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  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Microsoft has provided more information on Dataflex, its new low-code platform for building apps and bots directly within Teams. Image: Microsoft Microsoft has provided new details on Dataflex, its new low-code/no-code platform for building and deploying apps and chatbots directly into Teams. Dataflex was announced at Microsoft's recent Inspire partner conference on July 21st. Built on the Common Data Service – now somewhat confusingly called Microsoft Dataflex Pro - the platform is designed to make it easy for users with little or no coding skills to build new capabilities into Teams using Microsoft Power Apps and Microsoft Power Virtual Agents. SEE: Microsoft Teams: A cheat sheet (free PDF) (TechRepublic) Many businesses have been looking to automate time-consuming manual processes since the coronavirus forced them to divert time and resources away from lengthy development processes. As such, low-code/no-code solutions have enjoyed a surge in popularity by allowing organisations to automate workflows quickly, and with minimal resource investment. As Microsoft explained in its original announcement, Dataflex aims to remove the hassle of back-end tech logistics for creating and deploying new business tools for its enterprise customers. Power Virtual Agents allow users to easily create chatbots using Microsoft's natural language processing and AI smarts, and then integrate these into workflows using Power Automate. Microsoft's Power BI is also included in Dataflex, offering users a unified visualisation hub and searchable repository for data across the organisation. Dataflex assigns access and security roles automatically, based on whether they are an Owner, Member or Guest, though these can be customised by administrators. Because Dataflex is integrated directly into Teams, users don't need to switch applications or connect to additional data sources in order to build and deploy new Teams apps. Instead, organisations can find, filter and sort relational data directly within Teams, and then create scenario specific, custom data tables based on the Common Data Model (CDM). Support for additional CDM-based tables is coming soon, Microsoft said. Image: Microsoft In Dataflex for Teams, data, apps, chatbots and workflows are stored within a single environment that supports backup, point-in-time-restore, and disaster recovery. This means that when a team is deleted, its associated environment is also deleted. Each Team environment features 2GB capacity, capable of storing approximately one million rows of data, according to Microsoft. In addition to building custom bots and applications that can be shared with other users and departments across the organisation, Dataflex also features a gallery of pre-made templates that can be tailored to a business' own requirements. Teams users can then automate workflows with these solutions using Power Automate. SEE: TechRepublic Premium editorial calendar: IT policies, checklists, toolkits, and research for download (TechRepublic Premium) Dataflex will be bundled for no additional charge with every Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscription that includes a Teams license, which will appear in public preview from August. "In Teams, people collaborate around documents in different ways – some you create yourself, some you create in collaboration with teammates, or others you acquire from trusted sources," said Marc Mercuri, Microsoft's principal product project manager for Dataflex. "Power Platform and Dataflex for Teams bring this same model to building and using apps, chatbots, flows, and data." Microsoft Weekly Newsletter Be your company's Microsoft insider by reading these Windows and Office tips, tricks, and cheat sheets. Delivered Mondays and Wednesdays Sign up today Also see 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 A former Conservative minister has been arrested after a woman accused him of rape, sexual assault and coercive control, it was reported last night. The Metropolitan police confirmed they had launched an investigation into four alleged incidents between July 2019 and January 2020 at different locations in London. They said “a man in his 50s” was taken into custody early yesterday and was still in a police station in east London last night. He faces allegations from a woman who reportedly worked on the parliamentary estate that he abused her on several occasions. She alleges that the MP assaulted her, forced her to have sex, and left her so traumatised that she had to go to hospital, according to the claim. In a statement, Scotland Yard said: “On Friday 31 July, the Metropolitan Police Service received allegations relating to four separate incidents involving allegations of sexual offences and assault. These offences are alleged to have occurred at addresses in Westminster, Lambeth and Hackney between July 2019 and January 2020. “A man was arrested on 1 August on suspicion of rape.” The Met said it was not making any statement about the man’s occupation. The Sunday Times reported that a fellow Conservative MP first raised the woman’s allegation with Mark Spencer, the Tory chief whip, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the House of Commons, after speaking to the alleged victim a month ago. The Press Association said that Spencer had advised her to make a formal complaint. A spokesman for Spencer said: “The chief whip takes all allegations of harassment and abuse extremely seriously and has strongly encouraged anybody who has approached him to contact the appropriate authorities, including parliament’s independent complaints and grievance scheme.” The Conservative party said: “We take all allegations of this nature extremely seriously. As this matter is in the hands of the police, it would be inappropriate to comment further.” 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 The Story feature in Tableau can be a useful data visualization tool when you are drilling down on a dataset from general to specific. This tutorial shows you the basics. Image: chendongshan, Getty Images/iStockphoto As modern businesses generate more and more data, it has become increasingly more difficult to draw useful information out of the raw stream. Finding and communicating actionable information requires an effective set of tools designed specifically for that purpose. Highly educated data scientists with training and experience in data visualization techniques are becoming more common in large enterprises, but small businesses do not have the resources to hire such experts. Inexpensive and accessible data visualization tools provided by vendors like Tableau Software are designed to help tell the story of your data without requiring you to have an advanced degree. This how-to tutorial shows you how to create a simple story using basic tools found in Tableau. SEE: Report: SMB's unprepared to tackle data privacy (TechRepublic Premium) Create your first data story in Tableau As we did in the previously published article on data visualizations, we will be using free sample data provided by the resources page of the Tableau Public website. Specifically, the Cat vs. Dog Popularity in the US dataset. You can download the dataset, in the form of an Excel worksheet, to any folder on your computer. SEE: How to create your first Tableau Software data visualization chart (TechRepublic) For our example, we will separate four data points into their own sheets and then use them to create a story that explains the data's importance. Figure A shows what we are working with before we start our new Story. Figure A Click the Story tab on the menu and select New Story from the submenu. As you can see in Figure B, our new story is blank but our four separate sheets highlighting our data points are listed in the left-hand list. Figure B The Story feature in Tableau can be a useful communication tool when you are drilling down on a dataset from general to specific or when going the other way, drilling up from specific to general. This movement through the data helps your audience visualize relationships between and among data points. SEE: 4 tips for using data visualization in a board presentation (TechRepublic) We start off with one blank storyboard, but we know we need three more, so click the Blank button to add them. Drag the first sheet representing an important data point in the story of our data to the first storyboard as shown in Figure C. Of course, we will want to give it a descriptive name. Figure C We will follow up with the three remaining data points. To make our data's story a bit more compelling, let's emphasize that California has the most households with both cats and dogs. We do this by adding a blank sheet in the middle of our story, and then adding a data point and a description box, as shown in Figure D, to highlight this fact. Figure D The next chapter in our data story reveals the significance of percentages in our dataset. When considering the percentage of households owning either a cat or dog in a particular state, the data shows Vermont (Cats) and Arkansas (Dogs) lead the way, as you see in Figure E. Figure E To see what your story looks like when complete, press F7 (function key 7) to change into presentation mode, as shown in Figure F. Readers and presenters can move back and forth through the data by clicking on one of the title cards. Figure F Obviously, this is a simplified example, but you can see the potential of telling your data's story, whatever it may be, using visualization tools. The ability to glean vital, actionable information from the raw data generated by your business could be the key to gaining a competitive advantage. Tableau and other data visualization tools bring these capabilities to small businesses. Data, Analytics and AI Newsletter Learn the latest news and best practices about data science, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence. Delivered Mondays Sign up today Also see 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 If Amy Lamé feels bruised by calls for her to quit her job, she is determined not to show it. The UK’s first “night tsar” has faced brutal criticism ever since she was hired in 2016 to champion London’s night-time culture. Nightclubs and music venue owners have claimed they do not know what she does, while at least one music magazine has asked what is the point of Lamé. Now, with the capital’s cultural life facing catastrophe, the industry is taking out its frustrations on Lamé. Last week, a petition with several hundred signatories from the nightlife sector was submitted to the mayor of London, demanding she be removed from her role, and that the position be re-evaluated. The complainants wrote that Lamé’s response to Covid-19 “has been extremely disappointing and has not inspired any confidence in why she receives a salary of £83,169”. The petition claims that she did not understand the infrastructure of the music and arts scene and has failed to adequately advocate for it in a crisis. “People will have their opinions, but I will be judged by the work that I do,” she says. Speaking to the Observer via video call, with a press officer from City Hall sitting in, Lamé admits the hostility is “unpleasant” but says she is getting on with the job. “Different people have different ideas of [how to do] it, but I’ve got 25 years-plus experience in running my own business, my own nightclub. My background is in advocating for venues: I helped save what is perhaps the most iconic LGBTQ+ venue in the country.” While working full time in the night tsar role and as a frequent radio host on BBC6 Music, Lamé also presented Duckie, one of London’s most celebrated club nights, which until lockdown had run every week for more than 20 years. In 2018, she helped secure the future of its host venue, Royal Vauxhall Tavern, which has been a centre of gay culture for decades. Now, of course, it is just one of thousands of London institutions battling to survive. More than a dozen club owners, promoters and nightlife workers who spoke to the Observer believe Lamé has achieved little in the post and has in recent months been absent. The criticism was unanimous, but none would go on the record for fear of damaging already fraught relationships with City Hall. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Over 40 cities around the world now have ‘night mayors’, but lockdown has been devastating for the after-dark economy. Photograph: PYMCA/UIG via Getty Images Bigger clubs have employed professional bid-writers to apply for loans from the government’s £270m culture recovery fund. Meanwhile, smaller pubs and spaces are relying on crowdfunding to save their future: The Gun in east London raised £30,000 in less than 24 hours to avoid going under; and last Friday, independent venues EartH and Village Underground launched a campaign hoping to do the same. “All I can do is listen,” says Lamé. “Like I did with the guy who started the petition: I called him up and said: ‘Let’s talk’. I have a kind ear and an open-door policy. If we can help, we will. If we can’t we will signpost you towards where to access that help.” Lamé’s is arguably a powerless role: she has no influence over the regulatory and licensing decisions that affect the city’s night culture. When she was appointed, London had lost more than half of its nightclubs and more than a third of its live music venues between 2007 and 2017. That tide appeared to have been stemmed – there has been no net loss of music venues during Lamé’s tenure. Then Covid-19 hit. But in the pandemic, hers is just one of multiple voices lobbying central government. Plus, she says, the nuts and bolts of what she and her team do are misunderstood. “If we were busy before lockdown, we have been quadruply so since. Nightclubs are a part of my job, but it is not all of my job. In London, we take a very specific view of life at night. Everything that happens between 6pm and 6am is part of the night-time remit – it’s not just the hospitality industry.” Night-time planning is an emerging field: more than 40 cities around the world have appointed night mayors, managers or tsars since Amsterdam pioneered the idea in 2014. Earlier this month, in Manchester, the city’s night-time economy adviser, Sacha Lord, was key to stopping the permanent closure of live music venues Gorilla and The Deaf Institute. In lockdown, Lord also set up a live streaming platform for local DJs and artists which raised just under half a million pounds to be distributed to local nightlife workers unable to access the furlough scheme or government grants. In 2017, Sadiq Khan set up an independent Night Time Commission. Lamé was not involved in producing its landmark report but it is now her job to implement its 10 recommendations. Does she feel she is doing a good job? “Well, there is a hell of a lot more to do. I guess my question is, what do people expect a night tsar to do? What are their expectations? If you want a night tsar that will be out partying every night, you’ve got the wrong night tsar.” But that’s not what her critics are asking for – they want her to loudly advocate for night culture, answer their emails and make a stronger impact on local authorities and central government. Lamé is frustrated: “I believe that I’m doing the best job I can to support the businesses to survive the pandemic.” 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 These tips will help you access Google Meet quickly, improve your image framing, access other apps, and even talk-to-type in chat. 5 tips for using Google Meet on an iPad Watch Now Starting in mid-2020, more people turned to Google Meet than ever before. People who needed to work, teach, or learn from home discovered that Meet delivers a secure and reliable video conferencing service. Google also made Meet available for anyone to use, so that anyone with a Google account could use the service, which had originally been built for G Suite customers. A significant number of people chose to use Google Meet on an iPad. With an excellent camera, display, solid battery life, and an easy-to-carry size, the iPad works well as a highly portable tablet for video conferencing. Of course, it helps that you can use an iPad with a keyboard, touchpad, or a mouse, that Google Meet lets you turn on captions, and that you can present your screen from Meet on an iPad. The following tips assume you have the Google Meet app installed on your iPad, you've signed in, and are familiar with the basics of Google Meet. If you're not familiar, explore Google's own Google Meet guide. These tips may help you refine how you use Google Meet on your iPad. Move Google Meet to the Dock If you use Google Meet often, move it to the iPad Dock for fast access to the app. Tap and hold Meet on a home screen, then drag it down to the Dock. Once it is in the Dock, swipe up from the bottom of your iPad screen any time to bring up the Dock. If you use a keyboard, Option-Command-D also brings up the Dock. Review framing and lighting before you Meet When you tap the Google Meet app, it displays a preview of your video. Use this opportunity to check your positioning and lighting before you start or join a meeting. You may need to do a bit of adjusting to present yourself in the best framing. Typically, I try to frame my head and shoulders in the center of the view--with my eyes about a third of the way from the top of the screen. In most cases, I suggest you use the iPad in landscape orientation, positioned at a 90-degree angle to the ground. Since the camera is on the left side of the iPad when in landscape orientation, this generally means that the iPad needs to be moved a bit to the right, not directly in front of you. A box, a few books, or an adjustable stand can help you get the iPad high enough off the table to provide a level view. Without these, you'll provide a bit of an up-the-nose view if you set your iPad on a table and use a standard cover, Smart Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, or a Magic Keyboard. (Figure A) Figure A Image: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic Also take a moment to check the lighting--avoid bright lights directly behind you (e.g., a window). If you have smart lights, adjust the lighting to fit your taste. If you happen to use Hue Lights, you might try the Concentrate default setting. Long-press to Meet directly If you're confident of your video setup, or just want to start Meet quickly, you may choose to start Meet directly: Tap, hold until options display, then tap either Start A New Meeting or Enter A Meeting Code, and you're in (Figure B). This long-press method skips the preview step and works well when you use your iPad to meet in a familiar place. Figure B Image: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic Try Google Meet in Split View Google Meet supports Split View, which means you may select and drag-and-drop another app to either side of the screen during a meeting. This can be useful if you want to refer to items from Google Drive (e.g., a Google Doc), a website, or any other app when you meet. (Figure C) Figure C When you work with Google Meet in Split View, the app automatically turns your video view off. Video from other viewers continues, as does your audio stream. You may continue to talk, but your webcam will stop while Split View is active. You may re-enable video after you switch Google Meet back to full screen mode. Talk-to-type in chat The chat feature within Google Meet lets you type a comment on the side. It's a great way to share an idea or thought, but not interrupt the person who is speaking. The chat comments may be shared with everyone or, with a mention, directed to a specific person. Since the chat feature works with Apple's keyboard, it is possible to dictate text into chat (Figure D). Before you do this, you need to tap the microphone in Google Meet to mute your microphone--you also will likely want to mute your video. If other meeting participants see you speaking, they may think you're trying to speak to the group. Figure D With both your microphone and video muted, tap the chat icon, then tap in the chat field. Tap the microphone on the on-screen keyboard, then say whatever you want to appear in the chat field. Note: If you have a connected keyboard, the microphone may not be displayed. To access it, tap and hold the downward arrow in the lower-right corner of the iPad screen to bring up the on-screen keyboard. Then, if necessary, tap the emoji icon to cycle through to a keyboard with the microphone available to the left of the space bar. Review the text carefully and make any corrections needed before you tap Send. When finished with chat, re-enable your microphone and video when appropriate and desired. This can be a great way to add a comment in chat without having to type. What's your experience? Which of the above tips do you use most often when you use Google Meet on an iPad? What other Google Meet tips and tricks do you find most helpful? Let me know your thoughts and tips, either in the comments below or on Twitter (@awolber). Google Weekly Newsletter Learn how to get the most out of Google Docs, Google Cloud Platform, Google Apps, Chrome OS, and all the other Google products used in business environments. Delivered Fridays Sign up today Also see 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 A humpback whale calf, closely followed by its mother, came within metres of surfers and swimmers at Manly beach, in Sydney’s north, on Sunday afternoon. It is unusual to see a whale calf so early in the year in Sydney. Eastern Australian humpbacks migrate north from Antarctica, along the coast to tropical waters in north Queensland from April to July. The whales give birth in the warmer waters and often mothers and calves are spotted heading south during the latter part of the Australian spring. One boardrider, Josh, told Guardian Australia he had never seen a whale, particularly a calf, come so close to the beach at Manly. “There was a bit of pointing going on and I looked round and the little one was just there,” Josh said. “Then mum came in pretty quick smart, I think when she realised how close people were. “You often see [whales] further out the back but this one just came right up to where people were hanging on their boards.” Images show dozens of surfers watching from about 10m from the mother humpback and calf. Initially there was some concern that one of the whales had been caught in a shark net, but surfers said that was not the case. “I think everyone was just paddling up to get a good look. It’s the sort of thing you won’t forget seeing.” Last week researchers from the University of NSW found that while whale watching season in Australia is often a tourism drawcard, many humpbacks were not in optimum health during the return leg of the migration. The researchers collected and analysed samples of whale blow – similar to mucus from a human nose – and found “significantly less” microbial diversity and richness on journey south. Their paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports, said this indicated the whales were likely in poorer health than when their journey began. “People enjoy whale-watching season, but with it comes reports of whales becoming stranded,” said the study’s lead author, science researcher Catharina Vendl. “Although humpback whale stranding events occur naturally and regularly to injured and young whales, it is crucial to monitor the population health of this iconic species to ensure its long-term survival. “Humpback whales do not only play an essential role in their marine ecosystem but also represent an important economic resource because whale-watching is a booming industry in many Australian cities and around the world.” 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Learning the command line on any system can be daunting, so why not leverage that knowledge against multiple operating systems? Here are some that can help. Image: Claudio Caridi, Getty Images/iStockphoto As an admin, one of the things that irks me after a particularly long day is the switch over, or mental reset that comes with changing gears between Windows, Linux, or macOS. It may seem like a trifling nuisance, but it doesn't get any easier over time when you execute a long string and press enter, only to have the console attempt to process the command and end in failure. It's those lost seconds that lead to minutes, then hours. Even worse is when you're trying to figure something out and can't quite get it, though you're sure the command is right. Only then do you realize that you're attempting to run a command from one shell in another. SEE: TechRepublic Premium editorial calendar: IT policies, checklists, toolkits, and research for download (TechRepublic Premium) Some time ago, as I got more into macOS and Linux, I noticed that some commonly used commands share their usage and syntax across platforms. I began to use these whenever possible. Below you'll find a collection of common, highly utilized commands that will make a useful addition (or replacement) to your knowledge base, especially if tasked with supporting multiple systems. 1. Secure shell (SSH) Secure Shell (SSH) has long been a staple in macOS and Linux distros, however, a few years back Microsoft introduced it as a native component to its Windows line of OSes. It works exactly the same to securely connect to systems remotely, encrypting data transmissions, and generating keys for extra security. It is usually turned off by default but can be enabled either by command line or GUI. 2. Wget Wget is one of those utilities that you might not have a real appreciation for until you use it and see how truly awesome it is. It is used to download data from servers, typically web servers, but can also be used as a tool to synchronize entire directories to a local drive. It has a large set of syntax for filtering data allowing you to copy as much or as little as you'd like or need. It also includes progress monitoring and can resume downloads from where it left off. 3. DD Going back to the early 1970s, the DD command has been used for a number of tasks: Transfer, recovery, and modification of data on a disk are some of the common use cases for employing this command. With many other types of commands to do this faster, why use DD? Apart from it being OS-independent, it also can be used to copy entire chunks of data from one drive to another, using it to make 100%, integrity-verified copies of files, directories, or entire drives to partitions, other disks, ISO files, or optical media. SEE: macOS Big Sur: A cheat sheet (free PDF) (TechRepublic) 4. Ping What ping does cannot be measured in time saved for countless admins throughout the world. The command is ubiquitous among many computer users, even non-IT-personnel, who are aware of what it means and does. While I believe ping to be pretty universal at this point, every few years I do get the "What is ping?" question. For those: It's the command used to determine if a device is communicating online. SEE: 10 more PowerShell cmdlets you can use instead of CMD commands (TechRepublic) 5. Curl Curl works similarly to wget, except that where wget supports HTTP/S and FTP protocols, curl supports those and a whole lot more. Since curl can be used to transfer data bidirectionally and was created to work non-interactively, it's perfectly suited for scripts and other automated tasks. It uses the URL path to get data from or send it to that location and includes a plethora of arguments for fetching secured data, providing credentials, data rate-limiting, proxying requests, the list goes on. 6. Netstat The network statistics command displays network connections and their respective port numbers, how the connections are configured (inbound/outbound), the types of connections they are, and the routing tables for each connection. It can also provide summary information over the total number of data transmitted/received, including parameters detailing loss and over IPv4/6 to name but a few. SEE: How to run multiple Linux commands from one line (TechRepublic) 7. Tail This command has been in use by Linux admins since its inception and continues to be a go-to command for retrieving the last few lines of its standard output. It does this however with a set of syntax that allows admins to filter data based on a specific input or wildcards to further breakdown reporting to just the details that are necessary. macOS has long had this feature as well, and surprisingly so has Windows, albeit through the resource kits made available for free by Microsoft for each version of Windows. The tail utility may be copied over to the System32 folder to provide the same functionality Linux and macOS admins continue to enjoy. SEE: Microsoft's GitHub: Our new 'gh' command-line interface makes you more productive (ZDNet) 8. Cd The cd or Change Directory command should be known to all but maybe the newest of computer users. Whether you're trying to move forward or backward in the directory hierarchy, cd is the way to do it. Since it does not provide any real interaction, it can lend itself easily to be used in scripting and automation. 9. Mkdir When working with data it needs a place to go. Unless you prefer desktops cluttered with files everywhere, the Make Directory command is your only salvation when it comes to organizing data in neat little folders, or nested within subdirectories. It can be used to create a single, one-shot directory, or can be customized (and scripted out) to create an entire directory tree structure. SEE: 16 Terminal commands every user should know (TechRepublic) 10. Sort The oldest command listed here is also, arguably, one of the least used, at least in my experience. The sort command does exactly as its name implies, it sorts the data of the input file into an order of your choosing. Depending on whether the data needs to be sorted by alphabetical, numerical, reversed, or some random or custom order, this is the utility to get it done quickly and efficiently. Innovation Newsletter Be in the know about smart cities, AI, Internet of Things, VR, AR, robotics, drones, autonomous driving, and more of the coolest tech innovations. Delivered Wednesdays and Fridays Sign up today Also see 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Brexit has sparked an exodus of economically productive people from the UK to European Union nations on a scale that would normally be expected only as a result of a major economic or political crisis, according to a detailed new study. Using a combination of official statistics across the EU and in-depth interviews with people living in Germany, the study found huge changes in migration patterns of UK citizens since the 2016 referendum, which contrast with largely stable ones among nationals from the 27 EU states remaining in the bloc. Huge surge in Britons applying for non-UK passports Read more The report, a collaboration between the Oxford in BerlinResearch Partnership – a project made up of Oxford university and four Berlin institutions – and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, also found a “seismic shift” in the number of UK citizens already living abroad who had decided to go a step further by obtaining EU member state passports since 2016, showing how Britain’s vote to leave the EU pushed many individuals into long-term decisions. The study says that migration from the UK to EU countries has increased by about 30% compared to pre-Brexit numbers. Britons living in other EU countries who decided to obtain EU member state passports as well as their UK ones had increased by more than 500% overall, and by 2,000% in Germany. Dr Daniel Auer, a co-author of the report, said: “These increases in numbers are of a magnitude that you would expect when a country is hit by a major economic or political crisis.” Moreover, the study found that UK migrants are among the most educated and skilled of those from any nation, with one of the highest net average income rates, suggesting that Brexit has begun a steady drain of the most talented and productive people to the continent. In Germany, UK migrants were among the highest earners, bringing in on average €2,812 a month in 2019, just behind those from Austria and the US. There are now about 1.2 million British citizens living in the EU, between 120,000 and 150,000 of which are in Germany. In the four years since the Brexit referendum, 31,600 Brits have been granted dual British/German citizenship: 2019 saw 14,600 naturalisations compared to 622 in 2015. About half of all British citizens living in Germany will have dual UK/German nationality by the end of 2020, the report says. These increases are of a magnitude that you would expect when a country is hit by a major economic or political crisis Dr Daniel Auer, report co-author Interviews with UK citizens living and working in Germany showed Brexit had made people prepared to take on levels of risk that they previously would not have considered. A British academic in his 40s, who is married with a young family – and who migrated in July 2016 – told researchers: “The referendum happened and we immediately changed our minds about buying a house in Bristol. Our whole emigration decision hung on the referendum result.” The majority of interviewees who left agreed to either a pay cut or a pay freeze as part of their decision. Some struggled to find a job. “I have still not found work, which is not what I expected […] The cost of the move in personal and financial terms is always difficult to foresee, and I’m starting to wonder if I underestimated the risk involved,” said a British IT worker who migrated in October 2019 with his wife and three children. Co-author Daniel Tetlow added: “We’re observing a new social migration phenomenon and a redefining of what it means to be British-European. In 2019, Brits came in just behind Turks in numbers receiving German citizenship – way ahead of Poles, Romanians, Iraqis or Syrians, whom you might otherwise expect to be more eagerly applying for German/EU citizenship.” 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 The cohort will get help refining their investment pitches as well as access to the group's network of institutional investors. Image: elenabs, Getty Images/iStockphoto Three companies building artificial intelligence products and services have a fast track to funding as the newest members of the ELITE Group. This private business development program developed by the London Stock Exchange and Global Accelerated Ventures provides entrepreneurs with business coaching and access to institutional investors. ELITE announced Friday three new companies that will be in the organization's latest cohort: ModuleQ: An artificial intelligence (AI) platform that analyzes data from calendars, email, and Microsoft Teams to make business recommendations for individuals. Covex 2020: An AI company that combines and analyzes multiple data sets to support decision making. vElement: A service provider that specializes in robotic process automation, data science, and artificial intelligence. Thomas Tyler, global head of ELITE Americas and global head of business development, said that companies in the new cohort first will refine their core strategy and their pitch to investors. The next step is connecting the companies with ELITE's network of institutional investors. "The goal is to get bigger, get bought, or get listed," he said. SEE: Robotic process automation: A cheat sheet (free PDF) (TechRepublic) ELITE has worked with companies in 45 countries and in all sectors that share a common factor of an ambition to grow and the willingness to learn. The focus for this cohort was fintech and healthtech. Companies applied for a spot and had to meet these criteria: Turnover greater than $5 million Operating earnings greater than 5% of turnover Positive net profit Demonstrate historic growth and future potential Convincing projections Credible management Motivation to deal with the cultural, organizational, managerial change required to access long-term financing opportunities Tyler said the ELITE program fills a gap for businesses that are beyond the accelerator phase and just starting to scale and grow. ELITE works with more than 200 partners including lawyers, brokers, and sales and marketing experts to support cohort companies. Tyler said that even in this climate of uncertainty there are opportunities to engage with investors, although entrepreneurs might have to accept slightly lower valuations. "Clearly COVID is going to change some portfolio strategies but our view is that the fundamentals of that process don't change," he said. Companies that are invited to join the organization can work with the coaches and use the funding network for as long as they need to. Tyler said members have been contacting ELITE for advice more frequently since the pandemic started. "COVID has highlighted where they were weaker than they thought and emphasized the need to have the right people on board and the right processes in place," he said. Polishing the investment pitch Tyler offered this advice for entrepreneurs looking for support from investors: Know how to tell your story Know your numbers Explain your governance processes Be able to explain clearly what your ambition is He said one common challenge for entrepreneurs is recognizing the moment when it's time to stop working on day-to-day operations and start working on the strategic plan. Having a comprehensive plan helps companies stand out to investors who hear hundreds of pitches a year. "A company that is unprepared may not necessarily have a tested investment story or a growth story that will withstand the scrutiny of an investment market," he said. Tyler said that ELITE helps companies refine their corporate governance and risk management plans because investors are looking for resilient business models. "Investors want to understand that there are good processes in place to protect the investment," he said. "Companies need a solid five-year strategic growth plan which can sometimes supersede whatever the business opportunity might be." "The process of building a business is one of constant learning and engagement and you have to have that mindset as you move through those processes," he said. Data, Analytics and AI Newsletter Learn the latest news and best practices about data science, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence. Delivered Mondays Sign up today Also see 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Hundreds of private renters in England in receipt of benefits are still struggling to secure accommodation despite a landmark ruling saying that landlords are not allowed to discriminate against this group. A disabled single mother who became homeless after being refused the chance to move into a private rented property because she was on benefits won the landmark court case last month. It was the first time a court has ruled that the so-called “no DSS” [Department for Social Security] rule operated by many private landlords – thought to have prevented hundreds of thousands of people from renting homes over the years – breached equality laws. The rule is a reference to the practice used by some landlords to describe the vetting of a class of tenants they regard as unsuitable. The case was brought by the housing charity Shelter. Polly Neate, the chief executive of Shelter, welcomed the court ruling when it was made, but she told the Guardian that hundreds of people had contacted the housing charity since the ruling raising concerns about the DSS issue. Neate said: “Hundreds of people have since contacted our services with similar stories and we are still hearing of letting agents and private landlords ignoring the judgment.” Iffat Saif, a lawyer, who with her husband and two children is in receipt of housing benefit following a recent grant of leave to remain in the UK after fleeing persecution in Pakistan, said she had called 57 landlords and letting agents since the ruling. All either turned her down when she mentioned the word “DSS” or told her she needed to provide a guarantor who would guarantee the tenancy for £50,000. “We want to work hard here but we have only recently got our leave to remain in the UK and it will take time for us to sort ourselves out,” she said. After leaving Home Office accommodation in Southall, west London, that was infested with rats and cockroaches the family has moved into an emergency hostel for homeless people where the family of four are crowded into one room. “I’m so worried about the risk of infection for my children in this place. Large numbers of people are sharing the same bathrooms and toilets and we are very overcrowded in one room. The council told us we should contact landlords and letting agents ourselves to try to find accommodation. I called 57 landlords and when I told them we are DSS they all said no.” She said the landlords did not seem to be aware of the recent court ruling outlawing discrimination against DSS tenants. Saif eventually found a guarantor, a contact in the UK she made while working as a lawyer in Pakistan. “A landlord has finally agreed to rent a property to us so we can at last leave the emergency hostel. But many people in receipt of DSS support do not have access to a guarantor who can offer to support them with £50,000.” Neate said: “The recent court judgment was an incredibly important step forward, but Shelter has been fighting ‘No DSS’ for nearly two years and will continue to do so until these discriminatory practices are stamped out for good. All landlords and letting agents should know that if they keep acting unlawfully, they could face legal action and hefty fines.” Jon Hardy, a Bristol member of Acorn, a community-based union of tenants, workers and residents, said: “While it’s welcome news that ‘No DSS’ tenancy bans have been declared unlawful in the recent landmark court ruling, it comes as no surprise to hear that some landlords are still refusing people who receive housing benefits. Everyone deserves a decent home and housing is a right, not an investment.”