The Port of Antwerp today deployed its first autonomous drone, intended to be the first of a network to support the port authority in its core tasks. The port of Antwerp covers a territory of more than 120 square kilometres, or about ten times the size of Heathrow airport. Not only is it huge, it forms part of the country’s critical infrastructure, with the presence of strategic industries and Seveso facilities. The drone is intended to carry out safety tasks, and eventually be joined by more of the same, covering…
Read MoreMonth: February 2021
‘One measure too many’: Belgium urged to abolish curfew
The different political youth parties in Flanders are jointly pushing for the abolition of the curfew measure in Belgium ahead of the Consultative Committee on Friday. In a joint press release, the young liberals (Jong VLD), greens (Jong Groen), Flemish nationalists (Jong N-VA), Christiandemocrats (JONGCD&V) and socialists (Jongsocialisten) asked the government for more perspective, calling the curfew “one measure too many.” The curfew has been in force for about four months now, and while the leaders of the youth parties state that the measure was initially useful, the question can…
Read MoreParimatch comments on possible IPO, shares thoughts on the market perspectives with The Times
Parimatch, one of the leading bookmakers in xUSSR plans an IPO. Although the date isn’t yet set it may present opportunities for a wide range of investors. The prospects seem amazing as the legislation in Ukraine is getting more favourable. Dominic Walsh from The Times has recently written an article on online bookmaker and IT company from Ukraine, Parimatch. He states, that “she has been dubbed the Ukrainian Denise Coates”. Like the Bet365 chief executive, Katerina Belorusskaya has helped to turn a conservative betting shop business into a cutting edge…
Read MoreHSBC to focus on the main market after profits dived 34 percent
More executive roles are expected to relocate to home base of Hong Kong as part of Asia shift, where most of its earnings come from. HSBC, Britain’s biggest bank, has recorded a 34% drop in profit for 2020 as it prepares to double down on its operations in Hong Kong and China despite concern about the political crackdown in the former UK colony. The bank said on Tuesday that pre-tax profit was down from $13.3bn (£9.4bn) in 2019 to $8.8bn in the 12 months to 31 December, while the adjusted…
Read MoreIt’s time for Greece to follow Israel’s example and recognize Kosovo
This week marks the 13th anniversary of Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia. The declaration came about a decade after the Serbian authorities launched an ethnic cleansing that aimed to eradicate the Albanian majority population of its then-province. A full-fledged genocide was stopped in 1999 by NATO’s intervention. Since 2008, the Republic of Kosovo has joined international organizations, has become a vital part of the international community, and has been a key factor of stability in the Balkans. In terms of democratic standards, Kosovo fares better than some of its…
Read MorePoor administration means many people don’t show up for vaccine
More than half of all care providers whose turn it is to be vaccinated do not show up in the vaccination centre in Overijse (Flemish Brabant), according to professor Dirk Devroey (VUB). The main problem is not so much that people do not want to be vaccinated, but rather the loss of emails with invitations, according to Devroey, who is a medical expert in the centre. “People receive a text message, email or letter, but many people apparently do not respond, or do not see the mail because it disappears…
Read MoreDon’t expect significant easing of coronavirus measures, Frank Vandenbroucke warns
No significant easing of restrictions should be expected to come out of next Friday’s Consultative Committee meeting, Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke warned on Sunday. “Within three weeks, the British variant of the coronavirus will be dominant in Belgium and we will be able to assess how contagious it is,” he told VTM. However, Vandenbroucke said that new variants should not be feared, if we continue to follow the rules. “We have built a solid dike,” he said. “The problem arises if there are holes in the dike.” “In other…
Read More400 horeca employers must ask staff to repay premium paid by mistake
About 400 employers in the hospitality industry have been asked to recoup a premium accidentally paid out twice to employees, because of a computer problem, according to the Gazet van Antwerpen. The problem occurred in the system of paying out year-end premiums to workers in the industry, which has been closed down since November. It has nothing to do with temporary unemployment payments related to the lockdown. “When paying year-end bonuses in the sector, the Fund acts as a third party payer. This means that the Fund does not calculate…
Read MoreMicrostrategy Is Not For Microsoft and 20 Crypto Jokes
As bitcoin (BTC) soared over USD 55,000 this week, American politicians engaged in a high-stakes crypto pledge wars, while MicroStrategy raised over USD 1bn for its bitcoin purchases. The world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, started “to dabble a bit’’ in bitcoin, even though Microsoft said it has no plan to follow in Tesla’s footsteps. Amongst those who do have a bitcoin strategy was an unlikely duo of German Deutsche Bank and cannabis company SynBiotic, and PwC researchers found that the move also interests several Mexican companies. Lottery Giant 500.com acquired…
Read MoreBelgium economy to spend two more years in pain and misery before it will fully recover
It is expected to take until 2023 before global trade returns to the level before the coronavirus crisis. That is what the economists at Euler Hermes write in a new macro-economic study. Belgium is among the worst cases in Europe: countries like Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden will recover faster. The global economy has suffered a severe blow: the experts at Euler Hermes expect a contraction of at least 4.7% in 2020. Global trade will fall by 15%. The energy sector has been particularly hard hit. The metal industry, the…
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