ADM completes secondary block trade of about US$550 million Wilmar ordinary shares

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 -- ADM has completed its previously announced secondary block trade of approximately US$550 million in Wilmar ordinary shares. (US$1 = RM4.18)

Wilmar – Asia’s leading agribusiness and packaged food oils company – is a strategic partner and one of ADM’s largest customers. 

ADM expects to use the net proceeds from the transaction for general corporate purposes, which may include, without limitation, meeting working capital requirements; funding capital expenditures and possible acquisitions of, or investments in, business and assets; and acquiring outstanding shares of ADM common stock.

Based on a statement, ADM will retain at least a 20 per cent equity investment in Wilmar.

According to ADM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Juan Luciano, this transaction provides additional capital while retaining the strong relationship with Wilmar. 

“We have no plans to sell additional Wilmar shares, and look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come.”

The Wilmar ordinary shares sold pursuant in the transaction have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, US persons (as defined in Regulation S) absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

-- BERNAMA

ForDoz Pharma, Lupin partner to market 2 complex injectable products in US

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 -- ForDoz Pharma Corporation has entered into an agreement with Lupin, to market and distribute two complex injectable products in an advanced development stage at ForDoz, in the United States (US) and its territories. 

According to a statement, the products are in the Oncology and Anti-infective therapeutic areas which upon approval, will provide affordable alternatives to patients and healthcare professionals.

These two licensed products are flagship technology assets among ForDoz complex injectable product pipeline portfolio including liposome, microsphere, emulsion, nanocrystal, control release nanosuspension and micelle.

The products will be manufactured in ForDoz Pharma’s US-based manufacturing site while the India-based Lupin shall be responsible for the commercialisation. The deal terms are confidential.

“ForDoz Pharma is excited to partner our flagship products with Lupin. Lupin’s leadership presence in the US will complement ForDoz’s scientific capability to bring affordable medicines to patients in an efficient manner,” said ForDoz founder and chief executive officer, James He.

ForDoz Pharma Corporation is a privately-owned specialty pharmaceutical company, focusing on development, manufacturing and commercialisation of value-added sterile and complex injectable products.

-- BERNAMA

THE NEW NORMAL BRINGS IN A NEW ERA BUT WE CAN NAVIGATE THROUGH THE PATH: A STRONG MESSAGE GIVEN AT THE ASEAN 53RD ANNIVERSARY ONLINE SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZED BY AJC

 

TOKYO, Aug 21 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- On 20 August 2020, the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) together with the ASEAN Committee in Tokyo (ACT), which consists of the ASEAN Ambassadors to Japan, organized the ASEAN 53^rd Anniversary Symposium online under the theme of “Beyond Covid-19: Moving into the New Normal” where participants joined from both Japan and ASEAN Member States.
 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200821005186/en/ 

The Symposium was opened by H.E. Mr. Myint Thu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in Japan and ACT Chair. Ambassador Myint Thu called for ASEAN and Japan to effectively address emerging challenges together and to implement countermeasures against the impact of global pandemic.

After the opening remarks, H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, delivered his keynote address. Dato Lim reassured that ASEAN’s determination to fight the pandemic remained strong through decisive, targeted, and measured actions. Quoted examples include, the establishment of “COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund” and the “ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies”; and the adoption of the “Hanoi Plan of Action on Strengthening ASEAN Economic Cooperation and Supply Chain Connectivity in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic”.

Dato Lim also acknowledged that the post-pandemic world would present fundamental changes in the way ASEAN economic activities were structured. There are five possibilities to deal with this: First, the realization of the greater importance of cross-cutting issues; second, accelerated emerging trends such as digitalization; third, focus on intra-ASEAN trade and investment; fourth, focus on its competitiveness as an investment destination and a trade and production hub; and finally, strengthening the utilization of ASEAN FTAs.

During the panel discussion in the latter part of the symposium with international production networks (IPN) being the main theme, Dr. Fukunari Kimura, Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University and Chief Economist, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), shared his view that Asia Pacific economies were currently experiencing both supply and demand shocks, which will be followed by another huge demand shock with forcedly reshuffled production networks. Professor Kimura also presented a tentative policy framework for ASEAN Member States towards moving into the new normal classified into (i) emergency responses (ii) exit policies and (iii) policies for the new normal. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=37977

YOOZOO Games, 5 S'pore polytechnics cooperate to develop gaming industry talents

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 -- The Singapore subsidiary of YOOZOO Games (YOOZOO Singapore) has signed a memorandum of cooperation with five polytechnics in Singapore to jointly carry out scientific research, teaching and practical projects.

According to a statement, the polytechnics are Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic.

Through this cooperation, YOOZOO Singapore will provide polytechnic students studying game design and software engineering with opportunities to get hands-on industry experience, including internship opportunities, workshops and case studies.

The cooperation is set to create job opportunities for polytechnic graduates, with YOOZOO Singapore also providing lecturers with industry-relevant experience.

YOOZOO Singapore Managing Director, Qin Liu said the company was looking forward to cooperating with Singapore's top polytechnics, describing the cooperation as a win-win opportunity for all parties.

“It not only provides industry practice opportunities for the teachers and students, but also strengthens YOOZOO's scientific and technical research capabilities.”

In April, during the implementation of the ‘circuit breaker’ isolation measures, YOOZOO donated three million yen worth of laptops to students from five polytechnics in Singapore to help them transition to online classes during the epidemic. (100 yen = RM3.92)

YOOZOO Games - headquartered in Shanghai with offices across Asia, Europe, and the US - has forged a strong global distribution network, having launched over 40 highly successful titles including Game of Thrones Winter is Coming, the League of Angels series and Saint Seiya Awakening: Knights of the Zodiac.

-- BERNAMA

SNOMED International secures agreement to manage global nursing practice classification

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 -- SNOMED International and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) are in an agreement to pave the way for the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) to be managed, produced, released and distributed by SNOMED International.

According to a statement, this agreement - the culmination of years of collaboration between the two organisations - will see ICN retain ownership of ICNP and continue to define its content to meet the global nursing profession’s needs.

The agreement aligns with increasing global health digitisation, widespread use of SNOMED CT-enabled electronic health records (EHR), and the documentation of ICNP-specific content by nurses worldwide.

A significant benefit of this agreement removes the need for countries that currently use both ICNP and SNOMED CT to engage in mapping activities between the two systems.

With this five-year agreement, the use of added ICNP terminology will be pursued by SNOMED International Member countries, including but not limited to Canada, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.

SNOMED International and ICN are engaged in planning the update of content to ICNP 2019, and preparing the first release of the ICNP reference set on behalf of ICN by September 2021, initially with an agreed two-year release cycle.

SNOMED CT is the world’s largest clinical terminology and its primary purpose is to support all healthcare professionals in their recording and sharing of detailed patient information within EHRs and across healthcare communities globally.

-- BERNAMA

Juniper Networks to power Macquarie Telecom nationwide network refresh

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 -- Juniper Networks has been selected by Macquarie Telecom for the refresh of its nationwide network from the core to the edge, and to power continued growth through its ‘customer-first’ attitude across telecom, data centre and cloud services.

The open frameworks, APIs and tool kits available across Juniper’s networking and security solutions are leveraged by Macquarie Telecom to facilitate increased network reliability while simplifying automation.

Junos® OS as a common operating system delivers the reliability, security, flexibility, and consistency required by Macquarie Telecom to manage its voice, data, data centre and cloud services.

According to a statement, the nationwide network upgrade by Juniper Networks is slated to be completed by 2020-end.

“Juniper is delighted to be able to help grow Macquarie Telecom’s business further through this network refresh which includes a next-generation segment routing deployment driven by our automation and AI-driven capabilities,” said Juniper Networks Vice-President & General Manager, ANZ, Bruce Bennie.

Macquarie Telecom continues to explore ways to leverage the Juniper platform to deliver innovative and exceptional customer-centric services for its in-demand services, including through an ongoing focus on increasing automation across its network operations.

More details at www.juniper.net.

-- BERNAMA

Johnson Matthey technology selected for world's largest single train methanol plant

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 -- Johnson Matthey (JM) has been selected by China’s Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group as licensor for the third methanol synthesis plant at its coal to olefins complex near Yinchuan in Ningxia Province PRC. 

With a planned capacity of 7,200 mtpd, the methanol plant will be the world’s largest single train methanol plant upon completion, according to a statement.

Under the agreement, JM will be the licensor and supplier of associated engineering, technical review, commissioning assistance, catalyst and equipment supply. The JM methanol plant will take synthesis gas as a feed and utilise JM radial steam raising converters in a patented Series Loop.

Together with JM catalysts, to produce stabilised methanol as a product that is used to produce olefins downstream, the plant will provide enhanced energy efficiency along with low OPEX, CAPEX and emissions.

Upon startup, this will represent JM’s eighth operating licence in China with a plant capacity greater than 5,500 mtpd.

The licence award demonstrates Baofeng’s recognition of JM’s technical leadership and is testament to the latter’s commitment and dedication to large-scale methanol production delivery.

“We are very proud of our ongoing collaboration with Ningxia Baofeng Energy. It is testament to their confidence in JM’s engineering expertise and ability to successfully design and help deliver their large-scale methanol plants”, said JM Managing Director, John Gordon.

“In just over six years, it has been exciting to see our strong partnership result in the commissioning of two large scale plants with increasing volumes and a third world-scale plant on the way.”

JM is a global leader in science that enables a cleaner and healthier world. For more information, visit www.matthey.com

-- BERNAMA

Hyland reports significant increase in cloud services among organisations

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 -- Hyland, a content services provider for global organisations, has reported a significant increase in the number of organisations moving content services to the cloud.

Having recently launched Foundation versions of many of its key products including OnBase, which offer more flexibility and frequent updates, Hyland has seen growth in the number of organisations deploying content services in the cloud, especially in the commercial enterprise and banking sectors.

Rather than rolling out software upgrades on an annual basis, and relying on customers to update their platform every year or two, Hyland’s Foundation versions provide regular updates on a more frequent basis in the form of enhancement packs.

According to a statement, all Hyland Cloud solutions are fully managed by the company, and therefore subject to stringent security and quality measures.

“We take full responsibility for the software, including application delivery, so it is critical for us to provide a fast, smooth, safe service with an exceptionally high uptime,” said Hyland APAC director, Eugene Chng.

Moving content services solutions to the cloud also provides flexibility for companies during times of change, making it easy to scale up or down as needed. 

Hyland offerings such as Brainware intelligent capture, Content Composer for customer communications management and ShareBase for cloud-based sharing and collaborating can be added or removed quickly and efficiently, as circumstances dictate.

More details at https://www.hyland.com/en-SG

-- BERNAMA