Friday 29 November 2019

Auth0: 50,000 unique IP addresses make credential stuffing attempts daily

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 -- Auth0, the identity platform for application builders has revealed data insights showing the staggering amount of credential stuffing attacks attempted on its platform on a daily basis.

It detected attacks from more than 50,000 unique IP addresses every day, reflecting the growing sophistication and frequency of cybercrime, while credential stuffing attempts are constantly multiplying, with absolutely no slowdown in sight, according to a statement.

The sheer number of attempts is due largely to the ease and inexpensive manner in which credential stuffing attacks can be orchestrated. Getting access to breached passwords is the first step for attackers, and unfortunately, there are billions openly available on the Internet.

Between July and September 2019 alone, Auth0 determined that during a credential stuffing attack, traffic for a particular website might surge as much as 180x the usual volume, with traffic related to the attack itself accounting for 70 per cent of overall activity.

“Breached Password Detection and MFA functionality are the critical barriers for preventing credential stuffing attacks. We are continuously improving our features to detect and prevent, and will be rolling out new functionality to have even greater visibility into attacks,” said Auth0 CTO and co-founder, Matias Woloski.

Breached Password Detection with its internal database of more than one billion breached passwords, enables customers to block user accounts that try to login with compromised information and only grants access when the password has been reset.

Meanwhile, Multifactor Authentication (MFA) prevents account takeovers, whether from a credential stuffing attack or something else. Attackers would need to access not only a set of breached credentials used across accounts, but also the device used for the second factor to compromise an MFA-protected account.

More information at https://auth0.com.

-- BERNAMA

Lehigh, Knowledge Centre study full-scale carbon capture storage on cement

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 -- Lehigh Cement (Lehigh) and the International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre) will jointly conduct a feasibility study of a commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project as a definitive solution to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
According to a statement, it is a North American first in the cement industry to examine the feasibility of full-scale CCS as a definitive solution to cut gas emissions.
The study targets the feasibility to capture the majority of the carbon dioxide (CO2) from the flue gas of Lehigh’s Edmonton, Alberta cement plant, significantly reducing its process and combustion GHG emissions.
It will target a 90 to 95 per cent CO2 capture rate, with the foundational learnings from the Boundary Dam 3 CCS Facility (BD3) – a world first in full-scale CCS (from a coal-fired power plant).
The Knowledge Centre provides the experience-based knowledge needed to implement and optimise the operation of large-scale CCS. This is based on the lessons learned from both the fully-integrated BD3 and their work to reduce cost and risk through the advancement of second-generation CCS.
Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) is investing US$1.4 million in the feasibility study of CCS on an industrial cement facility. (US$1 = RM4.17)
ERA invests proceeds from the carbon price paid by emitters to develop and demonstrate innovative technology that reduces GHG emissions and strengthens the competitiveness of new and existing industries in Alberta.
-- BERNAMA

FINANCIAL PLANNING STANDARDS BOARD CELEBRATES 15 YEARS; ENVISIONS BRIGHT FUTURE FOR GLOBAL FINANCIAL PLANNING PROFESSION

FINANCIAL PLANNING STANDARDS BOARD CELEBRATES 15 YEARS; ENVISIONS BRIGHT FUTURE FOR GLOBAL FINANCIAL PLANNING PROFESSION

DARAPAY ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH CHINESE TECH GIANT- ALIPAY

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Nov 18 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- DaraPay, the leading mobile E-wallet and payment service providers, today announces its partnership with Alipay, world’s leading payment and lifestyle platform operated by Ant Financial. With this partnership, Chinese tourists can scan and pay with their Alipay app at all DaraPay merchants with more than 3,000 outlets in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Kampong Cham, Siem Reap and Battambang province.

Alipay serves over 1.2 billion users together with its regional partners and is the preferred payment method of Chinese tourists[1].

Through this strategic partnership, the two partners are looking to integrate their respective systems with one another and offer the market a flexible, on-demand digital payment solution through which Chinese tourists can conveniently use during their visit to Cambodia.

With the system now in place, Alipay users are no longer required to withdraw cash or perform cross-app money transfer to make payments across the Kingdom. They can simply complete their purchases by scanning the special QR code available at DaraPay-enabled merchant partners.

“We are excited to work with Alipay,” said Mr. Phok Ratha, General Manager of DaraPay. “Through this collaboration, Alipay users can now benefit from the convenience, simplicity, and security of our integrated system and merchant partners while enjoying their vacation in Cambodia.”

With DaraPay's more than 3,000 merchant partners, finding a store or service that accepts this integrated mobile payment should not be a trouble. Whether it is a transaction at a restaurant, café, and supermarket or payment for services such as ride-hailing, hotel, and entertainments, Chinese tourists can truly benefit by choosing the services of DaraPay’s merchant partners. Alipay customers who love shopping for apparel or trying out all types of delicious food can enjoy with the most popular Chinese tourist malls: Sorya Center Point or The Olympia Mall located at the heart of Phnom Penh City.

The future bodes well for the two partners with the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Kingdom continues to grow. Last year, statistically the nation welcomed over 1.7 million Chinese tourists, and the number is expected to rise to 3 million by 2020 and 5 million by 2025.

As the number of Chinese tourists to the Kingdom continues to surge, and following its strategic road map, DaraPay is on track with its collaboration with leading fintech platform Alipay.

Mr. Ratha continued, "The partnership with Alipay is an important step that takes DaraPay to the next level of our business development. We do not only collaborate with local businesses but we are also actively working with international partners as part of our new strategic roadmap to enter a new horizon. In the future, we are looking to collaborate with other international partners to bring better and more innovative services to cater to our customers both the locals and international ones.”

About DaraPay:

DaraPay is a trademark of CANADIA-FULLERTON MOBILE MONEY PLC., a corporation duly established in 2016. DaraPay is a joint venture between Canadia Investment Holding (CIH) of Cambodia and Fullerton Financial Capital (FFC), a subsidiary of Fullerton Financial Holdings (FHH) of Singapore, for the purpose of operating a mobile wallet and payments business in Cambodia. DaraPay’s services include Local Money Remittance, Cash-In / Cash Out, Utilities Bill Payments, Phone Top Up, Bill Payment, E-commerce Payment, Merchant Payment, Loan Repayment, Loan Referral, Payroll service, Mobile Wallet and other financial related products. As of August 2019, DaraPay has more than 4,500 agents nationwide and has more than 3,000 merchants available to accept the payment. Through DaraPay, thousands of people and families in both provinces and urban cities are sending money anywhere, any time at the peace of mind.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36163

Wednesday 27 November 2019

THAILAND TO EVALUATE MILREM ROBOTICS' THEMIS RCV

THAILAND TO EVALUATE MILREM ROBOTICS' THEMIS RCV

PureCircle sweetens Paris in December with next generation stevia leaf ingredients

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 -- PureCircle, the world's leading producer and innovator of great-tasting stevia sweeteners will showcase its next generation stevia leaf ingredients at the three-day Food Ingredients (Fi) Europe in Paris, France, beginning Dec 3.

For the first time, the Company will bring PureCircle Gourmet Ice Cream with zero added sugar to Europe for attendees to enjoy. It will craft its indulgent ice cream onsite in two classic flavours: chocolate and vanilla.

PureCircle Ice Cream is sweetened with its next generation stevia sweetener, which was introduced this past summer in Chicago, the site of the Company’s global headquarters, according to a statement.

The Company served the ice cream to thousands of people in Chicago and received overwhelmingly positive responses with consumers stating their intent to purchase the ice cream, and that the ice cream improved their taste perception of stevia as an ingredient.

PureCircle will also offer a robust menu of no added sugar products made with its sugar-like, plant-based, next generation stevia leaf ingredients. Attendees visiting PureCircle’s exhibit space will be treated to sweet and savoury food and beverage items.

PureCircle recently expanded use of its new proprietary stevia leaf variety. Carefully cultivated by PureCircle and successfully field-tested, this new stevia varietal yields greater quantities of its sugar-like next generation stevia ingredients compared to previous generations of stevia plants.

This breakthrough further improves PureCircle’s ability to deliver an ample, sustainable supply of next generation stevia leaf ingredients to food and beverage companies.

More information at https://www.purecircle.com.

-- BERNAMA

JCRA Group acquisition expands Chatham Financial´s presence in Europe

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 -- Chatham Financial has acquired the JCRA Group, significantly expanding the firm’s presence in Europe to create a global powerhouse in financial risk management solutions.

“One of Chatham’s purposes is to help make markets transparent, accessible and fair for all market participants. We’re excited about how, together with JCRA, we can have an even greater impact,” said Chatham Financial chief executive officer (CEO), Clark Maxwell.

Chatham and JCRA specialise in providing debt and derivatives solutions to commercial real estate, private equity, infrastructure, financial institutions and corporate clients.

The merged firm will lead the industry in capital market expertise, transaction volume, and technology to provide clients access to the data, tools and advice they need to manage financial risk.

With decades of experience helping clients manage capital market risk, the calibre of the Chatham and JCRA teams and their deep expertise will create an unparalleled advisory practice.

JCRA CEO, Jackie Bowie will join Chatham as Co-Head of Europe, according to a statement.

The integrated firm will continue to be independent and 100 per cent employee-owned, serving clients from offices in London, Singapore, Melbourne, Toronto, Denver, Krakow and Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

More information at https://www.chathamfinancial.com.

-- BERNAMA

POLYPLASTICS DEVELOPS NEW LAPEROS (R) LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMER (LCP) GRADES WITH IMPROVED BLISTER RESISTANCE

TOKYO, Nov 26 (Bernama) -- The Polyplastics Group has announced new developmental grades of LAPEROS (R) liquid crystal polymer(LCP) which offer superior blister resistance for electronic connectors. The two grades--currently in a pre-commercialization phase--have been confirmed to inhibit blistering more effectively than existing materials and show strong potential for improving productivity. Polyplastics has conducted experimental studies on different forms of blistering and is working to achieve an even greater reduction in blistering defects.

Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M100475/201911153561/_prw_PI1lg_510uOHCq.jpg

LCP is widely used in SMT(Surface Mount Technology) parts due to its strong heat resistance and flowability. Blistering is a common flaw for LCP which takes the form of bulges that appear on the surface of molded articles due to heat. Blistering has a variety of potential causes, including LCP decomposition gases that get entrapped during molding, and separation between the skin and core layers.

Polyplastics noted the importance to use materials with higher heat stability and which also generate little gas. LAPEROS (R) LCP comes in a wide range of grades to accommodate customer needs, including ultra-high heat-resistant grades. The company has also conducted studies on nozzle and sprue optimization with the aim of offering solutions to blistering. Other factors such as molding conditions and mold shape design also have a strong influence on blistering.

In addition to high flowability and dimensional accuracy, LCP exhibits high heat resistance and is widely used in connector applications in devices such as smartphones which are becoming more compact and trending toward SMT. The automotive, home electronics, and office automation industries have also increasingly adopted LCP in recent years due to demand for high dimensional accuracy and heat resistance.

Please visit: https://www.polyplastics.com/en/product/lines/lcp_blistering/index.html

About Polyplastics
Polyplastics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in the development and production of engineering thermoplastics. The company's product portfolio includes POM, PBT, PPS, LCP, GF-PET and COC. The company has the largest global market share of POM and LCP. With more than 50 years of experience, the company is backed by a strong global network of R&D, production, and sales resources capable of creating advanced solutions for an ever-changing global marketplace.

LAPEROS (R) is a registered trademark of Polyplastics Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries.

Source: Polyplastics Co., Ltd.

--BERNAMA

Monday 25 November 2019

​RETAIL PRO® RANKED TOP RETAIL POS IN MARKET SHARE, GLOBAL REACH, INNOVATION, AND GROWTH

​RETAIL PRO® RANKED TOP RETAIL POS IN MARKET SHARE, GLOBAL REACH, INNOVATION, AND GROWTH

Zynga, Adult Swim bring Rick and Morty to Merge Dragons!

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 -- Zynga Inc recently announced an in-game licence deal with Adult Swim, bringing characters from the Emmy Award-winning TV series, Rick and Morty, to Gram Games’ Merge Dragons!.
The collaboration brings Rick and Morty to Merge Dragons!’s special events that reward players for healing land and collecting points.
In the game, Rick and Morty are playing Merge Dragons! and hack their way into the game to retrieve the Stone of Reckoning, a powerful item that opens portals to forbidden worlds.
This causes the pair to crash-land in Dragonia, the world of Merge Dragons!, where fans can expect plenty of super-scientific mayhem to ensue.
Merge Dragons! is available to download free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, as well as Google Play.
Zynga is a global leader in interactive entertainment with a mission to connect the world through games. To date, more than one billion people have played Zynga’s franchises including CSR Racing™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™ and Words With Friends™.

-- BERNAMA


Saturday 23 November 2019

AG&P MAKES STRATEGIC EQUITY INVESTMENT IN KANFER SHIPPING

SINGAPORE, Nov 15 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Atlantic Gulf & Pacific (AG&P), the global downstream gas and LNG logistics company, has made a strategic equity investment in Kanfer Shipping (Kanfer), an innovative Norway-based developer of small-scale LNG sea transportation, maritime break-bulk solutions, floating storage facilities as well as LNG bunkering. Together, Kanfer and AG&P will make LNG more accessible and commercially viable for downstream customers in new and growing natural gas markets.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191114005321/en/  

AG&P makes a strategic investment in Norway-based Kanfer Shipping to make LNG more accessible and commercially viable for downstream customers. Kanfer has captured the attention of the global LNG maritime infrastructure industry with its revolutionary Detachable Stern Vessel (left), that makes it easier, faster, and more efficient to break-bulk and transport LNG. (Photo: Business Wire)

Kanfer has captured the attention of the global LNG maritime infrastructure industry with its patented, unique barge design that makes breaking bulk cargoes of LNG easier, faster and more efficient. Kanfer’s revolutionary small-scale solution uses the patented Detachable Stern Vessel (DSV) design to create an advanced version of the commonly used Articulated Tug Barge (ATB). Kanfer’s DSV efficiently transports LNG to and from an FSU, FSRU or land-based LNG terminals via a small and maneuverable barge that brings LNG to drop-points up rivers and along coasts.

Kanfer’s DSV distinguishes itself by easily navigating rivers and coastlines, including in poor weather conditions and difficult sea states, an improvement over traditional ATBs. Its shallow draft allows access to gas-starved downstream customers seeking a cleaner and lower cost fuel source by minimizing onerous marine infrastructure. These advantages enable new LNG service for smaller demand centers or for larger demand centers in places that are less accessible.

“AG&P’s goal is to bring LNG to new markets. One of the missing links has been the capability to break-bulk LNG affordably. Kanfer’s designs unlock these new markets and solve a critical gap in the LNG supply chain for nascent and growing markets. We are thus delighted to bring Kanfer Shipping into AG&P’s group of companies. Under Stig Hagen’s visionary leadership, Kanfer has brought new and exciting solutions to the maritime industry that provide a compelling alternative to traditional, capital-intensive onshore LNG facilities,” said Karthik Sathyamoorthy, President of LNG Terminals and Logistics at AG&P.

“We have worked long and hard at Kanfer to find a real solution to the LNG virtual pipeline – one that stands on its commercial and technical merits. Now, we are honored to be partnered with AG&P, a global trailblazer in LNG solutions and gas logistics. Together, we will reduce the cost of LNG infrastructure through Kanfer’s innovative solutions and provide a more robust solution to improve availability and accessibility. I am very excited about the possibilities,” said Stig Anders Hagen, Managing Partner at Kanfer Shipping.

“Kanfer will benefit from AG&P’s strong heritage in engineering and infrastructure construction, its deep technical experience and end-to-end execution capabilities in serving customers anywhere in the world,” Mr. Hagen added.

“AG&P has recognized the rapid and accelerating market shift to LNG as a primary fuel for land and marine applications. Three years ago, we invested in Gas Entec, the leading LNG terminal, bunkering and fuel system engineering company, and today in Kanfer Shipping to create a unique and compelling ecosystem for the development of LNG and gas delivery systems. Kanfer’s expertise complements and expands our passion for an integrated approach to LNG logistics and will enable us to reach new customers in Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and beyond,” said Jose P. Ibazeta, Director of AG&P.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36134

BW LPG achieves highest quarterly net profit ever

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 -- BW LPG Limited (BW LPG) reached the highest ever quarterly net profit of US$117 million in the third quarter 2019, underpinned by outstanding commercial performance and a strong VLGC freight market. (US$1 = RM4.17)

In light of the solid financial performance, the board has amended the current dividend policy from a semi-annual to a quarterly dividend payout.

The board also declared a further dividend of US$0.33 per share amounting to US$45.7 million for Q3 2019. The dividend will be paid around Dec 6 to shareholders on record as at Nov 27.

The shares will be traded ex-dividend from Nov 26. Together with the US$0.10 per share dividend paid for 1H 2019, the YTD 2019 interim dividends declared totals US$0.43 per share.

VLGC freight rates showed strength throughout the third quarter, mainly supported by overall strong US LPG exports and high geographical LPG price spreads.

The expansion of enterprise export terminal is expected to ease the US Gulf Coast export terminal capacity and support high US exports and VLGC fleet utilisation.

The growth in LPG exports is supported by strong demand for imports, mostly driven by the petrochemical sector in North-East Asia as well as the retail sector from emerging markets in the subcontinent and across Asia.

The expectation is therefore, that ton-mile demand for VLGCs will increase, giving a positive freight outlook for the remainder of 2019 and 2020.

-- BERNAMA

AUSTRALIAN TOM MATIC UPSETS THREE-TIME U.S. PROFESSIONAL CHAMPION GREG ANLIKER IN FIRST-EVER INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AT 2019 IDEAL® NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

AUSTRALIAN TOM MATIC UPSETS THREE-TIME U.S. PROFESSIONAL CHAMPION GREG ANLIKER IN FIRST-EVER INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AT 2019 IDEAL® NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

REGULATION ASIA HONORS AXIOMSL WITH TWO AWARDS

AxiomSL wins Best Solution in Regulatory Reporting and captures Regtech Award for Cloud Innovation

SINGAPORE & HONG KONG & SYDNEY & TOKYO, Nov 14 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- AxiomSL received two Regulation Asia Awards for Excellence 2019 at a ceremony in Singapore on 13 November 2019 winning the coveted Best Solution in Regulatory Reporting award and the Regtech Award for Cloud Innovation.

“We are proud to have been presented with two awards this year,” said Peter Tierney, AxiomSL’s APAC General Manager. “Not only are we delighted to be singled out as best in class for our data integrity and control platform and risk and regulatory solutions, but we are thrilled that Regulation Asia recognizes the value of RegCloud™, our innovative cloud deployment offering. Clients across the Asia Pacific region are already benefiting from the efficiencies and economies of scale gained by deploying AxiomSL’s platform and solutions ― including MAS 610, HKMA, APRA-EFS, and Global Shareholding Disclosures ― on its well-architected, highly secure RegCloud,” added Tierney.

Financial institutions benefit from AxiomSL’s innovative, transparent regulatory compliance and reporting ecosystem that efficiently satisfies a broad range of regulatory requirements, quickly incorporates regulatory changes, provides dynamic data-lineage that supports audit defense, and enables business-critical insights into risk management. “In today’s Basel-driven environment, firms increasingly leverage ControllerView’s deep capabilities to run their risk management and Basel compliance programs,” commented Tierney.

“The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s (BCBS) standard 239 sets the parameters for enterprise risk management (ERM) ― a foundation upon which business units, governance, and risk functions can mutually evolve,” said Abraham Teo, Head of Products, APAC for AxiomSL. “To this end, AxiomSL’s data integrity and control platform ― the antithesis of a black box ― delivers transparent risk capital and return calculations with reporting choices that satisfy regulatory requirements,” Teo added. “With its ability to seamlessly ingest disparate data and its end-to-end automation processes, ControllerView provides clients with the clarity and information they need to build higher-quality capital and liquidity reserves, thus increasing their capacity to buffer unexpected losses and weather liquidity crises,” continued Teo.

“Innovation is at the heart of AxiomSL’s core technology,” said AxiomSL’s Eric Rothrock, Senior Vice President, Cloud Product Management. “We are proud to continue that innovation journey with RegCloud, our highly secure, fully managed, cost optimized RegCloud.”

AxiomSL deploys RegCloud based on a secure, single-tenant virtual private cloud (VPC) for each client. “Security is paramount as financial institutions consider going to the cloud. This year, we achieved ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 Type II attestation as part of a comprehensive approach to ensuring the security of sensitive material non-public information (MNPI) on RegCloud,” commented Rothrock.

Clients utilizing RegCloud experience key outcomes including optimized application reliability and performance, continuous alignment with regulatory requirements, efficient delegation of security and maintenance, quicker time-to-value, and ongoing cost savings. Relieved of the burden of owning and operating complex hardware and software infrastructures, firms utilizing RegCloud discover that they can focus on their core business and become more agile and innovative.

“Receiving Regulation Asia’s award for Cloud Innovation is an exciting validation that financial institutions in Asia Pacific and globally are ready to consider the cloud for their risk and regulatory data and reporting ― when the implementation meets their expectations for security and efficiency ― as does RegCloud,” Peter Tierney concluded.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36126

Friday 22 November 2019

EPIQ EXPANDS COMPANY-WIDE INITIATIVE TO ACCELERATE THE DEPLOYMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR CLIENTS GLOBALLY

EPIQ EXPANDS COMPANY-WIDE INITIATIVE TO ACCELERATE THE DEPLOYMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR CLIENTS GLOBALLY

Fusionex secures multi-year contract to boost major financial institution workflow

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 -- Multi-award-winning data technology specialist, Fusionex has won a multi-year contract in which it will utilise its state-of-the-art data management, collaboration and integration technologies.
In a statement, Fusionex said the technologies would improve the information sharing and generate improved business insights for a major financial services provider.
The client is a decades-old financial institution with more than 50 branches and over 1,500 employees.
An essential banking services provider to both individuals and corporate customers, the client is enthusiastically pursuing the integration of technology in its operations and has called upon Fusionex to drive its digital transformation journey.
Fusionex will provide a collaborative, data driven platform to help enhance workflow, document management and collaborative activities of the client’s staff.
The platform will be able to speedily and securely disseminate business and operational insights, performance-based data, sales numbers and corporate updates to staff members across all branches.
It will also be able to prevent the spread of outdated or misleading information throughout the organisation, allowing employees to work with the most relevant and up-to-date insights, improve efficiency, guide decision-making and minimise operational disruptions.
Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, the solution is also able to comprehend the staff’s receptiveness to certain information and determine whether their sentiments are viewed positively.
-- BERNAMA

Phenomics Health Inc acquires patented pharmacometabolomic technology

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 -- Phenomics Health Inc, a bioinformatics platform-based precision medicine company has acquired the patented pharmacometabolomic technology portfolio of Precera Bioscience, based in Franklin, Tenn.
The company plans to integrate the new technology with its own patented, advanced pharmacogenomics platform to offer healthcare providers a more complete view of patients’ potential and actual response to medications than is currently available.
To be marketed under the Prec?sMed brand and licensed to clinical laboratories and healthcare systems, this patented pharmacometabolomic technology enables detection, quantitative measurement and comprehensive assessment of more than 200 medications in a patient’s bloodstream.
“Prec?sMed could help improve patient treatment outcomes, avoid adverse drug reactions and reduce patient treatment costs – the real definition of precision medicine,” said Phenomics Health co-founder, chairman and president, Dr James S. Burns.
Combined with Phenomics Health’s technology, the resulting information from Prec?sMed will help clinicians personalise drug therapy by determining what medications and dose a patient is actually taking (whether prescribed or not), drug-drug interactions and how genetics may impact the body’s ability to process those medications.
Phenomics Health also plans to use the information gathered from de-identified patient population data to inform its machine learning and AI-based bioinformatics platform, which can be mined for present and future research.
-- BERNAMA

Pialiving opens Japanese soundproof POP-UP store in Singapore


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 -- Pialiving Co Ltd is opening a Japanese soundproof POP-UP store at Tokyu Hands Suntec City, Singapore until Nov 24.
The products are sold exclusively in Tokyu Hands Suntec City, whereby the sale will end when all the stock is sold out, according to a statement.
Above all, many people are interested in soundproof curtains that can reduce the construction noise from the outside and noise from the neighbour.
More information at https://www.pialiving.com.
-- BERNAMA

120 foreign teenagers get kick out of Chinese Kungfu in Zhengzhou

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 -- The final rounds of the 12th ‘Chinese Bridge’ Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students were held recently in central China’s Zhengzhou City.



More than 120 contestants from 105 countries visited the legendary Shaolin Temple - the birthplace of Chinese martial arts - to experience the unique charm of the Shaolin Kungfu.

According to Lu Jingmao from New Zealand, his biggest wish in coming to China involved watching the real Chinese Kungfu.

Together with other competitors, Lu watched exciting Kungfu performances, listened to (stories surrounding) the legend of the Shaolin Temple and appreciated the long-standing Shaolin culture.

Vigorous and powerful Shaolin boxing, exciting Shaolin Hard Qigong, various forms of weapons in 18 kinds, splendid Shaolin martial arts won great admiration of the contestants.

The contestants also visited other local spots such as Zhengzhou Yellow River Scenic Area, Sandu Camping Park and Zhengzhou Garden Expo Park.

According to Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, which is also a member of the Preparatory Committee of the competition, Zhengzhou is one of the eight ancient capitals of China and birthplace of Chinese civilisation.

With profound culture, beautiful landscape and developed transportation network, Zhengzhou is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China, attracting global tourists to explore China's past, present and future.

-- BERNAMA

ORBITAL INSIGHT SECURES US$50 MILLION SERIES D FINANCING

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- Orbital Insight, a geospatial analytics software industry leader, has completed a US$50 million Series D financing. (US$1 = RM4.15)

The company has now secured over US$125 million in funding from world-class investors and is positioned to increase its enterprise software market share among global corporations.

The funding round was co-led by Sequoia Capital and Clearvision Ventures, with participation from new investors including Invicta Growth, Bunge Ventures Ltd, Chevron Technology Ventures and Goldman Sachs.

Returning investors include GV, Geodesic Capital, SKY Perfect JSAT, Intellectus Partners and Lux Capital.

The new capital will be used to accelerate product innovation and expansion of the company’s software solution, Orbital Insight GO.

In May, the company launched its Orbital Insight GO platform in the American, European and Asian markets, experiencing a demand in seeking trusted geospatial data to quickly, accurately and economically analyse infrastructure, supply chains, commodities and areas of interest pertaining to national security.

 The product today is trusted by leading financial services firms, Global 2000 companies, several United States government agencies and global non-profit organisations.

-- BERNAMA

Thursday 21 November 2019

Azbil now offers ceiling temperature sensor outside of Japan

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 -- Azbil Corporation has started sales of its ceiling-mounted temperature sensor (round type), an indoor temperature sensor for use with office building HVAC systems outside of Japan.

Its overseas launch is centred on office buildings and other structures in East Asia and the company is targeting 100 million yen in sales of the product for the first year. (100 yen = RM3.86)

Azbil’s ceiling-mounted temperature sensor is a mere 40 mm in diameter and five mm thick with a colour scheme, allowing it to blend in with a room’s surroundings.

Installation has been simplified through the use of springs to snap the sensor into place, making screws unnecessary.

Improvements to the internal construction have led to a faster response time and increased accuracy, enabling the sensor to contribute to maintaining a comfortable indoor environment.

Ever since the product was launched in Japan in July 2018, over 20,000 units have been installed in office buildings and other structures.

The sensor has also received favourable reception due to its unobtrusive design, ease of installation and high accuracy. More information at https://www.azbil.com/

-- BERNAMA

ZEN-NOH HOLDING "JAPAN FOOD CAMPAIGN 2019" IN SINGAPORE ON T2 DIAMOND TABLE TENNIS TOURNAMENT'S ANNIVERSARY

ZEN-NOH HOLDING

Acumen Research Labs of Singapore wins first prize at Asian Entrepreneurship Award 2019



KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 -- Acumen Research Labs of Singapore won first prize at the Asian Entrepreneurship Awards 2019 (AEA 2019), taking home JPY three million (JPY 100 = RM3.84)

Acumen Research Labs was highly evaluated for its ‘AcuSeptTM’, the first blood-based sepsis host response test of its kind.

Using sepsis-specific mRNA biomarkers, the new test will help doctors accurately detect sepsis in patients in just four to five hours, much faster than current methods.

AEA 2019 was a three-day business pitch award for Asian startups, beginning Oct 30, at Kashiwa-no-ha campus city in Chiba prefecture, Japan.

This year, 27 technology startups from 14 countries and regions across Asia competed to showcase their innovations, commercial viability and social impact of their products and services, and the potential for collaboration with Japanese corporations.

The specialisations of all six finalists were either in AI/IoT or medical & healthcare fields, demonstrating AEA’s firm commitment to supporting startups in cutting-edge fields.

BioCheetah Pte Ltd (Singapore) received JPY one million when it bagged the second prize for its non-invasive, protein-based diagnostic biomarkers to detect bladder cancer.

Cavli Wireless (India) won the third prize, earning JPY 500,000. The company designed and manufactured an IoT building block that integrates connectivity, application processing capability and data management into one single platform.

More details at https://aea.events/e/aea2019_winners/

-- BERNAMA

4 companies jointly upgrade communications infrastructure in Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20-- Sojitz Corporation, NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), NEC Corporation and NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation (NESIC) today jointly announced a plan to upgrade communications infrastructure in Myanmar.

The upgrade connects the major cities of Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Mandalay and Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ), under an official order from Myanma Posts and Telecommunications, the country’s largest telecommunications operator.

The Communication Network Improvement Project, valued about seven billion yen (about US$62 million) will be the first ODA loan project in Myanmar’s communications field carried out under the auspices of the Japanese Government. (US$1 = RM4.16)

The four participating companies plan to construct international Internet connection facilities and communications infrastructure connecting the three cities and the Thilawa SEZ by 2021, according to a statement.

Compared to the present, communications capacity will be more than tripled and significantly upgraded. The project will also support 5G services expected to be introduced in the near future.

As the principal contractor of the project, Sojitz will provide overall management, while NTT Com will apply its technological capabilities and expertise in upgrading international Internet connection facilities to a maximum capacity of 800 Gbps.

NEC will provide cutting-edge optical communication equipment for core communication networks to expand transmission capacity to one Tbps, while NESIC will install dense wavelength division multiplexing equipment and carry out design, civil work and installation works of outside plant.

Under the project, the four companies look forward to contributing to Myanmar’s standard of living and sustainable industrial development through highly reliable and robust communications.

-- BERNAMA

Teledyne Imaging to exhibit at ITE 2019, come December

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 -- All Teledyne Technologies companies, namely Teledyne DALSA, Teledyne e2v and Teledyne Lumenera will exhibit as Teledyne Imaging at the International Technical Exhibition on Imaging Technology & Equipment (ITE) 2019.
The exhibition will be held for three days, beginning Dec 4, at booth D-01 in PACIFICO Yokohama Hall D, Japan, with the companies exhibiting their most advanced vision solutions in live demos.
The solutions include the industry’s first Multifield™ CMOS TDI camera, Teledyne’s first CXP camera and Z-Trak 3D scanners.
Multifield™ CMOS TDI camera is the new Linea HS which captures brightfield, darkfield, and backlit images at once in a single scan while Teledyne’s first CXP camera, is designed for performance and built on Genie Nano's proven, industry-leading reputation.
Meanwhile, the Z-Trak 3D scanners deliver real-time height measurement using laser triangulation and robust In-line measurement, inspection, identification and guidance for automotive, electronics and factory automation.

-- BERNAMA

Wednesday 20 November 2019

Yili launches new ´Silicon Valley´ of global health industry



KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 -- China’s dairy giant, Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group recently launched ‘Yili Future Intelligence and Health Valley’ project, striving to boost the health industry in the region.

The project is located in Hohhot, capital of north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Yili Future Intelligence and Health Valley will build a new ‘Silicon Valley’ of the global health industry, to promote the revitalisation of China's dairy industry.

The intelligent valley is a large-scale complex project which integrates industry, city and tourism, to build a livable region, where the environment is well protected.

The valley will keep in synergy with the overall planning of regional development, to establish a comprehensive industry system integrating production, college, research, culture, tourism, business and residence.

According to a development plan, the investment in the core start-up area is expected to be at least 240 billion yuan of economic contribution to the industrial chain and create about 60,000 jobs. (100 yuan = RM59.18)

During the launching, Yili Group signed a cooperative agreement on industrial chain partnerships with its global partners, which will inject new momentum into the high-quality economic development of Inner Mongolia.

-- BERNAMA

5G transforms Shanghai´s Chongming face, future

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 -- Unmanned 5G harvesters are being deployed on dedicated harvesting routes at the Wanhe organic farm in the eastern part of Chongming District, Shanghai in China.

Self-driving seeders, organic farm robots and unmanned pesticide-spraying aircraft are also working on other fields.

More high-quality farmland, irrigation, technology and government policies are among factors behind bumper harvests over recent years on Chongming Island.

Wanhe organic farm official, Huang Zhen thanked 5G network as they got rid of excessive dependence on farmers and realised the control and management of machines, hence improving efficiency.

With large bandwidth, low delay and big connection characteristics, ‘5G+ smart harvesters’ realise the all-round support for the cultivation and management of agricultural production including comprehensive mechanisation, obstacle avoidance, remote control and self-driving.

And these new-energy harvesters can collect and analyse production data in real time using artificial intelligence technology, and improving environmental and ecological protection.

On top of smart harvesters, 5G is also being deployed in medicine, self-driving, smart sports and smart retail sector.

By October-end, Chongming had 539 5G stations including 23 indoors. The government said it realised the full coverage of the island in the future.

-- BERNAMA

Tuesday 19 November 2019

VERRENCY APPOINTS DICKSON CHU TO GLOBAL ADVISORY BOARD

BBVA Global Executive and ex-Paypal Fintech Payments Expert

MELBOURNE, Australia, Nov 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Global payment innovation company Verrency today announced the appointment of Dickson Chu, an accomplished payments executive and business builder, to its global advisory board.

Mr. Chu has held leadership roles at prominent companies including Paypal, Wells Fargo, Yahoo!, Living Social and Citi, and is a board director and active advisor to a number of emerging payment companies. He is currently the head of BBVA’s San Francisco office for New Digital Businesses, where he has overall BBVA group responsibility for the governance, budget and strategic direction of BBVA’s growing global portfolio of Fintech businesses.

“Verrency is a truly unique company that has significant global momentum,” said Mr. Chu. “Their innovative enabling platform can be deployed on top of existing payment infrastructure, offering a flexible, low-cost, and time efficient way for banks and financial institutions to improve their relationships with customers. They solve a global industry problem, and I’m excited to be joining Verrency where I can help David capitalise on the urgency amongst banks, processors and even super-apps to better compete for their customers around the moment of payment.”

“Dickson’s incredible fintech & payments experience, especially with financial institutions such as BBVA, PayPal and Citi are a tremendous asset as we look to expand the delivery of our patented API platform,” said David Link, Verrency Founder and CEO. “Dickson’s vision, passion and his depth of experience in precisely the area in which Verrency operates are invaluable as we continue our expansion across the United States and overseas. Dickson’s unique insights will also be instrumental as Verrency continues to expand its service offerings into data analytics and other services around the moment of payment.”

Verrency’s industrial-grade platform fits on top of a bank’s, processor’s or wallet’s existing infrastructure, opening the door for rapid delivery of enhanced features and new services without the need to change existing legacy technology or to migrate portfolios. The company has announced agreements with a number of major financial institutions around the world, including UAE-based Emirates NBD, Colombia’s Banco Davivienda, Australia's Volt Bank, and the US-based global processor FIS, among others.

Prior to BBVA, Mr. Chu was Chief Product Officer and EVP Corporate Development at Ingo Money where he was responsible for strategy, product management, strategic alliances and M&A. Ingo Money focuses on transforming consumer access to money by increasing consumer adoption of new and existing digital payment platforms.

Mr. Chu also currently serves on the boards of Simple, Azlo, Covault, Denizen, Upturn, Ingo Money, Boomtown and Opportunity Fund.

About Verrency

Verrency puts financial institutions back at the centre of innovation. Verrency's payments innovation platform helps issuers to acquire and retain customers and increase payment spend while increasing security, control and connectability. Verrency works behind the scenes to enable an ever-increasing range of value-added services for an issuer's customers quickly and easily without major changes to existing payments infrastructure or the need to integrate to point-of-sale systems. Verrency also enables rapid connection to third-party services via its extensive FinTech ecosystem with little to no integration. For more information, see www.verrency.com.

 
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191111005270/en/ 



Contact

Media
Jonathan Costello
GRACosway
Jcostello@gracosway.com.au
+61 424 096 770

Ron Low
Sard Verbinnen & Co
rlow@sardverb.com
+852 3842 2200

Danya Al-Qattan
Sard Verbinnen & Co
Dal-Qattan@sardverb.com
+1 212 687 8080

Source : Verrency

--BERNAMA

Monday 18 November 2019

Madison Realty Capital provides US$48 million loan for Manhattan´s East Village project

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 -- Madison Realty Capital (MRC) has provided a US$48 million senior loan for the funding of a US$79.1 million financing package for the development of a mixed-use office project at 3 St. Mark’s Place in Manhattan’s East Village neighbourhood. (US$1 = RM4.15)
Hana Financial Group, a leading South Korean financial services company, provided Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC), an experienced local developer with an additional US$31.1 million of mezzanine financing to fully capitalise the project.
“Hana approached us to provide the first mortgage loan on this financing package in order to leverage our strong construction lending programme and market expertise,” said MRC co-founder and managing principal, Josh Zegen.
REEC’s development plans call for a 10-storey, 68,224-square-foot modern boutique office building with eight floors of office space, a fitness centre, roof deck and 7,886 square feet of retail, according to a statement.
The property is well-located at the corner of St. Mark’s Place and 3rd Avenue in a section of Manhattan’s East Village that has seen significant growth in demand for quality office space from a mix of tech, finance, law and family office tenants in recent years.
MRC is a New York City-based real estate private equity firm focused on debt and equity investment strategies. It is a fully integrated firm with over 60 employees across all real estate investment, development and property management disciplines.

-- BERNAMA

NEWQUEST RAISES US$1 BILLION FOR ITS FOURTH FLAGSHIP FUND

NEWQUEST RAISES US$1 BILLION FOR ITS FOURTH FLAGSHIP FUND

SDP portrays legendary Japanese artist in 'HOKUSAI´ film

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 -- SDP Inc will release the film, ‘HOKUSAI’, depicting the extraordinary life of globally famous Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in Japan by early summer next year.

In a statement, the film production company said ‘HOKUSAI’ would be released worldwide sequentially.

The film presents a new story with unique perspectives and interpretations by utilising historical materials. It depicts the famous artist based on episodes with two key persons, Tsutaya Juzaburo and Ryutei Tanehiko.

Yuya Yagira will play young and restless Hokusai while Min Tanaka is the enlightened Hokusai. Other talented Japanese actors and actresses will join the pair in this film.

Hokusai, who influenced western artists via his ukiyo-e artwork, played a prominent role in Japonism in 19th century Europe and had a significant impact on modern western arts.

He was named by Life magazine as one of ‘The 100 most important people of the past 1,000 years’. His masterpiece, ‘The Great Wave’ was sold for about US$1 million at an auction in New York in 2017. (US$1 = RM4.14)

Next year marks the 260th anniversary of Hokusai's birth. There will be a lot of events worldwide, showcasing Japanese culture, Hokusai's life and his artwork as a Japanese icon.

Watch ‘HOKUSAI’ English trailer at https://youtu.be/4moFBUZqswU and official website at https://hokusai2020.com

-- BERNAMA

RIA MONEY TRANSFER BECOMES OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF ATLÉTICO DE MADRID FOOTBALL CLUB

Ria Money Transfer becomes back-of-shirt sponsor and official money transfer partner of the 10-time La Liga champion

MADRID, Spain, Nov 11 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ria Money Transfer, subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT) and global leader in the money transfer industry, announced today a four-year partnership with Atlético de Madrid, becoming the club’s new back-of-shirt sponsor and official money transfer partner. Starting this season, the Ria-branded jersey will be used by the club’s first teams for all domestic competitions until 2023.

To officialize the agreement, representatives from Ria visited the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid where Enrique Cerezo, President of Atlético de Madrid, unveiled the new official jersey.

Through this partnership, Ria will be able to foster a closer relationship with Atlético de Madrid’s diverse and widespread fanbase, which resonates with the company’s global footprint across 161 countries. At the same time, Ria will work alongside the 10-time La Liga champion to create engaging events and digital content for the fans and customers highlighting shared values like hard work, passion, and humility.

Atlético de Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil spoke about the agreement, “With Ria Money Transfer, we share values such as teamwork and the pursuit of excellence. This partnership with a world leading brand in the money transfer industry is great news for Atlético de Madrid. We hope to continue growing together and that these four years are the first of many more to come.”

“For us at Ria, choosing Atlético was a simple decision. We see our diverse and hardworking employees and customers reflected in Atlético de Madrid’s line-up and fanbase. We are thrilled to join in as official sponsors for a club known for its passion and resilience, which has won the respect of fans and competitors alike,” shared Juan Bianchi, CEO of Euronet’s Money Transfer Segment. “This sponsorship is a first step of many towards creating deeper, long-lasting connections with customers around the world who use our money transfer services to feel close to their loved ones.”

Throughout its 33-year history, Ria has championed local sporting events around the world. This partnership with Atlético de Madrid is a testament to Ria’s commitment to sportsmanship, teamwork, its customers, and wellness at a global level.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36065

Saturday 16 November 2019

3 EXHIBITIONS TO KICK OFF ON NOV. 16 AT MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART TOKYO, JUST REOPENED AFTER RENOVATION

3 EXHIBITIONS TO KICK OFF ON NOV. 16 AT MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART TOKYO, JUST REOPENED AFTER RENOVATION

Mark Green heads Imperial Capital's Special Situations & Structured Credit

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 -- Imperial Capital LLC (Imperial Capital), a full-service investment bank has hired Mark Green as Head of Special Situations and Structured Credit, based in New York.

Green will be responsible to expand the firm’s credit sales, trading and investment banking efforts further via credit event-driven situations, structuring expertise and investment strategies to allow clients develop valuable solutions to issues they face and benefit from market opportunities across a range of asset classes.

“Structured credit is an important strategic priority and Mark brings with him strong transaction experience, client relationships, and is the right partner to drive growth,” said US Credit head, Tim Sullivan.

Prior to joining Imperial Capital, Green was the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Chatham Road Capital, a credit-focused investment firm he co-founded that exploited market imbalances and inefficiencies in the public and private markets.

“I am thrilled to join Imperial Capital and grateful for the opportunity to lead this business. The firm is well positioned to expand its capabilities and I look forward to providing innovative and strategic solutions to clients while pursuing attractive risk adjusted returns for Imperial Capital’s current and future investors,” said Green.

Green earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS degree from Skidmore College, according to a statement.

More information at https://www.imperialcapital.com.

-- BERNAMA

Mercari partners Buyee for crossborder sales to over 100 countries

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 -- Mercari Inc has began offering crossborder sales to over 100 countries via the Mercari consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplace app in partnership with Buyee, a proxy service for crossborder e-commerce operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of BEENOS Inc.

Through partnership with Buyee, overseas users can browse and search items listed on Mercari in Japanese, English and Chinese (traditional and simplified), and purchase items using popular overseas payment methods such as PayPal, Alipay and UnionPay.

With its mission to create value in a global marketplace where anyone can buy and sell, the company develops and operates Mercari, a marketplace app through which individuals can buy and sell items easily and safely.

Mercari is Japan's largest C2C marketplace, with approximately 14 million monthly users, a gross merchandise value (GMV) of approximately 530.7 billion JPY, and a total of over 1.1 billion items listed to date. (100 JPY = RM3.82)

Offering crossborder sales will allow people overseas to purchase items from Mercari, instead of limiting this only to users in Japan, and Mercari expects this to lead to increased sales opportunities.

Mercari will continue looking for ways to provide a safe and secure marketplace globally and fulfill its mission to create value in a global marketplace where anyone can buy and sell. More information at https://www.mercari.com/jp.

-- BERNAMA

NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE FROM SENS RESEARCH FOUNDATION FLAGSHIP RESEARCH PROGRAM GRADUATES FROM LABORATORY TO THE BIOTECH WORLD

NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE FROM SENS RESEARCH FOUNDATION FLAGSHIP RESEARCH PROGRAM GRADUATES FROM LABORATORY TO THE BIOTECH WORLD

Friday 15 November 2019

Malaysian brands shine at World Branding Awards in London

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 -- Malaysian brands are among winners at the prestigious 2019 World Branding Awards in Kensington Palace, London recently.
Winners from Malaysia who bagged the National Tier Award were Al-Ikhsan Sports (Sports Retailer); Getha (Furniture – Beds & Mattresses); LORD’s Tailor (Fashion Brand – Tailoring); MML (Home & Garden – Tiles); and, MR D.I.Y. (Retailer – Home Improvement).
Munchy’s (Biscuits); Spritzer (Beverages – Water); and, Tenaga Nasional (Energy – Power) also received awards in the 10th edition ultimate global brand recognition accolade.
Beijing Tong Ren Tang, CHAI LI WON, CoCo, Heinz, IKEA, LEGO®, Netflix, Neutrogena®, Spotify and Yakult were celebrated as Global Tier award winners.
The prestigious World Branding Awards saw 318 brands from 41 countries named ‘Brand of the Year’, nominated by over 230,000 consumers globally.
“To be a winner at the Awards, a brand has shown that they have built themselves up to such a degree that they are placed amongst the best brands in the world,” said World Branding Forum managing director, Julian Andersen.
Winners are uniquely judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research and public online voting.
Seventy per cent of the scoring process come from consumer votes. There can only be one winner in each category per country.

-- BERNAMA

31 INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN REMINISCENCE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF MALAYSIA



KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- A total of 31 international media from 14 countries are in Malaysia to participate in the Mega Familiarisation programme called Reminiscence Cultural Heritage of Malaysia”.

The group, here by Tourism Malaysia’s invitation, will get a first-hand feel of the attractiveness of Malaysia’s cultural experience, as well as other tourism products that reflect Malaysia’s beautiful heritage.

This Mega Fam programme is designed as part of the efforts to boost the promotion of Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign, which aims to achieve 30 million international tourist arrivals and RM100 billion tourist receipts.

During the programme, the participants will be divided into two groups with two different destinations comprising Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka. The focus of this programme is to create awareness about preservation and conservation of Malaysian culture and heritage especially architectural heritage building. Among the destination featured in the itinerary are Royal Klang Heritage Walk, Ipoh Heritage City, KL City Heritage Trail and many more.

“Malaysia is rich with its culture and heritage and it is important that we highlight these destinations to international tourists as these are part of Malaysia’s legacy” said Mr. Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof, the Senior Director of Corporate Communication Division during the business networking session programme.

There are exciting activities such as making labu sayong in Kuala Kangsar, participating in Kampung traditional sport at Homestay Kampung Lonek in Negeri Sembilan and keris making in Melaka.

To ensure the campaign’s success, Tourism Malaysia has partnered with several private sectors such as Malaysia Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air Astana, Air Arabia, Hatten Hotel Melaka, Selangor Tourism, Melaka Tourism, Perak Tourism and KL Hop on Hop Off.

It is hoped that these media will share their experiences with the relevant audience back in their countries and stimulate interest to visit and experience Malaysia.

The media from 14 countries are, Australia, Canada, France, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Taiwan, Russia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States of America and Uzbekistan.

Background:

The Malaysia Mega Familiarisation Programme is one of Tourism Malaysia’s key marketing initiatives. It is organised with the support from local and foreign airlines, Malaysian hotels, state governments, tourism products and shopping complexes. Through this programme, participants are given a personal experience of the myriad attractions, tourist destinations, and products and services in Malaysia and inspire and encourage them to package and write amazing stories on the country as a preferred destination for leisure and business.

In 2018, a total of 80 guests from 10 countries participated in seven Malaysia Mega Familiarisation Programmes. It generated RM3.7 million worth of commercial value from 30 published feature articles in international publications, 68 documentaries and online media broadcasts.

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourism.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2018, Malaysia registered 25.8 million tourist arrivals and RM84.1 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

SOURCE: Tourism Malaysia

Thursday 14 November 2019

DHI TELECOM ACQUIRES SINGAPORE-BASED YOGOFI MOBILE WI-FI

DHI TELECOM ACQUIRES SINGAPORE-BASED YOGOFI MOBILE WI-FI

Synchronoss to deliver advanced mobile messaging experience across 4 mobile networks

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 -- Synchronoss Technologies Inc is working with a new joint venture formed by the four largest mobile operators in the United States (US) – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon – to help deliver an advanced mobile messaging experience across all four mobile networks.

“The launch of this initiative signals the beginning of the era of advanced messaging in the US that will begin to unite communication, services and entertainment in entirely new ways,” said Synchronoss Technologies president and chief executive officer, Glenn Lurie.

Based on the Rich Communications Services standard, developed with technology partner WIT Software, this platform has the potential to create a messaging ecosystem that allows consumer brands to create a new level of engagement and meet growing preferences for content rich, personalised interactions via messaging communications.

With customer consent, this technology will allow businesses to directly interact with their customers using branded, interactive multimedia communications and one-to-one messaging.

The application will also allow users to add advanced multimedia capabilities to their text messages and accomplish, engage and interact with their favourite brands without switching from app to app.

Synchronoss Technologies Inc is a global leader and innovator of cloud, messaging, digital and IoT products. More information at https://synchronoss.com.

-- BERNAMA

ONE IN THREE CLOUD MIGRATIONS IN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA FAIL TO MEET EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE ORGANISATIONS DO NOT MAKE CLOUD PART OF THEIR CORE STRATEGY - FIRST UNISYS CLOUD SUCCESS BAROMETER(TM)

SINGAPORE, 14 Nov. 2019/Medianet International-AsiaNet/--

- Singaporean organisations that integrate cloud into broader business transformation strategy are 40% more likely to succeed with cloud migration
compared to those who do not
 
 
Almost one-third of Singaporean (32%) and Malaysian (27%) organisations say they have failed to realise notable benefits from cloud computing, largely because they have not integrated their migration plan into their broader business transformation strategy, according to a new study by Unisys Corporation (UIS).
 
The first Unisys Cloud Success Barometer(TM) (https://www.unisys.com/cloudbarometer) study explored the impact and importance of cloud by surveying 1,000 senior IT and business leaders in 13 countries around the world, including 90 in Malaysia and Singapore. Other key findings include:
 
 - 70% of organisations in Singapore and Malaysia say their organisational effectiveness has greatly or moderately improved for the better due to cloud computing;  
- Asia Pacific organisations for which cloud is a core part of their business strategy are 2.5 times more likely (80%) to say organisational effectiveness had changed for the better, compared to only 29% of those who said cloud was a minor part of their transformation;
 - Of the 13 countries surveyed, Malaysian organisations report the second lowest use of legacy systems (11%) and public cloud (17%) but second highest use of on premise data centres (41%);
 - Compared to Malaysia, Singapore’s organisations are almost twice as likely use public cloud (31%) and almost half as likely to use on premise data centres (23%).
 - Two thirds of Singaporean (64%) and Malaysian (68%) organisations agree that data is more secure in the cloud than in-house; and security is cited as both the top benefit and greatest challenge for moving data, applications or processes to the cloud.
 
"These results show why cloud transformation is not just an IT issue, it’s a business issue," said Leon Sayers, Regional Consulting Lead, Unisys Asia Pacific. "Singaporean organisations recorded the lowest level of success for cloud implementations meeting expectations. However, 82% of those Singaporean organisations that integrated cloud as a core part of their business strategy did see moderate or great organisational improvements in organisational effectiveness. Rather than a 'lift and shift' approach, successful cloud implementations require the right framework in place at the outset, with continual innovation and updates over time."
 
The Future is Multi-Cloud
Despite nearly all respondents (97% in Singapore and 94% in Malaysia) saying they had migrated to the cloud to some degree, use of multi-cloud is still low (44% in Singapore and 25% in Malaysia) – in line with the global results.
 
However, those who used multi-cloud said they view the cloud as essential to staying competitive.
 
 - Nine in ten Singaporean multi–cloud users say that if they didn’t move to  the cloud they would be somewhat to extremely concerned about being left behind as a technology laggard (88%), competition innovating first (88%) and be outperformed by the competition employees– compared to 56%, 51% and 51% respectively of all Singaporean organisations surveyed.
 
"A multi-cloud strategy offers flexibility and choice, and recognises that not all data and applications need to be treated in the same way," explained Sayers. "A multi-cloud strategy helps organisations gain greater sovereignty over their data, spread their risk in case of downtime and increase the negotiating leverage to shop rates for different service needs from multiple vendors."
 
2019 Unisys Cloud Success Barometer: Cloud Has Not Met Expectations in Singapore
The first Unisys Cloud Success Barometer surveyed more than 1,000 senior business and IT leaders across 13 countries in August and September 2019.
Unisys gauged their attitudes on a wide range of cloud performance issues and created a barometer based on their feedback. The barometer score is calculated on a scale from zero to 100, based on how well cloud expectations are being met in six areas across business, competitive and IT benefits.
 
The Unisys Cloud Success Barometer score for Singapore is 39, the lowest of the 13 countries surveyed, and well below the global average of 49.
 
https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/mnr-s3-prod/0149/000381_howwellhaveyourexpectationsbenmet_800.jpg
 
The top drivers for Singaporean organisations moving to the cloud are the desire for better IT and data security (71%), managing or reducing costs (58%) and gaining a competitive advantage (55%). Expectations for their cloud implementations were exceeded for gaining a competive advantage(67%), faster time to market (67%), being agile to match demand (65%) and better IT and data security (59%).
 
However, the benefits delivered fell short in the areas of driving innovation (50% said expectations were somewhat met/below expectation), reducing headcount (50%) and reducing costs (50%).
 
Navigating the Path to Success
The survey identified several factors that improved the likelihood of a successful migration. Globally, organisations that used third-party support to help with their cloud adoption were 26% more likely to realise organisational improvements for the better compared to organisations that handled cloud migration in-house. In Singapore the results are even higher with organisations using third parties almost three times as likely to see mprovements. Whereas in Malaysia, organisations using third parties were 11% less likely to see improvements.
 
"While no cloud migration is the same, there are several core building blocks that many successful migrations share. First, organisations must do a thorough planning assessment that looks at anticipated ROI, staff training needs, security risks and identifies where outside expertise is needed. Next, they need to establish a continuous integration/continuous delivery framework leveraging microservices, containers and DevOps. Lastly, having a cloud management portal is critical to providing end-to-end visibility for better monitoring and performance," said Sayers. 
 
For more results and information on the 2019 Unisys Cloud Success Barometer and to download a report on the survey results, visit www.unisys.com/cloudbarometer.
 
Methodology
The Unisys Cloud Success Barometer online survey of 728 IT leaders and 317 senior business leaders was conducted across 13 countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, UK and USA during August-September 2019. The 90 Singaporean and Malaysian responses are from 56 IT leaders and 34 business leaders.
 
About Unisys
Unisys is a global information technology company that builds high-performance, security-centric solutions for the most demanding businesses and governments. Unisys offerings include security software and services; digital transformation and workplace services; industry applications and services; and innovative software operating environments for high-intensity enterprise computing. For more information on how Unisys builds better outcomes securely for its clients across the Government, Financial Services and Commercial markets, visit www.unisys.com.sg. Follow Unisys on Twitter(http://twitter.com/UnisysCorp) and LinkedIn(http://www.linkedin.com/company/unisys).
 
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Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder
 
SOURCE: Unisys