Russia set to become world’s biggest wheat exporter www.rt.com

Germans should have to work until 69, says Bundesbank www.bbc.com

Elderly Germans may have to keep working until the age of 69 if a Bundesbank proposal is adopted.

It says Berlin should consider raising the retirement age to that level by 2060, from around 65 at the moment.

The central bank says that otherwise the country may struggle to honour its pension commitments.

It points out that the state pension system is in good financial health at present, but will come under pressure in coming decades.

The Bundesbank says that as baby-boomers - those born in the post-World War Two period - retire, there will be fewer younger workers to replace them.

'Step by step'

The retirement age for Germans is set to rise gradually to 67 by 2030.

However, the bank believes that from 2050 this increase will not be enough for the German government to keep state pensions at their target level of at least 43% of the average income.

It is therefore proposing pushing the retirement age up to 69.

"Further changes are unavoidable to secure the financial sustainability (of the state pension system)," the Bundesbank said in its monthly report.

But German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said they stood by retirement at 67.

"Retirement at 67 is a sensible and necessary measure given the demographic development in Germany. That's why we will implement it as we agreed - step by step," he added.

China's Siri-like tech maker iFlytek profit surges in first half www.chinadaily.com

Ulaanbaatar and Ereen to boost ties in education www.en.montsame.mn

Tim Cook just admitted Apple is working on a new computing platform www.businessinsider.com

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave his clearest indication yet that the company is working on what many view as the next major computing platform.

Global trade shrinks in 2015 www3.nhk.or.jp

Asia shares recoup losses as China hits seven-month top www.reuters.com

Sage software firm hit by data breach www.bbc.com

A data breach at large UK software company Sage may have compromised personal information for employees at 280 UK businesses, it is understood.
Police are investigating the breach and Sage is probing the "unauthorised access" of data by someone using an "internal" company computer login.
The information was accessed at some point over the past few weeks.
It is unclear whether it was stolen from the FTSE-listed firm, or merely viewed.
'First priority'
The company, which provides business software for accounting and payroll services to firms across 23 countries, says it is taking the breach extremely seriously.
The police are investigating and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), responsible for the enforcement of the Data Protection Act 1998, has been informed.
Sage has notified those businesses whose data may have been accessed and has advised them to look out for any unusual activity.
A Sage spokesperson said: "We are investigating unauthorised access to customer information using an internal login.
"We cannot comment further whilst we work with the authorities to investigate - but our customers remain our first priority and we are speaking directly with those affected."
Sage was founded in 1981 and now has more than 13,000 employees around the world.
The group has an annual turnover of £1.3bn, and is the only remaining technology stock on the FTSE 100.
If the ICO decides that Sage has been negligent there are a number of actions it could take, including criminal prosecution, non-criminal enforcement, or undertaking an audit at the firm.

$60 iron ore price see Australia, Brazil lose market share www.mining.com

The import price of 62% Fe content ore at the port of Tianjin jumped back above $60 per dry metric tonne level on Friday according to data supplied by The Steel Index.

McDonald's pressured to serve up global antibiotics ban www.bbc.com

A new online campaign is putting pressure on fast food giant McDonald's to impose a global ban on products from animals treated with antibiotics.
Scientists warn that treating livestock with antibiotics is leading to a rise in drug-resistant superbugs.
The charity ShareAction has called on consumers to email McDonald's chief executive Steve Easterbrook.
Last week, the fast food chain stopped using poultry treated with antibiotics - but only in its US restaurants.
ShareAction has called on McDonald's - which operates in more than 100 countries - to stop using chicken, beef, pork and dairy products that have been given antibiotics in all of its 30,000 stores globally.
'Superbugs'
Medical experts warn that the routine use of antibiotics to promote growth and prevent - rather than treat - illness in farm animals contributes to the rise of drug-resistant "superbug" infections. They are said to kill at least 23,000 Americans a year and represent a significant threat to global public health.
Scientists have warned the world is on the cusp of the "post-antibiotic era" after discovering in China in November 2015 bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin - the medication used when all others have failed.
It appeared to develop in farm animals before also being detected in hospital patients.

Fast food restaurants have become a focal point for change in the food industry by forcing suppliers to change their practices.
According to ShareAction, more than 70% of all antibiotics used in the US are given to livestock.
'Supersize their ambition'
In the UK, that figure stands at more than 50% according to the group.
"We hope this action will encourage McDonald's to supersize their ambition," said ShareAction chief executive Catherine Howarth.
McDonald's told the Reuters news agency that it was too early to set a timeline for phasing out the use of all meat and milk products from animals treated with antibiotics.
The company cited varying practices and regulations around the world as one of the difficulties, but added that it "continues to regularly review this issue".

Rival fast food groups are also under pressure to take action.
On Thursday KFC was the target of a petition from consumer groups that called on the chicken chain to stop using poultry products treated with antibiotics.
KFC has already said it will limit the use of human antibiotics in its chicken by next year.
However, critics claim the policy still allows for routine use of antibiotics by its chicken suppliers.
US burger chain Wendy's plans to stop using chickens raised with antibiotics by 2017 and also plans to set similar goals for pork and beef.
Antibiotics - what you need to know
Some infections are becoming almost impossible to treat because of the excessive use of antibiotics.
More than half of the antibiotics used around the world are used in animals, often to make them grow more quickly.
Scientists warned the world was on the cusp of the "post-antibiotic era" after discovering in China in November 2015 bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin - the medication used when all others have failed.
It appeared to develop in farm animals before also being detected in hospital patients.
In some cases, antibiotics are used in agriculture to treat infections - but most are used prophylactically in healthy animals to prevent infection or, controversially, as a way of boosting weight gain.
Using antibiotics as growth promoters was banned in the EU in 2006.
Such uses are more common in intensive farming conditions.
Antibiotics are most useful in cramped dirty conditions where infections are easier to spread, so more spacious and hygienic living conditions are one way to reduce the need for antibiotics.
There are also calls for greater investment in research for vaccines and for tests that can diagnose specific infections and a call for countries to agree on a banned list of antibiotics that would never be used in animals, because of their importance to human health.