Crownbio launches new target model for immunotherapy

SAN DIEGO, April 27 (Bernama) -- Crown Bioscience, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crown Bioscience International has enhance its existing portfolio of humanised drug target models by launching a new transgenic CD3E model to advance development of immuno-oncology (I/O) drugs.

CrownBio addresses this need with their new CD3E transgenic model that was validated in collaboration with and developed by NBRI of Nanjing University, a statement said.

NBRI is a leading company in China providing high-quality human disease related animal models for biomedical community as well as pharmaceutical companies.

Novel therapeutic T-cell redirecting antibodies, including bispecific T cell engagers, show great promise in effectively treating cancer. However, development of these drugs is hampered by a lack of in vivo models that can accurately recapitulate human specific responses.

The CD3E model expresses the human form of CD3E and is phenotypically normal with levels of T, B, and NK cells comparable to control. These features make it an ideal model for determining the efficacy of CD3 targeted T cell redirecting therapies through direct assessment of T cell activation, antigen recognition and related intracellular signal transduction pathways.

"Data generated from our new CD3E models demonstrate their unique ability to guide development of bispecific T cell engagers and other T cell redirecting therapies," said Dr Davy Ouyang, Director of Translational Oncology at CrownBio. "We are very excited about the potential these innovative models have to uncover new insights in the discovery and development of cutting-edge I/O agents."

Crown Bioscience is a global drug discovery and development services company providing translational platforms to advance oncology, inflammation, cardiovascular and metabolic disease research.

Learn more about CrownBio's new CD3E model by visiting https://www.crownbio.com/immuno-oncology/hugemm/cd3e-mouse-model

-- BERNAMA

Crocus Technology secures US$35m for company's expansion

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Crocus Technology has secured funding of US$35M (RM 134.4 million) through a combination of debt and equity from internal investors and external sources.

Chief executive officer Crocus Technology, Michel Desbard said the money will help position the company to better support its rapidly growing magnetic sensor business because Crocus' team has made significant progress on all fronts of the business and is ready to accelerate revenue growth and reach profitability by the end of this year.

The funding will enable Crocus to accelerate its revenue growth by expanding its operations and go-to-market resources by investing in the continuous development of innovative products to serve the demand of existing and emerging markets, a statement said.

It will also be used to expand Crocus commercial team to drive revenue growth worldwide, develop new products to expand product portfolio and create solutions that enable new markets and applications and extend its patent portfolio to solidify its leadership in TMR technology.

Crocus' proprietary Magnetic Logic Unit (MLU) technology enables its TMR sensor products to have high magnetic sensitivity with minimal variation over a wide temperature range, coupled with ultra-low power consumption.

It is an ideal sensing solutions for IoT, mobile, automotive, medical and industrial applications as the sensors are embedded within a CMOS process providing a monolithic cost-effective solution and ensuring greater reliability and ruggedness.

Crocus Technology is a supplier of disruptive Tunnel Magneto-Resistance (TMR) sensors which develops and supplies magnetic sensors and embedded memory solutions. More information at http://www.crocus-technology.com.

--BERNAMA 

A.M. BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF SHINKONG INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED

HONG KONG, April 26 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a” of Shinkong Insurance Company Limited (Shinkong Insurance) (Taiwan). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Shinkong Insurance’s balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The company’s risk-adjusted capitalization remains solid and supportive of its current ratings, underpinned by continued organic growth from earnings retention, accumulation of claims equalization reserves and prudent reinsurance arrangements. Shinkong Insurance has consistently demonstrated underwriting and investment profitability over the past five years, mainly driven by positive results in the voluntary personal motor line, investment gains from interest income and realized gains from available-for-sale securities. Moreover, the company maintains a well-established business profile in Taiwan’s non-life insurance segment and consistently has held the third-largest market share over the past 10 years in terms of gross premiums written. Partially offsetting rating factors include the continued highly competitive market environment, which could exert pressure on the company’s operating profitability. While positive rating actions are not likely in the short term, negative rating actions could occur if the company experiences significant and continued deterioration in operating performance or if there is a substantial decline in its risk-adjusted capitalization. http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=31772

Mobile Factory develops its blockchain related services project

 

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- Mobile Factory Inc today announced the outline and future prospects of its 'blockchain related services' developed on Jan 19, 2018.

In the first phase Mobile Factory, headquartered in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan plans to offer a mobile compatible browser with cryptocurrency wallet, 'pochi' plan for release summer 2018 providing users to manage their cryptocurrency in a user friendly environment.

This is part of a three phase release and Research and Development (R&D) is in progress, a statement said.

'Pochi' can increase the contact between company and cryptocurrency users and it would be possible for the company to aim for a key position in the cryptocurrency economy, where further expansion is expected in the future.

Phase two of the project is the release of an application platform, 'uniqys' which currently under R&D designed to make users easily use applications with 'pochi'. The platform will be possible for application developers to provide services in an environment with higher user satisfaction.

The company will create a game on ‘uniqys´ at the phase three of the project and preparations is made to release it at the same time as the release of application platform 'uniqys'.

The game will reflect the game development experience and knowledge that the company has cultivated until now and they are planning a game that will give users a new play experience with various applications added in future.

The company aims to build a distributed ecosystem to create a new economy that maximises the use of blockchain technology that is expected to be used in various places in society including the entertainment field, the statement said.

-- BERNAMA

15 researchers for 13th Hakuho Foundation Japanese Research Fellowship

TOKYO, April 27 (Bernama) -- Fifteen researchers have been invited by The Hakuho Foundation - a public interest incorporated foundation in Tokyo, Japan - to participate in the 13th Hakuho Foundation Japanese Research Fellowship.

Selected were those from Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine and USA, a statement said.

Four researchers were selected in the Japanese language and Japanese-language education research category and eleven in the Japanese literature and Japanese culture research category. The fellowship period is from Sept 1, 2018-Aug 31, 2019 - (either long-term (1 year) or short-term (6 months)).

The receiving organisations are -- International Research Centre for Japanese Studies, The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa, Kyoto University, National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics, Ochanomizu University, Ritsumeikan University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Waseda University.

The Hakuho Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation based in Tokyo, Japan, was established in 1970 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of Hakuhodo Inc., a major Japanese advertising company.

The foundation program invites leading international researchers to Japan to further strengthen the fundamentals of international research into Japan and deepening understanding of Japan.

The Foundation's website for details - About the Hakuho Foundation Japanese Research Fellowship: https://www.hakuhofoundation.or.jp/en/program/

-- BERNAMA

Snoopy "Peanuts" Museum Tokyo reaches its grand finale

TOKYO, April 27 (Bernama) -- Having welcomed its one millionth visitor on March 29, 2018, Snoopy Museum Tokyo completes its term in September 2018 and reaches its grand finale with the final exhibition titled "FRIENDSHIP IN PEANUTS" from April 21, 2018 to Sept 24, 2018.

The museum depicts characters like Snoopy and his owner Charlie Brown, depicted by Charles M. Schulz over 50 years through "Peanuts". It also exhibits the oldest original drawings of "Peanuts", a statement said.

The final exhibition at the museum, which opened in April 2016, will offer the humorous yet pathetic dialogues through approximately 80 pieces of precious original drawing that shows the author's fresh strokes, and new animation works, a statement said.

The location of the museum is 5-6-20 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo - a 7-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Roppongi Station, 10-minute walk from Azabu-Juban Station.

For details please go to Snoopy Museum Tokyo official website: www.snoopymuseum.tokyo/en;Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/snoopymuseumtokyo/; Official Twitter account: https://twitter.com/snoopy_m_tokyo

-- BERNAMA

Record network growth for Cloudflare

SAN FRANCISCO, April 27 (Bernama) -- Cloudflare - a leading Internet performance and security company - today announced record network growth by nearly 30 percent in the first quarter of 2018 and launched three new products and a major collaboration.

The company also added 32 new cities, growing its network to 151 points of presence globally. Cloudflare now protects more than 8 million domains, websites, APIs, mobile applications, and anything connected to the Internet, a statement said.

"At Cloudflare´s core is its network, which we've built to be flexible, efficient, and able to perform any task in any given location," said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. "In this last quarter, we grew our network at record pace, bringing our network closer to everyone on earth. This means that we´re able to roll out products at a global scale for users everywhere."

The three major new products in the quarter are Cloudflare Access, a solution that makes accessing internal enterprise applications fast and easy, Cloudflare Workers, a better, faster way for developers to deploy and execute their code directly at the edge of Cloudflare's global network and Cloudflare Mobile SDK, a free solution that enables any mobile app developer to understand network performance and metrics.

Also announced today is the Cloudflare and IBM collaboration to extend security and performance from the cloud to the network edge. Through the collaboration, IBM launched Cloud Internet Services, a one-stop shop for Cloudflare's security and performance capabilities designed to protect enterprise public-facing web content and applications.

Now Cloudflare's solutions can be deployed in IBM's customers' environments, including public, private, hybrid cloud, or on-premise. Additionally, IBM is now an authorized reseller of Cloudflare´s suite of security and performance edge services.

Cloudflare now has more than 625 employees, up from 400 just over a year ago. The company continues to grow its engineering, sales, marketing, and support teams across its offices in San Francisco, Austin, Champaign, IL, London, New York, Washington D.C., and Singapore.

To learn more about Cloudflare please check: www.cloudflare.com/@cloudflare; cloudflare Network Map; Cloudflare Blog

-- BERNAMA

EASTSPRING INVESTMENTS BERHAD DECLARES INCOME DISTRIBUTION FOR EASTSPRING INVESTMENTS TARGET INCOME FUND 5

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) --  Eastspring Investments Berhad today announced the gross income distribution for Eastspring Investments Target Income Fund 5 (“Fund”):

Fund Name	Financial Year End	Gross Distribution (RM/Unit)	Dividend Yield as at 31 March 2018	Type of Distribution
Eastspring Investments Target Income Fund 5	31 December 2017	0.0592	5.75%	Annual

All unit holders who have maintained their unit holdings in the Fund as at 25 April 2018 will be entitled to the income distribution.

This 5 year closed-ended bond fund is the fifth in a series of target income funds.This distribution is consistent with the Fund’s objective which endeavours to provide regular income[1] during the tenure of the Fund.

Market Outlook from the External Investment Manager, Eastspring Investments (Singapore) Limited

As represented by the JP Morgan Asia Credit Index, the Asian USD bond market was largely unchanged over the month of March. Returns were driven primarily by the declines in longer-dated US Treasury (UST) yields, which helped to offset the negative effects of broad-based credit spread widening over the month. Investment grade Asian bonds outperformed their non-investment grade counterparts due to their longer duration nature – the investment grade Asian sovereign segment was a key outperformer in the month of March on its higher sensitivity to declining UST yields. While economic data points released over the month remained supportive of continued rowth for the global economy, markets were roiled by rising trade war fears, which led to a pullback in investor risk appetite. The month of March started on a volatile note as US President Trump announced that he would be imposing steep tariffs on imported steel (25%) and aluminum (10%). While the US has since exempted numerous key allies, China remains subject to these newly-minted tariffs, while additional tariffs and investment restrictions have been imposed in relation to the US Trade Representative’s “Section 301” investigation, pertaining to alleged misappropriation of US intellectual property by China. China has since retaliated with a plan to impose tariffs on 128 US products, highlighting the strained trade relations
between the two countries.

Jerome Powell’s first Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting as Chairman saw the US Federal Reserve (Fed) stay the course with a much-anticipated 25 bps rate hike in March, which brought the federal funds rate to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%. The latest Fed “Dot Plot” indicated an upward-revision to the median end-2019 and end-2020 Fed Funds Target Rate forecast (to 2.875% and 3.375% respectively), suggesting that after an expected three hikes in 2018, the Fed expects to hike rates another three times in 2019, and twice in 2020. While short-term bond yields rose marginally on the back of the latest rate hike, bond market performance was dictated by the weaker investor sentiment in the month, which bolstered the performance of longer-dated US Treasuries – 5-year and 10-year US Treasury yields declined by 8 bps and 12 bps respectively (to 2.56% and 2.74% respectively) over the month of March.

As a reflection of increased investor risk aversion, Asian credit spreads widened in March, particularly for the non-investment grade sovereign segment, where Pakistan was a notable underperformer. On the whole, Asian high yield bonds were broadly weaker as negative effects from credit spread widening outweighed the positive  effects of a decline in base rates. Investment-grade Asian USD credits outperformed thanks to their longer-duration nature; the segment benefited from the general decline in mid to longer-dated US Treasury yields over the month.

[1] Income declared will be paid out either by way of E-payment according to unit holders’ instructions in the account opening form or by cheque. 

ABOUT EASTSPRING INVESTMENTS

Eastspring Investments is a leading asset manager in Asia that manages over US$188 billion assets on behalf of institutional and retail clients as at 31 December 2017. Operating in Asia since 1994 in 10 major markets plus offices in North America and Europe. Eastspring Investments is the Asian asset management business of Prudential plc, one of the world’s largest financial services companies.

ABOUT EASTSPRING INVESTMENTS BERHAD

Established in 2000 and based in Kuala Lumpur, Eastspring Investments Berhad is one of the leading asset management companies in Malaysia in both institutional and retail, with over RM39.8 billion in assets under management in the country as at 31 December 2017. It manages unit trust funds, wholesale funds as well as private mandates.

SOURCE : Eastspring Investments Berhad

Japanese and South Korean company partner to sell used cars worldwide

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- A major Japanese used car dealer and a unit of one of South Korea´s biggest conglomerates have set up a business alliance to provide used South Korean vehicles as new lineup of products on its website, PicknBuy24.com.

The companies are

Japanese Agasta Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Carchs Holdings Co Ltd -- and South Korea´s LOTTE Rental Co Ltd.

The website is an online shop for used Japanese automobiles with a 20 years record providing used vehicles to more than 30,000 customers in 80 countries, including in Asia, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Russia.

Carchs Holdings aims to be the number one worldwide car market by having over one million vehicles displayed on the website, a statement said.

An opening ceremony for the new ‘PicknBuy24.com´ was held at the Korea Lotte Auction venue recently to highlight the new partnership between the companies.

The website allows customers to buy globally-acclaimed Japanese and South Korean used vehicles worldwide that are ‘hard to break down´ and ‘more fuel-efficient´ among other features.

Customer can easily search and buy their favorite vehicles suitable for their countries as the online shop lists information on both right-hand- and left-hand-drive vehicles. It also lists information on buses, trucks and construction machines used for civil engineering and building work.

Through PicknBuy24.com, Carchs Holdings hopes to assist customers by exporting used vehicles. The website can be accessed at https://www.picknbuy24.com/

MedicCoin gives crypto rewards in global health awareness programme

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) MedicCoin is introducing multiple ways to earn crypto as a reward for health conscious uses of blockchain technology globally.

Among the innovations are MedicWalk app, where users can acquire MedicCoin by installing the app and stay active which is part of the company´s visions to promote living an active lifestyle. The app will be launched within the next few weeks, a statement said.

MedicCoin is also offering the opportunity to earn coins by donating computer power to Stanford University´s Folding@home program, which helps scientists solve computer calculations related to finding cures for Alzheimer´s, Parkinson´s, Huntington´s, cancers and other types of diseases.

The innovation includes following doctor instructions whereby physicians who join and support the network will be provided with MedicCoin for rewarding patients who show up for appointments and follow instructions.

Another incentive is the MedicEMR , the first free opensource EMR software accepting payments by crypto. The software aims to increase access to high-quality medical care for all people by rewarding physicians and patients with MedicCoin for using the software.

Also made available is MedicPhone, an integrated TeleMedicine App for people who face immobility challenges or logistical complications. MedicPhone will integrate MedicEMR and accept MedicCoin and other payment methods to give access to board-certified doctors 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

MedicCoin is also innovating integrated privacy technology to ensure users can maintain a confidential transaction history with different healthcare providers, individuals, merchants and other establishments. This is InstantX which enables users to avoid the long delays as MedicCoin is viable wherever conventional payment methods are used.

The MedicCoin community can engage multiple communication channels and platforms on future announcements to ensure ongoing media coverage via syndicated articles and editorials, journalist outreach, a MedicCoin-branded news portal, and various engagement initiatives.

MedicCoin is a blockchain-based crypto focused on promoting health and philanthropy throughout the world by rewarding individuals in various ways for being healthy. More information at https://mediccoin.com/

--BERNAMA 

China's Jiangjin district investment roadshow in Singapore on April 24

 

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 (Bernama) -- Jiangjin District, located in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality will launch an investment promoting event in Singapore on April 24 to explore cooperation opportunities with Singapore and other ASEAN countries.

The establishment of the Chongqing Jiangjin Comprehensive Bonded Zone is to further facilitate the cooperation and communication between Chongqing and ASEAN countries.

China Economic Information Service, in a statement said a delegation led by Secretary of Jiangjin District Party Committee, Cheng Zhiyi will give a full display of the excellent investment environment in the district to politicians, businessmen and local enterprises and institutions in Singapore. The delegation will also make an analysis on its investment value from multiple dimensions including location and transportation, ecological environment, industrial layout, logistics, tourism as well as political and business environment.

The statement added that they will conduct an in-depth exchange with local political and business figures and visit high-quality enterprises.

"By bringing into full play Singapore's advantage as an international finance and trade center, the investment promotion will help accelerate the opening up of Jiangjin District and expand its investment promotion areas to realize a great-leap-forward economic development, " said Cheng, in a statement.

Jiangjin District is a vital link on the southbound passageway of Chongqing-Guizhou-Guangxi-Singapore and also a key point on the Silk Road Economic Belt.

-- BERNAMA

Extech Electronic marks 40th anniversary with future strategic plans

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- Extech Electronic Co (EEC), the industry-leading innovator of electrical testing equipment celebrated its 40th anniversary launching a website - www.eecextech.com - to inspire customer engagement through a modern, user-friendly online platform integrating social media and direct engagement.

EEC is also sharing its rich history, forging a new course for the future with marking the quality of electrical equipment while protecting the safety of manufacturing workers and consumers worldwide, a statement said.

Other plans include:

-- the company is striving to advance the EEC user experience through multi-language support for its feature-rich solutions, the statement said.

-- EEC will revolutionise its approach by shifting to a solution-oriented focus, bringing a various of game-changing solutions to multiple industries. This transformation draws upon four decades of experience creating testing solutions for components that drive and array of outstanding multinational brands such as Apple, Dyson, Panasonic and others.

-- through its EEC Service Program, manufacturers will gain unprecedented access to the company's expertise in general electrical safety, testing instrumentation and equipment, and testing standards, while EEC provide advanced training on state-of-the-art industry applications and technology.

-- established a global presence across 40 countries, extending its reach further with EEC Everywhere -- a strategic shift that marks an aggressive expansion from direct to indirect sales, opening the door to more distributers and greater service coverage than ever before.

Customers can now expect almost unlimited availability and unprecedented response times for their requests, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

-- BERNAMA 

Bakery China 2018 invites over 140,000 visitors for exhibition in May

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 (Bernama) -- China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co Ltd will organise Bakery China 2018 on May 9 to 12 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center.

The exhibition brings more than 140,000 professional visitors from over 110 countries and regions who will experience the innovation of China's bakery industry, a statement said.

With an exhibition area of over 200,000 square meters this year, Bakery China 2018 hopes to attract more than 2,100 exhibitors worldwide.

China's bakery industry has boasted a 20 per cent average growth rate between 2003 and 2016 and in the forthcoming months, the country is expected to become the largest producer and consumer of bakery products.

Fast urbanisation and diversification of people's diets will be the key drivers for the growth of the bakery industry in China, the statement added.

According to statistics on bakery enterprises on a state-designated scale from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2017, China's bakery and confectionery production (including pastry/breads, biscuits, chocolates, frozen beverages, instant noodles and sweetmeats) totalled 35.899 million tons, with a prime operating revenue of RMB 743.178 billion (US$118.04 billion / RM460.30 billion), at a year-on-year growth of 8.29 per cent.

According to CABCI, based on a population of 1.37 billion, China's per capita annual consumption of bread in 2017 was only 4.4kg. Compared to an average of 10kg in South Korea, over 20kg in Japan and over 70 to 80kg in the US and Western European countries -- China holds great potential for growth and expansion.

As an important indicator of China's robust growth on bakery, Bakery China (www.bakerychina.com) was launched 21 years ago and has developed into the world's largest exhibition in this area.

--BERNAMA 

China CEIS and HSF release 'Xinhua HSF Price Indices'

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- China Economic Information Service (CEIS) and Haiken Group (HSF) recently released 'Xinhua HSF Price Indices' in Haikou, capital city of south China's Hainan Province.

"Xinhua HSF Price Indices intuitively present the price changes of natural rubber, pepper and areca nut, and objectively and accurately reflect factor price fluctuations in different links of the industry chain, thereby providing an open and transparent price guide to the industries," said vice-president of CEIS, Liu Mingxia.

"The indices help players engaged in the production, circulation and processing to duly and accurately study and predict market prices whereby they rationally guide market expectations," added Liu.

The indices include China Natural Rubber Price Index, Pepper Price Index and Areca Nut Price Index, a statement said.

Xinhua HSF China Natural Rubber Price Index is China's first price index system supported by the spot market trade data and connecting the rubber production and sales comprising four sub-indices including concentrated latex, latex, mixed rubber and standard rubber. The index is an important carrier showcasing the influence of China's rubber industry.

As a leader in natural rubber producer and major tropical crop producer in China, HSF has a natural rubber area of 3.69 million mu (15 mu equal one hectare) and a tropical crop area of 1.5 million mu.

Chairman of HSF, Yang Sitao said HSF will widen the cooperation with CEIS to gradually improve the system of Xinhua HSF Price Indices and enrich index dimensions to create internationally influential and credible price indices, and build HSF into a new growth pole for Hainan's economy as well as a characteristic national tropical agriculture demonstration zone.

CEIS is a wholly-owned company of Xinhua News Agency and boasts five national-level platforms including Xinhua Finance, Xinhua Silkroad, Xinhua Credit, Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange (SHPGX) and Xinhua Think Tank.

--BERNAMA 

Toyota hunts for world's best street artists and athletes

KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Bernama) -- Toyota Motor Corporation has introduced the Universal Street Games - bringing the streets to the international stage with a global hunt for the world's best street musicians, dancers and athletes.

The Games is a four-month competition where artists and athletes record, upload and vote on entries via social media and the ‘Universal Street Games´ website or application (iOS and Android), a statement said.

The entries and votes from all over the world will close on April 30. On May 1, the top 10 voted performers from each category will be chosen as one of the nine finalists.

The nine finalists (three from each category) and three voters will win a trip of a lifetime across the to the ‘Universal Street Games´ at the X Games Minneapolis 2018, Minnesota.

From July 15 to 21, the finalists will travel around the United States to develop their final performance, while creating one performance by all nine of them as an integration of music, dance and sports -- all the efforts will be spotlighted at the final stage.

The whole trip is professionally filmed and uploaded daily on the competition´s website, the statement added.

More information about the competition can be accessed at https://universalstreetgames.com/

--BERNAMA 

​EMQ PARTNERS WITH LEADING VIETNAM BANK TO BOOST REMITTANCE CAPABILITIES ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA

HONG KONG & HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, April 19 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- EMQ, a Fintech innovator with an extensive financial settlement network in Asia, and HDBank, one of Vietnam’s leading commercial banks, today announced a strategic partnership to penetrate into Vietnam. This partnership will support the growing demand for instant remittances across Southeast Asia. “Remittances from overseas workers constitute a vital part of the economy of many developing nations such as Vietnam, a leading recipient of global remittances and contributes to 7% of the country’s GDP, according to the World Bank,” said Max Liu, Co-founder and CEO of EMQ. “Our partnership with HDBank will boost our capabilities in Vietnam, making financial services more accessible and inclusive for the overseas workers and their families across the country.” As one of the top 10 joint stock commercial banks in Vietnam, HDBank has built strong financial capabilities to offer a wide variety of financial services across its 240 branches/banking units in the country. The partnership leverages EMQ's financial settlement network across Asia, which will significantly enhance HDBank’s ability to deliver accessible and convenient remittance services for the people of Vietnam. Mr. Liu added, “This is an exciting milestone for EMQ as we continue our strategic expansion across Southeast Asia and deliver innovative value-added financial services in the region. We are very pleased to expand our relationship with HDBank and to further support the financial inclusion initiatives in Vietnam.” EMQ currently has footprint in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, with plans underway to expand across other key business markets first in Asia and then globally, covering North America, Europe and the Middle East. The company received its Money Service Operator license from the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department in September 2014 and its Fund Transfer Operator license from Bank Indonesia in March 2017.  http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=31716

Toshiba releases six new internal hard drives

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage Corporation (Toshiba) released this month six new series of its internal hard drives to deliver the capacity and performance needed for today´s consumer storage applications.

The series are P300 Desktop PC Hard Drives, L200 Laptop PC Hard Drives, X300 Performance Hard Drives, N300 NAS Hard Drives, V300 Video Streaming Hard Drives and S300 Surveillance Hard Drives, a statement said.

The P300 Desktop PC Hard Drive series offers high performance ideal for home and business users and is available with up to three terabyte (TB) of storage capacity. It have built-in shock sensors that detect impacts and reduce vibration during read and write operations, improving tracking accuracy and performance.

The L200 Laptop PC Hard Drive series delivers up to two TB capacity in 2.5-inch mobile drives and delivers better shock and vibration resistance than 3.5-inch hard drives and works with every major brand of laptop computer.

The X300 Performance Hard Drive series offers up to 10 TB capacity and features Toshiba´s cache technology, optimising cache allocation during read/write to provide high-level real-time performance.

The N300 NAS Hard Drive series, for personal, home office and small business network attached storage (NAS) applications, is available in capacities of up to 10TB. The drives are optimised for the performance, reliability, endurance and scalability required of NAS environments in which large amounts of data need to be efficiently stored and accessed daily.

The V300 Video Streaming Hard Drive series is designed for reliable video recording and playback, and offers built-in silent seek technology, which delivers quiet operation. The V300 energy efficient design reduces energy consumption by up to 25 per cent.

The S300 Surveillance Hard Drive series offers 24x7 reliability and high performance with a large cache size up to 256MB. The drives can handle high workloads of up to 180TB per year and support surveillance network video recorders (sNVR).

Toshiba also introduces color branding for each category in the consumer internal hard drive line-up which is displayed on the drive labels and retail shelf packaging to clearly communicate category of use and device application.

Toshiba is among the leading general devices companies which offer customers and business partners outstanding solutions in discrete semiconductors, system LSIs and HDD. More information at https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/company.html

--BERNAMA 

China's health industry summit 2018 featured new cutting-edge technologies

 KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- The Health Industry Summit (tHIS) 2018 highlighted China's top medical equipment and pharmaceutical exhibitions

CMEF, PHARMCHINA and API China featuring cutting-edge technologies such as VR, AR, wearables and AI as part of the new Intelligent Health exhibition.

The event held in Shanghai recently covered the entire industry value chain including key segments like medical devices, pharmaceutical production, drug distribution and natural health and nutrition

becoming China's solution to promote technology innovations and academic exchange on the grandest scale.

In addition, traditional medicine was also highlighted at the show as China's own solution to treatment and prevention which runs parallel to modern medicine and drug development, a statement said.

Currently in its fourth edition, tHIS has been firmly established as the world's largest health industry event covering an over 350,000 metre square exhibition space with 160 individual events and conferences alongside the main expo.

It also gathered healthcare industry professionals worldwide at the National Exhibition and Convention Center with over 200,000 attendees from more than 150 countries and regions and over 7,000 exhibitors.

The majority of the most innovative companies in the medical field also chose the summit as their Global or Asia Pacific new product launch platform with more than 600 new product launches took place during the four day show.

The summit is organised by Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions, a joint venture between the world's leading event organiser Reed Exhibitions and China's state-owned medical & pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm. The next edition of the event will be in May 2019 in Shanghai.

-- BERNAMA

Sun Hung Kai Properties Insurance gets excellent ratings

KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) -- A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of A (excellent) and the long-term issuer credit rating of ‘a´ of Sun Hung Kai Properties Insurance Ltd (SHKPI) Hong Kong and the outlook is stable.

SHKPI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd (SHKP), one of the largest and most well-established property development and investment conglomerates in Hong Kong, a statement said.

The ratings reflect SHKPI´s balance sheet strength, which categorised as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

In addition, the insurance company´s underwriting operations have been highly profitable and cash-generative.

However, SHKPI´s investment portfolio shows an appetite to invest in higher-risk assets, which exposes its overall earnings to considerable market and credit risks.

Despite the soft market in Hong Kong in recent years, SHKPI has continued to generate strong and consistent operating profits, supported mainly by the company´s low acquisition cost structure, as well as by a steady stream of interest and dividend income.

SHKPI is a medium-sized non-life insurer in Hong Kong, mainly underwrites employee compensation business that is associated with group-related construction projects.

A.M. Best is the world´s oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

--BERNAMA 

METRO IVF TO HOLD TALK ON WOMEN WELLNESS ON APRIL 21

KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) – Metro IVF is collaborating with a local milk company to hold a talk to raise awareness of women wellness at its Klinik Mey, Star Avenue in Shah Alam this Saturday.

The talk led by obstetrician and gynaecologist and fertility consultant, Dr Salini Suhaila Nasir will be from 9 am to 12.30 pm, with free entrance limited to the first 30 ladies only.

Metro IVF Sdn Bhd founder and fertility consultant, Dr Tee Swi Peng said a healthy lifestyle would have a significant impact on today’s health-related quality of life in addition to eliminating the risk factors for many critical illnesses, especially for those living in a metropolitan city. 

“We hope that with this programme, ‘Let’s Talk Ladies’, more women will come forward to get the latest information and seek treatment should they require it,” Dr Tee said in a statement, here.

The talk will delve into the dilemma experienced by most women around the world with regard to health including cervical cancer with the focus on Pap Smear screening by Dr Salini, breast cancer awareness emphasising on self-breast examination by Dr Melissa Goh Abdullah, and fatty liver and its importance to the body system by Dr Siti Rohani Mohd Yassin, as well as a talk by a milk company on diabetes which could affect women and their unborn child.

At the event, all participants will be offered basic health screening. 

More information is available at http://metro.com.my/  or http://www.metroivf.com.my/.

-- BERNAMA

WEST CORPORATION CLOSES LANDMARK ACQUISITION OF NASDAQ'S PUBLIC RELATIONS AND DIGITAL MEDIA BUSINESSES

OMAHA, Neb., April 17 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Corporation (“West” or the “Company”), a global leader in technology-enabled services, announced today it has completed the acquisition of the public relations and digital media businesses (“Public Relations Solutions and Digital Media Services”) from Nasdaq (Nasdaq:NDAQ) for approximately $335 million.

“This landmark acquisition further expands West’s position as the leading technology enablement company connecting people and businesses around the world,” said John Shlonsky, CEO of West Corporation. “When I accepted the position to lead West, I did so with the intention of growing our rich product suite and customer base through continued innovation, high-performance service delivery and strategic acquisitions. The addition of Public Relations Solutions and Digital Media Services enhances the diverse portfolio of best-in-class solutions available to our clients and is a significant step toward that goal.”

This acquisition broadens West’s portfolio of communication tools, media intelligence and multimedia services for organizations across all industries. These innovative solutions help enterprises more effectively communicate with their investors, customers and employees through targeted, timely delivery of relevant messaging.

The acquired products and services include:

• GlobeNewswire: a global press release distribution platform and media contacts database with analytics
• Web Hosting: a web hosting service purpose-built for investor relations and external communications functions
• Webcasts: a multimedia service that publishes webcasts, webinars, video presentations and other content
• Media Intelligence: a media monitoring and analyst-curated daily news reporting service
• Influencers Database: a service to identify and connect with relevant traditional and social media profiles

West and Nasdaq have agreed to an exclusive multi-year partnership, offering eligible Nasdaq-listed clients seamless access to West’s leading press release distribution, web hosting, and webcasting solutions.

“This partnership adds tremendous value and capability for thousands of clients as West continues to deliver and invest in global omni-channel digital media products and services,” said Rob Wechsler, President of West Corporation. “We are extremely confident in our ability to grow and enhance this business.”

Advisors and Financing Providers:

Credit Suisse and LionTree acted as financial advisors to West. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is acting as corporate counsel to West and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as financing counsel to West. Transaction financing was provided by Credit Suisse, RBC Capital Markets, Barclays, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs.

About West Corporation:

West Corporation is a leading technology enablement company that connects people around the world, making companies more efficient and improving lives. West helps its clients more effectively communicate, collaborate and connect with their audiences through a diverse portfolio of innovative solutions.

For over 30 years, West has provided reliable, high-quality voice and data services. West has sales and/or operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Latin America and South America. West is controlled by affiliates of certain funds managed by Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE:APO). For more information, please call 1-800-841-9000 or visit www.west.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be generally identified by the use of words such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “intends,” “continue” or similar terminology. These statements reflect only West's current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability to implement the anticipated business plans and achieve anticipated benefits and savings related to this acquisition; competition in West’s highly competitive markets; increases in the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in these services; West’s ability to keep pace with its clients’ needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the continued deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; security and privacy breaches of the systems West uses to protect personal data; the effects of global economic trends on the businesses of West’s clients; the non-exclusive nature of West’s client contracts and the absence of revenue commitments; the cost of pending and future litigation; the cost of defending against intellectual property infringement claims; the effects of extensive regulation affecting many of West’s businesses; West’s ability to protect its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to West’s data and operation centers; West’s ability to retain key personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees; increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political, economic and other conditions in the countries where West operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; West’s ability to complete future acquisitions, integrate or achieve the objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; and future impairments of its substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets. In addition, West is subject to risks related to its level of indebtedness. Such risks include West’s ability to generate sufficient cash to service its indebtedness and fund its other liquidity needs; West’s ability to comply with covenants contained in its debt instruments; West’s ability to obtain additional financing; the incurrence of significant additional indebtedness by West and its subsidiaries; and the ability of West’s lenders to fulfill their lending commitments.

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. West undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.

At the Company:

Dave Pleiss
Investor Relations
West Corporation
(402) 716-6578

SOURCE: West Corporation

--BERNAMA

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=31692

2018 Asia Graduate Recruitment and Development conference in Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 (Bernama) -- South East Asian Association of Graduate Employers (SEAAGE) will stage the 2018 Asia Graduate Recruitment and Development Conference on April 18 to 19 at Google´s headquarters, Singapore.

SEAAGE´s third annual conference, titled "The Future Workforce: Digital, Data, Diversity, Design" features industry experts and market leaders providing insights into current and future trends and challenges in the Asian and global talent markets. Flywire´s chief people officer for global payment and receivables specialist, Kelly Hartman will be one of the speakers at the conference, a statement said.

She will be discussing diversity - its real meaning in the workplace, why it is integral to employee engagement and how companies can leverage it for success, especially in the technology space. Speakers include executives from Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Artic Shores, Unilever, GradConnection, World Customs Organisation (WCO), Maximum and Warwick University UK.

The event will also feature presentations and interactive discussions including innovations in talent recruitment, higher education, workforce preparation and building employer brands.

The conference format encourages open sharing of knowledge and experience, and serves to elevate the early talent industry as an increasingly important, strategic part of business.

SEAAGE is a not-for-profit professional association that provides networking, information and best practices to help its members to better understand the workings of the Asian graduate recruitment market.

--BERNAMA