Friday 28 December 2018
Wednesday 26 December 2018
Gamania Cheer Up Foundation starts Expedition in Antarctica
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 (Bernama) -- Gamania Cheer Up Foundation has launched ‘An Expedition In Antarctica’ after the completion of the inspiring ‘Polar Challenge’ 10 years ago, to encourage young people to have big dreams.
The first expedition team to Antarctica in Taiwan’s history aims to reach the South Pole via cross-country skiing under an extreme environment of 50 degrees Celsius to below zero with a wind speed of 50 kilometres (km) per hour, paying tribute to the spirit of adventure.
But, in view of various factors such as food supply and weather, they had decided to compress the total number of days of the march to 20 days and abandoned the original 660 km ‘Coast to Pole Route’.
Instead, they switched to the shorter but more challenging ‘Antarctic Plateau Route’, which is about 350 km.
Since the official challenge began on Dec 6, 250 km were covered after 15 days. The team has crossed the 89 degrees south of the equator mark and entering the last 100 km.
The team is led by the foundation’s founder, Albert Liu where ultra-marathon runner, Tommy Chen and famous actor Chris Wang serve as coach and mentor.
The international and interdisciplinary team includes 20-year-old Big Dream Youth Sherry Lin and Gary Wu, while director of the documentary film “Beyond the Arctic” 10 years ago, Yang Li-chou also participates to document the feat in full.
-- BERNAMA
Thursday 20 December 2018
Malaysians invited to experience Taiwan´s fruit season
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysians are among foreign tourists invited to experience the fun of fruit picking activity launched by Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture (COA) for the state’s fruit season.
The council recently launched 170 itineraries featuring 200 farms with 36 fruits around the country to attract both domestic and foreign tourists.
Taiwan known as the ‘Kingdom of Fruit’, produces fruits all year round with papayas, guavas and pineapples available in four seasons, a statement said.
Spring to summer is the best period to taste Taiwan’s fruits especially loquats, plums, watermelons and mangos while autumn to winter is good for fruits such as grapefruits, citrus, tomatoes and strawberry.
In addition to enjoying fruit in season and at the source, tourists can take fruit as a point of departure for diving deeper into local culture and features as they experience the pinnacle of seasonal flavor over the shortest distance between farm and table.
Tourists are also able to experience gift boxes with seasonal fruits, traditional cuisine and adoption program for fruit trees that are supervised by COA. A travel guide and information website, Agri ezgo is also available to introduce Taiwan-grown fruits and related industry.
The multi-language website available in Chinese, English and Japanese provide regulations and procedures for exporting fruits products as well as brochure in Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.
More details on https://ezgo.coa.gov.tw or https://ezgo.coa.gov.tw/Uploads/Projects/Fruit-Tour/en/souvenirs-country.html.
-- BERNAMA
The council recently launched 170 itineraries featuring 200 farms with 36 fruits around the country to attract both domestic and foreign tourists.
Taiwan known as the ‘Kingdom of Fruit’, produces fruits all year round with papayas, guavas and pineapples available in four seasons, a statement said.
Spring to summer is the best period to taste Taiwan’s fruits especially loquats, plums, watermelons and mangos while autumn to winter is good for fruits such as grapefruits, citrus, tomatoes and strawberry.
In addition to enjoying fruit in season and at the source, tourists can take fruit as a point of departure for diving deeper into local culture and features as they experience the pinnacle of seasonal flavor over the shortest distance between farm and table.
Tourists are also able to experience gift boxes with seasonal fruits, traditional cuisine and adoption program for fruit trees that are supervised by COA. A travel guide and information website, Agri ezgo is also available to introduce Taiwan-grown fruits and related industry.
The multi-language website available in Chinese, English and Japanese provide regulations and procedures for exporting fruits products as well as brochure in Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.
More details on https://ezgo.coa.gov.tw or https://ezgo.coa.gov.tw/Uploads/Projects/Fruit-Tour/en/souvenirs-country.html.
-- BERNAMA
EDF Renewables and Shell develop wind energy area in New Jersey
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- EDF Renewables North America and Shell New Energies US LLC (Shell) formed a joint venture -- Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC -- to co-develop OCS-0499 lease area within the New Jersey Wind Energy Area (WEA).
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC will begin working to complete a site assessment plan and initiate formal development efforts on the site and subject to a positive final investment decision which will bring the wind farm into operation by the mid-2020s, a statement said.
The lease area holds the potential to produce approximately 2,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy – enough to power close to one million homes. It also comprises 183,353 acres about eight miles off the coast of Atlantic City on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
The area also offers strong and steady wind resources in relatively shallow water, close to large population centers with associated electricity demand.
“The opportunity supports the EDF Group’s aim to double global renewable capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2030. It solidifies EDF Renewables' ambitions to leverage its depth of experience in the European offshore wind market in the emerging U.S. market,” said President & CEO of EDF Renewables North America, Tristan Grimbert.
Currently, EDF Renewables (subsidiary of EDF Group) has 2,800 MW of offshore wind in development or operation in Europe (Belgium, France, Germany and United Kingdom), placing the company to efficiently transform the U.S. offshore wind sector, beginning in New Jersey.
EDF Renewables North America is an independent power producer and service provider with over 30 years of expertise in renewable energy. It is a subsidiary of EDF Renewables. More details on https://www.edf-re.com.
-- BERNAMA
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC will begin working to complete a site assessment plan and initiate formal development efforts on the site and subject to a positive final investment decision which will bring the wind farm into operation by the mid-2020s, a statement said.
The lease area holds the potential to produce approximately 2,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy – enough to power close to one million homes. It also comprises 183,353 acres about eight miles off the coast of Atlantic City on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
The area also offers strong and steady wind resources in relatively shallow water, close to large population centers with associated electricity demand.
“The opportunity supports the EDF Group’s aim to double global renewable capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2030. It solidifies EDF Renewables' ambitions to leverage its depth of experience in the European offshore wind market in the emerging U.S. market,” said President & CEO of EDF Renewables North America, Tristan Grimbert.
Currently, EDF Renewables (subsidiary of EDF Group) has 2,800 MW of offshore wind in development or operation in Europe (Belgium, France, Germany and United Kingdom), placing the company to efficiently transform the U.S. offshore wind sector, beginning in New Jersey.
EDF Renewables North America is an independent power producer and service provider with over 30 years of expertise in renewable energy. It is a subsidiary of EDF Renewables. More details on https://www.edf-re.com.
-- BERNAMA
Wednesday 19 December 2018
LeddarTech, Cailabs combine technology for automotive industry
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Bernama) – LeddarTech has entered an agreement with Cailabs, a French deep tech company to explore combining LeddarTech’s solid-state LiDAR technology with Cailabs’ laser beam shaping solutions for the automotive industry.
LeddarTech in a statement said it delivers a proprietary auto and mobility LiDAR platform based on the LeddarEngine (SoC + software), enabling high-performance and low-cost LiDAR sensor solutions.
The platform is also used by large Tier-1 suppliers to develop specific LiDARs for ADAS and autonomous driving applications.
While Cailabs develops and produces a range of optical components based on its know-how and its patented technological innovations, in particular, Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC).
“LeddarTech is committed to meeting present and future LiDAR market requirements and we are looking forward to validating that our LiDAR solutions can be combined with Cailabs’ advanced beam combination technology,” said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LeddarTech, Charles Boulanger.
CEO at Cailabs, Jean-François Morizur said LeddarTech’s technology generates a higher range-to-power ratio and enables lower detection thresholds for significantly increased range and sensitivity over other solid-state LiDAR methods.
More details at www.LeddarTech.com and www.cailabs.com
-- BERNAMA
LeddarTech in a statement said it delivers a proprietary auto and mobility LiDAR platform based on the LeddarEngine (SoC + software), enabling high-performance and low-cost LiDAR sensor solutions.
The platform is also used by large Tier-1 suppliers to develop specific LiDARs for ADAS and autonomous driving applications.
While Cailabs develops and produces a range of optical components based on its know-how and its patented technological innovations, in particular, Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC).
“LeddarTech is committed to meeting present and future LiDAR market requirements and we are looking forward to validating that our LiDAR solutions can be combined with Cailabs’ advanced beam combination technology,” said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LeddarTech, Charles Boulanger.
CEO at Cailabs, Jean-François Morizur said LeddarTech’s technology generates a higher range-to-power ratio and enables lower detection thresholds for significantly increased range and sensitivity over other solid-state LiDAR methods.
More details at www.LeddarTech.com and www.cailabs.com
-- BERNAMA
UAE Federal export credit company selects Tinubu Credit Insurance Suite
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Bernama) – Tinubu Square has been chosen by Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Federal export credit company for its Credit Insurance Suite (CIS), an end-to-end SaaS integrated software solution.
Tinubu Square in a statement said it will provide new technologies and services to support ECI businesses in managing, securing and transferring risks while moving to expand their presence.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ECI, Massimo Falcioni said the partnership will help them to support the export and re-export of UAE goods, works, services and foreign investments of UAE companies.
While Deputy CEO of Tinubu Square, Olivier Placca said: “Collaborating with ECI paves the way for us to maintain a stronger presence in the Middle East region and play a key role in the growth of its economies.
Founded in 2000, Tinubu Square is a leading provider of credit insurance, surety and trade finance solutions with global presence in Paris, London, New York, Montreal and Singapore. More details at www.tinubu.com
-- BERNAMA
Tinubu Square in a statement said it will provide new technologies and services to support ECI businesses in managing, securing and transferring risks while moving to expand their presence.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ECI, Massimo Falcioni said the partnership will help them to support the export and re-export of UAE goods, works, services and foreign investments of UAE companies.
While Deputy CEO of Tinubu Square, Olivier Placca said: “Collaborating with ECI paves the way for us to maintain a stronger presence in the Middle East region and play a key role in the growth of its economies.
Founded in 2000, Tinubu Square is a leading provider of credit insurance, surety and trade finance solutions with global presence in Paris, London, New York, Montreal and Singapore. More details at www.tinubu.com
-- BERNAMA
New 'Hello Kitty´ photographic spot and themed rooms at Keio Plaza Hotel Tama Tokyo
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Tokyo’s Keio Plaza Hotel Tama expanded its facilities and services with a new ‘Hello Kitty’ photographic spot and renovate four Sanrio characters themed rooms -- ‘My Melody’ and ‘Little Twin Stars’, addition to the four existing ‘Hello Kitty’ themed rooms.
The photographic spot within the hotel lobby will be available in March 2019 while the Sanrio characters themed rooms in June 2019. The expansion has strengthen Keio Plaza Hotel Co Ltd relationship with Sanrio Co Ltd, a statement said.
The Keio Plaza Hotel Tama ‘Hello Kitty’ themed rooms were first opened on Nov 1, 2014 while Sanrio’s amusement park, ‘Puroland’ a short five minute walk from Tama hotel and lobby lounge ‘Duet’ and delicatessen ‘Poppins’ serve specially created ‘Hello Kitty’ cakes and desserts.
The Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo in Shinjuku will stop operating its existing ‘Hello Kitty’ themed rooms on Jan 3, 2019, with ‘Hello Kitty’ themed facilities and services to be concentrated at the Keio Plaza Hotel Tama in the future.
The Keio Line Tama Center train station was renovated in 2016 to include ‘Hello Kitty’ and Sanrio characters and designs. The airport shuttle buses stopping near Tama hotel and Keio Line trains are also decorated with Sanrio characters.
For more information, please visits https://www.keioplaza.com/tama or https://www.sanrio.co.jp/english.
-- BERNAMA
The photographic spot within the hotel lobby will be available in March 2019 while the Sanrio characters themed rooms in June 2019. The expansion has strengthen Keio Plaza Hotel Co Ltd relationship with Sanrio Co Ltd, a statement said.
The Keio Plaza Hotel Tama ‘Hello Kitty’ themed rooms were first opened on Nov 1, 2014 while Sanrio’s amusement park, ‘Puroland’ a short five minute walk from Tama hotel and lobby lounge ‘Duet’ and delicatessen ‘Poppins’ serve specially created ‘Hello Kitty’ cakes and desserts.
The Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo in Shinjuku will stop operating its existing ‘Hello Kitty’ themed rooms on Jan 3, 2019, with ‘Hello Kitty’ themed facilities and services to be concentrated at the Keio Plaza Hotel Tama in the future.
The Keio Line Tama Center train station was renovated in 2016 to include ‘Hello Kitty’ and Sanrio characters and designs. The airport shuttle buses stopping near Tama hotel and Keio Line trains are also decorated with Sanrio characters.
For more information, please visits https://www.keioplaza.com/tama or https://www.sanrio.co.jp/english.
-- BERNAMA
Tuesday 18 December 2018
YouCam Makeup Apps winner of 2018 International Innovation Award
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- YouCam Makeup platform and suite of virtual apps have been honoured with the 2018 International Innovation Award, presented by Enterprise Asia - a non-governmental entrepreneur organisation that hosts the annual regional awards.
The award was accepted by Vice President of Business Development at Perfect Corp Louis Chen in a ceremony in Macau, China recently.
The platform and suite of apps was chosen in the Service and Solution category, honouring the advanced artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and deep learning technologies to redefine and reimagine the consumer and brand beauty shopping experience.
The judges recognised YouCam Apps for its advancements in facial detection and tracking and how implementing AI’s deep learning technology has helped to deliver the most true-to-life virtual beauty try-ons, a statement said.
YouCam Makeup’s unique, innovative Beauty SaaS was trusted by over 200 brands and retailers worldwide and the solutions have been implemented in a range of consumer touchpoints including in-store consultations, web consultations and SDK implementation.
This year, Enterprise Asia received over 160 entries from 30 countries across 24 industries. YouCam Apps is honoured to be among the 16 companies recognised in the Service and Solution category.
Perfect Corp is dedicated to transforming how consumers, content creators and beauty brands interact together through beauty AI & AR. The YouCam Makeup Apps is available for free download on the App Store and Google Play. More details on https://www.perfectcorp.com.
-- BERNAMA
The award was accepted by Vice President of Business Development at Perfect Corp Louis Chen in a ceremony in Macau, China recently.
The platform and suite of apps was chosen in the Service and Solution category, honouring the advanced artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and deep learning technologies to redefine and reimagine the consumer and brand beauty shopping experience.
The judges recognised YouCam Apps for its advancements in facial detection and tracking and how implementing AI’s deep learning technology has helped to deliver the most true-to-life virtual beauty try-ons, a statement said.
YouCam Makeup’s unique, innovative Beauty SaaS was trusted by over 200 brands and retailers worldwide and the solutions have been implemented in a range of consumer touchpoints including in-store consultations, web consultations and SDK implementation.
This year, Enterprise Asia received over 160 entries from 30 countries across 24 industries. YouCam Apps is honoured to be among the 16 companies recognised in the Service and Solution category.
Perfect Corp is dedicated to transforming how consumers, content creators and beauty brands interact together through beauty AI & AR. The YouCam Makeup Apps is available for free download on the App Store and Google Play. More details on https://www.perfectcorp.com.
-- BERNAMA
Friday 14 December 2018
China´s Linxia replaces crops to boost farmers´ income
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (Bernama) – China’s Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province is replacing grain crops with feed crops by promoting new technologies such as full storage and silage to adjust the planting structure and boost farmers' income.
According to a statement, silage is a fermented fodder made from smashed corn cobs and stalks, which can be stored for one to three years.
The ‘grain crops to feed crops’ trial aims to promote the cultivation of silage corn and turn the harvest of grain into fodder.
Besides cost reduction, the fermented fodder also fatten the cattle and sheep, improving their meat quality. Silage also helps reduce the incidence of intestinal diseases for the animals – another guarantee of the desirable quality of livestock products.
“The nutrient rate of hay is less than five per cent and nutrition rate of another method is about 30 per cent, while the whole-plant silage's nutrition rate can reach 70 per cent,” said deputy dean of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Prof. He Chungui.
An expansive planting of corn has weighed on planting efficiency, denting farmers' income and resulting in a large accumulation of corn stalks, which wastes resources and affects the rural environment.
Linxia also has a robust animal husbandry industry which is in high demand of abundant quality forage. The inefficient use of corn stalks and the inadequacy of high-quality forage poses an increasingly prominent challenge for the region.
-- BERNAMA
According to a statement, silage is a fermented fodder made from smashed corn cobs and stalks, which can be stored for one to three years.
The ‘grain crops to feed crops’ trial aims to promote the cultivation of silage corn and turn the harvest of grain into fodder.
Besides cost reduction, the fermented fodder also fatten the cattle and sheep, improving their meat quality. Silage also helps reduce the incidence of intestinal diseases for the animals – another guarantee of the desirable quality of livestock products.
“The nutrient rate of hay is less than five per cent and nutrition rate of another method is about 30 per cent, while the whole-plant silage's nutrition rate can reach 70 per cent,” said deputy dean of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Prof. He Chungui.
An expansive planting of corn has weighed on planting efficiency, denting farmers' income and resulting in a large accumulation of corn stalks, which wastes resources and affects the rural environment.
Linxia also has a robust animal husbandry industry which is in high demand of abundant quality forage. The inefficient use of corn stalks and the inadequacy of high-quality forage poses an increasingly prominent challenge for the region.
-- BERNAMA
Consumers in Thailand can now subscribe to iflix entertainment service
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- The world’s leading entertainment service for emerging markets, iflix has partnered with Advanced Info Service Plc. (AIS) to make iflixVIP available to AIS’ customers in Thailand through integrated carrier billing and sachet payments.
Besides AIS (Thailand’s largest mobile operator), iflix has also multi-stage partnerships with other Singtel affiliates, Globe Telecom in the Philippines and PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) in Indonesia, a statement said.
Under the partnership, AIS pre-paid subscribers can now unlock iflixVIP for as little as THB 7/day or THB 29/ week through their mobile account while pre- and post-paid monthly iflixVIP plans are priced at an affordable THB 99/month. (THB 10 = RM1.28)
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of iflix Mark Britt said the partnership collectively represents a customer base of more than 270 million in just Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. The company is thrilled to be selected by AIS to offer their customers the best content and payment convenience available with the iflixVIP service.
The partnership demonstrates iflix commitment to bring the best in entertainment content to Thai audiences across the country with aim to fulfill customers in term of diversity of content, payments convenience and sign up on iflixVIP.
iflix is available to over one billion consumers throughout Asia including Malaysia, the Middle East and Africa. It offers consumers a vast library of top Hollywood, regional and local TV shows and movies. More details on https://blog.iflix.com.
-- BERNAMA
KX TECHNOLOGY POWERS TRADING ANALYTICS PLATFORM FOR GIC
LONDON, Dec 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Kx announces that it has been selected by GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, to innovate and enhance its trading analytics offering. Using Kx technology, GIC has implemented an advanced enterprise trading analytics platform which will extend GIC’s strategic capabilities and allow it to analyze multi-asset, multi-frequency market data in real-time.
The GIC trading analytics platform is built upon kdb+, the world’s fastest time-series database for high-performance streaming, real-time and historical data analytics. Kx technology is used throughout the underlying architecture of the platform which includes data loading, validation mechanisms to protect the integrity of the database and system performance monitoring functionality.
Jeffrey Tan, Head of Global Trading Unit for GIC said: “We are delighted to work with Kx to build our bespoke multi-asset analytics platform which combines GIC transaction data with multi-frequency market data for in-depth execution research, reporting and evaluation. The platform, which is part of a broader strategy to enhance our trading infrastructure, also supports real-time use cases, superior system performance and an open architecture for integration with other systems.”
Brian Conlon, CEO of Kx said: “GIC is impressive in its commitment to technological innovation and excellence. Its team has built a powerful system for large-scale, real-time analytics with Kx at the core – giving greater insights into complex trading operations. The forward thinking approach fits perfectly with the Kx ethos and we are delighted to power their innovative platform.”
About Kx
Kx is a division of First Derivatives (FDP.L), a global technology provider with 20 years of experience working with some of the world’s largest finance, technology, retail, pharma, manufacturing and energy institutions. Kx technology, incorporating the kdb+ time-series database, is a leader in high-performance, in-memory computing, streaming analytics and operational intelligence. Kx delivers the best possible performance and flexibility for high-volume, data-intensive analytics and applications across multiple industries. The Group operates from 14 offices across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, including its headquarters in Newry, and employs more than 2,400 people worldwide.
For more information about Kx please visit www.kx.com.
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33432
The GIC trading analytics platform is built upon kdb+, the world’s fastest time-series database for high-performance streaming, real-time and historical data analytics. Kx technology is used throughout the underlying architecture of the platform which includes data loading, validation mechanisms to protect the integrity of the database and system performance monitoring functionality.
Jeffrey Tan, Head of Global Trading Unit for GIC said: “We are delighted to work with Kx to build our bespoke multi-asset analytics platform which combines GIC transaction data with multi-frequency market data for in-depth execution research, reporting and evaluation. The platform, which is part of a broader strategy to enhance our trading infrastructure, also supports real-time use cases, superior system performance and an open architecture for integration with other systems.”
Brian Conlon, CEO of Kx said: “GIC is impressive in its commitment to technological innovation and excellence. Its team has built a powerful system for large-scale, real-time analytics with Kx at the core – giving greater insights into complex trading operations. The forward thinking approach fits perfectly with the Kx ethos and we are delighted to power their innovative platform.”
About Kx
Kx is a division of First Derivatives (FDP.L), a global technology provider with 20 years of experience working with some of the world’s largest finance, technology, retail, pharma, manufacturing and energy institutions. Kx technology, incorporating the kdb+ time-series database, is a leader in high-performance, in-memory computing, streaming analytics and operational intelligence. Kx delivers the best possible performance and flexibility for high-volume, data-intensive analytics and applications across multiple industries. The Group operates from 14 offices across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, including its headquarters in Newry, and employs more than 2,400 people worldwide.
For more information about Kx please visit www.kx.com.
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33432
PROPSELLER RAISES S$1M IN SEED FUNDING TO HELP MORE PROPERTY OWNERS RATE AND COMPARE PROPERTY AGENTS
People looking to engage the service of a property agent uses Propseller to find the best performing ones, eventually helping them to save time and achieve better results.
SINGAPORE, Dec 11 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Propseller, a Singaporean startup that helps prospective property sellers and landlords find and compare the best property agents, today announced it has closed a S$1 million seed funding round and that has it already put up for sale and rent a staggering combined property value of S$500m within only 12 months. Local entrepreneurs Yang Bin Kwok and Erwan Mace, founders of two of Singapore’s most successful startups, Zopim and Muslim Pro respectively, were in the round along with real estate industry veteran Yvan de Rham (former Chairman of Sotheby’s International Realty for Switzerland). The funds will be used to accelerate the growth and further develop the technology focused on a “transparent approach” to select an agent using independent reviews and agents’ track records
With 30,000 registered property agent in Singapore, how would a property owner looking to sell or rent select the good agent(s)? “Too often, owners waste time by picking unprofessional agents not delivering, while there are fantastic professionals out there.” says Adrien Jorge, the founder of Propseller, previously general manager at Groupon for South-East Asia. Consumers seeking quality and transparency can now use Propseller to compare individual agents. Within one minute, the user is presented with a list of the best 3 to 10 estate agents based on both the given criteria and agents’ track record. “
On the agent side, the traction is just as high, with 500 handpicked agents - from estate agencies such as PropNex, ERA and Sotheby’s - embracing the transparency route, joining Propseller and allowing client to rate their services.
The startup sees its service as “complementary” to the property listing portals. “PropertyGuru or 99.co are presenting properties to buyers and tenants. But for this to happen, the owner first needs to find an agent who will then market the property, that’s the part we facilitate.”
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33425
SINGAPORE, Dec 11 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Propseller, a Singaporean startup that helps prospective property sellers and landlords find and compare the best property agents, today announced it has closed a S$1 million seed funding round and that has it already put up for sale and rent a staggering combined property value of S$500m within only 12 months. Local entrepreneurs Yang Bin Kwok and Erwan Mace, founders of two of Singapore’s most successful startups, Zopim and Muslim Pro respectively, were in the round along with real estate industry veteran Yvan de Rham (former Chairman of Sotheby’s International Realty for Switzerland). The funds will be used to accelerate the growth and further develop the technology focused on a “transparent approach” to select an agent using independent reviews and agents’ track records
With 30,000 registered property agent in Singapore, how would a property owner looking to sell or rent select the good agent(s)? “Too often, owners waste time by picking unprofessional agents not delivering, while there are fantastic professionals out there.” says Adrien Jorge, the founder of Propseller, previously general manager at Groupon for South-East Asia. Consumers seeking quality and transparency can now use Propseller to compare individual agents. Within one minute, the user is presented with a list of the best 3 to 10 estate agents based on both the given criteria and agents’ track record. “
On the agent side, the traction is just as high, with 500 handpicked agents - from estate agencies such as PropNex, ERA and Sotheby’s - embracing the transparency route, joining Propseller and allowing client to rate their services.
The startup sees its service as “complementary” to the property listing portals. “PropertyGuru or 99.co are presenting properties to buyers and tenants. But for this to happen, the owner first needs to find an agent who will then market the property, that’s the part we facilitate.”
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33425
YouTube advertisers benefit from DoubleVerify Brand Safety and Suitability coverage
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (Bernama) – YouTube advertisers will now benefit from best-in-class Brand Safety and Suitability coverage to deliver brand safety and suitability measurement for campaigns run on the platform.
This is following the partnership between DoubleVerify (DV) and YouTube to provide a consistent, third-party verification methodology aligned with their broader media measurement efforts, according to a statement.
DV said the advertisers will receive detailed insights into the appropriateness of the media on video campaigns running, creating a continuous feedback loop that improves campaign targeting.
Specifically, the controls give advertisers access to DV monitoring against 11 categories that can severely challenge brand safety, such as violence, hate speech and pornography.
Advertisers can also opt into 10 additional Brand Targeting categories, such as pets, automotive and travel – based on relevance to the brand.
Brand Safety and Suitability controls are available via DoubleVerify’s flagship service and performance platform, DV Pinnacle® – for YouTube Auction and YouTube Reserve inventory, including TrueView, Bumper Ads and Google Preferred.
DV is the leading independent provider of marketing measurement software, data and analytics that authenticates the quality and effectiveness of digital media for the world's largest brands and media platforms. More details at doubleverify.com
-- BERNAMA
This is following the partnership between DoubleVerify (DV) and YouTube to provide a consistent, third-party verification methodology aligned with their broader media measurement efforts, according to a statement.
DV said the advertisers will receive detailed insights into the appropriateness of the media on video campaigns running, creating a continuous feedback loop that improves campaign targeting.
Specifically, the controls give advertisers access to DV monitoring against 11 categories that can severely challenge brand safety, such as violence, hate speech and pornography.
Advertisers can also opt into 10 additional Brand Targeting categories, such as pets, automotive and travel – based on relevance to the brand.
Brand Safety and Suitability controls are available via DoubleVerify’s flagship service and performance platform, DV Pinnacle® – for YouTube Auction and YouTube Reserve inventory, including TrueView, Bumper Ads and Google Preferred.
DV is the leading independent provider of marketing measurement software, data and analytics that authenticates the quality and effectiveness of digital media for the world's largest brands and media platforms. More details at doubleverify.com
-- BERNAMA
Thursday 13 December 2018
Wednesday 12 December 2018
DoubleVerify provides fraud filtering solution for advertisers globally
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- DoubleVerify (DV) has partnered with InMobi -- a global provider of enterprise platforms for marketers -- to provide always-on fraud filtering and measurement for mobile in-app advertising campaigns across the InMobi Exchange globally.
The integration with InMobi covers pre-bid targeting for all InMobi Exchange impressions within the leading mobile in-app platform, as well as monitoring of post-bid fraud activity including spoofing (app misrepresentation), a statement said.
“DV’s partnership with InMobi demonstrates our commitment to provide consistent, comprehensive quality coverage for global brand advertisers,” said COO at DoubleVerify, Matt McLaughlin.
McLaughlin added that partnership with InMobi expands the footprint of the company’s fraud prevention capabilities and further distinguishes DV as the leader for mobile app verification.
As part of DV industry-leading mobile app fraud solution, it also identifies and screens the most comprehensive types of in-app fraud including background ad activity, hidden ads, app misrepresentation (spoofing) and measurement manipulation.
DoubleVerify is an independent provider of marketing measurement software, data and analytics. It has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its technology to detect and block sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) for mobile app video and display advertising in 2017. More details on https://www.doubleverify.com.
-- BERNAMA
The integration with InMobi covers pre-bid targeting for all InMobi Exchange impressions within the leading mobile in-app platform, as well as monitoring of post-bid fraud activity including spoofing (app misrepresentation), a statement said.
“DV’s partnership with InMobi demonstrates our commitment to provide consistent, comprehensive quality coverage for global brand advertisers,” said COO at DoubleVerify, Matt McLaughlin.
McLaughlin added that partnership with InMobi expands the footprint of the company’s fraud prevention capabilities and further distinguishes DV as the leader for mobile app verification.
As part of DV industry-leading mobile app fraud solution, it also identifies and screens the most comprehensive types of in-app fraud including background ad activity, hidden ads, app misrepresentation (spoofing) and measurement manipulation.
DoubleVerify is an independent provider of marketing measurement software, data and analytics. It has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its technology to detect and block sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) for mobile app video and display advertising in 2017. More details on https://www.doubleverify.com.
-- BERNAMA
THE GRADUATE MANAGEMENT ADMISSION COUNCIL SELECTS THREE NEW BUSINESS SCHOOLS FOR MEMBERSHIP
Schools Bring Expertise and Insight in Support of GMAC Mission
RESTON, Va., Dec 11 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a global association of leading graduate business schools, welcomes three new members. The addition of ESCP Europe, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, and Xavier University Bhubaneswar brings GMAC’s total membership to 225.
Select business schools are invited to apply for GMAC membership by its Board of Directors. Each school goes through a comprehensive application process that addresses the sustained commitments to supporting GMAC’s mission: providing the tools and information necessary for schools and talent to discover and evaluate each other.
“GMAC continues to strengthen our membership of graduate business schools that are not only working to address the changing needs of students, but also understanding the landscape and what can be done to better prepare students for their careers,” said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC. “Each of these three schools brings a unique approach from its area of the world. The perspectives they collectively bring to the Council will help further our mission and work to identify the opportunities and challenges faced by our industry.”
In addition to meeting membership criteria, each school has made a specific pledge to help GMAC meet its mission.
ESCP Europe
Widely heralded as the world’s first business school, ESCP was founded in 1819. As a highly-ranked School for Masters programs, ESCP Europe is well positioned to assist GMAC in its mission to grow its presence in the Masters space. Their unique multi-campus model will also provide insights on best practices for innovative program delivery, as well as experience on managing student recruitment processes across markets. They value their GMAC membership as an indicator of their commitment to providing the highest quality of education and their willingness to be a contributor to our global network.
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
WHU’s expertise in research and teaching will help to further GMAC’s work and presence in Germany. In particular, their Masters division has already committed to assisting with informing the approach that GMAC has taken to better serve that segment through convening professionals and providing insightful research and data.
Xavier University Bhubaneswar
One of India’s leading management schools, Xavier University Bhubaneswar believes in GMAC’s mission that every candidate deserves access to high quality graduate management education. Their GMAC membership symbolizes the school’s commitment to providing world-class quality b-school programs at their campus in Bhubaneswar to deserving candidates from around the world, in part by utilizing GMAC’s products and services.
To be considered for membership in GMAC, schools complete an application process and must meet the following criteria: maintain a selective admissions process; offer a master’s program in business administration, management subjects or equivalent; and actively support GMAC’s mission and use the GMAT exam or other GMAC assessments as part of their admissions and enrollment processes. They also participate in GMAC governance, including voting on Board elections and other matters that may come before the Council.
About GMAC
The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is an association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. Founded in 1953, we are committed to creating solutions for business schools and candidates to better discover, evaluate and connect with each other. We work on behalf of the schools and the graduate management education community, as well as guide candidates on their journey to higher education, to ensure that no talent goes undiscovered.
GMAC provides world-class research, professional development opportunities and assessments for the industry, designed to advance the art and science of admissions. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) is the most widely used graduate business school assessment, recognized by more than 7,000 programs worldwide. Other GMAC assessments include the NMAT by GMAC™ (NMAT®) exam, for entrance into graduate management programs in India, South Africa, and the Philippines, and the Executive Assessment (EA), specifically designed for Executive programs around the world.
Our flagship portal for graduate management education resources and information, www.mba.com, receives 14 million visits a year and features the School Search matching tool and Graduate Management Admission Search Service® (GMASS®) database, matching candidates and business schools.
GMAC is a global organization with offices in Hong Kong, China, Gurugram, India, Singapore, London, United Kingdom and the United States. To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com.
Media contact:
Geoffrey Basye, Director of Media Relations, GMAC
+1 (703) 668-9799 or gbasye@gmac.com
Source : Graduate Management Admission Council
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33420
RESTON, Va., Dec 11 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a global association of leading graduate business schools, welcomes three new members. The addition of ESCP Europe, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, and Xavier University Bhubaneswar brings GMAC’s total membership to 225.
Select business schools are invited to apply for GMAC membership by its Board of Directors. Each school goes through a comprehensive application process that addresses the sustained commitments to supporting GMAC’s mission: providing the tools and information necessary for schools and talent to discover and evaluate each other.
“GMAC continues to strengthen our membership of graduate business schools that are not only working to address the changing needs of students, but also understanding the landscape and what can be done to better prepare students for their careers,” said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC. “Each of these three schools brings a unique approach from its area of the world. The perspectives they collectively bring to the Council will help further our mission and work to identify the opportunities and challenges faced by our industry.”
In addition to meeting membership criteria, each school has made a specific pledge to help GMAC meet its mission.
ESCP Europe
Widely heralded as the world’s first business school, ESCP was founded in 1819. As a highly-ranked School for Masters programs, ESCP Europe is well positioned to assist GMAC in its mission to grow its presence in the Masters space. Their unique multi-campus model will also provide insights on best practices for innovative program delivery, as well as experience on managing student recruitment processes across markets. They value their GMAC membership as an indicator of their commitment to providing the highest quality of education and their willingness to be a contributor to our global network.
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
WHU’s expertise in research and teaching will help to further GMAC’s work and presence in Germany. In particular, their Masters division has already committed to assisting with informing the approach that GMAC has taken to better serve that segment through convening professionals and providing insightful research and data.
Xavier University Bhubaneswar
One of India’s leading management schools, Xavier University Bhubaneswar believes in GMAC’s mission that every candidate deserves access to high quality graduate management education. Their GMAC membership symbolizes the school’s commitment to providing world-class quality b-school programs at their campus in Bhubaneswar to deserving candidates from around the world, in part by utilizing GMAC’s products and services.
To be considered for membership in GMAC, schools complete an application process and must meet the following criteria: maintain a selective admissions process; offer a master’s program in business administration, management subjects or equivalent; and actively support GMAC’s mission and use the GMAT exam or other GMAC assessments as part of their admissions and enrollment processes. They also participate in GMAC governance, including voting on Board elections and other matters that may come before the Council.
About GMAC
The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is an association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. Founded in 1953, we are committed to creating solutions for business schools and candidates to better discover, evaluate and connect with each other. We work on behalf of the schools and the graduate management education community, as well as guide candidates on their journey to higher education, to ensure that no talent goes undiscovered.
GMAC provides world-class research, professional development opportunities and assessments for the industry, designed to advance the art and science of admissions. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) is the most widely used graduate business school assessment, recognized by more than 7,000 programs worldwide. Other GMAC assessments include the NMAT by GMAC™ (NMAT®) exam, for entrance into graduate management programs in India, South Africa, and the Philippines, and the Executive Assessment (EA), specifically designed for Executive programs around the world.
Our flagship portal for graduate management education resources and information, www.mba.com, receives 14 million visits a year and features the School Search matching tool and Graduate Management Admission Search Service® (GMASS®) database, matching candidates and business schools.
GMAC is a global organization with offices in Hong Kong, China, Gurugram, India, Singapore, London, United Kingdom and the United States. To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com.
Media contact:
Geoffrey Basye, Director of Media Relations, GMAC
+1 (703) 668-9799 or gbasye@gmac.com
Source : Graduate Management Admission Council
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33420
DSM SINOCHEM PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES ITS NEW NAME - CENTRIENT PHARMACEUTICALS
The name, resulting from a change in ownership, reflects its role at the centre of modern healthcare
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Dec 11 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Effective December 10, 2018 Centrient Pharmaceuticals is the new name for DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals, the leading manufacturer of beta-lactam antibiotics and a provider of next-generation statins and anti-fungals. The new name has been chosen to reflect the company’s key contribution to modern healthcare, and marks the next phase in its strategic evolution following a change of ownership to Bain Capital Private Equity.
CEO Karl Rotthier states: “Our bold and creative new name and logo showcase our company as one which prides itself on being at the centre of modern healthcare, through our life-saving active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms. We’re building on a rich history that began 150 years ago as the ‘Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek’, then Gist Brocades and more recently DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals. Now as Centrient Pharmaceuticals, we have an amazing opportunity to build a strong and differentiated brand in the generic pharmaceutical industry.”
Rotthier continues: “The name Centrient emphasizes the way in which we operate: putting our brand promise of Quality, Reliability and Sustainability at the centre of everything we do. Since the formation of the DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals joint venture in 2011, we have grown strongly and consistently. Now as Centrient Pharmaceuticals in partnership with Bain Capital, we are ready for the next phase in our evolution as a global generics pharmaceutical company, able to accelerate the execution of our strategy and grow both organically and through acquisitions.”
Along with the new name, the company will adopt a new logo, corporate brand identity and website. Centrient Pharmaceuticals will provide further updates to customers, suppliers and partners regarding these changes to ensure a smooth transition in the implementation of the new name.
About Centrient Pharmaceuticals
Centrient Pharmaceuticals is the leading manufacturer of beta-lactam antibiotics, and a provider of next generation statins and anti-fungals. We produce and sell intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms. We stand proudly at the centre of modern healthcare, as a maker of essential and life-saving medicines.
With our commitment to Quality, Reliability and Sustainability at the heart of everything we do, our over 2000 employees work continuously to meet our customers’ needs. We work towards a sustainable future by actively participating in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.
Founded 150 years ago as the ‘Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek’, our company was known as Gist Brocades and more recently DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Rotterdam (Netherlands), we have production facilities and sales offices in China, India, the Netherlands, Spain, Egypt, the United States and Mexico. Centrient Pharmaceuticals is wholly owned by Bain Capital Private Equity, a leading global private investment firm.
For more information please visit www.centrient.com.
For more information please contact Centrient Pharmaceuticals Corporate Communications, Alice Beijersbergen, Director Branding & Communications. E-Mail: alice.beijersbergen@centrient.com
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33419
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Dec 11 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Effective December 10, 2018 Centrient Pharmaceuticals is the new name for DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals, the leading manufacturer of beta-lactam antibiotics and a provider of next-generation statins and anti-fungals. The new name has been chosen to reflect the company’s key contribution to modern healthcare, and marks the next phase in its strategic evolution following a change of ownership to Bain Capital Private Equity.
CEO Karl Rotthier states: “Our bold and creative new name and logo showcase our company as one which prides itself on being at the centre of modern healthcare, through our life-saving active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms. We’re building on a rich history that began 150 years ago as the ‘Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek’, then Gist Brocades and more recently DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals. Now as Centrient Pharmaceuticals, we have an amazing opportunity to build a strong and differentiated brand in the generic pharmaceutical industry.”
Rotthier continues: “The name Centrient emphasizes the way in which we operate: putting our brand promise of Quality, Reliability and Sustainability at the centre of everything we do. Since the formation of the DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals joint venture in 2011, we have grown strongly and consistently. Now as Centrient Pharmaceuticals in partnership with Bain Capital, we are ready for the next phase in our evolution as a global generics pharmaceutical company, able to accelerate the execution of our strategy and grow both organically and through acquisitions.”
Along with the new name, the company will adopt a new logo, corporate brand identity and website. Centrient Pharmaceuticals will provide further updates to customers, suppliers and partners regarding these changes to ensure a smooth transition in the implementation of the new name.
About Centrient Pharmaceuticals
Centrient Pharmaceuticals is the leading manufacturer of beta-lactam antibiotics, and a provider of next generation statins and anti-fungals. We produce and sell intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms. We stand proudly at the centre of modern healthcare, as a maker of essential and life-saving medicines.
With our commitment to Quality, Reliability and Sustainability at the heart of everything we do, our over 2000 employees work continuously to meet our customers’ needs. We work towards a sustainable future by actively participating in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.
Founded 150 years ago as the ‘Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek’, our company was known as Gist Brocades and more recently DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Rotterdam (Netherlands), we have production facilities and sales offices in China, India, the Netherlands, Spain, Egypt, the United States and Mexico. Centrient Pharmaceuticals is wholly owned by Bain Capital Private Equity, a leading global private investment firm.
For more information please visit www.centrient.com.
For more information please contact Centrient Pharmaceuticals Corporate Communications, Alice Beijersbergen, Director Branding & Communications. E-Mail: alice.beijersbergen@centrient.com
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33419
Malaysia to sell Taiwan-grown premium products online
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will sell Taiwan-grown premium products as part of the Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture efforts to promote Taiwan's agricultural products in Southeast Asian countries under the New Southbound Policy.
The council has collaborated with Taiwan-based agricultural E-commerce website, ‘The Wonderful Food’ -- one of the most popular online grocery store rated by consumers, according to a report published by the Organic Lifestyle Magazine in 2017.
The website which sees a great opportunity to enter the Malaysian market has cooperated with E-commerce websites in Malaysia to sell Taiwanese agriculture products as the food products are highly accepted by Malaysian Chinese.
The business expansion plan is designed to deliver the freshest and best quality agricultural products directly from Taiwan to customers worldwide as this year, the site expects to reach overall sales of US$6.45 million for domestic and international business. (US$1 = RM4.17)
Council of Agriculture in a statement said Malaysian Chinese count for nearly 30 per cent of the total population in Malaysia, while the rest of the population see Taiwanese products as quality goods.
Products such as soybean and black bean milk made from Taiwan-grown beans are the top-selling products sold in the sites. The canned peeled chilli pepper and ginger in sesame oil and tea seed oil are also considered popular products among the customers.
Consumers in Hong Kong and Macau currently are able to place orders through the website while customers in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia will be able to purchase Taiwanese products from the online store soon.
-- BERNAMA
The council has collaborated with Taiwan-based agricultural E-commerce website, ‘The Wonderful Food’ -- one of the most popular online grocery store rated by consumers, according to a report published by the Organic Lifestyle Magazine in 2017.
The website which sees a great opportunity to enter the Malaysian market has cooperated with E-commerce websites in Malaysia to sell Taiwanese agriculture products as the food products are highly accepted by Malaysian Chinese.
The business expansion plan is designed to deliver the freshest and best quality agricultural products directly from Taiwan to customers worldwide as this year, the site expects to reach overall sales of US$6.45 million for domestic and international business. (US$1 = RM4.17)
Council of Agriculture in a statement said Malaysian Chinese count for nearly 30 per cent of the total population in Malaysia, while the rest of the population see Taiwanese products as quality goods.
Products such as soybean and black bean milk made from Taiwan-grown beans are the top-selling products sold in the sites. The canned peeled chilli pepper and ginger in sesame oil and tea seed oil are also considered popular products among the customers.
Consumers in Hong Kong and Macau currently are able to place orders through the website while customers in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia will be able to purchase Taiwanese products from the online store soon.
-- BERNAMA
Tuesday 11 December 2018
Saturday 8 December 2018
Fans start voting in 'Christmas with Hogwarts Mystery´ event
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 (Bernama) – Fans of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery mobile game can now vote for their favourite holiday ornament in the 'Christmas with Hogwarts Mystery’ event until Dec 12.
Jam City, the game developer, said in a statement that fans could view and vote the holiday ornaments at Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The most popular selection will be featured on each of the House Christmas trees unveiled in-game on Dec 13.
In celebration of Christmas in the Wizarding World, each House’s common room at Hogwarts features its own Christmas tree adorned in its respective House colours – red for Gryffindor, green for Slytherin, blue for Ravenclaw and yellow for Hufflepuff.
Jam City president and chief operating officer, Josh Yguado said players would be highly engaged in not only the secrets, spell-casting and classes of Hogwarts, but also its rituals and celebrations.
The mobile game was developed by Jam City, a Los Angeles-based mobile games studio, in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Portkey Games.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is the first mobile game where players can create their own character and experience life as a Hogwarts student.
More details at www.facebook.com/HPHogwartsMystery, www.twitter.com/HogwartsMystery and www.instagram.com/hphogwartsmystery
-- BERNAMA
Jam City, the game developer, said in a statement that fans could view and vote the holiday ornaments at Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The most popular selection will be featured on each of the House Christmas trees unveiled in-game on Dec 13.
In celebration of Christmas in the Wizarding World, each House’s common room at Hogwarts features its own Christmas tree adorned in its respective House colours – red for Gryffindor, green for Slytherin, blue for Ravenclaw and yellow for Hufflepuff.
Jam City president and chief operating officer, Josh Yguado said players would be highly engaged in not only the secrets, spell-casting and classes of Hogwarts, but also its rituals and celebrations.
The mobile game was developed by Jam City, a Los Angeles-based mobile games studio, in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Portkey Games.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is the first mobile game where players can create their own character and experience life as a Hogwarts student.
More details at www.facebook.com/HPHogwartsMystery, www.twitter.com/HogwartsMystery and www.instagram.com/hphogwartsmystery
-- BERNAMA
Friday 7 December 2018
MALAYSIAN BADMINTON TEAM TRAIN IN EHIME FOR OLYMPICS
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 (Bernama) – Ehime prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Badminton Association of Malaysia in July this year to hold training camps for the national team in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
From Aug 20 – Aug 27, an eight-day camp was held for the senior and junior Malaysian badminton teams, with the Ehime Prefecture Badminton Association and some local high school students lending support.
Thanks to trainers, sports dieticians and other specialists at the camp, the athletes were able to train well.
The Malaysian players took part in friendly matches with some of Ehime's select badminton players and offered lessons to younger players.
They also took some time out to visit the oldest hot spring in Japan, Dogo Onsen, and enjoyed cycling on the Shimanami Kaido road linked by 10 bridges and connecting Ehime with Hiroshima prefecture on Honshu island across the sea.
The senior and junior teams will be back in Ehime in 2019 for a two-week training camp, while in 2020, select members of the national team will be coming before the start of the Olympics in July.
For information on Ehime prefecture, visit https://www.visitehimejapan.com.
-- BERNAMA
From Aug 20 – Aug 27, an eight-day camp was held for the senior and junior Malaysian badminton teams, with the Ehime Prefecture Badminton Association and some local high school students lending support.
Thanks to trainers, sports dieticians and other specialists at the camp, the athletes were able to train well.
The Malaysian players took part in friendly matches with some of Ehime's select badminton players and offered lessons to younger players.
They also took some time out to visit the oldest hot spring in Japan, Dogo Onsen, and enjoyed cycling on the Shimanami Kaido road linked by 10 bridges and connecting Ehime with Hiroshima prefecture on Honshu island across the sea.
The senior and junior teams will be back in Ehime in 2019 for a two-week training camp, while in 2020, select members of the national team will be coming before the start of the Olympics in July.
For information on Ehime prefecture, visit https://www.visitehimejapan.com.
-- BERNAMA
Asia's largest toys and games fair in Hong Kong next month
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) – Asia’s largest toys and games fair— the 45th edition of Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair – will be held from Jan 7 to 10, 2019 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) featuring 2,100 exhibitors, the 10th edition of Hong Kong Baby Products Fair will also be staged at that time.
According to a statement from HKTDC, the fair will feature pavilions from Mainland China, Korea, Spain, Taiwan and the UK, as well as the World of Toys pavilion with exhibitors mainly from Europe.
While the baby products fair is welcoming almost 600 exhibitors – also featuring the signature Brand Name Gallery with over 45 trusted brands.
This year a new zone is inaugurated – maternity products for pre- and post-natal needs.
The Smart-Tech Toys zone will gather products operated via mobile apps or incorporated with VR, AR and MR technologies. A STREAM Toys Product Display will also be set up to highlight educational toys featuring science, technology, robotics, engineering, arts and maths.
More details about the toys and games fair at hktoyfair.hktdc.com while the baby products fair at hkbabyfair.hktdc.com
-- BERNAMA
Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) featuring 2,100 exhibitors, the 10th edition of Hong Kong Baby Products Fair will also be staged at that time.
According to a statement from HKTDC, the fair will feature pavilions from Mainland China, Korea, Spain, Taiwan and the UK, as well as the World of Toys pavilion with exhibitors mainly from Europe.
While the baby products fair is welcoming almost 600 exhibitors – also featuring the signature Brand Name Gallery with over 45 trusted brands.
This year a new zone is inaugurated – maternity products for pre- and post-natal needs.
The Smart-Tech Toys zone will gather products operated via mobile apps or incorporated with VR, AR and MR technologies. A STREAM Toys Product Display will also be set up to highlight educational toys featuring science, technology, robotics, engineering, arts and maths.
More details about the toys and games fair at hktoyfair.hktdc.com while the baby products fair at hkbabyfair.hktdc.com
-- BERNAMA
Thursday 6 December 2018
SOLARWINDS ADDS SDN MONITORING SUPPORT TO INDUSTRY-LEADING NETWORK MANAGEMENT PORTFOLIO
The latest updates bring Cisco ACI support and expanded anomaly detection capabilities to provide deeper visibility into network environments
AUSTIN, Texas, Dec 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SolarWinds (NYSE:SWI), a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, today announced a broad refresh to its market-leading network management portfolio, as well as key enhancements to the Orion® Platform. Designed to address the increasing adoption of SDN technology—Cisco® ACI in particular—SolarWinds®Network Performance Monitor helps customers monitor logical components of their SDN environment, including APICs, tenants, application profiles, endpoint groups, and physical entities. SolarWinds is recognized by IDC® as the market leader in network management software.[1]
“Customers are sampling SDN in their dev-test environments, but with the maturation of the technology, we’re seeing wider use by customers within their production environments,” said Christoph Pfister, executive vice president of products, SolarWinds. “Our users need comprehensive visibility into both the physical and logical networks. These latest updates are a direct reflection of our continued commitment to our user community and to their businesses—all priced to be within reach for most companies and service providers.”
The latest SolarWinds product refresh also brings advancements to SolarWinds anomaly detection capabilities—expanding alerts for unexpected behavior in the infrastructure, enhancing configuration baselines to help prevent config drift, and improving PerfStack™ dashboards for cross-stack troubleshooting. Added support for Infoblox® extends administrator visibility into network operations, with the ability to monitor Infoblox DHCP and DNS services in a centralized dashboard.
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33380
AUSTIN, Texas, Dec 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SolarWinds (NYSE:SWI), a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, today announced a broad refresh to its market-leading network management portfolio, as well as key enhancements to the Orion® Platform. Designed to address the increasing adoption of SDN technology—Cisco® ACI in particular—SolarWinds®Network Performance Monitor helps customers monitor logical components of their SDN environment, including APICs, tenants, application profiles, endpoint groups, and physical entities. SolarWinds is recognized by IDC® as the market leader in network management software.[1]
“Customers are sampling SDN in their dev-test environments, but with the maturation of the technology, we’re seeing wider use by customers within their production environments,” said Christoph Pfister, executive vice president of products, SolarWinds. “Our users need comprehensive visibility into both the physical and logical networks. These latest updates are a direct reflection of our continued commitment to our user community and to their businesses—all priced to be within reach for most companies and service providers.”
The latest SolarWinds product refresh also brings advancements to SolarWinds anomaly detection capabilities—expanding alerts for unexpected behavior in the infrastructure, enhancing configuration baselines to help prevent config drift, and improving PerfStack™ dashboards for cross-stack troubleshooting. Added support for Infoblox® extends administrator visibility into network operations, with the ability to monitor Infoblox DHCP and DNS services in a centralized dashboard.
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33380
Wednesday 5 December 2018
Cidekick receives RM775,000 seed funding from Cradle Fund
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Local start-up Cidekick Sdn Bhd, a temporary manpower solutions provider, plans to expand nationwide and build a mobile app after receiving RM775,000 in seed funding from Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd’s (Cradle) DEQ800 programme.
Cidekick Chief Executive Officer and Founder Philip Phua said the planned mobile app would allow both employers and temporary workers to carry out transparent process, hassle-free engagements.
He said the company aimed to be more than just a resume collecting portal for temporary manpower and to help companies address operational cost challenges with access to temporary talents.
“A substantial part of the modern-day workforce are temporary workers, sometimes also known as ‘gig workers’ who are typically hired for short periods.
“Given that most companies prefer to roll their cash flow for other business purposes, remuneration to temporary workers may not be a priority expense and this may not reflect well on the company’s image,” Phua said in a statement today.
He said traditional staffing agencies took higher commissions which could result in businesses paying more for less quality or workers being paid less than what they should be entitled.
“Cidekick was conceptualised to help both parties manage the pain points and provide the support services needed with the ultimate goal of helping employers gain the opportunity to reduce costs with access to temporary talents,” Phua said, adding that the company’s long-term goal was to make inroads into other Southeast Asia countries.
-- BERNAMA
Cidekick Chief Executive Officer and Founder Philip Phua said the planned mobile app would allow both employers and temporary workers to carry out transparent process, hassle-free engagements.
He said the company aimed to be more than just a resume collecting portal for temporary manpower and to help companies address operational cost challenges with access to temporary talents.
“A substantial part of the modern-day workforce are temporary workers, sometimes also known as ‘gig workers’ who are typically hired for short periods.
“Given that most companies prefer to roll their cash flow for other business purposes, remuneration to temporary workers may not be a priority expense and this may not reflect well on the company’s image,” Phua said in a statement today.
He said traditional staffing agencies took higher commissions which could result in businesses paying more for less quality or workers being paid less than what they should be entitled.
“Cidekick was conceptualised to help both parties manage the pain points and provide the support services needed with the ultimate goal of helping employers gain the opportunity to reduce costs with access to temporary talents,” Phua said, adding that the company’s long-term goal was to make inroads into other Southeast Asia countries.
-- BERNAMA
BAREFOOT NETWORKS UNVEILS TOFINO™ 2, THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE WORLD'S FIRST FULLY P4-PROGRAMMABLE NETWORK SWITCH ASICS
Blazing Fast ASICs Support Hyperscale Data Centers of Today and Pave the Way for Emerging Network Architectures and Application Workloads of Tomorrow
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barefoot Networks, a provider of high-performance and fully programmable networking solutions, today announced Tofino 2, the second generation of its P4-programmable Tofino Ethernet switch application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) family.
The 6.5Tb/s Tofino ASIC demonstrated that a P4-programmable switch chip could match the power, performance, and cost of legacy fixed-function devices while making it possible for the first time for end-customers to define any network behavior they want in their network. Tofino established it was possible, now Tofino 2 takes high performance and programmability to the next level. Processing packets at 12.8 Tb/s in 7nm process technology, Tofino 2 delivers double the performance while maintaining full P4-programmability, making it the best choice for meeting the needs of hyperscale data centers, cloud, enterprise and service provider networks. Tofino 2 and Tofino also remain the world’s only fully programmable switching chips, allowing network architects to replace legacy fixed-function switches with P4-programmable switches.
Why are programmable switches taking off now? Cloud providers are building networks of unprecedented scale, both in terms of capacity and the management challenge of keeping them reliable and secure. Networks, therefore, need to evolve much more rapidly than before, with new features being introduced regularly; it is not surprising that almost every big data center is testing new—often proprietary—features in their network for routing, tunneling, telemetry, load-balancing and more. While legacy switches take years to evolve, a P4-programmable switch can be enhanced with new features in a matter of hours, leading to a burgeoning set of new applications. To-date, Barefoot has enabled more than 100 new features and applications deployed, in support of improved reliability, visibility, security, artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads, and network storage.
Tofino 2 delivers significant benefits to infrastructure builders and solution providers:
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barefoot Networks, a provider of high-performance and fully programmable networking solutions, today announced Tofino 2, the second generation of its P4-programmable Tofino Ethernet switch application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) family.
The 6.5Tb/s Tofino ASIC demonstrated that a P4-programmable switch chip could match the power, performance, and cost of legacy fixed-function devices while making it possible for the first time for end-customers to define any network behavior they want in their network. Tofino established it was possible, now Tofino 2 takes high performance and programmability to the next level. Processing packets at 12.8 Tb/s in 7nm process technology, Tofino 2 delivers double the performance while maintaining full P4-programmability, making it the best choice for meeting the needs of hyperscale data centers, cloud, enterprise and service provider networks. Tofino 2 and Tofino also remain the world’s only fully programmable switching chips, allowing network architects to replace legacy fixed-function switches with P4-programmable switches.
Why are programmable switches taking off now? Cloud providers are building networks of unprecedented scale, both in terms of capacity and the management challenge of keeping them reliable and secure. Networks, therefore, need to evolve much more rapidly than before, with new features being introduced regularly; it is not surprising that almost every big data center is testing new—often proprietary—features in their network for routing, tunneling, telemetry, load-balancing and more. While legacy switches take years to evolve, a P4-programmable switch can be enhanced with new features in a matter of hours, leading to a burgeoning set of new applications. To-date, Barefoot has enabled more than 100 new features and applications deployed, in support of improved reliability, visibility, security, artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads, and network storage.
Tofino 2 delivers significant benefits to infrastructure builders and solution providers:
- World’s first 7nm switch ASIC bringing the advantages of P4 programmability to hyperscale data centers needing 400G Ethernet (400GE) by delivering 32x400GE on a single chip.
- Delivers orders-of-magnitude power and latency savings by supporting industry highest radix with up to 256x10/25/50GE ports on a single chip.
- Because Tofino 2 is fully P4-programmable, it can be deployed in many ways, from a standard top-of-rack switch to a service provider router, or even a feature-rich switch appliance. It can support enormous, unrivaled table sizes for routing, tunnels, and access control lists (ACLs).
- Support for Barefoot SPRINT™- Barefoot's enhanced version of the industry-standard In-band Network Telemetry (INT), providing fine-grained per-packet intelligent real-time visibility of network traffic. Provides ground-truth of all network activity, accelerating the time to find the root cause of network outages.
- Leverages the growing industry-wide P4 Ecosystem supported by multiple switch and network interface controller (NIC) chips.
- Modular architecture enabling rapid integration of 112G SerDes and silicon photonics.
“Until Tofino arrived in 2016, networking switch ASICs hadn’t changed much in 20 years; they all ran pretty much the same tired old features. Our industry is stuck in a dinosaur way of doing things, and it takes years to add new features,” said Nick McKeown, Co-Founder, and Chief Scientist at Barefoot Networks. “Thankfully, networking is changing. Tofino, the first chip based on the PISA architecture, moved protocols - old and new - up and out of hardware into software, where they evolve at the pace of software. Tofino started it, now Tofino 2, at twice the capacity and twice the resources, demonstrates there is no going back. Within five years all switches will be programmable. We believe programming your network should be as easy as programming your computer.”
“What’s powerful about Barefoot’s approach to networking is the fact that their Tofino Ethernet switch ASICs have a fully P4-programmable pipeline. What this means to us is this - the freedom to create network nodes that can perform precise functions that will exponentially increase application performance and visibility. Barefoot Tofino 2 switch silicon builds on its predecessor, the Tofino series, that is field proven. While the ability to derive efficiencies from 400GE deployments is a necessity, it is more important for us to be able to fine-tune the switch pipeline to create functionality that better serves our customers.”—Josh Matheus, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs
“Cisco is at the forefront of innovation by creating best-of-breed solutions to meet and exceed the growing needs of its customers. Customers continue to demand higher speeds, feeds and intelligence in their networks. Barefoot Tofino does not only let us deliver solutions that do table stakes but will also let us solve complex new challenges faced by our customers. We’ve already leveraged Tofino and the P4 programming language to bring new, differentiated products to market. I look forward to seeing Tofino 2 bring P4 programming capabilities to the emerging 400G Ethernet market in 2019.”—Tom Edsall, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for the Data Center Networking Group at Cisco Systems
“Alibaba has a great relationship with Barefoot; their first generation P4-programmable switch silicon provides the customization capability to enable our network infrastructure to better deliver applications for our users. We will continue to explore leveraging their new generation programmable switch silicon for more efficiency and visibility.”—Dennis Cai, Chief Architect of Network Infrastructure under Alibaba Infrastructure Services.
“At Tencent, it is critical for our network to be capable of supporting a wide variety of applications and services. The network has to be scalable and resilient which requires switches that can be defined from the forwarding plane up. Barefoot’s P4-programmable Ethernet switch ASICs deliver just that. We can create switching solutions that perform standard features and any unique feature we want. The programmability of the forwarding plane helps deliver better scale, visibility and enables us to derive significant value from the network. Barefoot’s Tofino 2 series of switches will help us migrate to the next speed step of 400GE without losing the benefits of P4-programmability which we take advantage of today.”—Wade Shao, Director, Network Platform Department, Tencent
“The ability to define what the forwarding plane of a switch can do is quite attractive to us as it enables us to lay a future-proof foundation for our super cloud infrastructure. Barefoot’s technology is revolutionary in that it allows network builders and owners like us to create a network that suits and exceeds our needs. The P4-programmable Barefoot Tofino 2 chipset will help us handle higher data rates up to 400GE while continuing to reap the benefits of programmability which include full and real-time visibility into the network.”—Fu Qingming, Group Vice President, Infrastructure R&D, JD Cloud
"UCloud's infrastructure is uniquely capable of taking advantage of network programmability. With P4 and Barefoot Tofino, we've been able to achieve breakthrough performance, scale and visibility in the network to address the growing needs of the compute and storage systems. We have built excellent solutions using Tofino that are used in our network today and we are excited for the launch of Tofino 2 as we look forward to deploying 400GE in the near future.”—Wang Kai, General Manager, Operations and Maintenance Platform, UCloud
“The increasing adoption of AI and machine learning is generating a fundamentally different type of application traffic in the network, which requires different network architectures. Furthermore, new traffic from AI can be very unpredictable and come with significantly higher bandwidth requirements. 100Gbit/s server access ports and 400Gbit/s will become the norm in the aggregation/core, and 12.8Tb/s switching chips will become the next standard. Barefoot's Tofino proved that performance and programmability can be delivered without compromise and now its launch of Tofino 2 delivers breakthrough speed while keeping P4-programmability which will usher in scores of new network applications.”—Alan Weckel, Founder and Technology Analyst at 650 Group
“The rise of domain-specific architectures and languages has solved critical scalability and efficiency issues in the fields of signal processing, graphics, and storage. Barefoot’s Tofino family of programmable switch chips has ushered in the benefits of domain-specific architectures and languages to the networking industry with PISA and P4. Tofino has proven it offers better performance and lower power than comparable fixed-function silicon, thereby providing the power of programmability without a performance penalty. Tofino 2 promises to deliver these benefits for 400G Ethernet using a modular chip architecture, bringing efficiencies in power and price.”—Bob Wheeler, Principal Analyst, The Linley Group
“400Gbps Ethernet is expected to become the norm in hyperscale cloud networks and data centers by 2022—driven by the need for geometric bandwidth increases to support artificial intelligence, machine learning, distributed flash storage, and server-less computing,” said Craig Barratt, CEO of Barefoot Networks. “With today’s announcement, Barefoot once again demonstrates that it is keeping ahead of the demand curve by providing the technologies and tools that network architects need to reshape cloud, enterprise, and public networks.”
P4 Programmability
With P4 data plane programmability, network owners and infrastructure partners can implement a new class of high-performance data-plane applications and deploy them immediately on Tofino. Barefoot’s customers can choose to create their own features, by writing applications from scratch in P4, then compiling to run on Tofino. Or they can use a pre-built program, like switch.p4, which is supplied and supported by Barefoot.
Barefoot P4 Studio™ is a suite of software development tools enabling customers to author their own features in P4 for Tofino. Enterprises, hyperscale data centers, telco, and wireless providers can introduce new functions and features without compromising performance. In so doing, they create a competitive advantage unmatched by solutions based on fixed-function silicon.
P4 and Barefoot’s P4-programmable Tofino switch silicon family has unleashed a Cambrian explosion of new and innovative network features and applications. Programming the network is becoming as easy as programming a computer.
Availability
Barefoot P4 Studio Software Development Environment (SDE) with support for Tofino 2 switch series is available now to customers worldwide allowing them to start designing and developing their data plane and control plane software ready. The Barefoot Tofino 2 switch ASICs will sample to customers in 1H of 2019. Additional product details may be viewed at https://www.barefootnetworks.com/products/brief-tofino-2/. The open-source P4 programming language is available free from https://p4.org/.
Barefoot Networks is pleased to feature one of its customers, Cisco, discussing its experience working with Barefoot. The video can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/304243835.
Barefoot Networks will be onsite at ONF Connect, Dec. 4-6, showcasing Barefoot Tofino and Tofino 2-powered platforms and presenting on various topics including use cases for hyperscale data centers and service providers. For more details about the event, visit the session schedule. Media and analysts interested in meeting with Barefoot Networks may contact barefoot@10fold.com or visit its booth, #12.
Barefoot Networks, the Foot logo, Tofino, Tofino 2, Capilano, Deep Insight, SPRINT, P4 Studio, and P4 Insight are trademarks of Barefoot Networks.
About Barefoot Networks
Barefoot Networks launched in 2016 after two years of developing technology that built switch silicon with a forwarding plane that is defined in software while not compromising on performance. Barefoot empowers network owners and their infrastructure partners to design, optimize, and innovate to meet their specific requirements and gain competitive advantage. In combining the P4 programming language with fast programmable switches, Barefoot has also created an ecosystem for compilers, tools, and P4 programs to make P4 accessible to anybody. Barefoot Networks is headquartered in Silicon Valley and is backed by strategic investors including Alibaba, Dell Technology Capital, Google Inc., Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments, Hewlett Packard Pathfinder, and Tencent, and by premier venture capital firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed, and Sequoia Capital. For more information, visit https://barefootnetworks.com/.
Follow us on Twitter: @barefootnetwork.
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barefootnetworks.
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barefoot-networks.
Editorial Contact
Alison Flood
barefoot@10fold.com
415-317-4089
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d078cf9-cbe9-487e-8ecb-0b02153695e8
SOURCE : Barefoot Networks, Inc.
“What’s powerful about Barefoot’s approach to networking is the fact that their Tofino Ethernet switch ASICs have a fully P4-programmable pipeline. What this means to us is this - the freedom to create network nodes that can perform precise functions that will exponentially increase application performance and visibility. Barefoot Tofino 2 switch silicon builds on its predecessor, the Tofino series, that is field proven. While the ability to derive efficiencies from 400GE deployments is a necessity, it is more important for us to be able to fine-tune the switch pipeline to create functionality that better serves our customers.”—Josh Matheus, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs
“Cisco is at the forefront of innovation by creating best-of-breed solutions to meet and exceed the growing needs of its customers. Customers continue to demand higher speeds, feeds and intelligence in their networks. Barefoot Tofino does not only let us deliver solutions that do table stakes but will also let us solve complex new challenges faced by our customers. We’ve already leveraged Tofino and the P4 programming language to bring new, differentiated products to market. I look forward to seeing Tofino 2 bring P4 programming capabilities to the emerging 400G Ethernet market in 2019.”—Tom Edsall, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for the Data Center Networking Group at Cisco Systems
“Alibaba has a great relationship with Barefoot; their first generation P4-programmable switch silicon provides the customization capability to enable our network infrastructure to better deliver applications for our users. We will continue to explore leveraging their new generation programmable switch silicon for more efficiency and visibility.”—Dennis Cai, Chief Architect of Network Infrastructure under Alibaba Infrastructure Services.
“At Tencent, it is critical for our network to be capable of supporting a wide variety of applications and services. The network has to be scalable and resilient which requires switches that can be defined from the forwarding plane up. Barefoot’s P4-programmable Ethernet switch ASICs deliver just that. We can create switching solutions that perform standard features and any unique feature we want. The programmability of the forwarding plane helps deliver better scale, visibility and enables us to derive significant value from the network. Barefoot’s Tofino 2 series of switches will help us migrate to the next speed step of 400GE without losing the benefits of P4-programmability which we take advantage of today.”—Wade Shao, Director, Network Platform Department, Tencent
“The ability to define what the forwarding plane of a switch can do is quite attractive to us as it enables us to lay a future-proof foundation for our super cloud infrastructure. Barefoot’s technology is revolutionary in that it allows network builders and owners like us to create a network that suits and exceeds our needs. The P4-programmable Barefoot Tofino 2 chipset will help us handle higher data rates up to 400GE while continuing to reap the benefits of programmability which include full and real-time visibility into the network.”—Fu Qingming, Group Vice President, Infrastructure R&D, JD Cloud
"UCloud's infrastructure is uniquely capable of taking advantage of network programmability. With P4 and Barefoot Tofino, we've been able to achieve breakthrough performance, scale and visibility in the network to address the growing needs of the compute and storage systems. We have built excellent solutions using Tofino that are used in our network today and we are excited for the launch of Tofino 2 as we look forward to deploying 400GE in the near future.”—Wang Kai, General Manager, Operations and Maintenance Platform, UCloud
“The increasing adoption of AI and machine learning is generating a fundamentally different type of application traffic in the network, which requires different network architectures. Furthermore, new traffic from AI can be very unpredictable and come with significantly higher bandwidth requirements. 100Gbit/s server access ports and 400Gbit/s will become the norm in the aggregation/core, and 12.8Tb/s switching chips will become the next standard. Barefoot's Tofino proved that performance and programmability can be delivered without compromise and now its launch of Tofino 2 delivers breakthrough speed while keeping P4-programmability which will usher in scores of new network applications.”—Alan Weckel, Founder and Technology Analyst at 650 Group
“The rise of domain-specific architectures and languages has solved critical scalability and efficiency issues in the fields of signal processing, graphics, and storage. Barefoot’s Tofino family of programmable switch chips has ushered in the benefits of domain-specific architectures and languages to the networking industry with PISA and P4. Tofino has proven it offers better performance and lower power than comparable fixed-function silicon, thereby providing the power of programmability without a performance penalty. Tofino 2 promises to deliver these benefits for 400G Ethernet using a modular chip architecture, bringing efficiencies in power and price.”—Bob Wheeler, Principal Analyst, The Linley Group
“400Gbps Ethernet is expected to become the norm in hyperscale cloud networks and data centers by 2022—driven by the need for geometric bandwidth increases to support artificial intelligence, machine learning, distributed flash storage, and server-less computing,” said Craig Barratt, CEO of Barefoot Networks. “With today’s announcement, Barefoot once again demonstrates that it is keeping ahead of the demand curve by providing the technologies and tools that network architects need to reshape cloud, enterprise, and public networks.”
P4 Programmability
With P4 data plane programmability, network owners and infrastructure partners can implement a new class of high-performance data-plane applications and deploy them immediately on Tofino. Barefoot’s customers can choose to create their own features, by writing applications from scratch in P4, then compiling to run on Tofino. Or they can use a pre-built program, like switch.p4, which is supplied and supported by Barefoot.
Barefoot P4 Studio™ is a suite of software development tools enabling customers to author their own features in P4 for Tofino. Enterprises, hyperscale data centers, telco, and wireless providers can introduce new functions and features without compromising performance. In so doing, they create a competitive advantage unmatched by solutions based on fixed-function silicon.
P4 and Barefoot’s P4-programmable Tofino switch silicon family has unleashed a Cambrian explosion of new and innovative network features and applications. Programming the network is becoming as easy as programming a computer.
Availability
Barefoot P4 Studio Software Development Environment (SDE) with support for Tofino 2 switch series is available now to customers worldwide allowing them to start designing and developing their data plane and control plane software ready. The Barefoot Tofino 2 switch ASICs will sample to customers in 1H of 2019. Additional product details may be viewed at https://www.barefootnetworks.com/products/brief-tofino-2/. The open-source P4 programming language is available free from https://p4.org/.
Barefoot Networks is pleased to feature one of its customers, Cisco, discussing its experience working with Barefoot. The video can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/304243835.
Barefoot Networks will be onsite at ONF Connect, Dec. 4-6, showcasing Barefoot Tofino and Tofino 2-powered platforms and presenting on various topics including use cases for hyperscale data centers and service providers. For more details about the event, visit the session schedule. Media and analysts interested in meeting with Barefoot Networks may contact barefoot@10fold.com or visit its booth, #12.
Barefoot Networks, the Foot logo, Tofino, Tofino 2, Capilano, Deep Insight, SPRINT, P4 Studio, and P4 Insight are trademarks of Barefoot Networks.
About Barefoot Networks
Barefoot Networks launched in 2016 after two years of developing technology that built switch silicon with a forwarding plane that is defined in software while not compromising on performance. Barefoot empowers network owners and their infrastructure partners to design, optimize, and innovate to meet their specific requirements and gain competitive advantage. In combining the P4 programming language with fast programmable switches, Barefoot has also created an ecosystem for compilers, tools, and P4 programs to make P4 accessible to anybody. Barefoot Networks is headquartered in Silicon Valley and is backed by strategic investors including Alibaba, Dell Technology Capital, Google Inc., Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments, Hewlett Packard Pathfinder, and Tencent, and by premier venture capital firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed, and Sequoia Capital. For more information, visit https://barefootnetworks.com/.
Follow us on Twitter: @barefootnetwork.
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barefootnetworks.
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barefoot-networks.
Editorial Contact
Alison Flood
barefoot@10fold.com
415-317-4089
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d078cf9-cbe9-487e-8ecb-0b02153695e8
SOURCE : Barefoot Networks, Inc.
Kyriba, WorldFirst partner to streamline cross-border payments
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 (Bernama) – Kyriba Corp. – a provider of cloud treasury and financial management solutions has partnered with WorldFirst – the foreign exchange and international payments expert to streamline cross-border payments.
Kyriba said in a statement the partnership will also increase the speed and transparency of cross-border payments and also reduce the transfer fees associated with international payments and FX transactions.
Based on a Kyriba survey recently, the majority of financial executives are unclear about the various fees applied by banks for FX payments – 54 per cent are unsure of the spread they are being assessed for their cross-border payments, while 37 per cent do not have visibility into what fees they are being charged per payment.
The survey also identified the top four considerations for switching to a new cross-border payments provider – more favorable FX translation rates, reduction in bank fees, better transparency and better traceability.
The new partnership with WorldFirst will satisfy these requirements and more by deploying WorldFirst technology directly into the Kyriba platform, the statement added.
Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kyriba, Jean-Luc Robert said: “This integration with WorldFirst gives our clients a world-class option to simplify their FX transactions and expands our market opportunity in payments.”
“We are on a mission to make it easier, cheaper, faster and safer for businesses and individuals to move and manage money around the world,” said CEO and founder of WorldFirst, Jonathan Quin.
Headquartered in New York, thousands of companies rely on Kyriba to streamline key processes, protect against loss from fraud and cybercrime and accelerate growth opportunities through improved decision support. More details at www.kyriba.com
-- BERNAMA
Kyriba said in a statement the partnership will also increase the speed and transparency of cross-border payments and also reduce the transfer fees associated with international payments and FX transactions.
Based on a Kyriba survey recently, the majority of financial executives are unclear about the various fees applied by banks for FX payments – 54 per cent are unsure of the spread they are being assessed for their cross-border payments, while 37 per cent do not have visibility into what fees they are being charged per payment.
The survey also identified the top four considerations for switching to a new cross-border payments provider – more favorable FX translation rates, reduction in bank fees, better transparency and better traceability.
The new partnership with WorldFirst will satisfy these requirements and more by deploying WorldFirst technology directly into the Kyriba platform, the statement added.
Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kyriba, Jean-Luc Robert said: “This integration with WorldFirst gives our clients a world-class option to simplify their FX transactions and expands our market opportunity in payments.”
“We are on a mission to make it easier, cheaper, faster and safer for businesses and individuals to move and manage money around the world,” said CEO and founder of WorldFirst, Jonathan Quin.
Headquartered in New York, thousands of companies rely on Kyriba to streamline key processes, protect against loss from fraud and cybercrime and accelerate growth opportunities through improved decision support. More details at www.kyriba.com
-- BERNAMA
Tuesday 4 December 2018
PURECIRCLE PLANS SALE OF NEW STEVIA PRODUCTS: PROTEIN, FIBER AND ANTIOXIDANT INGREDIENTS
These, Added to the Company’s Sweetener Lineup, Will Make Each Stevia Leaf ‘Work Harder’
CHICAGO, Dec 4 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PureCircle (LSE: PURE), the world's leading producer and innovator of great-tasting stevia sweeteners, announces that, after extensive R&D, it has identified high content of proteins, soluble fibers and antioxidants in the stevia plant and plans to begin the commercial production and sale of these new stevia ingredients in the second half of 2019. PureCircle has nearly 400 patents and patents pending covering its proprietary stevia technology.
As the world’s largest supplier of high-grade stevia sweeteners and flavors to the global beverage and food industries, PureCircle uses significant amounts of stevia in producing those ingredients. This new development -- the production and sale of protein, fiber and antioxidants from stevia -- will enable PureCircle to utilize much more of each stevia leaf. As such, the company will be able to make each leaf “work harder.”
That will make PureCircle’s stevia use even more efficient, as it will spread the cost of stevia raw material across the newly expanded array of ingredients sold and to be sold by the company: sweeteners, flavors, fibers, antioxidants and protein (see accompanying graphic). That ensures PureCircle will continue to provide ingredients to its customers at price points that are cost effective for them. In addition, as all of these types of ingredients are in high demand by global food and beverage companies, PureCircle will now be able to offer them a portfolio of ingredients from the stevia plant.
Commenting on the commercialization of protein, fiber and antioxidants from stevia, PureCircle CEO Maga Malsagov said:
“At PureCircle, we go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning thinking about stevia. All of our products are from the stevia leaf, and we strive to make each leaf work harder by unlocking everything this marvel of nature has to offer.” He added: “Protein, fiber and antioxidants are in high demand by beverage and food companies, and these additions to our portfolio will enable us to offer our customers those ingredients from the stevia plant. And it further enhances our efficient use of each leaf, so we can provide the best-tasting stevia leaf sweeteners and flavors cost effectively to our customers.”
The technologies to produce the products PureCircle sells are covered by patents, applied for patents and other intellectual property. PureCircle’s broad and strong global array of patents are the result of its advanced innovation, research and development work with stevia and its investment therein. As the result of that, PureCircle has been granted more than 130 stevia-related patents. These patents – plus more than 250 patents pending and other valuable intellectual property -- are directed to a wide range of stevia-related products and processes.
PureCircle’s patent coverage and other intellectual property reflect its expertise and innovation with stevia. That expertise and innovation enables PureCircle to provide unparalleled support to its customers as they develop zero- and low-calorie beverage and food products and other products using stevia.
PureCircle is the leader in a growth business. Globally, stevia use is growing. New products launched globally with stevia posted a +27% increase in the first half of 2018 vs the comparable period in 2017, according to Mintel. Recent PureCircle advances enable us to significantly boost production of high-grade stevia sweeteners – like Reb M and Reb D -- which have the most sugar-like taste and are highly sought after by beverage and food companies. That means we can supply stevia sweeteners in amounts that customers need as they expand use of stevia ingredients.
By way of background, the story of stevia is evolving. Not long ago, it was viewed as a plant-based, zero-calorie, single-ingredient sweetener which worked well in some beverage and food applications. Today we offer a range of stevia leaf sweetener ingredients, including Reb M, with sugar-like taste and zero calories. Food and beverage companies have an increasing need for just such an ingredient, because consumers, health experts and governments have become increasingly concerned about obesity and diabetes, and consumers have become increasingly health and wellness conscious. And, now, we are expanding our offerings to include, not just sweeteners and flavors, but also protein, fiber and antioxidant ingredients – all from the stevia plant.
Media may direct inquiries to:
Carolyn Clark, Head of Global Marketing
Email: carolyn.clark@purecircle.com Phone: 1 (630) 517 0812
Jackson Pillow, Media Relations Manager
Email: jackson.pillow@purecircle.com Phone: +1 630 256 8394
About PureCircle
CHICAGO, Dec 4 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PureCircle (LSE: PURE), the world's leading producer and innovator of great-tasting stevia sweeteners, announces that, after extensive R&D, it has identified high content of proteins, soluble fibers and antioxidants in the stevia plant and plans to begin the commercial production and sale of these new stevia ingredients in the second half of 2019. PureCircle has nearly 400 patents and patents pending covering its proprietary stevia technology.
As the world’s largest supplier of high-grade stevia sweeteners and flavors to the global beverage and food industries, PureCircle uses significant amounts of stevia in producing those ingredients. This new development -- the production and sale of protein, fiber and antioxidants from stevia -- will enable PureCircle to utilize much more of each stevia leaf. As such, the company will be able to make each leaf “work harder.”
That will make PureCircle’s stevia use even more efficient, as it will spread the cost of stevia raw material across the newly expanded array of ingredients sold and to be sold by the company: sweeteners, flavors, fibers, antioxidants and protein (see accompanying graphic). That ensures PureCircle will continue to provide ingredients to its customers at price points that are cost effective for them. In addition, as all of these types of ingredients are in high demand by global food and beverage companies, PureCircle will now be able to offer them a portfolio of ingredients from the stevia plant.
Commenting on the commercialization of protein, fiber and antioxidants from stevia, PureCircle CEO Maga Malsagov said:
“At PureCircle, we go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning thinking about stevia. All of our products are from the stevia leaf, and we strive to make each leaf work harder by unlocking everything this marvel of nature has to offer.” He added: “Protein, fiber and antioxidants are in high demand by beverage and food companies, and these additions to our portfolio will enable us to offer our customers those ingredients from the stevia plant. And it further enhances our efficient use of each leaf, so we can provide the best-tasting stevia leaf sweeteners and flavors cost effectively to our customers.”
The technologies to produce the products PureCircle sells are covered by patents, applied for patents and other intellectual property. PureCircle’s broad and strong global array of patents are the result of its advanced innovation, research and development work with stevia and its investment therein. As the result of that, PureCircle has been granted more than 130 stevia-related patents. These patents – plus more than 250 patents pending and other valuable intellectual property -- are directed to a wide range of stevia-related products and processes.
PureCircle’s patent coverage and other intellectual property reflect its expertise and innovation with stevia. That expertise and innovation enables PureCircle to provide unparalleled support to its customers as they develop zero- and low-calorie beverage and food products and other products using stevia.
PureCircle is the leader in a growth business. Globally, stevia use is growing. New products launched globally with stevia posted a +27% increase in the first half of 2018 vs the comparable period in 2017, according to Mintel. Recent PureCircle advances enable us to significantly boost production of high-grade stevia sweeteners – like Reb M and Reb D -- which have the most sugar-like taste and are highly sought after by beverage and food companies. That means we can supply stevia sweeteners in amounts that customers need as they expand use of stevia ingredients.
By way of background, the story of stevia is evolving. Not long ago, it was viewed as a plant-based, zero-calorie, single-ingredient sweetener which worked well in some beverage and food applications. Today we offer a range of stevia leaf sweetener ingredients, including Reb M, with sugar-like taste and zero calories. Food and beverage companies have an increasing need for just such an ingredient, because consumers, health experts and governments have become increasingly concerned about obesity and diabetes, and consumers have become increasingly health and wellness conscious. And, now, we are expanding our offerings to include, not just sweeteners and flavors, but also protein, fiber and antioxidant ingredients – all from the stevia plant.
Media may direct inquiries to:
Carolyn Clark, Head of Global Marketing
Email: carolyn.clark@purecircle.com Phone: 1 (630) 517 0812
Jackson Pillow, Media Relations Manager
Email: jackson.pillow@purecircle.com Phone: +1 630 256 8394
About PureCircle
- PureCircle is the only company that combines advanced R&D with full vertical integration from farm to high-quality, great-tasting innovative stevia sweeteners.
- The Company collaborates with farmers who grow the stevia plants and with food and beverage companies which seek to improve their low- and no-calorie formulations using a sweetener from plants.
- PureCircle will continue to: lead in research, development and innovation; produce a growing supply of multiple varieties of stevia sweeteners with sugar-like taste, using all necessary and appropriate methods of production; and be a resource and innovation partner for food and beverage companies.
- PureCircle stevia flavor modifiers work in synergy with sweeteners to improve the taste, mouthfeel and calorie profile, and enhance the cost effectiveness, of beverage and food products.
- Founded in 2002, PureCircle is continually investing in breakthrough research and development and it has been granted over 100 stevia-related patents with more than 250 applied for patents pending.
- PureCircle has offices around the world with the global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
- To meet growing demand for stevia sweeteners, PureCircle is rapidly ramping up its supply capability. It completed expansion of its Malaysian stevia extract facility in March 2017, increasing its capacity to rapidly supply the newer and great-tasting specialty stevia sweeteners and helping provide ever-increasing value to its customers.
- PureCircle's shares are listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
- For more information, visit: www.purecircle.com
About stevia
- Given the growing global concerns about obesity and diabetes, beverage and food companies are working responsibly to reduce sugar and calories in their products, responding to both consumers and health and wellness advocates. Sweeteners from the stevia plant offer sugar-like taste and are becoming an increasingly important tool for these companies.
- Like sugar, stevia sweeteners are from plants. But unlike sugar, they enable low-calorie and zero-calorie formulations of beverages and foods.
- Stevia leaf extract is a natural-based, zero calorie, high-intensity sweetener, used by global food and beverage companies as a great-tasting zero-calorie alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.
- Stevia is a naturally sweet plant native to South America; today, it is grown around the world, notably in Kenya, China and the US.
- The sweet-tasting parts of the stevia leaf are up to 350 times sweeter than sugar: stevia's high-intensity sweetness means it requires far less water and land than sugar.
- Research has shown that the molecules of the stevia leaf are present and unchanged in the dried stevia leaf, through the commercial extraction and purification process, and in the final stevia leaf extract product. All major global regulatory organisations, across 65 countries, have approved the use of high-purity stevia leaf extracts in food and beverages.
- For more information on the science of stevia, please visit https://www.purecirclesteviainstitute.com/
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d8b531ac-4984-4d5b-9780-61aded574efc
SOURCE : PureCircle
Monday 3 December 2018
China´s Yili buys Thailand´s largest domestic ice cream company
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- China’s leading dairy company -- Yili Group -- has bought Chomthana -- Thailand’s largest domestic ice cream company recently.
Chomthana is the largest domestic ice cream and frozen food distributor in Thailand. It has more than 37 years of experience and its products cover many fields such as ice cream, bread and dessert.
The acquiring is an important measure for Yili to gather global energy and deepen mutual benefit and achieve win-win situation, a statement said.
“In the process of promoting internationalization, Yili always adheres to the concept of 'openness, cooperation and win-win', and devotes to the dream of 'making the world healthy',” said chief executive officer of Yili Group, Zhang Jianqiu.
With the deepening of global economic integration, the company accelerates the pace of internationalization with the help of ‘the belt and road’. It also continues to promote the global dairy industry with complement resources, innovative synergy and mutual benefits.
This year, Yili has upgraded the European Innovation Center in cooperation with Wageningen University in the Global Dairy Mount Everest. Then its products were also listed on the Indonesia market to share the quality with Indonesian consumers.
Its revenue growth rate remained above double digits from 2008 to 2015 and had exceeded 68 billion yuan by 2017, ranking first in the industry steadily with the year-on-year growth of 12.29 per cent.
-- BERNAMA
Chomthana is the largest domestic ice cream and frozen food distributor in Thailand. It has more than 37 years of experience and its products cover many fields such as ice cream, bread and dessert.
The acquiring is an important measure for Yili to gather global energy and deepen mutual benefit and achieve win-win situation, a statement said.
“In the process of promoting internationalization, Yili always adheres to the concept of 'openness, cooperation and win-win', and devotes to the dream of 'making the world healthy',” said chief executive officer of Yili Group, Zhang Jianqiu.
With the deepening of global economic integration, the company accelerates the pace of internationalization with the help of ‘the belt and road’. It also continues to promote the global dairy industry with complement resources, innovative synergy and mutual benefits.
This year, Yili has upgraded the European Innovation Center in cooperation with Wageningen University in the Global Dairy Mount Everest. Then its products were also listed on the Indonesia market to share the quality with Indonesian consumers.
Its revenue growth rate remained above double digits from 2008 to 2015 and had exceeded 68 billion yuan by 2017, ranking first in the industry steadily with the year-on-year growth of 12.29 per cent.
-- BERNAMA
ASIA'S TOP COSMETICS REVIEW SITE @COSME ANNOUNCES "THE BEST COSMETICS AWARDS 2018"
TOKYO, Dec. 3, 2018 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --
- OPERA's "LIP TINT" Wins Grand Prize -
istyle Inc. (TSE First Section, Company Code: 3660), the Tokyo-based operator of @cosme, one of Asia's largest beauty information and review sites, announced "@cosme THE BEST COSMETICS AWARDS 2018" on Dec. 3, 2018.
About @cosme:
@cosme is one of Asia's largest beauty information websites, with a loyal user base of Japanese women. The information and reviews posted on @cosme make it useful for women's daily beauty, earning it widespread support.
(Image1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201811290901-O1-0aUfq4se)
About @cosme THE BEST COSMETICS AWARDS:
The awards cover cosmetics and beauty products that have gained the most support from consumers, based on reviews written in 2018 by members of @cosme who have actually used the products. The winners of the awards were selected according to product rankings. The lineup of award-winning products, which reflects the opinions of ordinary consumers, has drawn attention from a wide range of parties concerned ranging from users to officials in the cosmetics and beauty care industries.
The 2018 Grand Prize went to "LIP TINT" from OPERA for the second year in a row and received the most favorable response from users on @cosme. In addition to its affordable price, LIP TINT's three key features of "moisture, long-lasting color and comfortable wear" won high marks as a lip tint. Moreover, limited shades were released one after another, successively stealing the show and gained the attention of consumers through 2018. As evidence of its popularity, the product also won 1st place as "@cosme store Best Hits" which is decided solely on sales at @cosme stores throughout Japan.
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33358
- OPERA's "LIP TINT" Wins Grand Prize -
istyle Inc. (TSE First Section, Company Code: 3660), the Tokyo-based operator of @cosme, one of Asia's largest beauty information and review sites, announced "@cosme THE BEST COSMETICS AWARDS 2018" on Dec. 3, 2018.
About @cosme:
@cosme is one of Asia's largest beauty information websites, with a loyal user base of Japanese women. The information and reviews posted on @cosme make it useful for women's daily beauty, earning it widespread support.
(Image1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201811290901-O1-0aUfq4se)
About @cosme THE BEST COSMETICS AWARDS:
The awards cover cosmetics and beauty products that have gained the most support from consumers, based on reviews written in 2018 by members of @cosme who have actually used the products. The winners of the awards were selected according to product rankings. The lineup of award-winning products, which reflects the opinions of ordinary consumers, has drawn attention from a wide range of parties concerned ranging from users to officials in the cosmetics and beauty care industries.
The 2018 Grand Prize went to "LIP TINT" from OPERA for the second year in a row and received the most favorable response from users on @cosme. In addition to its affordable price, LIP TINT's three key features of "moisture, long-lasting color and comfortable wear" won high marks as a lip tint. Moreover, limited shades were released one after another, successively stealing the show and gained the attention of consumers through 2018. As evidence of its popularity, the product also won 1st place as "@cosme store Best Hits" which is decided solely on sales at @cosme stores throughout Japan.
http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=33358
Saturday 1 December 2018
Outlooks of Malaysia´s Labuan Reinsurance (L) Ltd revised to negative
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- A.M. Best -- a global rating and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry agency -- has revised the outlooks to negative from stable of Labuan Reinsurance (L) Ltd (Labuan Re) Malaysia.
The revision of the outlooks to negative reflects the agency’s concern over the company’s ability to maintain its adequate operating performance, amidst challenging market conditions as it faces execution risk in remediating its underwriting portfolio.
A revision of the outlooks to stable could occur if Labuan Re can substantially improve and sustain its underwriting performance while maintaining its solid risk-adjusted capitalization, a statement said.
In the same statement, A.M. Best also has affirmed Labuan Re’s Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a-’.
The ratings reflect its balance sheet strength which A.M. Best categorized as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
The company Lloyd’s business which generates about half of its premiums has been impacted by large claims events in 2017 and 2018 whereby its domestic business also was impacted by several large fire losses.
It has decided to review its participation in several of the Lloyd’s syndicates and also will re-examine the composition of its non-Lloyd’s portfolio. However, execution risk will be present as the company adjusts its portfolio.
A.M. Best commented that negative rating actions could occur if there is no considerable improvement in the company’s underwriting results or if the company’s business profile weakens. More details on www.ambest.com.
-- BERNAMA
The revision of the outlooks to negative reflects the agency’s concern over the company’s ability to maintain its adequate operating performance, amidst challenging market conditions as it faces execution risk in remediating its underwriting portfolio.
A revision of the outlooks to stable could occur if Labuan Re can substantially improve and sustain its underwriting performance while maintaining its solid risk-adjusted capitalization, a statement said.
In the same statement, A.M. Best also has affirmed Labuan Re’s Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a-’.
The ratings reflect its balance sheet strength which A.M. Best categorized as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
The company Lloyd’s business which generates about half of its premiums has been impacted by large claims events in 2017 and 2018 whereby its domestic business also was impacted by several large fire losses.
It has decided to review its participation in several of the Lloyd’s syndicates and also will re-examine the composition of its non-Lloyd’s portfolio. However, execution risk will be present as the company adjusts its portfolio.
A.M. Best commented that negative rating actions could occur if there is no considerable improvement in the company’s underwriting results or if the company’s business profile weakens. More details on www.ambest.com.
-- BERNAMA
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