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SFA recalls Crab Brand Black Pepper Seed after excessive levels of bacterium detected

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - Bacteria that cause food poisoning have been detected in a black pepper seed product from Indonesia, prompting the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to direct the recall of all affected products. The presence of Bacillus cereus exceeded microbiological standards stated in the Singapore Food Regulations during a routine sampling of the product, said SFA on Tuesday (Dec 22). The affected product is in 50g and 90g bottles of Crab Brand Black Pepper Seed that expire on Nov 1, 2021, and Oct 1, 2021, respectively. They were imported by Siem Trading, which has been directed to recall the affected bottles. Eating food contaminated with the food-borne bacterium can result in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. It is typically found in soil, vegetation and in the intestinal tracts of insects and mammals. Consumers who have bought the product are advised not to eat it, added SFA. Those who have eaten the product and have concerns about their health should seek medical advice. Affected parties can contact their point of purchase for inquiries. More on this topic Related Story SFA directs recall of 2 'gluten-free' cereal products for containing the protein Related Story SFA re...

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Man arrested after attempting to leave shophouse gathering via roof, 14 others probed

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - The police are investigating 15 people who were found at a shophouse located along North Bridge Road on Dec 20 for breaching safe distancing measures. A 29-year-old man, who was part of the group of Singaporeans, was also arrested for committing a rash act. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 12 men and three women, aged between 22 and 40, had gathered to drink alcohol on Dec 19, said the police in a statement on Wednesday (Dec 23). When police officers arrived at the two-storey shophouse following a police report, the 29-year-old man allegedly attempted to leave the building via the roof. He was later arrested. "Upon further checks, there were 14 other persons found in the shophouse, 10 of whom were hiding on the rooftop," said the police. Investigations are still ongoing. For non-compliance with safe distancing measures, offenders may be jailed for up to six months, or fined up to $10,000, or both. If found guilty of doing a rash act, the 29-year-old man can be jailed for up to six months, or fined up to $2,500, or both. More on this topic Related Story 53 people charged with flouting Covid-19 safe distancing measures Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more s...

ACN Newswire
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UNISOC-powered Fibocom L610-EU obtains GCF/CE/NCC Certification

indie
4 minutes

SHANGHAI, CHINA, Dec 23, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - UNISOC, China's CTTL, and Fibocom have announced the successful GCF/CE/NCC certification of the Fibocom L610-EU Cat 1 Module. The Fibocom L610, based on the UNISOC 8910DM, the world's first LTE Cat 1 bis chipset platform, is an industrial-grade LTE Cat 1 module with maximum speeds of up to 10Mbps. GCF certification is a requirement for European operators, who require manufacturers to complete certification before entering the market.Obtaining GCF, CE and NCC (National Communications Commission) certification is the result of close collaboration between Fibocom, UNISOC and CTTL (China Telecommunication Technology Labs). CTTL is the first laboratory with 3GPP Cat 1 bis GCF certification capacity and has provided rigorous certification services for the partnership. UNICOM, with a mission as the Digital World Eco-carrier, provides the core Cat 1 bis chip platform for the L610-EU. Wei Ran, Director at CTTL, said, "CTTL has been paying close attention to the evolution of medium-speed IoT technology and market developments. We are optimistic that Cat 1 bis technology, which has been promoted by chipset manufacturers, most notably UNISOC, wi...

JCN Newswire
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Avaloq’s Acquisition by NEC Successfully Completed

ruth
5 minutes

TOKYO, Dec 23, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Avaloq, a Swiss-based global leader in digital banking solutions and wealth management technology, and Japan-based NEC Corporation today announced the closing of NEC's acquisition of Avaloq. Each being a market leader in their own field, the combination of their shared vision, technological strengths, and global presence, will accelerate both companies' long-term growth, global expansion and value creation strategy.This acquisition was first announced in October 2020, and following receipt of the relevant regulatory approvals, the acquisition was completed on December 22, 2020. NEC now holds 100% of Avaloq's shares, including the 45% previously held by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, as well as the remaining shares held by Avaloq's founder Francisco Fernandez and by employees. Founded in 1985, Avaloq provides powerful cloud solutions for banks and wealth managers around the globe through business process as a service (BPaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) along with on-premise solutions. Avaloq's vision for the future of wealth management is to maintain the human relationship an investor has with an advisor, to enhance the relationship t...

JCN Newswire
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MITSUBISHI MOTORS Starts First Overseas Production of OUTLANDER PHEV in Thailand

ruth
3 minutes

TOKYO, Dec 23, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION (MMC) started local production of the OUTLANDER PHEV, a plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV), at the Laemchabang Factory of MITSUBISHI MOTORS THAILAND, a local production and sales company in Thailand. A ceremony to commemorate the line-off of the first local production OUTLANDER PHEV was held on December 21st. The vehicle is scheduled to be delivered in the country in January.MMC decided to start its first overseas production of the OUTLANDER PHEV model in Thailand because of the potential for growth in the Thai automobile market due to its promotion of electric mobility and the high production capacity of the Laemchabang Factory."MITSUBISHI MOTORS provides PHEVs to the ASEAN region based on increasing global awareness of environmental issues," said Takao Kato, chief executive officer of MMC. "I am extremely happy to be able to deliver locally-produced OUTLANDER PHEVs to our customers in Thailand as a new part of our electric vehicle business."The OUTLANDER PHEV is the flagship MITSUBISHI MOTORS model that merges electro-mobility with four-wheel control technology to provide powerful and smooth driving with the quietness and...

SeaPRwire
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Google, Facebook, coordinated antitrust response: Report

elean
2 minutes

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Google and Facebook worked together to help fend off an antitrust investigation into the two tech giants which dominate digital advertising, according to a media report citing a draft of a state lawsuit. The Wall Street Journal, which cited a draft version of the complaint filed by 10 US states without redactions in the public version, said Tuesday (Dec 22) the two firms agreed to "cooperate and assist each other" in responding to an antitrust probe. The case filed last week was among three separate actions filed by state and federal antitrust enforcers against Google. A separate case has been filed against Facebook over its acquisition of two rival messaging applications. Facebook dismissed the allegations, saying agreements between the two firms were not aimed at harming competition but offered choices and benefits for advertisers and publishers. "Any allegation that this harms competition or any suggestion of misconduct on the part of Facebook is baseless," a Facebook spokesperson said. Google did not immediately respond to an AFP query. But the Journal quoted the tech firm as saying there was nothing improper or exclusive about its arrangement with Facebook. ...

SeaPRwire
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Wall Street ends mostly lower despite new stimulus plan

elean
3 minutes

NEW YORK (AFP) - Worrisome US economic data and concerns over a new coronavirus variant in Britain hit Wall Street and led US equities to close mostly lower on Tuesday (Dec 22). The retreat came amid choppy trading in a holiday-shortened week and despite the overwhelming approval in Congress of a new US$900 billion (S$1.2 billion) relief package that includes another round of direct stimulus cheques, extra unemployment benefits and airline worker payment support. But the spike in US Covid-19 infections in recent weeks undermined consumer confidence, which fell for the second straight month, while existing home sales fell for the first time in six months. And investors also focused on Britain, where a fast-spreading new strain of Covid-19 has prompted some 40 countries to ban travel to Britain. The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.7 per cent to finish at 30,015.51, while the broad-based S&P 500 slipped 0.2 per cent to 3,687.26. However, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index bucked the trend, gaining 0.5 per cent to end at 12,807.92, a new record. "Worry over the impacts of the virus and the subsequent new restrictions are tamping down some of the early enthusiasm that ca...

SeaPRwire
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Oil tumbles as new virus strain revives demand fears

elean
2 minutes

LONDON • Oil prices dropped almost 2 per cent yesterday to below US$50 a barrel, adding to losses from the previous session, as a new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom revived concerns over demand recovery. The detection of the new strain prompted several countries to close their borders to Britain, although a British minister said the UK and France are working to reopen one of Europe's most important trade routes. Brent crude was down 72 US cents, or 1.4 per cent to US$50.19 a barrel at 0915 GMT (5.15pm Singapore time), while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 76 US cents, or 1.6 per cent, to US$47.21. Both benchmarks slid nearly 3 per cent on Monday, partly erasing recent gains driven by the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines seen as key to allowing a return to normal life. "In the battle between immediate negative concerns and future optimism, the former is now fighting back," said Mr Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM. The latest rally culminated in Brent hitting US$52.48, its highest since March, on Friday. Some see potential for prices to fall further. Mr Jeffrey Halley of brokerage Oanda said: "The environment remains decidedly risk-averse. Given the scale of oil's two...

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Tech giant Sea makes big strides as it takes on digital banking

elean
1 minute

SINGAPORE - Singapore-based technology giant Sea, which owns e-commerce platform Shopee, has rapidly grown to become South-east Asia's most valuable company and one of the region's largest tech players over the past year. Group chief executive and founder Forrest Li was named Businessman of the Year at the Singapore Business Awards last month - testament to the plucky firm's transformation since its scrappy start in 2009. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

SeaPRwire
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Wary mood over global virus curbs sends STI down 0.67%

elean
2 minutes

Investors turned defensive yesterday as the pandemic sparked more lockdowns and tighter border restrictions across the world. The wary mood left the Straits Times Index (STI) down 0.67 per cent, or 19.2 points, at 2,827.32 yesterday. Across the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 277 to 178, on trade of 1.64 billion securities worth $1.32 billion. The coronavirus resurgence in countries including Britain and Australia saw mixed results on the Singapore market. Glovemaker counters including Riverstone, Top Glove and UG Healthcare ticked up, with UG Healthcare registering the biggest gain - up 9.65 per cent to 62.5 cents. Riverstone closed 6.25 per cent higher at $1.19, while Top Glove gained 0.92 per cent to $2.20. In contrast, aviation-related counters like Singapore Airlines (SIA), ground handler and in-flight caterer Sats, and SIA Engineering were hit by the global flare-up. SIA fell 3.43 per cent to $4.23, Sats declined 3.19 per cent to $3.94 and SIA Engineering fell 3.48 per cent to $1.94. SIA earlier announced it had used $7.1 billion, or about 80 per cent, of the $8.8 billion raised in the dilutive rights issue this year, as it burns through hundreds of millions of dol...

ACN Newswire

ZONBONG LANDSCAPE Environmental Limited(1855.HK) Announces its Global Offering

indie
4 minutes

HONG KONG, Dec 22, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The established service provider for landscaping and ecological restoration projects in the Three Northeast Provinces of the PRC - ZONBONG LANDSCAPE Environmental Limited (the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group", stock code: 1855), announces details of its Global Offering and listing on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited ("Hong Kong Stock Exchange").ZONBONG LANDSCAPE Environmental Limited plans to offer an aggregate of 68,750,000 Shares (comprising 55,000,000 new Shares and 13,750,000 Sale Shares, and subject to the Over-allotment Option) under the Global Offering, of which 6,876,000 Shares (subject to reallocation) will be offered in the Hong Kong Public Offering, and 61,874,000 Shares (comprising 48,124,000 new Shares and 13,750,000 Sale Shares, and subject to the Over-allotment Option and reallocation) will be offered by way of International Placing. The Offer Price will not be more than HKD2.42 per Offer Share and is expected to be not less than HKD1.90 per Offer Share. The Hong Kong Public Offering will commence on Tuesday, 22 December 2020 and is expected to close at 12:00 noon (at 11:30 a.m....

ACN Newswire
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Updates to HKTDC event arrangements in first half of 2021

indie
6 minutes

HONG KONG, Dec 22, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - With the pandemic continuing unabated and international travel still greatly affected, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will reconfigure its industry trade fairs and conferences in the first half of 2021 as part of its ongoing efforts to find ways to help Hong Kong companies continue doing business during the pandemic. In addition to enhancing its hybrid model that combines online fairs with physical fairs and symposiums, the HKTDC will also organise new local exhibitions and hold a number of its key international conferences online, including those targeting the finance, creative and marketing sectors.New online-to-offline exhibition - International Sourcing ShowExhibitions are a vital component of the business of SMEs, helping to secure an average of 40% of orders for such companies. The fact that it will still be difficult to stage local trade shows in a physical form in the first half of 2021 will have a significant impact on SMEs. The HKTDC is reacting to this new situation in a flexible way, launching a brand-new sourcing event, the HKTDC International Sourcing Show, that will consolidate seven HKTDC trade fairs origin...

ACN Newswire
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Champion REIT is Honoured with Prestigious Accolades in Multiple Categories amidst Challenging 2020

indie
4 minutes

HONG KONG, Dec 22, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Champion Real Estate Investment Trust ("Champion REIT") (Stock Code: 2778), owner of Three Garden Road and Langham Place, has garnered various prestigious accolades in multiple categories during the year, despite the turbulent business environment. Ms. Ada Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Champion REIT and the Team receive the ESG Leading Enterprises Awards from Bloomberg BusinessweekAmong the recent honours bestowed on Champion REIT is The Asset Triple A Country Awards 2020 -The Best Corporate Bond (Hong Kong), which highlights its financial management excellence, and follows on the heels of the issue of 10-year USD300 million medium term notes during the first half of 2020. The deal marked the return of Champion REIT to the US dollar bond market after more than seven years, and represents the first US dollar bond offering by a Hong Kong REIT since 2016. Still other honours presented to Champion REIT in recognition of its efforts in sustainability, corporate governance and business performance include the following: Sustainability indices and benchmark in 2020:- Hang Seng ESG 50 Index, Constituent of Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Ben...

ACN Newswire
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QRC Group Sponsors Development of First Security Token Specification with BSI

indie
4 minutes

HONG KONG / LONDON, Dec 22, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The QRC Group (QRC) has announced the first publication of a Security Token Specification, independently facilitated and published by BSI, the UK National Standards Body. Called PAS 19668, the specification provides requirements for the publication of relevant information and the technical attributes of security tokens, covering tokens issued on any distributed ledger system.In the absence of an industry-wide standard, security token information has been organized and presented in various formats and different locations, making access highly inefficient and increasingly complex for investors and active market participants. PAS 19668 is an effort to fill that gap by specifying how information and properties relating to security tokens should be structured and presented.PAS 19668 is for use by international security token issuers. It is also a reference for security token holders, security token exchanges and custodians, investors in security tokens and auditors checking conformity, and any third parties that provide services to issuers of security tokens. PAS 19668 does not cover utility tokens or unregulated tokens."PAS 19668:2020...

JCN Newswire
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Toyota Shows e-Palette Geared Towards Practical MaaS Applications

ruth
5 minutes

Toyota City, Japan, Dec 22, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota Motor Corporation has announced an operations management system to support the providing of services that will enable practical use of the e-Palette, a battery-electric vehicle for autonomous mobility as a service (Autono-MaaS) applications(1) that will realize future mobility services. In collaboration with a range of partners, it is also planning to operate the vehicles in Woven City, a fully connected prototype city, while targeting commercial use in multiple areas and regions in the early 2020s.When announcing his goal to transition Toyota to a mobility company at the January 2018 CES, President Akio Toyoda also announced the e-Palette as a symbol of mobility that goes beyond cars to provide customers services and new value. The e-Palette, with automated driving functions, had its debut at last year's Tokyo Motor Show. It will provide a loop-line bus transportation service for athletes and related staff in the Olympic and Paralympic villages at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 that was postponed until July next year.The spread of COVID-19 this past year has changed the way we live our lives, creating more div...

ACN Newswire
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Redsun Services is Given ‘Buy’ Rating by CMB International, Target Price Rises to HK$9.17

indie
2 minutes

HONG KONG, Dec 22, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Redsun Services Group Limited ("Redsun Services" or the "Group"; stock code: 1971), a fast-growing comprehensive community service provider focused on the Yangtze River Delta, has been given a "Buy" rating by CMB International, along with an increase in its target price to HK$9.17. CMB International believes that Redsun Services will deliver stronger-than-expected 2020 (Estimated) core profits (excluding listing expenses), seen spiking by 50% year-on-year to RMB88 million against market expectation of 40% growth. The Group's managed GFA will grow by 60% year-on-year and reach 25,000,000 sq.m. in 2020. Value-added services could become a new growth engine. Redsun Services achieved a robust 261% growth in its agent business in the first half of 2020, with gross profit margin surpassing 50%. In the second half of 2020, the advertisement business is expected to recover fast and will further drive revenue growth. Bolstered by growth in GFA under management and improving penetration of its value-added services, CMB International expects community value-added services to spike by a CAGR of 134% and reach RMB343 million in 2020, accounting for 35%...

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Newly-wed man lied to court he had not slept with wife to save money on divorce proceedings

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - In a desperate bid to save costs on divorce proceedings, a man lied before a court that his newly-wed wife had refused to consummate their marriage, so that they could annul their marriage instead. Daryl Lim Chun Leng, 25, also wanted to avoid being labelled a divorcee, and he got his then wife to agree to his plan in exchange for his cooperation in future matters. On Tuesday (Dec 22), Lim was sentenced to one week's jail after he pleaded guilty to one charge of lying before a court of justice. The court heard that Lim and Ms Wang Kechen, 24, were married in January 2017, but had marital troubles by mid-June that year, after Lim discovered that she had an extramarital affair. Lim then proposed an annulment, which he said was a "better" option, as the cost of the proceedings was lower and both could avoid being labelled as divorcees, according to court documents. An annulment would also "void the marriage immediately", and Lim promised to maintain appearances in front of Ms Wang's parents and to help her in all her future requests. Both parties agreed to annul the marriage, and Lim engaged a law firm to commence annulment proceedings, on the basis that Ms Wang had "wilfu...

SeaPRwire
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Seven more people arrested for suspected connection to rioting in Clarke Quay

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Seven more people have been arrested for their suspected participation in a rioting incident involving a deadly weapon in Clarke Quay last Saturday night (Dec 19), said the police on Tuesday. Six men, aged between 22 and 31, and a 22-year-old woman were arrested for several alleged offences in relation to the incident in Eu Tong Sen Street. They were arrested in islandwide raids conducted between Sunday and Monday by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and Central Police Division. The brawlers had fled the scene by the time police arrived after being alerted at about 10.40pm, while members of the public were helping two injured people. Four of the six men will be charged in court on Tuesday for the offence of being a member of an unlawful assembly. The remaining two men will be charged for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means and rioting with a deadly weapon respectively on Wednesday. The police are investigating the 22-year-old woman. In an update, police said four of five men who were arrested over the weekend were charged with rioting armed with a deadly weapon. The fifth, a 30-year-old, will be charged with voluntarily causing grievou...

SeaPRwire
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More IPPT-related activities to resume from Jan 4: Mindef

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - More individual physical proficiency test (IPPT) related activities for operationally ready national servicemen will resume in January, said the Ministry of Defence on Monday (Dec 21). From Jan 4, the Singapore Armed Forces will resume IPPT preparatory training (IPT) at fitness conditioning centres, as well as IPT-in-the-Park, which allows NSmen to do their training at parks closer to their homes. These sessions will be conducted at reduced capacity and in small groups according to phase three guidelines by statutory board Sport Singapore, in accordance with national Covid-19 measures. "Some of the safe management measures that will be in place include temperature taking, physical distancing, and the wearing of masks at all times (except during the conduct of strenuous physical activities), said Mindef in a Facebook post. NSmen can start booking their IPT slots from Dec 28 via the NS Portal. "The SAF continues to closely monitor the Covid-19 situation in Singapore and review the measures in place to keep our servicemen safe," it added. "The SAF has also been reviewing our NS IPPT system, and will release details of the review when ready. We thank our NSmen for their con...

ACN Newswire
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Babylon Project issues Immutable Certificates to Hackathon Participants using Certificado

indie
2 minutes

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Dec 22, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The Babylon Project has issued verifiable and immutable certificates of participation to all active attendees of its 2020 blockchain hackathon, using a decentralized application built by members of its developer community. Participants can easily claim and verify their certificates with the Discord group by simply calling on the discord-bot, and instantly receiving their certificates with hash pointers to the Waves blockchain.The certification app is called Certificado, designed by one of the top developers at the hackathon. Certificado is solving the problem of counterfeit certification using blockchain, which no prior technology directly addresses. By enabling businesses, individuals, and enterprises to issue authentic certificates, Certificado wants to bring massive value to any industry which deals with a large number of documents like Education, Art, Events, Healthcare, Insurance, Real Estate, and Banking. Since the pandemic, there has been an increasing demand for blockchain protocols that digitalize, authenticate, and verify documents. Certification of documents by blockchain creates a validating, traceable, and secure way o...