trade with the Commonwealth accounted for 9% of the UK's total trade in 2021 - around the same as the UK's total trade with Germany. The UK exported goods and services worth £62.6bn to the rest of the Commonwealth, while imports from member states totalled £58.2bn The modern Commonwealth was formed in 1949, after "British" was dropped from the name and allegiance to the Crown was removed. Only three people have been head of the organisation - King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III. It's not a hereditary role, although the Commonwealth accepted King Charles as its head in 2018, when he was Prince of Wales. The organisation is run from London by its secretary-general, currently Baroness Scotland. She was re-elected to a second term in June 2022, despite facing criticism from some member states over her performance. The other founding members were Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. The Commonwealth Charter was adopted in 2012, and commits members to the values of democracy, gender equality, sustainable development and international peace and security. The Commonwealth has been criticised for being a post-colonial club and for having little influence in the modern world. Supporters argue the benefits which membership brings include developmental support and co-operation on international goals. Russia and a number of other former members of the Soviet Union set up the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1991. It aimed to coordinate economic, defence, immigration and foreign policy across the bloc, although this proved difficult in practice. Georgia withdrew in 2009 after Russia seized part of its South Ossetia territory. Ukraine withdrew its membership in 2018. There is another group called the International Organisation of La Francophonie - an alliance of French-speaking countries which aims to promote the French language and increase mutual co-operation.

Join us as we take a few moments every day to relax and enjoy the beauty of England through the stunning images you send us. Upload your images or email us at england@bbc.co.uk Upload your images or email us at england@bbc.co.uk. For inspiration, view some top tips from three of England's Big Picture photographers. When emailing pictures, please make sure you include the following information: The full name of the person who took the pictures (as this person owns the copyright)Confirmation that the copyright holder gives permission for the BBC to use their pictures across all its outputsThe location, date and time the pictures were takenYour telephone number so we can get back to you if we have any further questionsAny other details about the pictures that may be useful for us to know Please note that while we welcome all your pictures, we are more likely to use those which have been taken in the past week. Email your photographs to our colleagues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Pictures can be found on Instagram, on the hashtags #BBCEngland and #EnglandsBigPicture and on our England's Big Picture board on Pinterest. If you submit a picture, you do so in accordance with the BBC's Terms and Conditions and the BBC's privacy policy. In contributing to England's Big Picture you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use the material in any way that we want, and in any media worldwide. It's important to note, however, that you still own the copyright to everything you contribute to England's Big Picture, and that if your image is accepted, we will publish your name alongside. The BBC cannot guarantee that all pictures will be used and we reserve the right to edit your comments. At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws while collecting any kind of media.

IDC PlanScape helps companies migrate to as-a-service solutions while modernizing infrastructure operations and adapting to automated services. Internal teams must manage service providers, optimize data integration and security, and collaborate with LOB technology leads. Modernizing staff and skills will help accelerate digital business initiatives while keeping budgets under control.

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IDC PlanScape: Digital Infrastructure Operations Staff and Skills Modernization for the As-a-Service Era

Organizations can benefit from working with a variety of industry ecosystem partners, both within and outside their core industry, according to IDC's Future of Industry Ecosystems survey. While some have a standard value chain in place, half do not have a multi-faceted, expanded industry network to support their business operations. The goal is to establish a diverse industry ecosystem of partners that support and enhance decision velocity within and outside the organization. This can include classical design and supply chain partners, customers, end consumers, competitors, industry organizations, governmental entities, experts, and consultants. The next step is to incorporate partners from outside the core industry and add assets, resources, and knowledge that may not be present within their core industry.

https://blogs.idc.com/2023/03/31/maturing-industry-ecosystem-strategy-and-investments-for-enhanced-decision-velocity/

Maturing Industry Ecosystem Strategy and Investments for Enhanced Decision Velocity

IDC's Survey Spotlight analyzes how digital businesses are reevaluating their security investments amid concerns of an economic recession and tightening budgets. The report provides insights for technology vendors to meet changing CEO priorities and serves as peer reference research for CEOs. The survey collected responses from 395 organizations across North America, Asia/Pacific, and Europe and compares spending and technology priorities based on region, industry, and organizational size.

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Cybersecurity Market Resiliency Among Digital Businesses