Read More

AppsFlyer Promotes Sanjay Trisal As New General Manager of India, Southeast Asia, and Australia, New Zealand, To Strengthen Regional Collaboration

SINGAPORE, Mar 10, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Today, AppsFlyer, the global attribution and marketing analytics leader, appoints Sanjay Trisal as General Manager of INSEA/ANZ (India, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand). Prior to this promotion, Sanjay was AppsFlyer India's country manager for almost 6 years, and has grown AppsFlyer's presence in India across all verticals and domains. During the shift to Work From Home in early 2020, Sanjay has set up a successful strategy that ensured productivity results soared, and backend processes remained intact for the team in India.In this newly created role, Sanjay will be responsible for AppsFlyer's regional growth over multiple markets across India, Southeast Asia, and Australia and New Zealand, and improve cross-border collaboration and ensure smoother efficiencies across teams. Based out of India for the time being, Sanjay will also oversee, plan, and coordinate operational strategies in INSEA/ANZ. With AppsFlyer having expanded into Australia and New Zealand in November 2020, Sanjay will also play a critical role in strengthening AppsFlyer's commitment to the ANZ region.Sanjay Trisal, General Manager, AppsFlyer INSEA...

Read More

Singaporean Woman Founder of Edtech Start-Up KOCO Secures SGD700k in Seed Funding and Launches KOCO Space for Parents

KOCO today announced that it has received a seed investment of S$700,000 by an undisclosed family office. This investment comes at an extraordinary time for KOCO as its EdTech services - KOCO Paper and KOCO Schools, are gaining business momentum during this pandemic. KOCO, with operations in both Singapore and Indonesia, has increased its user base to 11,000 in a span of 5 months. The funding will accelerate KOCO's growth strategy to meet the rapidly evolving needs in the education ecosystem. KOCO will further invest in identified strategic areas of growth, including its Artificial Intelligence (AI), and interactive end-to-end learning enablement platform for teachers, students, and parents. Lenie Chow, Founder and CEO said, "Since its founding in March 2020, KOCO will continue to provide increasing value to parents, students and teachers. We have scaled rapidly in Singapore and Indonesia by anticipating and addressing consumer needs with a data-driven strategy underpinned by a talented team. The investments will accelerate the growth plans we have identified as more parents and teachers move towards digital solutions for education." KOCO began its expansion into the B2C segment wi...

Read More

Fujitsu Develops AI Model to Determine Concentration During Tasks Based on Facial Expression

KAWASAKI, Japan, Mar 10, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. announced the successful development of a new, general purpose AI model for estimating concentration levels that can capture and quantify with high accuracy the degree of concentration when a person is performing various tasks. The model accomplishes this by detecting subtle changes in muscle movements that reveal differences in facial expression that occur when a person is concentrating or not.Fig. 1 New method overviewFig. 2 Concentration Estimation OverviewConventionally, models that use AI to quantify concentration have been created by training algorithms to recognize the expressions and behaviors of people performing specific tasks, such as e-learning. Since facial expressions and behavior differ depending on the tasks involved and the cultural background in which each person grew up, however, the models created had to be individual models, and the challenge was to develop individual AI models for different, specific situations.Fujitsu has succeeded in the development of an AI solution that can identify common features that indicate concentration or non-concentration not easily influen...

Read More

Fujitsu Launches Data-Driven Social Creation Platform in Joint Project with 9 Universities and 2 Research Institutes

TOKYO, Mar 10, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Fujitsu today announced the completion of its Data-Driven Social Creation Platform to contribute to the realization of the Japanese government's Society 5.0 concept(1), which presents a vision of a new, data-intensive society. The new platform commenced operations on March 9, 2021, and will be jointly operated by 9 universities and 2 research institutes(2) in Japan.The new platform was installed in March 2021 in the Kashiwa II Campus Research Building of the University of Tokyo. In collaboration with the Academic Information Network "SINET(3)" operated by the National Institute of Informatics (NII), the new platform will provide a wide range of computing resources and data collection, storage, and analysis functions to universities and research institutions throughout Japan.The Data-Driven Social Creation Platform consists of 368 next generation Fujitsu Server PRIMERGY CX2550 units equipped with the latest CPU and 40 units of the next generation model of Fujitsu Server PRIMERGY GX2570 equipped with high-end GPUs(4), as well as a storage system with a total of 27 petabytes storage capacity, optimized for high-speed processing ...

Coupang ups price range in US IPO, aims for US$58 billion valuation

NEW YORK (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang raised the price range of ts offering on Tuesday (March 9), signalling strong demand for its shares. The start-up, which is backed by SoftBank Group, is now seeking to raise US$4.08 billion (S$5.48 billion) and is offering 120 million shares at US$32 to US$34 each, higher than its earlier range of US$27 and US$30 a share At the top end of the new range, the company would be valued at roughly US$58 billion. The listing would be one of the biggest on record by an Asian company on a US exchange and the largest since the US$25 billion IPO by Alibaba Group Holding in 2014. It underscores unprecedented investor appetite for technology companies, which have seen sales skyrocket during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Seoul-based e-commerce firm was founded in 2010 by Harvard graduate Bom Suk Kim. It made a splash in South Korea with its "Rocket Delivery" service that promised delivery within 24 hours, shaking family-owned retail conglomerates including Shinsegae and Lotte. Coupang has aggressively expanded its delivery and logistics operations, putting 70 per cent of the country's population within a seven-mile radius of its ...

OECD hikes world economic forecast on vaccines, US stimulus

PARIS (AFP) - The OECD sharply raised its 2021 global growth forecast on Tuesday (March 9) as the deployment of vaccines and a huge US stimulus programme have greatly improved economic prospects. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says it now expects the global economy to grow by 5.6 per cent, an increase of 1.4 percentage points from its December forecast. "Global economic prospects have improved markedly in recent months, helped by the gradual deployment of effective vaccines, announcements of additional fiscal support in some countries, and signs that economies are coping better with measures to suppress the virus," it said in a report. The world recovery will be largely carried by the United States, thanks to President Joe Biden's US$1.9 trillion stimulus programme, Laurence Boone, chief economist of the OECD, told AFP. The OECD now sees the US economy climbing by 6.5 per cent this year, an increase of 3.3 percentage points from its previous forecast. Ms Boone said the US recovery accounts for one percentage point of the global growth revision. 'Significant risks' The OECD said global output could rise above the pre-pandemic level in mid-2021...

Read More

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on March 10

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Wednesday, March 10. Businesses can serve as a bridge between countries: Heng Swee Keat He noted that they have an important role to keep globalisation going as the world turns inwards. READ MORE HERE China among first in the world to roll out Covid-19 vaccine passport The passport shows details of a traveller's Covid-19 inoculation, as well as nucleic acid and antibody test results. READ MORE HERE National School Games to resume from March 29 but only for 12 sports in selected divisions Swimming and popular team sports like football, basketball and hockey will remain suspended for now. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news SMU to rename law school after Singapore’s second chief justice Yong Pung How SMU said Dr Yong played a critical role in the development of the School of Law and its curriculum. READ MORE HERE Sporadic protests in Myanmar after hundreds escape siege; 2nd NLD official dies in custody More than 60 protesters have been killed and over 1,800 detained. READ MORE HERE Britain's Queen 'saddened', takes racism claims 'seriously' after Harry and Meghan interv...

Dirt-cheap flights offered as airlines rebuild networks battered by Covid-19

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - Dirt-cheap fares are popping up from airlines brave enough to expand or start out amid the Covid crisis, as they try to eke out sales and get a jump on competitors that have pared back operations. Airlines worldwide cut US$1 billion of expenses a day last year to cope with the slump in passengers, and that's given them some wiggle room to lower ticket prices. More broadly, cost savings are emerging for carriers as unwanted planes become available on the cheap. Thousands of laid off flight crew are also eager for work, allowing some airlines to go on hiring sprees. Ultra-cheap fares could help revive the market by luring back customers who've been reluctant to fly due to border restrictions and lengthy quarantines. Vaccine roll-outs add to the bullishness, even with air passenger travel in an unprecedented funk and a return to pre-crisis levels not expected before 2024. Here's a rundown of some of the latest industry moves: Vacation travel With the US vaccination program gathering pace, Allegiant Travel has embarked on the second-largest network expansion in its history. Allegiant is adding 36 new non-stop routes from cities including Austin, San Diego, Indian...

Disney+ tops 100 million users in unprecedented growth run

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - Walt Disney's flagship streaming platform topped 100 million users just 16 months after its launch, quickly establishing the service as Netflix's most-formidable competitor. The company announced that it reached the milestone on Tuesday (March 9), just ahead of its annual meeting. The service, called Disney+, debuted in the US in November 2019 and rolled out to Canada, Australia, Latin America and Singapore in the following months. The rapid ascent of the service underscores the power of the Disney name, along with entertainment franchises that include Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar. Netflix, the pioneer in subscription streaming, finished 2020 with almost 204 million subscribers globally. The success has prompted Disney to increase the programming budget for Disney+. The company has set a target of more than 100 new titles per year. The service is now available in 59 countries. "Our direct-to-consumer business is the company's top priority," chief executive officer Bob Chapek said in a statement, "and our robust pipeline of content will continue to fuel its growth." The company also said Tuesday that the Disneyland resort in Southern California will reopen in l...

Nasdaq ends 3.7% higher as tech stocks rebound

NEW YORK (AFP) - Tesla and other tech shares roared back to life on Wall Street on Tuesday (March 9), powering higher after a period of weakness as Congress neared final passage of a $1.9 trillion economic aid package. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index ended 3.7 per cent higher at 13,073.82. The index has underperformed the Dow in recent sessions as investors have steered funds into industrial, banking and other sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1 per cent to 31,832.74, while the broad-based S&P 500 advanced 1.4 per cent to 3,985.44. Tech giants, which have outperformed the broader market through most of the pandemic, have been under pressure in recent weeks. But Tuesday’s session showed investors remain keen to step in when there are pullbacks. Besides Tesla, which jumped nearly 20 per cent, Apple, Facebook and Amazon all surged around 4 per cent or more. “The fact that we’re up substantially is a good indication that maybe Nasdaq has found a bottom,” said Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital Securities, who cited Tuesday’s pullback in Treasury yields as a factor supporting tech shares. Investors have pencilled in a jump in economic growth throughout 2021, boost...

Read More

HouseAfrica Announces Partnership With Domineum

LAGOS, Mar 10, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - HouseAfrica, furthering its dedication to making African real estate transactions seamless and transparent, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Domineum, an enterprise blockchain technology and back-end services provider. PropVat by HouseAfrica helps individuals and financial institutions verify and validate properties seamlessly, increasing access to credit.HouseAfrica's PropVat.com, Africa's largest property technology platform, connects real estate stakeholders, property developers, home buyers, financial institutions, valuers and government regulators, to verify and validate property authenticity before purchase or credit application."We are particularly excited about our partnership with Domineum, as it helps us toward our goal of unlocking trapped real estate value in Nigeria, estimated at $300-900 billion dollars. We believe in collaboration. PropVat, our cutting-edge solution for unlocking Nigeria's and Africa's huge dead asset pool, is built on blockchain and collaboration," says Uba Nnamdi, Co-Founder and CEO HouseAfrica."Domineum is excited to partner with HouseAfrica to deliver its bespoke products...

Read More

SMU to rename law school after Singapore’s second chief justice Yong Pung How

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Management University's (SMU's) law school will be renamed the Yong Pung How School of Law from April 11 this year, the day on which Singapore's second chief justice and SMU's third chancellor would have turned 95. Dr Yong was 93 when he died in January last year. SMU said on Tuesday (March 9) that the school remained indebted to Dr Yong's vision and guidance, and that he played a critical role in the development of the School of Law and its curriculum. "SMU has been privileged to have a long and deep association with Dr Yong Pung How," said SMU's Chairman Ho Kwon Ping. "Dr Yong was a force of wisdom and his legacy will continue to positively shape the growth of our university and the School of Law. We are humbled and privileged to honour Dr Yong by naming our School of Law after him," he added. Aside from his role as chancellor, Dr Yong also served as the university's pro-chancellor, was the founding chairman of the law school's advisory board, and was distinguished fellow of the school of law from 2006 to 2020. Over his 16-year tenure as Singapore's chief judge, Dr Yong implemented sweeping changes to harness technology to revamp the efficiency of the co...

TAOP Launches New Blockchain Business Division, Appoint Ms. Lin Deng as President of the Division

SHENZHEN, CHINA, Mar 9, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Taoping Inc. (NASDAQ: TAOP, the "Company"), an Internet company dedicated to the research and application of blockchain technology and digital assets, today announced the launch of a newly-created division dedicated to the Company's expansion into the blockchain industry and the appointment of Ms. Lin Deng to the president of blockchain division. Lin has several years experience in the Bitcoin mining industry. Ms. Deng worked at her own company NewBlock, in which she was responsible in Bitcoin mining and blockchain project investment. Before joining TAOP, she served as the chief operating officer at Polar Bear Mining in charge of the construction of a 10MW Bitcoin Mining Unit powered by natural gas in Alberta, Canada. Before entering into the blockchain industry, Ms. Deng has experience in the internet industry for more than 10 years. She has working experience at Sina, MagentJoy, informatree, etc."The launch of the new blockchain division and the appointment of Ms. Deng marked the start of stepping into the blockchain and digital asset market," said Mr. Jianghuai Lin, Chairman and CEO of TAOP. "Ms. Deng's experience...

Read More

APOLLOMICS(冠科美博)任命K. PEONY YU余健鸿医学博士为首席医学官(CMO)

Foster City, CA, and Hangzhou, China, Mar 9, 2021 - (亚太商讯 via SEAPRWire.com) - Apollomics, Inc.(冠科美博),一家致力于发现和开发肿瘤靶向和免疫新药及其组合疗法的创新生物制药公司,今天宣布,任命K. PEONY YU(余健鸿)医学博士为首席医学官,余博士将于2021年3月16日正式上任。同时,公司任命孙正洁为企业发展及商务拓展高级副总裁,常驻中国。两位高管均直接向冠科美博联合创始人、董事长兼首席执行官余国良博士汇报。余国良博士说:“余博士全球创新药研发背景和卓越的领导才能和冠科美博十分契合,我们非常欢迎她加入我们的团队。Peony拥有广泛的跨境经验,曾在中美两国管理团队并身兼多职,包括临床开发、注册策略和医学事务。Peony的加入,将对我们现有产品的开发和产品管线的扩充有极大的帮助。”余健鸿博士补充说:“冠科美博以患者为中心,这和我的理念非常一致,我很高兴加入这个团队。公司针对靶向特定突变、扩增和耐药机制的精准医学方案是最先进的技术,我相信这变革性的新疗法有望给癌症患者带来转机。我期待贡献自己的努力,和优秀的团队共同推进创新药全球临床研发,在肿瘤治疗攀登新高峰。”余国良博士总结说:“自公司成立以来,冠科美博和很多企业建立了合作伙伴关系,不断探索合作以扩充我们的产品管线。 我们很高兴欢迎孙正洁的加入,她将负责公司战略、商务拓展和战略合作。她在亚洲、北美和欧洲都有丰富的工作经历,她在公司战略、合作伙伴和商业化方面的管理经验将成为我们消灭癌症的宝贵资源。”关于K. Peony Yu, M.D. (余健鸿,医学博士)余健鸿博士在FibroGen 工作了12年,曾担任多个职务并不断晋升,最终在2016年被任命为首席医学官。她对各个阶段的临床开发设计和执行方面都有丰富专业知识和领导力,包括临床开发、注册策略以及与全球监管机构的互动沟通。加入FibroGen之前,余博士曾担任Anesiva, Inc.(前Corgentech, Inc., (NASDAQ: ANSV))临床研发副总裁,负责所有临床项目的临床研究、统计和数据管理、临床运营、医疗事务和医疗信息。余博士在加利福尼亚大学戴维斯分校(University of California, Davis)获得医学博士学位,在斯坦福医学院(Stanford Medical School)完成住院医师培训。关于孙正洁, MBA在加入冠科美博之前,孙正洁女士担任默克集团全球副总裁及中国创新中心董事总经理,在中国为中国及全球市场开辟创新合作。孙女士在默克任职12年,历任多个管理职位,参与了9个新产品上市。加入默克之前,孙女士在国际市场咨询机构埃培智及WPP集团工作了8年多,为多个行业的财富五百强企业提供咨询。孙正洁女士拥有中国人民大学硕士...

淘屏成立区块链事业群 任命邓琳㬢为事业群总裁

SHENZHEN, CHINA, Mar 9, 2021 - (亚太商讯 via SEAPRWire.com) - 淘屏有限公司(纳斯达克: TAOP,简称“淘屏”或“公司”)今日宣布成立区块链事业群,致力于区块链和数字资产业务的发展,并任命邓琳㬢女士为区块链事业群总裁。邓女士在区块链领域拥有多年行业经验,曾在自己创立的新块(北京)科技有限公司任职,负责比特币矿场和区块链运营。 在加入淘屏前,邓女士在Polar Bear Mining担任COO,负责建设10MW加拿大阿尔伯塔天然气电矿场和矿机货源采购。邓女士还具备10年以上的互联网从业经验,曾先后在新浪、MagentJoy、informatree等公司任职。淘屏董事局主席兼首席执行官林江怀先生表示:“区块链事业群的成立和邓女士的任命标志着淘屏区块链和数字资产业务的正式启动,邓女士在区块链和互联网行业的丰富经验将有助于推动公司新的发展战略。我们欢迎邓女士担任这一新角色,成为淘屏的重要一员。” Copyright 2021 亚太商讯. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

Wai Hung Intends to Build Approximately 1 Million Smart Parking Spaces in Nine Countries in the MiddleEast Countries With Total Contract Sum Reaches Over HK$100 Billion

HONG KONG, Mar 9, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Wai Hung Group Holdings Limited ("Wai Hung" or the "Group") (stock code: 3321) is pleased to announce that Wai Hung Hong Construction Engineering Limited ("WHHCE"), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a Cooperation Agreement with Investment Projects General Trading Company ("IPGT") today. The Group intends to build facilities for approximately 1 million smart parking spaces and provide relevant construction services for the proposed urban property project in the MiddleEast Countries to be developed with IPGT (the "Middle East Project"). The parties shall not cooperate with any third party in providing artificial intelligence garage system in the MiddleEast Countries within the term of the Cooperation Agreement (i.e. 5 years).IPGT is a company incorporated in the State of Kuwait, which is principally engaged in the business of infrastructure and high-tech products and systems in the Middle East. The shareholders and key member of the management of IPGT include Sheikh Ali Khalifa Al-Sabah ("Sheikh Ali"), a member of Kuwait's royal family who served as the finance minister and oil minister of Kuwa...

Read More

MHI Selected for Inclusion in All Four ESG Investment Indices Adopted by GPIF

TOKYO, Mar 9, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has been selected as a constituent of all four indices used by Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world's largest pension fund, as references for making ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investments into the country's corporate sector. This is the third consecutive year for MHI to be included in all four indices. The Company's selection reflects the high acclaim accorded to MHI Group's ESG-related initiatives, specifically its response to environmental issues and social challenges, and its bolstering of corporate governance.The four ESG investment indices referenced by GPIF are the following:- FTSE Blossom Japan Index: A broad index incorporating overall ESG considerations based on FTSE Russell, an investment index calculator wholly owned by the London Stock Exchange.- MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index: A similar broad index based on MSCI, a U.S. provider of investment indices.- MSCI Japan Empowering Women Index (WIN): An MSCI index monitoring companies? gender diversity performance.- S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index: An index used to evaluate corporate ...

Cleaner jailed 33 years for raping, sexually assaulting all 3 daughters

SINGAPORE - A 55-year-old man who sexually assaulted all three of his biological daughters at various points in time over a period of 14 years was sentenced to 33 years in jail on Tuesday (March 9). The man, who worked as a cleaner, began targeting each daughter when they turned 11 or 12 years old. He cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identities of his daughters, who are now between 13 and 26 years old. As a result of years of abuse, the eldest and second daughters have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The second daughter also has major depressive disorder and will need psychological therapy in the future. "The accused had caused significant physical and psychological harm to all three of his daughters and severely violated their trust in their own father," said High Court judge See Kee Oon in sentencing. The man was diagnosed with paedophilic disorder and was found to have a high risk of re-offending. He cannot be caned as he is over 50. Apart from the three victims, the man also has a son, now 17. The court heard that the man started sexually assaulting the eldest daughter from when she was around 11 years old in 2005, after watching pornography...

Student who tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from UK on trial for breaching SHN

SINGAPORE - A student who returned to Singapore from Britain with flu-like symptoms allegedly breached her stay-home notice (SHN) to dine at a foodcourt at Terminal 1 of Changi Airport. Esther Tan Ling Ying, who later tested positive for Covid-19, is said to have also lied about her travel history when she saw a doctor in Clementi that same day. The 24-year-old had returned on March 23 last year and was issued an SHN, requiring her to remain in her place of residence for a 14-day period. But before heading home, she purportedly ate at the foodcourt with her parents. She also went to the Clementi Family and Aesthetic Clinic in Clementi Avenue 3, near her home, to get some medicine. On Tuesday (March 9), Deputy Public Prosecutor Sanjiv Vaswani called Tan's conduct abhorrent, and told the court she had flu-like symptoms before her departure from Britain. She tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after returning here. In his opening statement on the first day of the trial, the DPP said that everyone has a part to play in combating the pandemic, and the majority have played by the rules. "But a small number of people do not think the rules apply to them... the accused Esther Tan is one s...

Read More

Apollomics, Inc. Appoints Seasoned Healthcare Executive K. Peony Yu, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

Foster City, CA, and Hangzhou, China, Mar 9, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Apollomics, Inc., an innovative biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of mono- and combination- oncology therapies, today announced the appointment of K. Peony Yu, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Yu will assume the role on March 16, 2021. Apollomics also announced that Sophie (Zhengjie) Sun has been named as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and will be based in the Company's China office. Both executives report to Guo-Liang Yu, PhD, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company."Dr. Yu joins us with an incredible leadership and global drug development background that is a perfect fit for Apollomics, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our team," said Guo-Liang Yu, PhD, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Peony's extensive cross border experience includes managing teams in both the U.S. and China and overseeing multiple functions including clinical development, regulatory strategy and medical affairs. Peony will be instrumental in our efforts to advance our current assets and expand our development pipeline." "Apollom...