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Moonstake introduces DeFi project to Japan

SINGAPORE, Dec 9, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - On the 12th of December 2020, Japan's largest blockchain incubation hub, Binarystar, will host the Business Blockchain Expo following September Expo. For this Expo, Moonstake is now sponsoring the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) section and will serve as a gateway to introduce prominent DeFi projects to the Japanese market.Business Blockchain Expo is a business matching event organized by Binarystar that connects domestic and overseas blockchain operators with Japanese industry. In the "DeFi section" sponsored by Moonstake, the invited speakers are from the forefront of the defi industry such as MakerDAO, NEO Flamingo, and Zilliqa, the world's most advanced technologies and projects in DeFi. There will be a wide range of discussions on what the DeFi community expects on the Japan market from a DeFi perspective. Currently, DeFi is the hottest area in the blockchain industry. The expansion of the DeFi ecosystem has been huge. Since the beginning of this year, DeFi's total locks were US$1 billion at the end of 2019 and now growing to over $14 billion. Along with staking, which is expected to grow over the $50 billion market with the spread of Pro...

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Fujitsu Earns Top Rating in CDP Climate Change, Water Security

TOKYO, Dec 9, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited today announced that the Fujitsu Group has been selected for the CDP's A List for both climate change for the fourth year in a row and water security for the second year in a row, earning the highest rating in the CDP's evaluation of corporate activities in response to climate change and water security.The Fujitsu Group aims to create a prosperous and sustainable society by enacting its medium- to long-term environmental vision, the Fujitsu Climate and Energy Vision, and contributing solutions to societal and environmental issues. Fujitsu plans to decarbonize its own business by 2050 using ICT, while working to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change and to prevent and mitigate disasters as well as conserve water resources, through its business activities. CDP is an international non-profit organization that manages global disclosure for companies' activities relating to climate change, forests, and water security, on behalf of institutional investors that have total investment assets in excess of $106 trillion(As of 2020/12/7). The survey evaluates companies' outstanding efforts to demonstrate leadership in disclosi...

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Covid-19 case on cruise: Safety rules for cruises to nowhere

SINGAPORE - After a confirmed Covid-19 case was discovered on board Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise ship, the vessel had to return to Singapore, arriving on Wednesday (Dec 9) on the third day of a four-day cruise to nowhere. The ship, which is the second to sail from Singapore as part of a safe cruise pilot scheme by the Singapore Tourism Board, has isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with the guest. All of them tested negative for the coronavirus. Genting Cruise Lines launched Singapore's first pandemic cruise to nowhere on Nov 6, with 1,400 passengers on the World Dream mega-ship. Here is a look at the safety regimes and protocol on the Quantum of the Seas. CruiseSafe standards All ships sailing out of Singapore will have to receive CruiseSafe certification and adhere to its safety and hygiene guidelines to screen for and prevent the spread of Covid-19. These standards include: - Putting in place infection control measures at every stage of a passenger's journey, including a mandatory Covid-19 test prior to boarding - Strict and frequent cleaning and sanitisation protocols on ships - Safe management measures aligned with prevailing national policy at t...

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Deputy director at FAS and wife allegedly cheated sporting body of over $600k

SINGAPORE - A deputy director at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and his wife allegedly worked together to cheat the sporting body of more than $600,000 in total between 2016 and 2018. Rikram Jit Singh Randhir Singh, 40, was handling commercial and business development at FAS, while his wife Asya Kirin Kames, 33, was a director of a firm called All Resource Network (ARN) which dealt with sporting goods. They were each charged with 45 counts of cheating on Wednesday (Dec 9). Responding to queries from The Straits Times, FAS said it had sacked Singh on Jan 7 last year. “We have extended our full cooperation with the authorities and are unable to comment as court proceedings are ongoing,” added a spokesman. Singh and Asya are accused of committing the offences with two other men - Shankar Suppiah, 43, and Pallaniappan Ravindran, 47 - who were also charged on Wednesday. Shankar, who was also a director at ARN, faces 37 cheating charges while Pallaniappan, a director at event organiser Myriad Sports & Events (MSE), was slapped with 15. In a statement, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said that invoices from ARN were submitted to FAS as part of the alleged co...

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AirTrunk opens its first Singapore data centre

SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - AirTrunk on Wednesday (Dec 9) opened its first Singapore data centre - located on 1.5 hectares of land in Loyang due to its close proximity to the Changi North Cable landing station, allowing for strong international connectivity, the company announced in a statement. Named AirTrunk SGP1, the scalable data centre is "a key part of the company's growing Asia-Pacific platform", and will boast an overall capacity of more than 60 megawatts (MW) upon completion. Currently in its first phase, the data centre has opened with a capacity of 30 MW. Construction for phase two is already underway "to cater for strong customer demand". Focusing on sustainability and minimising carbon footprint, SGP1 is "designed with a range of innovations" to deliver a power usage effectiveness of 1.25, using 40 per cent less water than the industry average, said AirTrunk. The Asia-Pacific hyperscale data centre specialist also noted that the facility - catered for hyperscale customers to aid their rapid growth in Singapore and throughout South-east Asia - is the most land-use efficient in the market, offering the highest IT load per square metre. Founder and chief executive of...

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US food delivery giant DoorDash raises $4.5 billion in above-range IPO

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - DoorDash raised US$3.37 billion (S$4.5 billion) in an initial public offering (IPO) above its marketed range, according to people familiar with the matter. The San Francisco-based company sold 33 million shares on Tuesday (Dec 8) for US$102 each after marketing them for US$90 to US$95 each, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information wasn't public yet. At that price, DoorDash has a fully diluted value of about US$38 billion, which includes employee stock options and restricted stock units. DoorDash's IPO is one of the largest US tech listings this year. The company is part of a cadre of consumer-facing, web-based businesses that are expected to go public in December - including home-rental platform Airbnb, which is set to price its IPO on Wednesday. Others include video-game company Roblox Corp, installment loans provider Affirm Holdings and ContextLogic, the parent of online discount retailer Wish. Food delivery start-up DoorDash has seized on the pandemic-fueled boom in demand for meals brought to your door, as well as investor exuberance over new stock listings as it moves ahead with its IPO. Revenue in the first nine months of ...

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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Dec 9

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Wednesday, Dec 9. Suspected Covid-19 case on Royal Caribbean cruise to nowhere, ship returns to Singapore mid-sail Guests have been told to remain in their rooms for the journey back. READ MORE HERE 3 bars and pubs to reopen for 2 months under nightlife sector pilot Strict measures will be in place, such as no live music and dancing. READ MORE HERE Singapore and China lay groundwork towards post-Covid-19 world with new agreements DPM Heng Swee Keat identified connectivity, digitalisation and sustainable development as increasingly critical areas for collaboration. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Body of missing 41-year-old snorkeller found near Sisters' Island The man's wife said he had planned to snorkel for 30 minutes. READ MORE HERE Hosting WEF 'a feather in the cap' for Singapore: Experts The tourism and events sectors are expected to get a boost from the meeting. READ MORE HERE Children of divorced parents earn less than peers from intact families, more likely to be divorced: MSF study The study of more than 100,000 S'poreans found that their parents' divorce...

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GIC-backed Rede D’or valued at $29.4 billion in Brazil IPO

SAO PAULO (REUTERS) - Rede D'or, Brazil's biggest hospital chain, was valued at 112.5 billion reais (S$29.4 billion) in an initial public offering priced on Tuesday (Dec 8), sources told Reuters and the company confirmed in a securities filing, placing it among Brazil's 10 biggest companies by market capitalisation. Both the company and its shareholders, which include Carlyle Group and Singapore state investor GIC and its founder's family, raised 11.4 billion reais in the offering, in the biggest IPO by a Brazilian company since 2013. The hospital chain plans to use the proceeds - roughly 8.4 billion reais - to build hospitals and acquire businesses, such as health insurance brokers and hospitals. Rede D'or, with 51 hospitals in Brazil, was founded in 1977 by Jorge Moll Filho as a laboratory. The company is still controlled by the Moll family. Rede D'or's successful IPO comes despite a hit to its business by the pandemic, which has reduced elective medical care. It reported revenue of 9.8 billion reais in the first nine months of 2020, in line with the same period a year earlier, but net income plunged more than 80% to 156.5 million reais. Both GIC and Carlyle sold a small portion ...

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Global investors keep pouring money into Asia’s red hot markets

SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG) - Be it stocks, bonds or almost any other asset class, foreign cash is pouring into Asia on bets it will be fastest-growing region as the world recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose to a record last week and a Bloomberg Barclays bond index is close to its highest in four years. The region's currencies are, on aggregate, the strongest since 2018 and commodities are also climbing. Little wonder when a Citigroup gauge of economic surprises in the region is at a level last seen in 2007. The positive aftermath of the US election, encouraging progress on vaccines, abundant liquidity and an "improving growth pulse" in Asia have driven demand for the region's assets, according to Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) head of Asia research Khoon Goh. "We expect a controlled virus situation, improved global growth and ample liquidity to spur further inflows into the region," Mr Goh wrote in a note on Tuesday (Dec 8). "We expected continued strong inflows over the course of 2021, which will be supportive of Asia's asset markets." Investors added the most money to emerging-market exchange-traded funds since January last week and the...

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S&P 500, Nasdaq end at new records, extending rally

NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks finished in record territory again Tuesday (Dec 8) on enthusiasm over coronavirus vaccines and anticipation of stock offerings by Airbnb and DoorDash. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished at all-time highs, with the S&P 500 up 0.3 per cent to 3,702.25 and the Nasdaq Composite Index up 0.5 per cent to 12,582.77. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.4 per cent to close at 30,173.88. Sentiment has been boosted by major Covid-19 vaccine announcements that have lifted confidence about the potential for a strong economic recovery in 2021, and offset worries about the near-term pain as the US contends with soaring coronavirus case counts that have led to new restrictions. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday issued a positively-worded briefing document saying the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective, raising expectations the regulator is poised to grant emergency approval. Also Tuesday, AstraZeneca became the first Covid-19 vaccine maker to publish final-stage clinical trial data in a scientific journal, confirming the vaccine works in an average of 70 per cent of cases. Markets also have been cheered by the impe...

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Trintech Named a ServiceNow Elite Partner in the ServiceNow Technology Partner Program

Dallas, TX, Dec 9, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Trintech, a leading global provider of integrated Record to Report software solutions for the office of finance, today announced that it has been named a ServiceNow Elite Partner in the ServiceNow Technology Partner Program. As an Elite Partner, Trintech is also announcing a new financial close automation solution, CadencyDirect, available through the ServiceNow Store. CadencyDirect is designed to leverage the Now Platform and is among the first integrations of digital workflows for the office of finance.CadencyDirect is built on Trintech's industry-leading Cadency(R) solution that combines all financial close activities into a single, seamless process, including operational matching, intercompany transaction management, balance sheet reconciliations, journal entry management, close task management and compliance. Cadency supports 100s of ERP instances including SAP(R), Oracle(R) and NetSuite(R). Cadency clients include ABB, Albertsons, AON, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, GSK, Ingram Micro, Kroger, Microsoft, Sanofi, Secure Trust Bank, Uber, Volvo AB, and Western & Southern."Enterprise organizations are facing complex, new challenges as they...

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Business of IP Asia Forum closes

HONG KONG, Dec 8, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The 10th Business of IP Asia Forum (BIP Asia Forum), jointly organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong Design Centre, was successfully held online on 3 and 4 December. More than 60 international intellectual property (IP) experts and business leaders shared their insights on the latest industry trends and developments with more than 10,000 viewers from over 40 countries and regions joining the global live streaming.In the keynote session at the Business of IP Asia Forum, Yancey Strickler, Co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter (top right), shared his experience in creating Kickstarter, a global crowdfunding platform. Arata Oono, founder of Borderless (above left), and Emile Chen, CMO & Co-founder, Origami Group (above right) also shared their insights in the keynote session moderated by Relena Sei, CEO of Jumpstart Media Limited (top left).Previous participants in IPHatch Hong Kong shared their experience and tips for start-ups joining the competition this year. They included (left to right from second left) Aldous Ng, Co-founde...

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Moonstake Collaboration Webinar with Aaron McDonald, CEO of Centrality: “The Future of Proof of Stake and Staking”

SINGAPORE, Dec 8, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Moonstake will hold a joint webinar with its strategic partner Centrality "The Future of Proof of Stake and Staking" on 13th of December. It will be held from 2PM Singapore time.Moonstake and Centrality entered into a strategic partnership in August this year. Aaron McDonald, CEO of Centrality has joined Moonstake as an advisor and both parties are actively developing for the implementation of CENNZ (Centrality's token) through Moonstake staking platform. This webinar will be the first joint event since the partnership was signed and will also share with you about the progress of the partnership between Centrality and Moonstake.Centrality is the leading FinTech venture platform. It received a research grant from the New Zealand government and is working with the New Zealand government to build a decentralized system through the public-private integrated organization "Digital Identity NZ" together with NZ Tech and Singlesource.Centrality has partnered with industries in various fields such as Amazon (AWS), Microsoft Partner, McDonald's China, and it is expected that cooperation with these companies will trigger many companies to adopt blockc...

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MC Signs Rolling Stock Contracts with Myanma Railways

TOKYO, Dec 8, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is pleased to announce that it has signed two contracts with Myanmar's state-run railway, Myanma Railways to deliver it new units of rolling stock. The first is for 66 cars that will be used in the Yangon Circular Railway (YCR) Project, and the second is for 180 cars that will be used in the Yangon-Mandalay Railway (YM) Project. Railway CarThe total cost of both projects is approximately 69 billion yen, which will be covered by an international-yen-loan agreement between the governments of Japan and Myanmar. The cars, which will include Japanese components and equipment, will be built by Spain's largest manufacturer of rolling stock, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A. They will be delivered to Myanmar in stages between 2023 and 2025. The YCR Project is part of the overall plan to upgrade and modernize the Yangon Circular Railway. The cars delivered by MC will run on the approximately 46 kilometers of track that loop around central Yangon, Myanmar's largest commercial metropolis. At present, it takes a train roughly 170 minutes to complete the loop, but the modernization plan should cut that to about 110...

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Toyota and Hino Launch Initiative with Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson to Introduce Light-Duty Fuel Cell Electric Trucks

TOKYO, Dec 8, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino Motors, Ltd., together with Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., FamilyMart Co., Ltd., and Lawson, Inc., have agreed to jointly consider introducing light-duty fuel cell electric trucks (light-duty FCETs), and to establish an environment for its widespread use in the future, targeting the realization of a sustainable society that takes into account global warming and energy diversification.The main points of the agreement are as follows:- In 2021, Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson will conduct a trial operation of light-duty FCETs (max. payload: 3 tons) jointly developed by Toyota and Hino, to verify its practicality and convenience as part of considerations for its roll out.- In the evaluation of the trial operations, Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson will verify delivery by light-duty FCETs in logistics between multiple distribution centers and stores, to see whether or not continued trials are viable in 2022 and beyond, from the perspectives of businesses and the society.- Following this, in 2022 and beyond, they will work to identify various issues relating to convenience, such as positioning of hydrogen sta...

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Competition watchdog looking into cooperation between SIA and Vistara on flights to India

SINGAPORE - Singapore's competition watchdog is seeking public feedback on whether a proposed cooperation between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Vistara for flights to and from India could adversely affect passengers. The application for collaboration between the two airlines, submitted to the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) in November, could merge 16 routes that the two airlines now ply separately, including flights from Singapore to Indian cities including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Concerns that the reduction in flights could affect ticket prices and seat capacity can be submitted to the CCCS till Dec 21. Vistara is a joint venture between SIA and Indian company Tata Sons and began operating flights in 2019. The agreement between SIA and Vistara to work together on scheduling, pricing, selling, and marketing related to flights between Singapore and India was inked on Feb 13, before the coronavirus crippled the air industry. The CCCS said the two airlines argued that the cooperation is unlikely to distort competition on the 16 routes in question due to the many existing competitors already plying them. They said their passenger share, taken t...

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3-year Singapore-led study to look at impact of heat on migrant workers, soldiers and others

SINGAPORE - Singapore is hot, hot, hot. But this does not mean nothing can be done about it. Local researchers keen to prove that the effects of heat can be tamed have embarked on a research project to study its impact on the health and work productivity of those with more physically intensive jobs here, such as migrant workers, soldiers and hawkers. 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.

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ATF Online+ Caps Off its First Week with Fresh Insights for 2021

SINGAPORE, Dec 8, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The 21st Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), Asia's leading entertainment content and conference, capped off the first week of its digital edition - ATF Online+, with 2,320 unique attendees from 60 countries and regions as of 4 December 2020. The platform is available on-demand until 28 February 2021.Mr. Yeh Chien Ee, President, Asia Pacific, Reed ExhibitionsATF Online+ kicked off with an Opening Ceremony at the new state-of-the-art Hybrid Broadcast Studio located in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore on 1 December 2020. Mr S Iswaran, Minister for Communications and Information, Singapore officiated the launch in front of a physical audience of key industry players. The event was concurrently streamed live to a global audience watching via ATF Online+ and on Facebook. The ceremony was followed by a fireside chat between the Minister and Mr. Steven Chia, Presenter/Senior Editor of Channel News Asia, on the future of the media and entertainment industry, where he mentioned how companies need to create a wider variety of content, and the opportunities the Asian media market presents.Business as usual at ATF Online+, with new connections made and deals ...

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NUS launches new interdisciplinary College of Humanities and Sciences

SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) on Tuesday (Dec 8) officially launched a new college that will house two of its oldest faculties - arts and social sciences, and science - and take in some 2,000 undergraduates. The College of Humanities and Sciences, which will admit its first cohort of students in August 2021, marks a major shift from the traditional way of learning in separate disciplines. Both faculties date as far back as 1929, and will continue to operate separately. Students will still graduate with a bachelor's honours degree in arts, social sciences or science within four years. But a key difference is that they will have to take 13 common modules in areas that cut across different fields of study, such as design thinking, artificial intelligence and scientific inquiry. Students will spend a third of their overall curriculum on such modules, which will focus on the intellectual approaches and connections across disciplines. Other topics include Asian studies, computational thinking and community and engagement. Students will also take two higher-level interdisciplinary modules of their choice. These aim to integrate knowledge across disciplines. With t...

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Trendy Lifestyle Products take their Cue from Big Data

HONG KONG, Dec 7, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Amid the current challenges, companies are taking new approaches in the quest to grow their businesses. Twenty-two webinars held recently as part of Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE (ASWO) brought leaders from various industries together to share the latest market intelligence on lifestyle trends that can help companies develop new business opportunities. The seminars included the "Hong Kong Toys Industry Conference - Toys for the Future", "Divulge the Next Era of Home", and the "Hong Kong International Watch Forum".Kenny Sham, Director, Head of Marketing (Hong Kong, Taiwan & Macau), LEGO Group, suggested that small and medium-sized toy makers could try to find local YouTubers to represent their brands.Speaking at the Hong Kong International Watch Forum, Samuel Lee, Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Limited (centre), advised the industry to build a strong foundation for domestic markets in Hong Kong and Mainland China.New toy industry initiatives attract millennialsThe "Hong Kong Toys Industry Conference" was jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Federation of Hong Kon...