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US President Donald Trump’s scheduled summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was postponed, pushing back the pre‑China coordination meeting ahead of Trump’s Beijing visit. Analysts link the delay to the escalating Iran‑Israel conflict and the newly announced Chinese meeting date, which together increase pressure on Takaichi to align Japan’s stance with Washington. The postponement heightens uncertainty over how the US‑Japan alliance will present a united front to Xi Jinping. The development underscores Japan’s diplomatic balancing act between the United States and China.
South Africa exited the Financial Action Task Force grey list in October 2025 after completing a 22‑point AML/CFT action plan. The removal lifts cross‑border restrictions and restores investor confidence, giving local banks a chance to expand. Analysts argue that compliance...
L Catterton is launching a $400 million India Fund I, backed by a $200 million greenshoe, to double down on the country’s consumer sector. The firm will target founder‑led, differentiated brands in structurally attractive categories while shunning businesses that chase top‑line growth without...
Raghav Saraf left high school in 2022 to intern at Zamp after meeting ex‑Sequoia director Amit Jain at a hackathon. He chose to skip college, rapidly took on product responsibilities, and three years later was elevated to cofounder. Under their...
Australian startups are facing tighter cash constraints, with 65.4% reporting less than 12 months of runway, according to Carta’s survey of 500 founders. Only 2.8% have enough capital to last 18‑24 months, and no company can sustain operations beyond two...
An Israeli airstrike hit Beirut’s central Bachoura neighbourhood on March 18 after the military warned residents to evacuate the building. The strike was part of a broader wave of attacks across Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, following the militant group’s March 2 assault on...
Australia’s Fair Work Commission ruled that an employer was justified in refusing a request for full‑time remote work from an employee with ADHD and anxiety after the company had already provided adjusted hours and a trial return‑to‑office arrangement. The employee...
Brands that try too hard to mimic Gen Z often backfire, eroding credibility. Successful examples like Tower 28, SULT, and Hinge demonstrate that treating Gen Z as peers, embracing transparency, and leveraging authentic long‑form storytelling resonate better. The article outlines...
Penguin Random House unveiled “Playful Penguins,” a modular visual identity featuring a suite of illustrated penguin characters in varied poses and props. Unlike a single mascot update, the kit allows the brand to mix and match illustrations across campaigns, seasonal...
Debevoise released a practical guide on special committees in conflict transactions, detailing when to form them, member selection, and operational protocols. A key focus is the appointment of legal and financial advisors, emphasizing that the committee—not the company—must independently choose...
Companies planning IPOs increasingly hire independent advisers to oversee underwriting and pricing. A new working paper covering U.S. and European IPOs from 2010‑2023 finds that adviser involvement correlates with lower first‑day returns and tighter offer‑price adjustments, without affecting underwriting spreads...
UK‑based wellness brand Ancient + Brave launched its U.S. entry with a multi‑week pop‑up in Los Angeles, backed by influencer partnerships and out‑of‑home advertising. Head of U.S. marketing Hannah Rowe highlighted strong foot traffic, social engagement spikes, and valuable brand...
Creator commerce platform LTK has introduced Quick Collabs, a new feature that lets brands launch flat‑fee, one‑click campaigns that creators can opt into. The tool leverages LTK’s data on 44 million monthly shoppers, $6 billion in annual spend, 400,000 creators and 8,000...
Clean Creatives released the “Toxic Accounts” study, analyzing 1,859 ads, press releases and social‑media campaigns from 2020‑2024. It finds BP, Chevron, Shell and Exxon have abandoned climate‑friendly narratives, instead portraying fossil‑fuel use as essential for economic stability and national security....
Instagram tested an AI‑driven “Shop the Look” feature that automatically tags products in creator posts, aiming to boost social commerce. The rollout, launched in February, sparked backlash as tags appeared without creators’ consent, linking followers to unvetted items and knockoffs....
IT process automation (ITPA) uses software to orchestrate multi‑step IT workflows, eliminating manual tasks like password resets and data migrations. By linking systems across the tech stack, ITPA enables automated onboarding, ticket routing, infrastructure updates, and security compliance. Platforms such...
Brands are racing to sign college athletes for NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals as March Madness draws record viewership, turning the tournament into a high‑impact marketing platform. Companies from footwear to fast‑food chains have partnered with stars like Azzi Fudd,...
The episode examines how AI is reshaping modern warfare, spotlighting startups like Swarmer, which offers AI‑driven drone swarm software, and Gecko Robotics, which supplies wall‑climbing robots for US Navy ship maintenance. It discusses the surge in defense investment amid global...
Watsons Malaysia, in partnership with Omnicom’s MBCS, launched the “Pentas Raya Glam” campaign to celebrate the Hari Raya festive season. The multi‑channel activation features a humorous film starring local celebrities, a #WatsonsPentasGlamRaya dance challenge on Instagram and TikTok, and in‑store sensory...
Vera Cherepanova, a Chartered Accountant and award‑winning ethics specialist, appears on Episode 399 to discuss her work with Boards of the Future, a nonprofit that advises corporate boards on ethics, risk and compliance. She highlights the growing need for directors with strong...
In conversation with @Zoho's co-founder and Chief Scientist Sridhar Vembu. I had the opportunity to sit down with Zoho's Sridhar Vembu. Sridhar co-founded Zoho, is their former CEO and current Chief Scientist. I ask Sridhar about moving from the CEO role to...
Nigerian fintechs that began by unbundling single services are now rebundling into full‑stack platforms offering payments, savings, credit and business tools. Companies such as Moniepoint, Kuda, FairMoney and Paystack have expanded product suites after securing licences and capital. The shift...
The FOMC is a mess. I have been writing about the original sin, the false flag of 2019, and a workable plan to kill inflation for 5 years. Here is Sundays client only DSR. I'm making it...
Amazing opportunity to join one of my favorite teams at Stripe. 🤫don't tell the others...also @ollie is a master of the art of comms (and so much more).
Mike Brewer argues that stability, not constant change, fuels innovation in multifamily operations. When teams are mired in broken systems and unclear priorities, they focus on survival rather than creativity. Reliable core processes and clear expectations create psychological safety, giving...
FII holding in India: approx. US$ 750 billion FII holding in just Samsung Electronics, TSMC and Hynix: US$ 1.75 trillion Source: Nomura How much India has lost in past 2-3 yrs on a relative basis is crazy.
Chinese Economy’s Bright Start Masks Uneven Growth as External Risks Loom—Data released showed industrial production rebounded on surging exports https://t.co/ccsgwcicJL https://t.co/ccsgwcicJL
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Situational leadership theory, created by Hersey and Blanchard, posits that effective leaders must adapt their style to the maturity and competence of their team members. The original model outlines four styles—telling, selling, participating, delegating—matched to four maturity levels, while the...
/plan-ceo-review and /plan-eng-review skills basically gets you 90% of the way to done most of the time the secret in plan-eng-review is that you can always ask for a diagram, and the act of creating the diagram (user flow, data flow,...
FT says the economy is worse off because of economic warfare @TheMichaelEvery says that misses the point It’s not about prices on screens anymore. It’s about who pays $150 and who pays $100. Same shock. Different pain. That’s the strategy. https://t.co/sGABAdh3EV #Oil #Geopolitics #Statecraft #Energy
Australia's sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, announced the resignations of David Bluff and Tammi Fisher, who jointly oversaw private equity and real assets. Their departure adds to a recent wave of senior leadership exits at the fund. The exits...
@TalentJester Thanks for the repost, from @HRCurator Return to office (RTO) mandates: A test of evidence-informed HR leadership @TPShub https://t.co/sjBYXgsUk1 #HCM #HRM #HumanResources #HRTech #CHRO #FutureofHR
South Africa: Middle East conflict sparks fears of fuel rationing and petrol shortages in South Africa https://t.co/FvxkRqShtg
Foodcase has unveiled a refreshed brand identity that positions it as a full‑service food and beverage partner for the global travel industry. The new messaging emphasizes end‑to‑end capabilities, from concept design through onboard execution, across airlines and other travel operators....
I'm afraid China's economic presence in Central Asia went way beyond oil, gas, and mining some time ago. If folks still think it's all just about extractive industries, they've missed quite a bit about the Chinese presence.
You can build an agent but it is blind without data. The founders of @RunCaptainRAG applied their NLP research in their startup to create automated file search. Really accurate results within Garry's List. Here they are at the YC MV...
In early March 2026 the U.S. dollar surged back to the top of global currency rankings, strengthening against the euro, pound and yen as the Iran‑Israel conflict intensified. HSBC forex analysts and other market strategists highlighted the oil‑price surge and...
On March 17, 2026, Brent crude jumped to $103.42‑$103.50 per barrel and U.S. WTI rose above $95 as fresh Iranian strikes on a UAE gas field and the killing of Iran’s security chief heightened Middle‑East tensions. At the same time,...
The visible forward book of China, Inc (state banks plus PBOC) -- or at least changes in the book after 2010 FX settlement data via Bloomberg 1/ https://t.co/IgUc2aEtHT
On March 13, 2026, the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee in Washington is expected to leave its benchmark rate unchanged, despite rising inflation from the Iran war, oil prices above $100 per barrel, and a disappointing February jobs report...
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set to finalise a $110 billion free‑trade agreement between Australia and the European Union in the coming week, with Trade Minister Don Farrell confirming talks are in the...
On March 17, 2026, The Trade Desk disclosed that a growing number of its advertisers are beginning to shop around, allocating spend to rivals such as Amazon DSP, retail‑media networks and direct‑buy platforms. The trend, reported by Digiday, reflects agency...
Japanese advertising giant Hakuhodo announced two senior appointments to accelerate its ASEAN strategy. Naoyuki Kawakita, currently Group President of Hakuhodo International Vietnam, will become ASEAN Regional COO, overseeing an 800‑person network and focusing on regional integration and data‑driven marketing. Yuta...
On March 18, 2026, MidOcean Energy announced that it had secured more than $1.2 billion in financing, led by private‑equity firm EIG and backed by 16 partner investors, to fund offshore wind developments across the U.S. and Europe.
On March 18, 2026, OpenAI disclosed it is negotiating a $10 billion joint venture with top private‑equity firms to commercialize its enterprise AI suite. TPG would act as anchor investor, joined by Advent International, Bain Capital and Brookfield Asset Management, while...
Deutsche Bank expects the Federal Reserve to keep its policy rate unchanged at the March 2024 meeting, with only modest tweaks to the post‑meeting statement. The bank says the Fed will downplay volatile payroll data and instead spotlight rising geopolitical...
On March 17, 2026, Google released version 2.12 of its Google Ads Editor, a desktop tool used by millions of paid‑search advertisers worldwide. The update adds expanded video limits, vertical asset support, and total‑campaign‑budget controls, giving marketers finer creative and...
On March 17, 2026, AI startup Okara unveiled its AI‑CMO, a subscription‑based platform that automates SEO, content creation and growth hacking for founders worldwide. The service, priced at $99 per month, is live and promises to deliver marketing workflows within...
Candid, a marketing technology firm, launched its Live Marketing platform on March 18, 2026, announcing that AI will perform 90% of all operational marketing tasks. The press release, distributed via PR Newswire, positions the solution as a turnkey tool for...
Independent agency Butler/Till, partnered with PubMatic, completed its first agentic media‑buying pilot for Geloso Beverage Group across CTV, online and mobile publishers in December 2025‑January 2026, reporting an 82% cut in supply‑chain fees, a 40% rise in impressions and a...
