Covid put paid to big-ticket VC deals in 2020

Big-ticket venture capital (VC) deals were non-existent in the cybersecurity space during the Covid-hit 2020. Low-value deals (where the investment was less than or equal to $10-million) also took a hit, but still accounted for the majority of global investment...

DBE partners with Microsoft on digital skills training

The Department of Basic Education partnered with Microsoft to provide digital skills training to 25 000 unemployed youth in South Africa, as part of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) which created more than 300 000 job opportunities across the country....

Global semiconductor industry poised for robust growth

According to global research and advisory firm Gartner, by October 2020, two-thirds of organisations across the globe had increased or left unchanged their investment into cloud computing and AI. The survey also revealed that by mid-2021, 75% of respondents intended...

Global smart street light installed based close to 20m

According to a new research report from Berg Insight, the installed base of smart street lights amounted to 16,2-million globally at the end of 2020. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24,8%, the installed base will reach 48,8-million by the end of...
Tourism losses could cost the global economy $4trn

Tourism losses could cost the global economy $4trn

The crash in international tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic could cause a loss of more than $4-trillion to the global GDP for the years 2020 and 2021, according to an UNCTAD report published on 30 June. The estimated loss has been caused by the pandemic’s...

Global Internet surveillance is growing

A new study analysing user data requests that leading tech companies received from 66 countries between 2013 and 2020 shows that the global number of requests per 100 000 people per year by authorities increased three times The study found that seven out of the top...