AVIS BUDGET GROUP ASIA VOTED BEST CAR RENTAL COMPANY AT THE 29TH ANNUAL TTG TRAVEL AWARDS 2018

BANGKOK, Thailand, Sept 27 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avis Budget Group Asia has been declared Best Car Rental Company at the 29th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2018, as voted for by readers of TTG Travel Trade Publishing’s print and online titles.

The publications include: TTG Asia, TTG China, TTG India, TTG mice, TTG-BT mice China, TTGassociations and TTG Asia Luxury. The readers of these publications – including tour operators, travel consultants, and destination management company personnel – voted for their favourite travel suppliers, which decided the award winners.

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EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL HOSTED FIRST CONFERENCE IN INDONESIA

SINGAPORE, Sept 25 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Global market research company Euromonitor International shared insights on how companies can tap into the Indonesian market at its first conference for Indonesia at Pullman Jakarta Central on September 25^th.

According to Euromonitor, Indonesia has the largest number of middle-class households amongst ASEAN countries, representing 30 percent of the households in 2018. Big cities in Sumatra will have the highest penetration of middle class households by 2030.

“This fact offers a sizeable market potential for companies to tap into Indonesia,” says Adhitya Nugroho, research manager at Euromonitor. “Medan, Bandar Lampung and Padang will be the top three big cities in Indonesia, with almost 50 percent of its population enjoying annual incomes between USD10,000 to USD25,000,” he added.

Travel is set to be one of the fastest growing category in the country, increasing by 49.2 percent by 2023. Led by the millennials that are more inclined to spend on travel than other demographics, the will of spending on convenience and experience is marking an unprecedented growth in travel in Indonesia. Furthermore, the smartphone penetration that reached 142 percent of households in 2017, is supporting the young generation to spend more on holidays planning.

Celebrating its 20 years in South East Asia, Euromonitor is looking forward to sharing market insights to maximise business opportunities in a trendsetting region and country.

To receive the presentations on Trends & Opportunities in Indonesia and the wider ASEAN region, please visit: https://bit.ly/2xk5HQU

ABOUT EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL

Euromonitor International is the world’s leading provider for global business intelligence and strategic market analysis. We have more than 40 years of experience publishing international market reports, business reference books and online databases on consumer markets.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180925005007/en/

Contact

Benedicte Dia
Regional Communications Manager- Euromonitor International
Tel: +65 9155 2925 ext. 6598
Benedicte.dia@euromonitor.com

Source : Euromonitor International

--BERNAMA

BOMBARDIER CRJ SERIES CERTIFIED FOR HIGHER MAINTENANCE INTERVALS

MONTREAL, Sept 25 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) has granted approval for the maintenance intervals escalation of the CRJ700, CRJ900 and CRJ1000 aircraft. The line maintenance interval (A-check) is extended to 800 flight hours, and the heavy maintenance interval (C-check) at 8,000 flight hours.  

“With the longest maintenance intervals on the regional jet market, the CRJ aircraft family continues to deliver more value to operators, along with its excellent reliability and its proven outstanding operational capability”, said Charles Comtois, Head of CRJ Series Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “We are thrilled that our operators are benefitting from our continuous improvement mindset as with this evolution, the CRJ Series operators can now take advantage of 14 per cent less maintenance days, meaning more days of revenue flying.”

The maintenance intervals have doubled since the launch of the CRJ aircraft family. The new maintenance intervals are applicable for new production deliveries as well as all CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 aircraft in service.

About Bombardier
With over 69,500 employees across four business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in 28 countries across the segments of Transportation, Business Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Aerostructures and Engineering Services. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Bombardier posted revenues of $16.2 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

Notes to Editors
An image of a CRJ900 aircraft in the Bombardier livery is posted with this news release at bombardier.com

The CRJ Series aircraft backgrounder is available in the BCA Media Hub.

Follow @BBD_Aircraft on Twitter to receive the latest news and updates from Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

To receive our press releases, please visit the RSS Feed section of Bombardier’s Website.

Bombardier, CRJ700, CRJ900, CRJ1000 and CRJ Series are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

For Information
Nathalie Siphengphet
Head of Communications and Public Relations
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft
+1 416-375-3030
nathalie.siphengphet@aero.bombardier.com
www.bombardier.com 
 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/96017abf-0d4c-44b7-95d2-8b36130188f2 

Source: Bombardier Aéronautique - Commercial Aircraft

--BERNAMA

TIME selects Juniper Networks to power virtual managed services

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s leading communications solutions provider, TIME dotCom Bhd (TIME), has used Juniper Networks’ vSRX in rolling out its latest suite of virtual managed services for Malaysian enterprises.

TIME Managed Virtual Router and TIME Managed Virtual Firewall are designed to provide end users with on-demand provisioning.

Juniper Networks, in a statement, said these services optimise network scalability and mobility, while reducing the high costs of physical infrastructure.

Through TIME’s new virtual managed cloud services, Malaysian enterprises and their customers are able to implement cost-effective network scalability, while retaining robust security protection.

“We are delighted to continue our strong partnership with Juniper Networks, which has allowed us to offer the Malaysian market these new Virtual Managed Services,” said chief technology officer of TIME, Ang Thing Jiun.

“Our customers no longer need to purchase or maintain costly, physical hardware infrastructure – without having to sacrifice high-performing networking capabilities,” added Ang.

For years, TIME has closely partnered with the US-based company to deliver broadband connectivity to end users across Malaysia.

As businesses increasingly move workloads into the cloud however, TIME recognised a need to give Malaysian companies greater flexibility to easily add, drop or change services seamlessly through a simple online portal.

--BERNAMA

TOSHIBA LAUNCHES POWER AMPLIFIER FOR CAR AUDIO WITH STRONG RESISTANCE TO POWER SURGES

TOKYO, Sept 25 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has launched a new 4-channel power amplifier for car audio, "TCB503HQ” that delivers strong resistance to power surges. Sample shipments start today with mass production scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2019. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180924006129/en/  Building on Toshiba’s proven development capabilities in ICs for car audio, the new product achieves a higher reliability with an analog fine process resistant to power surges. It also supports 6V operations suitable for vehicles equipped with idling reduction systems, which have become popular in recent years. This feature suppresses popping sounds that occur when power voltage fluctuates. Other features include a built-in filter to improve resistance to extraneous high-frequency noise, and to prevent generation of abnormal noise even when there is high-frequency noise from mobile phone radio waves and adjustment of door mirrors. Using the clip detection signal to control the volume and tone control circuit, the sound quality of the set can be improved. Main specifications Part number TCB503HQ Maximum output 50Wx4ch (Vcc=15.2V, RL=4Ω, JEITA max) Supply voltage 6V to 18V Output offset voltage 70mV Output noise voltage 45μV (BW=A-weight) Functions and features • High output power and low distortion • Built-in mute and standby functions, offset detection, short circuit detection, and output clip detection • 6V operations (engine idling reduction capability) • Built-in protection circuits (overheat, overvoltage, short to the power supply, short to the ground, and load shorted) Package HZIP25-P-1.00F Sample price (tax included) 500 yen For further information about the new product, please visit: https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/product/assp/audio-ic/detail.TCB503HQ.html Customer Inquiries Mixed Signal IC Sales and Marketing Department Tel: +81-44-548-2876 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/contact.html Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice. About Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation combines the vigor of a new company with the wisdom of experience. Since becoming an independent company in July 2017, we have taken our place among the leading general devices companies, and offer our customers and business partners outstanding solutions in discrete semiconductors, system LSIs and HDD. Our 19,000 employees around the world share a determination to maximize the value of our products, and emphasize close collaboration with customers to promote co-creation of value and new markets. We look forward to building on annual sales now surpassing 700-billion yen (US$6 billion) and to contributing to a better future for people everywhere. Find out more about us at https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/company.html View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180924006129/en/  Contact Media Inquiries: Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation Chiaki Nagasawa, +81-3-3457-4963 Digital Marketing Department semicon-NR-mailbox@ml.toshiba.co.jp Source : Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation --BERNAMA

ABU DHABI'S FUND AGREED FRIENDLY TOB WITH MINDOL

HONG KONG, Sept 25 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Abu Dhabi Dubai STOB Series 22 Investment Limited Partnership (”AbuDhabi22”as follows) and MINDOL HOLDINGS LIMITED (”MINDOL” as follows) which is listed on the Coinsuper Exchange in Hong Kong (https://www.coinsuper.com) agreed AbuDhabi22 to get 33% of crypto currency MINDOL (MIN)(http://mindol.net) that MINDOL issued by TOB.

Strengthen strategic partnership with MINDOL by implementing TOB. Both of companies chose TOB as strategic approach to make a purchase at a stable price because acquisition price that AbuDhabi22 planned would be expected to significantly exceed with purchases via regular exchanges. TOB STAGE 1 has already finished and now TOB is being implemented at the purchase price of TOB STAGE 2.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32786

CONCORD TECHNOLOGIES UNVEILS NEXTSTEP - AI-DRIVEN, CLOUD-BASED PLATFORM THAT SIMPLIFIES PATIENT DATA CAPTURE AND DOCUMENT WORKFLOWS

SEATTLE, Sept 25 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Concord Technologies, a leading provider of cloud fax services and document process automation solutions, today launched NEXTSTEP, a new, AI-driven, cloud-based platform optimized for healthcare providers to reduce the effort required to capture, access and integrate patient health information from paper and digital documents.

Concord has optimized NEXTSTEP for healthcare providers struggling to digitize document-intensive clinical workflows, though its core features apply across all highly-regulated industries. Unlike conventional systems, NEXTSTEP is pre-trained to identify, classify and extract specific, field-level data, so it saves providers the cost and effort to “teach” the system what to look for. It also extends automated document classification and routing with the ability to coordinate document handling even with frequently-changing clinical processes.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32776

​A.M. BEST WITHDRAWS CREDIT RATINGS OF ECICS LIMITED

SINGAPORE, Sept 24 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “bbb ” of ECICS Limited (ECICS) (Singapore). The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has been revised to negative from stable, while the FSR outlook remains stable. Concurrently, A.M. Best has withdrawn the ratings of ECICS, as the company has requested to no longer participate in A.M. Best’s interactive rating process.

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

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32768

Qubercomm, Energous unveil new asset tracking solution

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Qubercomm Technologies has partnered with Energous Corporation to launch a new asset tracking solution, Locatum with wireless charging capability that is enabled with WattUp.

Qubercomm’s chief technology officer, Senthil Kumar Balasubramanian in a statement said the company’s expertise and IP enabled them to address the challenges of accuracy, latency and manageability to make Locatum the preferred choice for customers.

Locatum represents an innovative approach to asset tracking in decoding the received beacons with Qubercomm’s patent-pending positioning methods to deliver accurate position with near zero latency.

Its cloud portal provides device and tag management, and a detailed analytics platform to make real sense of the data. The Locatum tags leverage WattUp RF charging technology from Energous Corporation, thus reducing the overhead to replace batteries.

The tags also support easy drop-and-charge, orientation-free charging of up to 20 units on a single charging pad, while monitoring battery levels of individual tags and managing the distribution of power across devices.

Qubercomm Technologies is the leading solution provider for asset tracking solutions in healthcare, hospitality, retail and warehouse applications. More details at www.qubercomm.com.

--BERNAMA

BOMBARDIER DELIVERS FIRST 90-SEAT Q400 AIRCRAFT TO SPICEJET

TORONTO, Sept 24 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Commercial Aircraft today announced the delivery of its first 90-seat Q400 aircraft. The aircraft was handed over to India’s SpiceJet Limited (“SpiceJet”) the launch operator for the extra-capacity, 90-seat aircraft.

“We are excited to induct the 90-seat Q400 aircraft into our fleet,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet. “The additional seats and performance improvements will result in substantial reduction in unit costs and also we will enable us to address our market needs in the regional space.”

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32764

​A.M. BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF SINGAPORE REINSURANCE CORPORATION LIMITED

​A.M. BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF SINGAPORE REINSURANCE CORPORATION LIMITED

KANSAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REOPENS AFTER TYPHOON DAMAGE

OSAKA, Japan, Sept 24 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- The KANSAI Tourism Bureau today released an online video aimed at domestic and international travelers, informing them that as of Friday September 21, Kansai International Airport has recovered most of its operational functions following significant damage in early September by Typhoon 21, which shut down the airport and significantly reduced inbound tourism to the region.

Typhoon 21 struck the Kansai area on September 4, causing unprecedented disruption to the Kansai region, including Kansai International Airport. Runways were flooded, and some power facilities and bridges were damaged, severely crippling operations. But service is now restored to pre-disaster levels, thanks to the immense support of all those involved.

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TRIPLE-1 HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE 50% CURTAILMENT COMPARED TO THE ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION OF THE CONVENTIONAL MINING MACHINE

The official announcement of the numerical value in performance of the hyper specification will be publicized.

-The performance evaluation of the mining machine, “KAMIKAZE” equipped with the 7nm ASIC chip has been completed. –

FUKUOKA, Japan, Sept 20 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- TRIPLE-1, Inc. (Representative director: Takuya Yamaguchi) is publicizing the numerical performance evaluation of the mining machine, “KAMIKAZE”equipped with the 7nm ASIC chip this day, 19^th September 2018.
 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180919005227/en/
 

-- The numerical performance evaluation of the mining machine, “KAMIKAZE” equipped with the 7nm ASIC chip will be publicized.

This time, in the test of the performance evaluation of the mining machine, “KAMIKAZE” equipped with the 7nm ASIC chip, we have confirmed the result as follows.

“KAMIKAZE” Performance: Energy saving performance
Hashrate : 14.5 TH / s ± 5% (* at the normal state)
Power Consumption : 750 W ± 5%
Power Efficiency : 0.052 W / GH ± 5%

“KAMIKAZE” Official Movie : https://youtu.be/Fp_K4bV639Y

The mining machine, ”KAMIKAZE” equipped with the world’s most advanced 7nm ASIC chip has the same Hashrate as the main mining machine equipped with the 16nm ASIC chip, but the power consumption value has been successfully curtailed by almost 50%.

Due to the elevation of difficulty in bitcoin mining, nowadays, a large arithmetic capacity (Hashrate) has been required and we have been proceeding with the manufacturing examination of the large hash power model.

As a result of the large hash power performance evaluation test, the following numerical value has been confirmed.

”KAMIKAZE” Performance: the large hash power performance
Hashrate : 33.0 TH / s ± 5% (* at the normal state)
Power Consumption : 2,000 W ± 5%
Power Efficiency : 0.061 W / GH ± 5%

-- Starting acceptance of the mining machine ordering specification towards the mining farm business people

We will adjust the mining machine, “KAMIKAZE” equipped with the world’s most advanced 7nm ASIC chip to the area, the environmental characteristics and the business model, considering the balance between the performance and the manufacturing cost.
We are starting the development and production of the mining machine optimizing the number of chips and the case size.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32728

HARD ROCK CAFE TO OPEN AT DXB WITH GREAT MUSIC, DELICIOUS FOOD AND ICONIC APPAREL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Sept 20 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dubai Airports has finalised an agreement with Hard Rock International and their regional franchise partners that will see the former launch its first Hard Rock Cafe, opening early November in DXB’s Concourse B. The new location will feature a licensed restaurant, grab and go food, live entertainment, rock memorabilia and a Rock Shop loaded with its world-famous merchandise.

Hard Rock International is one of the world's most globally recognised brands, famous for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, memorable dining experiences and live music performances which will complement Dubai Airports’ very own musicDXB programme.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32734

WESTERN UNION ANNOUNCES RELIEF FOLLOWING TYPHOON MANGKHUT

DENVER, Sept 20 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- To support communities most affected by Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines, Western Union, a leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement, today announces a multi-faceted response to provide relief. In total, contributions from Western Union, the Western Union Foundation, Agents and employees through this comprehensive effort could total up to USD $275,000.

“Flooding and landslides from the typhoon have caused significant damage and loss of life,” Vice President and Head of the Western Union Foundation, Elizabeth Roscoe said. “As an organization, we are committed to supporting immediate relief and sustainable rebuilding for communities in crisis. Over the coming weeks we will work with Western Union Agents, employees and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to help the communities recover.”

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32722

Grafoid, Liquinex provide water purification solutions

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) -- Grafoid Inc announced a strategic partnership with Liquinex today to provide water purification solutions using the industry-leading MESOGRAF™ graphene based filtration technology, GPURE.

The increasing demand for clean drinking water, rising scarcity of water resources, rapid industrialisation and increasing construction activities, represent real-world factors that necessitate the need for scalable water treatment solutions around the globe.

Compounded by other factors, such as the increased support from government regarding treatment and proper disposal of water, the global market for water treatment solutions is expected to grow at an annual compounded growth rate of 7.4% from 2017 to 2027.

GPURE’s graphene based filtration products are readily scalable to meet these commercial demands making them ideal for industrial level, niche applications such as the concentration of beverages, treatment of crude oil/water mixtures, biofuel and industrial wastewater treatments where reverse osmosis (RO) is not suitable due to the fouling tendencies when concentrated liquids are purged through RO cartridges.

MESOGRAF™ graphene, being a 2D-material with high surface-area and functional-group tunability, exhibits outstanding absorption and recyclability capabilities for a wide variety of contaminants.

“Our MESOGRAF™ surface engineered graphene derivatives have been successfully deployed to meet the specific requirements of our industrial clients,” said Grafoid engineering manager, Dr Kiran Manga.  

“Our GPURE technologies are able to remove up to 99.8% phenol contaminants, 99% dye removal from real-time industrial wastewater samples at neutral pH and room temperature,” he added.

Liquinex Group Pte Ltd chief executive officer, Bashir Ahmad, said: “Effective water treatment solutions require strong partnerships, and alignment between both public sector, such as IPI Singapore, and private organisations to implement broad-based adoption of innovative technologies – such as Grafoid – will be critical. We are empowered by this partnership with Grafoid and foresee tremendous potential.”

For more information, visit http://www.grafoid.com/

-- BERNAMA

Flooding in Kerala to have limited impact on rated Indian insurer's capital

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Flooding in the Indian state of Kerala will not have a significant impact on the balance sheet strength of rated Indian non-life insurers.

However, the losses may add to the unfavorable underwriting performance that A.M. Best has flagged as a negative rating factor for some of these insurers.

A.M. Best -- a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry -- stated a statement in a new Best’s Briefing titled, “Kerala Floods: Limited Impact on Rated Insurers’ Capital, May Add to Performance Issues”.

A.M. Best notes that Kerala represents a significantly smaller portion of the Indian non-life market and its rated insurers’ overall gross premiums. Insurance penetration in India is low and insurance penetration in Kerala is estimated to be below the national average.

The cumulative rainfall this year during the 2018 summer monsoon period in Kerala was significantly higher than normal and together with the release of waters from dams, have created severe flooding in the region.

Motor own damage is one of the leading sources of business, accounting for 30 per cent of gross premiums in the state while four large insurers with estimation of 70 per cent Kerala’s gross non-life premiums in 2017, are likely to absorb the majority of claims.

The affected insurers rated by A.M. Best are expected to have adequate reinsurance protection, with deductibles that are small percentages of their premium base and capital sizes.

The agency will continue to closely monitor developments at its rated insurers as more information becomes available on the ultimate gross and net impact of the floods on their profitability. More details at www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

 

YAMAGATA PREFECTURE PRODUCES PR VIDEO "JAPAN HERITAGE - DEWA SANZAN - A JOURNEY TO REBIRTH -"

YAMAGATA, Japan, Sept. 21, 2018 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

The Yamagata Prefectural Government has produced a promotion video of a story titled "Dewa Sanzan - A Journey to Rebirth -" that depicts a group of three mountains recognized as a Japan Heritage site.

Prefectural Government officials hope that people all over Japan and the world will visit Dewa Sanzan to refresh their body and mind so as to be full of strength for what tomorrow may bring.


http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32745

TELEDYNE DALSA EXPANDS ITS AREA CAMERA SERIES WITH THE INDUSTRY'S FIRST 5 GIGABIT, GIGE VISION MODELS

WATERLOO, Ontario, Sept 19 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company and global leader in machine vision technology, is pleased to introduce its newest Genie Nano cameras with eight new monochrome and color models built around the industry’s best performing SONY® image sensors. These industry-first 5-Gigabit GigE Vision cameras feature resolutions from 3.2Mpixels to 12Mpixels with more models to follow before the end of the year – including a 5Mpixel Polarized model.

Engineered for imaging applications that require high-speed data transfer, these new Nano models are an easy replacement for cameras built into current vision systems that rely on the existing GigE vision interface standard. These new Genie Nano models feature the brand new 5GBASE-T link speed.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32707

FUSIONEX SUPPORTS MEDICAL OUTREACH PROGRAM TARGETING 500,000 MALAYSIANS

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept 18 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fusionex is lending its support to the Mobile Medical Wellness Awareness Outreach Program. Fusionex is a main partner and sponsor for the program, which aims to create awareness of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high sugar – the three highs. To educate patients and the public, a Mobile Medical Outreach van will be visiting schools, colleges, malls, and community centers from November.

The van and program were launched by Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja president Datuk Seri Nelson Kwok who took his oath at the Club’s 91st installation recently. He explained that the National Health and Morbidity Survey showed 17.5% of those aged 18 and above have diabetes and almost half of the population, or about 9.6 million people, have high blood or high cholesterol levels.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32706

A.M. Best revises the outlooks of HMF, South Korea to stable

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating of A (excellent) and the long-term issuer credit rating of ‘a’ of Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Co Ltd (HMF) South Korea.

The ratings reflect HMF’s balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorised as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management, a statement said.

The company’s risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), improved to a very strong level after HMF issued a total of KRW 500 billion (approximately USD 450 million) in hybrid bonds in August 2018.

These bonds receive full equity credit in the BCAR assessment due to their level of subordination, interest deferment option and long maturity. A.M. Best expects the company’s risk-adjusted capitalisation to remain at a very strong level in the medium term.

A.M. Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. More details at www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

Kyriba launches new lease accounting solutions for financial executives

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- Kyriba Corp. has launched a new lease accounting solution, enabling accounting teams, corporate treasurers, CFOs and other senior financial executives to better mitigate risk through the centralised tracking of all corporate leases.

“Combined with recently announced capabilities for real-time fraud detection, advanced hedge accounting, multi-lateral netting and cash management, the development of the lease accounting solution demonstrates Kyriba’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of senior finance leaders,” said vice-president of Strategy at Kyriba, Bob Stark.

Kyriba’s new module allows for rapid consolidation of lease data, auditable workflows and automated calculations to simplify ongoing compliance overhead.

It also can be subscribed separately or in conjunction with award-winning capabilities for cash and risk management, payments and working capital, a statement said.

Key features of the new module include data exchange import and/or copy and paste from Excel, document attachment for full visibility and auditability of lease details, automatic calculation and reporting of values for asset, liability and depreciation and others.

Kyriba is a global provider of cloud treasury and financial management solutions. The company is also the first treasury management vendor to offer lease accounting functionality as part of an integrated platform. More details at www.kyriba.com.

-- BERNAMA

POLYPLASTICS CONFIRMS VIABILITY OF PPS FOR BUMP-OFF MOLDING OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEMS

TOKYO, Sept. 19, 2018 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

Polyplastics Co., Ltd., a leading global supplier of engineering thermoplastics, has completed an extensive study which confirms the viability of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) for bump-off molding of automotive engine cooling systems. Polyplastics' linear DURAFIDE (R) PPS, which already offers superior performance over rivals like nylon 66, now has bump-off molding capabilities to eliminate deburring.

(Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201809127866-O2-A4zWC4Id)
(Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201809127866-O1-H350z52k)

Bump-off molding results in an undercut that "bumps" in two directions and ejects from the mold without using a sliding structure. The parting line (mold lip) goes away, allowing for a burr-less mold. Previously, PPS had limited use in bump-off molding of engineering parts due to its fragility.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32715

NODLE.IO RAISES $1.5M SEED FUNDING TO BRING IOT CRYPTOCURRENCY TO APP DEVELOPERS

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 14 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nodle.io, an Internet of Things (IoT) and connectivity network provider, today announced a $1.5 million seed round and the launch of a new cryptocurrency for monetizing IoT connections, applications and data. Nodle.io provides internet connectivity to IoT devices by crowdsourcing a network of smartphones. Currently over 1 million devices are connecting to the Nodle Citizen Network every day. This is the largest dedicated IoT network ever deployed to date, by number of base stations.

Blockchange Ventures led the investment round with participation from Blockhead Capital, Bootstraplabs, Olymp Capital, Mark Pincus with Work Play Ventures and Yeoman's Capital.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32684

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company expands leadership team in Dubai

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (BHSI) has expanded its leadership team in Dubai with the appointment of seven executives to fill key product line and service posts.

The BHSI appointees include Aisling Malone (Head of Executive & Professional Lines), Emir Erdur (Head of Casualty), Carlos Beltran (Head of Commercial Property), Meenakshi Srinath (Head of Marine), Kapil Palathinkal (Head of Energy and Construction), Pruthviraj More (Senior Risk Engineer) and John Lewis (Head of Claims).

“Our new teammates in Dubai embody the excellent capabilities and strong character that is so valued by BHSI and by our customers. They will lead our efforts to bring BHSI’s long-term focus, multi-line underwriting and service excellence to customers throughout the Middle East ,” said Senior Executive Officer (SEO), BHSI Middle East, Alessandro Cerase.

Earlier this year, the company announced the appointment of Alessandro Cerase as SEO and Neeraj Yadvendu as Deputy SEO and Head of Third Party Lines for the Middle East, both based on Dubai, a statement said.

Alessandro also leads First Party Lines for BHSI’s broader Asia Middle East region, which includes BHSI’s other regional hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore as well as BHSI operations in Malaysia and Macau.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company provides commercial property, casualty, healthcare professional liability, executive and professional lines, surety, travel, programs, medical stop loss and homeowners insurance. More details at www.bhspecialty.com.

--BERNAMA

Innosight, Inventium consultants collaborate to expand reach and impact

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Innosight, a Boston-based growth strategy consultancy and Australia’s innovation consultancy, Inventium – announced a strategic partnership to leverage their complementary capabilities to expand their reach and impact.

Innosight is the growth strategy practice of professional services firm at Huron and the leading authority on disruptive innovation and strategic transformation.

Through training, assessment and consulting, Inventium works with many of the world’s most successful organisations that want to use an evidence-based approach to drive innovation.

Innosight  in a statement said the focus of the partnership is to accelerate commercial relationships in each organizations’ respective geographies and to leverage complementary capabilities to deliver services to client organizations.

Both companies will also pursue opportunities to collaborate on new intellectual property in areas of mutual benefit.

Managing partner of Innosight, Patrick Viguerie said: “Australia is an important management consulting hub, and the partnership will open up new opportunities to serve and create lasting impact for client organizations there.

“Inventium’s expertise and passion for an innovation culture and benchmarking is a powerful complement to Innosight’s leadership in growth strategy, transformation, and business model innovation,” Viguerie said.

Founder and chief executive officer of Inventium, Dr Amantha Imber said: “We are also particularly looking forward to working together to develop new IP and ways to help our clients, and bringing our respective evidence-based views to challenges that our clients are facing.”

More details on www.innosight.com and  www.inventium.com.au

-- BERNAMA

Vista Global Holding to spearhead and expand the business aviation market

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- Thomas Flohr has launched Vista Global Holding (Vista Global) - the world leader in business flight solutions - to spearhead the consolidation of the fragmented and expanding business aviation market.

The launch of Vista Global is backed by longstanding supporters of Thomas Flohr’s enterprises, the global private equity firm Rhône Group which is  investing an additional $200 million to strengthen Vista Global’s balance sheet.

“It is a historic moment for aviation and is the first of its kind. Vista Global is unrivalled in its service to offer all clients the full range of business aviation services on a global scale - flights, technology, finance,” said Thomas Flohr.

Vista Global is headquartered at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The company is the  world’s most comprehensive business aviation group and is built on four pillars with complementary services for consumers and trade.

To serve each pillar of customer needs, three companies which are VistaJet, Vista Lease and TechX are part of Vista Global today and the group is well positioned to make further acquisitions, a statement from VistaJet Ltd said.

Vista Global’s premier flight service offer is VistaJet. The company pioneered an innovative business model where customers have access to an entire global fleet whilst paying only for the hours they fly, free of the responsibilities and asset risk linked to aircraft ownership.

Meanwhile, Vista Lease will hold several options for Global 7500 aircraft, as well as having the capitalisation to act as principal buyer in the pre-owned segment and then offer its inventory for lease directly to its customers, who seek a dedicated aircraft solution.

TechX will build off and further enhance existing proprietary technology. The company’s mission is to create end-to-end services to allow companies to find customers, manage bookings, track flights and plan trips directly with operators, all on one platform.

Vista Global plans to expand its fleet within the next three years, further strengthening its current global coverage and infrastructure to serve every customer’s needs around the globe.

-- BERNAMA

Euromonitor International expands research to 100 countries

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- Euromonitor International announced a significant enhancement in its research capability by expanding its country coverage to 100 markets.

The expansion represents an increase of 20 countries to the company’s previous geographical coverage, enabling it to track 98 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and 91 per cent of the global population.

In a statement, the company said its market research database now includes some of the fastest developing countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

The countries are Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

Vice president of research at Euromonitor International, Anthony Irwin, said: “Our market research reports empower organisations and brands of all sizes with strategic data, analysis and consumer trends.

“We know our clients look to us for cross-country comparable market size forecasts and shares. Our new ability to do that on 100 markets further underlines the value of how Euromonitor International’s data and analysis can be used to inform strategic objectives,” said Irwin.

Euromonitor International is the world’s leading provider for global business intelligence and strategic market analysis with more than 40 years of experience publishing international market reports, business reference books and online databases on consumer markets. More details on https://www.euromonitor.com/

-- BERNAMA

MPM HOLDINGS INC. ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT TO BE ACQUIRED BY INVESTOR GROUP CONSISTING OF SJL PARTNERS, KCC CORPORATION AND WONIK QNC CORPORATION

WATERFORD, N.Y. & SEOUL, South Korea, Sept 13 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- MPM Holdings Inc. (“Momentive” or the “Company”) (OTCQX:MPMQ), a global silicones and advanced materials company, and SJL Partners LLC (“SJL”), KCC Corporation (KS:002380) (“KCC”) and Wonik QnC Corporation (KOSDAQ:074600) (“Wonik”) (collectively, the “Investor Group”), today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby the Investor Group will acquire Momentive in a transaction valued at approximately $3.1 billion, including the assumption of net debt, pension and OPEB liabilities.

Based in Waterford, New York, Momentive develops and manufactures specialty silicones and silanes, as well as fused quartz and specialty ceramics products. Momentive has a more than 75-year track record of creating products and solutions to serve more than 4,000 customers in over 100 countries. The Company has a global network of 24 production sites and 12 research and development facilities.

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KONICA MINOLTA TO IMPLEMENT ROBOTICS SOLUTION FOR LEADING ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER

SINGAPORE, Sept 13 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia (BSA), an integral value provider, has been awarded a contract to implement robotic solutions by a leading electronics manufacturing technology provider to advance their digital transformation in their workplace.

To align with the government direction to move toward Industrial 4.0, the leading technology provider decided to transform their manufacturing process with the deployment of robotics solution. The autonomous robots, designed for internal transportation and logistics enable business to optimise their processes within the manufacturing floor across the supply chain through technology innovation.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32673

DUBAI AIRPORTS CEO HALF-YEAR UPDATE

Get a tour of the exciting new developments at DXB from Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Sept 12 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Dubai International (DXB) retained its position as the world’s number one international airport for the fourth consecutive year in 2017 with annual traffic exceeding 88.2 million passengers. The airport connects 240 destinations around the world through 75 international airlines and is expected to serve 90.2 million passengers in 2018. Dubai Airports' CEO Paul Griffiths provides an update on the first half of 2018.

You can access the video update by clicking or copying and pasting this link in your internet browser: https://youtu.be/1V5UAJWOUIk

Contact:
Hannah Burden Hamer
Dubai Airports
corporate.communications@dubaiairports.ae
+97145044394
 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0047642e-d635-4f63-8587-a152622a14cd 

 

 

A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c357afd-515d-4dc0-90dc-a3f1993a78c7

Source: Dubai Airports

--BERNAMA 

UPDATE -- CISCO ACCELERATES GROWTH FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS WITH NEW SILICON AND SOFTWARE FOR THE 5G AND MULTICLOUD ERA

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept 12 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the world continues to embrace the reality of 5G and multicloud, service providers are experiencing disruptive growth and change that require new approaches to more efficiently build and cost-effectively manage critical IP networking infrastructure.

5G connections are expected to explode from 2.3 million in 2020 to more than 25 million in 2021 -- more than 1000-percent growth¹. Multicloud services are accelerating, driven by shifts in content, compute and cloud requirements. Nearly 850 zettabytes of data will be generated by all people, machines and things by 2021, up from 220 ZB in 2016².

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XRESEARCH (XRES), A CRYPTO INVESTMENT RESEARCH FUND AND MEDIA PLATFORM, ANNOUNCES TOKEN HOLDER EQUITY AND REGULATION S ICO IN Q4 2018

NEW YORK, Sept 12 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XResearch (XRES), a cryptocurrency, blockchain startup, and ICO investment research fund and media portal, has just announced that its Regulation S* securities token offering (STO) will begin in Q4 2018.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32659

​SONOS RELEASES THIRD FISCAL QUARTER 2018 FINANCIAL RESULTS

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept 12 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonos, Inc. (“Sonos”) (Nasdaq: SONO) has released its financial results for the third fiscal quarter 2018 in a letter to shareholders available on the investor relations section of its website. To view the letter, please visit: https://investors.sonos.com/investors/default.aspx

As previously announced, Sonos will host a conference call and Q&A to discuss the results at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time today. A live webcast and replay of the conference call and Q&A will be accessible at: https://investors.sonos.com/news-and-events/default.aspx. The replay will be available for at least one year following completion of the call.

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BIMAN SIGNS ORDER FOR THREE NEW BOMBARDIER Q400 AIRCRAFT

TORONTO, Sept 12 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. has ordered three new Q400 turboprops by signing a purchase agreement with the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC).

Based on the list price of the Q400 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately US$106 million.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32653

ALIBABA GROUP ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN SUCCESSION PLAN

HANGZHOU, China, Sept 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) today announced that one year from today, September 10, 2019, chief executive officer Daniel Zhang will succeed Jack Ma as chairman of the board of Alibaba Group. Mr. Ma will continue as executive chairman of the company over the next 12 months to ensure a smooth transition of the chairmanship to Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Ma will complete his current term as a member of Alibaba Group’s board of directors until its annual general meeting of shareholders in 2020.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32647

NEW YORK CITY REAL ESTATE COIN (NYCREC), A TOKENIZED REAL ESTATE FUND WITH CASHFLOW DIVIDENDS, ANNOUNCES REGULATION S ICO IN Q4 2018

Read about NYCREC at www.nycrec.io

NEW YORK, Sept 7 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  New York City Real Estate Coin (NYCREC), a tokenized real estate fund that allows token holders to enjoy the benefits of fractional ownership of real estate in New York City, has just announced that its Regulation S* securities token offering (STO) will begin in Q4 2018.

What is New York City Real Estate Coin?

NYCREC is the world’s first tokenized real estate fund focused on New York City real estate with an institutional-quality real estate and financial management team at the helm. It aims to give NYCREC token holders the following benefits:

- Regular dividends from the cashflow of the properties in the NYCREC portfolio, distributed in the form of Ethereum (ETH) airdrops to token holders

- Managed portfolio of real estate with greater flexibility and diversification than a similar real estate investment trust (REIT), which is typically narrower in its scope of investments

- Lower expense fees than a similar real estate investment trust (REIT), leading to more pass-through profits for token holder

- Independent financial reports on progress of the project and its finances after the ICO is completed

- Increased accessibility to New York City real estate for the international community

The long-term vision of the project is to tokenize real estate in major gateway cities around the world and to build a dedicated, collateralized blockchain for asset-backed security token offerings.

The Team Behind New York City Real Estate Coin

The NYCREC has managed or invested over $15 billion in real estate projects in New York City and other major gateway cities worldwide over a 21-year career with a risk-adjusted, year-over-year internal rate of return of up to 25%.

The team is decorated with Wall Street investment professionals, including Chief Executive Officer Alain Oberrotman, former Worldwide Controller at McKinsey; Chief Blockchain Officer Neil Benedict, former Head of Product Development at BANKEX; Chief Operations Officer Paul Brownstein, who recently bought a $100mm NPL (Non-Performing Loan) portfolio; Charles Wyman, Chief Investment Officer and former Head of Global Credit Research at PIMCO; and Principal Steven Wasserman, Senior Advisor to a $4 billion NYC-based hedge fund. Advisors to the team include Leonard Seelig, Executive Director of BABB and Serg Gulko, CEO of XTRD.

To learn more about NYCREC, join the Telegram community (https://t.me/nycrec), follow them on Twitter @NYCRECoin, or email info@nycrec.io.

*NYCREC Tokens will only be offered by New York City Real Estate Coin to non-US persons in compliance with the registration provided by Regulation D and Regulation S of the United States Securities Exchange Act.

About NYCREC
NYCREC is a tokenized real estate fund for New York City real estate with lower expense fees and greater diversification than a similar real estate investment trust (REIT). NYCREC Token holders will have the ability to receive dividends from the cashflow of the NYCREC portfolio in the form of Ethereum (ETH) airdrops. The team has managed or invested over $15 billion in real estate over their careers, with up to a 25% year-over-year risk-adjusted internal rate of return.

Contact
Steven Wasserman, Principal info@nycrec.io

Source: New York City Real Estate Coin

--BERNAMA 

Alton Aviation Consultancy broadens global reach to Dublin

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- Alton Aviation Consultancy -- a specialised aviation consulting firm with offices in New York, Hong Kong and Beijing -- has opened a new office in Dublin and appointed Enda Clarke as managing director with leadership responsibilities for the Dublin, Ireland operation.

“We are excited to establish our new Dublin office to be closer to many of our clients and to enhance our around-the-clock responsiveness with our existing offices in New York, Hong Kong, and Beijing,” said managing director of Alton Aviation Consultancy, John Mowry in a statement.

“We are equally delighted that Enda has joined the team. His leadership capability, seasoned advisory experience and depth of subject matter expertise are highly complementary to our broad range of capabilities across the entire aviation ecosystem, allowing us to bring even more value to our clients,” added Mowry.

At Alton, Clarke leads a wide range of commercial and technical advisory engagements throughout the investment and asset life cycle, ranging from due diligence and aircraft purchase / lease negotiations to aircraft asset management and transition programs.

He also delivers management consulting engagements to airlines, lessors and MROs with specific strengths in benchmarking, process design, process improvement and project management.

Alton Aviation Consultancy provides specialist advisory services across the entire aviation value chain. More details at https://altonaviation.com.

--BERNAMA

World's first driverless on-demand vehicles arrive in Perth, West Australia

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- One of the world's first driverless, on-demand vehicles -- RAC Intellicar -- has arrived at Perth in Western Australia after the official unveiling recently.

“The arrival of the prototype vehicle was a significant transportation milestone for both Western Australia and Australia,” said RAC Group chief executive officer, Terry Agnew in a statement.

“How we move around is rapidly evolving and being able to test emerging vehicle technologies right here in Western Australia will help us adapt to these changes in the safest way possible,” added Agnew.

It is highlighted that human error is the cause of the vast majority of road deaths and serious injuries. Therefore, if Western Australia and Australia could safely transition to driverless vehicles sooner, hundreds of Australian lives could be saved.

Over coming years, vehicle automation will become more prolific within the transport network whereby it is important to conduct trials to better understand the potential impacts and opportunities.

“Having a robust understanding of the technology and what it means for Western Australia will help develop a roadmap for the safe transition to our driverless future,” the statement said.

Designed as a shared mobility service, the RAC Intellicar will become the newest addition to RAC's automated vehicle program, supported by the Western Australian Government and vehicle manufacturer, NAVYA.

The RAC Intellicar detects obstacles and makes decisions which allow them to operate autonomously. It also features two Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antennae to determine the precise position of the vehicle at any given time. More details at rac.com.au/intellicar.

--BERNAMA 

RIDE-SHARING LEADER GRAB SELECTS AXONIFY MICROLEARNING PLATFORM FOR MILLIONS OF DRIVER-PARTNERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA

SYDNEY, Australia, Sept. 11, 2018 /Medianet International-AsiaNet/--
 
Axonify, the world's leading corporate microlearning platform, today announced that Grab Inc. (Grab), the leading online-to-offline (O2O) platform in Southeast Asia, has implemented the Axonify Microlearning Platform to provide comprehensive driver-partner onboarding and continuous learning for millions of driver-partners across the region.
  
Grab selected Axonify based on its scalable solution and dynamic, interactive and gamified approach to training and to support its 'Better 365' driver-partner welfare campaign. Through Axonify, Grab will be able to seamlessly incorporate new driver training and assessment into the online driver acquisition process.
 
Additionally, Grab driver-partners have access to an on-demand content hub where Grab will be able to deliver training modules and learning reinforcement activities based on the specific driver's needs and profile.
  
"As we continue to grow rapidly, Axonify helps us to deliver onboarding training to new driver-partners as well as refresher training to current driver-partners in a more scalable and consistent way. It enables us to focus on continuously improving driver efficiency and satisfaction, as well as safety and service levels to passengers," said Russell Cohen, Head of Regional Operations for Grab. "We want to provide driver-partners with continuous learning and upskilling opportunities. Axonify's bite-sized, engaging training modules does just that by helping our driver-partners to easily consume the training sessions at their convenience."
  
Reducing significant training costs, interactive training videos and short assessments can be completed on mobile devices instead of at an on-site location and Grab driver-partners will be alerted by Axonify when new training content is available.
  
"We are pleased to team up with a transformative tech leader like Grab to support their driver-partners across Southeast Asia," said Christine Tutssel, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Axonify. "Onboarding and continuous training on topics such as English and financial literacy will help create an educated and skilled team of drivers. Improving overall driver satisfaction at scale is mission critical for Grab and we look forward to helping ease that process."
  
Grab currently operates in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Used by more than 6 million people daily, Grab provides Southeast Asia consumers with safe and affordable transport, food and package delivery, mobile payments and financial services.
 
Axonify is the only microlearning platform trusted by global business leaders to drive performance. For more information, visit Axonify.com
  
SOURCE: Axonify  
 
--BERNAMA

Beneficial Insurance Ltd proclaimed stable by A.M. Best

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) – In a statement today, A.M. Best – a global credit rating agency -- affirmed the financial strength rating of B++ (good) and the long-term issuer credit rating of ‘bbb’ for Beneficial Insurance Ltd (BIL) New Zealand.

It further added that the outlook of these ratings is stable and reflects BIL’s balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorises as adequate, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

BIL’s balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, which is currently at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR).

Over the medium term, A.M. Best expects the company’s planned high level of underwriting growth to drive a notable increase in net required capital, however, strong internal capital generation is expected to enable it to maintain at least very strong risk-adjusted capitalisation.

Offsetting balance sheet factors include the company’s small absolute capital base, which increases its sensitivity to shock events and adverse changes in prospective performance, growth or dividend payouts.

BIL – which is 100 per cent New Zealand owned and operated – has a track record of strong operating performance, with the company having reported a five-year average return on equity of 18 per cent (fiscal years 2014-2018).

Profitability over this period has been driven by underwriting operations and a good five-year average combined ratio of 90 per cent.

Prospectively, A.M. Best expects strong underwriting performance to be supported by continued low loss ratios and from a gradually improving expense ratio, as the company benefits from economies of scale as it executes planned business growth.

BIL’s largest line of business is pet insurance, which currently accounts for more than 90 per cent of gross written premiums. The other lines are motor breakdown insurance and consumer credit insurance.

--BERNAMA

Sunshine Coast delivers Australia's fastest communications to Asia

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- Australia’s fastest telecommunications connection to Asia and second fastest to the United States will occur from the Sunshine Coast, thanks to a new international submarine cable contract that has been agreed between Sunshine Coast Council and RTI Connectivity Pty Ltd (RTI-C).

Sunshine Coast Council was the first local government in Australia to secure an investment in an international submarine cable; and in an increasingly digital world, the value of this investment for the region's future could not be understated, a statement said.

The project includes a 550km undersea fibre optic cable which will connect the Sunshine Coast to the 9,600km Japan-Guam-Australia South (JGA-S) submarine cable that is currently being delivered by a consortium involving RTI-C, Google and AARNet.

At Guam, the JGA-S cable will connect to the SEA-US Cable System, a highly efficient Trans-Pacific cable which will forge connections between South-East Asia and the United States for more than 1.5 billion people.

The investment of up to AUD$35 million (RM103.8 million) in the undersea cable connection from the Sunshine Coast to the JGA-S cable plus supporting land-based infrastructure is being jointly funded by the Sunshine Coast Council and the Queensland Government. (AUD$1 = RM2.97)

The Sunshine Coast will provide the fastest, most affordable international connection point for Queensland and Australia to Asia, providing a significant step-change in Queensland's attractiveness as an investment location.

The landing of a submarine cable on the Sunshine Coast will not only diversify the landing locations for telecommunications traffic, but will also provide speed, reliability and capacity improvements for the whole of the state.

The cable – which would connect to a new cable landing station near the Maroochydore City Centre –  would increase data transmission speed, provide greater redundancy and should, over time, lead to a reduction in international communications costs for business and consumers.

Ratepayers will also benefit from the agreements reached with RTI-C, as the council will receive a revenue stream from customers accessing the JGA-S cable network through the Sunshine Coast cable connection.

The new path will deliver traffic into and out of Australia faster than the Sydney route as it is geographically closer to mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan besides west coast of the United States where big companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon are located.

The international submarine cable will also benefit small business as it will provide better connectivity, speed and redundancy and encourage new companies to look at the Sunshine Coast to take advantage of the connectivity to international communications infrastructure.

The submarine cable will be supplied and installed by Alcatel Submarine Network (ASN). It is expected to be completed by the first half of 2020, the statement said.

-- BERNAMA

TCL Flagship Products Win Gold Awards

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- Two TCL Corporation flagship products at IFA Berlin 2018 recently won awards jointly issued by Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag (GIC/AHK) and International Data Group (IDG).

The TCL QLED TV X8, which received the Display Technology Gold Award, provides users the ultimate visual experience with primary colour quantum dot display technology with up to 157 per cent colour gamut and Dolby Vision HDR technology.

The X8 also features the hardware resources of Onkyo and is equipped with the Dolby Atmos acoustic algorithm.

Additionally, the AI series can be triggered by far field voice which allows the audiovisual and interactive experiences of X8 to complement each other.

On the strength of integrated variable frequency air-cooling, negative oxygen ion preservation, smart frost-free and space divisions, the TCL Inverter No-Frost Refrigerator was awarded the Full DC Inverter Technology Gold Award.

To prepare for the in-depth integration of cutting edge technologies and products, TCL has been actively enhancing its presence in the fields of AI, big data, 5G telecommunications and display technology.

At IFA Berlin 2018 -- a leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances --TCL Research Europe in Poland was officially unveiled. This research centre will play a critical role in developing AI technology among TCL’s worldwide footprints.

--BERNAMA

Malaysians 96 per cent users in Southeast Asia downloading COSCOI´s educational apps

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysians are among 96 per cent of users in Southeast Asia downloaded educational apps for children featuring cute characters of ‘Go East’ developed by COSCOI -- an animation character development and digital contents company in South Korea.

The users also includes those from Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand whereby Vietnam and Indonesia take up 80 per cent of total sales. The apps have been downloaded about 40,000 times in a month after released, a statement said.

“I expect the apps to succeed in the global market without difficulty thanks to their strong showing in Southeast Asia. We plan to release 11 more educational apps this year,” said Coscoi vice-president, Ja Keun Kim.

The company recently released smart edutainment apps ‘Go East! Coloring’ and ‘Go East! Xylophone’ as part of ‘Coscoi Friends’ series using ‘Go East’ -- its typical intellectual property in animation. The app series have been distributed to 135 countries.

It also has signed a contract with Zalo -- a famous messenger app of Vietnam -- to supply ‘Go East’ emoticons soon and it is in consultation with other Southeast Asian companies over license for ‘Go East’ and other emoticons.

The company has developed Mobile App Service (MAS) -- a content management platform -- to launch and manage apps for an effective distribution and utilisation of ‘Go East,’ its intellectual property.

‘Go East’ is an animation content adapted from ‘Journey to the West’ -- a 15th century classical Chinese novel which deals with the adventures and exploits of a monkey named Sun Wukong.

Characters in the story also received positive responses in global character, animation and IP exhibitions including the LIMA 2018 in Las Vegas, USA, the Beijing International Film Festival in Beijing, China and the Mifa 2018 in Annecy, France. More details at http://www.coscoi.net.

-- BERNAMA 

A.M. BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF ROYAL INSURANCE CORPORATION OF BHUTAN LIMITED

SINGAPORE, Sept 3 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb-” of Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan Limited (RICB) (Bhutan). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

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

RICB’s strong risk-adjusted capital position is supported by its investment portfolio, which mainly comprises loans and deposits. The company’s earnings have been consistently positive, derived primarily from its sizable portfolio of loans and advances. The neutral business profile reflects the company’s market-leading position in the relatively small life and non-life markets of Bhutan. RICB is the larger of two insurance companies in the country and holds a monopoly position in the life insurance sector in its domestic market.

Offsetting rating factors include RICB’s ERM, which is assessed as marginal. The company has no developed asset-liability management framework for its life insurance business. The risk of asset-liability mismatches have been heightened by significant growth in RICB’s annuity business in recent years, which increased the company’s reserve leverage ratio to 2.8 times as of Dec. 31, 2017.

Positive rating actions are unlikely in the near term. Negative rating pressure could result if risk-adjusted capitalization deteriorates as a result of adverse operating performance. 

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