Friday, November 30, 2018

SOLARWINDS TO SHOWCASE EXTENDED MICROSOFT AZURE MONITORING CAPABILITIES AT SQL SERVER LIVE! 360 2018

SOLARWINDS TO SHOWCASE EXTENDED MICROSOFT AZURE MONITORING CAPABILITIES AT SQL SERVER LIVE! 360 2018

SIGMA SYSTEMS NEWLY INCLUDED WITHIN THE GARTNER NOVEMBER 2018 MAGIC QUADRANT FOR CONFIGURE, PRICE AND QUOTE APPLICATION SUITES

TORONTO, Nov 30 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Sigma Systems, the global leader in catalog-driven software, today announced that Sigma Systems has been recognized and placed for the first time within the Gartner November 2018 Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites.

We believe that Sigma Systems’ position within the Magic Quadrant reflects the company’s unique expertise serving communications service providers and is backed by a strong base of large global CSPs that rely on Sigma software for creating, selling, and delivering new digital products and services faster and more profitably.

It’s clear that companies are putting a strategic emphasis on transforming how they sell to their customers, especially those selling to business customers. CPQ is a key enabler of transforming the selling experience, and a rapidly growing imperative within the communications industry.

Tim Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of Sigma Systems commented:

“Sigma is the leader in solving the critical challenges of how digital service providers create, sell, and deliver new products and services within the communications, high-tech, and media space. We believe our placement in this Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites is a testament to our expertise in helping service providers overcome the unique complexities inherent within the communications industry in selling and managing services for new and existing customers. As service providers look to transform their selling experience, Sigma CPQ should be a key consideration in any RFP or evaluation process where a communications industry specific CPQ is needed.”

For those service providers that want to create, sell, and deliver differently, we encourage you to check out our award-winning Create-Sell-Deliver Portfolio of software products and download a complimentary copy of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites.

For further information about Sigma SystemsSigma CPQ and getting Next Done NowTMvisit us at www.sigma-systems.com or contact us at info@sigma-systems.com.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites, Christina Klock | Mark Lewis | Melissa Hilbert, 5 November 2018.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Sigma Systems (sigma-systems.com or Twitter @SigmaSystems)

Sigma Systems is the global leader in catalog-driven software solutions for communications, media, and high-tech companies. It serves over 80 customers in 40 countries with its award-winning products. The company’s portfolio spans enterprise-wide Catalog, Configure Price Quote (CPQ), Order Management, Provisioning, Insights and Portfolio Inventory products, and offers a core set of services including professional services, cloud services, and managed services. Sigma utilizes an agile approach to implementing its B/OSS products for its customers. Sigma has offices in North and South America, Europe and Asia Pacific, with technology and integration partners globally.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181129005222/en/

Contact

Chloe Purcell
Strategic PR Manager
Milner Strategic Marketing Ltd.
+44 1473 633123

Glenn Gibson
Vice President Marketing
Sigma Systems
+1-416-827-6851

Source : Sigma Systems

Thursday, November 29, 2018

​2018 HAINAN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM ISLAND CARNIVAL OPENS TO TOURISTS WORLDWIDE

HAIKOU, China, Nov. 28, 2018 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

On November 24, the 2018 (19th) Hainan International Tourism Island Carnival kicked off in Haikou, introducing more than 120 activities for visitors from home and abroad, for unforgettable leisure time in Hainan. The governor of Hainan Province, Mr. Shen Xiaoming, announced the opening. In the upcoming month, more than 120 activities such as art performances, sports competitions, exhibitions and celebrations will be staged, bringing unforgettable happy experience to the global visitors.

After years of efforts, the Hainan Carnival is now a featured celebration of tourism, and the highlight in tourism and culture of global influence. This carnival is of a larger scale, higher level, with more participants than ever before, and has attracted guests from more than 20 countries and regions, and from 21 provinces, cities and districts of China.

"The Hainan Carnival shows the tourism and culture of Hainan, and is the festival of us all," Salote Pilolevu Tuita, Princess of the Kingdom of Tonga and President of the Tonga-China Friendship Association, who came to attend the carnival, appreciated Hainan's efforts to build an international tropical island resort. Mr. Vira Rojpojchanarat, Minister of Culture of Thailand, pointed out that the Hainan International Tourism Island Carnival is world-famous and promotes the protection and development of cultural heritage. Thailand has also sent art troupes to give a performance. Duan Qiang, Chairman of the World Tourism Alliance (WTA), said that as China's first region-wide tourism province, Hainan enjoys a sound momentum of tourism development. He believed that the central government's preferential policies for Hainan's development and construction will inject strong momentum into Hainan's tourism development.

"We welcome tourists from home and abroad to Hainan to appreciate its unique charm," Fu Caixiang, Vice Governor of Hainan Province, extended a cordial invitation at the opening ceremony. The carnival is hosted by Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, which is composed of Haikou Main Venue and five sub-venues in Sanya, Danzhou, Qionghai, Wanning and Lingshui. International main events such as the 2018 World Leisure Tourism Expo, the 4th Hainan International Tourism and Food Expo and the first World Tourism and Investment Conference will be held. The carnival will close in Sanya on December 31.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33321

Promo video of Wuhan´s East Lake draws thousands of viewers


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 (Bernama) -- The promo video of Wuhan’s East Lake released at the China International Friendship Cities Conference recently made a stunning appearance and reached 100,000 play counts and thousands of viewers’ comments.
The promo video of Wuhan concentrated the city's 3,500-year-old history into 1,500 characters through the lens of everyday changes while the promo video of the East Lake,  the “green heart” of Wuhan reflects the harmony of human and nature, city and lake.
With the East Lake, Wuhan shines even brighter as a city of bridges, forests and universities. Before the hosting of 2019 Military World Games, Wuhan’s image has once again surprised the world.
The video creation team includes a senior writer and director, Li Sheng who also the writer for the video. He had been touring the East Lake for inspiration since April and after half a year of working and polishing, he finalized the 1,768-character article for the video.
A classical Chinese expert, Shu Bangxin commented that Li’s writings for both the East Lake and the city of Wuhan are classic as he wrote with all his love for the city, a statement from The Management Committee of the East Lake said.
The video has also drawn the attention of Zhang Wen -- granddaughter of Zhou Cangbai who built the East Lake Park -- and daughter of China's famed soprano, Zhou Xiaoyan who sent her congratulations as she feels touched and hearty for Li’s words in the video.
The director and videographer, Song Xiaohu said many valuable scenes are rarely seen as they were shot under special circumstances of weather and timing. Cinema-level equipment were used to shoot and the video is also being produced in English for overseas broadcasting.
-- BERNAMA

First web TV platform for sports clubs and athletes showcased in Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- French Web TV-caster, MYTVCHAIN has showcased the first web TV platform for sports clubs and athletes, powered by blockchain technology at Blockshow Asia in Singapore on Nov 28 and 29.

The platform is up and running and already onboards its first sports clubs in France, a statement said.

It allows sports clubs to create own web TV and animate communities whilst simultaneously generating revenue to develop and support their activities. It also helps sports clubs to build brand loyalty and accelerate growth in the development of sport club channels.

Users are rewarded in tokens for viewing content on the platform and can utilize these tokens for a variety of transactions – from supporting their favorite clubs or content producers with donations to purchase services or videos from MYTVCHAIN and more.

The platform facilitates and incentivizes transactions within its ecosystem by implementing tokenization and crowdfunding whereby to facilitate ease of token purchase for its Initial Coin Offering (ICO), MYTVCHAIN is deploying a fiat-based payment gateway LBXPro.io, using money transfers for payments.

The MYTVCHAIN token is already pre-approved to be listed on established exchange LaToken.com at the end of the ICO. The company welcomes interested individuals to its private investor meetup at the Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore on Nov 30. More details on https://mytvchain.io.

-- BERNAMA

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Taiwan´s tallest bamboo construction at Taichung World Flora Expo

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 (Bernama) -- The tallest bamboo construction ever built in Taiwan for expo-goers to explore and interact with bamboo interior space is being exhibited at The Taichung World Flora Expo from Nov 3 to April 24, 2019.

Designed by architect Chen Yi-chung of the Taichung-based ZUO Studio, the Bamboo Pavilion is constructed with bamboo -- a fast-growing plant and renewable natural material with high strength-to-weight ratio that can be utilized for multiple purposes.

Chen in a statement said the Bamboo Pavilion is constructed with mainly Taiwan-grown bamboos to replace concrete, seeking to create a harmonious relationship between architecture and natural environment by using sustainable building material.

“At 10m high, the curvy exterior of the pavilion also integrates with its surrounding landscape including a pond and Makino bamboo garden designs, making it a place for visitors to connect with nature while exploring or resting inside,” added Chen.

The Bamboo Pavilion also has been shortlisted by the World Architecture Festival Awards for the Leisure Led Development – Future Project category, recognizing the strength of architecture firms in Taichung and Taichung City Government’s promotional efforts for the expo.

It was constructed with more than 300 stalks of Moso bamboo from Nantou which presents promotion wishes.  The Bamboo Pavilion is one of the major highlights on this year’s flora expo which also features garden designs by Hong Kong, Malaysia and Myanmar.

Also exhibited at the expo includes the world’s largest “The Sound of Blooming” installation art, the longest paper-cutting art, the largest equestrian stadium, the first renewable building constructed with straw and more, the statement said.

-- BERNAMA

CREATIVE CHINESE FOOD IGNITED THE TASTE BUDS OF THE WORLD

SHENYANG, China, Nov 26 (Bernama) -- From November 21st to 24th, 2018 "LuHua Cup" Chinese Cooking World Championships (top), including 240 competition events, was held in Shenyang, Liaoning province. According to China Cuisine Association, more than 200 Chinese culinary elites from all over the world produced over 2, 000 creative Chinese food works of hot dishes, cold dishes, pastries and food carving in these days.

In the exhibition area, various creative Chinese food were made. In the food carving area, a phoenix carved with vegetables in different colors appeared to be quivering with multicolored feathers and soaring above the peonies carved with white turnips.In the hot food area, most dishes were paired with meat and vegetarian materials, the rich meat and fresh vegetarian dishes alternately stimulated the taste buds.

The chief executive of LuHua Group, Xin Xufeng, said that flavor trumps everything else in the law of eating. "Color, aroma and taste" is not only the eternal pursuit of Chinese cuisine, but also the people's pursuit of a better life.

Chinese food has a profound cultural connotation with a history of thousands of years. Chinese food has a variety of cuisines, and each dish has its own characteristic. In different regions, there are thousands of dishes corresponding to various cooking skills and their own styles. People's fond of Chinese food is soaring in these days. "With the development of globalization, Chinese food consumers have already been all over the world. To make Chinese cuisine with international taste, we pay more attention to meat and vegetable collocation and plastic arts while retaining its traditional flavor," said by Bian Jiang, Vice President of the China Cuisine Association.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33299

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

New leadership assessment launched to drive company growth

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- Organisation Solutions -- a global consultancy company -- has launched Edge, a new leadership assessment to help companies find and develop leaders that can drive growth in today’s world.

Several of the world’s leading multinational companies and high-growth companies closely involved in the design and development of Edge have already been successfully deployed in the technology, financial services, food and commodities sectors.

The company Chief Operating Officer,  Dr. James Eyring in a statement said CEOs with growth capabilities deliver 10 times more revenue but most leadership assessments do not test for these capabilities as their talent systems are mismatched with their growth strategies.

Eyring who also author of a new white paper -- An Edge for Growth: 5 Capabilities That Differentiate Growth Leaders -- added that companies need leaders who can drive performance today, transform the business for tomorrow and keep people energized.

“With Edge, we have created the first assessment that specifically measures the most important leadership capabilities that drive growth such as innovation and external-orientation,” commented Senior Vice President of Leader Services, Corinne Williams.

Organisation Solutions, headquartered in Singapore helps companies grow and manage the challenges of growth by providing leadership development, leadership assessment, executive coaching and transformation services. More details on https://www.organisationsolutions.com.

-- BERNAMA

Flame resistant apparel for Asia Pacific oil and gas industry

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- A cutting-edge aramid flame resistant (FR) fabric, Westex™ Synergy™ Pro which offers the highest comfort level in a reputable protective aramid fabric for daily wear FR apparel has been introduced.

This is following the joint technology and commercial partnership by Westex™ by Milliken™, US-based FR textiles brand and Teijin Aramid, an aramid fiber producer based in the Netherlands.

Westex Synergy Pro makes FR daily wear uniforms a simple and attractive safety solution for the Asia Pacific oil and gas industry.

According to a statement, the fabric is exclusively available in Southeast Asia and Australasian markets from Nov 27. It has a variety of colors and in both 160 g/m2 and 200 g/m2 weights.

Westex Synergy Pro features superior softness and six times better moisture-wicking capabilities compared to other leading aramid FR fabrics.

The fabric is also compliant to NFPA 2112 and NFPA 70E. It also certified to EN ISO 11611 and EN ISO 11612 for oil and gas industry flash fire hazards.

Powered by Teijinconex® meta-aramid staple fibers, Westex Synergy Pro builds on Westex by Milliken’s award-winning FR expertise to create a performance-driven aramid fabric with guaranteed FR protection.

More details at www.westex.com and www.teijinaramid.com

-- BERNAMA

Friday, November 23, 2018

Tourist ninja video to promote new Japan website

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- NTT DOCOMO Inc has released the -- WOW! NINJA in SHIBUYA -- a video to promote its new WOW! JAPAN website, providing information about Japanese culture, sightseeing and travel experiences for tourists planning to visit Japan or people already in the country.

The video contains scenes of animated ninjas performing on the Shibuya MODI building’s outdoor screen and features a real-life ninja encountering surprised foreign visitors walking through Tokyo’s popular Shibuya entertainment district

The company decided to promote its new website by leveraging the strong global interest in Japan’s legendary stealth fighters as survey by the Japan Ninja Council last year, stated 60 per cent of foreigners overseas believe that ninjas still exist in Japan.

The new website contains languages include English, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Korean and Japanese. It presents over 2,000 articles about tourism and culture and information on over 650,000 different locations nationwide, a statement said.

As part of the promotional campaign, the company is presenting daily showings of animated ninja projected on the Shibuya MODI building’s outdoor screen with two versions of the 90-second show are aired at various times day and night. Airings will last through Nov 30.

NTT DOCOMO is Japan's leading mobile operator with over 77 million subscriptions. It is also one of the world's foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. More details on www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english or https://wow-j.com/en/shibuya-ninja.

-- BERNAMA

FIELDSTONE CONSOLIDATES GLOBAL STRUCTURE

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 21 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fieldstone, a leading independent investment bank and financial services provider in the energy and infrastructure sector, has brought together its services and offerings under unified ownership and management on a global basis.

Jason Harlan, Fieldstone’s CEO, commented, “We have been working on this consolidation project for some time, and it is pleasing that we have now reached the point where we have taken full control of Fieldstone. This has resulted in the small New York team and its Malaysian subsidiary, being required to change the name and license of their operations, with immediate effect.”

With this transition, Fieldstone will be able to even better provide a truly seamless global offering, which it has been doing successfully for nearly 28 years. As part of this process, Fieldstone launched a permanent Washington DC office and subsidiary (Fieldstone Development Corporation or Fieldstone DC) earlier this year to serve both North American clients and to assist multi-lateral and US development finance institutions located in that city. The office is led by Ambassador Chris Dell, former Ambassador in several African and European countries and Barney Rush, a long-time banker and senior figure in the energy market.

Asian clients are a key part of Fieldstone’s practice, for projects and transactions in developing markets and in Europe. This part of the business will be directly addressed from January next year when Kan Xi, who previously worked with Infraco and Climate Change Capital in London joins the team. She will relocate to Asia to represent Fieldstone on the ground and monitor the needs of existing and prospective clients as well as assess future expansion plans into that market.

Harlan concluded, “The Fieldstone family in Nairobi, Casablanca, Dakar, Berlin, London, Johannesburg, Washington DC, Miami, Lima, and Buenos Aires, are all very excited about being in a position that will enable us to accelerate the integrated international model for the business to better serve our clients around the globe. The rapid transitions occurring in the energy industry and the need for international best practices in infrastructure finance can only be properly addressed by such an approach.”


View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181120005847/en/


Contact

Indira Francis
PR Manager
Telephone: +27 11 775 2000
E-Mail: IFrancis@fieldstone.group

Source : Fieldstone

--BERNAMA 

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Beijing explores fresh ways of inbound tourism partnership as tourist level increases

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Beijing has recorded 2.27 million inbound tourists from Jan to July, 2018 with increase of 2.5 per cent year on year which underscores its efforts to explore new ways of inbound tourism partnership and open up tourism market by a string of supportive policies.

The capital of China has introduced an array of policies including special funds for awarding inbound tourism, funds for MICE, shopping tax rebates on departure for overseas tourists and 144-hour transit visa exemption to propel inbound tourism growth.

With the international events to be hosted including the International Horticulture Exhibition in 2019, the World Leisure Conference in 2020 and the Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games in 2022, new opportunities will be available for Beijing's inbound tourism development as it also willing to strengthen cooperation and share opportunities with domestic and overseas partners.

It is also expected to play a bigger role in deepening reform and opening-up, enhancing international friendship and promoting cultural and economic exchanges, according to a statement from Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development (BMCTD).

In February, BMCTD launched the "Global Distribution Partnership Program of Beijing Tourism" -- China's and Asia Pacific region's first strategic cooperation innovation mechanism -- initiated by the government and participated in by international travel agents.

The project received over 120 applications from international travel agents, while 30 of them are selected to be the partners inking a three-year-long cooperation with BMCTD to carry out in-depth cooperation over information sharing, marketing and tourism route development.

BMCTD hopes to explore a normalized inbound tourism cooperation mechanism and invite global partners to participate in the study of feature inbound tourism routes and continue to enhance Beijing's appeal as a global tourism destination.

Based on changes in the inbound tourism market, groups and preferences, eight types of feature tourism products will be introduced including ancient capital tours, modern capital tours, folklore tours, fashion tours, Chinese traditional medicine health tours and others.

-- BERNAMA

A.M. BEST UPGRADES CREDIT RATINGS OF EVERGREEN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED

HONG KONG, Nov 19 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A.M. Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a” from “a-” of Evergreen Insurance Company Limited (EICL) (Bermuda). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect EICL’s balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

As a pure captive of Evergreen Group, EICL underwrites mainly marine, aviation and property risks related to the group’s operations.

The upgrade of EICL’s ratings reflect the improvement in the quality of its capital and liquidity position following the full repayment of the loan-back to its parent company in December 2017, coupled with the company’s prudent dividend policy over the short to intermediate term. The company’s risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), remained at a robust level, supported by low underwriting leverage, prudent reinsurance arrangements with a diversified panel of financially sound reinsurers, and a conservative reserving practice. Despite EICL’s small absolute capital size, A.M. Best expects that the company will continue to grow its capital and surplus gradually through profit retentions while maintaining strong liquidity over the short to intermediate term.

The company has demonstrated a track record of strong operating results, mainly underpinned by favorable and stable net claims experience as a result of an effective reinsurance strategy. A stream of ceding commission income also lowered the captive’s operating expenses. Investment yields have been positive yet low due to the conservative investment approach and continued low interest rate environment.

As a pure captive, EICL continues to be an integral part of the overall risk management of Evergreen Group by providing underwriting solutions, operational safety and loss prevention services to affiliated companies of the group. The company is equipped with strong underwriting know-how, as substantiated by its favorable operating performance while maintaining a broad geographic diversification of insured risks.

Offsetting rating factors include the potential increase in reinsurance credit risk associated with reinsurance recoverables related to the company’s sizable ceded aviation risk. Notwithstanding, the captive regularly monitors the reinsurers’ credit profiles, and has strengthened some reinsurance contract clauses recently to reduce the potential credit and liquidity risks.

While positive rating actions are not likely over the short to intermediate term, negative rating actions could occur if there are material capital or dividend payouts that lead to a substantial decline in EICL’s risk-adjusted capitalization, or there is a deteriorating trend in the company’s operating performance.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33255

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Patton Electronics enhances IPv6 in SmartNode CPE

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Bernama) – Patton Electronics Co. – doing business as a bricks-and-mortar manufacturer since 1984 – has enhanced IPv6 in its SmartNode CPE.

By implementing enhanced IPv6 in SmartNode VoIP CPE, Patton supports simplified network architectures and lowers operation and maintenance costs for service providers and enterprises.

The IPv6 standard expands available IP addresses octillion times or at least 17 billion.

According to Patton in a statement, the global expansion of the Internet, proliferation of IP endpoint devices and the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) reflects that Pv4 addresses will soon run out.

With IPv4, maintaining network address translation (NAT) tables is complex, time-consuming and costly – whatech.com predicts the IPv6 market will grow at rate (CAGR) of +31 per cent until 2023 and beyond.

Service providers made plans and some partially implemented IPv6 in their networks. Carriers like Telefonica and T-MOBILE and enterprises such as Microsoft have started the changeover.

“One thing is for sure, we are not living in an All-IPv6 world. Still the move to IPv6 is inevitable. And there are good reasons to do it sooner rather than later,” said Executive Vice President at Patton, Burton A. Patton (Burt).

“Getting from IPv4 to All-IPv6 networking presents challenges. We will live in a mixed IPv4/IPv6 world for some years,” Patton added in the statement.

More details at www.patton.com

-- BERNAMA

Geek+ Robotics showcases smart logistics automation solution in CeMAT ASIA 2018


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) – Geekplus Technology – a robotics and supply chain automation start-up based in Beijing, China has showcased its turn-key automation solution in the CeMAT ASIA in Shanghai recently.
Drawing tens of thousands visitors, CeMAT ASIA is a high-level international exhibition that displayed the newest technologies of material handling, automation and transport.
The exhibition is an excellent platform for Geek+ Robotics to present its automation solution for intralogistics and to discuss with potential clients worldwide about the prospects of implementing robots for business growth, a statement said.
Geek+ Robotics has been recognized as the top robot maker in China and has grown rapidly over the past three years, from four co-founders to a professional team of over 600 employees.
Geek+ Robotics chief executive officer, Yong Zheng said: “Innovative robot & AI technologies and insightful supply chain industry knowledge are vital instruments to Geekplus, our job is to combine them in the most effective way and make smart logistics simpler than ever”.
The company’s flagship ‘goods-to-person’ solution – Geek Picking System has been deployed in various industries worldwide and many influential enterprises like TMALL.COM, China Post, SF Express and others.
Geek+ simplifies steps in order fulfillment, material handling and sorting using AI and robotics to reduce labor, optimize parcel consolidation and the picking process and manage fleets of robots. More details at www.geekplusrobotics.com
    -- BERNAMA

Tacit Knowledge helps FitFlop triple online sales


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Bernama) – Tacit Knowledge’s flagship platform – ncommerce – is powering FitFlop’s new eCommerce website – delivering value in less than 12 weeks.

Ncommerce is one stable, modern and scalable platform, from one vendor, with one contract, removing the complexity from high profile web implementation projects, according to a statement.

Global GM - Digital at FitFlop, Denise Fender said: “Our high expectations were exceeded and our online sales rocketed more than 3X and conversions increased dramatically, particularly on mobile”.

“We are so pleased with the initial results, that we are now focused on putting digital at the forefront of our business operating model,” Fender added.

SVP and GM of Tacit Knowledge, James Bullock said: “We are as thrilled as FitFlop with the results – record online sales and significant conversion rate increases in less than three months”.

Tacit Knowledge is a Pitney Bowes company and it is an end-to-end commerce solutions provider for global retailers and brands.

Ncommerce enabled FitFlop to quickly deploy technologies from numerous industry leaders in a single solution that is easy to manage and highly customisable to deliver deeper intuitive brand experiences for customers.

FitFlop was able to build a brand-specific storefront that provides deeper, more engaging customer experiences, while allowing new merchandising features to be conceived and implemented more rapidly.

Site maintenance is simplified, freeing FitFlop to focus more on its products and customers rather than perpetually managing technology.

More details at www.tacitknowledge.com and www.pitneybowes.com

-- BERNAMA

Monday, November 19, 2018

Third International Open Art Competition for 2019 in Japan


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) – The third International Open Art Competition -- Art Olympia 2019 -- will be held in Japan next year to discover talented artists worldwide and support for their art activities.

Held once every two years, the competition will give away a total of approximately US$500,000 in cash awards and prizes for supporting artist activities. (US$1 = RM4.19)

The Art Olympia Executive Committee said in a statement, to support young artists, it has also created a Student Category, allowing students to apply for both All-Entrants and Student Categories.

The first-prize winner in All-Entrants Category will receive US$120,000 while US$20,000 for first-prize winner in Student Category. One thousand artists will be also honored and featured.

A primary review will be done using artwork images and the final review will use actual artworks.

The final review will use a point-rating system, allowing the public to check the reviewing process. Approximately 160 artworks will be selected for a final review in Tokyo by a panel of jurors worldwide.

The third Art Olympia will accept two-dimensional artworks. Acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mineral pigments, print, charcoal, digital/multimedia art, mixed media, photography  will be also accepted. The maximum size is 117cm x 117cm (46 x 46 inches).

The entry period started from Oct 1, 2018 to March 15, 2019. Winners will be announced on June 6, 2019 while the exhibition are at Toshima Ward Office Building from June 8 to 16, 2019 and at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum from June 23 to 29, 2019. More details at http://artolympia.info/

-- BERNAMA

California´s HireRight achieves ISO certification in APAC


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 (Bernama) – HireRight, an employment screening solutions provider, has achieved the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 27001:2013 certification in Asia Pacific (APAC).
President and Chief Executive Officer of HireRight, Guy Abramo said: “We wanted to assure clients and candidates that their data is being handled in accordance with established standards.
“Having undergone an in-depth review over the last twelve months, with the HireRight team assisting the ISO implementation assessors every step of the way, we’re delighted that our commitment to security and compliance has been recognised,” Abramo added.
The US-based company said in a statement the certification provides independent assurance that its data security has been audited in accordance with internationally accepted standards.
ISO 27001:2013 specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system.
It also includes requirements for the assessment and treatment of information security risks tailored to the needs of the company.
All relevant legislative statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements, along with HireRight’s approach to meet these requirements were explicitly identified, documented and kept up to date throughout the process.
Being certified in APAC also ensures that HireRight complies with all of the requirements including market-specific regulations. Along with APAC, HireRight in  Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has also attained the certification.
HireRight is headquartered in Irvine, California, with offices around the globe, including regional headquarters in Mexico City, London and Singapore. More details at www.hireright.com
    -- BERNAMA

Saturday, November 17, 2018

ACURIS RISK INTELLIGENCE AND FINSCAN® ANNOUNCE GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

New alliance provides more efficient, integrated approach to watch list screening

LONDON, Nov 16 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Acuris Risk Intelligence, an independent provider of data intelligence for Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Anti-Corruption and Cyber Security; and FinScan, a global leader in AML compliance solutions, have joined forces to deliver an integrated platform for seamless and efficient watch list screening and customer due diligence.

FinScan provides advanced sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) and adverse media screening solutions for organisations worldwide. Its intelligent matching technology drastically reduces false positives and the risk of missing true hits. By combining FinScan’s accuracy and scalability with Acuris Risk Intelligence’s specialised knowledge, the partnership enables clients to screen customers and vendors against any high-risk or sanction lists using the deployment method of their choice.

Joel Lange, managing director at Acuris Risk Intelligence commented on the new partnership: “This collaboration will allow organisations to improve due diligence workflow processes through FinScan’s automated screening platform. With due diligence in the spotlight now more than ever, effective and comprehensive technologies will be key to staying on top of changing regulations.”

To address the ever-increasing demands on compliance professionals, Acuris Risk Intelligence and FinScan bring a deeper understanding, better workflows and higher precision to customer due diligence operations. By integrating Acuris Risk Intelligence sanction, PEP, source of wealth and adverse media data into FinScan, the two provide an increased level of transparency to clients in determining whether or not they need to act on highly suspicious activity.

“Automation is essential to enable regulated entities to step up their due diligence procedures in determining their customers’ legitimacy”, said Craig Robertson, FinScan’s managing director of the UK, MEA and APAC. “Our new collaboration with Acuris Risk Intelligence provides an additional level of clarity to our clients’ due diligence processes.”

About Acuris Risk Intelligence:
Acuris Risk Intelligence was established in 2004 as C6 and rose to become one of the top suppliers of proprietary PEPs, sanctions and AML data for due diligence and compliance. It was acquired by Acuris Group in 2015. Today, Acuris Risk Intelligence combines a world-class dataset – that now includes fraud and cyber security content – with expert human analysts and state-of-the-art technology to help organisations manage the risk in business relationships effectively. Clients access our intelligence via a SaaS platform, or via API and feed technology so risk protection is built in to the way they operate. Our focus areas include third-party risk, anti-money laundering and the proactive detection of cyber security risk. For more information, please visit us at acurisriskintelligence.com or call us on +44 (0) 203 742 1200.

About FinScan
FinScan is a leading global provider of advanced anti-money laundering (AML) solutions. As the compliance brand of Innovative Systems, a worldwide leader in data management and risk management solutions, FinScan uniquely brings more than 50 years of expertise in the development of data quality, data matching and linking and name screening technologies. Our unparalleled risk and compliance screening accuracy helps minimise false positives while reducing the risk of missing true hits. FinScan’s comprehensive offerings include sanctions and PEP screening, beneficial owner due diligence, transaction screening and monitoring and ID validation capabilities. FinScan can be deployed via on-premise, SaaS, or via web services to meet our clients’ data security, data privacy, or efficiency requirements. www.finscan.com.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33244

Friday, November 16, 2018

CISCO UNITES SD-WAN AND SECURITY TO ADDRESS THE NEW CLOUD EDGE

LAS VEGAS, Nov 14 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cisco Partner Summit -- Cisco is unifying its security and
software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technologies to help organizations embrace the cloud faster with choice and confidence.

The WAN is undergoing a radical transformation. Today, organizations host their applications in multiple clouds – public, private and SaaS.
The way people work has also changed; employees connect from coffee shops and airport lounges, instead of just the office. Now, organizations must rely on the Internet to connect users to business-critical applications. This has resulted in a new Cloud Edge – the intersection of networking and security.

Until now, SD-WAN solutions have forced IT to choose between application experience or security. By evolving its SD-WAN portfolio,
Cisco is addressing the new realities of the Cloud Edge. Cisco SD-WAN can help IT deliver better application experiences and make users more productive with unmatched simplicity and scale. And now, best-of-breed security can be easily enabled anywhere it is needed, from the branch to the cloud.

“The emergence of the new Cloud Edge is disrupting our customers’ network and security architectures. Today, every WAN device must become software defined and secure,” said Scott Harrell, senior vice president and general manager, Enterprise Networking at Cisco. “Cisco’s SD-WAN makes it easy
for customers to get the very best of networking and security. We are building a bridge to a new business world that speeds our customers’ ability to
unlock the power of the cloud — faster with less risk.”

Cisco SD-WAN: Simple, Secure, Scalable
Cisco SD-WAN is built to address today’s most pressing issues, yet flexible enough to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. New innovations include:
 
- Fusing Security with SD-WAN: From application-aware enterprise firewall and intrusion prevention, to URL filtering, advanced security is now
integrated into Cisco SD-WAN devices and managed through a single pane of glass. And Cisco SD-WAN is all powered by Talos, the industry’s
most powerful cyber threat intelligence solution.
 
- Simplifying Cloud Security Deployments: By integrating Cisco SD-WAN with Cisco Umbrella, access to malicious destinations can be
blocked before a connection is ever established.
 
- Applications Experience: Cisco has partnered with Microsoft to enhance the Office 365 application experience for users. Unlike other vendors,
Cisco SD-WAN monitors in real-time all available paths to the Microsoft Office 365 cloud. Using Microsoft Office URLs, Cisco is also able to
determine the closest cloud, resulting in up to 40 percent faster performance for users.
 
- Open and Programmable: With open APIs, Cisco SD-WAN provides service providers and partners the opportunity to create unique new services.
To help developers and network engineers innovate, Cisco DevNet has created new SD-WAN learning labs and sandboxes.
 
- New SD-WAN Infrastructure: With the world’s broadest SD-WAN portfolio powered by Viptela and Meraki, Cisco is offering even more options for
customers with two new Integrated Services Routers (ISR) designed for small and large branch offices.
 

- Quick Start Service: Cisco is also helping customers accelerate SD-WAN deployments and decrease risk via a new SD-WAN Quick Start Service.
For a fixed-price, customers get access to remote implementation and knowledge transfer capabilities to streamline projects. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33223

Demand on ecological gift hampers growing among corporates

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Sixty per cent of corporate customers are looking for more ecological gift and hamper options as the growing awareness of environmental responsibility make them more conscious about their impact on the environment.

Traditionally, hampers use a considerable amount of packing material, cellophane wrapping and adhesive tape which is harmful to the environment as these are typically discarded without any thought, according to a statement from Gift Hampers SG.

Originating in Hong Kong, Gift Hampers SG has emerged as the leading hamper specialists with operations in Singapore and Malaysia. This year, it has seen a huge increase in corporate customers seeking eco-friendly hampers.

The company has uses eco-alternative materials and sustainable practices in support of the ‘break free from plastic’ movement by using 100 per cent natural biodegradable materials for cellophane wrapping, cellotape and fillers with hopes that their contribution can benefits the environment.

“Gifting hampers can be environmentally friendly. By adopting better environmental practices and focusing on sustainability, we can provide our customers with eco-friendly hampers without compromising on aesthetics, quality or price,” said founder of Gift Hampers SG, Justin Chung.

In response to growing interests in sustainable products, the company is motivated into designing high quality hampers that could be reused for storage purposes at home or office, a statement said.

It boasts a collection of baskets and gift boxes in various shapes, colours and styles by using a wooden board as a base for their hamper. The wooden board can be reused as a chopping board or serving purposes.

More details on https://gifthampers.com.sg.

-- BERNAMA

MIMOS DEPLOYS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION FOR KINDERGARTEN

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- National Applied Research and Development Centre (MIMOS) has deployed a technology solution as part of the agency's effort to provide a safe kindergarten environment for the children of its employees.

MIMOS chief technology officer, R. Thillai Raj said the initiative was taken in response to the government's call for holistic monitoring of nurseries and pre-schools.

"The video surveillance system deployed at Tadika MIMOS is unlike the conventional closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera as it is supported by video analytics technology, which can provide smarter surveillance, such as in differentiating an adult from a child, automatically detecting aggressiveness and behaviours such as climbing, and detecting abnormal movements such as unauthorised access to restricted areas.

"The system can also recognise vehicle plate numbers and detect illegal parking within the kindergarten area," he said in a statement, here, today.

Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail made her maiden visit to MIMOS where she inspected Tadika MIMOS.

During the visit, Dr Wan Azizah who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, was briefed by MIMOS chief executive officer, Ahmad Rizan Ibrahim. Also present were Community Development Department (Kemas) director-general, Datuk Amiruddin Ariffin and Social Welfare Department director-general, Mohd Fazari Mohd Salleh.

Tadika MIMOS was established in year 2000 to provide a conducive day-care and one-stop facility fo children of MIMOS employees. The kindergarten caters to children aged four to six years with an average enrolment of 60 pupils annually.

Thillai Raj said MIMOS went a step further by incorporating a psychometric-based digital assessment for profiling and hiring, and a communication app for parents and teachers to facilitate and monitor daily activities at the kindergarten.

"The deployment of video analytics has been proven to improve public safety, while such technology is also ideal to be implemented in welfare homes or community organisations such as those providing care services for the aged and shelters for the underprivileged," he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Rizan said MIMOS was committed to supporting the government's policy and initiatives including in improving public safety and quality of life through technologies.
"As key driver of technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, MIMOS welcomes possible collaborations with government agencies and the private sector in developing advanced technology applications to improve public safety," he said.

-- BERNAMA

BINA PURI'S GMD, TAN SRI DATUK TEE HOCK SENG CONFERRED ATSUMI AWARD BY IFAWPCA

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- Y.Bhg Tan Sri Datuk Tee Hock Seng, JP, Group Managing Director of Bina Puri Holdings Bhd was conferred the prestigious IFAWPCA Atsumi Award at the 44th International Federation of Asian and Western Pacific Contractors’ Associations (IFAWPCA) Convention today held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The Award was presented by Mr. Yoshihiro Yamaguchi, from the Overseas Construction Association of Japan (OCAJI) representing the late Takeo Atsumi, Past President of IFAWPCA, 1973-1974.

IFAWPCA Atsumi Award is a prestigious award presented to leaders in the construction industry who had contributed to the Malaysian construction industry nationally and internationally, in various aspects including roles in promotion of construction research and technology, enhancement of the social relevance, economic impact and responsibility towards environment, as well as dedication and active involvement in IFAWPCA in achieving its objectives. The last award recipient for Malaysia was YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad during the 29th IFAWPCA Convention in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. Thus it is truly an honour for Tan Sri Datuk Tee Hock Seng to receive this prestigious award.

“Even though this is an individual award, it should also be a reflection of team Bina Puri’s success and collective efforts,”

Tan Sri Datuk Tee Hock Seng is an experienced entrepreneur with more than 43 years business acumen in trading, construction and property development.

Tan Sri Datuk Tee Hock Seng began his career with Bina Puri as a Finance Director and later was appointed to the Board in 1990 and was subsequently appointed as the Group Managing Director. In January 1995, he was also responsible for the listing of Bina Puri Holdings Bhd in Bursa Malaysia.

He is an EXCO member of Malaysia South-South Association and Perdana Leadership Foundation. He is a Director of Malaysian South-South Corporation Bhd.

Active in social activities, he serves as the Honorary President of The Federation of Hokkien Associations of Malaysia, Honorary Chairman of the Malaysia Quarries Association, Honorary Chairman of The International Fellowship of Eng Choon Associates, President of the Kuala Lumpur Eng Choon Hoey Kuan, Chairman of the Chinese Maternity Hospital (CMH) and Deputy President of Tung Shin Hospital and Chairman, Board of Governors of SMJK Confucian. He is also the Honorary Chairman of the Young Malaysians Movement and the Federation of Malaysian Clans & Guilds Association as well as an elder of Elim Chapel.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33242

Thursday, November 15, 2018

NEURALSTEM REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2018 FINANCIAL RESULTS AND PROVIDES BUSINESS UPDATE

- NSI-189 Received Orphan Designation for Treatment of Angelman Syndrome -
- Initiated Phase 2 Clinical Trial of NSI-566 for Treatment of Chronic Stroke -
- Second-Generation Neural Stem Cell Program NSI-532 Showed Positive Preclinical Results for Alzheimer’s Disease -
- Closed $2.1 Million Registered Direct Offering -

GERMANTOWN, Md., Nov 15 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neuralstem, Inc. (Nasdaq: CUR), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of nervous system therapies based on its neural stem cell and small molecule technologies, today provided a business update and reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018.

“During the third quarter of 2018 we have made progress with our programs, have taken steps to strengthen the balance sheet, and, perhaps most importantly, have determined how we will focus our efforts moving forward,” said Jim Scully, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Neuralstem.  “We believe that proceeds from our recent offering, combined with our efforts to reduce cash burn, will allow us to pursue key development initiatives that will be detailed in the coming weeks.”

Clinical Highlights

- In August, NSI-189 received from FDA the orphan designation for treatment of Angelman Syndrome. Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare congenital genetic disorder caused by a lack of function in the UBE3A gene on the maternal 15th chromosome.  It affects approximately one in 15,000 people - about 500,000 individuals globally.  Symptoms of AS include developmental delay, lack of speech, seizures, and walking and balance disorders. Patients with AS may never walk or speak and require life-long care. Life expectancy is normal which places a significant burden on patients and caregivers. There are currently no FDA-approved therapies for the treatment of Angelman syndrome.

- In July, the company announced initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial to further evaluate NSI-566 in ischemic stroke.  This follows the positive results of the open-label Phase 1 stroke study disclosed in a 2018 ISSCR (International Society for Stem Cell Research) abstract on June 23, 2018.  The Phase 2 study is a randomized, double-blind, sham-surgery controlled study.  It is intended to further test the safety and efficacy of NSI-566 to reverse paralysis in stroke patients with half of their body partially paralyzed.  The trial is taking place at BaYi Brain Hospital in Beijing, China, and commenced on August 1, 2018.

- In October, the company announced publication of a manuscript in Scientific Reports showing that transplantation of NSI-532.IGF1 mitigates disease pathology and improves cognition in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease.  The study was performed at the University of Michigan by a team led by Dr. Eva Feldman, Director of the Program for Neurology Research and Discovery, and Research Director of the University of Michigan ALS Center of Excellence.  NSI-532.IGF1 is the first candidate from the NSI-532 program, a second-generation cell therapy program which combines neural stem cells with neuroprotective proteins.

Corporate Highlights

-In October, the company completed a registered direct offering of its securities which resulted in gross proceeds to Neuralstem of $2.1 million. Neuralstem intends to use the proceeds from this offering to further its clinical and preclinical programs, and for general working capital.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33232

Major US telco company acquires Vricon to boost 5G rollouts

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) – A major telecommunications company in United States has recently acquired Vricon’s high-resolution 3D geodata to support large-scale 5G telecommunications network planning and design.

According to a statement, under the multimillion-dollar contract, Vricon will provide the firm with 3D data of urban and suburban population centers across the US.

The company will also leverage Vricon’s recent innovations in mapping to accelerate 5G infrastructure planning nationwide.

Chief executive officer of Vricon, Magnus Brege said they see the potential in 5G to spark major innovations for both the consumer and business markets.

Vricon’s unique big-data solution uses the world’s largest archive of 50cm commercial satellite imagery -- the solution is built using automated 3D modeling algorithms that create cost-effective and scalable geodata.

By adopting Vricon’s unique mapping technology, telecommunications companies accelerate their network designs while also passing along cost savings to consumers.

Vricon’s Telco Suite is a cost-effective, next-generation solution that helps telecommunications companies design networks for optimal performance. The solution is scalable and covers regional, country, metropolitan and city-specific planning needs.

The leap to 5G will reduce latency in networks, make network speeds 10 times faster, expand coverage and increase capacity. These combination will enhance mobile connectivity, unlock the potential of the Internet of Things and enable vehicle safety systems while empowering driverless cars.

Vricon is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, US – serving the global professional geospatial market with world-leading 3D geodata and 3D visualization solutions. More details at http://www.vricon.com

-- BERNAMA