Affidea expands its presence in Europe with acquisitions in Spain and Romania

Affidea, a leading European provider of advanced diagnostics, out-of-hospital services, and Centres of Excellence, is pleased to announce its expansion into two countries – Spain and Romania through the acquisition of Clinica Atenea in the Valencia Region, Spain, and Oldega Imagistics clinic in Bucharest, Romania.

Africa HR Solutions highlights importance of compliance across the Continent

In 2021, FDI flows to Africa reached a record-breaking $83 billion – more than double the previous year.

Despite challenges such as poor infrastructure, limited transparency and complex legal frameworks, multinational companies recognise Africa as fertile ground for business growth. Although administrative barriers and legislative complexities may result in excessive costs, it is important to appropriately address these factors.

After making it through Easter... Is this the new normal?

FU Media like to talk.  If you’ve met ever met us, you'll know that’s true.  Since 1999, we’ve championed the idea of keeping in touch and staying connected - and it’s more critical now than ever before, be that for the preservation of your business, sanity or both!
 
What we do know is that talking to your customers – or even appealing to new ones – and keeping them engaged; and promoting what you can promote is what will give you the very best chance of surviving this difficult period and emerging in fighting-shape on the other side.  Those that quietly hibernate will be slower to respond, giving you advantage when the good times return, which is why FU Media has announced the launch of a new service: ‘30-Minute Mentoring’. 

Kevin Urquhart said: “As a business that’s been around since 1999, we’ve seen a wealth of economic ups and downs and we’ve talked to a lot of people. 

These two factors give us valuable experience and trusted connections.  What we have learned at FU Media, over 21 years, is that what is happening to us all right now isn’t forever. 

“Things will get better, if you’re prepared to, potentially, let go of what once was – and that might involve a period of mourning – and, instead, allow your thinking to evolve, adapt and get creative.  Think of solutions, not problems – and don’t be afraid to ask for help”.

Jonathan Fraser added: “At FU Media, it’s always been in our DNA to listen, to support, and to mentor.  We love brainstorming and finding a positive from a negative.  We adore nothing more than working with incredible people and businesses that want to be bigger, better, brighter and bolder”.

In these uncertain times, the one thing that IS certain is that when it’s quieter in the marketplace, those who shout get heard more clearly.  Silence, in this instance, is not golden, which is why business are being invited to try the 30-Minute Mentoring session. 

In this one-to-one Zoom session, you are openly invited to talk about you and your business needs with the FU founders, Kevin Urquhart and Jonathan Fraser.  

Areas of advice might include:

Social Media and Website Updates: Critical in this time and keeping customers updated can build even more loyalty and change buying habits if done properly.How are you doing it and how can it be better?
PR and Press Releases: Perhaps you’re bucking the trend or have an innovative new idea that needs to be heard? Let us help you find your best angle and get you ready for your close up. Or, perhaps you need to know that you have procedures in place with Crisis
Comms?Good or bad, we’ve got your back. In March alone, FU Media helped keep our clients in front of over 10 million people.
Marketing & Advertising: Let’s help you refocus and ensure you’re talking to the right people in the right way via the right channels, so you’re not wasting your precious budget.
Design: A picture says a thousand words, so let’s consider how you’re using design to achieve maximum stand-out.
Mentoring: Sometimes you simply need a fresh pair of experienced eyes and ears on an important project. Someone who’s experienced and not afraid to question – or elevate - your thinking.
Access to Professional Services: FU Media has a wealth of trusted advisors from the professional industries on speed-dial. Whether it’s plain-talking HR advice you need; Accountancy, Pensions or Wellbeing, talk to us as we know where to direct you.

To book your free, ‘30-Minute Mentoring’ ring:  077137 40272 (Kevin Urquhart)/ 0772 5809654 (Jonathan Fraser), or email directly on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Agreements worth SAR27 billion riyals signed on first day of FMF24

The first day of the third edition of Future Minerals Forum (FMF) saw the signing of 20 agreements and memorandums of understanding worth a total of SAR27 billion riyals between government agencies, companies and other organisations participating in the Forum.

Ahead of Birmingham Black Business Show, keynote speaker reveals barrier which still exist for entrepreneurs from Ethnic Minorities

Business owners from Ethnic Minority backgrounds are still having to “smash through barriers” to access the networks and capital to help them succeed, a leading entrepreneur has warned. Speaking ahead of her keynote speech at next week’s Birmingham Black Business Show (BBBS) Daniella Genas, says shifting your mindset can help overcome any challenge.

Ms Genas, a business coach and the founder of Be the Boss, said: “The sad fact is that there are still far too many negative stereotypes about black owned businesses from inside and outside of the community. 

AI engineer becomes first woman to win Africa prize

Technology entrepreneur Charlette N’Guessan has won this year's Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize for engineering innovation. The Ivorian 26-year-old, who is based in Ghana, is the first woman to win the prestigious prize. Her team's invention, Bace API, uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to verify identities remotely, the academy said.
 
It takes live images or short videos recorded on phone cameras to detect whether the image is of a real person, or a photo of an existing image. It is aimed at institutions that rely on identity verification. Two financial institutions are already using the software to verify customers’ identities, the academy said. Ms N’Guessan won £25,000 ($33,000) for the top prize.
 
The winner was voted for by a live audience during a virtual awards ceremony held on Thursday where four finalists delivered presentations. Three runners-up received £10,000 ($13,000).
 
They are Aisha Raheem from Nigeria - whose digital platform provides farmers with data to improve their efficiency, Dr William Wasswa from Uganda - whose low-cost digital microscope speeds up cervical cancer screening and David Tusubira from Uganda - who devised a system that manages off-grid power grids by monitoring the condition of solar arrays.
 
In a statement the academy said: "Fifteen shortlisted Africa Prize entrepreneurs, from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, received eight months of training and mentoring, during which they developed their business plans and learned to market their innovations."
 
 
 

Airbus extends partnership with Astrocast to further enhance satellite IoT technology

Astrocast, a leading satellite IoT operator, announces the extension of its partnership with Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus), a global leader in the aerospace industry. This partnership enhances the capabilities of satellite Internet of Things (SatIoT) technology. It enables Astrocast to further increase its network capacity to provide the most reliable and cost-effective SatIoT solutions to its customers.

ALDI facility in Scotland keeps roof safe from seagulls with the AVIX Autonomic Laser Bird Deterrent

ALDI's Bathgate Distribution Facility has successfully resolved a seagull infestation on its rooftop by implementing the AVIX Autonomic Laser Bird Deterrent.

The cutting-edge laser bird deterrent system, designed and manufactured by Bird Control Group, has provided a highly effective and innovative solution to ALDI's persistent challenge. The facility's rooftop, housing 4,000 solar panels, had been plagued by seagulls nesting and fouling, resulting in various issues. Contractors refused to carry out essential work on the panels, and the dropping of items by the gulls caused significant damage.

All Blacks maintain dominance off-pitch with brand value of US$282m

The New Zealand All Blacks (brand value up 52% to USD282 million, NZD452 million) have continued to assert their dominance as the world’s most valuable rugby team brand, despite their on-pitch authority increasingly being challenged by other rugby nations.

The All Blacks retained the top position for brand value, achieving a 52% increase since the last world cup.

All employers want for Christmas is staff, but candidate interest in seasonal jobs is down by a third

The 2021 seasonal hiring spree is failing to live up to Christmases past as employers struggle to attract candidates amid a glut of jobs, according to new analysis by the world’s largest job site Indeed. With official data recording that there were 1.1 million vacancies in the three months to September[2], Indeed’s research reveals the huge challenge faced by employers battling to hire extra staff in the run-up to Christmas.

Almost 2,000 empty private properties brought back into use

Almost 2,000 privately-owned properties in Wolverhampton, that had stood empty for years, have been transformed into family homes thanks to the efforts of the city council.  The figures have been revealed during what is national Empty Homes Week, which runs from 15 to the 21 February 2021. 
 

City of Wolverhampton Council’s Empty Property Strategy, launched in 2010, has seen more than 1,900 houses which had been left unoccupied – often in poor condition – brought back into use over the last 11 years. The council aims to ensure that rather than the properties becoming a blight on their neighbourhood, they are either sold to new homeowners or rented out to tenants. 
 

Specialist housing improvement officers from the council’s private sector housing team have worked with the owners of properties left empty for a long period of time to encourage and support them to carry out any required works and get them occupied once again. If necessary and as a last resort, the authority can use enforcement action to ensure this work takes place. 

The council also offers grants of up to £500 to encourage more owners of empty properties to act. The grants either help owners with legal/agent fees to sell their property or provide an incentive to rent it under the Private Sector Leasing (PSL) Scheme - a hassle-free property management service run in association with Wolverhampton Homes. 

Councillor Jacqueline Sweetman, Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, said: “Our action on empty homes is providing more affordable housing to people in the City of Wolverhampton. The properties we have become involved with have often stood empty for many years and, as a result, the condition of them has deteriorated dramatically. 

“Our strategy is helping to put these houses back on the market – either to sell or rent – and this in turn is having a positive effect in the areas they are in. In addition, it means landlords are once again seeing rental income come in and the value of their properties increase, while local shops and services are benefiting from new residents occupying the houses – providing a significant boost to the local economy. 

“This ongoing work is the equivalent of us building hundreds of new houses across the city -and we’ll continue to focus our efforts on empty houses in Wolverhampton.”  The work to bring back into use empty properties in the city aligns with the City Housing Strategy’s three key objectives of more and better homes, safe and healthy homes and access to a secure home.  

Almost 50,000 households set to be helped with £55 boost from new council tax discretionary support scheme

Further support with council tax bills is being provided for those in greatest need after Birmingham City Council confirmed details of its discretionary support scheme for the 2023/24 financial year.

Birmingham was awarded £3.04million to support households in the forthcoming year, with an expectation from the Government that councils use the majority of their funding allocations to reduce bills for current working age and pension age Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) households by up to £25.

Almost £40m in vital grants paid to city businesses

The total amount of vital coronavirus business grants so far paid to City of Wolverhampton businesses is closing in on £40million.
 
Eligible city businesses who have yet to claim their coronavirus business support grants are also being urged to submit their online form.
 
More than 3,400 businesses have now received a share of £38.8million distributed by City of Wolverhampton Council from the Government’s Small Business Grant Fund and Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund, since April 6.
 
Over 94% of requests for funding have been paid and there are currently a further 162 city businesses at various stages in the process, working with the Council.
 
Eligible businesses have been contacted by letter and/or email and allocated a code, a Business Account reference number, and a link to a web form to capture the relevant business information. Businesses are encouraged to check their post and emails for correspondence from the Council.
 
Anyone with any business support queries should call 01902 290242 between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Thursday or from 9am to 4.30pm on Fridays. 
 
All forms submitted by businesses are subject to thorough eligibility checks, and to ensure that they meet the criteria of:

Being the ratepayer
In occupation of the business on 11 March 2020

The council is dealing with a high volume of calls to update records and is working as quickly as possible. Following this, businesses are contacted and invited to confirm their eligibility for a grant.
 
Further communication with businesses may be necessary if any of the required information is missing.
 
City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor Harman Banger, said: “We are doing everything we can to support our small businesses to access this money including proactively contacting businesses who are eligible.
 
“We have staff on hand to support businesses who require help and advice with the online process, and I would urge eligible businesses to get in touch.
 
“If you’ve already filled in an online form but haven’t received your grant payment yet, please bear with us.
 
“We yesterday (Monday) also launched the Discretionary Grant Fund for small and micro-businesses who have been ineligible for other schemes.
 
“But I would urge businesses to first ensure they are not eligible for a grant from the Small Business Grant Fund or Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund.
 
“Rest assured, we will make sure every business is supported in whichever way possible.”
 
The Government guidance on the size of the grants is as follows:

small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief, and have a rateable value of £15,000 or less; or
grant funding of £10,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value of £15,000 or below; or
grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,001 and £50,999

Full details of the latest government business support measures can be found at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support.

Amadeus acquires travel-payment company Voxel

Amadeus has announced the acquisition of Voxel, a leading provider of electronic invoicing and B2B payment solutions for travel agencies, hotels and other players in the sector.

Amazon claiming UK parcel deliveries by drone in full operation within year

Amazon has announced it will start using drones to deliver parcels in the UK in under an hour.

AME sets its sights on unlocking supply chain potential after £6m expansion

The UK’s first ‘Faculty on the Factory Floor’ has unveiled a six-million-pound expansion that will aim to boost industry’s journey towards a clean, sustainable, and digital world.

America beating China in chip war

For more than a century the scramble for oil unleashed wars, forced unusual alliances and sparked diplomatic rows. Now the world's two biggest economies are battling over another precious resource: semiconductors, the chips that literally power our daily life.

These tiny fragments of silicon are at the heart of a $500bn industry that is expected to double by 2030.

Amid ‘Messi Mania’, Inter Miami attracting 20m on social media

The arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami has turned the fortunes of the newly established MLS club both on and off the pitch.

Ampa announces West Midlands promotions

Legal and professional services group Ampa has announced promotions in the West Midlands across its house of brands including Shakespeare Martineau and Marrons.

Promoted to associate within Shakespeare Martineau is Elaine Hart, Fatema Miah and Victoria Kirkpatrick. Elaine Hart, associate within the private client team in Solihull, is an expert in probate matters including inheritance tax bearing estates.

Ampa completes Mayo Wynne Baxter merger

National legal and professional services group Ampa, which has an office hub in Birmingham, has completed its merger with leading Sussex law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter. The firm is the group’s South East legal anchor brand and brings Ampa to a turnover above £100m in the next financial year and a group of more than 1,200 people.