1 Ukraine sees ‘turning point’ in conflict (David
Stern on BBC) Ukraine's president has hailed the recapture of the rebel
stronghold of Sloviansk as the start of a turning point in the three-month
conflict. Petro Poroshenko said it was not a total victory, but rather an event
of "huge symbolic importance".
Government forces have made territorial gains since
launching an offensive last week in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, following the
breakdown of a ceasefire. Pro-Russian rebels still hold the two regional
capitals and other key areas. But Sloviansk had been considered a focal point
of the rebellion, and was the military centre of the self-declared People's
Republic of Donetsk.
Of the government's victories so far, the retaking
of Sloviansk and raising of the Ukrainian flag over city hall is by far the
most significant. The city was not just a command centre for the insurgency -
it was a symbol of the militants' continuing ability to thwart Kiev's attempts
to reassert control in the east. Now, it appears that the insurgents may also
be evacuating Kramatorsk, another key city. But the question is whether this is
a turning point in the war, or merely a shifting of the battlefield.
The rebels are calling this a tactical retreat,
which is typically a euphemism for a defeat. But if they are moving en masse to
Donetsk, it could still present a major military challenge to government
forces. It could also convince the rebels to engage in ceasefire talks more
actively - if only to buy more time.
2 Singapore as convention country (Straits Times) It
is truly surprising that a tiny city-state should emerge once again as the
world's most popular place for holding meetings. While Singapore's top ranking
as a country, with 994 meetings, is commendable when seen against second-placed
US (799), its performance as the top city, with more than twice as many
meetings hosted by second-placed Brussels (436), is indeed amazing given the
considerable effort of global cities to develop the meetings, incentives,
conventions and exhibitions (Mice) industry, underscored by the presence of
city bigwigs.
The 2013 global rankings, drawn up by a non-profit
research institute and documentation centre based in Brussels, prove that a
paranoid pursuit of efficiency is necessary to complement factors such as
convenient location, good infrastructure and vibrant cultural experiences in
assuring success.
But these are not enough. Looking ahead, Singapore
will have to enhance its attractiveness in a competitive global market through
innovative practices that build on its strengths. Constantly adding value to
events is the way for Singapore to remain the choice destination of discerning
Mice travellers. Given that the typical Mice visitor spends two to three times
more than a leisure tourist, Singapore must lay out a commensurately large
welcome mat for such visitors with newer and better attractions to keep them
coming back for more.
3 Tech talent hunt stakes get higher (Kristen V
Brown in San Francisco Chronicle) The stakes in the war for top tech talent
keep getting higher. Upping the ante this time is Thumbtack, a San Francisco
company that runs an online marketplace for sole proprietors. It offers a trip
to Hawaii, complete with four nights at the Four Seasons, to any friend of an
employee who refers someone who gets hired.
Employees who refer a new hire get to cash in on a
$15,000 bonus. The employee who refers the most new employees each year wins an
all-expenses-paid trip to anywhere in the world. "We're competing with the
Googles and Facebooks and Dropboxes of the world. It takes work to find that
talent," said CEO Marco Zappacosta. "There's just so much
opportunity." The company, which has 55 employees in its San Francisco
office, is hoping to hire 25 engineers by the end of the quarter.
Flashy hiring incentives are seemingly becoming de
rigueur. Last month, ThoughtSpot, which produces a data search engine for
businesses, announced a plan for $20,000 referral bonuses along with its $30
million Series B funding round. Zappacosta said that no price is too high in an
industry where top engineers are the key ingredient for startup success.
"I think something that is not appreciated is
how unique software engineering is as a profession," he said. "Even
the best surgeon can only take a very tiny amount of cases. A piece of software
can be used as many times as there are users for it. The returns to doing it
even marginally better are enormous."
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